Sakayanagi Has C

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Excuse me, is this the Chess Club?"

An Xiao knocked on the clubroom door and walked in, immediately bumping into another boy who was just about to head out.

"Sorry, I bumped into you."

"It's fine," the boy said with a wave of his hand, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "Are you here to challenge her too?"

An Xiao nodded, and he saw the boy flash a look that said "I knew it," though it was tinged with a trace of pity.

Another one here to donate points.

He pointed toward a corner of the room, then patted An Xiao on the shoulder. "Right over there. By the way, you're here because of that post on the Student Forum, right? Take my advice and just give up."

"Aside from the club members, quite a few people have come by one after another, and not a single one could last even 10 minutes. You'd better just give up."

An Xiao didn't say anything, just smiled, and continued walking in the direction the boy had pointed.

The boy shook his head, decided not to meddle any further, and left.

After walking a few steps, An Xiao saw a small, silver-haired girl wearing a beret sitting quietly in the corner of the clubroom, holding a cup of coffee in both hands and sipping it slowly.

Standing beside her was another, taller girl with purple hair, who was looking around with an expression of disdain.

What a strange combination.

This thought crossed An Xiao's mind, but he didn't stop, walking straight toward them with a polite smile on his face.

"You... must be Arisu Sakayanagi, right?"

"Is it still possible to start a match?"

Upon hearing his voice, the girl sitting on the sofa slowly raised her head. Her purple pupils flashed with a hint of surprise when they landed on An Xiao, but then she looked at him with a playful smile and said in a gentle tone, "An Xiao from Class B, hello."

Damn it! Doxxed again! How does she know this too?

Is it really this easy to get doxxed at this school?

I could understand Hoshinomiya and Horikita Manabu, as they have their own authority and channels, but how does this girl know who I am?

Being remembered by someone who fired a metaphorical shot at everyone on the Student Forum right at the start of the semester is definitely not a good thing.

"Anyway, let's begin." Not wanting to get tangled up in this, An Xiao straightforwardly sent the points to Arisu Sakayanagi via her ID on the forum.

But even after he sent them, the girl opposite him didn't make a move, instead observing An Xiao with an intrigued gaze.

"Don't be in such a hurry, An Xiao," Arisu Sakayanagi said, setting down her coffee with a smile. "As a student who discovered the school's hidden rules on the very first day, I am quite interested in you."

"I'm not a loli," An Xiao responded instinctively.

Arisu Sakayanagi and the girl standing beside her were visibly stunned.

They probably didn't expect him to say something like that directly.

However.

"A loli, you say..."

"Although my physique might only earn me such a title, calling me that is far too rude." Even though she said that, the corners of Arisu's mouth curled into a smile, and her eyes narrowed.

"My heart is quite broad; I won't hold a grudge or get angry over how others address me."

No, no, no.

She is clearly angry.

"Um, are we still playing?" An Xiao awkwardly changed the subject.

Arisu rested her chin on her hands, said nothing more, and began the game of chess.

"Checkmate."

The girl toyed with a chess piece in her hand and smiled at the boy across from her, though a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.

It seems that was all there was to it; I should finish this quickly.

"Another round?" Arisu Sakayanagi asked.

"Whew." An Xiao patted his cheeks, let out a long breath, then took a lollipop from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and said to Arisu Sakayanagi with a smile, "Let's continue. I'm just getting started."

"Just getting started... is that so?" Arisu Sakayanagi's eyes narrowed slightly, making it impossible to read the expression in them, but she seemed a bit more serious than before.

"Then let's continue."

Nearly an hour passed.

An Xiao let out a heavy breath, bit down hard on the lollipop stick still in his mouth, and said to Arisu Sakayanagi with a smile, "Checkmate."

The moment the words left his lips, the girl sitting across from him subconsciously gripped her skirt with both hands, kneading distinct wrinkles into the fabric.

From An Xiao's angle, he could clearly see her trembling.

"Um, are you alright?" An Xiao asked with some concern, his gaze unable to help but linger on the girl's slightly pale cheeks and the cane resting beside her.

Limited mobility.

Frail health.

Such words immediately flashed into the mind of An Xiao.

"Pardon the unsightly display; as you can see, my body is indeed somewhat weak." Arisu Sakayanagi composed herself, recovering from the emotions she had just displayed.

"In a regular high school, I might not even have been able to enroll normally, but here..."

Arisu Sakayanagi did not continue with the previous topic, instead saying, "I had originally thought that among the freshmen at this school, the only one who could pique my interest was him, but I never expected..." As she spoke, her gaze burned intensely as she stared at An Xiao.

"Ahem, well, the points." An Xiao dodged her gaze, not wanting to follow her line of questioning, and hurriedly interrupted.

"Of course."

Seeing An Xiao's reaction, Arisu Sakayanagi smiled and did not press the matter further, readily transferring the points to An Xiao.

"Are you still here? If you win against me again, the wager still stands."

"No, I have things to do later, so I won't continue playing." After seeing the notification on his phone that the points had arrived, An Xiao checked the time and promptly declined the invitation from Arisu Sakayanagi.

He packed up his things and prepared to walk out the door.

But before he had gone very far, An Xiao turned back around. Looking at Arisu Sakayanagi, whose face remained somewhat pale under the lights, he hesitated for a moment before turning back to take a few pieces of homemade candy from his right pocket and placing them on the chessboard.

Of course, these were of a normal flavor, completely different from the ones he had given to Hoshinomiya.

"These are candies I made myself; they're quite good for refreshing your mind and replenishing sugar."

"Also, if your health isn't great, it's best to drink less coffee and similar beverages."

Having said that, An Xiao pointed to the cup of coffee Arisu Sakayanagi had set aside, then left directly without waiting for her response.

Looking at the candies left on the table, Arisu Sakayanagi suddenly let out a laugh.

"Interesting, wouldn't you agree, Kamuro?"

ps: No one has been commenting lately; is there something wrong with how I'm writing the book? As a newcomer, I'm asking for your support!!!