Shiro POV
We were currently strolling Keyaki Mall as Yuki was currently holding Kiyotaka's arm while I was walking beside them. Many people were glancing at us, specifically the way Yuki held Kiyotaka. I'm sure they began to think that Kiyotaka and Yuki were dating even though that wasn't the case.
Although, I'm sure Yuki would love that idea.
???: "Takahashi." A voice called me from behind. I turned to look at Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai. Hmm, what are they doing here?
Shiro: "Hello senpai. Didn't know that you stroll in the mall like this." I greeted him.
Manabu: "Well, I do go out once in a while. I'm not always a shut-in." He replied, smiling. However, his smile immediately vanished after landing his eyes on Kiyotaka.
Manabu: "We meet again, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "It seems so, senpai." How do they know each other? Did they already have a confrontation in the past? It does seem like it.
Yuki: "Wait, you two know each other?" Thank you for asking this question for the both of us, Yuki.
Manabu: "Yes. We had a small confrontation in the past. It wasn't exactly pleasant but things are good now between us. Isn't that right, Ayanokouji?" He asked him with a smile on his face.
Kiyotaka: "Indeed." He replied blankly. Yuki then began to pout for some reason.
Yuki: "Kiyotaka! Why didn't you tell me you already met the Student Council President?"
Kiyotaka: "Was I supposed to?"
Yuki: "Yes."
Kiyotaka: "Why?"
Yuki: "Because you are my boyfrie-"
Kiyotaka: "We are not dating, Yuki." He interrupted her, immediately shutting her down.
Yuki: "Ugh, seriously."
Shiro: "Speaking of dating." I then looked at Horikita-senpai with a grin on my face.
Shiro: "Are you two currently on a date, senpai?" This startled Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai immediately started blushing.
Akane: "N-n-no we-"
Yuki: "Oh, you're dating!?" It seems that she also decided join in with the teasing. This made Tachibana-senpai's face go even redder.
Akane: "No we're-"
Yuki: "I'm sorry we interrupted your date. We'll leave immediately and won't disturb your date ever again."
Akane: "No wait-"
Yuki: "Shiro! Kiyotaka! What are you standing here for!? Let's leave so their date can go undisturbed."
Kiyotaka: "Technically, it was them who-"
Manabu: "We're not dating. Don't get the wrong idea, Nakamura." Horikita-senpai finally ended the matter.
Yuki: "Ughhh, you're no fun. *hmph*"
Shiro: "*Sigh*. Anyway, would you like to accompany us, senpais?" I asked the both of them.
Manabu: "Sure. I'm fine with that. What do you you think, Akane?"
Akane: "Sure. I don't really mind, Horikita-kun." She replied, seemingly recovered from the embarrassment, though I could see that her cheeks still has a very light shade of pink.
Yuki: "Great! Let's go to the karaoke room." She then led the way as she held Kiyotaka's arm, heading towards the karaoke room.
Karaoke? Hmm. I haven't been in a karaoke party for about 3 years. It'll be good to be back. I used to like those parties, though not a lot.
We then left for the Karaoke room. After we entered, we grabbed some drinks and sat down on a sofa.
Manabu: "So, are you guys close?" He asked the 3 of us.
Shiro: 'Much closer than you think.' "Yes, we are childhood friends, actually." Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows a bit.
Manabu: "I suppose you know about his test scores, Takahashi."
Shiro: "Indeed, senpai." I replied. After becoming the vice-president, I looked into the files of each student and read information such as test scores. The Student Council surprisingly held a ton of information. Among those files were Kiyotaka's scores. These were from his entrance exams and the mock test that was taken a week before May 1st.
Surprisingly, all the scores were 50. It's clear that he tried to get the attention of the school. I wonder why though. If he wanted, he could've gotten perfect scores, which would've already garnered the school's attention.
Shiro: 'I'm starting to think that Kiyotaka wants anything but a peaceful life.'
Manabu: "Does he always hold back like that?" He asked, seemingly looking at me but I knew that his attention was actually at Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka: "For the second time, senpai. It was a coincidence. Why would I hold back in the first place?" He retaliated.
Shiro: 'You would hold back to have a peaceful life.' But then again, I'm not sure if he truly wants a peaceful life anymore.
Manabu: "*Sigh*, as you say, Ayanokouji." He sighed, giving up. I'm surprised that Yuki didn't say anything throughout this conversation.
Wait, speaking of Yuki, where is she?
I then suddenly began to hear a soothing sound singing a relaxing song. Wait, don't tell me...
Kiyotaka: "I didn't know Yuki's voice was this good."
Manabu: "Same here. I didn't expect this from Nakamura."
Akane: "Yeah, she is very good at singing." Apparently, during our talk, Yuki hopped on to the stage and began singing a song(I don't know which song it is).
Her soothing and nice voice is very pleasing to the ears. I'm surprised that she had this talent. But then again, she did practice her singing while getting her therapy.
