Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

Kusuo Saiki immediately shook his head. Since this class was a free activity, he should try to avoid participating in it as much as possible.

Although swimming is slightly easier than other sports, it is still a considerable challenge for Kusuo Saiki. It would be terrible if he accidentally broke the world record.

Normally, Kusuo Saiki would occasionally lie down and rest on the seabed. His superpower could form a barrier to keep the seawater out.

Swimming? Kusuo Saiki doesn't need to at all.

"Huh? Qi Mu, you can't swim?"

Kikyo Kushida asked with some curiosity.

Kusuo Saiki did not deny this statement, which would save him a lot of trouble.

......

After a day of classes, Kikyo Kushida took the initiative to approach Kusuo Saiki and asked him to have dinner.

Regardless of what Kikyo Kushida's true feelings were, at least she kept her promise, which made Kusuo Saiki quite satisfied.

"Although I didn't manage to become friends with Horikita-kun, thank you for your hard work, Saiki-kun!"

Kikyo Kushida's smile added even more to her already adorable appearance.

"Hey! I promised you I'd treat you to a nice meal! Order whatever you like!"

'In that case, I won't stand on ceremony.'

Kusuo Saiki's lips curled up slightly. Since Kikyo Kushida had said so, he naturally wouldn't hold back.

He then went to the dessert section and ordered several pastries that he hadn't tried yesterday and that were quite expensive.

[Is this guy basically eating dessert like it's a meal? And he ordered so much?!]

Although Kikyo Kushida was internally complaining, she maintained a smile on her face, and outsiders could not tell what she was really thinking. Even Kusuo Saiki had to give her a few words of praise for such a disguise.

If a disguise is so perfect that it can be maintained indefinitely, then in a sense it is no longer a disguise.

Kusuo Saiki, carrying the dessert, sat down with Kikyo Kushida in a corner of the cafeteria. He actually preferred to enjoy the food quietly by himself, but since Kikyo Kushida was treating, he could only accept the situation for the time being.

"What a pity, I didn't expect Horikita-kun to be so difficult to get along with... I was thinking that since we're all classmates, we'd get along well in the future..."

Kikyo Kushida deliberately lowered her head, looking aggrieved, but quickly raised her head again, a smile appearing on her face.

"However, everyone has different ideas, and I can't force Horikita to change, but I still hope that she can integrate into our class."

Although Kikyo Kushida appears to be considerate of others, her true feelings are quite different.

That damn bitch, she thinks she's so cute and arrogant, go to hell! Go to hell! Go to hell! That slut, go to hell!

In her heart, Kikyo Kushida cursed Suzune Horikita with vicious words, and no one could possibly associate these words with Kikyo Kushida.

[Yes, that's how I'm going to act. I'll make myself look pitiful, put myself in a more vulnerable position, so it'll be easier to gain other people's sympathy. Then more people in the class will probably be on my side, and Saiki Kusuo should feel the same way.]

A meaningful smile appeared on Kikyo Kushida's face. She then turned to look at Kusuo Saiki in front of her, hoping to continue the conversation on this topic.

However, at this moment, Kusuo Saiki's attention was completely focused on the desserts in front of him, and he was enjoying the taste of the sweets immensely, as if he did not pay any attention to Kikyo Kushida's words.

[Is this guy not even listening to me? Hey, most guys would listen really attentively when they're next to me, right? What's this guy thinking?]

Kikyo Kushida knows she is very cute, and her deliberately feigned enthusiasm makes it easy for her to get along with the boys around her. She is also very good at using this advantage to guide the people around her, making it impossible for the boys next to her to refuse her requests.

However, her move seemed to have no effect on Saiki Kusuo, which surprised and even annoyed Kushida Kikyo.

Even so, Kikyo Kushida maintained a smile on her face, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

This conversation has reached a dead end. This guy is really difficult to deal with.

'That's right, that's how you should think.'

Kusuo Saiki hoped that Kikyo Kushida would develop a slight aversion to him, so that she would be less likely to contact him in the future.

After all, a girl like Kikyo Kushida is too likely to attract attention, which is not a good thing for Kusuo Saiki.

Chapter Nine: His name is Qi Mu... What's this?

Who is Kushida having dinner with?

'As expected, it attracted attention from others.'

As Kusuo Saiki thought to himself, he realized that the attention around him was gradually turning to him.

That person... seems to be from our Class D, right? What's his name again?

"Hey, hey, hey, even though I'm not very noticeable in class, does the name you just mentioned really have anything to do with me?"

[I'm so envious! He's already having dinner with the most beautiful girl in our class so soon, and they seem very close!]

'If you could hear what she was really thinking, you probably wouldn't be so envious.'

Kusuo Saiki sighed inwardly. Sure enough, he was just not compatible with Kikyo Kushida. He didn't like that at all.

