Sakanayanagi: If you want to cross the line, come to my room

(*He's starting to block me from expanding my offensive options...?)

Facing the move Hikigaya Hachiman made with his bishop, Arisu Sakayanagi frowned slightly.

On the second day of school, Arisu had invited this boy she met on the first day—someone she found quite intriguing—to a game of chess in the library.

After exchanging moves, Arisu judged that Hachiman possessed the skill level of an intermediate player.

Although his tactical system was beginning to take shape, he still appeared immature in terms of deduction and prediction.

Based on this judgment, Arisu began to lay out an expansive offensive, intending to crush her opponent in one fell swoop.

However, just as her offensive was about to take shape, he intercepted one of her surprise forces, and he did so by cutting off a hidden move that would be difficult for an ordinary person to notice.

(Given the strength he displayed earlier, is this a coincidence? But this luck is too good... wait?)

Thinking this far, Arisu suddenly noticed that Hachiman was staring straight into her eyes with a dull yet unflinching gaze.

Those pupils, though dim, were locked onto her line of sight like nails.

(Could it be... that he is judging my moves by observing my eyes?)

Humans do indeed unconsciously cast their attention toward the direction they are about to take action, but using this physiological reaction to predict chess moves was far too bizarre.

(If that's the case...)

Arisu deliberately moved her knight to test him.

Across from her, Hachiman first stared at the area where the knight was located, then shifted his gaze between the chessboard and Arisu's eyes, and finally moved his rook horizontally.

Witnessing this, the silver-haired girl finally became convinced—the boy before her was predicting her moves by capturing the unconscious shifts in her gaze.

A certain smile was about to burst from her throat.

The boy, who clearly lacked deep skill yet repeatedly dismantled her layouts, instead ignited an even stronger interest within her.

(As expected, you really are incredibly interesting...)

The laughter she ultimately couldn't suppress rang out softly in the library.

When she accidentally heard this boy's remarks yesterday, she had only found it novel.

At this moment, however, she felt from the bottom of her heart that encountering this person was truly fortunate.

Regarding this unprecedented human specimen that was Hachiman, Arisu did not intend to deny the curiosity that had sprouted within her.

(But being unilaterally suppressed isn't fun either; it's about time I got serious, isn't it?)

Although her offensive expansion had been hindered, the game was still firmly in Arisu's control.

All Hachiman had done was delay the speed at which she constructed her new offensive; he hadn't truly dismantled her established tactical chain.

Moreover, regarding Hachiman's terrifying observational skills—since he relied on her gaze to judge her moves, she could simply close her eyes or look away from the board when it wasn't her turn to break it.

But Arisu chose to do the exact opposite, meeting his gaze with an even more intense look.

To look away now would be tantamount to admitting that "one must avoid eye contact to maintain an advantage," which was absolutely unacceptable to her.

Thus, the girl raised a smile she could clearly perceive herself and placed a new piece on the board.

***

(...The atmosphere has changed.)

Just as I was trying my best to curb her expanding offensive, Sakayanagi suddenly curled the corners of her mouth and made a new move.

(Moving the rook at this timing? Even if it's placed here, I don't see a threat...)

Although we had only known each other for two days, anyone could tell that Sakayanagi wouldn't make a pointless move.

A seemingly meaningless placement must hide a murderous intent.

Looking up, the silver-haired girl was blooming with a joyful smile.

Even though she remained silent—

"Go ahead and observe, I will always be one step ahead of you."

It was as if I could hear her declaring just that.

In any case, I first confirmed the direction she was glancing at unconsciously and made what I considered the optimal move.

After all, I couldn't possibly win against this genius through proper deduction.

In the subsequent game, ever since I started observing Sakayanagi's eyes, neither side had lost any more pieces.

On the surface, it looked like a stalemate, but in reality, it sent shivers down my spine.

At the end of the day, I was only stopping her from building a new offensive; the suppressed situation hadn't improved at all.

This balance would be broken sooner or later, and when that happened, I would face a total collapse.

Just as I was cautiously moving a piece, the arc of Sakayanagi's mouth deepened abruptly.

Ah, I'm going to lose.

Accompanying this certainty, a fatal blow descended with a roar.

"How about this move?"

The Bishop she controlled had formed a checkmate against my Rook.

Logically, I should retreat, but... there was nowhere to run.

To be precise, retreating wasn't impossible, but the cost would be exposing my King to her attack range.

It turned out that while she was expanding her offensive, she had long since planted a hidden stake to seize the crown directly.

What was even more fatal was that even if I sacrificed the Rook, I couldn't counter-kill her Bishop.

After weighing my options, I had no choice but to painfully sacrifice the piece—after all, compared to the King, the loss of a Rook was still bearable.

As I helplessly chose another piece to shift, Sakanayanagi, as expected, harvested my Rook.

