Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had calculated everything.
From the way the fluorescent lights reflected off the classroom windows to the exact second Horikita Suzune would turn around after delivering her final line, every detail had been placed neatly inside his mental framework. Probability trees branched out endlessly in his mind, converging toward a single conclusion:
Victory
He stood near the back of the classroom with his hands in his pockets with relaxed posture and expression unreadable. The atmosphere was heavy, the kind that made even the air feel tense.
"H-Horikita…" he said quietly, his voice steady but sharp. "I thought I'd considered all the variables."
Several students nearby instinctively leaned closer, sensing drama like predators detecting weakness.
Horikita adjusted her glasses.
The faint reflection of the classroom lights flashed across her lenses, hiding her eyes for a brief moment.
"Ayanokoji," she replied calmly, "could you not tell this was all an act?"
Her words struck harder than any physical blow.
Silence followed.
Someone in the back coughed awkwardly.
Another student whispered, "Wait… does that mean—?"
Ayanokoji's eyebrow twitched.
For a fraction of a second, his expression cracked.
"Tch."
He turned his face slightly away, pretending it was nothing. Still, his chest tightened. Not from injury as he wasn't that dramatic but from something far more dangerous than that.
Being wrong.
Horikita turned around and began walking toward the classroom door.
Her footsteps echoed softly.
"You have my respect, Ayanokoji," she said without looking back. "It wasn't easy deceiving you. But I will be the one…"
She paused at the doorway.
"…the one to crush Classroom of the Elite."
The classroom fell into stunned silence.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the room. Which was quite strange because all the windows were closed.
Ayanokoji slowly lifted his head.
"…So that's how you want to end it."
The lights flickered.
Shadows stretched unnaturally across the floor.
Before anyone could react, his body dissolved into crows.
Dozens of black birds burst outward from where he had been standing, filling the classroom with flapping wings and swirling shadows. All desks started rattling. Papers flew into the air. Someone screamed. Another student immediately started recording on their phone, because of course they did.
The swarm surged forward like a living wave, flooding past Horikita and swallowing her vision in darkness.
She raised her arms instinctively.
"Seriously?" she muttered. "This again?"
The noise faded and the pressure vanished.
When Horikita lowered her arms, the classroom was gone.
She now stood inside a massive stone hall.
The ceiling rose impossibly high, disappearing into darkness. Blue flames burned in ancient torches lining the walls. The air felt heavy, thick with an unfamiliar presence.
At the far end of the hall stood a towering stone chair carved with strange patterns.
And seated upon it was a man wearing a dark cloak, red eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
He looked down at her calmly, his gaze sharp and unreadable.
"Those eyes…" he said slowly. "How much can you actually see?"
Horikita blinked and then sighed.
"…So he really did it."
From behind the throne, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Ayanokoji emerged from the shadows, adjusting his collar like this entire situation was completely normal.
"Yes," he said flatly. "I activated the cross-verse link. Emergency protocol."
Horikita turned toward him.
"You summoned a legendary ninja because you lost a school strategy battle?"
"I prefer the term 'strategic reinforcement.'"
The man on the throne raised one eyebrow.
"My name was used for intimidation purposes?"
"Yes."
"…I was buying groceries."
Horikita rubbed her forehead.
"This is ridiculous."
She stepped forward, stopping several meters away from the throne.
"I'm not surprised to see you here, Itachi Uchiha," she said calmly. "I was expecting something like this."
She lifted her chin slightly.
"And I know what sin I have committed."
Ayanokoji narrowed his eyes.
"What sin?"
Horikita met his gaze directly.
"Outplaying you."
The torches flickered and the atmosphere thickened.
The remaining crows gathered around the hall, perching along pillars, creating an unnecessarily dramatic environment.
Itachi slowly stood up.
His cloak shifted as he moved.
For a moment, even Ayanokoji felt tension crawl up his spine.
Then,
Itachi pulled out a clipboard.
"…The contract says 'psychological pressure cameo,'" he said calmly. "No combat. No soul-related activities. No tragic flashbacks. It seems my work is completed?"
Ayanokoji froze.
"You're telling me this was just… intimidation?"
"Yes."
Horikita crossed her arms.
"So your ultimate move was atmosphere?"
"…It usually works," Ayanokoji muttered.
Before the awkward silence could deepen, the space itself cracked open.
A tall man with white hair and sunglasses stepped through a glowing portal while sipping from a cup.
"Bro," Gojo said casually, "why is Naruto franchise leaking into Classroom of the Elite again? I JUST fixed the timeline."
Itachi sighed. "It was him."
He pointed at Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji raised his hands. "In my defense, Horikita's strategy was too strong. I needed emotional backup."
Horikita crossed her arms confidently. "So this is your final plan? Summon legendary ninjas?"
"Yes," Ayanokoji replied flatly. "But clearly I miscalculated the cooldown."
Gojo slurped his coffee. "Skill issue."
Horikita smirked and stepped forward. "Looks like even gods of other universes can't save you now, Ayanokoji."
Ayanokoji clenched his fist.
"No. This isn't over."
Suddenly, a glowing blue interface materialized in the air.
Everyone froze.
Text scrolled rapidly across the floating screen.
SYSTEM INITIALIZING...
MULTIVERSE ACADEMIC INTEGRATION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
ADMIN ACCESS: HORIKITA SUZUNE
Horikita stared at the hovering screen.
"…What?"
The interface expanded, projecting holographic windows filled with unreadable data, maps of different worlds, and classroom layouts that defied logic.
Gojo slowly lowered his drink.
"Oh. That's bad."
A voice echoed throughout the hall. Forget about male or female, it was not even human.
NEW ARC UNLOCKED: INFINITE SEMESTER
OBJECTIVE: CREATE THE STRONGEST CLASSROOM ACROSS ALL REALITIES
FAILURE CONDITION: MULTIVERSE ACADEMIC COLLAPSE
Horikita looked at the system.
Then at Ayanokoji.
Then at the two overpowered beings awkwardly standing beside them.
Her lips curved upward slightly.
"…Interesting."
Ayanokoji felt something unfamiliar tighten in his chest.
It was neither fear nor panic but something far worse.
It was uncertainity
For the first time since entering this school, He wasn't controlling everything.
He was standing inside the very chaos.
And the game had just expanded beyond a single classroom into far beyond anything he had prepared for.