Another Like Me - Part II (CoTE x OC)

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟛 - 𝔽𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕'𝕤 𝕃𝕒𝕨

( Ayanokoji POV )

"What is this strange exam.....?"

I heard a black-haired girl almost scratch her head in annoyance. "The Deduction Game.....? What kind of Special Exam is this?"

"Maybe you should read the entire thing before you make a comment," I advised, but only received a death stare from Horikita.

"I don't need you to tell me that. I was going to read it anyways," she replied indifferently. I resigned to myself, having understood that there is no point trying to drive sense into her. It's like talking to a wall at this point.

Horikita read through the rules for a few minutes, and by the end, her eyes were comparable to the size of golf balls. So were the expressions on the faces of pretty much everyone in our class.

"2,000,000 Private Points, a Protection Point..... a class transfer ticket.....? What is this....."

A presence made itself known next to Horikita's bench, belonging to Yosuke Hirata. He had the mail open on his mobile phone, and had a very concerned look on his face. "Horikita-san, we need to have a class meeting as soon as possible. This is a very dangerous exam."

"Dangerous..... yes, dangerous indeed....."

Horikita absentmindedly nodded along with Hirata's statement, without taking her eyes off the phone. Her mind seemed strangely distant, as though she were thinking of something. I made eye contact with Hirata, who seemed to have caught onto Horikita's distraught mindset.

Currently, Class S is the topic that is roaming around in her head. Specifically, Keisuke. A class transfer ticket, paired with the option of an incredibly strong Class S had burrowed its way into her mind, and she was probably contemplating whether it would be wise to betray the class in the off chance that she wins.

And of course, Keisuke is the person who had planted this seed of doubt in her mind. He gave Horikita a clear reason to chase after her own personal goals, and put them before class unity.

Keisuke had anticipated a situation like this, and had intentionally suppressed the leader of our class itself. He knows he cannot do anything to me, and we're on friendly terms anyways. We're working towards the same goal of warding off that man, so he has nothing against me. He's trying to get Horikita onto his side, because he knows how important it will be in the long run.

Horikita is to Keisuke as Karuizawa is to me.

Their relationship is not parasitic like the one Kei and I share, but it is heavily influenced by the same notions. Horikita deeply respects Keisuke, almost to the point that she takes every word that he says to heart.

Keisuke is controlling Horikita without her knowing it, and it is somehow working well. Horikita now, instead of trying to gain the attention and praise of her brother, is trying to gain validation and recognition from Keisuke himself.

And Keisuke is using this to his advantage, ultimately weakening Class C as a whole. Even without being affiliated with the class, Keisuke has managed to gain control from outside by gaining Horikita's complete trust.

Keisuke isn't like me when it comes to sociability. I struggle to get along with people, and the Ayanokoji Group is the only thing that I can call a friend circle now. I see all people as tools, but Keisuke does not. He genuinely cares for certain people in his life, and Horikita is probably one of them.

He's changed a lot in this school. He's managed to become sociable, popular and even has a girlfriend to boot the status. Whereas I've been still trying to figure out the nuances of certain apparently obvious life skills.