Mr. Pretender

"Step aside, I want to see my results." Kiyoshi says with a deep voice.

Without a word, the students parted, clearing the way for Takashi Sato, who sauntered through the aisles like a king reclaiming his throne. His presence commanded respect—perhaps even fear—as his two loyal chatterboxes flanked him, ready to cause trouble. They immediately began picking on some nearby students, laughing obnoxiously as they shoved their way through the crowd. Takashi, however, didn't seem interested in the chaos they were stirring. His eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Kiyoshi.

"Yo, Kiyoshi! You also here? What's up, buddy?" Takashi's voice was filled with a surprising amount of warmth.

Airi steps away from there as it's non of her business, Going towards the classroom.

Kiyoshi, unfazed by the sudden appearance, met his old rival's gaze with a lazy smirk. "Ah, Takashi. Long time no see. What's up with you?"

Takashi grinned back, and for a moment, there was no tension between them, only a sense of familiarity. The past—their rivalry—seemed almost like a distant memory.

"You're looking calm, as always," Takashi remarked. "Still acting like the lazy genius, huh?"

Kiyoshi chuckled softly. "What can I say? Some things never change."

"I hear you've been pulling some strings around here, getting ahead of the game." Takashi crossed his arms, clearly intrigued.

Kiyoshi shrugged. "I just do what I do. No need to make it a big deal."

Yah, we're not enemies anymore infact he's a good friend of mine now.

---

Flash back: The 1st Day At School

Ishida's thoughts flashed back to that fateful first day at school.

The memory was vivid. Kiyoshi, back then just as lazy and indifferent, had mocked him mercilessly. His bleasers were torn, books scattered all around him as the guys in the back laughed enjoying it. It was humiliating. And the worst part? Takashi had walked past him without a second glance, not caring one bit about him.

Ahh.. that was a lot messier than I thought, it really hurts, Kiyoshi mummers, his mind still calm, even in that chaotic moment. He remembered the sharp sting of embarrassment, Guess I'll have to stop him from bullying me further.

---

The Day After The Incident

Back in the classroom, the boys were chattering away, casually talking about everything and nothing. The mood was light until the door swung open abruptly. A teacher stood at the entrance, his eyes scanning the room. The noise died instantly.

"Everyone, sit down," the teacher commanded, and the students obeyed in silence.

"Kiyoshi, come with me."

Whispers began immediately. "I heard he bullied the orphan guy…"

Kiyoshi stood up, brushing his uniform with a calm expression. "Shut up, I haven't done anything like that," he said sharply, his voice carrying enough authority to silence the room.

He followed the teacher out of the classroom, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. They crossed the courtyard, heading toward another building. The teacher turned to him, the question hanging in the air. "Did you really do that, Kiyoshi?"

Kiyoshi glanced at the teacher with an unbothered smile. "Yes, but I always do such things. What's wrong with that?"

The teacher's expression darkened. "Well, your father is really angry with you."

At the mention of his father, Kiyoshi's eyes widened. His calm demeanor faltered for just a moment as concern flickered across his face.

---

The Coordinator's Room

We see the coordinator's room, where Kiyoshi was seated in front of a massive desk. Behind him, a bleaser was placed neatly on the chair. The man at the desk, Giyan, was buried in paperwork, his presence intimidating even without saying a word.

The doorbell rang, and Giyan's voice called out, "Come in."

The teacher entered, followed by Takashi.

"What are you doing here?" Takashi muttered under his breath as his eyes fell on Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi shot Takashi an evil smirk, a knowing glint in his eyes. Takashi clenched his fists, clearly annoyed. "You little—"

Before Takashi could finish, Giyan intervened. "Hey."

A sudden slap echoed through the room and he called Takashi near him with a nod and he starts walking towards his father his eyes still locked in kiyoshis eyes as the look at each other.

Giyan slapped Takashi hard across the face. Takashi froze, stunned, his eyes welling up with tears.

"You're lucky this is your first and last warning," Giyan said coldly. "From now on, if I catch you bullying anyone, I won't tolerate it. Understand?"

Takashi, still sniffling, grabbed the pen and shakily signed the agreement. His tears mixed with the ink on the paper as he wiped his eyes.

"Here," Giyan said, handing Kiyoshi a set of new books and a bleaser. "Please keep an eye on him. If he misbehaves again, report it to me. And take these—they're for your compensation."

Kiyoshi took the items with a polite nod. "Thanks a lot, but I think you shouldn't have beaten him so hard," he said, his voice calm as always.

Giyan glared at Takashi. "Do you know who he is? He's the only orphan studying in our school, and you think you can bully him like that?"

Takashi's face flushed with shame as Giyan continued to scold him, and Kiyoshi stood quietly by, letting the scene unfold.

---

On the Way Back

Once the confrontation was over, Kiyoshi and Takashi walked back toward their classroom in silence. Kiyoshi carried the books in his hands, the bleaser tucked under his arm.

As they approached the building, Takashi broke the silence. "You won't tell anyone what happened, right?"

Kiyoshi looked at him with a cool smile. "Nah, why would I do that? I've got nothing to gain from it."

Takashi's face brightened. "Thanks, Kiyoshi. You're a real bro." He slung his arm over Kiyoshi's shoulders, his earlier anger replaced by genuine gratitude.

---

The Present Day

"How did you get those higher marks?? I never saw you study even once."

Kiyoshi shrugged casually. "Ahh, it's nothing."

Takashi, still unable to wrap his head around it, looked at his own results. "Look at my grades, man. I'm at the bottom!"

Kiyoshi glanced at the paper. Takashi Sato—GPA: 2.34, Position: 71.

"It's not that bad. At least you're not last," Kiyoshi said with a playful grin.

Takashi laughed, feeling a little better. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

As they walked back to the classroom together, their two friends, who were just below Takashi in the rankings, joined the conversation. They laughed about the grades and joked around.

"You know, you're really lucky to have Kiyoshi around, Takashi," one of his friends remarked. "He's the real genius here, and you're just tagging along."

Takashi grinned. "Yeah, but I've got my own strengths. Kiyoshi and I? We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

The group laughed together, the atmosphere light and carefree as they made their way back to class.

---

And so, as the day came to a close, there was an unexpected sense of camaraderie between Kiyoshi and Takashi. What had started as a rivalry seemed to be evolving into something more—something like a strange friendship. And for Kiyoshi, that was just one more thing to keep his mind calculating.