Classroom of the elite: The four elites

Lights dilemma

Light pov:

I got to class earlier than I usually would and found myself to be the first one in class. I settled into my seat and pulled out my notebook, jotting down random thoughts as I let my mind drift as I thought about the interaction from yesterday with a certain black hair girl.

Suzune Horikita of class 1-D is truly worthless, I mused, writing her name in my notebook only to draw a line through it. A fleeting thought made me chuckle: What if you could end a life by simply writing a name? It was a silly notion, but it lingered as I contemplated more about her.

My hope was to connect with the student council president by using her. After all, she seemed to be the younger sister of Manabu Horikita. My base conclusion for this was for one they obviously shared the same last name, and her name was always amongst the top on national exams. If her brother was clever enough to lead the student council and was the student council president, then it made sense that she had some smarts too.

I put my hunch to the test yesterday, casually mentioning her brother. Her reaction was off; she turned cold for a moment before regaining her composure. It was more than obvious that their relationship was strained, and yet after yesterday's encounter, I couldn't help but think of my own sibling, Sayu, and our decent relationship as siblings.

Originally, I had planned to confirm their sibling status and, upon confirmation, charm Suzune into dating me. I knew it wouldn't be quick or easy and would take a whole lot of effort to pull off. But with what transpired yesterday I'd learned about their rocky relationship, I realised I couldn't use her to sway Manabu, as it seems that she may admire her brother but is afraid of him in some way.

With a silent sigh, I acknowledged her lack of usefulness to me and to everyone else in general. She might have a terrible attitude, but at least she had her academic strengths, I guess. My thoughts then shifted to the other girls in class 1-D, wondering if any could be of value as Suzune wasn't.

Kushida stood out for her popularity, though she seemed secretive and was clearly not letting out her full true self. She could be more trouble than she's worth in the long run, so I crossed her name out.

Then there was Airi Sakura, undeniably attractive but lacking confidence, she was someone who seemed to purposefully make herself look worse. Unfortunately, she didn't have any other qualities besides her somewhat attractiveness that would be valuable to my plans, so I crossed off her name too.

Chiaki Matsushita's name came up next, but I knew little about her. She was often seen within a trio, along with Maya Sato and Kei Karuizawa. They seemed aloof and uninteresting to me. Kei, especially, was off-limits since she was dating Hirata, and pursuing her could make me unpopular if I was able to steal her away from Hirata. Besides, she reminded me of someone else I didn't care for; she seemed to be a rip-off blond girl I shamefully knew.

As I continued to eliminate names, a sense of disappointment washed over me. They were in class D for a reason, and none of them were even slightly useful to me. I guess the D in class D stands for defective for a reason.

Then I considered my own classmates. Mio Ibuki was the only one who caught my attention after scanning over all the girls names. I had reservations about involving someone from my class, but with Ryuen's tightly knit group, which included her, I couldn't dismiss the possibility just yet as she could be useful to me. He was definitely someone who would pose a threat, so I placed her in the possible section as she could be useful to me to deal with him and his antics.

As for the girls in Class B, none seemed to have any potential, except for Honami Ichinose, their leader. I noted the obvious physical appeal she possessed, and without boasting too much, I knew I was seen as one of the most attractive guys at school. It would make sense for us to pair up. But would she see through my deception? And would I even be able to get close to her with so many suitors around her?

Nevertheless, I couldn't ignore her potential, so I added her to the list of possibilities along with Ibuki.

Lastly, I reviewed the girls from class 1-A.

Masumi Kamuro was loyal but had little influence, so I marked her off. Miki Yamamura seemed smart but not very expressive, so her name was crossed out too. This happened to every other girl, except one.

That one was Arisu Sakayanagi, someone who had intrigued me from the beginning. Like Horikita, her name was familiar from national exams, where she always ranked just behind me. She was certainly intelligent and seemed to be vying for the leadership of class 1-A against Kōhei Katsuragi.

Getting close to her and offering help in her leadership battle might be feasible. Yet it was clear from what I heard she was also a formidable intellectual opponent.

I placed Arisu in the "possible" category, alongside Honami and Mio. It wasn't certain I'd choose any of them, but they remained possibilities.

Just as I was about to compare the girls further, I felt someone else's gaze on my notebook.

"What's that?" Hiyroi asked, eyeing the page curiously.

Realising she had caught a glimpse, I swiftly shut my notebook. "It's nothing you need to worry about," I assured her calmly as I tucked the book into my bag, keeping full composure to not let her suspect anything.

Her gaze lingered on me, though, with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "I didn't see much, but I did notice a lot of girls' names from our year. What's that about?" she inquired.

"Oh, I was sorting out who might be trouble for me and Class C. There's a list for the boys too, on the previous page," I explained promptly, masking my true intentions with a confident air.

"But why was my name crossed out? And why is there a 'possible' section with only Ibuki, Arisu, and Ichinose?" She probed, her curiosity evident.

I chuckled lightly, trying to keep the mood light. "You? You're harmless," I teased, then grew more serious as I considered the others. "Ibuki is aligned with Ryuen. For all I know, she could turn on this class at any time, but her connection to Ryuen is also a threat because of the unpredictability he possesses."

