Mr. Pretender

Kiyoshi Ikeda leaned back in his seat, half-listening to the teacher drone on about something that didn't matter to him. His mind was far away, caught up in a strange feeling that he absolutely refused to acknowledge. He glanced over at Aiko Yamamoto, who sat across the room, focused entirely on her book.

What the hell is happening to me?

For the first time in a long while, Kiyoshi found himself actually thinking about someone — and not in a strategic, manipulative way. He didn't want to admit it, but. Aiko... Yah, She has started to worm her way into his thoughts in a way he couldn't control.

"Wise men say only fools rush in, but pretty girls make fools out of wise men," Kiyoshi muttered under his breath, trying to shake the thoughts from his head. He'd barely finished the sentence before he realized how much of a fool he sounded like.

What's wrong with me? he thought, still unable to focus on anything but her.

The bell rang, pulling Kiyoshi out of his self-inflicted misery. He stood up with his usual lazy swagger and made his way out of the classroom with Ryo and Yuta, who were already deep in a conversation about their latest crushes.

"You know, Ryo," Yuta said, nudging him, "there's this girl from class B who's seriously into me. She practically followed me all the way to lunch."

Ryo, eyes glued to his phone, smirked. "Really? So, what, you gonna make her your next victim? Send her roses or something?"

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes.

Same old nonsense.

He didn't care about the girls they chased or the way they boasted about their nonexistent conquests. He had bigger things on his mind.

"Hey, Ryo," Kiyoshi interrupted, lazily walking alongside them. "Tell me about your father. He's some big government guy, right?"

Ryo blinked, a little surprised by the question. "Oh, yeah. He's one of the higher-ups in the government. Got some serious power behind him. Why?"

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "You think I could meet him sometime? Maybe get some... connections?"

Ryo grinned, clearly amused. "Haha, sure, why not? Actually, he's coming to the sports day as a guest next month. I'll introduce you to him then. How about that?"

"Perfect," Kiyoshi thought, the wheels already turning in his head.

The rest of the walk was filled with their usual chatter — Ryo and Yuta were arguing about who could pull off the best pickup lines while Kiyoshi's mind wandered to his upcoming meeting with Ryo's father.

This could be useful.

They reached the hostel, and Kiyoshi pushed open the door to the clean passage lined with doors on both sides. Their Hostel rooms. He walks up to room number 511. He glanced at his friends. "Okay, then. See you later."

Ryo and Yuta waved him off, still deep in their conversation about which girl was the one. Kiyoshi didn't bother to respond as he walked into his room.

The room was exactly how he liked it: neat, organized, and free from distractions. He flopped onto his bed, took out his phone, and muttered, "Well then, let's check out the latest updates."

Time passed in a blur of casual high school life — laughing with his friends, eating lunch together, making lazy jokes in between classes. It all felt like a game to Kiyoshi. Nothing really mattered, except for the moments where he could manipulate the world to suit his own needs.

That was, until the second-term exam results came out.

The hallway outside the classroom was packed with students, all buzzing with excitement and anxiety as they gathered around the notice board. Kiyoshi stood in the doorway, his eyes scanning the crowd. He wasn't in any rush to see the results — he already knew he hadn't studied. It was just like him, really.

He turned around, and there she was again — Aiko. Her posture was confident, beautiful, as she continued to read her book, oblivious to the chaos around her. Kiyoshi couldn't help himself. His gaze lingered a moment longer.

She's so perfect... he thought, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

But then, the words escaped him before he could stop them. "Wise man says only fools rush in, but pretty girls make fools out of wise men," he muttered under his breath.

Aiko raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. Kiyoshi smirked, trying to act nonchalant. "Hey, why didn't you go to see the results?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Aiko looked up from her book, her eyes narrowing. "Because I already know my result."

Kiyoshi's grin widened. "Oh, really? Then tell me, what position are you in?"

"Second," she replied without hesitation.

Kiyoshi laughed to himself. Of course. Aiko Yamamoto, perfect in every way, always striving for more, yet never quite reaching the top. No matter how hard she worked, she always ended up second. And Kiyoshi... well, he hadn't even bothered to study.

But that's what makes her interesting, She never gives up. She keeps pushing, even when life keeps knocking her down. He thought.

Aiko shot him a glare. "Stop staring at me like that."

Kiyoshi, knowing exactly what he was doing, just grinned. "Nah, I'm gonna keep looking at you."

"Stop it, or it won't be good for you," she warned, clearly irritated.

"Alright, alright. Let's go see the results," Kiyoshi said, trying to play it cool. "The crowd's probably thinned out by now."

Aiko rolled her eyes but stood up, following him out of the classroom.

As expected, the notice board was nearly empty. The students had already filtered out, leaving only a few stragglers to check their scores. Kiyoshi looked up at the list, his focus straight at Aiko's — second place with a GPA of 3.94.

Then, just above her, he saw it. Soro Akiyama. First place. 4.0 GPA.

Kiyoshi smirked inwardly. A perfect score again, huh?

He glanced at his own score. 21st place among 80 people with 3.25 GPA. Not bad right?

Aiko noticed him staring at the results. "Why are you so lazy?" she asked, shaking her head. "I know you can do better than this."

Kiyoshi blinked, clearly impressed, but also a little amused. "Second? Pfft, sounds like you're always second. Always the runner-up. Even when you try so hard."

Aiko didn't miss a beat. She shot him a deadpan look, clearly unfazed. "Well, someone's gotta be second. If you want to beat me, try actually studying for once."

Kiyoshi crossed his arms, trying to look cool but failing miserably as his grin widened. "Oh, I plan to beat you… in more ways than one. But hey, second place is still impressive, right? After all, there's only one person ahead of you."

Aiko getting serious at it. "And who would that be? Some genius who never opens a book and still manages to ace everything."

Kiyoshi noticing her expression. "I mean, technically, Soro is a genius so can't argue with that,"

Suddenly, a booming voice interrupted their conversation. "Step aside. Let me see the results."

Kiyoshi turned to see the imposing figure of Takashi Sato standing behind them, his presence enough to make the students nearby shift uneasily.

Takashi... Kiyoshi thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips. The same guy who used to bully me when I was new here..