"I lost..."
Looking at his king, already cornered with no escape on the board, Chiba conceded cleanly.
"You picked it up quickly."
After that, Asuma's voice came from across from him. There was neither much joy in victory nor the delight of having found someone to play shogi with.
Chiba merely smiled.
Honestly, he did not care much about winning or losing. He had no great interest in board games to begin with, and even if he did, he was bad at them.
Yes, he had absolutely no talent for board games.
No matter how he played, he was terrible at them.
That, aside from how mentally taxing they were, was one reason he disliked board games.
"Have you gone to see Kakashi?"
This time, after Chiba conceded, Asuma did not set up the pieces again. Instead, he left the board as it was, raised his head, looked at Chiba, and asked.
"No."
Chiba's expression shifted slightly as he shook his head.
Did something happen to Kakashi?
A trace of doubt flashed through Chiba's mind.
"You should go see him. Obito and Rin are gone, and he's in pretty bad shape. Maybe seeing you would make him feel a little better."
Hearing Chiba's answer, Asuma pressed his lips together before speaking. Yet there was an inexplicable emotion in his words.
Me? I could make Kakashi feel better? Chiba paused slightly. Rin was dead now, and Kakashi should have entered a period of confusion. He would probably be joining the Anbu soon. Chiba could not see how visiting Kakashi would do him any good.
If anything, it would probably bring Kakashi unpleasant feelings. After all, they had fought side by side during the Kannabi Bridge mission. Seeing him would likely remind Kakashi of the dead Obito and make him feel even