This Is Not Your Limit

The atmosphere in the Chess Club's activity room was vastly different from usual.

"I'm back... Huh? What's going on here?"

A club member who had just returned from lunch pushed open the door, stunned by the scene before him.

The members who would normally be studying game records alone or playing in pairs were now almost all gathered around the largest chess table in the center of the room, holding their breath, their gazes fixed on the board, so absorbed that no one noticed his return.

"Two new students just came in, said they wanted to borrow a board for a match."

A nearby member explained in a low voice, but his eyes refused to leave the game.

"At first, everyone thought the request was pretty abrupt and didn't want to bother. But the president said he sensed an 'extraordinary aura' from those two new students, so he made an exception."

"So everyone's gathered here to watch the new students get humiliated?"

The later-arriving member was a bit puzzled.

"Quite the opposite."

The explaining member shook his head, his tone filled with awe. "Now everyone believes what the president said... These two are ridiculously strong! You should come watch too. You can learn a lot."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

The later-arriving member, half-doubtful, squeezed into the crowd and turned his gaze to the board.

Just a few seconds later, his breathing involuntarily grew lighter.

On the board, black and white were locked in a dazzling, fierce exchange.

Mazumi Mami, playing white, and Sakayanagi Arisu, playing black, were both placing their pieces at an incredible speed, with almost no long pauses, as if every move had been rehearsed countless times in their minds, executed effortlessly.

The game was unpredictable, attacks and defenses shifting in an instant. Intricate traps and sharp breakthroughs alternated, leaving the senior members watching in a daze, their minds barely able to keep up with the evolution of the game.

This didn't look like a teaching match or a casual game; it was more like two precision strategic computers performing the most efficient offensive and defensive calculations.

However, only Sakayanagi Arisu, who was in the thick of it, understood that beneath the surface of this high-speed duel, the pressure she was under far exceeded what others could imagine.

"This reaction speed and depth of calculation..."

A trace of gravity flickered in the depths of Sakayanagi Arisu's violet eyes. Her fingertips gently stroked a knight piece, but she didn't place it immediately.

She felt as if her mind was climbing an ever-rising wall of ice. Every seemingly successful advance was immediately met with an even more threatening counter from her opponent.

"It's like playing chess against an omniscient database... No, it's worse than that. He can not only calculate all possibilities quickly, but also accurately predict my strategic preferences and psychological tendencies."

"This feeling is completely different from playing against Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji needs time to think, and sometimes he even deliberately shows weakness or walks into traps to observe reactions... But Mazumi Mami, the feeling he gives me is... absolute control."

She lifted her eyes to look at the boy across the board.

Mazumi Mami still wore a calm and gentle expression, his back straight but his posture relaxed, as if he were engaged in an afternoon chat rather than a fierce mental battle.

His amber-golden eyes were clear and focused, reflecting the light and shadow on the board, showing no signs of fatigue or tension.

"Does this superhuman reaction speed and sustained concentration really belong to someone who is said to be frail and lacking in social experience?"

Doubt gradually arose in Sakayanagi Arisu's heart.

"What's wrong, Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Mazumi Mami's voice sounded at just the right moment, gentle and polite. "Do you need a rest?"

"...Yes."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't force herself.

Such a high-intensity mental drain wasn't without effect on her already heavily burdened heart.

She let out a soft breath, placed the piece in her fingertips back to its original position, and temporarily suspended the game.

"I'm a bit curious, Classmate Mazumi."

She spoke again, her violet eyes meeting his directly. "What you said earlier, is it really true? That you've never had an actual chess match before?"

"I believe so."

Mazumi Mami met her gaze frankly. "My physical condition and past experiences shouldn't be a secret. I really haven't had the chance to play against anyone."

"But your performance..."

Sakayanagi Arisu frowned slightly, choosing her words carefully. "Your reaction speed and tactical execution are beyond reason. Playing against you feels like I'm facing a... perfectly programmed supercomputer."

Hearing this, Mazumi Mami chuckled softly, a hint of something elusive in his smile.

"You flatter me, Classmate Sakayanagi. Perhaps it's just that I have a unique set of 'maintenance' and 'training' methods that keep my mind in a relatively active state. Besides..."

He shifted the topic, his gaze falling on the board.

"Speaking of reaction speed, Classmate Sakayanagi, your attacks are truly sharp and swift. If I didn't have some special 'preparations,' I would have likely collapsed long ago. Your talent and brilliance are truly rare. Given time and more experience, even I might have to concede defeat."

Mazumi Mami said.

"Growth... huh?"

Sakayanagi Arisu repeated the word softly, her gaze falling on the intricate board, which recorded her step-by-step strategy that had been consistently suppressed.

A rare, almost bewildered emotion flickered through the depths of her eyes.

"Can I really... still 'grow'?"

This sentence was so soft it was almost a murmur to herself.

"As long as you want it, and you find the right direction and method."

Mazumi Mami's voice was calm and certain. "But for now, let's finish this game first."

"...Right."

Sakayanagi Arisu reined in the emotion that had momentarily surfaced, straightened back up in her seat, and her violet eyes regained their usual calm sharpness. "Please continue."

The game resumed.

The atmosphere remained tense and knife-edged. The black and white pieces were like two silent armies, waging a final decisive battle across the sixty-four-square battlefield.

Yet any discerning eye could see that the scales of victory had already tipped irreversibly toward the white side.

Mazumi Mami's formation appeared gentle, but every move was a relentless squeeze, compressing the black side's room for maneuver and chance for counterattack to the absolute limit.

Though Sakayanagi Arisu struggled with all her might, displaying remarkable tenacity and exquisite local responses, with the overall situation already lost, she ultimately could not turn the tide.

Finally, Mazumi Mami moved his "Queen," sealing off the black king's last escape route.

"Check."

He announced it calmly, his voice not loud, yet it was exceptionally clear in the silent activity room.

Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the board for a long time, looking at her own checkmated king, then raised her eyes to glance at Mazumi Mami, whose expression remained peaceful across the board. She gently set down the "Rook" she had been holding.

"...I lost."

She admitted it frankly, her voice carrying little frustration, but rather a sense of relief that the dust had settled, along with deeper contemplation.

Low exclamations and murmurs of discussion rose in the activity room. The members of the Chess Club exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The chess skill Sakayanagi Arisu had displayed far surpassed that of an ordinary high school student, even rivaling many seasoned enthusiasts. Yet Mazumi Mami had secured victory with an even more composed and overwhelming dominance.

This impromptu match had not only decided a winner and loser but had also left a deep impression on the onlookers.

And for the two players, Mazumi Mami and Sakayanagi Arisu, this sixty-four-square battlefield had served as a silent yet profound mutual probing and evaluation.

Sakayanagi Arisu slowly rose to her feet and gave Mazumi Mami a slight nod.

"An excellent game. Thank you for the lesson, Classmate Mazumi."

"The feeling is mutual, Classmate Sakayanagi."

Mazumi Mami also stood up and responded politely.

The game was over, but certain things might have only just begun.