A Game Against Sakayanagi

Although it was a bit late, Hoshino still made his way to the library as part of his daily routine.

He searched for the novel he usually read, but couldn't find the latest sequel. He went to the staff member at the front desk to ask, and it was confirmed that there were no new updates, which left him feeling a bit disappointed.

Wandering between the bookshelves again, Hoshino didn't find any books that piqued his interest, so he decided to head up to the higher floors to take a look.

Entering the elevator, he saw the panel only went up to the fifth floor. Without a second thought, Hoshino pressed the button for the top floor; who wouldn't want to see the view from the top? In a luxurious place like Advanced Nurturing High School, the top floor was likely something extraordinary.

"Ding—" A crisp chime rang out, and the elevator came to a steady stop at the fifth floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, Hoshino was momentarily stunned.

"This is way too nice!"

The height of the fifth floor exceeded Hoshino's expectations. It was no longer like the first or second floors he usually frequented; it was essentially the height of three stories combined. Densely packed bookshelves held all sorts of books, and the center was an open, full-height space with a wide skylight, with reading areas partitioned off by bookshelves only at the very bottom.

Walking through it, Hoshino experienced a feeling he had never felt before—this was truly a perfect place for studying!

He found a nice spot to sit down and placed his bag on the edge of the table. Suddenly, Hoshino noticed a chessboard next to the table. He leaned over slightly to observe it; it looked like a chessboard, probably left behind by someone. Although Hoshino had his guesses, he didn't pay it much mind.

Withdrawing his gaze, Hoshino found a new isekai-style novel nearby and began to read.

"Oh my! We have a guest!" An unfamiliar voice rang out, pulling Hoshino out of his daydreams.

He looked up to see a silver-haired girl leaning on a cane standing not far away, the corners of her mouth curled slightly upward. Beside her were a cool-looking girl with long purple hair and a frivolous-looking boy with yellow hair. Although he had no proof, Hoshino understood that this girl with limited mobility was likely the one in charge!

"Uh, sorry!" Although he apologized, Hoshino had no intention of leaving; instead, he lowered his head and continued reading his novel.

"...I'm talking to you, aren't you going to move?" the purple-haired girl said, her words sharp and unforgiving.

"Eh? Why?" Hoshino tilted his head, looking at the purple-haired girl with surprise.

"What do you mean 'why'? Obviously because..." The purple-haired girl stopped mid-sentence, unable to come up with a decent reason.

"Isn't the library a place anyone can come to? It doesn't have your name written on it..."

"You..." Just as the purple-haired girl was about to say something more, the silver-haired girl raised a hand to stop her.

"Greetings. I am Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A. May I ask who you are?" The silver-haired girl began a formal introduction like a young lady of high status, even performing a curtsy. To be honest, Hoshino was genuinely shocked, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face.

"Ahem, good afternoon. I am Hoshino Hoshiya from Class D." Hoshino straightened his expression and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.

"Heh—Class D?" The purple-haired girl sounded inexplicably surprised.

"Is something wrong?" Hoshino felt as if he were being... mocked, and he looked at the purple-haired girl.

"No, it's nothing..." The purple-haired girl stammered. Hoshino felt it was even more suspicious and stared intently into her eyes.

"...Hoshino-kun, staring at a girl like that is very impolite, you know!" Seeing the purple-haired girl looking awkward, Sakayanagi spoke up to defuse the situation.

"Sorry!" Hoshino expressionlessly shifted his gaze to Sakayanagi, his eyes filled with vigilance.

"Now, now, you two should get along!" The yellow-haired boy stepped forward to mediate.

"Hashimoto-kun, that doesn't fit your character at all!"

"Princess, please stop teasing me!" the yellow-haired boy said, his words catching Hoshino's attention.

Princess? Who? Sakayanagi?

Hoshino watched Sakayanagi and the boy named Hashimoto with a look of someone watching a spectacle, feeling curious about their relationship.

"Are young people these days this wild?" Unconsciously, Hoshino muttered to himself. Although his voice was quiet, it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent library.

"..."