After a while, she finished her song and approached us. Her blonde hair floating in the air as she approached us.
Yuki: "How was my song?" She asked us, though mainly, it was Kiyotaka who she was asking.
Manabu: "It was very nice."
Akane: "You're singing was so amazing, Nakamura-san."
Yuki: "Thank you, Tachibana-senpai, also, you can call me by my first name." Huh? What's with that sudden proposal?
Akane: "Okay, Yuki-chan, but you have to call me by my first name as well, okay?"
Yuki: "Got it, Akane-senpai."
Kiyotaka: "It was good."
Yuki: "Huh?"
Kiyotaka: "Your song was good." About time he commented on it.
Yuki: "Hehe, I'm glad you like it." She said with a light blush on her face. We then talked a lot and even played some board games. By evening, we decided to call it a day and separated. Kiyotaka then went back to his dorm, Yuki went to Ichinose-san as she had been called there and I went tot he library as I had to return a book that I had borrowed from there.
While looking for the place where I picked the book from, I suddenly felt a thump on my back. I turned around and saw that a girl had bumped into me. She had silver hair, violet eyes, and an honestly cute face. She seems to be a first year, though I have never seen her before.
Shiro: 'I guess she's from Class C.'
Silver-haired girl: "Oh, I'm sorry I bumped into you, err..."
Shiro: "Takahashi Shiro. No problem."
Silver-haired girl: "Pleasure to meet you, Takahashi-kun. My name is Shiina Hiyori." She introduced herself. Shiina Hiyori...yep, never heard of her before.
Shiro: "You seem like a first-year. I'm from Class A. Which class are you in?"
Hiyori: "I'm from Class C. Do you like books?" Where did that come from?
Shiro: "What makes you think that?"
Hiyori: "Well, you're in the library, and you're also holding a book. So I figured that you are interested in books." Hmm, nice observation.
Shiro: "Well, you're right. I'm interested in the action genre."
Hiyori: "Oh, I'm interested in the mystery genre." Mystery? From what I remember, Kiyotaka and Yuki used to read mystery novels a lot in that place. I also like mystery books, but action is more of my taste.
Hiyori: "Hm? What's that book in your hand? Is it an action novel?" She asked, pointing at the book I currently held in my hand.
Shiro: "Oh yes. It's called Shadow Hero's Everyday Life. Have you ever read it?"
Hiyori: "Oh? I haven't read it yet but I planned on borrowing it today. What a coincidence that you just so happened to have that book and bump into me with it." Technically, she bumped into me but let's leave that aside. Although, coincidences can be freaky.
Hiyori: "Hey, do you want to read with me?" Read with her?
Shiro: "Will your class be okay with you being with a student from another class?" I asked. Since I knew next to nothing about Class C, I wondered if they would mind or not.
Hiyori: "Oh don't worry. Ryuen-kun doesn't really have much control over me." Ryuen, is he who I think it is?
Shiro: "Ryuen?"
Hiyori: "Oh right, Ryuen Kakeru. He's sort-of the leader of my class." Sort-of? Well, at least that confirmed my suspicion on who he is.
Shiro: "Leader? Do the students really like him as a leader?"
Hiyori: "Hmm, not really. However, I can't reveal everything. You know, different classes." I see. Either he doesn't make good decisions or that he is ruling the class with fear. Ryuen Kakeru, he seems to be very interesting.
Shiro: 'Let's see what he upholds in the future.' "Sure then, I'm okay with reading with you then." Hearing this, Shiina seemed to be very happy. We then spent about 2 hours reading books and talking about them. We then left the library.
Shiro: "It was fun spending time with you, Shiina. Hope to see you again." I then turned around to go back to my dorm but...
Hiyori: "Wait a minute, Takahashi-hun" She called me out. I turned around and then handed me a book.
Hiyori: "It's a book that I really liked. I hope you'll like reading it as well." I looked at the cover. Hmm, No Longer Human by an author named Osamu Dazai. Let's see what this story's about.
Shiro: "Thank you for giving me this book, Shiina. I looked forward to reading it." She then nodded and left. While heading back to my dorm, I suddenly received a phone call. I checked it to see that it was Arisu. I then answered the call.
Shiro: "Hello."
<<Hello Shiro-kun. Where are you right now?>>
Shiro: "I'm currently heading back to my dorm. Why are you asking?" I asked with my eyes narrowed.
<<I want to talk to you. It's about the class. Please come to my dorm. We'll discuss there.>>
Shiro: "Will Katsuragi be there?"
<<Yes. I have already contacted him.>> I see.
Shiro: "Very well. I'll be there right away." I then ended the call and headed to her dorm.
(Timeskip)
I finally reached her dorm room. It was two floors above mine, her dorm room being room 602. I then knocked on her door. A few seconds later, Arisu opened the door.
She was currently wearing a purple shirt with a blue hoodie, along with a blue skirt. It seems that she decided to no longer stay in her school uniform, and thus, wore casual clothes. I don't really have anything against it. It really doesn't matter what she wears since she is in her dorm.
