Are people equal or not?
This was the starting question of Shougo Kinugasa's light novel Classroom of the Elite.
Now, Akira wasn't the type of person you'd expect to ponder over equality. Are people equal? Are they not equal? It just didn't matter to him.
But now, he had gotten the answer to that question without even trying to think about it.
"The only thing that humans are equal in is death."
These were the words of Johan Liebert, one of the greatest antagonists in all of fiction.
Contrary to his words, Johan also believed humans to be equal even before death—equally worthless, that is. He believed all life to be meaningless. The birth and death of a human in some tiny corner of our planet shouldn't even count as existence, according to him.
The System had promised Akira that he would only receive knowledge and experience from knowledge bases, no matter who he chose them from.
And it had proven to be true—at least for the academic and combative ones. He had only received knowledge and experience. But things went differently for the charismatic knowledge base. You see, charisma is not just knowledge or experience—it is a part of a person, strongly linked to their psyche. And so, Akira's mind had been thoroughly messed up thanks to Johan Liebert.
Akira was still himself—he hadn't lost his identity. He was, of course, unsettled by Johan's understanding of the human mind, but he had collected himself and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he entered the bus with fellow students.
The bus was still quite empty for now, including the priority seat that Koenji usually sat in. Akira glanced at it for a second before finding himself a regular seat.
Next to him sat a working woman whose eyes gleamed when she looked at him. It had happened so often now that Akira had gotten used to it. Turns out, maxing out his looks wasn't just for nothing.
This world was animated, and he looked as if the entire animation budget had been spent on his design. Akira was living a weeb's dream.
He decided to use this opportunity to test out some of his newly acquired skills as he activated Aphrodite's Eye.
[22%]
Twenty-two percent was already in the friendly zone. This was a great start, mostly due to his abnormally good looks. He decided to activate Mind's Gate, wondering what was going on in her mind.
A cold tingle spread across his temple—and then her mind opened like a book.
"He's beautiful... Is he a model? That skin... that hair... his eyes... I shouldn't be thinking this, I'm too old... but what if he's older than he looks?""I'd love to talk to him. No, that'd be weird. What would I even say? God, imagine coming home to someone like that…""Focus. Focus. But those lips…"
Akira leaned back slightly, expression neutral, eyes forward—but internally, he was amused.
So that's what 22% is like.
His presence alone had already stirred low-level fantasy. And this was someone in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. Probably a young office worker, mid-tier salary, modest life—the kind of person who rarely finds anything exciting.
Akira listened silently to the fragmented thoughts drifting from her mind.
"He smells so clean... not cologne, just... natural? What shampoo does he use?""Don't stare. Don't stare. Oh god, he's going to think I'm a creep."
He let her mind run for another few seconds before breaking the silence.
"You keep glancing this way. Something on my face?"
His voice was soft, calm—but his words struck like a sudden chord in an empty room.
She jumped slightly, not expecting him to talk.
"O-oh no! I mean, sorry! I didn't mean to stare, I just—"
"Are you sure?" Akira cut through her sentence, keeping up the pressure. This woman was a sucker for good looks.
"Crap. Crap. I made it weird. Say something normal. Just say something normal."
"...You just remind me of someone," she lied.
"Such a generic line. Why did I say that? God, he probably thinks I'm a creep."
Akira smiled faintly, completely different from the cold look he had given her earlier.
"Hopefully someone you liked."
She blinked, cheeks reddening. "Y-Yeah. Someone I liked."
There was a pause. Silence again. But the air between them was different now—warmer, more fragile.
[22% → 35%]
It's worth noting that infatuation was an exponential variable. In other words, it gets harder to raise the higher it goes. Which made sense—a few words of introduction, and you could be considered a friend, or at least an acquaintance. But to fall in love takes time. To fall deeper in love takes even more.
The woman didn't speak again. She kept stealing glances—quieter this time—as if afraid her thoughts might leak out through her eyes.
Akira deactivated Mind's Gate, letting her voice fade from his head. He remembered the scene where Kushida urged Koenji to give up his seat for an old lady. Naturally, Koenji being Koenji, he did what he wanted. Kushida then bravely pleaded for someone else to offer a seat. Akira had intended to use this scene to get closer to her.
Eventually, more and more people began entering the bus. Akira tried to find any recognizable faces among them, but there were none.
'Perhaps this isn't the bus where that incident happened,' Akira thought as he shifted his gaze back toward the office lady. If the incident on the bus wasn't going to happen, maybe he should experiment a bit more with Mind's Gate? He still hadn't tried inserting any thoughts yet.
ANHS was an enclosed high school—in other words, the students would be completely isolated from the outside world for the three years they spent there. So the chances of him meeting this woman again were none. That's what made her the perfect test subject.
He activated Mind's Gate again, sliding into her thoughts. But this time, he wouldn't just listen—he'd try inserting his own thoughts directly into her mind.
[Maybe I should say something flirty… I mean, he smiled back, didn't he?]
The thought dropped into her mind with ease. Akira felt an odd connection between them for a brief moment, after which he started reading her mind again.
No... that's silly. I barely know him. Plus, he's a student. What am I thinking?
She shook her head, unsure of herself, and looked outside to clear her mind.
Too direct, Akira thought.
He adjusted his approach, this time inserting something milder—something that aligned better with her current mental state.
[He seems like someone safe. Calm. Not the type to judge.]
This time, the thought fit better. Her body language relaxed slightly. Her gaze lingered on him a beat longer than before.
"...He does feel calm. Like he's in control of everything. That's kind of attractive…"
Still, there was no change in infatuation. It remained at [35%].
He thought for a few seconds before inserting another thought.
He probably already knows I'm interested. Why hide it?
This time she blinked. Her legs subtly shifted. A hand came up to adjust her blouse collar. She didn't look directly at him, but her thoughts began spiraling.
"...He's so composed. Like he sees right through me. Maybe that's why I can't stop thinking about him.""Maybe... he'd like me if I showed a little more confidence.""...Maybe."
She turned slightly in her seat, just enough for her perfume to waft toward him. Her posture straightened. She checked her reflection in the window.
[35% → 37%]
It actually went up. He managed to increase infatuation without even speaking a word. Thirty-seven percent meant she now had a mild crush on him.
He tried to increase it again, but no matter what he inserted—compliments, curious musings, images of soft touch or casual invitation—her mind resisted. The thoughts didn't land. They bounced off, faded, or were met with self-doubt.
"Don't overthink it. He's just a student. I'm probably imagining all of this."
Even bold thoughts, or ones that had worked before, no longer stirred a reaction.
That was as far as Akira could go with a stranger. Still, it was impressive—considering he didn't even know her name.
But it wasn't over yet.
You see, infatuation is something that goes up and down. Sometimes we absolutely love someone. Other times, our opinion of them changes. If this were anything normal, the office lady would probably remember him for a few weeks before completely forgetting him. So the 37% infatuation would eventually drop.
But he had Aphrodite's Blessing.
This passive skill prevented the infatuation of the opposite sex from dropping.
Being a renowned strategy gamer, Akira knew how broken this ability was. Even if he were to slap this woman across the face, she wouldn't hate him for it!
Naturally, Akira would never do such a thing. He wasn't a monster.
The bus slowed. His stop had arrived.
He deactivated Mind's Gate, stood, and exited the bus.
The woman's gaze followed him until the doors closed behind him.
He didn't look back.