Birth of the shadow: Uchiha sasuke x COTE fanfic

After school, Hirata stood at the podium, preparing for the class discussion, his enthusiasm obvious as he began writing on the blackboard. Thanks to his charisma and gentle persuasion, nearly everyone showed up—except for Horikita and Sudou. The two had left the classroom as soon as the bell rang, clearly uninterested in participating.

Before the discussion could start, Yamauchi popped out from under Ayanokoji's desk, looking disheveled and desperate.

"Ayanokoji~!" Yamauchi's voice whined.

Ayanokoji jumped in surprise. "The hell!? W-what's wrong?"

Yamauchi, still clutching the game console he had been playing with earlier, placed it on Ayanokoji's desk with a pitiful expression. "If you sell that thing to me, who would I play it with?"

Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow. "How should I know? It's fine though, right? It's a good deal."

"I'll buy it if you lower the price to 1000 points." Yamauchi's voice took on a pleading tone.

"Ayanokoji~! I don't have anyone else to rely on~!" Yamauchi pouted dramatically, hoping to win him over.

Ayanokoji sighed, feeling a bit guilty for the poor guy but refusing nonetheless. "Why only me? I can't give what I don't have."

Yamauchi's eyes watered comically, but Ayanokoji averted his gaze, unable to stand the awkwardness. Defeated, Yamauchi looked around for another target and spotted Sasuke sitting nearby.

"Hey, Uchiha! You interested in buying this console?" Yamauchi asked, his eyes lighting up with hope.

Sasuke didn't even bother looking up, his cold demeanor unwavering. "I'm not interested in childish games."

"Eh? Who doesn't like games?" Yamauchi protested, but Sasuke ignored him entirely, his attention elsewhere. It was clear Yamauchi was getting nowhere with him.

Realizing Sasuke was a dead end, Yamauchi shamelessly turned his attention to Hasebe. "Hasebe! Hey, best friend! Buy this game console for 22,000 points!"

The price had suddenly increased, and Sasuke, watching this spectacle, felt no pity for Yamauchi. *Their mistakes are their own to bear,* he thought indifferently.

Meanwhile, Kushida, observing the scene, smiled sympathetically. "It must be hard for everyone who's used up their points."

Ayanokoji glanced at her. "Kushida, are you okay on points? Girls have a lot of various necessities, after all."

"Hmm, well, for now," she replied, a thoughtful look on her face. "I've used up about half of my points already. I spent a bit too much this first month, so I'll have to be more careful moving forward. How about you, Ayanokoji-kun?"

"I've barely used any of mine," Ayanokoji said nonchalantly. "I don't really have anything I need."

"Is that because you don't have friends?" Kushida teased with a playful smile.

"Hey..." Ayanokoji groaned, but he didn't seem too bothered.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean anything by it!" Kushida laughed.

Sasuke, meanwhile, had tuned out their banter, his mind drifting to more important matters. He contemplated whether staying in this school was even worth his time. Should he just leave and explore this world? There was so much to learn about the strange energies he had sensed the night before, and perhaps that knowledge would lead him to regain his full power.

Just then, Kushida interrupted his thoughts. "Uchiha-kun, how many points do you have left?"

Sasuke's eyes slowly shifted to her, his expression unreadable. After a brief moment of silence, he ignored her question entirely, his cold gaze cutting through the air. Kushida's cheerful smile faltered for a second, her composure briefly slipping.

Ayanokoji, sensing the growing tension, stepped in smoothly. "He's only spent about 5000 points out of the 100,000."

Kushida's eyes widened in surprise. "Only 5000 points in an entire month? How is that even possible?"

Sasuke didn't respond. He had no interest in explaining himself to someone who wouldn't understand. He had grown accustomed to surviving on little—his needs were minimal, and luxury was irrelevant to him.

Seeing Kushida about to press further, Sasuke was about to shut the conversation down when they were interrupted.

"Um, Kushida-san?" A voice called from behind them.

Turning, they saw Karuizawa approaching with a wide, albeit fake, smile.

"Karuizawa-san, what is it?" Kushida asked.

Karuizawa let out a forced laugh. "To be honest, I've used up all my points. I've gotten some help from the other girls, but I thought I'd ask you too, Kushida-san. We're friends, right? I only need about 2000 points."

"Un, okay." Without hesitation, Kushida agreed, pulling out her phone.

Ayanokoji looked visibly surprised that Kushida didn't even hesitate.

Karuizawa flashed a quick smile. "Thanks~. Friends really are useful! Here's my number. See you later~."

Karuizawa didn't even wait for a response, already moving on to her next target, Inogashira. But not before throwing a glance in Sasuke's direction, one he didn't bother acknowledging.

"Was that really okay?" Ayanokoji asked Kushida as Karuizawa walked away. "Your points probably won't come back."

"I can't turn down a friend when they're in need," Kushida responded with a gentle smile. "Karuizawa-san has a lot of friends too, so it must be hard for her to manage without many points."

Sasuke silently listened to their exchange, but his mind was elsewhere. He knew the true value of private points in this school. Everything could be bought with them—more than the students seemed to realize. The teacher had subtly hinted at this during orientation, though none of his classmates seemed to have noticed.

As Ayanokoji and Kushida continued their conversation, Sasuke felt a strange sensation, a premonition of sorts. Something was about to happen. And almost as if on cue, the loudspeaker crackled to life.

"Ayanokoji-kun and Uchiha-kun from Class D. Chiyabashira-sensei is calling for you. Please come to the staff room."

The classroom grew quiet for a moment as the announcement sank in. Ayanokoji turned to Sasuke, a curious look on his face. "Do you have any idea why the teacher wants to see us?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his voice calm yet cold. "Don't know. Don't care."

Ayanokoji shrugged, not pushing the matter further. "Oh. Alright."

Together, the two made their way out of the classroom, walking in silence toward the staff room. As they walked, Sasuke's mind raced. *Why had the teacher called them specifically?* He wasn't one to be summoned without reason, and while he didn't care much for the school's petty rules, something about this felt suspicious.

Yet deep down, he had a faint idea of what this might be about. And that only made him more wary.