Kiyo POV
The whole Class peered through the silence, still under the effects of the results earlier, as a refined young lady briskly walked her way through the door and stood in front of the podium, brilliantly smiling at us, not minding the scrutiny.
" Matsushita-san ? "
" Hmm~? "
Some of my classmates seemed confused as to who the brunette was. However, as soon as they heard Yousuke's confused mutter, they immediately recognized her and got even more confused.
" Wait Chiaki-chan, what are you doing here ? " Ando, one of Matsushita's close acquaintances, emitted out bewilderingly. However, Matsushita only spared her a brief glance, still smiling, before looking back at everyone again, seemingly ignoring her for the time being.
" Alright everyone calm down~ " Chie-sensei clapped her hands with a smile, trying to dissipate the bewilderment within the atmosphere and attract everyone's attention back at her. All of my classmates obeyed with small hesitations, still disturbed by the current chain of events. " Now you may introduce yourself, Chiaki-chan~ "
Chie-sensei, with a smile, turned towards Matsushita and gave her the green light, while calling her by her first name. Matsushita's smile widened as she reciprocated Chie with a nod, before turning to face all of us again.
" My name is Matsushita Chiaki, and starting from today, I'm gonna be your new classmate. It's a pleasure meeting you all~ " Matsushita elegantly introduced herself with an elated tone, holding both of her hands in front of her, posturing her dignity. " Some of you may know me when I used to be in Class D, but now that we are Classmates, I hope you take care of me~ "
With those final words, Matsushita dropped her head, bowing to everyone as a conclusion to her introduction. The Class enveloped in temporary silence, before everyone started emitting their own reactions.
Some looked happy and elated, joyfully staring at Matsushita with brimming eyes, while the others were still confused, failing to process what's going on. Some even looked at me with questioning gazes, seemingly trying to connect the dots. However....
" The pleasure goes both ways Chiaki-chan~ Welcome to the best Class in the world~! " Chie-sensei striked the air above her with a fist, excitedly celebrating with a joyful smile of her own. " The workers are gonna shortly set your desk right at the back of the Class, if you wish to switch seats please just talk to me~ "
" No no, I think it's perfect. " Chie-sensei pointed towards the empty space behind Honami, to which Matsushita followed up with her line of sight. However, her eyes briefly darted towards me before quickly looking back at Chie-sensei and agreeing, with a perfect smile on her face.
Perfect for spying on me hmm ?
" That's great then~! " Chie-sensei clasped her heads together with a satisfied smile, before checking her watch and looking back at us again. " The results should already be out by now and feel free to discuss them for the rest of the homeroom or do whatever you please~ But for now- " Chie-sensei glanced towards me.
" Do you mind coming with me for a moment, Kiyotaka-kun ? "
" Hmm ? " I hummed confusingly at Chie-sensei's sudden request. However, I also noticed how her tone and expression changed as she addressed me.
" The acting director would like to talk with you about the reward for securing first place, so he requested me to summon you. " She elaborated. " He said that it's imperative that you come, so please follow me. "
" I see. " I mumbled, before slowly rising up from my chair and approaching the front door. Getting scrutinized by my peers as I stuffed both of my hands in my pockets and passed through the rows. " Is it gonna take long ? "
" Err~ no, not really. But it'll probably take a while. " Arriving beside her in front of the door, we maintained eye contact for a short moment before she broke it off with a smile, taking this as a cue she turned around as we both stepped out of the room.
I felt so many gazes peering at the back of my head, almost as if forging a hole. However, I felt one particular gaze and turned around to catch it, seeing my gaze she brightly nodded with a smile, seemingly comprehending my message.
I'm glad she understood her role.
I nodded at her, before shifting my attention back towards Chie-sensei's figure and starting to follow her. Honami needs to stay here and handle things while I'm gone, which helps me concentrate more on what's coming next. I'm glad that I can rely on her
" Damn~ what a stunt you decided to pull~ " After the momentarily silence, Chie-sensei stopped on her tracks allowing me to catch up, while eyeing me with a mischievous grin on her face. " Now I can see why my other coworkers were acting all strange as of lately~ They were losing their focus more frequently than not~ "
It seems that the results had a much greater impact on the Teachers as they kept getting back at it, disturbing their attention at work with their lingering thought processes. This behavior seemed to stand out to the other Teachers, who were assigned to different grades at that point of time.
" Were there any talks of me cheating ? "
" No~ but I bet there were a lot of investigations about you and that Kouhai~ Since it isn't everyday someone aces a university level exam. " While walking side by side, Chie-sensei glanced towards, observing me with her calculative gaze before grinning. " It seems that you're much bigger than I thought~ I might have to set higher expectations over you in the future~ "
" Weren't you happy with my performances up until now ? " I raised my eyebrow as I remarked. However, Chie shook her head.
" No~ I meant your abilities, I'm sorry if the wording was wrong. " Chie-sensei apologized for the small misunderstanding, before looking back in front of her. " To be honest, I don't really care whether you hold back or not. I just don't wish for you to leave our Class and become our enemy, nor get expelled in that regard. "
Chie-sensei's beaming face slowly dropped, as well as her tone, as if indicating the seriousness of her words. I slowly observed her go though all of those changes, before shifting my gaze towards the route too.
