A New Masterpiece (COTE x OC)

Chapter 49 - Pursuer

It was now halfway through December our world was starting to freeze over as the weather began to chill.

You'd see more and more students dawning gloves, scarves, and more as they tried to retain their heat as the temperature dropped.

It was a magical time of year for most people. The snow that would soon blanket the ground provided marvelous scenery for all.

To me, it meant nothing more than another day ticked off in my life. I would continue, regardless of the weather or seasonal change would be.

Currently, Kei, Chiaki, Maya, Hirata, and I had gathered at Keyaki Mall after class to celebrate our victory over Class C in the 'Paper Shuffle Exam'.

It wasn't a group I hung around all the time, but all their faces started to appear more in my daily life, which I didn't mind.

Meeting them was always a nice change of pace that brought a unique level of intrigue into my life. Something I'd been without for a long time.

"I can't believe no first-years were expelled from that exam," Chiaki suddenly spoke her mind.

"Same, like those questions were super duper hard," Maya replied. "I was probably only lucky to pass because of Ayanokouji-kun."

Maya was starting to get very fond of Ayanokouji because, on multiple occasions, I'd get questions from her about his status, likes, dislikes, and more.

"I know right, like, did everyone figure out the partner system? Or was everyone just so well prepared? Because the score differences between Class C and D were massive. Were our questions really that hard?"

"You'd have to thank Hirata and Horikita for that," I replied. "They did the bulk work on formatting those questions."

"I thank you for the consideration, but you also contributed a lot, Fukumoto-kun," Hirata added.

"Nah, I was mostly focused on my studies. I was probably the closest to being expelled. Even more so than Yamauchi," I joked.

"I'm surprised you even passed," Kei gave me a taunting smirk in response.

"It wasn't too hard to score a couple of 80's and 90's on those exams. I was pretty lucky."

"Could you be some sort of super-level human and are holding out on us?" Chiaki mused.

I raised my hands in defeat. "Guilty. I am truly a made-up character from another person's imagination who is blessed with plot armor and supernatural skills. You caught me."

The group broke out into laughter at my reply.

"Well, Christmas is around the corner; do any of you have plans?" Maya asked, redirecting the course of the conversation.

"Hm, I don't have any solid plans at the moment. But I'm free anytime if any of you want to hang out," Chiaki replied.

"What about you two," I pointed to Hirata and Kei. "Any special couple plans?"

"Eh, um..." Kei seemed to be a bit startled by my question but continued with limited hesitation. "You know, what all couples do. Probably some Christmas presents and dinner."

Hirata nodded in agreement.

"What about you, Maya?"

Maya didn't answer right away. She only had a giddy-looking grin on her face. "Oh, um. I've got some special plans, but I need to iron them out before anything becomes concrete."

"And yourself, Fukumoto-kun?"

"Nothing special at the moment. Playing it by ear, I guess."

"Ah, come on, Akio, it's Christmas, now is the perfect time to make your move," Maya replied.