Classroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Ryuuen, How Many Million Points Do You Intend to Spend to Rent the Surveillance for Your Class?

“Ibuki-san?”

A soft voice severed the dark, chaotic memories swirling in Ibuki Mio’s mind. Before she could fully register her surroundings, a silver-haired girl was already standing beside her desk, her eyes filled with quiet concern.

“Is your body… alright?”

Shiina Hiyori’s tone carried her usual gentle warmth, but the sheer proximity made Ibuki instinctively stiffen her spine.

“Ah! I’m fine!” Ibuki abruptly straightened up, deliberately tipping her chair back until the metal legs let out a sharp creak against the floorboards. “Don’t forget, I’ve practiced martial arts.”

She threw a casual punch into the empty air, aiming for a show of effortless strength. Instead, the sudden motion pulled violently at a bruised rib that had yet to heal. A sharp spike of pain flared through her side, causing the corner of her mouth to tighten.

“You still haven’t handed in your Private Points, right?” Hiyori’s voice dropped, light as a passing breeze. “Even Ishizaki and Yamada, who were the most resistant to him at the beginning, have now…”

Ibuki snapped her gaze across the room. She spotted the former troublemakers trailing behind Ryuuen Kakeru, running his errands like obedient dogs. It was a sickening sight. The towering Yamada Albert and the loudmouthed Ishizaki had been broken down into mere thugs.

“What a joke…” Ibuki muttered. Beneath the shadow of her desk, her fist clenched until the knuckles turned a stark white. “How could I possibly yield to that kind of scum…”

It had only been the third day of the semester when Ryuuen declared his absolute dictatorship, ordering every student in Class C to surrender eighty thousand Private Points a month as a mandatory class tax. The initial rebellion had been fierce. Ryuuen had simply crushed it, beating the defiance out of them one by one. By the second week, even Yamada had crumbled under the relentless violence. Now, Ibuki stood alone.

“It’s simply absurd! That group from the Student Council actually asked me for evidence? They wouldn’t even do the most basic investigation!” Ibuki lashed out, kicking her desk. The heavy thud echoed through the room, causing a few students in the front row to flinch and look back in terror.

“You actually went directly to the Student Council to report Ryuuen…” Hiyori murmured, her eyes widening slightly. “If he finds out…”

The heavy classroom door at the back was suddenly kicked open.

Ryuuen Kakeru strolled inside with the lazy, predatory grace of a beast patrolling its conquered territory. Ishizaki shadowed him, playing the role of a loyal guard.

“Heh… You’re really putting on the airs of a king.” Ibuki projected her voice, lacing it with pure venom.

Ryuuen halted right in front of her desk. “A king, huh… that’s not a bad title.” His dark eyes narrowed, locking onto her with a chilling intensity. “As for you, you seem like a rebellious subject.”

Ibuki’s muscles coiled, a fierce fire igniting in her eyes. Before she could snap back, Hiyori gently tugged at her sleeve. The silver-haired girl offered a microscopic shake of her head, her calm gaze silently pleading for restraint.

“…Hmph, get lost.” Ryuuen let out a dry scoff, his eyes sweeping over the two girls with utter contempt. “I’m in a good mood today, so I can’t be bothered with you.”

He pulled out his phone, his thumb tapping a rapid rhythm against the glass screen. A moment later, a notification chimed. Ibuki glanced down at her own device. A new message sat in the class group chat.

Ryuuen Kakeru: Everyone, within ten minutes, get to the classroom and assemble immediately! Don’t wait for me to personally invite you.

Ibuki swallowed hard. That man had likely unearthed another crucial piece of the school’s hidden mechanics. She hated to admit it. Ryuuen’s methods were vile—violent coercion, psychological manipulation, illegal wiretapping—but they yielded obvious results. Less than half a month into their high school lives, the entire class was paralyzed by a mixture of deep hatred and primal fear. Yet, they all recognized his overwhelming capability. If not for that fear, nobody would have surrendered their eighty thousand Private Points so obediently.

Seven minutes later, the scattered empty chairs were filled. The entire class sat in tense silence.

“From today on, everyone—” Ryuuen stood at the podium, arms crossed, his sharp gaze cutting across the room. “Attend class on time! No being late! No playing on your phones! No fighting! And absolutely no sleeping in class!” His voice struck the room like a heavy iron hammer. “Any behavior that violates school rules, put it away!”

