Impact

After finishing the game, Sakayanagi returned to her usual state.

She looked around and saw Suzuki Tsubame, but Kamuro was nowhere to be seen. Her expression immediately darkened a little.

"Her Highness, would you like to play a game with me?"

Noticing that something was off with Sakayanagi Arisu, Suzuki Tsubame appeared at just the right moment.

"Oh my~ It's Suzuki-kun. Haven't you earned enough today?"

Sakayanagi Arisu swept away her gloom. Perhaps seeing someone familiar had put her somewhat at ease?

"Well, didn't I come to give Her Highness some points?"

Suzuki Tsubame plopped down across from Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Oh my~ How many points is Suzuki-kun planning to give me?"

Sakayanagi Arisu believed Suzuki Tsubame's words because she had absolute confidence in her own ability.

"The stake is 500,000. Winner takes all, loser eats dust. What does Her Highness think?"

"It seems Suzuki-kun is quite confident. Set up the board."

After resetting the chessboard, Suzuki Tsubame gestured for Sakayanagi Arisu to take White and move first. Sakayanagi did not refuse, moving the pawn in front of her king first.

"By the way, where did your little follower run off to? Why isn't she by your side?"

Suzuki Tsubame chatted with Sakayanagi Arisu while playing, looking completely at ease.

"I don't know. Maybe she got lost. Since Suzuki-kun is so concerned, shall I introduce her to you?"

"Well, that won't be necessary. I was only curious."

The two played quickly. Sakayanagi liked to slowly devour every one of her opponent's pieces, crushing them psychologically.

Suzuki Tsubame indulged her, allowing his pieces to be captured one after another.

In the end... only the kings remained.

"...I lost..."

Sakayanagi Arisu's hand holding the king trembled slightly.

Right after the match began, she had sensed that something was wrong.

Suzuki Tsubame had not chosen to defend against her attacks. Instead, he had allowed her to capture his pieces. Unfortunately, her eyes had been entirely fixed on his queen, and she had completely overlooked the pawn in front of her.

In the end, faced with a pawn that had reached the back rank, Sakayanagi Arisu had no strength left to resist. Suzuki Tsubame slowly shaved her down to a bald king—where all of one side's pieces were wiped out, leaving only the king.

Especially that final move. The pawn had clearly already promoted into a queen, yet he had used it to trade for her knight. Suzuki Tsubame had been toying with her from the start!

"Huh? Both our attacking pieces are gone. Shouldn't this count as a draw?"

Suzuki Tsubame was twisting the knife.

"..." Sakayanagi remained silent. If she still could not see it now, she would truly be blind.

From the very beginning, Suzuki Tsubame had played according to her preferred style. His rooks, knights, bishops, and even his queen had all been handed over for her to capture.

It was equivalent to giving her seven pieces at the start, and she had even taken White and moved first.

"...I lost. I'll send you the points later."

Sakayanagi Arisu had no intention of welching on the bet. A loss was a loss.

If she did not even dare admit defeat, that would be true failure.

It was just a pity that all the points she had won that afternoon were gone.

"Suzuki-kun, you probably haven't had your fill, have you? Want another game?"

Seeing Sakayanagi return to her usual demeanor, Suzuki Tsubame relaxed. He had been afraid that if Sakayanagi Arisu got upset, she would ask her father to have him sunk in Tokyo Bay.

"Well, it seems rather late already. Let's call it a day. We can play another time."

"Your little follower doesn't seem to be around. Do you need me to take you back to the Dormitory?"

In truth, Kamuro Masumi had been following him around ever since he was at the Soccer field. While Sakayanagi Arisu was playing chess, Kamuro had been monitoring him.

As for how he knew... while Suzuki Tsubame was playing ball, Kamuro Masumi had been sitting in the stands watching him as if no one else existed.

Since strengthening his body, Suzuki Tsubame had noticed that his eyesight had improved greatly. His previously somewhat nearsighted eyes had recovered remarkably well.

Then why had Sakayanagi Arisu's expression turned ugly upon seeing Suzuki Tsubame?

It was not actually because Kamuro was not nearby. It was because when Suzuki Tsubame approached the Chess Club, Kamuro had not sent her any message.

Clearly, she had lost track of him!

That was also why Suzuki Tsubame had chosen to circle around the Gymnasium before heading to the Chess Department.

"Then I'll trouble you, Suzuki-kun..."

Sakayanagi Arisu extended her right hand toward Suzuki Tsubame while holding a steel cane in her left.

"My honor, Her Highness."

However... just as Sakayanagi Arisu stood up, she nearly made a fool of herself.

