"Why am I eating lunch with you again?"
The stoic and smouldering Horikita alongside the smirking and carefree Koenji was an odd combo to say the least, and incompatible to say more. The two hadn't even touched their food, instead choosing to glare at the other. More specifically, Horikita was glaring at Koenji while Koenji was admiring his reflection in the mirror.
"You're asking the wrong questions, Horikita-girl. You should first be asking why I found it permissible to grace you with my presence." he said, combing his hair back for the umpteenth time.
"You say that as if I'm happy to be sitting with you or, for that matter, to be anywhere near your general vicinity." She replies, looking like she would strangle someone for stress relief. Thankfully, the far corner of the cafeteria's second floor seating had few people around. The next set of tables around them were all vacant.
"And that's the second question you should be asking, Horikita-girl; "How could I possibly be dissatisfied with Koenji Rokusuke's presence?" You may want to seriously think about that one, for disliking me is a sign of terminal inadequacy."
It was taking all of Horikita's mental strength to stop herself from brandishing her fork as a weapon. She would've considered flipping the table onto him first, but it was unfortunately bolted to the floor.
And the table wasn't the only thing stuck, for that's how she felt. Bolted to the floor, unable to escape from the torture known as living within earshot of Kouenji Rokusuke. And it was all because of—
"But the third thing you should be asking," said Kouenji, deliberately interrupting Horikita's anger. "Is, perhaps, more agreeable to your inferior intellect. Why?"
Why indeed. Horikita wondered that very same thing when the request came from her apparently "mentor."
"Why would Kiyotaka make you sit with me?" Asked Kouenji, his playful smirk unchanging. "Those two are entirely deliberate. If you don't think there's a reason for each and every one of their actions, you are gravely mistaken. To those two, planning and organizing five moves ahead is a standard, everyday train of thought."
He peered down over the railing down to the first floor where, right in the middle of the cafeteria, a brown-haired boy and girl where chatting up some senpai.
"Let me give you a simple example." He suddenly added, looking towards the twins below with a look that felt uncharacteristic from the arrogant heir. "And this is one of the few stories of my defeats, so listen well, Horikita-girl."
"I was playing a competitive match of chess with Kiyone not long ago. Being the fair sport I am, I of course held nothing back, asserting the full capacities of my genius brain." He said, gazing towards the twins. "Then, five minutes into the game, I made my move, pressed the timer, and took in a deep breath. By the time I exhaled, Kiyone had found mate in twenty, with two more minutes on the timer than me."
Horikita could not hide her shock. Not because of the story- she didn't know much about to chess, so she didn't have any comparison for how good a 'mate in twenty' was. No, her surprise came entirely from how the arrogant Koenji almost appeared... amicable? Was that the right word?
"So? Why do you think Kiyotaka made you sit with me? I've even graced you with the valuable tale of one of my losses, so don't disappoint me." He said, transitioning from combing his hair to filing his nails.
"...Ignoring the rest of your nonsense." Says Horikita. "You were friends with the twins even before coming here, weren't you? I can only see this as them trying to get us acquainted. Though unfortunately, it's only reaffirmed how insufferable you are."
"Ignoring your own nonsense about me being insufferable," replied Koenji, unfettered by Horikita's constant verbal jabs. "you're only partway there, Horikita-girl."
"Stop adding -girl to my name."
"Wrong answer. You see, Horikita-girl," he said, placing extra emphasis on the -girl. "I'm the one who asked them to set this up."
The thought that Koenji was hitting on her crossed Horikita's mind for a millisecond before she completely expelled it from existence, unable to stomach the idea.
"Sorry to say, but you're not in my strike range." He said as if that was not a huge relief for her. "No, this is out of simple curiosity, Horikita-girl."
"You see those people flocking to them?" he said, pointing over the railing at the floor bellow. "Classmates and seniors, all intrigued by their excellence. And it's not even limited to students; our teacher is completely smitten by them. Before long, everyone in this school will know their name."
Horikita glanced down at the twins. Peers staring at their table, with seniors enamoured by their ability and mystery.
"And yet, despite all that attention, they couldn't care less about most of them." He suddenly added. "Those two have very specific standards for people. Moreso, about the people they decide to keep closer. "
"Beside you and me, the six others they assembled on the roof that day. Those are the people they decided, among the dissonant crowd of class D, were worth special attention."
There were the twins, her and Koenji. Other than these four, the six others were... Karuizawa, Matsushita, Wang Mei-Yu, Yukimura, Kushida and Hirata.
"You and I, by their evaluation, are above them. More interesting and worthwhile." He crossed his arms and legs, dropping his mirror and comb. "I am their best friend, and you are Kiyotaka's sidekick. Make no mistake—for them, this is a huge distinction."
"What, should I be grateful?"
"Perhaps. However, the main point is that I am simply curious. What is so special about you?"
He turned completely silent and just stared at her, his cold gaze evaluating without any trace of vanity.
Maybe it was the uncharacteristic silence, but to have Koenji staring without any of his usual bombast was... intimidating. To have someone with such unwavering confidence, arrogance and self-importance suddenly decide you were worth their full attention over themselves was simultaneously ego-boosting and terrifying, like being put on a pedestal over a mountain edge.
"What is so special about you, Horikita Suzune, that he decided to claim you? Are you truly so interesting, so capable? Or are you the first misevaluation they've made?"
She felt like back then. Like back when her brother had pinned her to the wall, or shortly after when the twins were looking at her. She felt the same as back then, when those amazing people where apparently seeing something in her, something they could tell but she could not. Some depiction of her inner self only privy to amazing people but not her.
But it was a little different. With her brother and the twins, it felt like they knew exactly where to look. With Koenji, it felt like he was searching for where to look. Perhaps that was why she was able to reply confidently without withering away like before.
"I've been waiting for you to give me some meaningful reason, but it seems like this meeting was nonsensical from the start." she said, getting up from her seat. "I'm leaving. Go speak your nonsense to someone actually willing to put up with you."
Koenji's smirk returned, alongside a short bout of laughter. "Decent response, Horikita-girl. Even if you're not capable, you're entertaining at the very least."
She reached for her bag and packed up her utensils and lunch.
"And because you've entertained me so much, let me tell you one thing."
She had no mind to listen and instead moved to leave.
"Do you know who their favourite type of people are? The people they find most interesting? The type of people they would possibly take as sidekicks and best friends?"
He kept talking, uncaring for how Horikita was walking away. He knew she was still in earshot.
"People they think could make them taste defeat."
She paused unwittingly, and in that very moment she could almost feel the broad smirk that fell across Koenji's face.
"Let's see whether you're capable of such a thing, Horikita-girl."
Trying to ignore the boisterous laughing ringing behind her, she walked away as fast as possible.
What a waste of lunchtime.
"Ahahahahaha!"