Although it was a little late, Hoshino still made his usual trip to the library.
He searched for the novel he usually read, but couldn't find the latest volume. He went to ask the staff at the front, only to learn there hadn't been a new one. He was a little disappointed.
He wandered between the shelves again, but couldn't find anything that interested him, so he decided to check the floors above.
He entered the elevator. The panel only had buttons for floors one through five. Without a second thought, Hoshino pressed the button for the top floor. Who wouldn't want to see the view from up there? And in a luxurious place like Advanced Nurturing High School, the top floor was bound to be even more impressive.
"Ding!" The elevator chimed and came to a smooth stop on the fifth floor.
Hoshino stepped out and froze.
"This is amazing!"
The fifth floor was far beyond what he'd expected. It wasn't like the first and second floors, where Hoshino usually spent his time. The ceilings were about three stories high, and every kind of book lined the densely packed shelves. In the middle was a soaring open space with a broad skylight, while only the bottom level had reading areas partitioned by bookshelves.
As he walked among them, Hoshino experienced a feeling unlike any he'd had before. This was the perfect place to study!
He found a nice spot and sat down, placing his schoolbag beside the table. Then he noticed a chessboard next to it. He bent down to take a closer look. It seemed to be a board for international chess—maybe someone had left it behind. Hoshino had his suspicions, but didn't give it much thought.
He looked away, picked out a new fantasy novel nearby, and started reading.
"Oh my! We have a visitor!" A strange voice rang out, pulling Hoshino back from his daydreams.
He looked up. A silver-haired girl stood not far away, leaning on a cane, the corners of her lips slightly raised. Beside her were a spirited girl with long purple hair and a frivolous-looking blond boy. Hoshino had no proof, but he could tell that the girl with limited mobility was probably the one in charge!
"Uh, sorry!" Though he apologized, Hoshino had no intention of leaving. Instead, he lowered his head and went back to his novel.
"...Hey, you. Aren't you going to move?" The purple-haired girl spoke harshly.
"Huh? Why?" Hoshino tilted his head and looked at her in surprise.
"Why? Because..." The purple-haired girl trailed off halfway through, apparently unable to come up with a decent reason.
"Isn't the library a place anyone can come to? It's not like your name is written here..."
"You..." The purple-haired girl seemed ready to say more, but the silver-haired girl raised a hand to stop her.
"Good afternoon. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A. May I ask who you are?" The silver-haired girl introduced herself like a young lady, even giving a graceful curtsy. To be honest, Hoshino was genuinely taken aback. His face showed his surprise.
"Ahem. Good afternoon. I'm Hoshino Hoshiya from Class 1-D." Hoshino composed himself and cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment.
"Hmm—Class 1-D?" The purple-haired girl seemed strangely surprised.
"What's wrong?" Hoshino felt as if he'd been... mocked. He looked at the purple-haired girl.
"No, it's nothing..." The purple-haired girl stammered, making Hoshino even more suspicious. He stared intently into her eyes.
"...Hoshino, staring at a girl is very impolite, you know!" Seeing that the purple-haired girl was getting uncomfortable, Sakayanagi spoke up to defuse the situation.
"Sorry!" Hoshino shifted his gaze to Sakayanagi without changing his expression, wariness filling his eyes.
"Come on, you two should get along!" The blond boy stepped forward and tried to mediate.
"Hashimoto, that's not like you."
"Your Highness, please stop teasing me!" The blond boy said something that made Hoshino wonder.
Your Highness? Who? Sakayanagi?
Hoshino watched Sakayanagi and the boy called Hashimoto with an amused expression, curious about their relationship.
"Are young people these days really that wild?" Hoshino muttered without thinking. His voice was quiet, but in the silent library it rang out especially clearly.
"..."
"...Hahaha! What are you thinking, Hoshino? It's not what you think!" Hashimoto, acting like an old friend, draped an arm over Hoshino's shoulder.
"And who is this?" Hoshino ignored Hashimoto's gesture and turned to the purple-haired girl.
"I'm Kamuro Masumi!" After introducing herself, the purple-haired girl turned away, looking as if she never wanted to see Hoshino again.
"Uh, nice to meet you." Hoshino felt a little awkward.
"What, are you interested in Kamuro from our class? Let me tell you..." Hashimoto thought he'd discovered something interesting and leaned in to whisper in Hoshino's ear.
"Huh? Hashimoto, what are you saying?" Kamuro seemed to have heard him. She glared at Hashimoto as if she might come over and punch him at any moment.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry!"
"I'm sorry my friend caused you trouble." Sakayanagi, who had been quiet for a while, put an end to the other two's antics. "Hoshino, can you play international chess? Would you like to play a game against me?"
"...I'm not very good. I've only played a little." The sudden change of subject nearly left Hoshino struggling to keep up.
"That's all right. It's just a friendly match! Want to play?" The corners of Sakayanagi's lips lifted slightly.
"...Sure." Hoshino thought it over briefly, then resigned himself to it. He closed his book and turned to Sakayanagi, whose lips curled into a mischievous smile.
As they spoke, Sakayanagi and Hoshino took their seats at the chessboard and set up the pieces.
"I'll take white and go first!" Hoshino didn't hold back.
"Please do."
Sakayanagi was very good at chess. It took only a few moves for Hoshino to realize that. Then again, she didn't look like the type who was terrible at something but loved doing it anyway.
That left him with very few options. Instead of sitting there and waiting to lose slowly, he might as well take the initiative!
Hoshino stared intently at the board, doing everything he could to trade pieces with Sakayanagi. Even so, the game was already completely lopsided in less than ten minutes!
"Classmate Sakayanagi, you're so good at chess. Why ask someone from Class D to play against you? Do you like beating up on beginners?" Hoshino had already predicted the outcome. He relaxed and asked Sakayanagi, who sat across from him, without looking up.
"Hehe, no! Don't you find it interesting to compete against someone whose skill you don't know?" Sakayanagi calmly watched Hoshino, who was focused on the board.
"No. What kind of twisted hobby is that? Are you just too aggressive?" Hoshino held a chess piece in his hand, hesitating.
"Don't you think an unchanging life gets a little boring?"
"Sounds like you've had it too easy! Have you never faced a setback in your life?" Hoshino found the question ridiculous and mocked her.
"Hoshino, geniuses don't fail! At least, they don't fail easily!" Sakayanagi's smile faded, and she spoke seriously.
Hoshino noticed the change in Sakayanagi. He looked up and met her eyes. Sakayanagi didn't back down, meeting his gaze just as steadily.
A moment later, Hoshino lowered his head to the unfinished game. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"Checkmate!" Hoshino placed his final piece and looked at Sakayanagi with a teasing expression.
At his words, Sakayanagi shifted her gaze back to the board, slightly surprised.
"Seriously?" Kamuro and Hashimoto were just as shocked. They had seen how good Sakayanagi was at chess. Had she really lost just like that?
But Hoshino had been a little too sure of himself. A moment later, Sakayanagi's face once again displayed a confident smile.
"Sorry! You were just a little short!" Sakayanagi made her final, decisive move.
Hoshino stared at the board, feeling awkward. After thinking it over, he reluctantly set down the piece in his hand. He really had lost! He'd missed the mark by one move, and in the end, that small difference had made all the difference.
"Uh... sorry. I lost..." Hoshino could only awkwardly rub his nose.
"It's all right! If anything, being able to push me this far means you're pretty good too, Hoshino." Sakayanagi wore the smile of a winner as she offered him utterly insincere consolation.
So this was the composure of a victor? Hoshino suddenly felt like punching her...
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