Classroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Kushida Kikyo is a Textbook-Level Perfect Girlfriend

[Ding… Today’s intel has been updated.]

[Intel 1: Ryuuen Kakeru of first-year Class C currently possesses 3,016,500 Private Points.]

[Intel 2: Kanzaki Ryuji was assigned to first-year Class B due to an overly negative interview attitude.]

[Intel 3: Hashimoto Masayoshi of first-year Class A is a double-crosser.]

As Shimizu Akira slid into his classroom seat, the translucent blue text of today’s intel materialized in his mind. He parsed the information line by line, his expression remaining perfectly neutral.

First, Ryuuen Kakeru.

‘Over three million points?’ Akira mentally retracted a bit of his previous arrogance. It turned out he wasn’t the wealthiest student in their year after all. Ryuuen was sitting on a massive fortune, having already shattered the million-point threshold.

However, Akira highly doubted the tyrant of Class C had earned that wealth through legitimate, quiet transactions. Given Ryuuen’s absolute authority over his peers, the most logical conclusion was extortion or a mandated tax. This was likely the consolidated wealth of the entire class.

‘To hand over all their Private Points to one person… Class C is surprisingly united under his dictatorship,’ Akira mused. It was an unexpected, but useful, piece of data.

Moving on to the second piece of intel.

He recognized Kanzaki Ryuji’s name—the famously handsome, highly capable student from Class B.

‘Assigned to a lower class just because of a bad interview attitude?’

It sounded exactly like the situation with Kouenji Rokusuke in their own class. If one student was penalized for arrogance, it was an anomaly. But two? That proved a systemic rule. The School Administration held absolute, arbitrary authority over the sorting process. Academic and physical excellence meant nothing if the interviewers decided they didn’t like a student’s personality.

Finally, the third piece of intel.

Hashimoto Masayoshi. Akira didn’t have much of an impression of the Class A student, nor did he know which faction the boy currently served. But a confirmed double-crosser was a dangerous variable. Hashimoto might not just betray a specific leader; he was the type who could sell out his entire class if the price was right.

Akira quietly filed the name away. A traitor in Class A could be an incredibly lucrative asset in the future.

The third period of the morning was Mathematics, Akira’s absolute best subject.

While he dreaded Japanese literature in this life, math was practically second nature. The teacher stood at the chalkboard, droning on about vectors—a concept Akira already knew flawlessly.

During his previous life as a game planner, he had drafted countless technical documents for programmers, eventually teaching himself game development from scratch. The application of vectors in a game engine was absolute. Calculating a character’s field of view, executing precise collision detection, and writing complex movement logic all required a deep, practical understanding of vectors. Even with modern engines handling the heavy lifting, he still had to write the raw code himself on plenty of occasions. High school math was little more than a nostalgic review.

Lunch break arrived with the sharp chime of the bell.

Just as Akira stood up to grab a meal, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, swiping the screen with his left hand to reveal a string of messages from Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida Kikyo: “Shimizu-kun, don’t forget our promise~”

Kushida Kikyo: “I’ll count all the votes I get towards your quota!”

Akira stared at the screen, instantly understanding her angle. She was going to rally the class for the upcoming election and attribute all her hard work to him.

‘So, the eighty thousand points were purely hush money to her.’

What amused him was the sheer dedication to her act. Even though she had violently exposed her true, venomous nature to him on the rooftop last night, she was still typing like a sweet, innocent angel.

Shimizu Akira: “Are you sure?”

Kushida Kikyo: “…It’s okay! After all, I was the one who suggested it. Shimizu-kun, you actually don’t have to do anything at all~”

Akira leaned against his desk. He hadn’t expected to win an election by doing absolutely nothing. The sensation of having a girl handle all his responsibilities gave him the strange, fleeting illusion of being a kept man.

‘Is she the type who would swallow any grievance just to maintain her perfect image?’

A vivid scenario played out in his mind. If Kushida Kikyo were to fall in love and enter a relationship, she would undoubtedly wear this gentle, lovely mask 24/7, playing the role of the impeccable girlfriend. If her boyfriend did something to infuriate her, she wouldn’t yell or start an argument. She would just bite her lip, swallow her rage, and smile. Then, in the dead of night, she would sneak up to the school rooftop alone, violently kicking the chain-link fence and cursing his name to vent the pressure.

The next morning, she would greet him with a sweet, radiant smile over breakfast, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

It didn’t matter if her gentleness was genuine or entirely fabricated. ultimately, she would remain perfectly obedient and devoted.

The only prerequisite, of course, was holding her dark past over her head.

‘Wait… looking at it from that angle…’

A perfect girlfriend. This was practically a textbook-level perfect girlfriend.

Akira weighed the concept in his mind. Take Ichinose Honami, for example. She was universally recognized as gentle and kind, but she had strict moral principles. If her partner messed up, Ichinose would demand a mature conversation, forcing the offending party to admit their mistake and apologize.

But Kushida was different. To maintain the affection and high regard of those around her, she would rather hide in the shadows and violently vent her emotions than ever direct her anger at someone close to her.

‘Could it be that Kushida Kikyo… is actually the ideal choice for a girlfriend?’

The sudden conclusion amused him. Even knowing she was a two-faced manipulator, this specific personality trait made her incredibly unique. A girl who would never openly get angry at her boyfriend already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the dating pool.

Even better was the dual personality. It was like having two girlfriends at once—sometimes saccharine and lovely, sometimes raw, dark, and straightforward. That kind of contrast would completely eliminate any chance of a boring relationship.

Akira looked at the messages from the girl with world-class acting skills and exhaled a quiet breath. Kushida was indeed impeccable, provided one knew how to hold her leash.

Shimizu Akira: “Kushida-san, you’re still too gentle.”

Kushida Kikyo: “…Huh? I just want to be friends with everyone, it’s not just about being gentle!”

Kushida Kikyo: “Um… Actually, don’t be fooled by my feelings—I have my own little selfish motives! Just like our trade last night…”

Kushida Kikyo: “If I really had to date a boy, honestly, Shimizu-kun is a bit better than the rest.”

Akira raised an eyebrow, watching the chat bubbles pop up in rapid succession. The flattery was thick, which meant the hook was coming next.

Kushida Kikyo: “Um… Actually, because I recently paid the class fees, I had to borrow points from several people to raise the 80,000 points for you this time!”

The implication bleeding through the screen couldn’t have been clearer. I’m completely broke. Shouldn’t you show some mercy and give the 80,000 points back?

Akira could almost see the frantic, invisible text hovering over her message: Urgent need for points! I really, really want that money back!

He tapped his finger against the edge of his phone, then decided to cut straight through the act.

Shimizu Akira: “Well, your eighty thousand points are very useful to me. In short, I will never give them back to you.”

This time, the digital silence stretched on for a very, very long time.

Kushida Kikyo: “Thirty thousand points aren’t even an option?”

Shimizu Akira: “Hmm, I can’t give it.”

Kushida Kikyo: “I understand.”

Akira chuckled softly, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He could practically hear the sound of her grinding her teeth into dust on the other side of the campus.

Yet, just as he predicted, she didn’t drop the pretense. She didn’t snap, and she didn’t curse him out. A textbook perfect girlfriend, through and through.