Love is a priceless painting - a COTE Fiction (Masumi Kamuro x OC)

Welcome (?) to Class A

Play Gabriele's theme song - Believer by Imagine Dragons

In this school made to nurture the next generation's elite, one could say that Class A was the best of the best.

But that would bring you to question why people like Totsuka Yahiko or Hashimoto Masayoshi are even here in the first place – I'll remember those two and how pathetic they are til the day I die.

Look, I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I have the brain of an artist. And like every artist, I'd like to paint the landscape of my life with as little interference as possible from the other power-hungry kids.

Looking at my left I see an imposing bald boy sitting next to me. He extends his hand for me to shake. "Kohei Katsuragi, nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Katsuragi-kun. The name's Gabriele Fabianelli."

"Quite a strange name, Fabianelli-kun."

"Oh, please. Drop the honorifics. I'm fine with being called by my first name. As per my name, my parents are Italian and I was born in Okinawa, near the NATO military base."

"Impressive. It would be rude for me to call you by your first name without you doing the same. Feel free to call me by my first name too."

"Then, nice to meet you again, Kohei."

"The pleasure's all mine, Gabriele."

A/N – Katsuragi has the potential to be a gigachad

I stood up and introduced myself. "My name is Gabriele Fabianelli. Despite my name, I'm fully Japanese, so don't concern yourself with translating. I was born in the Okinawa military base, and my hobbies are painting and running. I absolutely despise the color white, but I really like cold soba." I finished with a thin smile and my other seatmate, 'Kito Hayato', introduced himself right after.

Two other introductions stood out from the rest: two girls, one who remained seated and presented herself as 'Sakayanagi Arisu' while exhibiting a smug smirk and a dominant aura, as if she was used to do whatever she pleased, and the same girl I had felt the gaze of.

She was 'Kamuro Masumi' and, while introducing herself, she said she liked painting. So that was why she was looking at me! Artists identify other artists, I suppose.

After a really boring entrance ceremony in which a rather bland boy with brown hair caught my attention, along with a magenta haired boy wearing a fearless grin, we came back to class and Mashima-sensei explained the School System in further detail.

Both Kohei and Sakayanagi listened intently to the teacher, but it wasn't that difficult, as if sensei wanted us to notice the deeper meanings behind his words.

We were allotted 100'000 private points under the pretense of 'having passed the entrance exam'. But the way the classes are, A-B-C-D, inevitably poses a question.

When will the class competition start?

Just before Mashima-sensei stopped speaking, I raised my hand. He noticed and nodded to me.

"Pardon me, but isn'it all a bit too obvious? We've been awarded 100'000 points, so it's reasonable to say that other classes have been too. Now, it may be a stupid question, but you can't put the classes like they are and not expect someone to ask one thing.

When will the competition start, Mashima-sensei?"

"You are an interesting student...but I can't disclose anything else."

"Of course you won't. Where would the fun be?"

Sakayanagi POV

This guy...It's like he read my mind! If I want to gain control of the class, I must have competent pawns.