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

Chapter 8: The Difficulties Of Study Sessions

Until the midterm exams, Class B decided to hold study sessions during lunch breaks and after school, with Ichinose taking the lead in organizing the test prep.

Even though they called it a study session, the style was more like everyone working on what they could individually, and asking questions whenever they got stuck.

They reviewed the material covered for the test, memorized what needed to be memorized, and repeatedly worked on the practice worksheets handed out in class. Whenever someone didn’t understand something, the top students—Ichinose, Kanzaki, Hamaguchi, Kobashi, or Amikura—would step in to teach.

Since no one in the class belonged to any clubs, they could rotate attendance and still manage to participate both during lunch and after school.

Ichinose’s desire not to let anyone drop out really did seem genuine, and so Class B tackled the study sessions as one united group.

As for me, I only joined once.

And during that one time, I slapped down a set of worksheets covering all five subjects in the test range—every single problem correct. By the way, Kanzaki had made those worksheets himself, and I solved them right in front of him on the spot, making it clear I hadn’t cheated.

“This doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem… but I heard you make a lot of careless mistakes on quizzes. Are you sure about this?”

From what I’d overheard from the teachers, there wouldn’t be any surprise academic tests outside of the regular exams and special exams.

Besides, I already knew that in Class B, if you didn’t score above average, people either got suspicious or started worrying about you.

So I boasted to Kanzaki that I wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes and used that as my excuse to stop showing up.

“Hey, Saiki-kun, do you have a minute? Could you show me how to solve this part from yesterday’s worksheet?”

Well, since I showed off in front of Kanzaki, of course the others noticed too.

Which meant that now, as long as it was material covered up to yesterday, I’d become something like a walking answer key, and a few classmates had started coming to me with questions.

One of those was Himeno-san, the girl who loved her solitude.

The first time she came to me, I was surprised. But after reading her thoughts, her reasoning made perfect sense.

She wasn’t comfortable with Ichinose, and Kanzaki along with the other “teachers” were busy helping different classmates—so by process of elimination, she ended up at my desk.

I, too, valued my time alone and preferred solitude.

So, out of respect for both of us, I simply pointed out where she’d gone wrong and explained the method she should use to solve it, keeping it as short and clear as possible so she’d understand in one go.

“Wow, that’s really easy to understand… (And this guy scored lower than me on the quiz? He said it was just because of some careless mistakes, but…) Saiki-kun, are you actually smart?”

Smart, huh… not exactly.

I just happened to have an immature older brother, and in order to keep from losing to him, I ended up picking up all the knowledge you need through elementary, middle, and high school.

Not that I could actually say that—it’d just sound weird. So instead I told her I was just pretty good at calculations.

“Hmm… I see. Thanks, Saiki-kun.”

Once she got what she needed, Himeno-san returned to her own seat.

The other classmates were all absorbed in their own studying, and since I kept my explanations short, no one really paid us any attention.

“Hey, Saiki-kun, could you maybe join the study sessions whenever you have time? Everyone says it’s really easy to understand when you explain things.”

Apparently, that little performance in front of Kanzaki had its downsides. A few classmates started asking me to explain things, and word of that eventually reached Ichinose. The result was that I got summoned as another “teacher” for the study group.

“But I know you probably have your own plans and things you want to do, so like I said before, don’t feel pressured to join if you don’t want to.”

(It’d really help if you came, but I don’t want to burden you…)

Why does she have to phrase things in a way that makes it so hard to refuse?

With no real way out, I gave a reluctant nod. I agreed to join the sessions, but only under the condition that it would be “whenever possible.”

“That’s such a big help! Thank you!”

Yeah, whenever possible.

With Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the other three there, there wouldn’t be much need for me to show up often.

“Well, anyway, I’m actually heading to the student council room right now.”

The student council?

“Yup. Huh? You didn’t know, Saiki-kun?”

(Well, I guess it makes sense. The only time they’ve appeared in front of us first-years was during the club introduction assembly.)

I hadn’t gone to that assembly. I’d heard some schools had them and some didn’t—apparently this school was the kind that did.

“I saw a notice about recruiting student council officers, so I thought I’d apply.”

(They say this year’s council is full of geniuses, the most talented group the school’s ever had. If I join, maybe I can grow too. It might even benefit our class.)

She’s a force of pure initiative.

Still, the student council, huh… It’s possible one of the officers might have old exam papers or past test questions from their first year.

