Saiki Kusuo's Classroom of the Elite

After getting his food, Saiki found an empty seat in a corner and sat down. Although the meal options were limited, this was one of the few moments of personal freedom he could enjoy, so he wanted to make the most of it.

But as soon as he sat down, Karuizawa Kei almost immediately took the seat across from him.

"Hey, Kusuo! I've been waiting for you!"

Karuizawa Kei smiled brightly as she spoke to Saiki.

"Waiting for me? How did you find me?"

Saiki asked, slightly puzzled.

"Because I guessed you'd pick a spot with fewer people around. That way, it didn't take long to find you!"

Karuizawa Kei said with a laugh.

"I see."

Saiki nodded thoughtfully.

"You ordered so much food?"

Karuizawa Kei's eyes fell on the mountain of food piled on Saiki's plate, her expression one of surprise. Given Saiki's build, it seemed impossible for him to have such a large appetite.

"The lunch lady gave me extra."

Saiki replied expressionlessly, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Really? That's way too much. How's the boys' dorm?"

"Everything's fine."

Saiki replied, using his telepathy to confirm that things were going smoothly on Karuizawa Kei's end.

At that moment, another figure approached their table, looking somewhat nervous and speaking in a barely audible voice:

"Excuse me… is this seat taken? Can I sit here…?"

The voice belonged to Sakura Airi.

Although it was phrased as a question, Saiki could sense the longing in Sakura Airi's eyes.

"Sure."

Saiki nodded.

It seemed his rare moment of solitude wouldn't last long.

...

That night, Saiki returned to the dormitory. After some casual conversation, everyone quickly fell asleep. To be safe, Saiki decided not to use his teleportation to go home and instead spent the night in the school building.

At 6 a.m. the next morning, soft, soothing music played over the intercom, waking everyone up. This was the school's morning wake-up call.

"So damn loud!"

Ishizaki Daichi grumbled as he got out of bed, clearly annoyed.

The others also got up, looking tired. Although there hadn't been any special activities the day before, the hours of travel had left them exhausted, and they hadn't slept well.

"From now on, we'll be waking up at this time every day."

Hashimoto Masayoshi sighed helplessly. For everyone, waking up early was a grueling ordeal.

"We'd better get up quickly. If we're late, we might lose points."

Yukimura Teruhiko reminded everyone as he got dressed.

"Hey, Koenji's not here."

Tokito Katsumi, from Class C, noticed that Koenji Rokusuke's bed was empty.

"Good morning, everyone! Were you about to go looking for me?"

Just then, a tall figure appeared at the door.

Koenji Rokusuke stood there, a light sweat on his forehead, wearing a bright smile.

"Doesn't seem like he went to the bathroom."

Yukimura Teruhiko narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Koenji.

"Haha, I woke up feeling great, so I went for some morning training."

Koenji Rokusuke said with a laugh.

Saiki knew Koenji was telling the truth. Using his telepathy, he had learned that Koenji had left the room around 5 a.m. to exercise.

"We don't know what kind of tasks we'll have later. You might waste your energy like this."

Yukimura Teruhiko frowned.

[This guy is so weird…]

'Indeed.'

Saiki agreed inwardly.

"Even after training, I still have far more stamina than the average person, so there's no need to worry."

Koenji Rokusuke completely ignored Yukimura Teruhiko's words.

[My body is so beautiful.]

That was the only thought in his mind.

Yukimura Teruhiko wanted to say more but simply turned to look at Saiki.

[As the group leader, Saiki should say something to Koenji, right?]

'Sorry, but I have no intention of doing that.'

Saiki replied inwardly.

He knew all too well what kind of person Koenji Rokusuke was. Even if he said something, it would be pointless.

Moreover, if someone else spoke up now, it might cause more friction within the group. Saiki didn't want to create more trouble.

"Let's all get up and get ready."

...

After a quick wash, Saiki and his group members headed to a classroom to meet up with the other grades in their large group.

There were about forty people in total. The first-year students exchanged brief morning greetings with the second and third years.

Soon after, the teacher arrived.

"I'm the homeroom teacher for Class 3-A. After roll call, the first-year students will go outside to clean the designated areas, followed by cleaning the school building—this will be your daily morning task. If it rains, you won't need to clean outside, but the indoor cleaning will take twice as long. The total cleaning time won't be shortened. Also, starting today, your classes won't just be taught by school teachers. Various individuals will be responsible for different tasks, so please mind your manners."

After a brief explanation, Saiki and his group headed to their assigned cleaning area.

'Yare yare, this place looked pretty clean before. Does that mean students come here every semester to clean? Is this so-called task just an excuse?'

Saiki couldn't help but think this.

They arrived at a dojo, which seemed to be where they would be doing their 'meditation task.'

Since the school building was located deep in the mountains, dust easily accumulated when the windows were open.

"Saiki… what should we do?"

Ishizaki Daichi and Albert approached Saiki, whispering.

'Don't talk to me like that…'

Saiki thought to himself, glancing at Hashimoto Masayoshi out of the corner of his eye. Hashimoto's attention was elsewhere, so he didn't notice what was happening.