A suffocating silence choked the classroom. Eyes went wide. Jaws dropped. The ultimate problem student, the tyrant who ruled through violence and openly mocked discipline, was standing at the front of the room reciting the code of conduct of a model honor student.

“…I see.” Hiyori blinked, a quiet breath of understanding escaping her lips.

“Huh?!” Ibuki stared at the podium, utterly lost. ‘Could his brain be broken? He’s actually acting like a model student?’

“Hmph, I knew that except for Shiina, you idiots wouldn’t be able to figure it out at all.” Ryuuen sneered, disgusted by the blank stares looking back at him. He snapped his fingers. “Ishizaki! Play that!”

“Understood!” Ishizaki scrambled to pull out a digital voice recorder, pressing the play button.

A burst of static hissed through the room, followed by the clear, arrogant voices of Class A students.

“…According to this trend, Class A will be able to firmly sit in first place next month.”

“That’s right. Especially those guys in Class C and Class D; just last week, they had quite a few Class Points deducted for violating school rules.”

“How many points do you estimate we can get next month?”

“According to Sakayanagi’s calculations, at least nine hundred and fifty points.”

“In that case, we should receive over ninety thousand Private Points next month.”

Bang!

Ryuuen slammed his fist down onto the wooden podium. A small cloud of white chalk dust plumed into the air. He leaned forward, a dangerous, mocking curve forming on his lips. “Now, do you understand?”

He shoved one hand into his pocket, his entire posture radiating a toxic impatience, as if the sheer stupidity of his classmates was physically offensive to him.

The classroom erupted into a chaotic frenzy.

“What are Class Points?”

“It sounds like they dictate our Private Points!”

“Wait, are you saying we lose points for breaking school rules?! Why didn’t the teachers explain this on the first day?!”

Ryuuen tapped a slow, threatening rhythm against the podium, watching the panic unfold.

‘What a bunch of hopeless idiots… They listen to the raw evidence and still struggle to grasp the reality of this school. Why does it feel like everyone except Shiina Hiyori and myself is completely brain-dead? This class is pathetically weak. And if Class C is this weak, Class D must be a complete landfill of trash. Heh. It looks like only Class B and Class A are going to be actual opponents.’

He thought back to the cafeteria a few days prior. He remembered the condescending stare of that silver-haired girl with the cane, looking down at the rest of the student body as if admiring a flock of sheep waiting for the slaughter. That nauseating aura of superiority had been his greatest clue.

He had his people dig into her background. Sakayanagi Arisu. A core leader of Class A. Acting on that instinct, he had slipped over to the Class A classroom late last night and planted two wiretaps near their door. He never expected to catch such a massive scoop so quickly.

‘Information warfare isn’t just about smashing your way through the front door. Since I couldn’t plant a human spy in their ranks this early, cheap wiretaps had to do the trick.’

Ryuuen spun his smartphone in his palm, pulling up a specific chat window. He typed out a rapid response.

Ryuuen Kakeru: Save it, you trash. Do you really think your little bit of information is worth one million Private Points? I already knew about your so-called hidden rules.

He pressed send, his thumb striking the screen hard. The recipient’s name sat at the top of the chat: Tsuki Ao.

When this mysterious Tsuki Ao had first sent him a contact request days ago, Ryuuen had dismissed it as a pathetic joke. But the stranger had replied instantly, dropping hints that demanded attention. His phone vibrated in his hand.

Tsuki Ao: It seems you already know? That saves me the trouble of explaining. We can get straight to the point and discuss the next transaction.

Ryuuen’s brow furrowed into a deep, harsh line.

Ryuuen Kakeru: Wait, don’t you just sell information?

Tsuki Ao: What era are we in? Who only sells information anymore? Let me see, hmm? Your entire class is present… This makes it even more convenient.

Ryuuen’s heart gave a violent jolt. His head snapped up, his eyes darting toward the back of the room. The classroom door was shut tight.

“Are you monitoring me?” he muttered into the empty air, his instincts screaming at him.

His phone buzzed again.

Tsuki Ao: Not a wiretap. I’m openly watching you through the two cameras in your classroom. So, Ryuuen, how many millions of Private Points are you willing to pay to rent these two monitors in your class?