Classroom of the Elite: Black Sphere Academia

The next day, Monday.

Now that they had the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as a training ground, even though the school hadn't scrapped the special training courses.

Aside from those who'd burned through all their consumption points and needed to top up again, hardly anyone was willing to spend the time on them anymore.

Most students drifted back to the classroom for lessons.

The reason was simple.

First, the school's so-called self-defense and wilderness-survival classes were utterly threadbare next to the real, no-holds-barred combat in the Time Chamber, where you could actually use Black Sphere equipment; at most, only those few psychological-counseling sessions still offered any soothing effect.

Second, there was the time-difference issue.

What was just a bathroom break out in the real world was several days inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

With a divine artifact like that, naturally no one needed to waste precious real-world time here anymore.

Besides, Nihon's coursework wasn't actually all that demanding; sitting in the classroom listening to lectures was, if anything, a rare "return to daily life," and might even let them recapture the genuine feeling of still being ordinary high schoolers.

Of course, beyond these objective reasons.

The main reason everyone gathered in the classroom today was still this whole business about Ayanokoji.

It wasn't just the ordinary students; in fact, even those who'd personally taken part in the Black Sphere exams—Horikita Suzune, Kouenji Rokusuke, and the like—were quietly keeping an eye out.

Hoping to get definite information from their homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae as corroboration.

After all, hearsay was one thing, and hearing it from her own mouth was another entirely.

However, among this solemn crowd, Karuizawa Kei was the odd one out.

At the moment, the blonde gyaru was propping her cheek on one hand, faint dark circles under her eyes, her whole being radiating a keep-your-distance, low-pressure aura.

As for where exactly Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had gone.

Karuizawa's response:

Don't really know the guy... and you are?

But in truth.

Her current keep-away, bitter-woman state was entirely because she'd been provoked last night by that scheming blackheart Sakayanagi Arisu!

Which left her tossing and turning all night without a single decent hour of sleep!

Her head was crammed with bizarre images of that white-haired vixen slipping into a maid outfit to bewitch Chris—she was about ready to blow her top!

Even a passing dog had to take a couple of kicks from her!

Chris, seated in the back row, watched Karuizawa's resentful figure glaring as if to bore a hole clean through her desk, and couldn't help finding it funny.

This faint flicker of a smile naturally didn't escape the deliberately attentive Horikita's eyes.

Horikita pressed her lips, her gaze shifting back and forth between Chris and Karuizawa, confusion flashing through her cool phoenix eyes.

As if pondering whether she'd missed some important plot development.

Just as Horikita was agonizing over whether to speak up, the class bell rang right on cue.

"Click, click."

Chabashira Sae, in her high heels, strode into the classroom almost exactly as the bell's final note faded.

Seeing the students below clearly itching to speak yet holding back, Chabashira Sae rubbed her temples with a slight headache and set her lesson plan on the podium:

"All right. Before class, I'll give you two minutes for questions. Make it quick."

Everyone felt as though they'd been granted a pardon.

Before class rep Hirata Yousuke could even stand up, Kushida Kikyo—who always presented herself as a "little angel"—had already eagerly voiced what was on everyone's mind:

"Chabashira-sensei, Ayanokoji-kun... did he really trade in points to leave the school freely? Or was he sent off to another world, like Wang Meiyu and Sakura Airi?"

At this, Chabashira Sae drew a deep breath and remarked with a complicated look:

"Just as you wished."

"The school has indeed received Ayanokoji's formal withdrawal notice. Unlike those swept into the spacetime rift and sent to another world, he has, in the truest sense of the word, left the school."

The whole room erupted.

Chabashira Sae rapped on the blackboard, suppressing the din, and continued:

"But that's the extent of what I know."

"As for what sort of 'daily life' he's returned to, that's not something we need to concern ourselves with."

"And a reminder, while I'm at it. GANTZ notified the school this morning that the special exams will be adjusted going forward. In tandem, the [Hyperbolic Time Chamber] has now unlocked a feature to spend class points and simulate 'sparring partners.'"

"All right, your two minutes are up. Class begins. Anything else, ask after class."

With Chabashira's final verdict delivered, Kushida Kikyo sat back down, lost in thought.