'If Hashimoto notices something off, the Class A guys might come after me, and that would be more trouble than it's worth.'

"Do whatever you want."

Saiki replied dismissively, quickly sending them away. He then picked up some cleaning tools and headed to a secluded corner.

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, then activated his powers. A gust of wind swept through, clearing all the dust from his area.

For him, this was one of the few benefits of having superpowers.

After finishing the cleaning, the group began their meditation training under the guidance of a new teacher.

By the time the meditation session ended, it was past 7 a.m., and breakfast time had arrived.

The teacher led Saiki and the others to a new dining area, which wasn't the same cafeteria they had used for dinner the previous night. This one was connected to several kitchens.

Saiki already knew what this place was for.

"Today's breakfast will be provided by the school, but starting tomorrow, if it's sunny, you'll have to prepare breakfast within your groups. The number of people and the division of tasks will be decided by your group."

The teacher explained the basics of cooking as they went.

Saiki was initially interested in the idea of cooking:

'Yare yare, if I can make cake or pudding for breakfast, that wouldn't be so bad.'

"The breakfast menu is fixed every day, and the ingredients and cooking instructions provided will also be the same. It's usually a three-dish, one-soup type of meal."

The teacher's words instantly extinguished the small spark of interest in Saiki's heart.

With a fixed menu, making what he wanted was out of the question.

Moreover, the tools available didn't seem suitable for the desserts Saiki had in mind.

At that moment, Saiki felt a slight aversion to the idea of preparing breakfast.

[Cooking? I have no idea how to do that.]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing nearby, looked at the various kitchen tools, pondering their possible uses.

'Yare yare, I didn't expect Ayanokoji to know so much about basic things but be completely clueless about cooking. It's like a total blank spot for him.'

Saiki thought to himself.

After the teacher finished explaining, Saiki and the others sat down to enjoy the only breakfast they wouldn't have to prepare themselves.

"To keep things fair, how about each grade takes turns preparing breakfast?"

At that moment, a third-year student raised his hand and suggested.

Before speaking, he glanced at Horikita Manabu beside him, as if seeking approval.

"Let's see—I have no objections. Let's start with the first-year students."

Nagumo Miyabi said with a smile, his gaze shifting from Horikita Manabu to Saiki and the others.

"What do you think, first-years? Any objections?"

"None."

Saiki shook his head.

Although he didn't want to get involved, since the task was being divided equally among the three grades, it was only fair to accept.

"But preparing breakfast for the entire group will take a lot of time, right? We'll probably have to wake up earlier. How much earlier?"

Hashimoto Masayoshi asked.

"If we need to allow more time… I think we'll need to wake up at least two hours earlier. Otherwise, we might not finish preparing breakfast on time, and that would be a problem."

Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses and spoke seriously.

"Two hours!? I don't want to wake up that early!"

Ishizaki Daichi immediately protested, his displeasure evident. Everyone's eyes turned to him.

"You guys can do it. I don't want to…"

At that moment, Ishizaki Daichi's gaze fell on Saiki's face, which was completely expressionless.

[Saiki's expression… so scary… Did I say something wrong?! Damn it!]

'??? I'm not even making a face.'

Saiki was inwardly baffled.

Ever since that night, Ishizaki Daichi had found Saiki's expression terrifying, no matter what it was.

"I… I guess I can do it. I'll follow your lead."

Ishizaki Daichi quickly said, then lowered his head and focused on his breakfast.

[Why did Ishizaki's attitude suddenly change? It was like this yesterday too… Is there a reason? He seems almost afraid of something…]

Hashimoto Masayoshi looked at Ishizaki Daichi thoughtfully, his mind racing.

'Yare yare… This is going to cause a lot of trouble.'

Saiki sighed inwardly.

...

After breakfast, the group officially began their first day of classes.

First were some basic academic classes, followed by physical education—Saiki's least favorite subject.

After warming up, the PE teacher instructed them to run 3.5 kilometers.

'What does a 3.5-kilometer run mean for an average high school student?'

Saiki wasn't entirely sure. He glanced at the others, but they didn't seem to have much experience with it either, only thinking it sounded long.

'I'll just aim for the middle of the pack…'

"Horikita-senpai, want to settle our rivalry in this long run?"

Nagumo Miyabi smiled at Horikita Manabu, then turned to Saiki.

"Saiki, want to join us? We didn't get to finish last time."

"This is just a regular PE class, not even a formal exam. There's no need to go all out. Besides, if you push too hard, it'll disrupt the group's pace. The first-year students won't be able to keep up. If you want to compete, save it for the final exam."

Horikita Manabu shook his head expressionlessly, refusing to agree.

'Yare yare, that's a big help.'

Saiki thought to himself. Fortunately, Horikita Manabu's words kept him from being dragged into this pointless competition.

"As expected of Horikita-senpai. After all, this is a competition that offers no benefit to you. I'll look forward to our match in six days then~ I can't wait to see your expression afterward."

Nagumo Miyabi replied with a smile.