Obstinate Elitists

34

"You look a little out of it. Are you okay?" A hand waved in front of your face, snapping you back to reality. You recoiled and looked to the side, where Eito's dark, concerned eyes were waiting. Loosening your hold on your chopsticks, you pushed your lunch tray away and sighed.

More than anything, you wished to confide in him. However, there was a seemingly growing gap between the two of you, especially whenever you avoided speaking about the elites. Your life was taking over by them. As you were finding yourself beginning to submit to the friendships made with them, the more it felt like you were betraying him. Maybe you were overthinking, but the look of distaste on his face that one day was ingrained in your mind. He hated elites so much that he was willing to bring the system itself to ruin.

"I'm okay," you said, a forced smile making way to your lips. "It's been a tiring week, is all."

"Mhm... like the talent show, right?" he brought up nonchalantly. Your limbs stiffened up, fear spreading through the course of your body. It was expected that he knew of it by now, considering everyone was whispering about it in the hallways. They whispered about all sorts of things -- but of course, Dawning High's elites were always the center of attention. And because you performed with an elite, you were lumped in with the mess.

Craning your neck robotically to look at him, you were surprised to find him unbothered.

"I heard you got first place. Congrats."

"Thank you," you mumbled, scratching your head in embarrassment. "Hey, how is your plan with the elitist system going along?"

Lost in his own thoughts for a moment, he rummaged through his school bag for a moment. After a while, he set a stack of papers on the table. Sorting them out, he found the one he was looking for and handed it to you. There, on the paper was detailed handwriting from Eito. His handwriting was clean and in cursive, slowing you down in your reading. Squinting and struggling, you read through the contents, before gasping at a sudden name that was very much familiar. Aoyama Toshiaki -- the one who built the system of the elites. The one who started it all.

You flipped the page around and internally cringed. A printed picture of the man was indeed there. Just like before, the image of him crept you out.

"I was doing some research," he explained. "He's the root of it all. If anything, we need to bring him down some way or another."

"How? This feels impossible, almost," you told him, sighing.

He shook his head, taking the piece of paper away. "Hard, but not impossible. There's a way, [Y/N], trust me. Once I am officially prepared and have set up for my new organization, I will spread this information around the school. No flyers because teachers and the school would automatically ban such a thing. It'll be more discreet, like an app where only those with the secret password can join. A flock of birds stay together, so if it gains enough traction, it'll reel everyone else in, since they won't want to be left behind. More voices mean more power and maybe the public will become part of it too. We can start boycotting against Mr. Toshiaki's company and take his system down."

Eito was a genius. He had so much planned out already, looking so confident in himself that you nearly believed it was guaranteed he'd succeed. Staring at him in awe, you nodded as he continued to inform you of small details. Every second that you listened in, the more you were persuaded to join him in his conquest. It was like a videogame, where buttloads of obstacles stood in the way and blocked the end goal. Each move was crucial in winning the game, but it was painted in such a concise manner that it seemed a shame to not be part of it.

"Is it okay if... I join you? Granted, I might not be too involved, but I want to help if I can," you asked.

His face brightened instantly and a grin to his face curved his cheekbones upward. Snatching your hands in sheer excitement, he was nodding his head. You could feel the tremble of his fingers, thrumming of salvation. "Of course," he replied in a rush, as if you would retract your words any moment if he didn't accept right away. "This is perfect. We can meet over the weekends to finalize the plan. I'll introduce you to a friend who specializes in coding. She's building the app at the moment. We can test the app once she's done and catch any bugs there might be. "

You nodded in a daze, still hyper aware of his warm hands on you. Smooth but slightly calloused, they felt nice and cozy. When they quickly released their hold, it took you everything not to protest.

Someone slipped into the seat beside you. Seeing Eito's fallen features, you quickly spun around. Widening your eyes, you felt panic immediately. It was none other than Ginjirou, a cocky grin aimed right at you. Lazily leaning on the table, he was making himself right at home. Amber eyes scanned the table, taking a look at your uneaten food.

"What are you doing here?" you hissed, your gaze darting nervously back to Eito. The dark haired male had grown silent, observing the scene with confusion and mere annoyance.

"Oh, you wound my heart, princess," Ginjirou muttered. "How mean you are to me at school. Are you embarrassed of my presence?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," you shot back. "Go back to your friends. Everyone's staring."

"You're my friend too." You hated the way your stomach flipped at the sound of that. He viewed you as a friend?

"Getting a little too friendly here," Eito cut in, sharp daggers being shot at the other male. Ginjirou made eye contact with Eito, suddenly turning cold at the realization of the other male. Gold clashed with black, raging war from their stares. The atmosphere was quick to grow sour. Inching back in your seat, you darted your eyes back and forth, wrangling your mind for any ideas to calm their rocky waves. Did they know each other?

"Who are you?" the red head inquired, looking down on the other boy to rub it in that he saw Eito as irrelevant. Grimacing, you were sure that Eito was ticked off by now. Though you were more surprised they didn't know each other previously.

"Ginjirou, this is Eito. Eito, this is Ginjirou," you said, introducing them and desperately praying that this would cool the fuse.

"I know who he is," Eito huffed, turning away.

This was getting much too awkward for you. And it seemed the Gods of this webtoon world decided to stay merciful. The bell signaled throughout the school building and it was time to head back into class. Shooting upward like a stiff bamboo stick, you picked up your lunch tray and beelined to the garbage cans. However, the Gods weren't too merciful, since both males chose to follow you like lost puppies, sharing a staring contest. They were even resorting to insults, arguing among themselves in their own world. You sighed. Were they just mortal enemies? You understood why Eito was acting cold, but Ginjirou too? What a problem this was.

"Why are you two still here? Neither of you have class with me."

"I'm walking you to class," Eito said at the same time Ginjirou went, "I was hoping to speak to you privately." They glared at one another once more.

"Eito, it's fine," you murmured. "You can head to class. I'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded mutely, smart to not argue against you, who was losing patience. Strolling past the corner, he disappeared from your view. Shoulders sagging in relief, you quickly reeled your head around to see Ginjirou whistling casually. "What was that about?" you snapped in anger. "Don't go picking fights with my friend."

Disbelief painted his handsome features, jaw dropping to the floor. "He was the one who picked at me first!" he whined, shifting blame like a little kid.

"He has a valid reason," you pointed out, before clamping your mouth shut. Dammit. You shouldn't be spilling Eito's secrets out -- especially to an elite.

"I can't believe you're siding with him," he grunted, crossing his arms across his chest. Guilt flooded into you, sinking your heart to the pits of your stomach. "Anyway, I have a question I've been meaning to ask you. You didn't show up to my house the other day. Did something happen?"

You shook your head and he knitted his brows together. "I don't think we should continue our sessions."

By now, he was gaping like a fish. "What? What are talking about? You can't just back out like that. We made a deal."

"It doesn't benefit me anymore. I'm sorry, but..." you told him. It was getting exhausting. Training with your father while practicing with Ginjirou was taking a huge toll on you.

Much to your surprise, his face was contorted with hurt at your simple explanation. It gave you whiplash, and you couldn't find your words when he whirled around and stalked away without another word. Did the sessions mean that much to him? You didn't realize that. Now, it suddenly felt like you were burning bridges down, watching the fire simmer into embers with a leash on your neck. Your father was ruining everything, but so were you.