The other students who'd wanted to press further about exactly how Ayanokoji had left could only let the matter fizzle out.

Still, for most ordinary students, this news was already thrilling enough.

Being able to leave was enough; being able to leave meant there was, after all, something to hope for.

As long as you saved up enough S-points, you could escape with your life!

Anything beat the despair of seeing no end in sight at all.

Compared to these ordinary students whose minds held nothing but "escape."

Although Kushida Kikyo's deep-down goal was the same.

Thanks to the privilege the Black Sphere had granted her at the very start, she most likely had more lives to spare for error than anyone else.

So at this point Kushida was already planning to join today's advance trial, and had begun mentally studying that afternoon's enemies.

After all, it was plain to see that the monsters spawning later would only grow more and more monstrous.

With Ayanokoji as a cautionary precedent, and with no intention of grinding it out to the bitter end, the wisest move was to take advantage of her current margin for error, hurry up and farm enough for those 100 points, and bolt!

In any case, as the one-and-only lucky girl, she still had two extra lives to squander.

Kushida secretly clenched her fist:

'Two lives' worth of trial-and-error, plus hanging back to leech off the situation—surely that's enough to scrape together 100 S-points!'

The only problem was...

The strongest fighters right now were those few fixed members; aside from them, the advance trial's original carry had been Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

And now, without Ayanokoji as a safety net, who would guarantee the advance trial's safety at the very outset?

This question arose in more than just Kushida Kikyo's mind.

But for now, no one volunteered to spell it out.

Not until the long break, when Hirata Yousuke stepped up to the podium and, as usual, asked whether anyone was willing to volunteer for this advance trial and the Black Sphere main match.

Apart from a scant few—Nanase Tsubasa, Kushida Kikyo, Matsushita Chiaki—raising their hands, the spacious classroom saw barely any response.

The reason behind it was, in fact, already plain as day.

Without a carry to sweep them along, no one dared be sure they wouldn't end up the stepping stone.

Chris watched all this coolly from the sidelines, with no intention of immediately speaking up to drop a hint or offer reassurance.

And so, right up until class resumed.

Though they could always force together enough people for the trial one way or another, this timid, dead silence formed a subtle contrast with the fervor of moments ago, when they'd learned of Ayanokoji's departure.

Suffice it to say, the vast majority, in the end, still feared death.

When facing a life-or-death crisis, people will always lean toward finding a sturdy thigh to cling to, rather than forcing themselves to become that thigh.

Before they knew it, it was afternoon.

After a long, tedious sociology class came to an end.

The group whom Hirata Yousuke had provisionally noted down but not yet fully confirmed as the final roster followed Chris and the other fixed players to a spacious indoor gymnasium on campus.

After a quick look around the venue, Horikita Suzune frowned slightly and asked, puzzled:

"Weren't we supposed to be picking the final roster?"

"Don't tell me we're meant to settle it here through duels?"

Hearing this, Chris gave a slightly helpless tug at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't answer right away, instead quietly waiting a while.

Only once Ichinose Honami, Ryuuen Kakeru, and Sakayanagi Arisu had converged with their respective classes did he raise his hand to operate his Black Sphere wristwatch, replying offhandedly:

"Whatever we've got to say, let's say it inside the Time Chamber. Standing around out here is a bit of a waste of time."

Horikita Suzune was a little puzzled, but didn't make an issue of it.

In any case, Chris's decisions rarely went wrong, and he'd surely give her a reasonable explanation afterward, so she couldn't be bothered to ask more.

On this point, her trust in him even exceeded her trust in her own judgment.

As Ryuuen, Sakayanagi, and the others pressed "accept" on the invitation on their wristwatches.

In the blink of an eye, the group of twenty-some all appeared within the pure-white space of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Since it wasn't their first time in, few were shaken by the change of scenery this time.

As one, everyone raised their hands and used their wristwatches to check out the "sparring mode" the teachers had mentioned that morning.

When they saw clearly the selectable targets that appeared on the holographic screen, everyone's face registered surprise.

"Vertigo, Jikku, Kars, Neferpitou..."

Ichinose Honami scrolled through the list and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Have they listed every exam target we've ever wiped out as a selectable option?"

