Another Like Me - Part II (CoTE x OC)

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟘𝟟 - 𝔸𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖

( Takeyama POV )

"Fold."

"Show."

Ryuuen called out for a showdown, and he threw his two cards down onto the floor. An ace and a queen, matching with another pair of the same on the table.

"Two Pair."

I smirked.

"Straight."

"Tch," Ryuuen clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're got luck on your side tonight, Takeyama. Don't get too cocky. I'll blast that smirk off of your face."

"I'd like to see you try?"

An annoyed sigh escaped Ryuuen's lips, and he went back to dealing the cards for another round of the game. Ichinose was a bit new to poker, so she watched me play instead, marveling at how I had managed to win 3 rounds in a row.

"This game is so scary....." Ichinose said, and she shivered unintentionally. "Aren't you betting your Private Points on this, Takeyama-kun?"

"Of course we are," Arisu answered in my stead, with the smuggest grin of them all. "It looks like by the time we're done, Keisuke is going to empty all of our pockets."

"Come on, we're betting like 300 Private Points per round. It's honestly not that much. Besides, I'm probably going to treat you guys with these Points anyways."

"Huh, you'll treat us? Imma choose the most expensive place, then," Ryuuen sneered.

"I'm gonna order only plain drinking water for you, Ryuuen. Tap water if you say anything else."

"Oh, how disappointing," Ryuuen feigned betrayal. I rolled my eyes, and so did Arisu. Seeing Ryuuen act all chummy-chummy with the class leaders was probably the last thing that anyone in the entire world expected. I was on good terms with Arisu and Ichinose anyways, but with Ryuuen in the fray, things look like they've got a thousand times more livelier and depressing at the same time.

"Arisu, you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Of course not."

"What is your opinion on Masayoshi Hashimoto?" I asked. I had received trash cards this time. Better to fold.

Arisu thought about it for a bit. "Hashimoto-kun is a dependable person. He knows how to get the job done, however hard it may be. He's a smooth talker, and he can get away with quite a lot of drama."

"Do you think he has potential to be the next leader of Class A?"

By now, Ichinose and Ryuuen were silently listening to our conversation as well.

"The next leader of Class A? I doubt it," Arisu said. "He's not the type to come out front and lead with example. He's the type to support the one who's winning. When school had just begun, Hashimoto-kun immediately judged me as the better contender for Class A's leader over Katsuragi. He has a good eye for talent, and he knows what to say, when to say and how to say. But he does not strike me as a potential threat to our class."

"But you say he follows the person who he thinks can lead from the front. And it seems that he has a good knack for identifying talents and threats. Surely that is something we could worry about?"

Arisu paused shuffling through her cards for a moment, and pondered over my statement. "I wouldn't say that is too much of a problem, Keisuke. There are several people like that, who are quite adept at recognizing another's skills or flaws. Hashimoto-kun is not alone in that aspect. Kito-kun, Masumi-san, Yamamura-san, Nishikawa-san..... they all have an eye for talent, and they're all in Class A."