“Well then, Kanzaki-kun, Saiki-kun, Hamaguchi-kun, Asako-chan, Yume-chan—I’m leaving today’s session to you.”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck, Honami-chan!”

“Do your best!”

With the encouragement of Kanzaki and the others, Ichinose turned and headed toward the student council room.

“I heard you need the student council president’s recommendation to become an officer. With Ichinose’s personality and grades, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Really?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this class was overestimating Ichinose a bit too much.

Her grades certainly seemed good enough for Class A. But then, why was she in Class B?

From the quizzes and from how she’d been teaching in the study sessions, it was obvious that in terms of academics she was among the top for first-years.

Her athletic ability too—judging from her performance in P.E.—wasn’t bad at all.

She was highly sociable, charismatic enough to unite and lead the class.

With all that, there’s no reason she couldn’t be in Class A.

And yet, she wasn’t.

She herself had mentioned being absent from school for a long period, and she’d also said she’d caused trouble for her mother.

The fact that she left gathering private points to me too—there’s no doubt something happened in her past.

Even Hoshinomiya-sensei seemed not to know exactly what had happened with Ichinose. I’d heard her mutter once, “Why would such a good girl be in Class B? Well, then again, there are some in Class A that make you wonder why they’re there too…”

Still, blindly trusting Ichinose without really knowing her situation sounded like a dangerous gamble, especially with special exams against other classes already on the horizon.

Then again, I wasn’t in much of a position to criticize. I’d realized that Ichinose was carrying some kind of burden, but I’d made no attempt to actually find out what it was.

And in the end, I needed her in the position of Class B’s leader just as much as anyone else.

So for now, since I’d been reluctantly drafted into a “teacher” role, I might as well do it properly.

. . . . .

“Haah…”

(Why did I get rejected?)

“The student council president must have no eye for talent.”

“Don’t worry about it, Honami-chan.”

“The current president’s a third-year, right? Just try again after they graduate!”

That morning, Ichinose was surrounded by a faintly gloomy atmosphere. She had been turned down by the student council president, her attempt to join the council rejected. Around her, classmates gathered to console and cheer her up.

“Yeah… thanks, everyone…”

(Shibata-kun’s right. The next president will probably be Vice President Nagumo. Maybe I’ll try again then.)

The reason for her rejection was unclear. But if someone at Ichinose’s level had been denied, it probably meant that as long as the current president was in charge, no first-years would be admitted to the council this year.

Or perhaps the president had seen through Ichinose’s past and turned her away for that reason. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Either way, it made me think that even if this Nagumo became president, her chances of getting in still looked slim.

Well, I’d been planning to check whether they had old exam papers anyway. If the chance came up, maybe I could ask about that matter too.

“Hm? What is it, Saiki?”

(Is he worried about Ichinose as well? But with that crowd around her, he can’t exactly approach. Not that we could say much, anyway…)

Sorry, but this isn’t about Ichinose. I just won’t be attending today’s study session.

(…Oh, so it’s not about her. Well, I suppose this is his way of saying he didn’t want to interrupt that scene.)

“Got it. I’ll let the others know.”

Not sure that’s worth telling everyone, honestly.

“But, no offense, it’s unusual for you to have something to do, Saiki.”

(I’d heard he sometimes goes to the library, but still…)

Yeah, it is unusual. But this time, there’s something I want to do. Just a little fact-checking—but depending on the result, it might end up benefiting Class B as a whole.

Of course, it’s still too soon to mention anything about past exams.

If I handed them out too early, people would just switch straight to rote memorization, and their basic academic skills would probably suffer.

So instead I told Kanzaki it wasn’t anything serious, and that I might be able to attend again starting tomorrow.

Skipping today’s lunch study session was simply because I wanted to rest after yesterday’s.

And also because I wanted to get back to the search I’d been doing since April—finding spots without surveillance cameras.

I’d already scouted nearly the whole campus, but there was always a chance I’d overlooked something.

When lunch break came, I grabbed my bento and quickly left the classroom.

“Ah, sorry, Saiki. Um… are you in a hurry?”

(If you are, I’ll just back off…)

Right outside the door, Himeno stopped me. She was holding her notebook—probably because there was something from the last class she didn’t understand.

I wasn’t actually in a rush, but I’d been planning to eat lunch somewhere other than the classroom for a change.

“Oh, I see.”

(Come to think of it, you always eat with Kanzaki-kun, but not today?)

When I explained, she looked a little surprised, then walked back to her desk. She grabbed a girlish drawstring pouch—her lunch, no doubt—and returned with it in hand.

