Separating from Chie, I picked up the pace towards my next and final appointment of the day. The clock is a couple of short minutes away from passing six, and the meeting is slated for 30 minutes after that point.
It's a good thing that I foresaw the possibility of Chie-sensei following me around and freed a lot of time before the schedule. It seems that even turning off the GPS function doesn't really hide your whereabouts from the staff. With over 30 minutes left, I decided to stop by the Western cafe, a well-known and typically calm cafe to relax.
As I expected, it was stacked with students across all year levels, making use of this place's excellent amenities. Fortunately, I managed to secure a lone table shortly after I arrived and got my orders. A single cup of coffee and a book, and a soak in the silence.
Despite the vast number of people present, everyone at least made an attempt to preserve each other's tranquility—save for some unavoidable noises—and enjoy the mood together. However, that didn't stop people from continuously staring at me though, the moment I set my feet inside.
I wasn't particularly surprised by this. In fact, I was prepared. I figured that nobody would dare to approach me in a place like this, since doing so would violate the moral code and taboo of this place.
Or so, that's what I thought
"Oh. Good afternoon, Ayanokouji-senpai !" Rudely violating the stigma, moral codes, taboos, laws of physics, and my expectations, someone had actually marched up and called out to me. I lifted my eyes off the book to meet their gaze, only for my small annoyance to quickly diminish.
"Oh. Hello Yagami." Standing beside my table was Yagami Takuya, carrying a small tray of food in his hands and donning a lively smile that grew a little wider in surprise when I welcomed him.
"Ooh? It actually made me quite happy that you remembered my name, Senpai. I was worried for a second here. "
"Don't worry, you're a particularly hard guy to forget." I shut off my book and gave him my undivided attention. "Is there something you want from me?"
I set my book on the table and addressed him with a question, closely peering back at his eyes. However, he ended up facing me with a small bitter smile.
"Do you mind if I sit with you, Senpai?" Yagami requested before looking around. "There aren't any open tables around, and I'm not acquainted with anyone here aside from you. Of course, if it's not okay, I could-"
"No, that's fine." I cut through him.
"Thank you, senpai !" Yagami smiled happily before setting his tray on the table and getting seated right in front of me. While reopening my book, I took a quick glance at the contents of his plate. He had a slice of pumpkin pie and a cup of apple juice. "I should have asked this, senpai. Are you perhaps waiting to meet someone? "
He asked out of courtesy and drew a concerned gaze towards me. Maybe he thought I was meeting Honami?
"No I'm alone." I quickly shut down his worries.
"That's a rare one." Yagami remarked, his smile returning back. "Senpai is like a celebrity right now. I never imagined I could meet you alone."
"I had something important to do, now I'm relaxing."
"Ooooo~ Does it perhaps include having a secret affair with another woman?" I looked up from my book and gave him a dead expression as he donned a mischievous smug. That only intensified once he noticed my look.
"No." I frowned and took a sip of my coffee as a small idea crossed my head. "However, suppose I did have one."
"Hmm?" Yagami hummed perplexedly. "Suppose you had one?"
"Yes. Supposedly, you discovered that I was seeing someone else in secret. What would you do? " I gave further details before asking my query.
"What would I do.... huh." Yagami mumbled to himself, seemingly finding this question interesting enough to give it a serious thought. "Uhh..."
He was lost in contemplation, instinctively adopting a thinking posture as his eyes darted around in search of an explanation, and his line of sight steadily dipped towards the floor. I took a drink of my coffee and watched him the whole time. His struggles were visible in his erratic staring at the sky and frequent hand wriggling. Just as I was about to stop him, he emerged with an answer.
"I... am not sure..?" He replied questioningly, genuinely unsure about his answer. "I... won't tell anyone about you... But I will absolutely keep my distance from you. Because if I have to be blunt, you would be completely repulsive senpai."
Even as he provided an answer, he still kept his unsure tone and thought more about it. However, I raised my hand, ordering him to stop.
"That's understandable. I agree. " I nodded in comprehension before setting my hand down. "Anyways, what are you doing here, Yagami?"
Leading the conversation back to the main flow, I inquired as I stuffed my book inside my blazer pocket.
"You could say that I'm pretty much the same as you, senpai." Yagami took hold of his fork and began cutting into his pie. He grabbed the tiny piece and began to chew it. "I had just completed my student council application and decided to take a break. That's how I came across you."
He explained before enjoying another bite of his pie. Due to the special exam, the club affair was postponed to this date, necessitating more work on the part of the club representatives. Honami, as a student council vice president, is currently in charge of processing applications from the eager first-years. This would also explain why Yagami is still in his school uniform at such a late hour of the day.
Additionally, this also provided me with time to move forward with my ideas, without being overly watched.
"I see." I mumbled in acknowledgment. "How did the exam go? It seems that you guys have managed to keep your class ranking."
"Ahaha! Yeah, we did indeed. " Yagami replied in affirmation. "It was a really close battle, but the rankings didn't change at the end. My classmates really wanted to overtake Class A and gain an early lead, but we didn't let the results affect our morale at all. "
For the grade-level that had the s-system explained to them and started at an equal number of class points, the first special exam was the ultimate battleground to establish the differentiation and increase the gap at a very early stage. Naturally, everyone was salivating for the top spot.
