It had to be said, Advanced Nurturing's Student Dormitory really was nice.
Rather than a "room," this dorm was more like a fully equipped studio apartment.
The roughly thirty-square-meter space had everything: a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. The minimalist furniture had sleek lines and a high-quality finish.
Most importantly, the bed was simply too soft.
It took Kitagawa Kai a full thirty minutes to "pry" himself out of the excessively comfortable bed.
When he opened his door, excited, high-pitched chatter came from next door.
"How am I supposed to spend a hundred thousand points? There's no way I can use them all."
"I spent fifty thousand on the game console I've always wanted," a somewhat sleazy voice replied. "As for the rest... heh heh!"
"Anyway, Ayanokoji, what's with your room? It's way too plain."
"If you don't like spending money, you can give me a little financial support at the end of the month..."
"Is that really okay? Is this how normal college students spend money?"
Ayanokoji voiced his confusion at just the right moment.
So that was Ayanokoji's room.
Several new students had gathered there, all talking over one another about something.
Was that Lord Yamauchi, known in the original story as the "Black Room's supreme masterpiece"?
Just hearing his voice made it clear that this man could not be defeated through conventional means; he was very good at dragging others down to his own level of thinking.
The Club Area.
Today's scheduled activity was challenging clubs on their own turf.
More of the same.
And earning a little startup money along the way.
It was also a good opportunity to test the Chess Master skill he had farmed from Sakayanagi.
Kitagawa Kai pushed open the Chess Club's door.
"Creeeak-"
The sound of the wooden door opening rang out distinctly in the silence. Several square chess tables stood in the middle of the room, with a few club members playing at them.
Kitagawa Kai swept his gaze over the group before finally settling on an upperclassman with a buzz cut-not because he looked easy to bully, but because the other side of his chessboard happened to be vacant, meeting the requirements for a "one-on-one" match.
"Is this the Chess Club?"
"Yes." Tanaka Masamichi looked Kitagawa Kai up and down and found an unmistakably innocent stupidity about him. He was clearly a first-year newcomer.
"If you want to join the Chess Club, you can wait for the club orientation later."
"Thank you for letting me know, but I'm not here to join." Kitagawa Kai sounded a little reserved.
"Why don't you get straight to the point?" An interested smile appeared on Tanaka Masamichi's face.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Kitagawa Kai, Class 1-B."
"I know a little chess, and I'd like to stake eighty thousand points on a match with you upperclassmen."
At those words, a peculiar silence instantly fell over the clubroom.
"You're sure you want to wager eighty thousand points against us, right? If you lose, you'll have to live on the cafeteria's free boxed lunches for the rest of the month."
Tanaka Masamichi's tone was half teasing, half serious.
Kitagawa Kai's expression remained unchanged as he said mildly, "If I lose, I'll pay up."
"Interesting. Every year around this time, someone comes along to give us points..."
"Please stop coming. We really can't take any more..."
"Tanaka gets to cash in again."
Several club members chuckled in the corner with an air of familiarity, as though having challengers come to their door every year had become a traditional welcome event at Advanced Nurturing.
"To make sure you don't back out of paying, we'll need to sign a contract guaranteed by the school first. Is that all right?"
They had come prepared.
Smiling, Tanaka Masamichi took out a simple contract he had prepared in advance. The points and match conditions were clearly stated, with a template of the school's guarantee seal affixed to the bottom right corner.
Perfect. I've been a little short on money lately. I'm counting on this little bit of "side income" to help out, he thought, keeping his expression composed.
Kitagawa Kai glanced over it and promptly signed his name.
Tanaka Masamichi put the contract away, his smile deepening. "Now those free boxed lunches are a sure thing."
Tanaka Masamichi of Class 2-B, the Chess Club's vice president, was known for his steady playing style and powerful Endgame Skill, and was widely recognized as one of the club's top players.
He had almost blind confidence in his own chess ability, particularly when dealing with newly enrolled students eager to show off.
Besides, he urgently needed money right now.
The inherently evil Miyabi Nagumo had harvested most of his points.
He was terrified of being poor. Truly terrified.
Soon, both sides had arranged their pieces, and the game began.
Playing white, Tanaka Masamichi moved first, choosing the safest King's Pawn Opening.
In his view, there was no need for any flashy tricks against a newcomer. As long as he played steadily and led his opponent step by step into familiar territory, victory would be his for the taking.
The game unfolded as he had imagined, with a solid defensive formation taking shape move by move.
"That's Vice President Tanaka for you. That setup is watertight."
"That new kid's probably going to get thrashed until he cries."
"Look at his face. It's like he hasn't understood Vice President Tanaka's tactical intentions at all."
Listening to these comments, Tanaka Masamichi grew increasingly confident.
An ordinary skilled amateur might have been helpless against this nearly perfect defense.
But when Kitagawa Kai's fingers touched the cool chess pieces, [Master-Level Chess Skill] kicked in.
This was not simply an infusion of memories, but a super-assistance system combining data, algorithms, and experience from countless chess games.
It could see through the myriad intricacies of every opening, calculate the chain reactions of every move, and exhaust nearly every secret to forcing a win or draw in the endgame.
Simply put, Kitagawa Kai was cheating.
Does leaving it on count as cheating?
Then, as the game entered the middlegame, subtle changes began to occur.
Kitagawa Kai still played slowly, like a novice stumbling by chance into gaps in Tanaka's defensive system.
A mildly interesting little trick. Unfortunately, it's still far too weak, Tanaka thought scornfully.
But gradually, he realized something was wrong.
Sweat?
Tanaka touched his thigh in disbelief.
Oh, it's urine.
I knew something this trivial couldn't possibly make me sweat.
"Thank you for the game."
Kitagawa Kai softly uttered those words and moved a pawn.
A narrow victory.
One move better.
Kitagawa could have ended the battle quickly, but to harvest more points, he had played along with his upperclassman for this long.
"Looks like I was careless. Sigh." Tanaka Masamichi wore a smile uglier than a crying face as he tearfully transferred the points to Kitagawa.
"Thank you for the points."
Kitagawa Kai dismissed the notification that the points had arrived, wearing just the right amount of humility.
No, I can't laugh yet.
I need to harvest at least one more game.
"I'd also like to play against the club president. Would that be all right?"
President Fujiwara narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing. "Kitagawa-kun, show me your true strength. If you win, you can take three hundred thousand points. If you lose, I won't take your points, either. Stay and be my deputy instead. How about it?"
"It would be my honor, President."
A new game began between the two.
As they played, however, President Fujiwara's smile gradually froze.
Did he really only know a little?
He had underestimated this newcomer! He had been completely wrong!
Kitagawa Kai might indeed have held back while playing Tanaka Masamichi, but now he was going all out.
The spectators around them were club members who understood chess, and they could see what was happening too.
Such precise calculation, such command of the entire board, such a playing style that cut through complexity and struck straight at the vital points... Surely this strength was at a professional level.
Another ten minutes passed.
"I've lost, Kitagawa-kun."
Fujiwara's voice was quiet, yet it carried clearly throughout the clubroom, bearing the calm of something finally settled.
After speaking, he slowly rose and gave Kitagawa Kai a solemn, deep bow.
"Excuse me, is this the Chess Department? I'd like to see how skilled the upperclassmen are at chess."
Just then, a clear, pleasant female voice came from outside the door.