COTE: Class D's Masked Guardian

Volume 1. Chapter 22 - A Ticking Time Bomb, and the Start of the Game

After waving him goodbye, I left the stunned student council president and headed back to my room. But before that, I would need to take a short detour.

"Oi, Horikita. You gonna come out now, or what?" I called out to Horikita, who I had sensed hiding behind the building since the start of my conversation with Manabu.

"H-how did you know I was there?" Horikita managed to mutter, her surprise evident on her face. "Even nii-san didn't notice me, so how..."

"Your brother was busy with me. You're lucky that I put on such a dramatic show there, or your precious nii-san would've noticed you eventually," I explained, to which Horikita just sighed in response.

"Did you seriously make all that stuff up just to distract nii-san from my hiding spot?"

Hah! Horikita certainly had her moments, didn't she? A funny joke, I would say. Although, I wish it weren't one. Sometimes, being the best does get quite boring. Nobody can hold a candle to your abilities, and challenges are virtually nonexistent.

"Oh, that? No, that was all the truth. I just phrased it in a way that I knew would catch your brother's attention," I answered nonchalantly.

Horikita rolled her eyes and shook her head. It seemed she didn't believe me. "Cocky bastard..." I heard her mumble.

Hey! That hurt my feelings...

Well, if I knew how to properly distinguish them, that is. I'm sure that what I'm currently experiencing is the feeling of internal pain in response to such a hurtful remark from Horikita.

I'm sure of it. After all, I'm not a bastard, I'm Ayankouji Kiyotaka, the cocky masterpiece.

You got that, Horikita? Masterpiece, not bastard, masterpiece.

"I may be cocky, but confidence is essential for success. If I don't believe that I can win, the chances of me winning are almost zero; especially if I have the ability to win, but I don't try my best simply because I didn't have the self-esteem to think that I would emerge the victor. And Horikita, I definitely have the ability to win."

Horikita looked at me weirdly for a second before responding. "So you act arrogant to ensure victory... how immature," she reproached, arms crossed over her chest.

"Immature? Don't throw that word at me when you and your nii-san couldn't properly establish the simple fact that you love each other like siblings between yourselves. Aren't you the immature one for believing that your brother was someone worthy of worshipping and following like a god?" I rebutted jokingly, a smirk materialising on my face as Horikita's cheeks started to blush slightly.

"T-that's different. Although, I can't exactly argue with you on that one."

Hold on... did I just tease Horikita Suzune without being threatened? That's... impossible. Incomprehensible. Inconceivable. Implausible. Absurd. Unbelievable.

.

.

.

I should stop, I've memorised the entire dictionary, after all. If I were to continue listing synonyms for the word impossible, we would be here for years.

But you get the idea, right? The fact that having fun with Horikita Suzune is impossible without being threatened by her abnormally sharpened compass. Trust me, I've tried a few times, you don't want to see that weapon of hers; or even be in the vicinity of it.

Seriously, what is it made of, obsidian? That thing may as well be the sharpest thing in the world.

...I'm getting off track. Back to the conversation.