Damn it... my main pieces were being picked off one by one.

What was even more desperate was that there was no room for a counterattack.

It wasn't that I couldn't take her pieces, but doing so would either lead to an immediate counter-kill or leave my royal defenses empty.

(Should I consolidate my defense? No, facing a strong enemy, a desperate defense will eventually collapse; I have no choice but to bet everything on an attack.)

Having made up my mind, I drove my pieces forward, launching a charge from this desperate situation.

10 minutes later...

"Check—mate."

"I know, I know. You're mocking me, aren't you?"

I lost.

Although I initiated the attack, I was completely crushed by her even sharper offensive after only a few moves.

What was even more infuriating was that Sakanayanagi had the strength to end the game quickly, yet she deliberately left only my King piece, eating all the others one by one.

For the loser, there is no ending more humiliating than this.

Although I had expected that I couldn't win, this way of losing was truly infuriating.

"Not at all. This is a token of gratitude for letting me see such an interesting match. Hikigaya-kun, you weren't just trying to figure out the moves, you were observing my behavior the whole time, weren't you?"

"That's a truly annoying token of gratitude... but I won't deny it. I did try to judge where you would place your pieces by looking at where your eyes glanced."

"As I thought. While such observational skills are commendable, your ability to read the board is still far from enough."

I couldn't refute that point.

Every time I tried to attack, it was instantly neutralized; she had completely predicted all of my offensives.

However, chess skill is something that ultimately relies on the accumulation of experience, so it couldn't be helped.

"In any case, it was quite a fulfilling time. How about it? One more game?"

"...Although school just started and there's no rush to study, and I do have plenty of time... but the thought of being beaten to a pulp by you again..."

I don't dislike playing chess, but losing miserably every time really kills my motivation.

"Then, how about I give you some motivation?"

"Tell me more?"

"Hmm... how about this: from now on, as long as Hikigaya-kun can beat me at chess once, I will unconditionally agree to one request of yours."

"Any request?"

"That's right. If you want points, I can give them to you, and if you want to cross the line, I can even go to your room, you know?"

Judging by her eyes, she was serious.

If I won, she would truly fulfill her promise.

But this also implied that she had absolute confidence in never losing; the sharpness in those eyes couldn't be more obvious.

...Since the opportunity is rare, I might as well try.

It's not like playing chess costs money anyway.

Besides, I really want to see the look on Sakanayanagi's face when she's frustrated, even if just once.

"...Fine. I accept."

"Yes, please take care of me."

Sakanayanagi revealed a faint smile and began to reset the board.

It seems I have no choice but to grow stronger, one step at a time...

After that, I played five more games with Sakanayanagi, and the result was self-evident—I lost them all.

"Hmm... as expected, is this how it is?"

At seven in the evening, I sat at my desk in the dormitory.

However, what was spread out on the table wasn't textbooks or notes, but a chessboard and a book of chess records.

My match against Sakanayanagi sparked a desire in me to study the game seriously, so I bought a chessboard and some instructional books immediately after we parted ways.

I am currently trying to solve the endgame puzzles in the manual, but the difficulty is far beyond my expectations.

I spent quite a few points on this, yet strangely, I didn't feel a pang of regret.

Just as I was repeatedly fiddling with the pieces, trying to replicate the formation from the manual, my phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

It was an email from Shiina:

"I've joined the Tea Ceremony Club. Although I'm not yet familiar with the etiquette, once I've mastered the basic procedures, you must come and have tea with Sakanayanagi."

It seems refusing is impossible.

I sighed and replied with my consent. A new email arrived shortly after:

"Thank you. Also, I tried on a kimono; does it suit me? I would really like to hear your opinion."

There was a photo attached.

Shiina in a kimono... it should suit her, right?

The moment I opened the attachment, my eyes were met with Shiina dressed in a white kimono with pale pink patterns.

By the time I came to my senses, my fingers had already automatically saved the photo and replied with an email saying, "It suits you very well."

I saved it without even realizing it; she was simply too stunning.

(Still, life has become quite lively only two days after enrollment.)

Starting from my chance encounter with Shiina on the bus during the entrance ceremony, and now having crossed paths with Sakanayanagi, the days of peace are gone for good.

However, unlike my time at Sobu Middle School, there is no bullying here, nor do I have to endure malicious gazes, which is something to be thankful for.

I should be able to get through my school life smoothly.

(For now, I'll look forward to Shiina's tea ceremony while striving to close the gap in skill between Sakanayanagi and myself.)

Since I went out of my way to buy a chessboard, I might as well study it seriously.

Although the board and the manual cost nearly 4,000 points—and even though I have over 80,000 points in total, this is not a small expense—it would be a waste to let them sit idle.

Having made up my mind, I turned back to the chessboard and began my study of the endgame.