Welcome to the Classroom of Espers (Classroom of the Elite x The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Chapter 12: The Camera Caught It!

I thought I’d finally be able to relax until the special exam in summer break.

But then it happened.

(Tch, seriously? Komiya and Kondo, of all times to call me out, it had to be right after exams ended when I can finally focus on basketball.)

I spotted him—Class D’s red-haired, red-marked, basketball maniac, a guy who looked straight out of Slam Dunk like Sakuragi Hanamichi.

The direction he was heading in was toward the special building, a place where surveillance cameras were relatively scarce.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to follow him.

It was mid-May, and the damp heat was starting to hit full force. Without any kind of air conditioning and with the windows tightly shut, the corridors of the special building were like walking into a sauna.

“Damn it, hot as hell in here…”

(Right before practice, too…)

I could regulate my body temperature with pyrokinesis, so the heat didn’t bother me in the slightest. But Sakuragi—no, Sudo—was a different story.

Getting called out here, of all places, right before the basketball club he’d been looking forward to, had him building up a storm of frustration.

(Tch, what’s taking Sudo so long?)

(God, it’s so hot…)

(Hurry it up already…)

The same went for the three who were waiting for him.

Three?

Sudo had said it was Komiya and Kondo who’d called him out—two guys. Why was there one extra?

Sudo climbed the stairs and reached the corridor where the three were waiting.

This was a perfect spot—no cameras, ideal for secret meetings or hushed conversations.

Just in case, I figured I’d start recording video. The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in something unexpected.

(Phew… that’s a good shot. But man, it’s boiling in here…)

Wait a second. Behind those three, there was someone else.

A girl?

What’s she doing here—taking photos?

Using clairvoyance, I zoomed in. Sure enough, a girl with what most people would call a great figure was holding a digital camera, snapping photos.

After checking the shot she’d taken, she wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, stripped down to just her shirt for a moment, then started putting her uniform back on, looking like she was about to leave.

“What the hell, you guys? Calling me out here like this.”

“—?!”

(S-Sudo-kun?!)

Just then, Sudo spoke up to the three waiting for him, startling the girl.

Can’t really blame her.

“Took you long enough.”

“Huh? Who the hell are you?”

So even Sudo didn’t recognize him.

Which meant the two standing behind had to be Komiya and Kondo.

“This guy’s Ishizaki, in the same class as us.”

“Why’d you drag in some unrelated guy, Komiya?”

“When you’re meeting with a violent thug like this, you bring a bodyguard.”

So it was Komiya and Kondo from the basketball club, plus their “bodyguard,” Ishizaki.

There’s no way a guy that rough would be from Class A. And if even Sudo didn’t recognize him, then he had to be from Class C.

Could this be the same bunch Ichinose had mentioned she’d rather not get involved with?

“So, what the hell do you want?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t tell me you can’t figure it out. Typical deadweight from defective Class D.”

“Tch… (Crap, Horikita and Ayanokoji told me not to lose my temper…!) Just spit it out already. I’ve got practice.”

I see. Seems like after the midterm fiasco, he’s at least willing to listen a little to what Ayanokoji and Horikita-senpai’s little sister have to say.

They were the ones who saved him from expulsion. Naturally, he’d take their advice more seriously now.

(Tch, still not snapping?)

“Guess I’ll have to spell it out then. Sudo, you became a starter for the next tournament, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Drop out.”

“Huh? Why the hell would I do that?”

Don’t take the bait, Sudo. Turn back—that’s what I’d like to say. But right now, I’m nothing more than a spectator.

Still, what exactly are they hoping to get out of making him lose his temper?

I can already guess the gist of it, though.

“Someone defective like you being a starter? That’s an insult to the senpai.”

(C’mon, hurry up and lose it already. Hit us!)

“Heh, if they’ve been here a year longer than me and still couldn’t make the starting lineup, then that just proves their level, doesn’t it?”

(What the hell is this guy saying? Did the heat fry his brain?)

Maybe it’s Ayanokoji and Horikita’s advice working on him, or maybe the provocations are just too childish—but either way, Sudo wasn’t biting.

(Tch, what are Komiya and Kondo doing? This is dragging on.)

Even Ishizaki, brought in as a bodyguard, was starting to lose patience.