She has displayed many signs of interest towards ascending to Class A from the very beginning, and she wasn't even discreet about it. From the time I've spent with her so far, she seems to be rather obsessed with it for some reason I am unaware of
Whether a teacher would get compensated if their Class manages to graduate as Class A is still a vague discoverability. However, based on the previous statement, it's pretty easy to notice the inconsistencies of her words.
" Are you perhaps worried about me ? " I joked it off, trying to bring back the lighthearted mood, which seemed to work.
" Hehe of course~ you're my son after all~ " A smile crept back to Chie's face as she looked up to me and responded to my teasing with a grin.
" Ah, mom. I kinda forgot about that. " I feigned ignorance which earned me a chuckle from Chie.
Whatever her motives may be, I simply wouldn't let her use me to fulfill her goals. Whether or not our objectives are in line, I will always move in accordance with my own personal objective, and if they want to make the most out of it, they must board my train.
" Senpaiii~! " Just as we walked across the corner, Amasawa who was standing in front of the director's office immediately noticed me and started waving, before slowly dragging her feet and approaching me.
" Amasawa ? " I curiously mumbled her name as I halted right in front of her, looking at her with my apathetic face. " Were you called to the Director's office too ? "
" Mhm~ I was called to claim my reward~ " She beamed happily with a wide smile, seemingly elated upon seeing me.
" I see. "
Chie-sensei briefly examined our contact with squinting interested eyes, before moving ahead of us just as it was about to end, to avoid being seen snooping around. She gently knocked on the door twice, earning her consent from the other side.
" Pardon me Tsukishiro-chan~ both the students you summoned are here~ " Chie-sensei put on her best facade and unlocked the door, greeting the acting director before informing him of our presence.
" Ah, yes. Tell them to come in. " The voice of the director came from the other side, which impelled Chie-sensei to step aside to allow us in. As soon as Amasawa and I stepped inside, we were greeted by the sight of Tsukishiro, The acting director, sitting at his bureau with a compelling smile over his face. " Thank you for coming here, Ayanokouji-kun and Amasawa-san. "
Chie-sensei gently closed the door behind us, granting us a moment of privacy as if it had been pre-arranged. Amasawa stuffed her hands behind her and flashed a sly smile as I continued to stare at Tsukishiro's face with my underwhelmed look. Tsukishiro met both of our eyes with a smile that never left his face as he slowly swiveled on his revolving chair, looking at us both while his chest was positioned in front of the monitor.
The three of us were engaged in a protracted stare-down, which continued to build the already present tension. With the imaginary shadow of a bad omen hanging over our heads, it appeared as though the room was slowly growing darker. The first to speak, though, was none other than Tsukishiro himself, who had given up trying to hold both of us.
" I suppose I shall congratulate the both of you on achieving the number one spot on- "
" Why don't we skip the pleasantries and get to the main point already ? I wanna go and try sleeping in my new dorm room~ " Amasawa abruptly cut through Tsukishiro, seemingly against the idea of prolonging this meeting, with her silliness still remaining on her face.
" Mhm. I presume that's what you want for your reward then ? " Amasawa nodded at Tsukishiro's question. Receiving her answer, he shifted his eyeballs to me. " What about you Ayanokouji-kun ? Are you asking for the same thing ? "
Similar to Amasawa I nodded, both agreeing to pick the same option. Tsukishiro promptly turned in his chair and opened the desk's drawer, pulling up two keycards and setting them on top of the table, a little farther away from him.
" Those are the keys to your new rooms, to complete the process of your residency you must present them to the receptionist and they'll immediately register you in the system. You could also ask them to forge a key for your roommate and they'll instantly comply. " Tsukishiro explained, simultaneously eyeing us as we both approached his table and grabbed a keycard each.
Their keycards weren't so different compared to the normal ones, they were composed of the same materials with the same characteristics. Aside from the slight change of color and addition of a small calligraphic design, they were pretty identical.
" So we get to choose who we share a room with~? " Amasawa asked, rather excitedly. When Tsukishiro nodded her lips immediately formed a wide devilish grin before looking at me. " Does that mean me and Senpai can sleep in the same room~? "
" Of course, as long as he agrees to it. " Tsukishiro replied positively, before shifting his gaze towards me as well. I slowly turned my head towards Amasawa's face and said
" No. " Amasawa pouted at my monotone rejection. However, Tsukishiro swiftly brought back our attention towards him by clapping his hands.
" Now that the trivial issues are out of the way, it's time to delve into the more pressing matters. " He made some sort of a cue-like motion with his hands, clasping them firmly as I felt a sudden disturbance in the atmosphere. The room abruptly became colder, thicker and more tense all at once. Tsukishiro's smile remained steady, but as the aura around him grew dimmer, it became more foreboding and ominous.
