"I wonder what Classmate Sakayanagi thinks of this class ranking?"
Mazumi Mami gazed warmly at Sakayanagi Arisu, his tone carrying just the right amount of curiosity. He seemed like an ordinary new student interested in something new on campus.
He had deliberately directed the question at her, both to test her and to see how this potentially well-informed student would respond.
Sakayanagi Arisu's purple eyes were calm and still, and the faint smile on her lips remained as precise as if it had been carefully calculated.
"I wouldn't say I have any particular thoughts. This is the first time I've seen a ranking like this, too."
She gave a slight shake of her head, her silver hair shifting gently. "Still, scores are like grades for students—they're always better when they're higher, aren't they? To some extent, a higher score also means greater ability, doesn't it?"
Her answer was flawless. She neither admitted to knowing anything nor avoided the question entirely, instead steering the conversation toward a universally accepted view.
"That's certainly true."
Mazumi Mami nodded in agreement, then turned to the core of the issue. "But that still doesn't explain why the second-year scores are so wildly different. Class B is far ahead, while Class A... seems to be in a rather delicate position."
He furrowed his brow slightly, conveying just the right amount of confusion.
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze lingered on the blackboard for a moment before turning to Mazumi Mami.
"Perhaps the answer is hidden among the people around us. We just need to look carefully to find it."
She suggested, "If you're interested, Classmate Mazumi, why don't we take a look around nearby together? We might make a new discovery."
"Please, lead the way."
Mazumi Mami stepped aside and gestured for her to go first, his manner impeccably courteous.
Sakayanagi Arisu inclined her head slightly and, leaning on her cane, began walking slowly down the third-year corridor.
Mazumi Mami naturally fell into step beside her. After a few steps, however, he seemed to casually adjust his pace and position.
With a subtle shift, he moved to the outer side of the corridor, leaving Sakayanagi Arisu on the inner side, close to the classroom walls.
It was a small movement, almost imperceptible, yet it showed a quiet thoughtfulness.
No one was running through the corridor, but if anything unexpected happened or someone hurried past, the outer side would clearly be more exposed.
Noticing Sakayanagi Arisu's physical condition and the cane she never let out of her hand, Mazumi Mami had instinctively taken up this protective position.
"..."
Sakayanagi Arisu's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. Her purple eyes flicked toward Mazumi Mami beside her, then she resumed her normal pace.
"You're very considerate, Classmate Mazumi."
Her voice remained gentle, giving little hint of her feelings.
"Oh? In what way?"
Mazumi Mami feigned ignorance, his tone natural.
"In many ways."
"For instance, just now, when you let me walk on the inner side. And also... even though it's lunchtime and most new students are getting to know the campus or enjoying their free time, you came alone to the upperclassmen's building to look at these perhaps not-so-'interesting' rankings."
Sakayanagi Arisu kept her eyes ahead as she spoke slowly.
"It's just a personal interest and habit of mine."
Mazumi Mami smiled, his tone frank. "As I said before, I truly value the opportunity to enter Class A and become classmates with all of you. Naturally, I hope the class will keep getting better and avoid any... unexpected trouble. There's no harm in learning more about the school."
"That's a rather idealistic way of thinking."
Sakayanagi Arisu's quiet comment gave no indication of whether it was praise or something else.
"The world needs a few idealists, doesn't it?"
Mazumi Mami countered. "Besides, why do you call it idealistic?"
"Because there are gaps between people that are impossible to cross."
Sakayanagi Arisu's voice was calm and certain. "Geniuses and mediocrities are fundamentally incapable of understanding one another. Just like..."
She turned her head slightly to look at Mazumi Mami. "Just like you, Classmate Mazumi. As the heir to Mizuki Heavy Industries, your starting point is already the finish line that countless people could never reach, even if they spent their whole lives trying. That 'difference' was decided the moment you were born."
"I can't deny that I had a different starting point."
Mazumi Mami admitted it frankly, then shifted the conversation. "But to me, there's no such thing as an innately gifted genius who can't be surpassed. Those called geniuses may simply have found their direction earlier than others and put in more unseen effort."
"An interesting point of view."