“Sorry, but would it be okay if I came along? I’ll just ask you about what I don’t get, then I’ll leave.”

(The study group makes the classroom noisier than usual, and I wanted to eat outside anyway. If I can ask Saiki my question, I don’t mind moving on afterward.)

I didn’t mind if she stayed even after I explained. Sure, I could’ve just helped her right there in the classroom, but since I’d already said I wouldn’t attend the study group, this was better.

Besides, she didn’t strike me as the type to make noise or be a nuisance if she sat beside me.

“…Thanks. That’s a big help.”

(I don’t like noisy places either.)

Yeah, I know. That was part of why I agreed.

“So… where are we eating?”

—If I said somewhere without surveillance cameras, that would definitely sound like I was planning something shady.

Like I’d said, I’d already mapped most of the blind spots. So instead, I decided to tell her I wanted to check out the school rooftop, and thought we could eat nearby.

“The rooftop? Are we even allowed up there?”

No idea.

The lock was broken—or maybe it was just always left open. There were cameras at the entrance and just inside the door, but no “Off Limits” signs posted.

“You’ve been there before?”

No.

I only checked with clairvoyance—high school rooftops are kind of a cliché, so I just wanted to confirm if this one had one.

—That’s not something I could admit, so I brushed it off as a rumor I’d heard.

(So Saiki listens to rumors too…)

First Kanzaki, now her—what exactly do they think of me?

Not that I needed them to say it. I could tell with telepathy.

Her “favorability meter” had been around 35 back in April—basically “might return a greeting if I initiated it.” But since I started helping her with questions, it has risen to 47.

Pretty normal for a classmate. And at some point, she’d even stopped calling me “-kun.”

For reference, Kanzaki was at 56. Ichinose at 54. The rest of the class averaged about 48.

Anyway, the rooftop was mostly for reconnaissance.

If it looked like there was no problem, we could eat there too. Though she probably wouldn’t like sitting directly on the ground.

“Well, yeah. But around there, isn’t it basically all just the ground anyway?”

No, there was a bench next to the vending machine.

Outside of test periods, there were usually people there, but at this time of day, there shouldn’t be too many.

Judging from the telepathy, there was no one around anyway.

“I see.”

(Pretty detailed. Maybe after eating with Kanzaki, he goes wandering around the campus or something.)

Bullseye.

After eating lunch, Kanzaki usually studies—review or prep—if there’s nothing to talk about.

While chatting a little with Himeno-san, we arrived at the landing in front of the rooftop.

Just as I’d seen with clairvoyance, the lock was broken, and there were no signs saying entry was forbidden.

“Not going to peek inside?”

Yeah. If I went in and lost class points, it would be troublesome.

“Got it.”

(So he really did just come to check it out. They say his eyes sometimes go cross-eyed, he’s pretty eccentric, this Saiki.)

Mind your own business.

As expected, afterward we sat at the bench by the vending machine where no one was around. While eating, I explained the parts of the lesson Himeno-san said she didn’t understand.

Maybe bad manners, but please forgive me.

By the way, when she saw my lunch, she muttered, “Saiki, you’re pretty domestic,” but since I couldn’t say it was my mom who made it, nor could I nod, I lied that frozen food looked about like this.

. . .

“Thanks, Saiki, that really helped.”

(Saiki’s explanations are clearer than the answer keys in workbooks, or the tutors, or those lesson-streaming YouTubers. Really helpful.)

When I told her I still had to look around the campus, Himeno bowed her head, then went back ahead of me to the classroom, which was probably noisy with the study group going on.

I could head to the student council room as well, but clairvoyance showed no officers there. I’ll go after school instead.

With no particular errands left, I used the toilet as a teleport spot, stretched my legs on an uninhabited island to digest lunch, then dropped off the empty bento box with Mom before returning through the toilet and heading back to class.

<+>

Note:

For anyone thinking “Isn Saiki this sociable?”—if you go read the manga again, you would often find him walking home with Nendou or Kaidou after school or drop by an arcade together.

The campus wanderings are something that he did after eating or after school.

The Favorability Meter is an application of Saiki’s telepathy—he can know people’s favorability toward him as a number between 0 and 100.

Personally, I take 0 as “don’t know them.” 1–30 means unpleasant. 31–49 means “don’t dislike them, but don’t like them either.” Around 50 is “normal.” 70 and up is where actual positive feelings begin.

Right now, the highest is Kanzaki at 56. Chie-chan is at 49. Outside Class B, Shiina-san is at 55.