Classroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Hello, I’m Shiina Hiyori from First-Year Class C

Horikita Suzune was just about to bring up the topic of their upcoming tutoring sessions when a synchronized buzzing interrupted her. Both of their phones vibrated against the table at the exact same moment.

“Kushida-san notified the whole class to gather in the classroom…” Horikita read the glowing screen, her voice dropping to a soft, analytical murmur.

“Let’s go. There’s probably some important news again.” Akira offered a brief wink, already turning on his heel.

The cafeteria was only a short distance from the Class D homeroom. handling the pristine hallways of the Advanced Nurturing High School, they made it back in under five minutes.

The classroom was already humming with nervous energy, the desks gradually filling up as students filed in from their lunch breaks.

Kushida Kikyo stood at the front of the room. She clapped her hands together, projecting that signature, impossibly sweet smile that always managed to disarm the room.

“Everyone, listen up! I’ve already negotiated with the Student Council for a way to resolve the three million points issue. The Student Council offered a special loan service, and based on their rigorous estimate of our Class Points for next month, we successfully passed the review.”

The anxious murmurs that had been bouncing off the walls gradually quieted down. The entire class leaned in, listening attentively to Kushida’s explanation as if she were their savior.

“Simply put, we can pre-pay this massive cost by borrowing against next month’s Private Points.” She surveyed the classroom, keeping her tone light and encouraging. “So, in May, each student needs to pay 45,000 Private Points. Then in June, it’s 31,500 Private Points, with 1,500 of that being the additional interest.”

“This plan is acceptable.”

“Given our class’s recent performance, we should definitely get seven or eight hundred Class Points next month, right? If we only pay half our income, we can pay it off in two months. No problem at all!”

A wave of relief washed over the room. The vast majority of the students readily agreed, their earlier panic dissolving into optimistic chatter.

Kushida added with an extra layer of honey in her voice, “But each student needs to personally sign to confirm. Otherwise, the Student Council won’t approve this loan for us.”

She picked up the crisp contract document from the podium and began weaving through the aisles, presenting the pen and paper to each student with practiced grace.

Every single person cooperatively signed their name, eager to put the debt crisis behind them.

When she finally reached the back row, she leaned in slightly, offering the document and pen. “Shimizu-kun, you’re the last one!”

Akira took the clipboard. His dark eyes casually swept over the paper. Since his seat was relegated to the very back of the room, the signature lines were already densely packed with the names of his peers.

‘These are the classmates who will soon owe me money…’He kept his expression entirely neutral, though a dry amusement flickered behind his eyes.’Now I have to sign my name too. Won’t that technically mean I owe myself money?”My kindness truly is endless.’

The absurd thought made him shake his head slightly. He neatly scrawled his name at the bottom of the list and handed the clipboard back to the waiting girl.

With the final signature secured, Kushida slowly left the classroom, her mission accomplished.

A short while later, Akira and Horikita walked side by side into the expansive school library.

They handled the quiet aisles between the towering bookshelves, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. Eventually, they found a secluded study area nestled deep within the archives.

Several rows of long wooden tables were neatly arranged under warm, focused lighting. Small, polite reminder signs were nailed to the corners of the desks: Discussion Area – Please keep conversations low.

“You go find a middle school Japanese textbook first,” Horikita instructed softly. She didn’t wait for his response, simply pulling a brand new hardcover book from her bag and taking a seat at the nearest table.

Akira inadvertently caught a glimpse of the English title printed across the dust jacket: And Then There Were None.

He raised an eyebrow. Agatha Christie’s absolute classic.

He remembered the premise of that new work well. Ten people trapped on a deserted island, dying one by one in mysterious, inescapable ways. As the progenitor of the locked-room mystery genre, it had inspired countless later works across the globe. From Detective Conan to The Kindaichi Case Files, and even Ryukishi07’s Umineko When They Cry, the echoes of Christie’s masterpiece were everywhere.

More interestingly, Akira noticed a subtle shift in Horikita’s phrasing. At some point today, she had changed her address from the stiff, distant ‘Shimizu-san’to the slightly more familiar’Shimizu-kun’.

