The Art of War

"I have no idea what it's going to be," Len concluded. Neo's apprehension dissipated instantly, and he let out a soft laugh.

"Don't make me curious like that, only to have nothing planned," Neo teased.

"Do you have any ideas?" Len asked.

"None," Neo replied.

"Then don't complain."

"Hey!"

Len chuckled lightly and said, "Relax. I'll think of something; don't worry. That phone you've been carrying around lately—does it work?"

"Yeah, why?"

Len gave him his number and requested, "Send me a message. I'll save your number, and it'll be easier to contact you when I need to."

Neo sent the message and turned to his side, falling asleep quickly.

The next day, while eating alone in the cafeteria, someone called out to him.

"HEY! Saya's friend!"

He didn’t recognize the cheerful voice until he turned around. It was Kensuke. Neo’s previously relaxed shoulders tensed at the sight of him.

"You're Neo, right? She talks about you so much that I finally remembered your name."

Of course, that made Neo happy, but he maintained a serious and cold demeanor, irritated by how Kensuke had called him Saya's friend.

"What do you want?"

Kensuke's smile quickly turned serious before returning to a grin.

"I think we could be friends."

Friends? That would be a strange thing to happen. The two of them competing for the same girl’s affection—how could they be friends? The rivalry wasn’t over.

"Just like that?" Neo asked, suspicious.

Kensuke suddenly looked embarrassed, realizing that what he was doing didn’t make much sense.

"The truth is, I need your help," he said, sounding genuinely desperate as he sat in the chair across from Neo.

"With what?" Neo asked casually.

"I'm in love with Saya and want to confess to her, so I need your help!" Kensuke said, smiling as he grabbed Neo’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

Neo pulled away as if Kensuke disgusted him. Images of losing the girl he loved flooded his mind. What had been uncertain before now seemed very real with Kensuke’s declaration.

"I just remembered I need to go somewhere. It was nice talking to you. We’ll talk later," Neo said, quickly standing and leaving.

"Hey! Wait!" Kensuke called after him, but it was no use.

Neo didn’t know where to go; he just needed to breathe somewhere not too far since he’d have to return for the next class. Unconsciously, he climbed the stairs and ended up on the rooftop. His feet had led him there, but it was exactly the place he was looking for.

From there, he could see the entire city. It looked so big, and he felt so small. Sadness overwhelmed him. What would he do if Saya abandoned him? Could he move on?

The bell signaling the end of the break rang. Neo went to the bathroom, washed his face, and tried to act like nothing had happened, checking his uniform and hair to make sure everything was in order.

When he entered the classroom, everyone was already there, including Kensuke, who was staring at him. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, which was good since Neo had made it just in time. He simply walked to his seat.

Len noticed his friend wasn’t okay and looked at him for answers, but Neo avoided his gaze.

Sitting down, Neo stared out the window, seeking solitude and reflecting on his thoughts, full of questions and almost no answers.

Neo’s phone vibrated. He looked at it—it was several messages from Len:

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Don’t ignore me."

"Something happened, didn’t it?"

Neo glanced at Len’s annoyed face and sighed, deciding to reply:

"Kensuke showed up out of nowhere and said he wanted to be my friend. He said I was the only one who could help him."

"That’s messed up, asking for your friendship with ulterior motives. I thought he knew how you felt about Saya. Help with what? Studying?"

"He wanted me to help him confess to Saya."

Len sent a shocked emoji and replied:

"He really doesn’t know how you feel about her. I didn’t think he’d ask you for help. I thought Kensuke was the type to do everything alone, but I guess not in this case. So, what did you say?"

"Well..."

Neo paused. He didn’t want to admit how much it had upset him, but there was no way around it. He came up with an idea to skirt the issue and hoped it would work.

"I told him I needed to do something and went to the rooftop. I stayed there for the rest of the break."

"What? Seriously?" Len asked, confused, as the explanation didn’t make much sense.

"Exactly. I was so surprised I didn’t know what to do, so I decided I needed to go anywhere but there," Neo sent quickly, hoping Len would buy it.

"I see. That’s why he was staring at you when you came in," Len concluded.

"I don’t know what to do. It feels like everything’s lost."

"On the contrary. Your biggest enemy just told you he wants to win the war. What are you going to do?"

"I’ll stop him from winning," Neo replied, accepting the challenge.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Len asked, trying to corner him.

"I don’t know," Neo replied quickly and honestly.

It was a tough situation. As much as he wanted to take action, there was nothing he could realistically do.

"You know, you could take advantage of him wanting your help and mess things up. Imagine pretending to help him but leading him in circles or making him take the wrong actions. If things go wrong, just act like it was an honest mistake or that you didn’t know what you were doing," Len suggested.

The idea was good but felt overly devious.

"You’re evil," Neo accused.

"Well, he’s your enemy, isn’t he? It’s only fair to treat him as such. Especially after that stunt he pulled—wanting to be your friend just to get tips on how to woo a girl. Ridiculous."

"But how exactly would I do what you’re suggesting?"

"Kensuke thinks very simply, so his actions will be just as simple. He’s probably planning to confess to her in front of everyone. With that mindset, he should be easy to manipulate."

Len’s idea was solid, but Neo was still debating if it was too underhanded for him.

"I’ll think about it," he said.

Len nodded and gave Neo some space. Kensuke, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop staring, which was unsettling.

After much thought and planning in his head, Neo convinced himself that it was the best course of action. As Len had said, "After pulling a stunt like that, asking for help with ulterior motives, anyone would deserve some punishment."

At the end of class, Neo approached Kensuke.

"Kensuke," he said, making a great effort to sound friendly.

"You disappeared. Where did you go during the break? I looked everywhere for you."

"I had to take care of something."

Kensuke seemed to think about this information, looking slightly suspicious, but the circumstances forced him to let it go.

"Alright."

"Look, I’ll help you, but only if it doesn’t involve me too much. I like to keep to myself."

"That’s exactly what I wanted."

Neo found it strange how easily Kensuke agreed. It was time for the next step.

"Okay. First, I need to ask you something. What’s your plan?"

Kensuke thought for a moment and, when he had everything in his head, confidently said, "I was thinking of confessing to her right here in the classroom, in front of everyone, as soon as class ends..."

Neo laughed internally as Kensuke spoke.

Kensuke thinks very simply, so his actions will be just as simple.

"No, you can’t do it like that. It won’t work," Neo interrupted.

"Really?" Kensuke asked, a bit disappointed that his idea wouldn’t work.

"Yes. Saya is very shy, extremely shy. She wouldn’t like you confessing in public. Even if she liked you, she’d reject you for sure."

Neo was lying, but he didn’t realize he’d stumbled upon a truth in his statement. Kensuke was impressed because it made total sense. He knew Saya enough for the information to click.

"To think I, her childhood friend, barely know her anymore," Kensuke said sadly, reflecting on the past. After a moment, he returned with renewed determination. "Well, whatever. I’ll make up for lost time. So, when do we start?"

It was time for the next stage.

"I haven’t thought of anything yet. Give me some time, and I’ll let you know when I do," Neo said.

"Alright, I’ll be waiting," Kensuke agreed.

Having successfully stalled his adversary, Neo returned to the dorm and consulted Len about the next step.

"Now that your enemy’s out of the game, you know what we’re going to do?" Len asked with a mischievous grin.

"No," Neo replied honestly.

"They say the best defense is a good offense. It’s time for you to attack."