COTE: Class D's Masked Guardian

Vol 1. Chapter 14 - Small Talk on a Rooftop

Our first week of high school was finally over. The weekend had arrived, and many had gone to Keyaki Mall with their friends.

Now, you may be asking what I am doing on my own day off. Perhaps hanging out with Hirata? Committing to my plans for Horikita? Maybe flirting with Matushita like I had been doing on Tuesday?

To all of these questions, I would have to say no.

Because, on a Saturday, one of the rare days where I am completely free of work, I am meeting with my ungrateful and moody homeroom teacher.

"You do understand why I am here, don't you, Sae?" I stood beside her on the rooftop of the school building as she lit a cigarette, ignoring the many health risks it would pose to both herself, and me, someone in the close proximity of her smoking.

She inhaled the cigarette smoke, and exhaled shortly after. "You've come here to ask me for something as per our deal, haven't you?"

"Naturally, you would think that. But in reality, I'm only here to have a conversation with my lovely homeroom teacher," I joked as I slowly took a few steps back, distancing myself from her. 

I have no intent on contracting lung cancer at the age of 15.

"Stop beating around the bush, Ayanokouji. I know that you wouldn't go through the hassle of coming up here on a Saturday to simply converse with me," said Sae, rotating her body to face me.

"What I'm really here for is besides the point. However, since you're already here, I would like to take the opportunity to ask you a few questions."

"Then what would you like to ask, dear student of mine?"

I involuntarily let out a chuckle. Sae calling me a 'dear student' of hers was the last thing I had expected to come out of her mouth. Her personality and actions towards me compared to what she's like to my classmates is completely different. It's almost as if I'm her master.

Oh, wait. I basically am, aren't I? A sinister smile made its way onto my face.

Oh how I love blackmail. It's so incredibly useful. I even had my beautiful teacher wrapped around my little finger thanks to the wonders of the esteemed art.

"Well, I guess there's no point in stalling any longer. How many private points would it cost to transfer to a different class?" I asked.

"20,000,000," she answered, almost instantly.

"So 800,000,000 to transfer 40 students then, huh? I won't have enough at this point," I mused.

"Hold on, Ayanokouji. Why are you opting to go for the private points route? Could you not rise to Class A through the special exams?" Sae's expression changed, but only slightly. Was she worried that I didn't think of myself as talented enough to beat the other classes?

"Don't be like that, Sae. I'll transfer you to Class B as well, so you won't miss out on the fun," I assured her, making sure to tease her in the process."Oh, that reminds me, how many points does it take to transfer teachers?"

"It takes 10,000,000 private points. And, Class B? Why Class B and not Class A? Surely transferring everyone to the current Class A, which houses the most talented students, would be the best option, no?" she inquired, confusion evident on her beautiful facial features.

"I've made a deal with Class B. 80% of all their private points until we graduate if I get them to Class A by the end of the year," I explained.

"Are you sure this is the right choice? Getting 810,000,000 private points is no easy feat," Sae warned.

"Don't worry, I'll get the points somehow. And as for why I'm going for this fairytale ending-like route? Well, it's more of a sinister reason than you might think."

"Sinister?" Now she was beyond confused. Rather, she was clueless, or perhaps perplexed.

"It probably hasn't been done before, so it would be the first time something like this has happened. My name would be in the history books. I also just want to fuck with the school. I'm sure it would be quite funny to see the reaction of the other students in my year when the original Class B and D graduate in Class A as a class of 80 students."

Sae merely sighed at my childish behaviour, which led me to laugh in response.

"Whatever, I don't care what you do as long as you get me to Class A," Sae said.

"You don't care what I do, huh?" I muttered under my breath. If she would truly let me do anything if she got to Class A in the end, then that opens up an infinite number of doors that I could take to ensure my victory. "Nevermind that. Sae, is there a way that you could advertise something for me?"

"Advertise? What do you mean?"

"I would like you to make a post on the school forums saying that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-D will be playing chess matches against all challengers who turn up at the entrance of Keyaki Mall from 1 pm to 6 pm. Bets will be placed of at least 1,000 points, so if anyone wishes to play me, then they would have to pay up first, and see if they can win some points."

"I see, I will get that sorted for you by the end of the day, Ayanokouji."

"Thank you, Sae. Also, from now on we will meet here at exactly 8 pm every Saturday. You would, preferably, have something interesting to report to me every week."

"Is that really necessary?" she complained.

"Yes, I can't have you doing anything that would inconvenience me, after all. You're my queen, Chabashira Sae. Please don't forget that," I said.

I had to make sure that she understood that there was no way to escape from me, otherwise I would have to throw away a perfectly good piece. The queen is worth the most material points for a reason, after all. Blundering it at such an early stage would decrease my chances at winning by a lot more than I would like.

While I had already taken the gamble on the information network of the student council, there was always the chance that there was information exclusive to the teachers. Losing Sae would mean throwing my advantage away, so I had to keep her for as long as possible.

"Yes, yes. I'm your queen, Ayanokouji," she grumbled sarcastically, "and please don't call me by my given name."

"Sorry Sae, but no can do. It's a beautiful name, and incredibly fitting for a woman of your looks," I argued back playfully, aiming to get a reaction from my stone cold yet attractive teacher.

Unfortunately, it seems that she understood what my intentions were.

"Say that again and I might just get you expelled," she reprimanded.

"Ahh, but you see, Sae, you're job is hanging by a single thread, remember? If you make any attempt to get rid of me, I won't show any mercy," I reminded her. "Basically, I'll call you beautiful whenever I want to, Sae."

She glared at me for a moment, only to take a puff of her cigarette and exhale the smoke into my face.

I coughed uncontrollably for a few seconds, and Sae turned her back to me.

"That wasn't very nice, Sae. But I'll let you go for now, I expect you to be at my chess matches. See you then, beautiful."

I rushed down the stairs, ignoring the death stare that Sae was giving me. 

A/N:

A short chapter to kick things off in Arc 2. Assignments are done, so you can expect more frequent uploads. Of course, there is still the possibility that I get lazy or forget to write, for Which I will apologise for in advance. But I'll try and upload at least once or twice a week from now on.