Chapter 173: What is Class 1-C Like?
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Five minutes later.
Seito sat in the corner, sporting his best "dead-fish eyes" expression. Maple and Risa sat protectively on either side of him.
"Seito-kun, are you okay?" Maple asked softly.
A few minutes ago, Kaguya Shinomiya's shriek had bolted everyone awake—Seito included. However, the moment he woke up, he realized he couldn't breathe through his nose, and his mouth was full of stray blonde hair. It was a deeply unpleasant way to start the day.
"I'm fine," Seito waved her off. He now understood why he'd felt like he was suffocating: Eriri had been clinging to him like a koala in her sleep. That girl really is a restless sleeper!
Rubbing his temples, he glanced at Kaguya. The "Ice Queen" was currently hiding behind Ai Hayasaka, looking utterly mortified. All her usual cold, dignified composure had evaporated. She had plenty of reason to be embarrassed—especially considering the... suggestive things she'd murmured upon waking up. Kaguya felt like she was experiencing a total social death.
As for Eriri, she was huddled behind Utaha Kasumigaoka, her face a shade of red that rivaled a ripe tomato.
Seito scratched his head. Is this... somehow my fault?
Feeling a bit lost, he sent a pleading look toward Yukino Yukinoshita, hoping for some backup. But when he saw her staring back with eyes full of resentment and hidden grievance, he was even more confused.
What's the matter? 'Flatty', help me out here!
Yukino read his gaze instantly and knew exactly what he was thinking. She let out a cold "Hmph" and pointedly looked away.
Two nights! For two whole nights, he hadn't slept anywhere near her! She felt incredibly slighted and more than a little heartbroken, though she'd never admit it.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Seito scratched his head again. "Ahem, let's head out. It's almost breakfast time."
Using the classic "subject change" maneuver, he stood up and made a quick exit. The others shared a silent look and followed suit.
The morning rolled around.
Because of yesterday's rain, the beach was deserted. The paths were muddy and difficult to navigate, so most of the students preferred to stay indoors.
Class 1-E: Boys' Dormitory.
Seito leaned against the wall, watching Hidenori and the others with a look of exasperation. Are these guys children? Playing 'Hero' games at their age?
Still, his primary goal for this school trip was to bond with his "wives" like Asuna; hanging out with the boys was just a side quest. Thinking this over, Seito rubbed his chin.
"Hidenori, Iori—go grab Amou and everyone from Class D. I've got a great game for us to play," Seito told them.
The two looked at each other. "What kind of game?" Iori asked curiously.
"Don't ask questions. You'll see in a bit," Seito said, playing the mysterious leader.
Curiosity piqued, they didn't push further and left the room.
A few moments later...
Tramp, tramp, tramp—!
Kirukiru Amou, the other Class E girls, and the entire roster of Class D filed into the room. Within seconds, the space was packed to capacity.
"Come on in, everyone, take a seat," Seito said with a beaming smile.
The students exchanged glances and sat down—boys on the left, girls on the right.
"Seito, what's this game you were talking about?" Amou asked. Everyone else leaned in, curious.
Seito's smile widened. "What do you guys think of Class C?"
The room went quiet as everyone processed the question. Class C? They realized they actually had almost zero interaction with them. They were close with Class A and B, but Class C was a total enigma. Even Kaguya had tried to recruit some of them into the guild before, but Class C apparently had their own guild, so nothing ever came of it.
Seito's grin didn't waver. Class C was a "Protagonist Class"! He was very familiar with the lead characters there; back in his previous life, he'd watched The
Quintessential Quintuplets and Himouto! Umaru-chan more times than he could count. While there wasn't a central "male lead" in this version of the class, there were plenty of recognizable faces.
He decided it was time to go pay Class C a visit.
Iori Kitahara seemed to catch on to Seito's vibe and let out a sinister, jagged laugh.
"Kekeke! Are we going to go stir up some trouble for Class C?"
"Seito-kun, you're joking, right?" Asuna was the first to protest, looking shocked. Why would we go looking for trouble? Do we have nothing better to do?
"Of course not!" Seito laughed. "Class C clearly hasn't integrated with the other four classes yet. Don't you all want to... lend them a helping hand?"
The girls' lips twitched. Even Amou looked skeptical. They had no interest in looking for trouble where none existed.
"Tch, fine," Seito said, seeing they weren't biting. He turned to the Class D boys instead. "Carry them! We're all going together!"
The Class D boys, who were about to refuse, felt a wave of despair. He's not even giving us a chance to say no? Dammit!
Iori and the others grinned, wasted no time, and basically "kidnapped" Hideyoshi and the other boys. Seito stood up and led the way out, with the rest of the crew in tow.
Before heading to Class C, he intended to round up the boys from Classes A and B as well.
The door to the Class B boys' room was suddenly kicked open. Ryuen and his classmates looked up in surprise. Seeing Seito and his small army enter, their faces twisted.
"What do you want now?" Ryuen asked, rubbing his temples.
"Round up your guys. We've got work to do!"
Seito commanded before heading toward Class A.
Ryuen and his group shared a look. After a moment, they all stood up and followed.
Class A: Boys' Dormitory.
Since it was so boring in the ryokan, the Class A girls had all congregated in the boys' room to hang out. Even Kanade Tachibana had been dragged along by the others.
BAM!
The door flew open, and every student inside turned toward the entrance. They were greeted by a sea of boys from Classes B, D, and E, who immediately surrounded them.
The girls were too intimidated to speak. The boys instinctively lowered their heads.
Kakeru Tobe, who had already been beaten by this group once before, tried to hide behind Hayama Hayato.
Taking a deep breath, Hayama looked at Seito and asked seriously, "Seito-kun... why have you come to Class A? What's going on?"
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Thank you for reading.