“That all you’ve got? I earned my starter spot with skill. Later.”

(If you’ve got this much free time, you should spend it practicing instead. What a waste of time.)

Couldn’t agree more.

I came to keep an eye on things out of concern, but it looks like this Sudo guy has actually grown a bit.

Rumor had it he was a chronic latecomer and napper in class. On top of that, I heard he picked a fight with the upperclassmen at the convenience store on the very first day.

Yep. The more I hear, the more he really does sound like Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Too bad this isn’t Kanagawa.

“Y-You running away?!”

(Damn it, if things end like this, we’ll be in trouble with Ryuen-san…!)

“Don’t get cocky, you defective trash! Get back here!”

“You only made the team ‘cause you didn’t waste time studying, you brainless musclehead!”

But Sudo’s response wasn’t what Ishizaki had been hoping for.

As Sudo turned his back on them, Ishizaki clenched his fist. Going back empty-handed meant Ryuen would have their heads.

“H-Hey! Sudo!”

“Wha—ugh! —Tch! Cut it out, what the—huh?”

“—?! Ngh!”

Sudo had ignored the two hurling insults, but being swung on was another matter.

I used telekinesis to trip Ishizaki so the punch wouldn’t connect, though honestly, with someone like Sudo… he probably would’ve dodged anyway.

More likely, he would’ve landed a counter.

“Are you okay, Ishizaki?!”

(He tripped over nothing…)

“Did you just fall from your own momentum?”

(That looked kinda lame…)

“Y-Yeah… damn it…”

(My legs got tangled or something… damn it!)

The two of them rushed over to the fallen Ishizaki in concern.

Even Sudo, who had been ready to land a counterpunch, was surprised to see Ishizaki collapse before he even had the chance.

(He tripped…!)

Apparently, the girl hiding on the other side felt the same.

She was holding up a camera, so she must have caught the whole thing on film.

I don’t know what class she’s from, but since she clearly knows Sudo and not the other three, Class D is the most likely bet.

(I-I guess there’s no choice then…!)

“Sudo, you bastard! How dare you do that to Ishizaki?!”

“Hah!? He fell on his own just now!”

Of course, I was the one who tripped him, but from anyone else’s perspective, it looked like Ishizaki just toppled over on his own.

Sudo was blameless here.

Still, Ishizaki was injured, and with two witnesses from his side backing a false claim, plus the fact that Sudo came out completely unscathed—it was a perfect setup to frame Sudo for something he didn’t do.

(Wha… wha…)

The girl froze, still holding her camera.

At this rate, I wouldn’t need to step in to defend Sudo at all.

If this went to trial, he’d be found guilty 99.9% of the time. But with her camera as evidence, there’s no way he could be condemned.

“Alright, let’s get outta here, you guys!”

(That’s it for Class D!)

“Yeah!”

“Hey! Get back here!”

(Eek!)

“Whoa, whoa! No need to hit me again!”

“What was that—!?”

Sudo hadn’t been hit, but Ishizaki’s group used the fact that he got injured while with Sudo to justify their escape.

Naturally, Sudo gave chase, but Ishizaki, emboldened, shouted more taunts as he ran past me.

There weren’t any surveillance cameras around here. I could’ve gone invisible or used hypnosis if I wanted, but if things dragged on too long, my invisibility might have worn off. Good thing they left quickly.

Anyway, I should head back while thinking over why this Ryuen guy went out of his way to have Ishizaki provoke Sudo into a violence case.

Well, either way, this incident will be resolved quickly—the girl across the way has the evidence.

“Wh-What do I do…?”

Huh? Did something happen over there? Let’s see… clairvoyance activate.

“My camera… broke…”

…Seriously?

. . .

Note:

Just like in the original story, Sakura-san dropped her camera in shock when Sudo yelled, breaking it right after taking the crucial shot.

I hadn’t planned on involving Saiki in this incident, but I figured it might be about time he crossed paths with the A, C, and D class members, so I slotted him in.

Still, it feels like I don’t have to do it now, so I’ll probably wrap this up quickly in the next part.

It’s already been over a month since enrollment, and Saiki’s only acquaintance from another class is Shiina.

I thought that was a problem, but then I remembered—Saiki’s whole stance is to avoid unnecessary involvement whenever possible.

Whoops.