Having already enjoyed the sweets she'd been longing for from Kikyo Kushida, she didn't need any further contact with her.

"Kushida, Saiki! You're here!"

Just then, a light and energetic female voice came from the other side. It was Ichinose Honami, the first outsider that Saiki Kusuo had met.

She has a very outgoing personality. Although she has only known Kusuo Saiki and Kikyo Kushida for a short time, she has already considered them as her friends.

The moment he saw Honami Ichinose, the voice in Kusuo Saiki's mind became even more chaotic.

Wow, another stunning beauty has arrived!

[Is this from Class B? I think her name is Ichinose?]

[Damn it, Guoxiong! Why?!]

"Hey, who exactly is this Guoxiong you're talking about?"

Saiki Kusuo felt somewhat helpless. The appearance of Ichinose Honami had brought more attention to him. He hadn't expected to be targeted by several club bullies as soon as he arrived at school. He hadn't seen such an extroverted person before.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the source of those thoughts; it was also a member of Class D.

Ken Sudo, Haruki Yamauchi, and Kanji Ike.

'Never get involved with those three people.'

In his mind, Kusuo Saiki had already placed the three of them on the same level as ape-like creatures.

"You two seem to have a really good relationship! Could it be that you're already...?"

Ichinose Honami wore a meaningful smile and asked in a very gossipy manner,

"Are you already together?"

"No, no!"

Kikyo Kushida's face flushed, and she looked like a shy girl.

However, this innocent appearance was also a facade; in her heart, there was no way she could have put Saiki Kusuo on her dating list.

"I asked Saiki to help me communicate with Horikita to see if we could ease the tension... but things didn't go as planned."

"Ah, is that so?"

Honami Ichinose, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

"Did you know each other before? Why is Horikita acting this way?"

Upon hearing the question, "Have you met before?", Kikyo Kushida's expression changed instantly. Although it was only for a brief moment, Kusuo Saiki noticed the change in her expression.

On the surface, Kikyo Kushida seems to want to get closer to Suzune Horikita, but in reality, she wants to use various means to expel Suzune Horikita from school.

"I don't know, maybe Horikita isn't good at interpersonal communication."

Kikyo Kushida shrugged, skipping over the first question Ichinose Honami had just asked, as if she and Suzune Horikita had only met after the start of the school year.

"I still want to try my best to unite the class into a cohesive group."

"If that's the case, perhaps I can offer you some advice!"

Honami Ichinose immediately told Kikyo Kushida about some of her experiences in Class B, thinking that this might be of some help to her.

In just one day, Honami Ichinose became friends with the rest of the class. Unlike Kikyo Kushida's hypocrisy, Honami Ichinose was much more sincere and enthusiastic.

However, Kusuo Saiki didn't care about these things. He just looked helplessly at the two people in front of him who had started chatting. It was impossible for him to leave the table anytime soon.

......

It was ten minutes later when Honami Ichinose and Kikyo Kushida finished their conversation. For Kusuo Saiki, these were the longest ten minutes of his life. He could have done much more in those ten minutes, but since he had eaten the dessert that Kikyo Kushida had treated him to, he couldn't just leave.

"Qi Mu, want to go back to the dorm together?"

Kikyo Kushida asked, her gaze fixed on Kusuo Saiki, who immediately shook his head in refusal.

Kikyo Kushida and Honami Ichinose are both considered beauties, and they would definitely attract attention if they walked around outside. If Kusuo Saiki were to walk with them, he would probably attract attention as well—perhaps even with hatred in his eyes.

Furthermore, Kusuo Saiki had other things to do later, so he planned to visit other parts of the school.

For example, the library, I heard it has all kinds of books, and reading mystery novels is one of Kusuo Saiki's few hobbies.

"See you tomorrow, Saiki-kun!"

Kikyo Kushida smiled and waved to Kusuo Shiki, then left with Honami Ichinose in a very intimate manner.

Before Saiki Kusuo could even stand up, Sudo Ken, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji almost immediately surrounded him.

"Oh, are you and Kushida dating?!"

With a serious expression, the somewhat familiar Kanji asked, his gaze fixed on Kusuo Saiki.

[Is Kunio really dating Kokushida?! I can't believe it!!!]

"Hey, hey, hey, you didn't even know my name before you started talking to me? We only spoke at the beginning of the semester, and you've only known Kushida for less than two days, yet you're already calling him 'Little Kushida.' That's terrifying."

Kusuo Saiki looked at them with a hint of disdain, but in order to avoid trouble as much as possible, he still offered an explanation.

"Haha, I knew it! How come you guys are making such a fast progress!"

Chi Kuanzhi and the others said, holding their heads and laughing.

"Sorry, sorry, we didn't mean anything by it, we were just curious!"

'Just curiosity? You were probably thinking, 'How could Kushida be dating such an ordinary guy? Why not me!' right?'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself, his face expressionless.