-Monty's POV-
It was Saturday, May 6th. The time was 10:45.
After completing my morning routine and slipping into a simple black open front shirt, blue undershirt and black pants, I left my room without delay.
Stepping into the elevator, I pressed the button for the ground floor and leaned back against the cool interior wall as the metal doors slid shut. The low hum of the machinery filled the small space, providing me a moment of quiet reflection before I officially began the day.
I was heading to Keyaki Mall for an appointment with Chiaki. While our plan was karaoke, she'd specifically asked me to meet her at the Pallet first. A curious change in venue, but nothing worth overthinking.
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the ground floor, its doors parting smoothly. As I stepped out, I retrieved my phone from my pocket, the screen lighting up with a new message. It was from Horikita.
[Good morning. Are you free? If so, I'd like to speak with you.] - Horikita
[Not now.] - Monty (ME)
Her reply came almost immediately.
[Understood. Let me know when you're available.] - Horikita
I turned off the screen and slipped the phone back into my pocket as I continued walking.
Horikita wouldn't contact me unless it was about something related to the study group, which meant she hadn't entirely given up on helping them yet. Just as I had anticipated.
But for now, it wasn't my concern. My priorities lay elsewhere.
When I exited the dorm, a red speck came into my vision. I was about to wide it away but I thought better of it. It was quite difficult to spot and it's not like having it there affected me negatively either.
A short while later, I arrived at the entrance of the Pallet.
Pushing the door open, I stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the almost overwhelming scent of sweets that filled the air.
The Pallet, a popular café across all years, was known for its wide assortment of sugary delights-pies, crepes, puddings, ice creams, and croissants, among others. On weekdays, the scent was manageable, but weekends were another matter entirely.
With students flooding in as early as its 9:00 AM opening and staying until the 10:00 PM closing, the establishment overstocked its desserts to meet the demands of its sugar-hungry clientele.
As a result, the place reeked of sweetness.
I didn't dislike sweets. They weren't inherently unhealthy and could be a good source of energy in moderation. Still, I tended to avoid them-both due to their addictive nature and my preference for more balanced indulgences.
Glancing around, I spotted Chiaki through the gaps in the crowd. She sat at a round table by the window at the far end of the café.
Her table, however, wasn't empty. To my surprise, Sato Maya, Shinohara Satsuki, and Hirata Yosuke were also seated with her.
Their presence explained why she had chosen the Pallet as our meeting spot instead of heading straight to the karaoke bar as planned.
Sifting through the crowded café, I slipped through a particularly congested section before coming to a stop beside their table with my hands tucked into my pockets.
Hirata was the first to notice me.
"Monty-kun, good morning." He greeted me with his usual amicable smile. "What brings you here?"
"Are you here to buy something?" Sato chimed in curiously.
I shook my head in response, but before I could say anything, Shinohara crossed her arms with a dismissive snort.
"Well, even if he was going to buy something, I don't see why he's standing at our table." She said, glaring at me.
"About that," Chiaki interjected calmly, "He's the person we were waiting for."
Shinohara blinked, looking me up and down with clear skepticism. "Seriously? Since when were you two close enough to hang out like this?"
"Since we started studying together." Chiaki replied matter-of-factly.
Sato leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table and propping her head on her hand with a playful smirk. "They've been together a lot lately, actually. Yesterday, Chiaki-chan even bailed on a study session after spending some alone time with Mr. Smartypants over here."
"Alone time?" Shinohara cringed, her nose scrunching in distaste at the thought. "Ew."
Her reaction was expected. Given her near-pathological dislike towards boys, the very idea of spending time alone with one probably made her want to retch.
Chiaki rolled her eyes at Sato's teasing. "Don't listen to her, we were just talking about the study group Horikita-san asked him to help with."
"Wait," Hirata interjected, his expression shifting to mild surprise. "Horikita-san organized a study group?"
"Mhm," Sato hummed with a nod. "Monty-kun got Chiaki-chan to round up Sudō-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun and brought them to the library to join."
Chiaki sighed, adding, "It didn't last long, though. They got into a heated argument and disbanded shortly after. They almost got into a fight too, but Monty-kun stepped in before it escalated."
"I don't get it," Shinohara scoffed, crossing her arms again. "Why waste time on those three idiots? Just let them get expelled."
"I won't allow that, Shinohara-san." Hirata's response was immediate, his eyes hardening as he regarded her with a light smile. "Abandoning our classmates, no matter the circumstances, is unacceptable. If you were in their shoes, would you want to be cast aside so easily?"
Shinohara winced, clicking her tongue as she averted her gaze, but she said nothing in reply. Hirata, meanwhile, seemed troubled by her attitude, if his hands curling into loose fists were any indication.
After a moment, he sighed and his expression softening into something more thoughtful. "In any case, I'll speak to them later and see if I can smooth things over."
"There's no need for that."
"Why not?" Chiaki glanced in my direction.
"Neither group is particularly fond of Hirata so if he intervenes, it's more likely to make things worse than they already are." I explained before promptly shifting the conversation. "That aside, how long will we be staying here?"
"We're just waiting for Karuizawa-san to come back from the restroom-oh, there she is." Sato gestured toward the blonde girl weaving her way through the crowd.
As Karuizawa approached, she bumped into a bespectacled girl, nearly causing the latter to stumble. The girl managed to steady herself, turning to look at Karuizawa with a startled expression, but Karuizawa continued walking as if nothing had happened, not sparing so much as a glance behind her.
"Ugh, this place can be such a pain." Karuizawa muttered as she walked up to the group, her tone laced with irritation. Without missing a beat, she pulled out her phone and checked the time. "Anyway, let's get moving, guys."
"Karuizawa," Hirata's voice cut through the chatter, drawing her attention, "Why didn't you apologize to that girl you bumped into just now?"
"What girl?" She asked, blinking in apparent confusion.
"The one you almost knocked over." He clarified.
Karuizawa tilted her head with a hint of nonchalance. "Huh? This place is so packed that I've been bumped into like a dozen times already. I didn't even notice. Besides, it's not a big deal is it?" Her dismissive tone gradually grew sweeter as she slipped her arm through Hirata's.
"More importantly, we'll be late for our appointment if we stand here any longer. Let's go, Hirata~" She smiled up at him, her tone shifting into a saccharine pitch.
Hirata looked as though he wanted to press the issue, his brows furrowing slightly, but after a moment, he sighed and nodded. "...You're right. We should get going."
As the group began to head out, Karuizawa finally noticed me lingering near Hirata. Her brows knitted together as she gave me a once-over. "Who's this guy?" She asked, clearly uninterested.
Hirata's response came with his usual polite smile. "This is Monty-kun from our class. He's the leader of one of the study groups. You should remember him."
Karuizawa blinked, scratching her cheek awkwardly. "Oh... yeah, my bad. I forgot." She shrugged it off with a small, insincere smile.
Her reaction was no surprise. Most people in class didn't bother remembering me unless I was directly involved in their affairs. Karuizawa was no exception.
The group stepped out of The Pallet and into the bustling streets of Keyaki Mall. The girls began to cluster together, their conversation quickly shifting to gossip about fashion, relationships, and other trivialities as we went in our way.
Hirata, however, hung back and matched my pace. His expression, as always, was kind and approachable. "So," He began casually, "How's your study group coming along?"
"We've covered nearly half of the topics." I replied. Though my eyes remained ahead, my attention had briefly shifted to the red speck at the corner of my glasses.
Hirata's eyes widened, "You've covered that much in four days? My group's barely managed to finish a third, and we started a day earlier."
I gave a small shrug, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose. "Well, your group is different. Unlike mine, your member are...distracted."
"Distracted?" Hirata echoed, tilting his head, "How so?"
"You're the center of their attention," I said plainly. "Your very presence itself is a distraction which is why they aren't learning as fast as they should."
For a moment, he looked confused, but then a small laugh escaped him. "I see your point. I guess it can't be helped, huh?" He chuckled awkwardly while, scratching the back of his neck.
"Still, I think your ability to teach and organize a group is impressive. That's something I'd definitely call desirable."
His comment earned him a brief, sidelong glance from me.
Instead of replying, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my files before handing it to him. Hirata took it with a moderately curious expression as he carefully scanned the screen. It didn't take long until his brows shot up in surprise.
"Is this...?" His gaze darted back to me.
"The upcoming exam questions."
Upon hearing my casual confirmation Hirata's eyes flickered back to the phone with his expression gradually turning serious. "Where did you get these?"
"I bought them."
"Won't the school accuse us of cheating if they find out?" Hirata was clearly torn between whether or not to accept the gesture, ergo his hesitation.
"Don't worry, the staff wouldn't allow such a method of information gathering to exist if it weren't appropriate."
He sighed, his expression still conflicted, but ultimately nodded. "I see. Then I'll send it to Mii-chan and Yukimura-kun."
Before he handed back my phone, Hirata paused, his finger hovering over the send button. His gaze turned toward me, a mix of gratitude and concern flickering in them.
"I'm guessing you don't plan on taking credit this time either, right?"
He's still hung up on that, it seems...Well, that misunderstanding's already served its purpose but there's no harm in prolonging it.
I adjusted my glasses, "My goal isn't recognition, Hirata. I simply want to help our class. If that requires me to stay out of the spotlight, I see no problem with it."
"Monty-kun..." Hirata's voice softened as a small smile tugged at his lips. For a moment, it seemed as though he wanted to say something more, but he settled on, "You sounded pretty cool just now."
I averted my gaze away, "...That so?"
"Are you embarrassed, perhaps?"
I didn't dignify that with a response as I watched a red speck slip away from the corner of my glasses.
His laughter broke the brief silence, lighthearted and genuine. "You totally are." He teased.
"Focus." I said sharply. Though I could feel the corners of my mouth twitch ever so slightly.
Hirata finally sent the file and slipped his phone into his pocket, his expression now one of quiet content.
Meanwhile, the group of girls gathered by the entrance of the karaoke bar in wait.
Entering the building, we briefly stopped by the receptionist who directed us to the room we'd soon be occupying.
I observed the interior. It was quite lavish. There were various colored lights strewn about the walls along with antiques and posters to accompany them.
The tiles were a kaleidoscopic design of red and purple colors freckled with gold accents. From the ceiling hung a monochrome disco ball that slowly spun above our soft seating arrangements.
"Wow, it's so comfortable..." My eyed flitted to Inogashira who had begun slouching into the curved scarlett couch.
We ran into her on the way here and Sato invited her to join us after hearing that she didn't have any plans for the day. Speaking of plans, I hadn't seen the other member of their clique; Mori Nene. She must be busy today.
"I get that it's your first time here Inogashira-san, but try to be more ladylike alright? You're advertising a bit too much." Saying that Shinohara took a seat opposite her with one leg crossing smoothly over the other as if to show her how it's done.
Collecting herself, Inogashira immediately straightened. Her flushed cheeks showed she was clearly embarrassed by Shinohara's remark.
As I took my place in the booth the girls around me chatted animatedly about song choices. I wasn't interested enough to listen in, but someone was interested enough to include me.
Clasping her hands, Chiaki spoke, "Okay, so, who's going first?" Turning to me, she continued, "Any song you'd like to start with Monty-kun?"
"Pass. I don't know any songs."
She sighed, "I figured as much."
"How about Kokoro-chan?" Sato suggested with a cheeky grin.
"E-EH?!"
Chiaki held her chin with a thoughtful expression, "Actually, I'd like to see that."
"B-but I can't sing!" She seemed flustered; both by being asked to sing and the sudden use of her first name.
In Japan, it was a common custom not to refer to someone by their given name unless given permission or being in close enough relation to do so. But seeing as she didn't raise any objections she was probably fine with it.
"Even if you can't, we're at karaoke so everyone has to sing atleast once." Said Shinohara, nonchalantly handing the mic to the brown haired girl, "Here."
"Guys if she doesn't want to we can't force her you know." Is what Hirata said, looking over towards Shinohara with his hand outstretched, "How about I go first? We can just rotate it until she's ready. What do you think, Inogashira-san?"
"I-I'm fine with it." Inogashira softly agreed to Hirata's proposal.
Latching onto her boy friend's hand, Karuizawa beamed, "I've got no problem either so long as I get to hear you sing."
Hirata's lips stretched upwards, "I guess I'll have to give it my all then."
Rising to his feet, Hirata made his way to the karaoke machine's control panel and began searching for a song. From the looks of it, he wasn't entirely sure of what to choose, afterall he'd only volunteered to go first because no one else would.
After a while, he eventually chose one from the recommendation list and began singing.
║
As Hirata's song came to an end, I observed Karuizawa from the corner of my eye. She didn't appear particularly interested in how he felt after his poor performance.
One would expect her to atleast console him after his turn ended, however, Karuizawa did no such thing. She instead laughed on every the occasion he went off beat; which so happened to be a fair bit of the song.
Only after his singing had ended did she stop and even then, she didn't bother to shout a few words of encouragement to cheer him up.
She quickly snapped a picture of the group with Hirata and her head at its epicenter before immediately shifting her attention to her phone and rapidly tapping away at the screen.
If I didn't know better, I'd say she only attended so that she could increase her in school popularity via social media.
Although accounts were restricted to on-campus interaction the school's intranet allowed students to maintain a social media presence.
So while students could post things online, it was only accessible to whoever was on campus. Posts from the outside though, we weren't allowed to interact with it at all even though we could view it.
The disco ball slowed to a stop, its scattered lights dimming as Hirata took his seat. A wide, embarrassed smile stretched across his face, which only deepened as Shinohara burst into laughter.
"Was it that bad?" He asked sheepishly, scratching his chin.
"P-puhahaha! It was so bad it made me sound like Blackpink in comparison!" Shinohara exclaimed, her over-the-top reaction earning more laughter from Sato, who was practically keeled over.
Glancing at Chiaki, I noticed her struggling to suppress her grin, her hand barely hiding her face. Inogashira, meanwhile, appeared hesitant-likely reconsidering whether to take her turn after witnessing the others' reactions.
Still chuckling, Sato placed a hand on Hirata's shoulder. "Pfft-so, who's next?"
"Oh, me!" Karuizawa chirped, springing to her feet. She snatched the mic from Hirata and bounded toward the karaoke machine, her earlier indifference replaced with exuberance.
As the opening notes of Boys & Girls by Ayumi Hamasaki filled the room, Karuizawa struck a confident pose, swaying to the rhythm. Her energy was infectious, Sato and even Shinohara joined in cheering for her.
I adjusted my glasses and turned to Chiaki, who was now eyeing me with a mischievous grin.
"You said you don't know any songs, right?" She asked, her voice barely audible over the music.
I nodded.
"Then how about I pick one for you?" Her grin widened slowly.
"...Fine."
There was little point in refusing, though, she clearly had something troublesome in mind.
"Perfect!" She chirped cheerfully, her tone was far too innocent to be reassuring. "Leave it to me!"
As she turned back to the karaoke machine, a sense of foreboding crept up my back. I should probably leave before things get bothersome.
Rising into a stand, the loud music pounded against my ears as I shuffled out of the seating arrangements. My actions drew the gazes of all within the room, however, only two felt the need to address it.
"Huh? Where are you going?" Hirata asked me.
"Outside."
"Are you leaving or are you gonna use the bathroom?" Chiaki chimed in with a quirked brow.
"Neither. I'm just getting some fresh air." I replied.
"Oh, alright. Hurry and come back cuz you're up next after Karuizawa-san."
Nodding, I slipped out of the room and closed the door.
Once outside, I sighed quietly and removed my glasses, taking a moment to clean the lenses. The hallway was relatively quiet, save for the muffled echoes of music from the room across the hall.
Suddenly someone called out to me, "Monty-kun? Is that you?"
It was Kushida, the alleged angel of our Class C. She was dressed in a simple yet elegant off-the-shoulder blue dress that ended just above her knees.
The outfit suited her. It did well to accentuate her features while maintaining a casual charm.
"It really is you," She approached with a light chuckle. "Wow, I almost didn't recognize you without your glasses. What are you doing out here?"
"I was just leaving." I replied. I didn't actually intend to leave though, I just didn't want to speak with her for a lengthy period.
Her enthusiasm seems like it'll be quite exhausting to deal with at the moment and currently, I see no need to match it.
It was already obvious as to why she was present also, so there was no need to throw the question back.
Still, Kushida took it upon her self to elaborate further.
"Oh, I'm here to meet with some friends for karaoke." Joining the tips of her fingers, she smiled up at me sweetly, "Some Class B students said they're coming along as well so it'll be even more exciting! I just can't wait for it to begin."
"I see. I'll leave you to it then." Nodding, I moved to take my leave.
"Wait! Before you go, can I ask you something?" I didn't even make it one step forward before she grabbed my arm, rooting me in place.
Pausing, I looked down at our interlocked hands then back up at her apprehensive eyes, "What is it?"
"You and Horikita-san...are close, right?" She questioned.
So that's the reason she approached me. Ayanokoji failed to help so she's now coming to me, the next best option.
"Does it seem that way?" She quickly released my arm and looked away, her fingers toying with the frills of her dress. "It's just-I've just noticed she only really talks to you and Ayanokoji-kun. I even saw the three of you buying lunch together once so I kinda assumed."
I raised an eyebrow. "You've been watching us then."
Her hand shot up defensively as she nervously waved away my accusation. "No, no! It's not like that. I just happened to see you all while passing by, that's all."
Unconvinced by her explaination, I sighed, "I take it you haven't befriended her yet."
"No..." She shook her head, a solemn expression crossing her face. "...For some reason, she just doesn't seem to like me, but I still want to be her friend."
She looked up at me with pleading sincerity, her crimson eyes softening as she fidgeted with her thumbs. "Is there anything I could do to get her to like me?"
I studied her for a moment before slipping my hands into my pockets. "Ask Ayanokoji. He interacts with her far more often than I do."
"I already tried asking him," She admitted, her tone tinged with awkwardness. "Even though he did help, it...didn't go very well."
Of course, I was already aware of that fact but I still posed the question so that she understands that I'm not particularly close to Ayanokoji either.
"And you think I'll fare any better?"
She hesitated before sighing. "It's worth a try, right? But if you're uncomfortable, I won't push you." Her head hung low with a wry smile, "Not everyone can be my friend right?"
Correct. Though, that might have never been her intention in the first place otherwise she would have expended more effort in trying to befriend others like Sakura Airi and Sotomura Hideo for example.
I've never seen her even attempt to approach them despite being presented with so many opportunities over the past month.
Then again, who she wants to befriend and when she does it is none of my business. It was what I could get from her relationships that was.
"Alright. I'll help."
Her eyes widened in surprise as she snatched one of my hands from my pocket, "Really?! That's great!"
She held it firmly between her own with an almost blinding smile etched onto her features as her sizeable mammary glands softly pressed against the tips of my exposed knuckles.
"Thank you so much! I'm really grateful!" Her hands softly tightened around mine as she practically bounced, shaking her mounds. Intentional or not, her effusiveness was rather annoying.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and held it out to her. "...We'll need to stay in contact to come up with a plan."
Kushida immediately accepted the device with a bright smile and entered her contact information whereafter she handed the phone back to me.
I gave the new contact a quick once over as she let go of me and cutely clasped her hands behind her rump while leaning forward slightly, subtly exposing the beginnings of her cleavage, "Well, I guess I'll be in your care then."
As she said that, her phone pinged. She pulled it out, read a text message, smiled and placed it back moments later.
"It looks like I've gotta go now. Can't keep the other's waiting." Turning to leave, she gave an enthusiastic wave and an endearing smile. "I'll talk to you later! Thanks again!"
"Kushida." I said, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to me with an inquisitive head tilt, "Don't notify Ayanokoji of my involvement."
"Why?" She asked, facing me with partially knotted brows, "Wouldn't it be better for the three of us to work together?"
I shook my head, "No, he'll slack off knowing I'm present. He's lazy that way."
It did hold some truth. While Ayanokoji wasn't exactly 'lazy', he would jump at any chance to lighten his work load.
But Kushida wouldn't know that. From her perspective Ayanokoji came off as rather listless and susceptible to indolent tendencies which further supported my description of him.
"I see... Well, then I won't tell him." She smiled, turning away with a wave, "If that's all, I'll be going now."
I raised a hand in a half-hearted return gesture and watched her disappear down the hall. When I was sure she had left, I glanced at my still partially raised hand.
How curious. She was so determined to get in contact with Horikita that she was willing to involve multiple outside parties to do it. Not only that, she effectively used her charms to capture and secure the cooperation of said parties without much difficulty. Of course, I'm helping for an entirely different reason from teenage lust, but my point still stands.
That kind of fixation was odd.
She hadn't tried that hard to befriend anyone else within the classroom so this type of behavior isn't a normal thing occurrence.
From what I can infer, Kushida is very selective with her relationships. She only bothers to befriend those with influence in the social hierarchy. And while she does interact with others like Ike, Ayanokoji, and Yukimura, it's only done to either be the center of attention or gain access to something.
That aside, she and Horikita don't seem to have had a prior relationship, whether platonic or romantic before our enrollment. So going off my previous deduction, she was intent on getting close to Horikita for a specific reason.
She could be trying to uncover why Horikita held such strong aversion towards her in particular. But no matter how innocent or friendly a person may be, there will always be someone that dislikes them; often times, they lacked concrete reasoning.
Kushida should be aware of that, which likely means that her reason for getting closer to Horikita was valid enough to disregard that argument.
Nevertheless, her motives were currently of no importance to me. I'd already planned to have them work together anyway so her approaching me now simply speeds up that process.
Donning my glasses, I quietly re-entered the room.
As soon as I did, my eyes fell on the dimming shimmer of the spinning disco ball and the falling cadence. This meant that Karuizawa's turn had already ended and now it was mines.
Convenient.
Chiaki's gaze locked onto mine the moment I entered. Her lips curved into a sly smile, and she raised her hand dramatically. "Monty-kun! You're just in time! You're up next!"
I sighed inwardly, glancing at the screen where Shinohara's song had just ended. A quick scan of the room revealed the others eagerly awaiting my apparent debut.
"Great," I mouthed dryly, taking my seat. "What did you choose for me?"
Chiaki's grin widened like a cat with a cornered mouse. "Oh, you'll love it. Trust me."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
The screen flickered, and the opening bars of a ridiculously upbeat pop song began to play. I immediately recognized it. It's one of those sugary, fast-paced idol tracks that required more energy than I cared to muster. My brow twitched.
"Seriously?" I asked, giving her a sharp look. "This?"
Her giggle was pure mischief. "Hey, you said I could pick. Besides, it suits you."
"Debatable." I muttered.
"Come on, Monty-kun," Hirata chimed in encouragingly. "It's just for fun. No need to be perfect."
Perfect? No, my reputation wasn't particularly a concern. But the idea of performing something this...cheerful, made my skin crawl.
"Yeah, show us how it's done Tutor-san~" Sato teased airily, cupping her mouth while adorning me with yet another nickname.
"D-do your best!" Inogashira chipped in shyly.
Chiaki leaned closer, her voice teasing. "Don't tell me you're going to back out now. Even Kokoro-chan's rooting for you."
"I never planned to back out." I adjusted my glasses, collecting the mic as I stood next to the karaoke machine.
Chiaki eyed me with a victorious smile as I began singing. I hadn't even been 20 seconds in and Karuizawa was already doubled over while clutching her sides. In contrast to her, Inogashira was struggling to keep her expression in check with a face as red as a baboons bum.
By the chorus, I leaned into the absurdity and threw in a few exaggerated gestures coupled with the occasional robotic movement. The crowd erupted into further laughter and cheered as delivered each line as flat as a board. Hirata, on the other hand, seemed conflicted about whether or not to laugh, that feeling didn't last long though.
When the song ended, the room exploded into even greater laughter.
Chiaki wiped tears from her eyes, "That was-oh my god-that was amazing! I'm crying!"
Patting my back, Sato used my shoulder as a crutch as she gasped for air, "Pfft-Hahaha! You outdid yourself on that one teach!"
"Hahahaha! I can't believe he actually said: 'You are my specialz', with a straight face-WHILE EMOTING! Like, I would've died of embarrassment!" Came Karuizawa's candid input. Next to her, Hirata held his face, desperately trying to hold back his laugh to the point he was in tears.
I snorted, handing Sato the microphone, "Glad to see you all enjoyed yourself."
Chiaki gasped for air between laughs as she slouched in her seat. "You're-You're something else, Monty."
Returning to my seat, I allowed a faint smirk to cross my face as the next singer took center stage, "Dont worry, I'll get my revenge."
Chiaki rolled her eyes playfully, leaning in, "Uh-huh. But you know, you really surprised me."
"Is that so?" I asked.
"Yeah, I thought you'd refuse, but you really went for it."
Her expression softened just a little, and for a moment, her teasing tone was replaced with something else-genuine amusement.
"Well," I said, adjusting my glasses again, "I never do things halfway."
"Speaking of," I continued as the music shot up in volume, muffling my voice, "Why did you erase your answer on the surprise test?"
Upon my words, her brows first knitted in confusion before shooting up in realization. A few moments later, she sighed, likely having rationalized that she could not come up with a plausible enough excuse.
While yes, she could have simply said that she thought she miscalculated, a lie like that would work on anyone but me. There was no uncertainty in my tone, as a matter of fact, the way I phrased it sounded more like an indirect statement than an actual question.
Chuckling lightly, she averted her gaze like a child caught in the act, "You know, looking at someone's answer during a test is technically cheating right?" She joked.
"I'm aware. However, purposefully answering incorrectly calls for some investigation does it not?" I answered.
She pouted, "Mh. How're you even sure I did it on purpose anyway?"
Facing forward, I watched as Sato struck a rather interesting pose before toppling over and hiding her face from the embarrassment, "You answered another question of the same difficulty without much deliberation. Even a blind man could see you were purposefully holding back." I informed in a bored tone of voice.
"Pfft-I-is that so?" She snorted as Sato clambered to her feet while laughing aswell, "I'm guessing that's the real reason why you chose me over Kushida-san then." Even though she had her attention split, she didn't fail to notice the connection. She really is quite perceptive.
"Partially." I answered finally, "I really do believe our personalities are more compatible. The time we've spent together has been...convivial as well."
Her lips slowly quirked upwards into a smirk as she crossed her arms on the table and gently rested her head on top of it; leaving her long brown hair sprawled overtop her cotton wrapped appendages.
Her blue eyes glinted playfully as her mouth parted with a soft chuckle, "I guess that's true. I didn't think we'd kick it off so well, considering how you and Maya-chan started out and all."
"That was entirely Sato's fault."
"Haha, I agree, she was totally asking for it. But anyway," She added, "Let's get back on topic shall we?"
Her eyes lingered on me for a while more before she slowly closed them. Losing herself in the music for a brief moment, she spoke up, "Yeah, I am holding back." She said, "But, that's only because I know the consequences of doing the opposite."
I remained silent, queuing her continuation, "The price of standing out is to be put on a pedestal. People begin to see you as more of a desirable asset rather than an actual person. Because of that, all your relationships either become strained or end up being simply a means to an end for one of you...very rarely do they stay the same." Pausing, she turned her head towards her singing compatriots with a slight frown as her eyes narrowed, "And that's annoying."
As the ending of her speech would suggest, she was annoyed by the prospect. Understandably so.
Humans are naturally social creatures. Which is why engaging in genuine talks are the preferred option when the other is to accept a relationship built on lies.
Take Horikita for example. Even though she acts cold towards everyone she isn't immune to authentic interactions. In fact, she thrives in those scenarios due to how unapologetically honest she is. However, should she be entangled in a series of fake relationships, she would end up shutting out everyone. Even those to whom she was genuinely close to due to her other relationships fostering mistrust.
That was the sort of situation Chiaki was trying to avoid. I could relate to her in a way...
No. That's not entirely accurate. I could understand her feelings simply due to the fact that I see our relationship as what she fears for it to become.
A valuable asset. A means to an end.
A fake.
"Your concern is warranted." I said, "People do tend to segregate themselves from those they view as above them. Some might even go so far as to deify their standing at times. However, such a thing is unlikely to happen with the friends you currently have."
She shifted her gaze towards my direction as the music reached a crescendo. I continued, my tone a touch softer than before, "Even if they were to see you as above them, you wouldn't be the only one on the pedestal. This school is brimming with others as talented as you are if not more. Meaning you'd only be seen as just another capable student from the former Class D."
Chiaki's eyes widened slightly before softening into a resigned chuckle as she sat up, "Just another capable student huh..."
Exhaling through my nose, I looked up at the shimmering lights of the twirling disco ball and spoke, "I can tell...you've gone through a similar-even more unpleasant scenario once before, so I understand your fear."
"Which is why I won't force you to go all out and possibly jeaprodize the sanctity of your current relationships. Instead, I'll wait until when you're ready."
She donned a weak smile upon my utterance and averted her gaze, letting the words hang in the air for a while.
Stretching her arms, she closed her eyes and released a prolonged sigh. The glistening ball above our heads slowly faded into a plain monochromatic silver as her lips lifted even higher.
"You know, the more I talk to you, the more interesting you become Monty-kun." She said, opening her eyes to see those of everyone else's trained on her position like a pack of hungry jackals.
"Oya~What's this?" Came Sato's sudden teasing from across the room, "You're interested in our tutor-san? Whatever could've caused this Chiaki-twan?"
Walking over, her smile lifting like the horns of the devil, "Could it be, did he already manage to steal your heart?"
Chiaki stiffened and Shinohara was starstruck, "Chiaki-chan, tell me I heard that wrong." The latter pleaded.
"What? You guys're exaggerating." Matsushita's heart rate gradually increased as her gaze shifted to the other side of the room.
Inogashira sat in the corner while blushing furiously. Karuizawa had a milder reaction. She even gave a thumbs up with a look that said, 'you go girl.'
Baffled that they'd even entertain the thought, she hid her face behind her hands and unconsciously massaged her temples, "Ouu, this can't be happening~"
"Ouu it is happening~" Sato teased, "We've got a new couple in the house!"
Hirata attempted to say something to divert our attention, however, he fell short of an effective distraction which meant that Chiaki now had to accept the consequences of her words just as I had to accept the result of my decision to choose a song for me to sing.
I sat, quietly relishing in her embarrassment. Gracing her with a refreshing nod, her embarrassment only seemed to deepen even further.
She'll never be able to live this down.
"Just kill me now." She muttered in her palms with a deep sigh.
Sato grinned, enveloping her in a hug, "Now where's the fun in that? Anyway, lemme see that cute face!" She said, prying the girl's hand off her face.
"Noooooooooo!"
"Yesss!"
My eyes lingered on the scuffling duo briefly before returning to the thoughtful face of Inogashira. It seems she's finally made up her mind to sing.
Watching the shy girl silently muster her courage to speak, I let my thoughts wander.
Upon getting Chiaki's insecurity out of the way, her usefulness to me will increase quite a decent bit.
Aside from being useful in social situations, she's intellectually capable aswell which meant that I didn't always have to tell her what to do for her to get it done.
Other than that, she's got potential. If I nurture her correctly, she may very well become a relevant factor in helping me accomplish my goal.
Her being in a comfortable relationship with me further likens that probability by a conceivable margin.
But even if that is the case. I doubt I'll accomplish it anytime soon. Not without the involvement of a few other figures.
As Inogashira, accompanied by the other's cheers, took up the mic, my eyes fell shut. Listening quietly as music slowly increased in volume, I huffed.
After this, I'll be meeting with Horikita about her study group's reformation. How to deal with that was rather simple.
But, as Chess Grandmaster Emanuel Lasker once said- When you see a good move, look for a better one.
Which is exactly what I'll do.
While risky, with the involvement of that person, I'll be allowed to execute multiple strategies at once without having to deal with the tedious in-betweens that would have come about in their absence. It'll also provide insight into a few questions I'd been curious about for some time now.
So in summary, this move contributed greatly to my benefit.