Arisu: "Good evening, Shiro-kun." She greeted, her violet eyes baring into mine, her smug smile still present on her face.
Shiro: 'I didn't notice that it was evening already.' "Good evening." I responded to her greeting. She then let me in her dorm. As I walked inside, I saw that the room was decorated with different plants, decor, etc. I also saw that she replaced the normal dorm curtains with purple one she seemed to have bought after coming to this school. It's also worth noting that this is my first time entering her dorm.
Shiro: "Your dorm seems to be quite lively." I commented. It is certainly more lively than my dorm. Not as lively as Yuki's though. Although, I don't really know why Yuki decorated her room so much.
Arisu: "Fufu, thank you for the compliment." She then led me to the bed where I saw Katsuragi sitting there, waiting for us.
Kohei: "About time you arrived, Takahashi-kun." He greeted me, somewhat irritated that I took so long to arrive. Well he can't really blame me since Arisu called me after him.
Shiro: "Good evening to you as well, Katsuragi." I responded sarcastically, to which he simply scoffed at. I then sat on the bed and looked at Arisu.
Shiro: "So, why did you decide to call us, Arisu?" I asked, getting to the point.
Arisu: "Fufu, I wanted to talk a bit about the vacation we are going to get. Something seems off about it. Don't you think?" She asked while addressing the both of us.
Kohei: "It is a bit suspicious, considering the schools nature. I'm pretty sure that some event regarding Class Points is going to occur." Oh? How interesting.
Shiro: "And what makes you so sure about that, Katsuragi?" I asked, my tome hinting a bit of curiosity and amusement. It's kind of surprising that he was able to theorize this. It's honestly very impressive of him.
Kohei: "Think about how the school has been acting so far. Hiding the existence of the hierarchy from the students, then putting expulsion on the line for failure in the midterms, how the hell are we supposed to trust this so easily?" He answered with his reasoning.
Shiro: "You make it seem like it's something even a normal person would know. However, we have to face the reality that only students who are smart like us will grasp this reality. The other students will definitely take time adjusting to how this school operates." I said. Surely, these kids don't really understand just how far this school is willing to go in order to nurture it's students.
Arisu: "Shiro-kun is right. The other students are probably thinking that they are finally getting some peace after what the school put them through. They don't realize that this is simply an illusion that the school has cast on them."
Kohei: "So what do you suggest we do, 'leader'?" He asked, addressing me. I thought a bit and then decided to speak up.
Shiro: "What I want you two to do is inform your own faction in the class to remain cautious and that there might be more to this than what meets the eye. Also, warn them not to tell this to anyone, not even their classmates from opposite factions." If that happens, then my secret control over the class through these two will be exposed, something that will be detrimental to the class. After thinking for a while, Arisu finally decided to respond.
Arisu: "Fufu, that's a good idea, Shiro-kun. I accept this suggestion." She said while Katsuragi simply nodded, signing that he is also all down for it.
Shiro: "Great, then I guess it's time for us to go back now." I then got up. However, before I could walk to the door...
Arisu: "Please wait, Shiro-kun." She called out. Stopping me in my tracks. I then turned around to see her smiling smugly at me.
Shiro: "What is it?" I asked, wanting to know the reason she stopped me.
Arisu: "I have prepared dinner for us. I would like us to have dinner before we leave." She said. Well, I was going to make dinner for myself but I guess this simply saves time.
Shiro: "...Alright. I suppose you're staying as well, Katsuragi." I then looked at him, who nooded in response.
A few minutes later, Arisu brought all the dinner and were ready to eat it.
All: "Itidakimasu!" We then began eating. I must say, for a disabled high school student, she's quite good at cooking. I guess her innate talent at many things is why she's in Class A.
After a while both me and Katsuragi finished their food and immediately left after saying goodbye to Arisu.
Kohei: "Takahashi-kun." Before I could head to my dorm, Katsuragi called me out.
Shiro: "What is it?" I turned around, facing him.
Kohei: "Had you not been in this class, the fake war between me and Sakayanagi would've been real, correct?" He asked. Ah, I see where he's going with this.
Shiro: "Indeed."
Kohei: "Well, then who do you think would've won that war. Me or Sakayanagi?" I knew it.
Shiro: "Arisu would win." I answered also instantly. He seemed surprised at my immediate response before regaining his composure.
Kohei: "So you think that she's better suited for leading Class A than me?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice. He clearly wasn't happy that I thought of him as worse than Arisu.
Shiro: "Exactly." I replied, looking dead into his eyes. He seemed a bit startled by my gaze but soon recomposed himself.
Kohei: "I see. Good night, Takahashi-kun." Saying this, he left. I then finally returned to my dorm and laid down on my bed without really changing my clothes. *Sigh*, this day was surprisingly very exhausting.
Shiro: 'I'm interested in the future.'
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