She nodded, seemingly convinced by my explanation. "I get that. And the other two?"

"Ichinose and Arisu are leaders in the classes above us. It's clear they could be threats. Ichinose has befriended many in our class. If she's hiding a more sinister side, she could definitely become problematic. As for Arisu, for now, she's somewhat of a co-leader as she's fighting for leader of class A, and that's reason enough to keep an eye on her. That's why she's in the 'possible' section after all," I clarified.

Hiyroi paused, considering my words. After a moment, she nodded, seemingly content with my explanation.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, grateful that she accepted my story so easily. I realised I had to be more cautious. Hiyroi meant no harm, but if someone shrewd like Ryuen got hold of my notebook, it could spell trouble down the road for me.

As the bell chimed, signalling the start of class, the teacher's voice ran over the topics of today before another bell rang as the teacher faded into the background. I couldn't help but steal glances at Ibuki, contemplating the possibility of pursuing her and the pros of doing so. Maybe I could adapt my plan to what I was going to use on Horikita to win her over. But the thought of Ryuen's potential reaction lingered, as he could kick her out of his group if he found out making her useless to me.

Lunchtime arrived, and I joined my study group in the bustling cafeteria. Amidst our light discussion about the upcoming test, something peculiar caught my eye.

In the corner of the cafeteria sat a familiar figure with deep, penetrating eyes, buried in a book. Despite his apparent focus on reading, a strange sensation hinted that he was somehow watching me and my fellow classmates.

I decided it's the perfect time to engage in conversation with him as he was all alone. Plus, it felt like he was inviting me over, even if he wasn't doing anything physically to indicate that. I excused myself from the table and approached him. It took a moment before I stood beside him.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked, attempting a casual tone as I stood behind the free chair across from him.

He glanced at me before nodding. As I settled into the seat, he posed an intriguing question: "Do you believe in capital punishment?"

Noticing the book he held, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, I noted the interest of the book in moral dilemmas.

"It depends on the crime. I do believe that murderers should face the ultimate consequence," I replied, gauging his reaction.

"I see. It may seem you have a strong sense of justice," he remarked, setting the book aside.

"Though, why exactly should murderers be executed?" He prodded further.

"If someone takes a life, they should have to forfeit their own. It's justice, and it also brings closure to the victims' families," I reasoned, taking a sip of my drink.

"But what about wrongful convictions? Would it not be unjust for more innocent people to die?" he inquired.

"Though rare, it's a valid concern. But I'm focused on clear-cut cases of murder," I asserted, eyeing him closely as I decided it was to get to the main reason I was over here.

"Now that I've answered that, why did you provoke Ryuen in class not too long ago?" I questioned, narrowing my gaze.

He smirked. "Just for amusement. I'll be honest with you. I was evaluating each class, discerning strengths and weaknesses, and identifying key players, one of them being yourself and another being Ryuen.," he explained, his demeanour relaxed.

"If you don't mind, why not share all this information with me?" I pressed

"That's classified for my mind only. But I'll share one thing because you amused me with a sense of justice. I'll tell you the top three characters in your class that I could see being the biggest threats: yourself, Ryuen, and Tokito," he disclosed, his lips pressed together as a thumb was also pressed against his lips.

I pondered his words. My inclusion and Ryuen's weren't surprising to me, but Tokito's recognition did intrigue me, as he didn't seem all that special.

I nodded, then changed the subject once more. "Rumours circulate about a leadership dispute in Class 1-A. What I'm asking is, Are you Team Sakayanagi or Katsuragi?"

He regarded me, expecting the question. "Guess, and I'll confirm."

Considering his demeanour, I surmised, "From all my observations and by the way you speak, at first I thought you were a spy sent by one of them, but that doesn't fit the character I've summarised you to be. So my guess is that you're not aligned with either and aren't helping them in any way. If forced to choose between the two, you'd favour Sakayanagi."

I took a quick second before speaking again. "Sakyanagi seems to be more academically gifted but cunning, while Katsuragi seems to be more physically gifted but someone who sticks to the rules. So it's safe to presume you'd prefer the winner not to be Katsuragi. Though that does raise the question of whether you could be working for another class."

Though before I could ponder over it anymore, he spoke up. "An intriguing deduction. Much like your father, Soichiro Yagami. Not to mention your sense of justice is commendable but does differ from his," he remarked.

My eyes widened a little at what he just said: "How do you know my father?" I demanded, my mind racing at this sudden curveball he just threw out.

"Ops, I've said too much," he conceded in a playful tone, rising from his seat. "It's been enlightening, but I have pressing matters to attend to."

"What matters?" I pressed, attempting to grasp his connection to my father while trying to compose myself.

"I must find some more cake. Until next time, light yagami," he said, departing before I could respond.

"Tch," I muttered, bewildered. How did he know my father? I've guarded my personal life closely. Just who are you, Ryuzaki?



This one was a shorter chapter than some others, with just over 2,200 words, but I'm interested to know if you would be interested in any characters getting into romantic relationships. Even if it's just like light deceiving one of the girls to be his partner for his own gain,.