Mixed Doubles (Continued)

"Of course I have a cute side, it's just that no man has been able to bring it out."

In response to Kitagawa Ryo's suggestion, Kiryuin Fuka simply waved her hand and commented:

"Actually, I was quite interested in you at first, but since you already have a girlfriend, then forget it."

"Thank you so much for your kindness."

Kitagawa Ryo let out a deep sigh. Although this senior was impeccable in both appearance and ability, her personality meant that getting her attention would only bring endless trouble.

Kitagawa Ryo pursed his lips and glanced at Karuizawa Kei, who was sitting beside him with her head down. Her long bangs covered her eyebrows and eyes, making it difficult to see Karuizawa Kei's expression.

It always takes time to completely erase the marks he left on the other person.

A phone call came in, and Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the name displayed on the screen:

[Hiyori]

He picked up his phone, stood up, and said goodbye to the two of them.

I'm leaving now.

"Remember to settle the bill."

Kiryuin Fuka leaned lazily against the cushion and gave the order.

But Karuizawa Kei kept her eyes downcast. She gave a soft "hmm," took a deep breath, and finally raised her voice, making it sound less like a hum from her nose or a forced expression from her throat.

"Good."

After Kitagawa Ryo's figure had completely disappeared and he had left the coffee shop far away with the cat, Karuizawa Kei stood up stiffly. She felt as if her legs didn't belong to her, so much so that she stumbled as she walked from the inside of her seat to the outside.

Even though Kiryuin, who was sitting on the outside, quickly pulled Karuizawa Kei away, her hand still knocked over the glass on the table.

Fortunately, the drink inside was all gone, leaving only a small half-cup of ice cubes that clattered all over the floor. She quickly picked them up with her hands, held them in her palms, and then threw them into the nearby trash can.

"Thank you for your help, we can handle these tasks."

The coffee shop staff seemed to notice the situation and quickly came over. They handed Karuizawa Kei a tissue, gesturing for her to wipe the remaining water droplets from her hands, and apologized profusely while sweeping the remaining ice cubes into the cup with a broom.

"It's fine."

Karuizawa Kei said in a low voice, and then suddenly asked a strange question:

"That guy who was sitting here just now probably added extra ice to his drink, right?"

"Ah... yes."

Slightly taken aback by Karuizawa Kei's question, the waiter quickly responded.

After cleaning up the spilled ice, Kiryuin Fuka, who had overheard their conversation, asked with great interest:

"You deduced that from the remaining ice that just fell?"

"Generally speaking, a standard ice cube weighs about 100 grams, while..."

Just as Kiryuin was thinking that the First Year girl in front of her had good observation skills, Karuizawa Kei's words interrupted her conjecture.

"No."

Karuizawa Kei felt the water stains that had just been held in her palm, now melted but still retaining a cold sensation, and gently wiped them away with a tissue:

"He's been ordering this much for the past two months, I was just checking to see if his tastes have changed."

Kiryuin Fuka was bored by the uninteresting answer, and Karuizawa Kei seemed unwilling to say anything more. She bowed slightly to Kiryuin in farewell and then left.

She met up with the three people waiting outside, and her face lit up with her usual smile, her white skirt swaying in the wind.

This is the dress that Karuizawa Kei wore with the most confidence.

I've heard a saying before.

"When you like someone to the core, you can't help but want to find out about them, look at their personal space, read every post they make on social media, and even that's not enough, you also need to look at all their close friends and family."

Today, Sakayanagi Arisu's room welcomed a guest who was both unexpected and perfectly understandable.

In fact, on her way back from the coffee shop after negotiating with Ryuen Kakeru, Sakayanagi Arisu had already considered that he might come looking for her.

As she expected, Shiina Hiyori was indeed waiting at her door.

Without needing to ask why they came, Sakayanagi Arisu naturally opened the door, Shiina Hiyori followed her in. Sakayanagi Arisu's room was filled with all sorts of tea bags and tea leaves. She had initially planned to do it herself, but Shiina Hiyori ultimately volunteered to take on the task.

In an air-conditioned room, even holding a slightly hot teacup in your hand isn't uncomfortable; despite it being summer, your palms greedily absorb the warmth.

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Shiina Hiyori and continued speaking:

"Because you hope to uncover his secrets that you don't yet know in every detail. This is the most direct way for you to understand him, but it's also the least likely to be discovered. It's like the more details you know, the easier it is to create the illusion that 'we are very close' for yourself."

"Boys don't dislike these little gestures."

Shiina Hiyori listened quietly to Sakayanagi Arisu's remarks. In contrast to the aggressive atmosphere of the other party, a peaceful, almost indifferent atmosphere enveloped the girl.

"Want to play chess?"

She looked at the Chess on the coffee table and suddenly made a suggestion.

Although it was an unexpected suggestion, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't refuse. While skillfully setting up the Go pieces, she asked curiously:

Do you like Chess too?

"I only studied it for a month; it was just for relaxation and leisure, nothing special."

Shiina Hiyori held the white Go pieces, playing the game with fluid movements. Her slender, pale fingers controlled the pieces' movements, and her slightly furrowed brow in deep thought complemented her beautiful appearance, giving the impression that this game was perfectly suited to Hiyori.

