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ArabicClassroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Arisu Sakayanagi’s Riddle Game
“That person is Ryuuen Kakeru, the leader of Class C, Shimizu-kun.”
Arisu Sakayanagi elegantly withdrew her gaze from the retreating figure. A meaningful, shallow smile rested on her lips as she addressed the boy sitting across the cafeteria table.
Akira pulled himself from his thoughts, his dark eyes thoughtfully tracking the spot where the imposing boy had just disappeared into the crowd. So that arrogant, swaggering student was the rumored tyrant of Class C.
“Do you think he is qualified to be our opponent?” Arisu gently poked a crisp green leaf with her silver fork. She frowned slightly as she placed it into her mouth, her every movement exuding an innate, untouchable nobility.
“That is your perspective,” Akira replied, his tone flat. “I have never considered anyone an opponent.”
“I see. So you consider everyone beneath you to be trash? How truly condescending, Shimizu-kun.”
Akira choked on his breath, nearly coughing up the mouthful of noodles he had just swallowed. He looked up at the silver-haired girl sitting opposite him, entirely baffled by how she had managed to twist his words so drastically. He was merely stating a pragmatic fact about his worldview, yet she had somehow weaponized it into a declaration of absolute arrogance.
“Fufu… I am just kidding.” Arisu covered her mouth, her soft chuckle ringing out like a clear silver bell. “Of course I understand what you really meant.”
Akira offered no response, choosing instead to focus on his lunch.
His morning had been entirely unproductive. The three pieces of information provided by his daily system had been absolute junk, prompting him to try his luck observing the student body in the cafeteria. He certainly had not expected to find Arisu Sakayanagi dining alone. More surprisingly, the brilliant strategist of Class A was eating the complimentary vegetable set meal—the free, tasteless option meant for destitute students.
He had originally planned to use this chance encounter to probe her for information regarding the S-System, but their conversation had been interrupted by a carefully staged farce orchestrated by Class C. Now that the distraction was gone, he returned to his original objective.
“Speaking of which,” Akira said, setting his chopsticks down against his bowl. “Sakayanagi-san, through what special channel did you manage to obtain those key pieces of information?”
“On the very first day of school, a remarkably kind person told me everything.” Arisu’s lips curved into a mysterious, playful smile. “Shimizu-kun, I will give you exactly three chances to ask questions. My answers will be restricted to ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘irrelevant’.”
Akira frowned slightly. People who prided themselves on their intellect always seemed obsessed with these tedious guessing games. Things that could easily be stated outright always had to be packaged in layers of obscure riddles. Still, he decided to play along. The intelligence she possessed was far too valuable to ignore.
After a brief moment of calculation, he posed his first question. “Did the other party’s act of disclosing this information violate the current school rules?”
“No.” Arisu smiled, her eyes gleaming as she watched the gears turning in his head.
That single answer immediately narrowed the scope to four probable demographics: newly enrolled first-year students, alumni who had already graduated, former faculty and staff, and students who had dropped out before completing their studies. Even if individuals from these four groups leaked classified data, they would technically remain outside the jurisdiction of the academy’s current disciplinary rules.
Akira studied her expression, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “Did this person successfully graduate from this academy?”
Arisu paused for a fraction of a second before slowly nodding. “…Yes.”
That eliminated three of the remaining possibilities in a single stroke.
“I see.” Akira’s eyes cleared with sudden realization. “On the first day of school, you encountered a senior graduate who had returned to the campus for an event. From them, you obtained the complete internal mechanics of the school’s evaluation system.”
“Absolutely correct.” Arisu clapped her hands together cheerfully. “Because they are alumni who have already graduated, they are no longer bound by the academy’s rules, nor are they faculty members restricted by confidentiality agreements. More, they successfully handled the entire curriculum.” She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hands. “These seniors often understand the academy’s unwritten rules far better than the current teaching staff.”
“Using the information network of graduates… that entry point is genuinely unexpected.” Akira allowed a rare trace of admiration to show on his face.
As expected of Arisu Sakayanagi. He had to admit, he had never considered approaching the problem from that specific angle.
“Fufu… you did not expect that, did you?” Arisu keenly caught the fleeting respect in his eyes. Two shallow dimples appeared on her pale cheeks, her tone dripping with ill-concealed triumph. “So, Shimizu-kun, how exactly did you obtain your information?”
“Me?” Akira shrugged casually. “I just bought it with Private Points from a second-year student.”
“It seems my method was far superior this time.” Arisu elegantly sipped her thin miso soup. “Shimizu-kun, you have completely lost to me today.”
“Who is competing with you?” Akira cast a sideways glance at her, lowering his head to finish his noodles. “Forget it. If you think you won, then you won.”
A moment of silence passed between them before Akira suddenly looked back up, his dark eyes locking onto hers.
“But I am very curious about one thing. Why would a graduated senior be willing to reveal such highly classified information to a first-year? What exactly did you offer in exchange? After all, the other party is already a prospective university student. Points are entirely useless to them in the outside world. It is impossible that they simply handed it over for free.”
The slender finger holding Arisu’s soup spoon stopped moving.
It was an imperceptible freeze, a microscopic hesitation in her otherwise flawless posture, but it did not escape Akira’s predatory observation. He had struck a nerve. He had touched upon a highly sensitive truth.
Could it have been a massive monetary transaction involving real-world currency? Or perhaps something else entirely?
Akira did not press the issue. Having confirmed his suspicion, he simply went back to his meal as if the question had never been asked.
Arisu recovered smoothly, feigning casual disinterest as she changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Shimizu-kun seems to be quite close to Kamuro-san from my class.”
“Yes,” Akira replied without looking up from his bowl. “She is a very easygoing person. Her personality suits me well enough.”
“Oh?” Arisu raised a delicate eyebrow. “Kamuro-san always seems so terribly cold to everyone else. also…” Her voice dropped a few notches, taking on a conspiratorial whisper. “You and I both witnessed her in that rather pathetic state at the convenience store. Shimizu-kun’s criteria for choosing friends are truly… special.”
Swallowing his final bite of food, Akira picked up his tray and stood from the table. “She is just right for me. No one in this world is perfect, Sakayanagi-san. Everyone has a few hidden flaws.”
Arisu sat in silence, watching his broad back as he walked away. The confident rhythm of his footsteps slowly faded into the ambient noise of the cafeteria. Left alone, her thoughts drifted back to the afternoon of the entrance ceremony, replaying the actual conversation she had with that senior.
‘Why should I tell you anything? What is in it for me? Points? Hah! I am not a student anymore, kid. That garbage only works inside these walls. Out here, they are just meaningless numbers.’The senior had waved his hand impatiently, his tailored suit cuff pulling back to reveal a ridiculously expensive wristwatch.’Money? Save it, little girl. I graduated from Class A, my family owns multiple mining conglomerates, and I am heading straight to Tokyo University next month.”But… wait, you said you are Chairman Sakayanagi’s daughter? The Chairman who allocated all those resources to Class A? Alright, fine! Strictly as a favor to your father, I will tell you everything I know!’
Arisu snapped out of the memory, her elegant facade cracking into a deep, irritated pout.
“So unappetizing…” she muttered under her breath, glaring down at the considerable pile of leftover boiled vegetables on her plastic tray.
If she had not spotted Akira entering the cafeteria at noon, she never would have subjected herself to ordering this miserable, free set meal just to look pitiful and gain his sympathy.
Judging by the way he had just walked away, her little performance had been entirely useless.