"...Hahaha! What are you thinking, Hoshino? It's not like that!" Hashimoto familiarly draped an arm over Hoshino's shoulder.

"Then, who is this?" Hoshino ignored Hashimoto's behavior and turned to look at the purple-haired girl.

"I am Kamuro Masumi!" The purple-haired girl turned her head away after speaking, looking as if she didn't want to see Hoshino ever again.

"Uh, nice to meet you." Hoshino felt slightly awkward.

"What? Interested in Kamuro from our class? Let me tell you..." Hashimoto, thinking he had discovered something interesting, leaned into Hoshino's ear and began to whisper.

"Huh? Hashimoto, what are you saying?" Kamuro seemed to hear Hashimoto's words and glared at him fiercely, as if she were about to punch him the next second.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry!"

"Apologies, my friend has caused you trouble." Sakayanagi, who had been silent for a while, stopped the other two from messing around. "Hoshino-kun, do you know how to play chess? Would you like to play a game against me?"

"...I'm not exactly great at it, I've just played a little." The sudden change in topic left Hoshino struggling to keep up.

"It's fine, it's just a friendly match! Shall we play a game?" Sakayanagi's mouth curled slightly.

"...Alright." Hoshino thought for a moment, resigned himself to his fate, closed his book, and turned to look at the smirking Sakayanagi.

With that, Sakayanagi and Hoshino sat down in front of the chessboard and set up the pieces.

"I'll take white and go first then!" Hoshino didn't stand on ceremony.

"Please!"

Sakayanagi's chess skills were strong; Hoshino realized this after only a few moves. But then again, that was to be expected—Sakayanagi didn't look like the type who was both bad at something and loved to play it anyway.

Since that was the case, his options were very limited. Rather than sitting and waiting for a slow death, he might as well take the initiative!

Hoshino stared intently at the board, trading pieces with Sakayanagi whenever possible, but even so, within ten minutes, the game had become completely one-sided!

"Classmate Sakayanagi, with your level of skill, why seek out someone from Class D like me for a match? Could it be that you enjoy crushing the weak?" Having anticipated the outcome, Hoshino relaxed his body and asked without looking up at Sakayanagi, who sat across from him.

"Hehe, that's not it! Don't you find it interesting? Competing against someone whose true strength is unknown?" Sakayanagi looked calmly at Hoshino, who was staring intently at the board in deep thought.

"I don't. What kind of twisted hobby is this? Isn't it a bit too aggressive?" Hoshino held a chess piece, hesitant.

"Don't you think a life that never changes is a bit too boring?"

"I think you've just had it too easy! Have you never faced any setbacks until now?" Hearing this question, Hoshino was speechless and couldn't help but retort with sarcasm.

"Classmate Hoshino, geniuses do not fail! At least, not easily!" Sakayanagi wiped away her smile and said with a serious expression.

Hoshino sensed the change in Sakayanagi, looked up, and met her eyes; Sakayanagi stared back at him without backing down.

After a moment, Hoshino lowered his head, looked at the unfinished game, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Checkmate!" Hoshino placed his final piece and looked at Sakayanagi across from him with a playful smirk.

Upon hearing this, Sakayanagi shifted her gaze back to the board, looking slightly surprised.

"Are you serious?" Kamuro and Hashimoto, standing to the side, were also shocked. After all, they had witnessed the strength of Sakayanagi's chess skills—had she really just lost?

However, Hoshino had been a bit too presumptuous. A moment later, a confident smile appeared on Sakayanagi's face once again.

"My apologies! You were still just a little bit off!" Sakayanagi placed the decisive piece.

Staring at the board, Hoshino felt a bit awkward. After thinking for a moment, he helplessly put down the piece in his hand; he had indeed lost! A single misstep had ultimately led to a world of difference.

"Uh... sorry, I lost..." Hoshino could only awkwardly rub his nose.

"It's fine! If anything, being able to push me to this extent means you are quite strong too, Hoshino-kun!" Sakayanagi wore the smile of a victor, offering comfort that lacked any real sincerity.

Is this the composure of a winner? Hoshino suddenly felt the urge to punch her...