"It would seem so. But that one called the Cat Woman, Neferpitou..."

Sakayanagi Arisu propped her chin on one hand. "If I recall correctly, that's the monster Chris-kun encountered in the upperclassmen's exam venue yesterday, isn't it? We didn't personally take part in subduing it."

"And yet, apart from it, none of the other targets present at that same venue appear. I'm afraid this guide's inclusion criterion is based on the monsters the room's owner personally encountered or killed."

Ryuuen Kakeru, too, narrowed his eyes at the price tags on the screen:

"Not only that—take a look at these prices. The points consumed to spar with these monsters seem to be pegged to their corresponding point values."

"Take that 'Vertigo' that turns into a helicopter—it needs 350 class evaluation points; 'Kars' needs 550; and 'Jikku' runs as high as 900!"

Ryuuen Kakeru looked at the group: "If we don't team up, having a single class shoulder this kind of cost is a bit extravagant. Maybe we could call the upperclassmen over too and split the cost?"

Chris thought it over and didn't object:

"We can give that a try later; no need right now. By the time we're done and head out, the advance trial will be starting before long. Let's hurry."

Ryuuen Kakeru nodded, then turned his head toward the big crowd behind Chris.

Seeing that lineup clearly exceeding the headcount for the trial and main match, he raised an eyebrow and remarked in surprise:

"What's this? Your class still hasn't settled on its picks?"

Chris sighed and spread his hands:

"It's not like you don't know Ayanokoji ran off. Sure, we can scrape together enough bodies no matter what, but I've still got to look out for the safety of everyone joining this afternoon's trial. So I brought along the few who were willing to pitch in."

Hearing this, Ryuuen Kakeru couldn't help sighing too.

He glanced back behind himself.

At present, aside from himself, the genuinely useful ones—like Yamada Albert—had been swept away by the Black Sphere's spacetime rift during the midterm exam, and were still waiting for him to go fish them out of another world.

As for the rest, only that kid Yagami Takuya—whose exact background was hard to read—was of any real use.

But since Yagami Takuya had already been earmarked to take part in the Black Sphere exam this time, so as to buy his own Combat Suit...

Ryuuen's class's advance-trial lineup could only be described as too dismal to look at.

Ryuuen even reproached himself a little: how had he, the day before yesterday, been so busy showing off that he hadn't thought to snatch up Yotsuya Miko and Hayasaka Ai?

One had a natural spirit-sight perfect for Ripple, and the other had clearly received professional training—any way you looked at it, they were prime goods!

A pity nothing he said now would change a thing.

Then again...

Going by the Black Sphere's current rules, class assignment seemed to affect only the class evaluation points.

As long as he could cut down a few more high-value monsters at the exam venue, this little loss of class points he could easily make up all on his own!

At this thought, Ryuuen Kakeru's originally gloomy expression eased considerably.

Meanwhile, over on the other side, Ichinose Honami had already taken out the [Leo Knight] belt she'd bought during the midterm exam and handed it to Amikura Mako.

"Mako, you can transform into Leo Knight. Its attack power isn't top-tier, but the armor's baseline defense is absolutely more than enough."

Ichinose instructed her gently, then added with some chagrin:

"Plus the armor's built-in energy gun and high-frequency vibration sword... Thinking about it now, we really should have bought more of this kind of widely accessible equipment back then..."

Chris gave a slight nod, not dwelling on past decisions, and turned to Kouenji Rokusuke and the others:

"All right, back to business."

"Nanase comes with me to tonight's Black Sphere main match—that's set in stone. And the advance trial again has four slots."

"Kouenji has fused with Joseph Joestar's Ripple disc, so he's definitely going in."

"So, for the remaining three slots, two of the five of you... will have to step aside."

At this.

Hirata Yousuke glanced at the girls standing beside him.

Matsushita Chiaki looked calm, Kushida Kikyo was biting her lip, Karuizawa Kei's eyes flickered, and Horikita Suzune wore the look of someone poised and raring to go.

Honestly, Hirata Yousuke really hadn't expected that, in the face of life and death, it would be the girls whose willpower proved the stronger.

