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

Chapter 61 - Suspicion

( Takeyama POV )

A knock was heard on my door. I've been getting too many visitors lately, most of them being uninvited.

I walked up to the door, and swung it open.

Outside stood Ibuki Mio, along with Daichi Ishizaki and Albert Yamada.

"Takeyama-kun," Ibuki started. "Can we talk?"

I nodded at their direction and moved aside, allowing them to usher into my room. I closed the door and latched it.

"Why're you here?" I asked, even though I was fairly sure why they were here.

"Takeyama, I know this is a bit selfish and preposterous of us, but Ryuuen-san is going to leave school," Ishizaki said.

I sighed.

That man had the mental fortitude of an orangutan.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Please stop Ryuuen-san from leaving!" Ishizaki wailed. "Class D is completely done without him!"

"So you want me to stop Ryuuen from leaving school?"

Ibuki and Albert nodded in affirmation.

"And why should I do that?"

Ishizaki pursed his lips. "I know that it is really stupid of us to approach our enemy for help, but trust us, Takeyama-kun, I've got nothing against you. I just don't want Ryuuen-san to leave school because of something so petty. He even entrusted Ibuki with all of his Private Points."

Ibuki opened her balance and showed me her phone screen, as though to prove Ishizaki's point. It currently showed a whopping 3 million points. Had he been extorting points from his classmates.....?

"Well, I don't see why I should stop Ryuuen from leaving this school," I replied softly. "It's not that I have anything against him. But think about it. As the leader of Class C, you're approaching the wrong person for help. Any way that I look at it, it's beneficial to everyone. Ryuuen leaves and we have one less competitor to worry about in the Class battles."

Ibuki bit her tongue to stop herself from retorting. However, she couldn't come up with a valid comeback. Because what I had said was completely correct.

"So..... you're not going to help us?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll think about it. But for now, my answer is no."

Ishizaki hung his head low, while Albert merely made a sad face.

"Well, I don't see why you would help us anyways," Ishizaki mumbled. "After all that Ryuuen-san has tried to pull off, it's not like anyone in the school other than the 3 of us here would want him."

I chose my next words carefully.

"Well, it's no for now," I replied, prompting Ishizaki to stare at me like I was his god. "But don't hope for much."

Ishizaki and the other nodded vigorously, and soon, left my room without another word.

________________________________________________________________________________

Kiyotaka, Karuizawa-san and I were currently sitting in Kiyotaka's room, seemingly in comfortable silence.

"Keisuke."

I turned to look at the brown haired man, while Karuizawa also seemed interested.

"How much did Kouenji take for this act?"

It seemed that Kiyotaka had come to realize that there was no way that Kouenji would have done what he did for free.

"Yeah, how did you even get him to do it?" Karuizawa asked. "As far as I know, Kiyotaka only told me to act like Kouenji was the mastermind when he arrives on the rooftop."