Since it was lunch break, Shiraishi quickly went over all the important points.
Though Class B’s students were a bit naive, they weren’t stupid—most of them understood things as soon as they were explained.
Needless to say, information about the class competition had to be kept confidential.
They also needed to be careful about how they interacted with students from other classes—especially those from Class C and Class D.
Shiraishi was genuinely worried that someone from his class might be fooled by Kushida Kikyo’s fabricated persona and end up having their secrets exposed.
But since he couldn’t call her out by name, he could only offer vague warnings using phrases like “class rankings” and “those with significant flaws” to alert everyone.
After the meeting ended, most of the students had calmed down and gradually left the classroom to get lunch.
“You worked hard up there.” Ichinose walked over with a smile.
“You’re not really used to this kind of situation, are you, Shiraishi-kun?” “This is actually my first time doing something like this.” Shiraishi smiled awkwardly.
“I feel like in the future, this kind of thing should probably be left to Ichinose-san.” Standing at the podium facing dozens of eyes was one thing; giving a speech was another.
But having to respond differently to different people left him feeling stretched thin.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could he truly appreciate Ichinose’s strength—she genuinely had the ability to attend to the emotions of nearly everyone around her.
“Shiraishi-kun did a great job though.” Shiranami Chihiro spoke up from behind Ichinose.
She had been the one who raised her hand in support during the meeting.
Several other students who were close to Ichinose also gathered around.
“That’s right, that’s right.
Shiraishi-kun was really impressive for figuring out so much.” Kobashi Yume, a girl with light blue hair, stepped forward as well.
Should I say something now?
But Shiraishi genuinely didn’t know how to respond, so he could only offer a smile in reply.
“Want to grab lunch together?
You spent all of yesterday investigating this stuff, right?” Kanzaki and Hamaguchi approached, with Hamaguchi naturally taking over the conversation.
“Let’s go together.” Shiraishi nodded lightly.
To be honest, Shiraishi wasn’t quite used to the dining habits in Japan yet.
Since lunch break was only fifty minutes, quite a few students would buy lunch at the convenience store or cafeteria and then return to the classroom to eat.
Because Class B had held the meeting, they ran into quite a few students heading back as they left—roughly half of each class seemed to do this.
But strictly speaking, he was the outsider here, so he’d have to adapt to these eating habits.
“Let’s eat back in the classroom?” Kanzaki bought a bento box and glanced around as he spoke.
Perhaps because they had only just realized the reality of class competition, Class B’s students were a bit overly sensitive when they saw students from other classes.
The vast majority planned to head back to class for lunch.
“Fine with me.” Shiraishi grabbed a yakisoba bread—he’d heard about it in films and novels a long time ago.
He already loved fried rice and yakisoba, so he was curious to see what this yakisoba bread actually tasted like.
The group returned to the classroom, pushed some desks together, and started eating.
Shiraishi opened the package and tried the yakisoba and the bread separately—honestly, the sweet-and-savory combination suited his taste quite well.
“Testing, testing.” Just then, a pleasant female voice came over the speakers.
“A club orientation will be held at the First Gymnasium starting at 5 PM today.
Students interested in clubs, please gather at the First Gymnasium.
I repeat—” The voice echoed throughout the campus, but the atmosphere in Class B was a bit strange—several students instinctively looked at Shiraishi, who was still eating his bread.
It seems the class has started treating me as their “chief strategist.” But the fact that students were now questioning the school’s intentions behind every announcement was a good start.
Shiraishi raised his free left hand to signal everyone to wait a moment.
After chewing, swallowing, and wiping his mouth, he spoke slowly: “The Advanced Nurturing High School is a school that cultivates talented individuals.
But ‘talent’ isn’t something that can be summed up by academic ability alone.” “Interpersonal skills, artistic abilities, athletic abilities—all of these reflect a student’s capability.” “I haven’t gathered any information related to clubs yet.
But in this school, what matters most are Class Points and Private Points.
I think that if you participate actively and perform well, the school might reward you in those areas?
Still, we’ll need to wait for the club orientation this afternoon to know more.” “If any of you have a particular skill or are interested in certain clubs, feel free to give them a try.” Shiraishi shared his “analysis” with everyone, then continued enjoying his lunch.
Clubs never played a major role in Classroom of the Elite—they were more of a “all normal schools have clubs” kind of setting.
The only important element was the Student Council, particularly the Student Council President position, which could influence school rules to a certain extent.
“Are you interested in any clubs, Shiraishi-kun?” Hamaguchi asked.
“Sorry, but I don’t think I have any particular talents…” Shiraishi paused briefly, then shook his head lightly.
“That’s true—we don’t even know what clubs are available yet.” Another boy who had joined their table chimed in.
Shiraishi recalled that his name was Nakanishi Jirō, but he had no other memory of him.
That couldn’t be helped.
The main perspective of the series was on Ayanokōji in Class D—students from other classes who didn’t have standout roles barely had any screen time.
They were literally background characters.
“But there should be the most common clubs like basketball, soccer, and track and field, right?
I’m not great at sports myself, though.
Maybe there are clubs like a detective club or a reading club?” Hamaguchi laughed.
Lunch break passed quickly, followed by the afternoon classes.
And right after the afternoon classes ended came the club orientation.
“Shiraishi-kun, want to head over together?” Kanzaki was the first to approach, with other students also looking his way.
“Sure.” Shiraishi had just finished packing up and replied immediately.
“We’re heading over too—let’s go together.” Ichinose waved from her side, surrounded by a number of girls.
And so, with the boys clustering around Shiraishi and the girls around Ichinose, the entire Class B made their way to the gymnasium.
Not that everyone in Class B actually wanted to join a club—Shiraishi guessed that at least half were just accompanying friends or coming to see what it was all about.
Students from other classes also showed up in large numbers, but noticeably not as many as Class B.
As they entered the gymnasium, club members handed out pamphlets with detailed information about each club.
“There seem to be quite a few impressive clubs.” Hamaguchi remarked as he flipped through the booklet.
Indeed, the pamphlet listed the awards clubs had won at the national and international levels, how many “national-level” athletes they had, and what kind of standing they held in the country.
Of course, the club directory also included some less prominent clubs—ballet, baseball, and the like—whose standards couldn’t compare to the others.
But precisely because the upperclassmen were so accomplished, many students felt a bit pressured.
Some who had originally planned to join clubs seemed to be having second thoughts.