Are the two of us friends? I'd like to think that we're friends. But isn't it presumptuous of me to think that, though?
Ahh~! It's not like me to get anxious about something as simple as being friends with another person. But somehow, it's different with him.
He was mysterious and unreadable-- he was enigmatic.
For some strange reason, he gave me the impression of someone who's incredibly smart... and dangerous. That's how mystifying he was for me. We've been acquainted for so long now. It's not a stretch to call us close. But up to this day, I still look at him as someone equivocal.
"You really are oblivious to your own social standing, Ichinose."
As I was worrying about some unnecessary things, the voice of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun rang inside my ears.
"Eh?"
"Well, you're probably the most popular girl in our year, but you don't seem to be aware of that at all," Ayanokouji-kun uttered those words as he ate his sandwich. "You even hang out with someone like me."
"Haha, then aren't you the same as me? Like Kozue-chan said before, you're too unaware of how popular you are, especially with the girls," I laughed wryly. "And about me hanging out with you-- that's not something to be concerned about. I can hang out with any of my friends."
And to be honest, I thought I'm the one who should be worrying about that. After all, I'm the one who's in the lower class.
"Do you have friends from Class A and D, Ichinose?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do. I think it's great to have connections from other classes. It makes cooperation way easier," I shrugged. "I don't get along with Ryuuen-kun, though."
"Well, after what happened to our classes, it's clear that he's quite the hostile guy."
"That's true. We just have to keep our guards up against him, huh?" I took a sip from my canned juice before asking. "About that incident with your classmates and Class D, how did Horikita-san manage to put out the fire perfectly. She's Class B's leader, right?"
I heard of the rough details from Kushida-san, but I'm kind of curious about the specifics. Unlike us, Class B didn't suffer any sort of damage. Horikita-san's leadership must've been superb. Either that, or she saw through Ryuuen-kun's plan.
"Hmm..." Ayanokouji-kun seemed to be pondering about something. "Well, I guess it's better for me to be honest with you on this, huh? It's not like I treat Class C as an enemy, anyway."
"Hm? What do you mean?" I asked, slightly tilting my head to the side.
"Well, Horikita was just acting on my orders. I'm the one who's leading the class as of now." Ayanokouji-kun spoke nonchalantly.
Eh?
"Wait, did I hear it right? You're the actual leader of Class B?"
"Yeah." Ayanokouji-kun looked away and bit on his sandwich. "Before I knew it, that's how the class treated me. I tried to verify it with everyone, and apparently, they all agreed, apart from Kouenji, who didn't really participate in class discussions."
I thought Horikita-san was their leader. At least, I'm sure that was the case a couple of weeks back.
"That's so cool! Now you really can't call yourself a 'nobody'!" Before I knew it, I got all excited on my own.
"'Guess so."
"Are you actually someone super amazing, Ayanokouji-kun? Should I ask to shake your hand?" I asked jokingly.
"I can't compare to the Ichinose Honami of Class C, still."
Ayanokouji-kun and I just continued putting each other on a pedestal with our jokes.
"So, what did you do? You beat Ryuuen-kun, right?"
"I can't really say that I 'beat' him. Ryuuen was just trying to stir some chaos. His methods were quite reckless, and he didn't really know who his enemies were. That was probably the reason why we managed to dodge any sort of crisis."
"Hehh... I see. That's still amazing, though. I wish I could've handled those problems as flawlessly as you did."
"Flawlessly is a big word, and you kind of helped me by confirming my suspicion way back when Ryuuen's target was Ken. I'm sure we'd be in trouble while your class would've been fine if Ryuuen's order of attack was reversed." Ayanokouji-kun explained seamlessly.
"Ahaha, you think so?"
"Yeah." Ayanokouji-kun finished his sandwich and stood up from his chair.
"Are you going to return?" I asked.
"Are you staying here? You can't run away forever, you know?"
"Yikes, you're right. I felt like time went by so fast. It was really fun hanging out with a fellow runaway," I chuckled.
Ayanokouji-kun and I met up coincidentally because of the same reason. Both of us wanted to be alone. He'd probably be somewhere more secluded if I didn't call out to him earlier, but now we're together again. This kind of thing has been common for the two of us lately. It's kind of refreshing, to be honest.
Anyway, that just goes to show how popular he is inside his class. Now, his position as their leader makes a lot of sense.
I feel strangely calm at the moment. Finding out that Ayanokouji-kun is the leader of Class B surely changed my image of him. However, I don't particularly feel skeptical or cautious of his behavior. He didn't really change how he talks or change how he presents himself to me. He's the same old Ayanokouji Kiyotaka that I've been friends with for the past three and a half months.
And now, I know that this boy beside me is a fellow leader with the same goal of guiding his class to the top. He may be our rival, but I hope he doesn't become our enemy.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a cold shiver ran down my spine.