"For a beginner, this is already a remarkable level."

After all, nowadays, few high school students can even recognize the pieces, let alone master the rules of Chess.

Usaka Sakayanagi Arisu played the game very calmly, as if deliberately adapting to the rhythm of Shiina Hiyori and the beginner.

"You seem to have some kind of grudge against me?"

"No, perhaps I should be thanking you."

Although they were organizing their thoughts verbally, both women were focused on the game of chess, and they gradually became more serious about it.

It's like if you lose this game of chess, you'll lose something else along with it.

"You don't need to be grateful to me; after all, I just thought it was funny at the time."

Sakayanagi Arisu's charge into Shiina Hiyori's formation was an unexpected move for her.

"Then I'd like to ask you something."

Shiina Hiyori and began to switch from defense to offense.

What exactly was the reason Karuizawa did not appear in court at the time?

"She has forgotten what happened, so she can't testify. In addition, her parents are against it and want to keep their daughter away from this incident."

"Didn't you already know that?"

Sakayanagi Arisu easily defused Shiina Hiyori's attack and maneuvered her pieces to form an encirclement.

The stable game gradually crumbled as Sakayanagi Arisu his attacks.

She was increasing the speed of each step, launching her attacks mechanically, as if giving Shiina Hiyori, and not allowing her to catch her breath.

Are you dating him now?

Shiina Hiyori suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked directly at Sakayanagi Arisu.

The last time the two were face Matoba face was back in Kitagawa Ryo's room at the start of the school year.

Sakayanagi Arisu took the blueberry pie that Kitagawa Ryo had made, which indirectly led to a war between Class A and Class C.

A semester has passed, and the gap between the two classes has shrunk to a negligible two hundred points.

"Yes, Ryo and I are dating."

Shiina Hiyori nodded in confirmation.

Although she had already received some hints from Ryuen Kakeru, Sakayanagi Arisu still shook her head in disbelief after confirming it directly from Shiina Hiyori's mouth.

"Did he confess his feelings to you first?"

"I don't need to provide such detailed answers."

"If you're going to do this so perfunctorily, it will only make me suspect that you're just pretending to be a couple to appease Karuizawa."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't seem to intend to let Shiina Hiyori, pressing her for details:

"And Liang is indeed very good at this kind of thing."

That's not how it works.

"There's no need for such roundabout methods with Karuizawa now; Ryo is simply with me."

That's all.

Shiina Hiyori wore a puzzled expression, her slightly pouting lips looking rather cute.

"Ultimately, why do we need to care so much about Karuizawa?"

"Ryo's life doesn't revolve solely around her. As things stand, Karuizawa Kei is merely a spy Ryo planted in Class D. Their relationship is simply one of exploitation and being exploited."

"Perhaps Karuizawa will even be glad that she won't have to worry about catching a cold anymore, and can enjoy her campus life freely."

"Anyway, she's now the Leader of Class D, and she just received a large sum of Private Points."

Sakayanagi Arisu also stopped what she was doing, waving the black Go stone in front of her eyes:

"Not necessarily."

This statement made Shiina Hiyori realize something, and she took a deep breath and asked:

"Why?"

"Because Karuizawa isn't someone who gives up easily, and her psychological problems are more serious than you think."

As Sakayanagi Arisu smiled, she moved a piece forward:

"Okay, game over."

Even though it was only halfway through the game, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stood up, Shiina Hiyori carefully examined the board and said:

"It's not over yet. Although things are indeed at a disadvantage on my side, we can't say for sure right now—"

"No, this game is already a stalemate. From the next move onwards, no matter how hard you struggle, you won't win."

Sakayanagi Arisu leisurely poured herself another cup of black tea, sat back down, and chuckled lightly with a relaxed expression.

"You'll be in a dead end in no time, and I have no interest in the wasted time that follows."

Shiina Hiyori still couldn't see through her one-sided defeat, after all, she had only been learning Chess for a month.

The reason I studied it was because I happened to notice that Kitagawa Ryo had mentioned that he used to play Chess.

Thinking of this, Shiina Hiyori took out her phone in front of Sakayanagi Arisu.

"..."

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her beautiful eyebrows and looked at Shiina Hiyori.

"Cold."

"Yes, I'm here. What's up?"

Because it was on speakerphone, the sound from the other end of the receiver came through easily.

Sakayanagi Arisu felt inexplicably irritable. She subconsciously tried to distract herself with something else, only to find that the white cat that had often been lying at her feet for the past ten days or so was nowhere to be seen, and only a lonely cane was leaning there.

"I'm playing Chess with Classmate Sakayanagi, but she says I'm in a dead end. Can Ryo take a look?"

"Really? I had a video chat with Hiyori, and I told you that my record with Sakayanagi isn't exactly 100%, but it's at least a sure thing."

"I know you're powerful, okay?"

The two of them spoke back and forth with an air of perfect understanding and familiarity.

Pointing the Go board at the camera, Shiina Hiyori quietly awaited Kitagawa Ryo's reply.

Even Sakayanagi Arisu was a little nervous, after all, she had just announced Shiina Hiyori's doom.

"Oh, is there still room for it to fall?"

Just one minute later, Kitagawa Ryo's slightly relaxed voice came through.