Classroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Chairman’s Daughter

At nine o’clock in the evening, the soft glow of a smartphone screen illuminated the darkened dorm room. Shimizu Akira stared at the display, his mind turning over the day’s events, when a new message notification suddenly broke his focus.

Kushida Kikyo: “This is a photo from our trip to the beach before summer vacation ~”

Three more messages chimed in rapid succession immediately after.

Kushida Kikyo: “Shimizu-kun, you did well this time. This is a special reward just for you, only for you, so keep it a secret!”

Kushida Kikyo: “If I find out any other male classmates also have this photo… you know the consequences, right? (Smiling face)”

Kushida Kikyo: “I hope our next collaboration is pleasant.”

Akira’s thumb hovered over the screen before tapping the thumbnail. The image expanded, filling the display with a vibrant sunset. Standing on the sandy shore was Kushida Kikyo, clad in a striking pink bikini. The swimsuit perfectly accentuated her voluptuous figure, highlighting the graceful curve of her waist and the long, slender line of her legs. Strands of wet hair clung to her flushed cheeks, giving her an aura of playful, unmistakable allure.

It had to be said, from a purely objective, masculine standpoint, it was an exceptionally well-taken photograph.

Akira did not dwell on it. He tapped the text box and typed a simple reply.

Shimizu Akira: “Received.”

There was no need for unnecessary banter at a time like this. A girl had proactively sent him a swimsuit photo; simply accepting it was the most pragmatic response. Feigning shyness or acting coy would be entirely out of character for him.

‘She wouldn’t think I instructed Karuizawa Kei to do this, would she?’ he mused.

Considering the circumstances, the probability was quite high. After all, Karuizawa had pushed that particular suggestion while secretly monitoring his reactions. But did Kushida truly believe that being the class representative was a desirable position? In Akira’s eyes, taking the helm of Class D was nothing more than a tedious chore.

‘Now that the twenty-five thousand Private Points in class fees have been collected, the surveillance issue needs to be addressed.’

The other classes had already circulated their notifications regarding the camera surveillance, yet Class D had remained conspicuously silent. Now that the dust from the representative election had settled, whoever was pulling the strings would inevitably have to confront the issue.

Another notification chimed.

Akira glanced at the sender’s name. Sakayanagi Arisu.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “You’re selling it for quite a price.”

Akira naturally understood exactly what she was referring to. But given his current public persona, he opted for the simplest deflection.

Shimizu Akira: “?”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Still playing dumb! I’ve already asked my father.”

Akira paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.

Her father was the Chairman of the Advanced Nurturing High School. If Sakayanagi had genuinely used his authority to investigate, Akira’s dual identity would have been exposed instantly. However, Akira quickly dismissed the threat. This was merely a probe. Someone as fiercely proud and arrogant as Sakayanagi Arisu absolutely detested the notion of relying on her father’s power to solve her problems.

Shimizu Akira: “Who is your father?”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “My father is the Chairman of this school—Sakayanagi Narumori.”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Hehe, whether you are that person or not, let me tell you something interesting that happened this afternoon.”

Akira read through the subsequent messages she sent, his expression flat, before typing his response.

Shimizu Akira: “Your Class A has barely lost any Class Points, so there is no need to spend three million Private Points to rent the surveillance system, right? This deal isn’t worth it for you.”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Are you testing me again? You clearly know I hate being spied on. What I value has never been the surveillance itself, but the surveillance data from the past two weeks. Two weeks is more than enough time to analyze the personality traits, behavioral habits, and academic performance of most people in our class. Everyone’s conversations, whispers, and private moments—this information is the most critical. If that mysterious person sold it to the other classes, even if we are Class A, it would be difficult for us to maintain our absolute advantage in the early stages. After all, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”

Akira’s gaze locked onto the phrase ‘two weeks’.

A faint, dry smile touched his lips. It seemed she had indeed failed to consult her Chairman father. Only Akira knew the truth: there was only one week’s worth of data in existence.

Naturally, he had no intention of correcting her. Handing over free intelligence meant losing the initiative for absolutely no gain.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Well then, I should go and talk to that mysterious person about this in detail. Goodbye.”

The moment she sent that message, Sakayanagi’s main account went completely offline.

Mere seconds later, a new message arrived on his alternate account.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Can I just rent it for one day?”

Akira was momentarily impressed. The girl was exceptionally sharp.

Class A did not care about the ongoing monitoring, nor did they fear point deductions. Their sole concern was the historical surveillance data. A twenty-four-hour access window would be more than enough time for Sakayanagi to wipe the servers clean.

Tsuki Ao: “You wish. I refuse. I don’t offer one-day services here.”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Can I use five hundred thousand Private Points to have you delete all surveillance data for Class A since the start of the school year?”

Tsuki Ao: “Little princess, don’t keep testing me. I’m telling you clearly, the system is only available as a full package rental.”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Hehe… Is that so? Then I have one more question. Have you already sold the surveillance content of our Class A at a high price to the other classes? If that is truly the case, I won’t be renting it, you know.”

Akira leaned back in the dark room, his mind working through the implications of her words.

So that was her primary concern. The access rights belonged to him, but the raw footage recorded by those cameras was highly sensitive intelligence that could easily be auctioned off to the highest bidder. If he had already leaked Class A’s secrets to their rivals, purchasing the access rights now would be a meaningless gesture for her.

However, Akira had already anticipated this angle. From the very beginning, he had never intended to sell the raw footage.

Tsuki Ao: “I don’t sell surveillance content. I only rent out the entire surveillance system.”

Arisu Sakayanagi: “That is a bit unexpected! You’re not trying to deliberately deceive me, are you?”

Tsuki Ao: “You can ask the Student Council. They will ensure fairness for both parties in the transaction.”

He had prepared this countermeasure well in advance.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “The neutral Student Council? Hehe, I’ll go ask tomorrow.”

She paused for a moment before firing off another message.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Oh, by the way! Besides Class A, which other classes have you leased surveillance access to? I wonder if there are any other classes besides first-year Class A. You haven’t notified all four classes about this, have you?”

Akira naturally ignored the probing question. It clearly exceeded the boundaries of their transaction.

Arisu Sakayanagi: “Hehe… But speaking of which, even if you have surveillance access for first-year Class C, Class D, and Class B, I can’t afford it this month. But by next month, your so-called surveillance access might be completely invalid. After all, the School Administration recently announced a ban on using points to purchase or rent school equipment. Even if you were the first to exploit the loophole, it is at most a sub-lease. I am very curious, until which month can your rented access actually be used?”

Akira raised an eyebrow.

He had to admit, Sakayanagi Arisu’s intellect was formidable. With just a few exchanges, she had effortlessly deduced that the surveillance access he wielded was merely rented, not owned.

He thought for a moment, his fingers hovering over the digital keyboard, before slowly typing out a final, dismissive reply.

Shimizu Akira: “Don’t rent it then. I’m going to sleep.”

Regarding the surveillance access, he had maintained absolute initiative from beginning to end. Even if the rental deal fell through completely, he still had the official refund of four hundred thousand Private Points per unit as a guaranteed fallback.

No matter how Sakayanagi maneuvered, this operation was destined to be profitable.