After mulling it over a moment, Hirata Yousuke let out a sigh and raised his hand to step aside of his own accord:

"Cut me. Leave the chance to them."

Hearing Hirata's declaration, Karuizawa Kei let her gaze drift between Chris and the girls beside her.

She hesitated a moment, then gave a slight nod as well:

"Then... I'll bow out of this trial too."

In truth, Karuizawa knew full well.

Kushida Kikyo had been tipped off by Chris and couldn't possibly withdraw.

Of those remaining, Matsushita Chiaki was her most reliable friend and brain trust at the moment; as for Horikita Suzune, she was a potential ally Karuizawa was preparing to win over.

On top of that, Horikita now had no extra lives left, and urgently needed to go rescue her brother trapped in another world.

By both sentiment and reason, Karuizawa Kei had grounds to withdraw.

Not to mention... she hadn't been all that eager to join the Black Sphere exam in the first place, so since she could now go with the flow and do someone a favor, why not?

As for this concession of Karuizawa's.

Horikita Suzune, who didn't fully grasp her thinking, took it for a noble act of deference on Karuizawa's part.

Horikita's gaze shifted slightly; she gave Karuizawa a long, deep look and said gravely:

"Karuizawa-san... I'll remember this generosity of yours."

Karuizawa gave a dry laugh and looked away:

'Uh, well... whatever makes you happy.'

After all, in Horikita's eyes, Karuizawa—as the victor of the previous trial—had every right and reason to press her advantage.

Suffice it to say, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.

A mutual rush toward each other—both sides privately felt they'd come out ahead.

Off to the side, Matsushita Chiaki pressed her lips; given how well she knew Karuizawa, she naturally saw right through her bestie's little scheme to slack off.

But after a moment's hesitation, she decided to quietly accept this "kindness" all the same.

At least the outcome was a good one.

Seeing the personnel settled, Chris nodded in satisfaction.

He promptly fished two capsules from his pocket and tossed them into the hands of Horikita Suzune and Kouenji Rokusuke respectively.

Under their puzzled gazes, Chris explained:

"Kouenji, what's in your hand is [The World]; Horikita, what's in yours is [Crazy Diamond]."

"You've both already tried them out, so I won't say much more. Add to that the Parasyte in Amanatsu Kazuha's hands, Amikura Mako's Leo Knight... and the vampire bloodline you can awaken with the Stone Mask in a bit."

Chris gave a faint smile:

"With this whole combination, I figure that as long as you don't go and do something suicidal, holding out until we descend will be no problem whatsoever."

Kouenji Rokusuke caught the capsule steadily, crushed it in one motion, and pressed the disc into the center of his brow.

Feeling the mighty power to halt time itself, he tossed his golden hair and laughed aloud:

"Hahahaha! Magnificent! To think you'd actually choose me, Boy!"

"Since you've entrusted such a miracle to me, then, as a perfect being, I shall naturally repay this trust of yours with the most resplendent victory. Leave it to me with confidence!"

Horikita Suzune, too, pressed the Crazy Diamond capsule tightly to her chest and clenched her fist:

"We'll win."

"..."

Chris blanked for a moment, then hastily cut in:

"Stop right there! You can't go saying that..."

It would've been fine before, but ever since a certain Jail-sensei burst onto the scene.

Of those who utter that line, how many don't end up with their spine snapped?

A rock-solid "2.5 Gojo" debuff, no question about it!

Horikita Suzune tilted her head, a trace of bafflement in her cool eyes:

"Why? As a warrior, what's wrong with holding a conviction to win?"

But she didn't dwell too much on the question, since time was tight.

She instead changed tack and asked:

"Well then, since the personnel and equipment have all been assigned."

"For our training session in the Time Chamber this time... whom should we pick first as our sparring partner?"

Chris stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over the variously shaped BOSS guide on the screen.

In the end, he reached out and lightly tapped two icons:

"Let's go with Wamuu of the wind-style method, and... the Cat Woman, Neferpitou."

____

👻🔥Here: Walnut-chan🔥👻

🔥 New history: Naruto: Is it reasonable to beat up an Otsutsuki with Hamon, right?

We have set new community milestones:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers