Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 5.5 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

After school had ended, I bought myself a drink in the cafe before making my way towards my secret spot. It wasn't at all hidden, but somehow, not a single student could see the beauty behind this place. It was especially nice because no one ever went there, so I had it all to myself. Like always, the crowds thinned as I moved further and further away from the popular places like the Palate, the shopping stores and the karaoke parlors.

The sun shone in my face, and I was ready to spend the rest of my day in peace. Nagumo's repeated ramblings were particularly exhausting today. I didn't know why he always wanted to chat with me, when I wanted nothing more but to relax.

Fate, however, had another plan in store for me.

"Beautiful."

A brown-haired boy said as he leaned back on the bench I usually sat on. I had seen him before, by pure chance, as he entered the gym to attend the entrance ceremony around a week ago. His eyes were shut and his face was expressionless, void of emotion, just like that time.

I sat on the bench beside him and turned my head. He hadn't noticed my presence, and I felt the sudden need to tease this calm poker face of off him. A grin formed on my charming face as I imagined his flustered reaction.

"I am. Thank you for noticing."

The default reaction to such a situation would be surprise or even a slight scare, depending on the person. This initial feeling would then evolve into nervousness or embarrassment. The boy in front of me, however, was different.

There was no change in expression, no surprise, and much less a scare.

He lazily opened his eyes and glanced in my direction with a deadpan face. Our gazes entwined as I tried to decipher what was going on in this person's head. His calm, apathetic, brown eyes shone golden in the sunlight.

They were mesmerizing, but there was simply no spark, no life in them.

As I kept gazing at this boy, I felt something change deep inside of me. It seemed like I was staring at a corpse that could move its pupils, which made the scene feel bizarre and eerie. I saw my reflection in his pupils, but he emitted nothing but indifference towards me.

My interest in this boring looking Kouhai rose.

"I didn't notice you there. Are you a first year as well? I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class 1-D. Nice to meet you."

Following his expression, his voice was just as flat, just as void of emotion as the rest of him. Even though he sounded human, his words felt cold and robotic. But maybe that's just me.

I was intrigued by him, similar to the two other people before him.

Would I be able to change this boy's emotional state if I were to tease him a bit? I wasn't sure, no. I doubted it. But if I brazenly commanded him to call me by my first name, he would react somehow, right? Any normal person would be surprised by something like this, especially if it's a beautiful senior like me.

"Kiryuin Fuka, 2-B. Call me Fuka, Kouhai-kun."

"Nice to meet you, Kiryuin-senpai. What brings you here?"

Once again, he answered without batting an eye.

This insolent Kouhai even ignored my gracious kindness, which enabled him to use my first name. My heart began to feel excitement after a long time. The more time I spent in his vicinity, the firmer my impression of him became. It wasn't obvious for normal people, but I had a feeling that he was a crouching tiger, a wolf hiding in the company of sheep while biding its time. His presence felt mystical, out of this world.