'Grandmaster (Special Rank)'

Today, Asakusa Toru did not write down the additional public information in his diary.

It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I can't think of anyone to write intelligence about right now.

If we're going to rely on the most recently written intelligence, then we have to follow the direction that was mentioned before, but wasn't discussed in detail or in a standard way.

In that case, we'll have to rely on my little Little Sister-chan and Kikyo.

My Little Sister-chan doesn't mind, but there's no need to tease Kikyo anymore since she's already one of us.

He has plenty of ways to be teased.

Before I knew it, I had already spent a semester at this school, and I thought my combat power would expand at a very fast pace.

But unexpectedly, he is still only the strongest human on Earth at the limit.

The line between 'human' and 'non-human' seems difficult to cross.

Having kept this diary for so long, Asakusa Toru had a vague premonition.

The moment of transcendence is not the reward of Voice Recorder or Voice Transmission, which can be considered transcendent but not entirely so. Rather, it is something more special, unique, and with a different meaning: the moment when the line of distance is blurred.

That's probably the moment he should leave the Advanced Nurturing.

The first semester has passed, and there are still two semesters left until the end of first grade.

He might find it difficult to advance further before that deadline, but perhaps he would be absolutely safe.

[Today's record completed, this record is rated 'C', currently drawing rewards]

[Draw successful! Congratulations on obtaining the Skill 'Grandmaster']

My thoughts came to a halt, and the settlement text of today's diary appeared before my eyes. The reward was drawn instantly, and then the specific information of the reward unfolded before my eyes.

[Name: Grandmaster]

[Category: Skill]

[Effect: You are a top-tier Chess master]

[Note: "Let's play a game, just you and me."]

Evaluations can be ignored; what needs to be studied is the reward system.

In fact, Asakusa Toru didn't pursue Sakayanagi Arisu much in today's diary. After that dream Sakayanagi Arisu didn't choose to find him, whether it was because she didn't remember his face, or because she didn't dare to confront him directly, or for some other reason.

But in short, she hasn't changed.

So Asakusa Toru was happy to let her rest for a while.

Love Sakayanagi TV is now in its halftime break.

After slandering Sakayanagi for so long, it's time to give her a break.

After all, there are things that are more gratifying to him and that he enjoys analyzing.

"Ah, Shiina Hiyori, my love."

What? You're asking, 'Did they do something naughty at the end?'

Well, to put it simply, I've hugged those I was supposed to hug, kissed those I was supposed to kiss, and touched those I was supposed to touch.

With her romantic relationship settled, the girl felt relieved.

But he hasn't eaten any meat yet.

It's not that he lacks carnivorous aggression; as everyone knows, from the moment he entered school until today, whenever he has the Matoba, Asakusa Toru will not hesitate to make his move.

To outsiders, he might seem like some kind of repressed master, wondering why he's so happy eating big white steamed buns.

But that's not the case.

He wasn't being suppressed; on the contrary, he was liberated, released, and freed.

Is it so hard to understand that you start doing something simply because you want to?

Isn't it actually more repressive to suppress one's inner thoughts and pretend to be a virtuous gentleman?

They should have really wanted to, should have really longed to take things further, but they had to suppress their emotions and pretend, and after parting, they ended up curled up in bed, fantasizing about calling out each other's names.

That's the most oppressive kind of life.

The reason she didn't eat meat was simple: the girl wasn't ready for it.

To some extent, Shiina Hiyori still maintains a certain sense of ritual.

In matters of love, you can Kissing when you confess your feelings, when Kissing officially Kissing a couple, or even after you've been dating for a while.

The timing of Kissing is up to you.

Although it represents progress in the relationship and signifies that the relationship has transcended certain levels, its meaning is not entirely fixed.

It could be getting to know someone, it could be the deepening of feelings, or it could be a signal of "yes, okay".

Clearly, Shiina Hiyori here is a declaration of friendship.

Since it has become a declaration of communication, it cannot represent a signal of 'okay'. To gradually reach that point, we need to...

Asakusa Toru still needs to go through some procedures.

The beginning of holding hands, the time spent snuggling together, the synchronized steps, the memories of dates, the sweet words...

To go further, to go a little more, to try something new, to experience something new.

Young girls are troublesome; they are never satisfied, they will never be satisfied.

Asakusa Toru's attitude towards this was, of course, to do it all!

That's what love is all about; that's what makes it love.

The previous relationships were too distorted; it's time for Shiina Hiyori to straighten them out.

As for the rumors and gossip from others...

It's okay, he still has his non-prescription glasses.

Thinking about it carefully, this thing is truly a time management marvel and an excellent tool for dating.

This also allows us to give Chihiro a date, since she's actually the one who most desires dates—something that allows her to exercise her legitimate rights as a girlfriend and solidify her position.

In short, that's the situation.

So Asakusa Toru was a little confused about why they would give out this kind of reward.

Chess and such... isn't that the Little Princess's favorite?