It wasn't something I wasn't used to, since all white room instructors possessed similar auras. However, Tsukishiro was different. His aura was much darker, colder and more frightening, so tense that Amasawa momentarily stiffened up, before quickly adapting to it.
" I have a question for you first, Ayanokouji-kun. " His cold gaze firstly met mine as I reciprocated it with my unchanging expression, completely unfazed. Tsukishiro took a moment to scrutinize me before opening his mouth " Have you managed to find out who the white room student is ? "
My eyes slowly furrowed at Tsukishiro, who kept smiling at me with the same innocent yet sinister smile. Almost as if he was mocking me
" Unfortunately, no. I still have no clue about their identity as of yet. " I offered up a response, which Tsukishiro listened closely with that damned smile on his face. I quickly threw my eyeballs towards Amasawa before drawing them back towards him. " But if Amasawa counts then I guess I know one of them ? "
" I see. " Tsukishiro mumbled loudly, enough for the both of us to hear. He closed his eyes as he leaned into his clasped hands on top of the bureau. " It seems that you went ahead and disclosed information from our ranks to our enemy. Why did you do that, Amasawa-san ? "
His eyes slowly shot open as he simultaneously drew his cold calculative glare towards Amasawa, while asking her with a tone demanding an Answer. Amasawa however, simply shrugged.
" Meh~ I don't care about your stupid operation. " Amasawa exclaimed, with a disinterested look on her face.
" So you're defying our orders then ? " Tsukishiro remarked, raising his eyebrows with a small tilt, almost as if daring Amasawa to say-
" Yes. " She shrugged again. " I have no interest in robbing Senpai from his life at this school~ so you can count me out. "
" I see. " Tsukishiro shifted his posture for the first time, leaning more on the chair while maintaining eye contact with her. " If you keep on going like this, then I would feel the need to issue your expulsion from the white room. "
Tsukishiro commenced with his threat, trying to shake Amasawa off her smugly attitude. However...
" Oh noo~ But hey guess what ? I frankly don't care~ " Amasawa snickered at Tsukishiro's miserable attempts to persuade her, jerking off her hands in the air with a taunting grin on her face.
Not gonna lie, she looked cool right there for a moment.
" Besides~ It's not like you guys have much time left anyways~ If I were you, I'll leave this post and look after my pathetic ass "
" That is very considerate of you. However, I don't feel like there is any need for that. " Hmm ? " That's all, if you don't have any more questions. You're free to step out. "
Tsukishiro waved his hand dismissively, seemingly giving us the consent to leave. Without further ado, I turned around my heels and decided to leave. However...
" I truly wonder what your next move will be, Ayanokouji-kun. " Just as I grabbed a hold of the door's handle, Tsukishiro emitted, halting my movements. With my back facing him, he continued. " You may be in a powerful position right now, with a powerful class to back you up. However, don't get fooled by such power.
" If the head falls, the rest would eventually follow. I wonder what you'll do about the weakness you created for yourself, masterpiece. " Tsukishiro emitted, while I kept carefully registering every single word. I simply offered no response and gripped the handle extra tightly before leaving the office.
" Are you okay Ayanokouji-senpai~? " Amasawa, who was lacking behind me, offered her concerns. However, I turned towards her and nodded.
" I'm perfectly fine. " I reassured her with my usual monotone voice, which seemed to ease her for a tiny bit. I waited for her to catch up before walking side by side. " You didn't have to say all of that earlier though. "
" Yeah~ but I was too caught up in the moment, by bad hehe~ " Amasawa held the back of her head and slipped her tongue playfully. " But regarding that, I don't know if I should tell you this Senpai. But he may have set Cameras inside your new dorm room. "
" Yeah I'm aware. " I replied. " I'll just have to check it later, thank you for your concerns Amasawa. "
" Fufu~ my pleasure Senpai~ "
Soon enough, we were led to a corner where we separated, to go for each of our respective classes. She kept pestering me for a quick peck on the cheek, which I refuted and allowed her to go with a head pat, which seemed to sate her for the time being.
She needed encouragement to deal with her classmates as of now, which is draining no matter how good you are. Attention is bound to be drawn towards her as of now, which is definitely a small change from her life routine.
At least I'm kind of used to this sort of thing, and my classmates are very friendly and understanding. However, I couldn't shake off this small feeling of nervousness, as I started walking closer.
I wonder if they'll judge me as well. Just like how they did..
As I thought about that, some traumatizing memories kept playing in my head. That belongs to when I used to be 8..
I hate my laziness, I despise it, but I simply cannot help it.
Idk what happens with me most of the time, sometimes I cannot write for shit but other times ( like now ) I pull an astounding amount of time and put it to writing ( Legit writing from 4PM to now, which is 12:30 midnight )
Idk what's happening with me, I need help ;-;
Also, School is starting in the 21th, IT GOT DELAYED YAYYYYYYYYYY
I will finish this Volume by that time and probably write Y2V3, and hopefully I can keep up the updates while studying for my college.
Anyways, thank you for reading ! Last part rushed ( as always ) but I hope you like it
Chao~!