Kushida Kikyo's Late-Night Tutoring

"Let's have Celebration Party after the Final Exam are over, during the New Year's holiday! This time we can throw our own party, it has to be a big, lively one!"

"Ohhhh!!!"

"Support."

"I'll prepare lots of things, I'm sure I'll surprise you all!!!"

Group activities are what the students in Class A of the First Year are most enthusiastic about. Now that the second semester is coming to an end, everyone has a lot of Private Points.

Despite the monthly Halve of Private Points, the students in Class A, being in first place, did not experience a significant impact on the Private Points they could obtain, and their accumulated funds were not small.

This situation is perfect for holding large-scale events, which can not only further enhance cohesion among classmates, but also help release psychological stress.

"Then let Honami handle the preparations, how about that?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled at his girlfriend. He was currently focusing his energy on getting closer to his girlfriend and on Student Council affairs, so he could leave things like organizing class activities to Ichinose Honami.

"Yes, yes, I will put on an even more perfect New Year's Eve party!"

The pink-haired girl smiled and nodded. This matter was equally important to her, so she naturally wouldn't hesitate to take it on.

After the school bell rang, Hashiba Hikaru hurried to the Student Council. He had spent the day practicing the [Mastery of All Chess] skill he had learned yesterday in his mind, mainly focusing on chess.

The techniques of different schools and the solutions to various situations are all experiences accumulated by Go masters. At this moment, Hashiba Hikaru has built a complete system in his mind, so he is very confident about his game against Sakayanagi today.

After finishing her Student Council duties, Hashiba Hikaru looked at the silver-haired girl sitting not far away. She seemed to be in a good mood today, and even while working, she had a smile on her face.

"Have you finished your work Vice President Hashiba?"

After the girl finished tidying up her desk, she took her cane and went to Hashiba Hikaru's desk.

"It's over, let's go."

Hashiba Hikaru slowly walked with Sakayanagi Arisu to the Club Room where she had somehow managed to get the opportunity. After more than a hundred failures, the boy decided to wash away his defeats with a resounding three-game winning streak today.

"Hmm? Classmate Hashiba seems to be in a high spirits today?"

After the two sat down facing each other, watching the boy arranging the chess pieces, Sakayanagi Arisu felt that his expression was somewhat unusual.

"Yes, I watched a lot of courses taught by masters yesterday, and I feel like I've improved a lot."

Hashiba Hikaru placed the last piece, her expression becoming extremely serious.

"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it."

The silver-haired girl smiled slightly, her eyes also burning with fierce fighting spirit. Although Sakayanagi always appeared calm and collected, the girl's competitive spirit was by no means weak, and pursuing victory was one of her favorite things.

Let's begin.

"Please."

The first game quickly entered a heated phase, and after reaching the crucial moment of confrontation, both players needed to be extremely cautious with every move.

"Huh?"

After her attack was thwarted, Sakayanagi Arisu felt a strange unease. She had discovered a weakness in herself, a weakness that had been created by her opponent's early planning and had now become her biggest vulnerability.

What happened?

How could Classmate Hashiba's skills have improved so quickly in just one night?

378

Chapter 378 Kushida Kikyo's Nighttime Tutoring Class

The familiar club match, the familiar location and the familiar opponent, but the situation was completely different, far exceeding Sakayanagi Arisu's expectations.

The first game had only been going on for less than ten minutes Sakayanagi Arisu clearly felt that he was in a crisis. If he didn't find a way to break the deadlock quickly, he might only have the option of admitting defeat.

She looked up at the serious-looking boy opposite her. He wasn't like this yesterday, so why has he changed so much all of a sudden?

Was it really because I watched the master's videos?

"What's wrong?"

Although Hashiba Hikaru was excited, he was never one to pop champagne halfway through a match. Before his opponent conceded defeat, the boy maintained an extremely focused state of mind, and every move he made was quite cautious.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little surprised by how fast Classmate Hashiba has improved."

Sakayanagi Arisu slightly. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit defeat at this moment. The girl's aura became even more solemn. She stared at the chessboard, beginning to consider the possibilities of each move, searching for the most unlikely way to break the deadlock.

About three minutes later, she seemed to have found a way to break the deadlock. She immediately picked up her piece and prepared to move it. Just after she placed her piece, Hashiba Hikaru on the opposite side made her move.

"General."

The boy moved his chariot piece to an extremely dangerous position, signaling a crucial element that would determine the outcome of the game.

"..."

Were we tricked after all?

Sakayanagi Arisu carefully examined the arrangement of the chess pieces. Originally, that position should have offered a chance of survival, but at this moment she realized she was wrong. It was deliberately left there by her opponent to trick her.

"I lost."

