Club Orientation Meeting

At 2:00 PM, Amasawa Yuto arrived at the gymnasium right on time. Arisu Sakayanagi was already waiting there.

Her mood seemed even more vibrant than when they parted in the morning. Had something good happened during lunch?

The gymnasium was spacious. The indoor basketball court was currently filled with colorful recruitment booths and posters. First-year students wandered through with curious expressions, while upperclassmen at the booths patiently answered their questions.

"It's quite lively. I didn't expect there to be so many clubs." Yuto scanned the area. There were about thirty clubs in total. Aside from traditional sports departments like the soccer club, basketball club, and swimming club, there were plenty of cultural ones as well, such as the tea ceremony club, chess club, and esports club...

The esports club seemed particularly popular. A flashy, multicolored gaming PC and monitor were set up for freshmen to try out, and the atmosphere was heated.

"Yamauchi, your aim is so bad that even a talent scout would call you a 'good horse'—just let me handle it!"

"Don't move, don't move! You know my skill level; I'm definitely going to crush them. Just wait. Let me plug in my USB drive, and I guarantee I'll one-tap that Sakurajima Mai on the other side!"

There were even some departments with abstract names. For instance, at a booth called the euphonium club, several upperclassmen were playing trumpets and violins—they were likely forming a band.

There was another one that was even more baffling, called the far east magical napping society of summer. Did this name mean everyone was joining a cult of sleep? Judging by their recruitment booth, they seemed to be performing card tricks for the first-year students. Perhaps "magic" was the real focus of the name.

"Is there any club you'd like to join, Yuto-kun?" Arisu Sakayanagi asked, seeing him standing there scanning the room 360 degrees like a security camera.

"Every club is quite interesting, but I don't have any particular interest at the moment," Amasawa Yuto replied.

"In your eyes, Yuto-kun, these probably look no different from the trivial games of kindergarteners."

"You overestimate me, Sakayanagi. There is still a lot I need to learn. For example, I know absolutely nothing about things like the tea ceremony."

"In that case, there are a few clubs I'm interested in. Would you mind accompanying me?"

Yuto nodded. Arisu Sakayanagi led him to the chess club. Compared to the other clubs, this booth was deserted; there was only one upperclassman handling the recruitment.

The barrier to entry for chess was naturally high, so it was likely that very few students were interested in it.

The upperclassman sitting in front of the booth had been biting his nails while scrolling on his phone, but he straightened up instantly when he saw them approach.

"Hello, students. I'm Kuzuryu Yaichi from class 2-c," he said politely. "Is there anything you'd like to know?"

Arisu Sakayanagi smiled and pointed to the chess board set up on the table. It held an endgame scenario where the black pieces looked to be on the verge of collapse.

"This is set up for interested students to ponder. Everyone is welcome to try it, but it seems like no one is really interested in chess," Kuzuryu Yaichi said, scratching his head awkwardly. "I almost thought I'd set it up for nothing."

"If I solve this black piece deadlock, will you give me a small point reward, upperclassman?"

Kuzuryu Yaichi froze for a moment, seemingly surprised by Arisu Sakayanagi's proposal—or perhaps her confidence.

A look of joy at finding a fellow enthusiast appeared in his eyes. He began to consider her offer, then made a pained expression. "How about this: if you can solve this endgame, I'll give you 5,000... no, 10,000 points!"

The pained look on his face, which clearly said I can't spare a single point more, was definitely not faked. It seemed his own points weren't exactly abundant.

Even so, he was willing to offer 10,000 points to a junior who liked chess. It wasn't out of the pride of a gambler, but simply a genuine desire to support a fellow student who shared his passion.

It would likely be impossible to have a match with him where points were on the line; that would go against his original intention for playing chess.

Being obsessed with a suitable hobby is by no means a bad thing. Amasawa Yuto had a very favorable impression of people who were so focused.

"Then I shall gratefully accept." Arisu Sakayanagi said, looking back at Amasawa Yuto. "I thought of at least five ways to break this deadlock. What about you, Yuto-kun?"

"Then you win, Sakayanagi. I only thought of four."

"It seems I've won~" Arisu Sakayanagi flashed a happy smile like a child. "Though that's just verbal, it doesn't necessarily mean Yuto-kun only really thought of four..."

"Eh? Five? Four?" Senior Kuzuryu Yaichi looked left and right, then stared at the chessboard, beginning to ponder.

Is the endgame position he set up really that bad? Do they not even need time to think?

That can't be right. This was the same one the seniors set up when he participated last year. This was the wisdom of his predecessors; he hadn't even been able to solve it back then.

While he was lost in thought, Arisu Sakayanagi moved the pieces to play against him, rescuing the black pieces from the dead end in a few quick moves.

"Whoa, there was actually that move?!" Kuzuryu Yaichi was so excited his jaw nearly hit the floor, his speech stumbling. "What's your name, classmate? Are you interested in joining the chess club? Everyone in our chess club is talented, and they speak so well—"

Arisu Sakayanagi smiled. "I am Arisu Sakayanagi from Class A, first year. As for joining, please give me a form for now. After I finish looking around, if I'm interested, I will come and submit it in person."

Kuzuryu Yaichi seemed to fall into deep thought. "Sakayanagi... Arisu? Could you be—"

Arisu Sakayanagi made a shushing gesture. Kuzuryu Yaichi understood immediately, covering his mouth with both hands and nodding repeatedly, the light of admiration practically overflowing from his eyes.

After learning that the girl in front of him was the champion of the previous World Chess Championship, there was no longer a trace of pain on Kuzuryu Yaichi's face when he transferred the points. He even generously added an extra five thousand points. He no longer asked her to join the club, only hoping she would grace the chess club with her presence to offer some guidance when she had free time.

In the blink of an eye, the one-hour recruitment fair neared its end. Everyone noticed a black-haired boy wearing glasses standing on the gymnasium stage at some point.

If one had listened carefully during the opening ceremony in the morning, they would recognize him: he was the student representative who gave the speech, Horikita Manabu.

He stood there, his gaze as sharp as a sword, like a monarch surveying his kingdom.

Some students recognized him and quickly shut their mouths, looking around nervously like elementary school students caught daydreaming in class.

But there were still those making noise, perhaps because they hadn't seen the stage, or perhaps because they thought it was just an ordinary student standing up there.

Arisu Sakayanagi tugged on Amasawa Yuto's sleeve, reminding him to pay attention to Horikita Manabu on the stage. "He looks like he wants to use his own aura to suppress all the freshmen."

"Mm, though he should be able to do it. He carries the natural aura of someone in a position of authority."

"I feel like being a little mischievous." Arisu Sakayanagi seemed to have thought of some bad idea; she wore a wicked smile as she took out her phone to send an email to someone.

"Hey, did you forget your lines, Senior?" A student cupped his hands around his mouth and mocked toward the stage. "Do you want to go down, memorize them again, and come back?"

Horikita Manabu just stood there.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Something strange happened. Silence spread outward like a ripple.

Fifteen seconds.

Twenty seconds.

The entire gymnasium fell into a near-suffocating silence. No one spoke, no one moved, and even the sound of flipping through handbooks vanished. Everyone seemed to have been hit with a mute button.

Horikita Manabu finally moved. He lifted his chin slightly and adjusted his glasses, which caught the light with a cold glint.

"It seems there is no longer a need to remind everyone to be quiet." Horikita Manabu finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silence: "I am Student Council President Horikita—"

"Gin no Ryu no Sen ni Notte (Riding on the back of a silver dragon)..."

A sharp, urgent ringtone erupted in the silent gymnasium at the exact same moment as Horikita Manabu's voice, sounding jarringly harsh.