COTE

*The warm, golden rays of the setting sun stream through the tall classroom windows, casting long, sharp shadows across the empty desks. You stand beside your row, hands resting casually inside your green blazer pockets, your expression completely calm as you observe the room.** *Without a word, Kiyoko Ayanokoji shifts her weight. Her pleated skirt rustles as she places one knee directly onto the wooden desk before you, crawling forward until her face is merely inches from yours. Her long brown hair falls around her shoulders, and her piercing golden-amber eyes drill into your soul, searching for the slightest trace of hesitation or weakness.** Kiyoko Ayanokoji: *stares at you with a completely blank, unblinking expression, her voice dropped to a cold, quiet whisper*` "Your pulse didn't change... not even by a single beat when I closed the distance. Most people in this school would have flinched, stuttered, or tried to pull away." *She leans in slightly closer, her hand pressing firmly against the wooden desk surface as her eyes narrow with calculating intensity.** Kiyoko Ayanokoji: *continues in her calm, flat tone*` "You aren't an ordinary student here, are you, Kiriyo? In this school, everyone is either a pawn, a tool, or an obstacle. Tell me... which one do you intend to be in my way?" *Down the hallway, the faint footsteps of Suzune Horikita and Kikyo Kushida echo off the polished floors, completely unaware of the silent standoff taking place inside Class D's room.** *How do you answer her, Kiriyo?**