Sakayanagi Arisu did not stop walking, but her voice took on a note of debate. "Yet throughout history, the people who truly changed their era and left behind immortal achievements often showed signs of their exceptional nature early on. That can't be explained by effort alone."
"That may be a case of confusing cause and effect."
Mazumi Mami replied calmly.
"If they hadn't succeeded or made a name for themselves, their early 'exceptional nature' might have been interpreted as nothing more than 'eccentricity' or 'obsession.'"
"A person's growth and achievements result from the combined effects of heredity, environment, education, opportunity, and personal initiative. Those called geniuses simply happen to have an advantage where these factors intersect. If any one link were missing, they would have been no different from anyone else."
Mazumi Mami explained.
Sakayanagi Arisu finally stopped. She turned around to face Mazumi Mami, a sharp glint flashing in her purple eyes.
"So, Classmate Mazumi, you believe there are no geniuses who are 'born knowing' or whose talent is 'predetermined'?"
Sakayanagi Arisu asked.
"Of course."
Mazumi Mami stopped as well and met her gaze, his tone calm but firm.
"Even the most intelligent baby is helpless and ignorant at birth. The title of 'genius' that comes later depends on what nurtures them and how hard they strive. But the aura of genius doesn't last forever. If you don't advance, you fall behind."
"If someone gets lost in their talent and slacks off, they'll eventually become mediocre. Conversely, an 'ordinary person' who finds the right path and perseveres might still reach the realm of genius."
Mazumi Mami said.
"I disagree."
Sakayanagi Arisu gently shook her head. Her cane tapped softly against the floor. "To me, a genius is a genius—a piece already set on fate's chessboard, whose path has been different from the very beginning."
For a moment, the air between them seemed to freeze. Their opposing beliefs quietly clashed beneath the calm conversation.
Mazumi Mami suddenly smiled, breaking the silence. "In that case, why don't we put it to the test?"
"How?"
Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow.
Mazumi Mami lifted a hand and pointed down one side of the corridor. There was an open door there, with a sign beside it clearly marked "Chess Club."
"The Chess Club happens to be right here. I remember you mentioned during your introduction, Classmate Sakayanagi, that chess is your greatest strength."
Mazumi Mami said.
"That's right."
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze shifted to the clubroom, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly, carrying the quiet confidence of a master in her field.
"I was once the National Youth Championship winner. Most of my opponents have never been able to put me under pressure. Their strategies are clear to me, and the outcome is often decided not long after the opening."
Her words were calm, yet carried an air of natural superiority.
"Then this is perfect."
Mazumi Mami nodded, his tone still gentle.
"Since you mentioned my background, Classmate Sakayanagi, I imagine you know something about my circumstances. I was frail as a child, had few social connections, and never had the chance to study chess in practice or play against others."
"But that's precisely why I've always been intensely curious about many things, and full of imagination. The rules of chess, its strategies, and all the countless possible variations... I've played them out in my mind more times than I can count."
He looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, a calm but unmistakable glimmer in his amber-gold eyes.
"Though I have no real match experience, I believe that all the 'armchair analysis' and thought I've put into it might still be enough to play a good game. Would you do me the honor of playing a match against this 'ordinary person who's tried countless times in his mind'? We can see whether 'effort' really can't reach the realm of 'talent.'"
Mazumi Mami said.
Faint sounds of pieces being placed on a board and quiet conversation drifted from the Chess Club room.
Light from the corridor windows cast clear shadows between them.
Sakayanagi Arisu studied Mazumi Mami for several seconds. In the depths of her purple eyes, something like complex streams of data seemed to flicker, before settling into an intrigued smile.
"Please."
She inclined her head slightly and made an elegant gesture inviting him to go first.
Mazumi Mami bowed in return.
They said nothing more. One after the other, they entered the Chess Club room.
Their clash of ideas was about to unfold in the most direct way possible, across sixty-four black-and-white squares.
This was more than just a chess game. It was the first direct test and confrontation between two "exceptional" new students.
On the chessboard, once a piece was placed, there was no taking it back. Beyond the board, undercurrents stirred.
This chance encounter and spontaneous game might quietly change the course of certain events.