The puppeteer of the elites (CoTE) ON HIATUS

The battlefield on the board

"Kiyo~ Aren't you bored?" A girl with long, cascading lilac tresses asks. The boy stops playing the piano, looking to her. "No. On the contrary, I find playing this quite entertaining. May I ask your name?" He asked politely, yet at the same time blankly. There was such a fine line between boredom and well mannered in his tone, making the girl giggle. "Haha... you never fail to amuse me, Kiyo. I'm 018, or Shintaro Remi! Call me Remi. I see you here everyday, playing that song, endlessly... isn't it boring? Though, the melody is nice..." She tapped her chin, emerald eyes full of brightness and curiosity. Then she climbed up the seat he was on, struggling to pull her five year old self up. He offered no help whatsoever, merely observing her struggle, his dull yellow eyes piercing her every move.

"Yay! I got up!" She cheered, like the child she was. He stared at her aimless and useless applauding and congratulating of herself. What use is there to doing such an action? To overestimate oneself and be too caught up in your triumphs will ultimately lead to your undoing. I don't understand. She must be quite a flawed individual.

This is what he thought.

Until she began to play the keys, and over time he realized...

She was the complete opposite of what he thought.

Kiyotaka POV

I walked out since my event was starting soon. Horikita decided to rest for a bit to choose what she was to do next, before heading to the match. We had about ten minutes since the match was pushed back slightly so that the two classes could relax a little longer and also to check on Ibuki and Sakura's injuries to clear them for their events. My opponent for the first round is someone I am unfamiliar with. Apparently, a boy from class C. Should be easy enough, seeing as it seems he is inexperienced in the ways of mind games, since most in class C lean more toward the athletic side.

My guess is that they will probably be focusing more on the physical events to win, and put mediocre people in the mind sports. Class B will probably be slightly better than average in everything, so they could have quite possibly get second place or higher for everything, however... Class A is superior in every event. They have the capacity to win the mind sports and the physical events. Class C is deceptive and uses dirty methods to win, and Ryuen is quite capable, but there is a reason they were put there. Society is not accepting of such methods, seeing as they are called dirty, cheating, and is scowled upon. Perhaps they were placed in class C so that they can learn to not do such acts. Or, it could be that the school wants them to prove them as not dirty, but smart methods by making them earn their place in this school, and maybe even higher society. Ah, I'm going off point here.

Anyway, I strolled over to the special program room, which is the event venue. I quickly found a seat in the waiting room as I noticed the cameras set in corners of the room. This must be for documenting of the match, and to see if we commit wrongdoings, such as violence or cheating. I saw a few familiar faces among the crowd, there was Ichinose, Ryuen, and a rather petite girl with short, lilac locks, curving towards her face. she smiled confidently, and by her side sat Keiko, Hashimoto, and Katsuragi. They certainly were some of the smartest in the level, so this wasn't surprising, but I wonder how Katsuragi will act under the new leader's commands. I believe she is the short girl, and her name was... Sakayanagi Arisu, if I'm not wrong. She must be related to the chairman, seeing as they have the same last name.

Sakayanagi was chatting with Keiko, who was nodding subtly and also replying with short, yet comprehensive answers. Horikita is up against Keiko for the first round, so I can say with utmost certainty that she will lose. Horikita is not lacking in intellect, but Keiko is a master of the game. At this point in time, nobody will blame her for losing against a class A student, so she is not useless even if she loses. However, if this goes on, I will face off with her. Which could be... troublesome. She is on a slightly higher level than me in intellect, while I am on a slightly higher level of physical ability when compared to her. We are equal as a whole. Should there be any tension between us, I have no idea who will win. So, the smartest thing to do in this situation is to either get a draw with her, or get second place. The second option seems more viable, as most underestimate me at this point in time, which is how I want it, so I should lose to a class A student so that they know I'm below their level still.

Soon, we walk into our respective rooms, and the games begin.

Keiko POV

I walk into the room, remembering the plan I had made. This will work if I play my cards right. I sit down on the chair provided, and look up from beyond the chessboard between us, my opponent. She has the same cold gaze directed at me as she does everyone, but seems slightly more wary. I bowed respectfully as she nodded in response. "Shall we begin?" I asked, pointing to the timer that was set for us to press the button to start. She replied, "Sure. I want to ask you something while we play." I press the timer, and it starts ticking, like a metronome. She has white, so she starts first.

I carefully observe her moves. She seems to be only adequate in this game. It is a game very similar to life. Full of sacrifices, manipulating, strategy... A wonderful symphony. I used to play this everyday, but nobody could defeat me. Most would lose within seven moves. However, she wants to question me, so I will slow down the pace. I do want to make it look like a narrow victory after all. She opens her mouth to speak. "What are you to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka?" What a peculiar question. Is she curious about our relationship as siblings, to see how it is compared to the one she has with her brother? Or, did he say something... Well, that doesn't matter.

"I am something like a rival to him. We do not have a good relationship as siblings, but we aren't disagreeable to each other for the most part." I placed a piece. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you telling the truth?" She asks. I hum quietly. Am I? That is the watered down version, so it's not exactly a lie, but I can tell she thinks it's too vague. Bad can mean many things, such as violence, verbal abuse, hate, shame, differing opinions... But I couldn't care less about what she thinks. She still is gullible. "Who knows..." I reply, focusing on the board as I hear her scoff.

"That one liner? You two are definitely related." She grumbles, moving a piece. Confident as always, I can see. I shrug, deciding on my next course of action. This is a chance to 'upgrade' the girl known as Horikita Suzune. She is still overly confident, I can tell the superiority complex she has is still deeply rooted within her. She needs to correctly estimate herself and others, and to stop caring about her brother's opinions. That's right, I know. During the club fair, I noticed her tremble and look away when her brother was speaking. I put two and two together and realized she is chasing after him.

It's good to have goals, but only when they are achievable. Horikita wants to be someone her brother will accept and respect, but she is pushing it too far. Respect must be earned through achievements and character. In this aspect, grades hardly matter. It is all about a person as a whole. And... she is not the most pleasant person to be around at the moment. She needs to taste defeat at its highest level to realize this. So...

Kiyotaka, you owe me one.

Timeskip (a few minutes later)

I start walking out of the room, not caring about the girl who is shocked stiff on her seat. Did I overdo it? I always was bad at holding back... I glance behind at the chessboard. There are only black pieces left. Maybe I shouldn't have done that... well, at least Sakayanagi will be pleased and not bother me too much. I sigh, buttoning my blazer. "It's getting cold..."  I walk to the waiting room once more, spotting my classmates and Sakayanagi who waves me over. "They're going to show the second round sheet soon." I nod and sit next to her.

As the seasons change from summer to autumn, the cold breeze chills our bones...

But what happens next will chill your hearts.