COTE: Someone Extraordinary (Kiyotaka x Honami)

Arc 1 SS: Amikura Mako

Our Karaoke room was filled to the brim. The largest room they had could only accommodate twenty people at most, so everyone had resorted to leaning on the backs of the sofas and sitting on one another's laps.

We ordered and stuffed ourselves full of french fries and burgers until the room stank of grease. We sang our hearts out over and over again either all at once or in smaller groups or duets.

I was even given the honour of performing a solo, and I showed everyone just how good my singing really was. Not a single note was out of tune.

Maybe we were overdoing it, we still had to pass the end-of-term exams after all, which were right around the corner. It's possible that we were singing so loud that we were bothering other people or something. Perhaps we were partying too prematurely.

But I didn't see it that way. I didn't see it that way at all. Not because of the exams or because of the amount of noise obviously.

It was because, for the first time in what felt like a decade, I was the centre of attention.

It felt amazing. Everyone wanted to speak with me, sing with me, share their food with me, even as much as be on the same sofa as me. Ten people were all trying to squeeze onto my sofa, which looked like it could barely accommodate four people at most. That fact brought me so much joy that I felt invincible, I was on cloud nine and nobody could pull me down. For once, the whole class's favourite person in the room was me.

I didn't imagine that this outing would turn out this way. I didn't think it would be this fun nor did I think that I would be the centre of everyone's attention. I was fully under the impression that I would again be overshadowed by the one I hated the most.

Back in middle school there wasn't a person around that was more popular than me. People showered me with compliments, boys and girls, upperclassmen and underclassmen even parents and teachers fawned over me.

Furthermore, my academics were the best, I was the fastest girl on the running track and I was the cutest girl in the entire school.

Every morning I walked into class, there wasn't a single person who didn't go out of their way to greet me with a smile.

During the lunch break, I always had the largest group of friends sitting with me, desperate boys always offered to buy me food, and everyone came to me for advice. Whether they wanted romantic or academic advice, it didn't matter what they needed, they'd always come to me for help.

And at the end of the day, countless people offered to walk home with me. They asked me to go out with them on the weekends and come and hang out at their houses. They confided in me and told me about their toughest problems, their darkest fears and their deepest secrets.

I had a close group of friends that would stick to me like glue. They were the ones who I could truly call my friends. People noticed my closeness with them and they became almost as popular as I was.

Then there was the rest. I made them feel as comfortable as possible and spoke kindly to them, but discarded them like trash if they ever went against me or even annoyed me a little. It didn't matter. Anyone who said ill or spoke up against me was roundly shut down and ostracized until they came to me begging for forgiveness. I always did of course to sure up my popularity, I didn't want to be seen as unreasonable or cruel.

I was living a very privileged social life, I had a high feeling of superiority and was universally adored and I loved every moment of it.

Transitioning into high school, I was confident I could replicate this success. I would introduce myself and be as energetic, caring and open as possible. I'd extend my hand to everyone in my class not caring whether they were cute and sociable or quiet and repulsive. I'd become the leader of my class and become the most loved and appreciated in the entire year.