This tiny linguistic shift stirred a faint sense of amusement in his chest. But looking at her aloof, unapproachable posture as she opened her book, he decided to play dumb and pretend he hadn’t noticed a thing.

If he actually pointed it out, given Horikita’s prickly personality, she would immediately revert to her icy distance, and this entire tutoring arrangement would fall apart before it even began.

Leaving her to her reading, he turned his gaze across the spacious library.

The architectural design here was genuinely impressive. In addition to the traditional open reading areas, several semi-enclosed study zones were specifically partitioned off with frosted glass and acoustic paneling. Not far away, a group of upperclassmen sat together, discussing an academic topic in hushed, serious tones.

For a fully enclosed facility, the scale of this library was vast. Every conceivable genre of book was carefully categorized and arranged. From basic remedial textbooks to highly specialized treatises, everything a student could ever need was available on these shelves.

It made perfect sense. In a campus entirely isolated from the outside world, the library naturally served as the ultimate repository of knowledge and entertainment.

Akira walked over to the main service desk, approaching a librarian who was busy organizing a stack of returns. “Excuse me. Where is the middle school Japanese textbook section?”

The female administrator pushed her round-rimmed glasses up her nose and kindly pointed toward the southeast corner. “D-block, third row of bookshelves. They are categorized by grade level and subject.”

“Thank you.”

Akira handled through the labyrinth of tall, polished wooden shelves until he stopped in front of the section labeled Middle School Textbooks.

Modern Japanese Language Basic Explanation, Japanese Language Introduction, Grammar Essentials… the spines were lined up in perfect, colorful rows.

He took his time, carefully selecting a few foundational texts. He finally pulled out Introduction to Literature and flipped to the title page to check the publication date.

“If your Japanese foundation isn’t very strong, I highly recommend that Modern Japanese Language one instead.”

The voice that floated over from beside him was incredibly gentle, as clear and soothing as a mountain spring.

Akira turned around. A silver-haired girl was standing quietly by the adjacent bookshelf.

She exuded a deeply intellectual, tranquil demeanor. She held a thick hardcover book delicately against her chest. The gold-stamped title, The Mystery of the Seven Black Cats, caught the overhead light, with Ellery Queen’s name printed elegantly just below it.

Akira couldn’t quite suppress a small smile. What kind of day was it today, running into two different girls engrossed in classic mystery novels back-to-back?

“Thank you for the recommendation.” He readily accepted the advice, sliding Introduction to Literature back into its slot and pulling out the Modern Japanese Language Basic Explanation she had pointed out.

The girl’s pale eyes suddenly lit up, noticing his gaze lingering on her book. “Ellery Queen’s works are truly wonderful. Would you like to give them a try, too?”

“Actually, I’ve already read them,” Akira replied smoothly.

He noticed her eyes widen a fraction at his answer, a spark of genuine delight flashing across her features, as if she had just stumbled upon a rare kindred spirit in the wild.

“Really?” Her voice unconsciously rose a few octaves in excitement. She immediately realized she was in a quiet zone, her cheeks flushing slightly as she quickly lowered her volume. “Do you also like mystery novels?”

Akira offered a nostalgic, easy expression. “I used to be fascinated by the classics, but lately, I prefer more lighthearted light novel mysteries.”

“Light novel mysteries… like Hyouka?” The silver-haired girl paused, her eyes shining even brighter for a fleeting second before a sudden, faint cloud of regret settled over her delicate features. “I’m so sorry, I seem to have gotten a little too excited just now…”

She shook her head, a soft, melancholic smile touching her lips. “Due to some ongoing class affairs, I probably won’t be able to come to the library very often lately.”

She suddenly looked up, as if remembering her manners. A perfectly polite, gentle smile graced her face. “Oh, by the way, I’m Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C. May I ask who you are…?”

“Hello. I’m Shimizu Akira from Class 1-D.”

Akira paused for a fraction of a second, his calm exterior hiding the rapid calculation turning in his mind as he completed his introduction.

‘Wait. She’s Shiina Hiyori? The girl who will eventually uncover my true identity?’