There might have been a case of Class D ascending to Class A before the first month even ended, which would be a permanently unbreakable achievement as long as the school rules resumed their normal course. However, that didn't happen and the standing remained the same.
"On the other hand, it seems that it went extremely well on your part, senpai."
"What do you mean? We ended up getting third place. " I remarked. However, Yagami shook his head.
"That may be so. But from my perspective, you guys have undoubtedly emerged as the biggest winners among your adversaries." He perceived.
It seems that Yagami was able to infer Honami's strategy and come to understand the full meaning behind it, which is what allowed him to deduce so confidently. This small show of perceptiveness actually managed to slightly change my impression of him. He may have approached us to get on our good side. However, he wasn't entirely good or naive pushover. Rather, he is quite tactful in his approaches.
In other words, there is much more to Yagami than meets the eye, and he's quite skilled at hiding it..
Moreover, he was one of the key factors in our connections with the first-years. He played a significant role in bringing both our classes together, which allowed us to achieve this much success. So it wasn't all for naught.
Our subsequent conversation was brief because my coffee cup was almost finished.
I picked up my empty cup and my phone so I could pay and bid some farewell words.
"Thank you for the talk, senpai ! and for the table in that regard. I'll see you later!" Yagami warmly waved at me as I moved towards the counter, and I waved back before turning around.
Was he a white room student? Possibly, he is one of my numerous suspects after all. However... if all of that was acting... then I'm honestly amazed.
Paying the receipt, I stepped out of the cafe, leaving several stares in my wake as I headed towards my final destination. There were still a few minutes until the scheduled time. However, I wanted to arrive early to start my preparations.
With a new goal in mind, I opened the door to the special annex and started walking up the stairs. Each floor had some security lines due to the sole existence of the chemical labs and equipment rooms located there, except the third floor, which was my destination.
The club affair was creating a big enough distraction for the first-years, while the other grade levels should be preoccupied with their regular daily lives, so there weren't any huge risks of being followed around. Moreover, it seems that one person was already there.
"Hoh?" As soon as they noticed my presence, they let out a surprised exclamation before lifting their backs off the wall and turning to face me. I didn't say anything, and kept walking toward them with my hands in my pockets. Their grin became larger the closer I got. "You came early."
"I could say the same thing to you, unexpectedly." I countered their remark before standing still, giving their outer appearance an overview. "Moreover, you're looking pretty rearranged. What happened, Ryuuen?"
Ryuuen was wearing a simple plain shirt, and was rather hanging pretty loosely. His hair was disheveled, and he looked quite drowsy. I tilted my head as I inquired about his appearance.
"I was taking a nap." Ryuuen scratched the back of his neck as he rested against the wall. But a new question resurfaced in my head.
"Nap... at 6?" I tilted my head even more.
"Yeah, so what?" Ryuuen reopened his eyes and glared at me, to which I slowly readjusted my head. "You fucker woke me up just to give me a lecture? Just say what you want."
"No, I didn't do that." I cleared up, before saying. "Actually, we're waiting for someone else now."
"Someone... ?" Ryuuen curiously parroted as he adopted a stern expression. However, I decided to remain silent.
Eventually, footsteps started reverberating behind me as I looked at Ryuuen's face once more. His gaze was already drawn to the end of the hallway, so I shifted my focus and followed him as the slow, nervous footsteps drew closer.
However, they abruptly came to a stop when the figure came around the corner. Both of their eyes, as well as Ryuuen's, widen in recognition and shock as soon as they come into contact.
"W-What?/What?" Both of them blurted out their thoughts simultaneously, shocked by each other's presence, which was a promising sign of coordination. The newly arrived person instantly shifted gears and glared at me. "What is this, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Oh, Horikita, you're here." I swiftly acknowledged Horikita's presence with a nod and greeted her back; she was surprisingly still in her school uniform. "I believe we should begin the meeting now that the final participant has arrived."
Horikita, the third person in this group, merely stood still and didn't move an inch while she listened to what I had to say. Her face was filled with uneasy discomfort. She must have kept in mind the power I wield over her and forcefully restrained herself from grumbling.
"Ayanokouji, why is she here?" Ryuuen, however, asked me straight ahead with a calm look.
"Simply put, I want you two to make a baby."
"Huh?" Both of their expressions broke as they simultaneously exclaimed again, looking pretty dumbfounded by what I said. It took them a couple of seconds to fully comprehend what I said, which caused a huge lash from Horikita.
"D-Despicable ! Absolutely deplorable ! I absolutely refuse to-"
"But can you stop it from happening?" I cut through Horikita monotonously, peering at her with my eyes as I condemned her, to which she looked shocked. "Do you trust your abilities to be able to beat both me and Ryuuen in a fight?"
She took a step back out of fear as her gaze remained locked on mine. Her legs were trembling and she gulped nervously, remaining silent.
