A New Masterpiece (COTE x OC)

Chapter 55 - The Pain of Hope

(Ryuuen Kakeru, POV)

"That will be all for now," said Sakagami-sensei. "I'm going to remind you all now to be on your best behavior, even during this vacation, make good use of your time, and do not abandon your studies."

I took a nice, long stretch in my seat, looking at my phone as his meaningless words floated through my ears.

Classes were done today. The last day of the second semester. We would be free.

Club activities were put to a halt today, meaning there would be little to no students left in the building.

The perfect opportunity for me.

"It's going to be a real surprise. I've eliminated everyone I can, but this bastard eluded me every time," I muttered as my arm covered my forehead. I was down to my last, desperate attempt to uncover this individual. Personally, it would have been more satisfying for me to figure out who 'X' is without using Karuizawa. But I don't care much anymore about my methods.

This makes it more fun for me.

My blood was boiling on the inside from excitement. I could barely sleep for the past few nights from the buzz coursing through me.

My opportunity to unmask 'X' had finally come.

The person who had me dancing in the palm of their hand on multiple occasions. The person whom I had unknowingly come to admire.

The sweet taste of uncovering their identity would be mine alone. And the ultimate victory of crushing this phenomenon would be mine alone. What a feeling that would be.

I'd taken precautionary steps after the Paper Shuffle Exam. Enlisting every member of Class C to spy on targets I had assigned to them. This method was successful until this Class D punks caught on, but I didn't mind too much. The mental torment of knowing I was always watching them was crucial.

Making 'X' spend their last days in fear; cowering from my presence was what I wanted.

Yet, he still used those hollow leaders like Fukumoto and Suzune to avoid my gaze.

Which only meant I'd have to dive deeper.

Which led me to Karuizawa. I had made it abundantly clear to 'X' that I would target her to put them on edge. Wondering what Karuizawa had spilled to me, constantly living in fear of me. It was time for me to corner them, to see their paranoid and helpless face as I exposed them.

Students began to filter out of the classroom from dismissal. But time only seemed to slow down for me. I hadn't felt this kind of exhilaration in a long time.

Ibuki asked me once why I was risking so much to identify this 'X'. She told me it was a meaningless task. She was right, I only wanted to discover their identity. But after fighting Class D and discovering this mastermind, it was because this person thought and moved like me that fascinated me.

"Ryuuen-kun," said my desk mate, Shiina Hiyori.

"What?"

"Everyone seems to be on edge today, don't they?" She said while scanning the students who remained in the classroom. "What are you planning to do?"

"The stage has been set, and I'm going to put on a great show. Wanna see how it unfolds?" I asked.

Hiyori stood up from her desk as she grabbed her book bag. "I'm sorry, but I must decline your offer. I don't see the fun in it."

"Everyone gets their own enjoyment out of life."

"I suppose so... I'll be in the library. If you have any trouble, feel free to contact me."