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ArabicClassroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 54
Chapter 54: Nothing But Transactions
“Shimizu-kun…”
Horikita Suzune suddenly extended her slender hand. It hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly.
Shimizu Akira stared at the pale fingers presented to him. He blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Was she actually trying to shake hands?
‘Suddenly this… Is she apologizing for last night?’
Since the proud girl had taken the rare initiative to reach out, he saw no reason to leave her hanging. He reached out and gently grasped it. Her fingers were surprisingly cold against his skin, her palm a full size smaller than his own. His hand easily enveloped hers, feeling the delicate bone structure beneath her soft skin.
“Horikita-san, there’s no need for this. I’ve long since forgotten about last night,” Akira said, giving her small hand a polite, reassuring shake.
“…Who is apologizing to you!” Horikita abruptly yanked her hand back. The tips of her ears flushed a bright, angry red as she glared daggers at him. “I am inviting you to be my sole assistant! A handshake is our way of sealing a contract. Do you accept?”
She had completely underestimated how readily he would take her hand. Normally, a high school boy faced with sudden physical contact from a girl would at least hesitate or show some restraint.
‘As expected of a boy in his prime… He won’t miss any opportunity for close contact, will he.’
The realization sparked an inexplicable annoyance in her chest. But what bothered her even more was his arrogant assumption. Why did he immediately jump to the conclusion that she was apologizing?
“…Assist you with what?” Akira slowly withdrew his empty hand, letting it rest on his desk. He vaguely sensed a massive headache brewing and only hoped his intuition was wrong.
“Come with me.” Horikita looked him directly in the eyes. Her gaze was intense, enunciating each syllable with absolute conviction. “Help me lead Class D to Class A.”
Since her elder brother had Tachibana Akane by his side as a capable secretary, she reasoned she had no excuse to continue fighting her battles entirely alone. Scanning the entire classroom, the only person who met her rigorous standards in both sheer ability and calculating character was Shimizu Akira.
, her brother had personally instructed her to learn the ways of the world from this exact person. It made this invitation logically perfect in her mind.
“I refuse.”
Akira cut her off effortlessly, not even waiting for her to finish her grand pitch.
Watching her confident expression instantly darken into a scowl, he let out a quiet sigh. “How many times do I have to say it? I am not interested in doing such thankless manual labor. Class A holds absolutely zero appeal for me.”
His objective was simple and unchanging: graduate from this academy without unnecessary friction. The specific letter assigned to his class at graduation was entirely irrelevant.
‘As long as I have enough Private Points…’
He just wanted to enjoy these three years of high school life in peace. Why burn his energy chasing the fleeting, superficial honor of a class title?
“…What a thoroughly pragmatic way of thinking,” Horikita muttered, her tone laced with a mix of disdain and reluctance.
Akira gave her a slow, meaningful look. “You’re no different from me, are you? Don’t try to tell me you genuinely want to benefit our classmates by dragging them up to Class A. You just want to prove something to your brother.”
The air between them stalled. Horikita was left entirely speechless, her lips parted but producing no sound.
She had always prided herself on her sharp tongue and logical superiority. Yet, sitting in front of this boy, she felt like a raw recruit stepping onto her first battlefield—hopelessly naive and outgunned. Every word he spoke acted like a precise surgical scalpel, cutting straight through her defenses and striking her most vulnerable vitals.
“But then again—” Akira suddenly shifted the subject. A faint, dry curve formed on his lips. “As I mentioned before, from now on, any transaction with Horikita-san… I can make an exception and offer you a twenty percent discount.”
He did admire her, to an extent. Her stubborn, unyielding personality and her sharp, delicate features made for an interesting combination. But personal amusement was one thing. Business was business.
Not a single point owed would be erased from the ledger. At most, he would offer a slight discount out of neighborly goodwill. This was his consistent, unbreakable rule for dealing with the world.
“…You really have nothing but transactions on your mind!” Horikita’s fingers trembled with sheer indignation.
She instinctively clenched her small hands into tight fists, completely unprepared for his refusal to be so cold and absolute. She wanted to strike him, to wipe that calm, calculating look off his face. But as her peripheral vision caught the dense, defined muscle of Akira’s forearm resting on the desk, she forcibly swallowed the urge.
‘I can’t beat him. Starting a physical fight would only bring a penalty…’Defeated on all fronts, she could only turn her head away. Her expression froze over as she squeezed a harsh scoff through gritted teeth. She couldn’t win a debate against him, and she had zero chance in a physical confrontation. Facing Shimizu Akira, she was forced to swallow the bitter pill of total helplessness once again.’A transaction? What do I even have left to trade with him?’ she thought, grinding her teeth.
With less than thirty thousand points remaining in her account, her funds would soon be drained for the class pool—and ultimately flow straight into his pockets anyway. Not that she ever considered dodging the payment. At twenty-five thousand points per person, the crucial intelligence he provided was indeed a massive bargain.
“…Friday at 5:30 PM,” she stated, her voice dropping to a frosty warning. “If you are late, the tutoring session is canceled.”
“Understood. I’ll be on time,” Akira nodded.
He was genuinely concerned about his Japanese Language grades. Since someone capable was offering free academic support, he had no reason to turn it down.
Just as the conversation settled, an almost inaudible sigh drifted over from his other side.
Akira shifted his gaze. Sakura Airi sat hunched over her desk, clutching a thick notebook to her chest. Her eyes darted nervously, secretly glancing at him through her thick bangs before she quickly snapped her head down to stare at her lap.
“Is something wrong, Sakura?” he asked casually.
“N-nothing!” Sakura shook her head in a frantic blur. Her chin practically buried itself into her collarbone, and a deep, furious blush spread across her ears at a visible rate.
‘She’s peeking at me again…’
Akira subtly averted his eyes, giving her space. He wasn’t the type to flatter himself with delusions of grandeur, but his deskmate’s frequent, lingering glances over the past few days were simply too obvious to ignore.
It was a timid, fragile gaze. She looked exactly like a startled small animal—desperate to get closer, yet coiled tight and ready to bolt at the slightest sudden movement. When she sneaked those glances at him once or twice during almost every single class period, remaining oblivious was impossible.
His attention drifted to the notebook she was gripping so tightly her knuckles were white. With his keen perception, putting the pieces together took only a second.
“Are you… hoping I’ll look at that notebook you’re holding?” he asked, keeping his tone gentle and unthreatening.
“Y-yes!” Sakura flinched as if her deepest secret had just been broadcast to the room. She nodded vigorously, her trembling hands slowly extending the notebook across the gap between their desks.
Akira took it and flipped open the cover, raising an eyebrow at the contents.
From the very first lesson of the semester, every key point from their Japanese Language classes was neatly and carefully recorded. The handwriting was precise, and the notes were undeniably detailed. However, scanning the pages, it felt less like a study guide and more like a direct, word-for-word transcript of the blackboard.
‘Could it be that she isn’t actually very good at studying…? This material isn’t really suitable for my needs.’
Compared to this raw data, he needed the targeted, analytical tutoring that Horikita offered to actually pass the exams.
Still, he wasn’t so tactless as to point out the flaw in her hard work.
“This is a massive help. I’ll definitely use it for reference,” Akira said. He closed the notebook and gave her a polite, appreciative nod.
He accepted the gesture gracefully. With this, the lingering debt from when he helped her out previously was officially settled.
Hearing his praise and watching him keep the notebook, the tight, anxious lines on Sakura’s face visibly melted away into a relieved, soft expression.