"Nothing prevents us from moving forward with it. You are helpless; in this unprecedented situation, you are unable to defend yourself or even flee in that regard. You are just that pitiful." I persisted in berating her with harsh words with the full intentions of shattering her. She made another step back, and this time I responded by taking a similar step. "Horikita, let's not forget the leach I have on you. You started using your own legs to get to this scenario out of your own foolishness as soon as you agreed to my bet. You are now wholly under my thumb, and I have complete authority over you. You can object, but you can't stop me from making decisions. You became my slave."
"B-But-"
"Do you believe that recording this conversation will help you? The damage would already be done. Besides, I could just take your phone and throw it in the water, or if that doesn't work, smash it with my hands until it's dust. You surely don't believe that I can do that, do you?"
I stopped in my tracks, which was received by Horikita's legs giving up and falling on her knees. She kept her head hung low and desperately pushed the ground to stand up. However, it was futile, and she was hopeless.
Every since the bet, I made sure to meticulously build Horikita's arrogance by offering her every possible advantage during our deal, as if I were handing her a win on a silver platter. As formerly known, she took the bait and got knocked her off her high horse.
And higher the person goes, the harder they will fall.
Her case, though, was an extreme one. Manabu tried to change her attitude over the course of many years and failed, so I wasn't willing to take it lightly. I went out of my way and drew attention to myself all for the sole reason of making her realize how great the distinction between us is and then proceeding to help her grow immensely.
"Grow up, Horikita. You won't survive for much longer if you keep that attitude. If you want to see a different face of your brother, then better understand what I'm telling you."
With those final words, I turned around and attempted to leave. However, Horikita extended her arm and grabbed my ankle, which immediately put me on a halt.
"...I won't give up..." She mumbled. I turned my gaze toward the ground to find her looking at me with crystal tears in her eyes. "I won't give up Ayanokouji-kun, I don't want to. I-I don't want him to look at me like that again... I understand... please... help me, Ayanokouji-kun."
Her grip on my calf grew tighter as the tears she was trying to hold back began to flow. Considering how desperate and out of place she is at the moment, it was very shocking. But it was precisely this desperation that was required for a change.
"Good. Hold onto this feeling right now, and remember it well, Horikita. because you will need it later." As I emitted them, she tearfully flashed me a warm and genuine smile, seemingly satisfied with my answer and slowly letting my leg loose.
I walked away, letting her reconcile with herself on her own, as I joined Ryuuen, who'd been spectating with evident amusement in his face.
"Kuku, nice flirting skills,monster." Ryuuen quipped while grinning at me. However, I simply ignored him and looked over at the newfound Horikita, who stood on her legs with such determination in her eyes.
"You're fine now?" I asked.
"Yes. I'm alright." She proceeded by brushing her hair off her face and nodding. I expected it to take quite a while for her to recover. However, she has already adapted.
"Good. I still need you for one more thing, though." I announced. which drew Horikita's curious glance and cocked a brow. I proceeded to pull out my phone. "It's about the one thing you'll do, according to the deal."
"O-Oh..." Horikita muttered before she slightly hung her head low, seemingly in shame.
"Yo Ayanokouji, you still haven't told me why I'm here." As I was tapping on my phone, Ryuuen inquired, becoming curious enough to see why he was summoned in the first place.
"You'll figure it out eventually." I brushed it off before looking at Horikita. "Check your phone."
As I said that, a loud notification came buzzing out of her phone at the same time I stuffed mine back into my pocket. Horikita glanced at her pocket before picking her phone up and opening it.
"What is this, Ayanokouji-kun? What did yo-" Suddenly, her hands frozen as her eyes expanded, abruptly cutting her own sentence at the cause of her own shock and leaving her lips hung open.
"Yo Suzune, what's wrong?" Ryuuen tried to call her out. However, she was pretty unresponsive. Sighing in frustration, he approached her frozen figure and stood beside her as he looked over her phone. "......"
Meeting the same fate as Horikita, Ryuuen's lips parted apart as he stared at the screen with an expression containing both seriousness and shock. I cleared my throat, which ended up snapping both of them out of their trances.
"Now, for the order I'm going to give you, Horikita." Both Ryuuen and Horikita directed their gazes toward me. Their shock lingered in their eyes as they anticipated my next command.
This was originally what I had prepared for her, the moment that Manabu left this school. I simply had no interest in her beforehand. However, this encounter is what suggested this idea.
Conveniently, this idea also aligns perfectly with my intentions and the goal of my small retribution. This is essentially my first real step towards the full annihilation of Class D and one step closer to my end goal..
"Team up with Ryuuen and work your way into defeating me."
Yo ! I bet you didn't expect a chapter this soon have you?
Well, I'm on holidays rn so I had a lot of time. Hopefully you enjoyed it !
Ngl, I'm not pretty happy with those 2 recent chapters, it's basically not hitting off as much as I wanted to. So I'll really love it if you tell me whether you liked it
and yeah, latest part is rushed without proof reading. Just thrusted it into docs and publish ! Yay ! Best Author ever !
(I'm losing my mind as you can see, gimme a break ;-;)
There is 2 chapters left for this Volume, to which we start with the island exam !
Finally, the next chapter is where the fluff starts, hopefully I'll feel better by then !
Anyways, Chao !