Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

It was 4 PM. The afternoon classes had ended.

The afternoon had consisted of Chemistry and English. Houtarou had already fully digested the day's lessons.

This was his life motto: don't do what's unnecessary, and simplify what must be done. Learning is just a tool, so it's enough to complete it when needed.

Therefore, he basically didn't look at textbooks after school. This approach was quite convenient. Since he didn't need to do homework, he didn't have to take textbooks home, and naturally didn't have to bring a pile of books to school.

At this moment, a soft exclamation was heard in the now-dismissed classroom. The boys in the class went to the corridor and saw a top-tier beauty walking towards them.

She was extremely pretty, with jet-black straight hair, beautiful fox-like eyes, and knee-high socks. Quite eye-catching.

Why would such a beauty come to their classroom? Their class had the super cute Arisu, but she was just cute. What appeared now was beauty incarnate.

"Oreki, someone's looking for you." Masayoshi, the blond guy who was good at socializing, said as he walked into the classroom from the corridor. He also demonstrated his information-gathering skills, "It's Suzune Horikita from Class D."

In an instant, Houtarou, who was about to take out his phone to contact Suzune, found himself the center of everyone's attention.

He glanced towards the middle of the classroom. It was empty. No cane and no T-Rex. He thought the only fortunate thing was that Arisu had left the classroom right after school.

Click—

However, he also noticed that Masumi hadn't left the classroom after school; she was still at her seat.

Almost immediately after Masayoshi pointed out that the super pretty girl was here to see Houtarou, she quickly took out her phone and snapped a photo in Suzune's direction.

Her phone didn't make any shutter sound or flash when taking the photo. In Japan, where secret photography is a serious issue, phones are typically manufactured with built-in flash and shutter sounds.

However, in this school where Points can buy anything, removing such restrictions on phones is apparently possible, making secret photography more convenient.

Houtarou realized this situation might not be as fortunate as he initially thought. Moreover, Suzune's arrival right after class, without contacting him first, suggested she was in quite a hurry.

He wondered if his provocation at lunch had been too strong. While he had planned to gather information himself, she had now come to him in advance.

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

Houtarou decided to leave the classroom with her. Without any books to carry, it was an effortless task for him.

"You don't even need a schoolbag?" She asked, walking beside him.

While she carried a shoulder bag containing several books, his hands were empty — a stark contrast that seemed perfectly natural to him.

A gust of wind swept by, causing Suzune to brush a stray strand of hair behind her left ear. The graceful movement added a touch of elegance and released a subtle, natural fragrance — distinctly different from perfume.

Houtarou noted that this scent differed from the usual perfume worn by the girl who sat in front of him in class.

It reinforced his impression of Suzune as a top-tier beauty. Walking alongside such a stunning girl presented a complex situation for someone dedicated to conserving energy.

Nevertheless, Houtarou remained steadfast in his purpose. He had come to school to study, not to pursue beautiful girls simply because the opportunity arose.

His focus now was clear: acquire Points…

"I absorb all the necessary knowledge during class, so I don't need to carry books around." He explained.

"Oh." Suzune's response betrayed her keen interest in academic performance.

Noticing her momentary distraction, Houtarou steered the conversation back on track, "You haven't forgotten our goal for today, right?"

"To acquire points." She replied, "However, the methods seem limited. The school deposits points into each student's account on the first of every month, based on their class's points multiplied by 100. I overheard that even the shopping district staff are paid in points. Since the school prohibits part-time jobs, our options for earning extra points are few. Besides some special school-arranged exams, there don't appear to be other channels. Collecting 20 million points, therefore, seems incredibly challenging."

It seemed Suzune had done her homework. But she had merely listened, not participated in her classmates' conversations. This passive approach was still a way of gathering information.

Houtarou was beginning to understand her situation in Class D. It was the same as when he first visited — she was a lone wolf.

"That's how it appears." He said, "But I have a different perspective. Did you see the second-year students' bulletin board?"

"Yes."

The bulletin board displayed the Class Points for the four second-year classes:

「Class A: 1900 Points」

「Class B: 1100 Points」

「Class C: 1000 Points」

「Class D: 900 Points」

Suzune, familiar with the school's rules, understood these were the Class Points for the second-year students.

"Don't you think these numbers seem absurd? They look fabricated."

"I don't believe the students in Class D of the second year would be so exceptional that they could maintain a class evaluation score of 900 points after a year." He continued, "To produce such data, it's highly likely that Class A of the second year has discovered the secret to wealth, allowing them to manipulate the entire grade's arrangements."

"So what are you suggesting?" Suzune asked.

"Naturally, to uncover the second-year students' secret." Houtarou smiled, "Look, there's a girl coming down from upstairs. How are your social skills?"

"Completely non-existent. I have no friends." She replied bluntly.

Is that so? He thought as much.

At times like this, it would be beneficial to have someone skilled in socializing, instead of having to do it himself.

With this in mind, Houtarou approached the senior student descending from the school building, who had long orange hair and wore a distinctive sunflower hairpin.

⍟⍟⍟

T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! I'm constantly translating and the difference will keep getting bigger!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing