Chapter 5.5 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
After school had ended, I bought myself a drink in the cafe before making my way towards my secret spot. It wasn't at all hidden, but somehow, not a single student could see the beauty behind this place. It was especially nice because no one ever went there, so I had it all to myself. Like always, the crowds thinned as I moved further and further away from the popular places like the Palate, the shopping stores and the karaoke parlors.
The sun shone in my face, and I was ready to spend the rest of my day in peace. Nagumo's repeated ramblings were particularly exhausting today. I didn't know why he always wanted to chat with me, when I wanted nothing more but to relax. Fate, however, had another plan in store for me.
"Beautiful."
A brown-haired boy said as he leaned back on the bench I usually sat on. I had seen him before, by pure chance, as he entered the gym to attend the entrance ceremony around a week ago. His eyes were shut and his face was expressionless, void of emotion, just like that time.
I sat on the bench beside him and turned my head. He hadn't noticed my presence, and I felt the sudden need to tease this calm poker face of off him. A grin formed on my charming face as I imagined his flustered reaction.
"I am. Thank you for noticing."
The default reaction to such a situation would be surprise or even a slight scare, depending on the person. This initial feeling would then evolve into nervousness or embarrassment. The boy in front of me, however, was different.
There was no change in expression, no surprise, and much less a scare.
He lazily opened his eyes and glanced in my direction with a deadpan face. Our gazes entwined as I tried to decipher what was going on in this person's head. His calm, apathetic, brown eyes shone golden in the sunlight.
They were mesmerizing, but there was simply no spark, no life in them.
As I kept gazing at this boy, I felt something change deep inside of me. It seemed like I was staring at a corpse that could move its pupils, which made the scene feel bizarre and eerie. I saw my reflection in his pupils, but he emitted nothing but indifference towards me.
My interest in this boring looking Kouhai rose.
"I didn't notice you there. Are you a first year as well? I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class 1-D. Nice to meet you."
Following his expression, his voice was just as flat, just as void of emotion as the rest of him. Even though he sounded human, his words felt cold and robotic. But maybe that's just me.
I was intrigued by him, similar to the two other people before him.
Would I be able to change this boy's emotional state if I were to tease him a bit? I wasn't sure, no. I doubted it. But if I brazenly commanded him to call me by my first name, he would react somehow, right? Any normal person would be surprised by something like this, especially if it's a beautiful senior like me.
"Kiryuin Fuka, 2-B. Call me Fuka, Kouhai-kun."
"Nice to meet you, Kiryuin-senpai. What brings you here?"
Once again, he answered without batting an eye.
This insolent Kouhai even ignored my gracious kindness, which enabled him to use my first name. My heart began to feel excitement after a long time. The more time I spent in his vicinity, the firmer my impression of him became. It wasn't obvious for normal people, but I had a feeling that he was a crouching tiger, a wolf hiding in the company of sheep while biding its time. His presence felt mystical, out of this world.
Others might play his nature off as insecurity, nervousness, or similar emotions, but I was convinced that he felt nothing of those. He was different. Someone interesting. Someone that might entertain me during my boring highschool life. I wasn't sure yet, but I sensed that he could be more refreshing than Manabu and Nagumo combined.
"Fuka." I said with a gentle, yet powerful and challenging voice.
"Senpai?"
"Fuka."
Again, I shot down his response, insisting that he'd call me Fuka. While this exchange took place, the grin on my face widened and widened. He was unique, unresponsive to my existence, indifferent to my attractive and elegant appearance. While the other students ran after me during our first year until I had put them in their place, he just watched me with a neutral expression.
I wondered how long he'd keep this up. If he wouldn't back down, this might take a while.
"Fuka?"
He seemed to have realized that we were not going anywhere and made a concession. He was calm and seemed to wonder about something, but there was still no evidence of any emotion on his poker face.
"Yes, Kouhai-kun?"
"What brings you here?"
"Peace, quiet and a beautiful scenery."
That wasn't a lie. It was the only reason I came here. The reason I stayed, however, was another one altogether.
"Ah, yes. Same for me."
I couldn't detect deceit in his words, but I felt that he didn't reveal the whole truth. I tried to prod him to get a better read on the person in front of me. Because as of right now, there was nothing but a white slate with a big question mark on it.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I found that place just now. It's really comforting."
He let nothing slip regarding his reason for being here. Maybe it was just a coincidence, and all he wanted to do was to enjoy the view. But I couldn't believe it. I felt that it was useless to get something out of him and changed the topic towards a more interesting subject.
"Mhh, agreed. So how's the school, Kouhai-kun?"
"It's different from before, that's for sure, but relaxing."
His answer was one that was to be expected from a student in Class D. He didn't know what this school was really about.
Or that's what he wanted other people to think.
It was hard for even excellent students to notice the small nuances in the teacher's explanations, or discern that all those cameras wouldn't be here for security. It would take someone with high intellect and logical reasoning to find out about the school's special S-System in a short amount of time.
A smart student might be competent enough to scratch the surface. He might wonder why the students would get so many points per month, while realizing that the teachers mentioned nothing about the longevity of these 100.000 point payments. There were more than enough subtle hints, from the teachers' explanations to the stores and cafes, which featured free food and necessities.
An excellent student would be proficient enough to see beyond even that. He'd notice the intricate designs in the school system and dismantle their meaning until he found what he was looking for without needing to spend a monstrous amount of points to buy a teacher's explanation.
I wondered if he was such a student, someone outstanding who could entertain me.
"Mhh, it is different, isn't it? Relaxing, yes, but also treacherous."
Once again, I gave him a push in a certain direction. If a faculty member overheard our conversation, I might get a slap on my wrist for the wording, but nothing else would happen. My plan wasn't to inform him outright, but to deduce how far he had broken down the school's systems.
"Treacherous? What is?"
He sounded confused, which was most likely his intention. His expression hadn't changed a single time since I had arrived here, however. The question he posed felt almost comical, as if he wanted to say, 'do you dare to elaborate on that?' It was undeniable that he didn't plan on revealing anything to me.
How unfortunate…
I didn't understand why, but he wanted to stay inconspicuous. He wanted to belong to the flock he was associated with. What a shame that I wouldn't give up that easily if someone caught my eye. Even if he denied answering me today, I could drag him out tomorrow and the day after that. Somewhere down the line, he would need to confront me, or I would rip the sheep's clothing off the wolf's head without hesitation.
I smirked and shook my head.
He would take this as a sign to leave the conversation, since I made him feel uncomfortable with my prodding. That would be fine, though, as I would be back sooner than he wanted. If he left, I could use the time to gather some intel on him from a reliable senpai.
"Well, it was nice meeting you senp —"
"Fuka."
Again, I had to remind him how to address me properly. I was sure that he was trying to get my blessing in calling me senpai, but that wouldn't go. Such a cute and interesting Kouhai-kun shouldn't treat me like a stranger.
"Ehrm. Well, it was nice meeting you, Fuka, but I should go back now."
"Do you, now? Where are you going?"
"A friend of mine is in the basketball club. I wanted to see how he's doing."
I wondered if this so-called friend of his existed, or if he just made things up to get away from me, but I wasn't curious enough to find out for myself. It wouldn't be long until our paths crossed again and I would take my sweet time gathering information for this moment.
"Mhh… alright. You may leave, Kouhai-kun."
"Thanks. I guess. I'll see you around Fuka-senp —"
"Just Fuka."
Once again, I had to cut him off. His face hadn't changed at all, but I was sure that he found me quite troublesome. I met the most interesting Kouhai at my birthday.
Was that a sign?
I couldn't help but wonder.
Without knocking, I waltzed into the room and was immediately greeted by one of my favorite senpai's.
"Hey, it's you again! Didn't I tell you to be more respectful to your senpai? Gosh, how can a Kouhai be this rude?"
Two lilac buns wiggled up and down as the tiny student glared at me with a foul expression that showed how upset she was. The person beside her, the one she admired, only glanced at me before returning his focus towards the documents in front of him.
"It's okay Tachibana. What can I do for you, Kiryuin?"
The student council president kept taking notes and read through the files as his smooth voice rang through the room. Tachibana turned to me with a smug grin, since he didn't give me the time of the day, and only dealt with me in passing while his attention was somewhere entirely different.
He was one of the few people who had caught my eye when I entered this school, but that was all in the past. Manabu became boring and predictable, so I lost interest in him. His only redeeming feature was that he was an especially capable student who wielded the school rules to his advantage.
Nagumo wasn't in the room, meaning it was only him, Tachibana and I. There was no reason to beat around the bush with just the three of us around, since Tachibana would never betray her beloved president.
"I'd like to look at the entrance exam of a particular student."
He glanced up with a confused, yet knowing, gaze. Since he had the results, he obviously saw them, so there is no way Kouhai-kun would have escaped his discerning eye.
Had he approached him, perhaps?
"I take it that the favor I owe you will no longer be a concern, then. Name?"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
Manabu was my easiest way to get a hold of the results, but his demand was rather troublesome. The favor he owed me wasn't small and wouldn't be paid back in full for such a simple task. If I really wanted to see his documents, then this was the price I needed to pay. This was Manabu's way of getting even while determining how important this information was to me by setting such a ridiculous price.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."
Tachibana peeked at me. Her eyes widened before they moved to a not at all surprised Horikita. He leaned back and stretched his fingers, which were stiff from all the writing.
"Tachibana, please hand her the file."
The girl took the key he handed her and walked towards a locked compartment near a window. After unlocking it, she browsed through the files and pulled out a certain folder. Tachibana double checked the label and the contents before nodding with a content smile.
"The documents stay inside this room." Tachibana handed me the documents with a stern warning.
Did she really think I would run out of here with documents I shouldn't be seeing in the first place? Should I ask her about her feelings for Manabu to anger her? Ahh~ there's something more important right now.
I took a seat on the empty chair of the vice principal. Tachibana was ready to complain, but Horikita waved her off. Leaning back, I put my legs on Nagumo's desk before opening the anticipated file.
My smile grew wide upon gazing at his scores, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Manabu flashed a knowing smile while watching this scene unfold before him. His luggage let out a dry 'hmph' and turned away from me.
The president knew exactly why I was here since he had also deemed this student an interesting one. After reading through the entire file on the student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, I couldn't help but feel enthralled.
My amusement died down after I had absorbed everything I needed to know. I placed the folder back on the table and took two pictures of the results.
This would be a nice bargain to confront him with. I couldn't wait to see how he would react.
"If anyone sees these results, the two of us are going to have a serious talk. Is that understood?"
"Hai~ hai~…"
Tachibana flushed red in rage after my careless answer in front of the student council president. Whereas most of the students were afraid of him, I didn't care what he thought of me as long as he left me alone. Manabu as well, didn't seem to mind my casual reply, since he already knew what kind of person I was.
I glanced towards the secretary, who was occupied with holding herself back, as she didn't want to leave a bad impression in front of her love, since he had told her repeatedly to ignore my whims. I was about to tease her a bit, but it seemed like the president wanted to protect his little pet.
"Have you reconsidered joining the student council? The vice president's seat is yours if you want it."
I burst into laughter after hearing his rude remark. Tachibana glanced towards the door with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, hoping that Nagumo wouldn't walk in while Manabu was offering me his seat in the student council.
"I wonder what Mr Notice Me Senpai's expression would be if he heard you just now. That aside, aren't you growing bored with asking me all the time?"
He closed the folder in front of him and handed it to Tachibana before focusing back on me.
"It would be a waste not to invite someone with your abilities into the council, even if you said no once. Who knows, you might have had an epiphany since the last time we had a chat."
"Nothing remotely piques my interest in the student council. Aside from that, it's far too much work. I'd rather relax all day and do whatever I want. You should try it someday, prez."
Manabu corrected his glasses before heaving a sigh.
Tachibana returned the key to him after stashing the folders she was just handed back inside. I thought that she had forgotten Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's documents, but after a quick glance to where I had left them, I realized that they were gone. She must've picked them up while she was walking by.
Huh, maybe she wasn't a good-for-nothing after all.
"So, what do you think about that student?"
"He seems interesting. I'm not sure how interesting yet, but I'll know in due time."
"I bet you do. Should I feel sorry for him? Oh, and since you are already here, Happy Birthday."
"Oh my, thank you. To be congratulated by the almighty Horikita Manabu. I'm honored."
I bowed gracefully while he let out a heavy sigh and turned towards another stack of documents.
After the disappointments that were Manabu and Nagumo, I wondered if Kouhai-kun was a student that could bring color to my dull life. Some might think I was reading too much into him, but I was far too confident in my ability to read people as to underestimate someone.
Maybe he was the one. Not just a crouching tiger, but the hidden dragon I was looking for.