Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC) ✔

Chapter 26 - Another Like Me

(Speranza Day 7; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

There was only one day left on the cruise ship, and I still hadn't experienced even half of the amenities that are available for students to use on this luxurious ride. And to complement that, all of them except the high-end restaurants and Pools were free of charge.

Well, I wasn't expecting anything but free of charge. If the school seriously decides to rake in our Private Points after throwing us into a Deserted Island for a week, and then springing an episode of Brain Games on us, I doubt many of them would like it.

I had not visited the swimming pool yet, now that I think about it.

Kushida had booked the entire pool for Class D so we could enjoy together, as a class. The private pool was one of the few amenities on-board that required you to shell out Private Points from your own pockets, considering how crowded it would be otherwise. So actually managing to book it for a good one hour would definitely not be taken lightly by the Class. Our pool time was scheduled for 1:00pm today afternoon, and I decided to join in as well. There would be no point in missing it out. Furthermore, the more people that come from Class D, the more we can actually divide the cost among ourselves. I did the average calculations in my head, and I came to a conclusion that it would not cost more than 2,000 Private Points per head.

 But before I could immerse myself for the first time and actually enjoy myself on this cruise, there were certain things that I had to keep in mind. Or more like, had to solve. And one of them was Kikyo Kushida.

I had not contacted her even once after the ordeal of getting the Midterm Papers from the upperclassman almost a month and a half back. She had not initiated any contact with the unknown number either, possibly scared that her entire split personality proof currently was in my hands. But I was thinking of revealing myself to her.

Why? Because it would be beneficial for both me and her. I could have a better grasp on her movements, and she would have to listen to me, irrespective of whether I show myself or not. A face behind a mask irks an individual more than a face that is seen. My number one goal here was not to use Kushida.

It was to make Kushida trust me, and then use her.

Trust is a very subjective term. To one person, meeting a person maybe twice or thrice in their entire life was enough to get them to trust that person. To another, trust can take ages to form. Some people, like Ryuuen, completely disregard the concept of trust, and they trust only oneself. Unfortunately, an attitude like that would never help you reach Class A.

I needed Kushida-san to trust me. I would delete the recording in front of her when she does. I don't need to blackmail anyone to help me. I wanted them to do it because they are willing to help me. Once I have Kushida's trust, I can control many people indirectly. Her influence in the entire grade is not unknown, and both males and females would never think twice about whether to trust Kushida or not.

The time was 9:20am, and it was almost time. As if reading my thoughts, the door to the northern deck opened, and a young man with brown hair walked onto the deck, and took his place by my side.

"Good morning, Ayanokoji-kun," I started.

"... good morning," he said monotonously. I still have to grasp this man's character. He's too hard to read.

"It seems your Snake Group passed this Exam quite easily," he said. "I thought you would have gone for bolder tactics."

"We both know that is not true," I replied. "You know me, Ayanokoji. I'm not the type to run after Class Points when I see them. I weigh my options and take the decision that will help me in the long run."