Zelkova Shopping Center,
"Hey, Sakamoto, why do I have to carry all this stuff? It's so heavy~~"
Hashimoto, laden with bags of all kinds of supplies, couldn't help complaining. They'd gone shopping together for household essentials, and they'd picked everything out together—so why was he the only one carrying it all? Damn it!
Though Sakamoto was a rich kid, he hadn't bought anything especially expensive.
Still, there was quite a lot of household stuff and food for two people. It was all piled on Hashimoto, making him stagger as he walked.
"This is part of your training, Hashimoto. Someday, you'll have a superior at work who values you enough to send you out for supplies. A subordinate's time and energy are destined to be spent by their superiors, so you'd better persevere. Getting the chance to serve a top-level boss like me is precious."
Sakamoto showed no guilt as he psychologically manipulated the poor workhorse, claiming this was all excellent preparation for the grunt work he'd be doing in the future.
Hashimoto: Thanks a lot.
And so, the burden-free "boss" and his overburdened workhorse headed back to the dorms.
They'd just crossed an intersection
when they happened to see a girl with long, straight black hair.
She stood upright at the intersection a short distance away, her long, pale legs set perfectly apart. Her waterfall of black hair fell to her waist, and her school uniform and pleated skirt looked perfectly harmonious on her. She wore no unnecessary accessories, yet her youthful charm shone through.
Her clear, bright eyes were like the open sky, and her features were delicate and well-defined. Strands of hair danced in the breeze, still striking in the sunlight.
The only flaw was the cool expression on her impeccable face, which disrupted the overall atmosphere. She only paid them a little attention when she noticed the two of them, then looked away after a brief glance.
This was Horikita Suzune, the absolute heroine of the early stages of the phenomenon-level game Classroom of the Elite.
Since most of the female storylines in the early game revolved around Horikita Suzune, players had once mocked it as The Classroom Above All, Horikita Suzune Edition.
"Sakamoto, see her? She's like a flower on a mountaintop. It'd be great if a cute girl like that were in Class A."
Seeing the pretty girl, Hashimoto started talking about "guy stuff" with his good friend and future boss, Sakamoto. Unfortunately, they didn't share the sort of playful banter typical of ordinary Japanese boys.
"Your target has appeared, Hashimoto."
Sakamoto wore a mischievous expression as he gave Horikita a perfectly standard smile.
That look brought Hashimoto back to the morning, when he'd been turned into a workhorse. It wasn't a memory he wanted to revisit. Something felt wrong—the feeling that he was about to become a workhorse again...
"Hashimoto, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on this beautiful girl from Class D for a while. Pay attention to anyone who has obvious contact with her, too."
So this meant he'd lose all his free time? The suffering workhorse didn't dare complain. He could only accept the miserable assignment without protest.
Sakamoto raised his arm and checked his watch.
"It's time to go."
He glanced back at Hashimoto and left.
"Don't forget your mission, Hashimoto." The voice's owner was already walking away.
Left alone, Hashimoto sighed, then suddenly froze.
"Sakamoto, at least help me carry the stuff from the supermarket back..."
The Chess Club was a group taken over by the second-years. It was barely more than a hobby club, but thanks to the legacy of the senior students who'd come before them, it still had a very spacious clubroom.
Chess was a game of ideas, played across sixty-four squares by thinking through and making use of the unique traits of different pieces. It was easy to compare how each player viewed their opponent: their moves, the way they thought, and even observing them face-to-face could reveal their general personality.
Especially for skilled players, it took only a few moves to get a rough read on someone.
Several Chess Club members were engaged in a highly focused match at one of the tables, completely unaware of Sakamoto standing outside the clubroom. He made no move to interrupt them.
He calmly took a seat inside.
"Ah, how did I not see that move?"
At the final move, the losing second-year let out a frustrated grimace and slammed his fist on the table. The loud noise startled his companions. He'd clearly had the advantage, yet carelessly let his opponent checkmate him. It was inexcusable.
Still immersed in his frustration, he suddenly noticed there was someone else in the room. The newcomer was watching everything that happened in the Chess Club with an easy yet proper air—including the senior's ugly moment. Just as the senior was about to demand an explanation, Sakamoto spoke first.
"Greetings, seniors. I'm Sakamoto, a first-year." Sakamoto smiled warmly.
"Sakamoto?"
Since the boy had introduced himself politely, the second-year couldn't very well take his bad mood out on a junior.
"What are you doing here? This isn't the time to come to the Chess Club. We don't welcome inconsiderate juniors like you. Get out."
The second-year's face clouded over. He wanted the junior who'd seen him at his worst to leave as soon as possible.
"Yamada, there's no need to be like that." One of his companions clearly disapproved. At this rate, how would they ever get any newcomers to join the Chess Club?
Yamada waved dismissively, full of himself.
"He's just a new student. If you think you're good enough, why not play a match against me?"
"Sure. I accept your challenge."
The other boy froze, then flared with anger. He'd been looked down on! He'd been practicing chess since middle school and had even competed in a national-level selection tournament. Sure, he'd been eliminated in the first round, but that didn't mean some unknown kid could look down on him. You're the challenger here!!
Yamada glared at Sakamoto, who dared to disregard his senior. Hey, if this were the army, you'd be getting a slap for that!
"Wait," Sakamoto said.
"Hey, freshman, are you scared? If you don't dare, bow your head and apologize right now, and I'll let you off."
Seeing Sakamoto ask him to wait, Yamada immediately took it as a sign of weakness and piled on the taunts.
He stared at Sakamoto as if his scheme had worked, though no one could say what he was thinking.
"Playing chess with you like this would be too boring.
How about we bet all the points we have?"
A faint smile curled Sakamoto's lips.
"What!?"
Before you continue