After sitting in seiza for so long, compounded by Sakayanagi's insufficient blood supply to her heart—

Her knees gave out, and she nearly fell face-first onto the chess table.

Fortunately, Suzuki Tsubame caught her in time.

Sakayanagi's body was very light. Almost her entire body hung from Suzuki Tsubame's hands, yet she felt weightless.

Though she was thin, the places that should have been soft were not lacking in the slightest.

"Her Highness, excuse me."

Suzuki Tsubame lightly tossed Sakayanagi upward, turning her face-up and catching her in a perfect princess carry.

Sakayanagi lay obediently in Suzuki Tsubame's arms. She neither refused nor struggled, simply lying there quietly and looking at him.

The two left the Chess Department together.

As the curious and envious gazes around them gradually increased, Sakayanagi Arisu finally came to her senses and buried her pretty face in Suzuki Tsubame's chest.

Suzuki Tsubame did not care. So what if they saw?

In his original world, he might have felt somewhat apprehensive.

But... I have a system now, so what the hell am I afraid of? Besides, this is only the Classroom of the Elite World.

"Holy shit! Isn't that Suzuki Tsubame from our class? Who's the girl in his arms?"

The voice was so loud, as if its owner were afraid the people around him would not hear.

Suzuki Tsubame looked toward the source of the voice in surprise. He had not expected anyone to recognize him, considering he had not even introduced himself.

Not far away, Yamauchi was pointing at him, with Ike Kanji, Sudo Ken, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka standing nearby.

Suzuki Tsubame ignored Yamauchi and instead looked at Ayanokoji.

His gaze seemed to ask: Didn't you say you weren't interested in clubs?

Ayanokoji spread his hands with a helpless expression, his eyes indicating Yamauchi and the others as though saying: I had no choice. They dragged me here.

Suzuki Tsubame was almost amused by his expression. The Black Room Masterpiece countering the White Room Masterpiece was perfectly reasonable.

No longer paying them any attention, he carried Sakayanagi Arisu all the way out of the Gymnasium.

Arriving at the Artificial Lake near the Dormitory, he casually found a bench and sat down.

The school term had only just begun, so few people came here.

Suzuki Tsubame gently shook Sakayanagi.

"It's safe now, Her Highness."

Sakayanagi seemed immersed in the warmth of his embrace, her delicate body pressed against Suzuki Tsubame's chest as she refused to get up.

As the Chairman, Sakayanagi Narimori surely had many matters to handle. Although he loved Sakayanagi dearly, he certainly could not spend much time by her side.

On top of that, Suzuki Tsubame had just completely overwhelmed her in chess. It was perfectly normal for her to play dead right now.

Suzuki Tsubame did not mind either. Sakayanagi's body was soft and comfortable to hold, so on the bench by the lake, he held her as they enjoyed the lingering glow of dusk together.

He had chosen an excellent spot. The sunset scattered across the rippling lake, its light reflecting directly toward the bench.

Combined with the sun's lingering warmth, it was not cold at all despite it being early March. Instead, there was even a faint warmth in the air.

This girl Sakayanagi was probably too embarrassed to open her eyes.

If her chest had not been rising evenly and her breathing steady, Suzuki Tsubame would have wanted to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

[Ding! Heaven-Jealoused Talent, completion: 10%. Reward: Human Enhancement Serum ×10. Item effect: A biologically enhanced agent modified by the system, specially used to strengthen the human body. It can heal all physical deficiencies. After use, physique +1, with no obvious side effects. (Note: ineffective once physique reaches 10 points.)]

[Ding! Enhancement item detected. System Scan function unlocked. Once activated, directly looking at a target will reveal their attributes.]

[Ding! System reward item detected. System Inventory function unlocked. (Note: the System Inventory cannot store living things.)]

Good lord, good lord! Suzuki Tsubame was dumbfounded. Was Sakayanagi's reward really this powerful? The system was undeniably a white-haired loli enthusiast.

As for why the mission had suddenly been completed, Suzuki Tsubame guessed it was because she now understood what it meant that there was always someone better.

In Sakayanagi's original world, apart from losing to the artificial genius Ayanokoji when she was young, she had never lost again. At one point, she had even proclaimed herself a natural-born genius.

And an artificial genius would ultimately never surpass a natural-born genius.

In plain terms, her father had protected her too well. Though he had taught her how to conduct herself and she knew the real world was full of darkness—

She was still ultimately just a little girl who had never experienced it firsthand.

And only now, under Suzuki Tsubame's merciless blow—

Did she finally understand what it meant to be blinded by a single leaf, and what it meant that there was always someone better.