Classes S and E (COTE Fanfic)

Investigating With Izaya Orihara (Class D) (Rewrite)

Izaya POV

Finally, I reached the end of my investigation, and now I stood before Class D-the most defective, chaotic, and unpredictable class of them all. Out of all the classes I had visited, this one excited me the most. In a school built on competition and manipulation, the class at the bottom always held the most potential for surprises.

I opened the door slowly, letting it creak just enough to announce my presence. As I stepped inside, my eyes immediately fell on four students who clearly didn't belong with the others. The energy they gave off was different-more confident, almost detached from the rest of the class. What drew my attention the most was a boy and a girl standing at the center, the boy's hand mid-air, caught in the final moments of a rock-paper-scissors game. The girl's face was twisted in frustration, clearly unhappy with the outcome.

Before I could say anything, the boy lowered his hand and raised an eyebrow at me. "Huh, who are you?" he asked casually, like my sudden appearance was just another piece in whatever game they were playing.

I stepped further into the room, my smile polite but curious. "Hello, my name is Izaya Orihara. Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

The boy shrugged, brushing off my question with an easy grin. "No, we just finished. I'm Sora. That over there," he gestured to the silver-haired girl who stood close to him, her large, intelligent eyes taking in every detail, "is my little sister, Shiro." His finger then pointed lazily toward the other two students, who hadn't spoken yet but were watching me carefully. "Those two are Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Katagiri Yuuichi."

I glanced briefly at each of them, my mind already processing. So, this was the famous group from the special class I had heard about. Their presence here, in Class D, was no coincidence. They were investigating just as I was observing the competition. Just as I had predicted. And now here they were.

"It seems like you were in the middle of a rather interesting game," I remarked, my eyes flicking between Sora and the still-fuming girl.

Sora's grin widened, clearly enjoying the attention. "Guess you can say that. We were just proving our superiority over these defects," he said, his tone light but condescending. There was a lazy arrogance in his voice that piqued my interest.

I chuckled softly. Predictable. "Mind if I play?"

Before Sora could respond, the girl who had just lost the match snapped, "Hey, you can't just barge in here!" Her voice was sharp, her anger clear. Her pride had obviously taken a hit, and I couldn't help but find her irritation amusing.

Sora waved her off dismissively. "Zip it, ice queen. You lost your chance. Anyway," he turned back to me, eyes glinting with amusement, "I'm up for it. Let's play a round."

He straightened up a bit, his posture becoming slightly more serious as he explained, "But this isn't your normal game of rock-paper-scissors. In this version, I'll only play paper. If I choose anything else, I lose automatically. If I beat you with rock or scissors, we both lose, so it's a tie. If we both use paper, it's also a tie. The only way you win is if we tie or if you play scissors and win outright. Got it?"

I nodded, taking it all in. "Yeah, I got it."

It sounded complicated to the average listener, but in truth, the rules were simple. Sora's game was designed to mess with his opponent's mind, leading them to overthink their strategy. He wanted me to believe that choosing scissors was the obvious way to win. The trick was in the psychology-his opponents would assume that he would expect them to pick scissors, and in their doubt, they would go for something safer, like paper. But Sora would have anticipated that too. Most likely, he'd play rock to catch them off guard.

His strategy was clever-clever enough to fool most people. But I was no ordinary person. I could see through his little web of manipulation, and I had a good guess of what he would do.

"Alright then," Sora said, his grin growing wider as he raised his hand once more. "Let's go."

We both prepared, and the room grew still. The others watched us intently, and I could feel the weight of their attention on me. My mind raced ahead, predicting Sora's next move, dissecting his strategy, and savoring the possibilities.

"Rock..." Sora began, his voice steady.

"Paper..." I replied, my mind focused.

"Scissors..."

"...Shoot!"

The moment seemed to stretch out, and then... silence.

Sora's hand unfolded, revealing scissors.

A soft gasp echoed from the others. I blinked in surprise. He had played scissors. I had expected him to go for rock, to try and outwit me with the predictable unpredictability of his strategy. But no-he had gone for scissors instead. He had anticipated my anticipation.

Sora chuckled softly, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Looks like you lost," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance. "But I'll give you credit-you're definitely sharper than the rest of these idiots." His eyes gleamed as he leaned in slightly, studying me with that unsettling confidence. "Your face didn't flinch the whole time, which told me you'd figured out my little trick. Also, as we were about to start, your hand moved just a fraction, like you were about to throw paper. That's when I knew I had you."

He straightened up, the victorious gleam in his eyes practically glowing. "So, Izaya, remember this-no matter what game we play, Blank never loses." The arrogance in his voice was palpable, as if the very idea of defeat was foreign to him.

A slow grin spread across my face, and before I could stop myself, I burst into laughter. Loud, genuine laughter that echoed off the walls of the classroom. The suddenness of it startled everyone, and they all stared at me in bewilderment.

"Hahaha! This... this is exactly why I love humans!" I exclaimed, clutching my sides as I laughed. "Sora, thank you! You've shown me that my coming to this school wasn't a waste after all."

Sora's grin faltered, replaced by a slightly concerned look. "Uh... calm down there, buddy," he said, trying to mask his unease.

I waved him off, still chuckling. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... I have a deep appreciation for humanity. And you, Sora, have just reminded me why."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ayanokouji watching me closely. His calm demeanor never wavered, but I could tell his mind was working, analyzing everything. He spoke quietly but with a weight to his words. "May I ask, what class are you from?"

I met his gaze for a brief moment, my smile still in place. "That's a secret you'll find out on May 1st." I gave a playful wink, then turned to leave.

"Well, it's been fun, but I'll see you all around," I said, already moving toward the door.

"Hey, wait!" Sora called after me, but by the time his words reached me, I was already out in the hallway, my steps quick and light.

As I walked away, I reflected on the encounter. While I hadn't gathered much about Class D itself, I had learned something far more valuable. The special class was as dangerous and clever as I had expected. Sora, Shiro, Ayanokouji, Katagiri... they would all play a role in what was to come. And I couldn't wait to see how their game would unfold.

We have finally reached the end of our investigation with Izaya. What do guys think. Although I don't know, I was right about the rock-papar-scissors game that Sora created was just normal rock-paper-scissors, but that's what I could tell. Also, I hope that my characterization of all the characters was close to how they would have acted.

Thanks for reading.