Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Kikyō is a ticking time bomb. The risk factor is incredibly high. Should they use her?

Yes. They've already started interacting with her, so reaching out to others would require unnecessary time and energy. It's not efficient.

Moreover, her obsession with Suzune can be used to they advantage. She's currently a very convenient and useful asset.

"Of course." Houtarou replied, giving Kikyō the answer she wanted to hear, "Also, I'll be in contact with Horikita for the next month."

{T/N: She asked if they could become friends.}

"Oh." She nodded lightly.

She seemed to suspect something about the relationship between him and Suzune, but she was tactful enough not to pry.

"If you want to gather investment intentions from students, I'll need a few more days. Right now, I only know a small portion of the students."

In other words, give her a few more days, and she'll know all the new students? This social ability is off the charts, isn't it?

"Alright." Houtarou nodded, "But I only want students from Class B and C to participate. Class A students are out of money, and as for Class D students — I hate to say it — but it's questionable whether they'll be able to come up with money to invest next month."

"Okay." Kikyō didn't question it.

She also felt that Class D would be in danger going forward, so she was considering how to acquire some Points for herself.

Now, for every Point Houtarou could absorb, she would get a 5% return. She had to work hard for her own benefit too.

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Kikyō began her efforts.

She possessed extremely high affability. Although she had requested a few days from Houtarou to socialize, on the third evening, the three of them regrouped.

During these two days, he learned from Suzune that Kikyō had persisted with her previous harassment plan, still waiting outside her door every morning. This sounded rather creepy.

Of course, it could also be interpreted as persistence — a very strong, urgent, and obsessive desire to become friends with Suzune. This is how the stalked girl described it:

"I completely don't understand, or rather, I can't feel any sincerity."

Hmm. Suzune's a blunt girl who doesn't understand social nuances. Houtarou had already grasped this point.

At the same time, it's undeniable that this blunt young lady's intuition was quite accurate. She felt that Kikyō wasn't sincerely wanting to be her friend and kept refusing, while the stalker's attitude towards her indeed wasn't sincere, but rather obsessive. There was some reason she had to get close to her.

And Kikyō's obsessive force was also very strong.

On the third day, she brought along a few classmates from Class B. Then, almost without much persuasion, these Class B students signed the contract.

At the same time, Houtarou also discovered that these Class B students had a characteristic: they seemed to trust people very much. Even though it was a contract involving their Point income for the next few months or even a year, they all thought it was fine.

Their reasoning was: "We're all classmates, and being able to earn Points together is reassuring". At the same time, they were also full of confidence in opening the store, seemingly hoping to patronize it once it opens.

Like angels (investors).

However, being this naive is not very suitable for this school, Houtarou thought.

After sending off the Class B students, Kikyō quickly arranged to meet with Class C students — six boys and three girls. Compared to Class B students, she was able to bring in more Class C students at once.

"The atmosphere in Class C is a bit strange." Kikyō remarked before meeting the Class C students, "Someone seems to be using violence to force obedience from others. This student with violent tendencies is named Kakeru Ryūen."

"Apparently, he was a delinquent in middle school." She continued, "But when he started getting violent here, he was defeated by Albert Yamada, a two-meter-tall guy in Class C. Now, Ryūen is retaliating by harassing the other part. Recent rumors suggest Albert can't take it anymore and wants to surrender."

'Oh.' Houtarou nodded.

He then asked Suzune to add a new clause to the contract, specifically for Class C students.

Class C students participating in the store opening agreement must keep it secret from Kakeru. If Houtarou's guess was correct, this Class C student was using his own methods to unify Class C. He would likely soon discover that this store opening agreement would cause Class C to continuously lose Points.

In this school, strength and Points reign supreme. Class C's position is precarious — neither high nor low. An agreement to deduct Points from students monthly, even with the promise of returns after a year, is risky. Kakeru can't afford to wait, especially with the possibility of special exams each month making Points crucial.

They need to act before he unifies Class C. Their goal is to acquire as many Class C "leeks" as possible, and they need to make a show of it.

Houtarou sent a message to Masayoshi, a classmate from Class A.

Masayoshi was similar to Masumi in capability, but while she worked quietly, he was more intriguing.

He belonged to Kōhei's group but would occasionally trail behind Arisu like a follower. Yet, he'd send messages to Houtarou, expressing his willingness to work for him.

In other words, this classmate would align with anyone who could help him maintain his Class A status. He was the type to bet everything on it.

As Houtarou pondered this,

"Everyone, it's right there—" Kikyō's sweet voice rang out.

The Class C "leeks" had arrived.

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