"It's okay, there are still two rounds left."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly and began to arrange the pieces again. To be honest, even though he had mastered the skill of "Master of All Chess," he still couldn't let his guard down against a high-level opponent like Sakayanagi Arisu. He had to stay focused at all times if he wanted to win.

"Then let's continue."

Sakayanagi Arisu out her thoughts and stared at the chessboard in front of her without moving.

Since they started playing chess, Hashiba Hikaru has won against her before, but those wins were all within the girl's expectations; she could win about one or two out of ten games.

But today's first game gave Sakayanagi Arisu a completely different experience. It was as if she was facing not a young Go player, but an old man with rich Go experience, who considered the core layout strategy in every move and led her into a trap step by step.

In the second game, the two players each took turns playing black and white, and every move required careful consideration.

Just as they were engrossed in their game, Kamuro Masumi, standing behind Sakayanagi, noticed something amiss. She had always been able to sense the silver-haired girl's composure, but today she couldn't sense anything at all. It was as if the girl was completely absorbed in the game and had no time for anything else.

"Has Classmate Hashiba already driven her to the brink?"

Kamuro only had a very basic understanding of chess, so he couldn't see the intricate details of the game; he could only grasp the general mental state of the two players.

More than ten minutes later, Sakayanagi Arisu was once again cornered. She stared at the situation on the board in disbelief and realized that she was about to lose again.

"..."

"Classmate Hashiba, I lost."

In her second surrender, Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was very decisive. After saying this, she calmly looked at Hashiba Hikaru opposite her and said, "Your progress is indeed very rapid, which surprises me quite a bit."

"Classmate Sakayanagi is still very strong; beating you won't be an easy task for me."

Hashiba Hikaru put away the chess pieces, and just as he was about to set up the third game, the girl opposite him made a new suggestion.

"We don't need the third round, and we won't need it anymore."

"Oh?"

"You've already beaten me. My first request, Classmate Hashiba, has been successfully fulfilled."

Although Sakayanagi Arisu is competitive, she is still decisive when it comes to admitting defeat. If she is not as skilled as others, she will practice more and there will always be a chance to win back.

"Alright then, thank you for your guidance during this time Classmate Sakayanagi."

Hashiba Hikaru had already seen a new message pop up in the System Bar, but he didn't check it immediately. Instead, he asked about something else that concerned him.

"Of the first two things Classmate Sakayanagi mentioned, I've already completed one, and I'm about to complete the other. So, have you thought about the third thing?"

"This..."

The girl pondered for a moment, then a smile returned to her face, "I'll tell Classmate Hashiba about the third thing after the Final Exam."

"Can."

"Will Classmate Hashiba still be coming to this Club Room in the future?"

"That's certainly possible. Is there anything else, Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Hashiba Hikaru was somewhat puzzled.

"Let's eat here from now on. The intelligence transmission has been effective, so we don't need to eat at restaurants outside anymore."

Sakayanagi Arisu explained the reason lightly, her tone very calm.

"... I have no objection. I always enjoy spending time with Classmate Sakayanagi."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, offering no comment.

"Yeah?"

Yes, that's right.

Do you know how to play Go?

The girl suddenly asked.

"..."

It seems she's still not reconciled...

Okay, I'll play along with you then.

Go Prodigy, strike!

--

One evening, Hashiba Hikaru was doing math problems in his dorm room when his phone beeped with a text message notification.

Chat interface.

Kushida Kikyo: What are you doing?

Hashiba Hikaru: Studying.

Kushida Kikyo: Honami in your dorm today?

Hashiba Hikaru: Not here.

Kushida Kikyo: Really?

Hashiba Hikaru: Really.

Kushida Kikyo: Then wait for me, I'll be right there!

"?"

After hanging up her phone, Hashiba Hikaru looked puzzled. Logically, if the other person wanted to stay overnight, they should have arrived before dinner. Why were they only messaging her now?

"Fine, let them come."

Five minutes later, the short-haired girl, panting, sat down in front of Hashiba Hikaru. She was clearly quite anxious, with a fine layer of sweat on her pretty face.

"What's wrong?"

Hashiba Hikaru poured her a glass of water.

"... Tutor me."

Kushida Kikyo's voice was very weak.

"What?"

Hashiba Hikaru didn't quite hear, so she asked her to repeat it.

"Help me catch up on my studies!"

"Why?"

After understanding what the other person meant, Hashiba Hikaru smiled instead. He took a sip of his drink and said casually, "I remember your grades were pretty good, weren't they? Why do you need me to tutor you?"

"Have you forgotten the bet I made with that woman?"

"I haven't forgotten."

"Although her personality is terrible, her overall grades are indeed better than mine. To be absolutely sure, I need you to tutor me."

This was the purpose of Kushida Kikyo's sudden visit.

"... I have another idea. Since our two classes are in a competitive relationship of setting questions for each other, how about I just give you the answers?"

"Don't want."

"Really don't want it?"