If this were a diary entry from a couple of days ago, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Asakusa Toru posted while he was torturing the Little Princess.

But he posted this while praising Shiina Hiyori...

Oh well, anyway, the pattern for giving out rewards in the Diary is that there's no pattern at all.

"Disorderly hair."

Send it, send it.

Whether this thing is useful or not is hard to say, according to Asakusa Toru.

As the highest honor in the competitive sport of Chess, the 'Grandmaster' designation is undoubtedly highly prestigious.

From the sensation he just experienced that merged into his body, it's clear that he has achieved the highest level of control over the game of Chess.

Even before this, he didn't really understand the rules.

But is there any point in saying this? Who the hell Chess with you normally? Go to tournaments and sweep the competition? Does he lack that little bit of honor and prize money?

I feel like it's better to dismantle some Voice Recorder and sell them as scrap.

But to say this thing is useless? Whether it's going back to school to withdraw money from the club or giving a good beating to the Little Princess who holds Chess in such high regard, this Skill is extremely useful.

The focus is on the latter.

It can be said that Asakusa Toru has collected the most important piece of the puzzle in winning over the Little Princess.

"The remaining questions..."

See if the Little Princess has been successfully corrected, observe Little Princess thoughts and attitudes, and determine how you should approach Little Princess appropriately.

Sigh, putting everything else aside, he really likes Sakayanagi Arisu.

The reason why Love Sakayanagi TV broadcasts for so long is, of course, because they like it.

Anyway, I'm not the one who's going to be the one affected by the Civil War, nor am I the one who's going to be influenced by this amazing wisdom.

I like little female devils, and I want white-haired lolis!

A beautiful girl from an incredible land with silver-white hair!

"Those who don't understand what makes Alice so adorable are in trouble."

After settling the accounts and receiving and reviewing the rewards, he casually put away his Diary and, with a flick of his wrist, Asakusa Toru entered the White Room seemed somewhat unfamiliar but wasn't actually that long ago.

He came to see his 'private tutor', Amasawa Ichika.

The last time I came to this gym... was a couple of days ago on the Uninhabited Island.

There's nothing that can be done about it; the environment on Uninhabited Island is just that bad. Even with the school's renovations and improvements, Uninhabited Island is still Uninhabited Island.

He couldn't very well do something with Honami Chihiro on Uninhabited Island.

There were no safety measures, and no medicine.

Asakusa Toru had been waiting for the Diary to send him a magic spell to avoid being touched, but unfortunately it didn't. So he could only honestly use physical means, occasionally resorting to technological means, or timing it perfectly to the date that the creature allowed.

It's certainly good, but it is indeed a bit troublesome.

It's not as straightforward and direct as Miss Amazawa's approach; there's absolutely no need to worry about any problems arising.

She can't exactly come out of the gym and bite me, can she?

Thinking of this, Asakusa Toru chuckled.

Both are dream experiences, Sakayanagi Arisu can become her real self offline during Advanced Nurturing, while Amasawa Ichika can't even get into the school.

Even if he gets into the school, Amazawa is no threat to me now.

The gap between myself and Amasawa Ichika might be even greater than the gap between Amasawa Ichika and Sakayanagi Arisu.

The reason for seeking out Amazawa on the Uninhabited Island was, of course, to de-stress and relax.

Although Asakusa Toru could indeed use the terminal, after all, he had more than just the terminal that the school required him to keep on the ship, he still preferred playing with Ms. Amazawa to playing with a small mobile phone.

But now that the exams are over and he's back on the ship, he's not just here for fun anymore.

"Let's play a round." Looking at Amasawa Ichika before him, without the usual physical contact, Asakusa Toru instead said this:

"Chess"

That's right, he came to play chess.

Feelings are one thing, but actually playing chess is another. You have to turn the power that Skill bring into reality and completely integrate it into yourself.

Real-world practice is definitely the best approach.

As for why Amazawa was chosen instead of directly finding a website for random matchmaking...

Chess isn't like mahjong. It sounds impressive, but as for the influence of Chess... Asakusa Toru can't say for sure.

At least in his understanding, Chess was somewhat of a dead end.

Although it's not as popular as some local board games or street-side competitions, it's still a somewhat international sport, but it's certainly not as popular as Chinese chess, Go, or even Gomoku.

He even thought shogi was better than Chess.

He was referring to popularity.

Of course, this is just his own understanding.

In any case, rather than playing against random strangers of unknown skill, he might as well try his hand at playing against Amasawa Ichika.

It's important to know that in White Room, although the primary goal of training and strengthening is 'physical fitness,' there's much more to learn than you might imagine.

For example, piano, calligraphy, tea ceremony, and so on.

Carrying a piano while kneeling and practicing calligraphy and tea ceremony is a signature scene at the White Room!

What? AI? These days, AI isn't powerful enough. At least, we haven't seen any significant progress in commercial AI, as seen with Asakusa Toru.