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The Chess Club activity room returned to its usual quiet, the members dispersing with lingering shock and admiration, though their gazes still occasionally flicked toward the two freshmen at the door who had just displayed astonishing chess prowess.

Mazumi Mami and Sakayanagi Arisu walked out of the activity room side by side, the atmosphere not turning awkward or tense from the outcome of the match but instead carrying a strange harmony born of meeting a worthy opponent.

They continued the topic left unfinished in the hallway earlier, naturally exchanging views on the school's facilities and the atmosphere among the upperclassmen, as if that fierce game had been just a minor interlude.

Before they knew it, the two had strolled outside the school building. The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, casting dappled shadows through the leaves.

In the small garden beside the teaching building, several benches sat quietly under the shade of the trees.

"Let's rest here for a bit."

Mazumi Mami pointed to the nearest bench.

"Alright."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't object. Her breathing was slightly quicker than usual, a clear sign that the match had taken some toll on her.

Leaning on her cane, she walked over and sat down in the center of the bench, elegantly resting the cane against her leg.

Mazumi Mami didn't sit. Instead, he casually leaned against the wooden armrest at one end of the bench, maintaining a proper distance.

He pulled two cans of drinks from the pocket of his uniform jacket—clearly bought earlier from a vending machine.

He handed one can, decorated with a pink strawberry pattern, to Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Here, have some energy. Girls like strawberry milk, right?"

His tone was casual, like a considerate ordinary classmate.

Sakayanagi Arisu paused for a moment, her violet eyes glancing at the milk can, then lifting to look at Mazumi Mami before reaching out to take it.

"I don't know how you arrived at that conclusion..."

She gently turned the warm can in her hand, her tone calm. "But I don't dislike it, either. Thank you, Classmate Mazumi."

"No need to thank me."

Mazumi Mami opened his own can of black coffee and took a sip. "After all, I'm the one who 'forced' you into a rather draining game, Classmate Sakayanagi. It's only right that I cover this 'compensation.'"

"I won't deny that."

Sakayanagi Arisu pulled the tab open and took a small sip of the sweet strawberry milk, a faint flush of color appearing on her pale cheeks.

She looked up, a faint, elusive smile tugging at her lips. "Forcing a frail girl like me into such an intense mental duel—Classmate Mazumi, you can be surprisingly 'rough' at times."

"I completely agree with you on the 'frail girl' part."

Mazumi Mami met her gaze, his tone sincere. "But if anyone underestimates you because of it, Classmate Sakayanagi... I think they'll pay a very heavy price."

His gaze was calm, yet seemed to pierce through appearances.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Sakayanagi Arisu set down the milk can, a hint of curiosity flickering in her violet eyes.

"Instinct."

Mazumi Mami replied briefly, then added, "And my instinct is rarely wrong."

"Is that also why you insist on not sitting down?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze swept over the empty space on the bench before returning to Mazumi Mami.

"For a teenage boy, sitting shoulder to shoulder with a 'beautiful girl' like me on a bench should be a rare opportunity, shouldn't it? Anyone else would probably have rushed over without a second thought."

Sakayanagi Arisu said.

Mazumi Mami let out a low laugh at that. "I'm a teenage boy too, so of course I have that desire."

He admitted it openly, his amber-gold eyes looking especially clear in the sunlight. "But I'm not so desperate that I need to violate someone's clearly drawn 'boundaries' to satisfy myself."

He paused, his gaze meaningfully falling on the spot where Sakayanagi Arisu sat—the very center of the bench.

"Choosing to sit here instead of at one end, Classmate Sakayanagi—isn't that a silent declaration? 'This bench is taken. No sharing.' Am I wrong?"

Mazumi Mami said.

"Exposed, was I?"

Sakayanagi Arisu blinked, her tone carrying a hint of perfectly feigned innocence. "I thought I'd hidden it quite well."

"You weren't hiding it at all."

Mazumi Mami retorted with a wry smile.

The two exchanged a glance and, almost in unison, let out a soft laugh.

A subtle, unspoken understanding—the kind shared between "kindred spirits"—quietly took root in the air.

After a moment, Sakayanagi Arisu's smile faded, her violet eyes growing calm and focused once more.

"Now then, let's talk about something that might help us understand each other a little better."

She began slowly.

"During our match earlier, Classmate Mazumi... you said that my 'limit hasn't been reached yet'? No one has ever said that to me before. Everyone believes that, given my physical condition, achieving what I have is already 'perfect' or even a 'miracle.'"

Sakayanagi Arisu said.

"That's because their own vision and level are 'just that.'"

Mazumi Mami's tone was flat, yet carried an unshakable certainty.

"What I mean is, Classmate Sakayanagi, your current talent and achievements are actually 'limited' and 'held back' by your congenital heart condition."

"If your body were healthy and full of vitality, your thinking speed, sustained focus, and even your overall potential ceiling would be far beyond this. You could stand higher and go further."

Mazumi Mami said.

Sakayanagi Arisu listened in silence, her fingers tightening slightly around the milk carton.

"I understand that myself, more than anyone."

Her voice was soft, carrying a faint, barely perceptible bitterness.

"But this is reality. My family has used almost every resource at their disposal, tried every method... and you've seen the result. Perhaps this is my 'ceiling.'"

Sakayanagi Arisu said.

She didn't find it strange that Mazumi Mami knew about these matters.

After all, the noble circle was small; nothing could be hidden from others.

"Not necessarily."

Mazumi Mami's voice rang out clearly, carrying a peculiar allure.

"I'm a living 'exception,' aren't I? Classmate Sakayanagi, aren't you curious why a 'Mazumi Mami,' who was judged frail and sickly from childhood, almost isolated from the world, can now engage in such a high-intensity match with you and even stand here talking to you like this?"

Mazumi Mami said.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto Sakayanagi Arisu.

"If Classmate Sakayanagi needs it, I can share my 'treatment method' with you. After all, the resources and fields that Mizuki Heavy Industries can access... might be a bit broader than what the Sakayanagi family can reach."

"To possess a healthy, vibrant body..."

Mazumi Mami's voice slowed, each word striking clearly against Sakayanagi Arisu's heart, "That temptation should be great enough, shouldn't it?"

"..."

The air on the bench seemed to freeze.

Sakayanagi Arisu fell into a long silence, only the rustling of leaves in the breeze breaking the stillness.

She lowered her eyelids, her thick silver lashes casting faint shadows on her pale cheeks.

Mazumi Mami keenly noticed that the hand gripping her metal telescopic cane had its knuckles whitening from the strain.

The temptation of a healthy body was undoubtedly fatal to someone who had lived with illness since childhood.

It meant breaking free from constraints, infinite possibilities, and perhaps truly reaching the 'limit' she dreamed of.

"...Then..."

After a long while, Sakayanagi Arisu finally lifted her head, all emotion in her violet eyes wiped clean, leaving only pure rationality and scrutiny.

"What is the price? I don't believe such a 'good thing' would fall into my lap for no reason."

Sakayanagi Arisu said.

"Simple."

Mazumi Mami straightened up, looking down at her, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of control.

"I hope that in future class affairs, and even in broader campus life, Classmate Sakayanagi will... 'listen' to my opinions and not stand in opposition to me."

Mazumi Mami said.

"Is this asking me to 'follow' you?"

Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone unreadable. "Quite a... bold condition."

"If you want to see it that way, then yes."

Mazumi Mami smiled.

"But I think, with Classmate Sakayanagi's intelligence, you should understand my true meaning. I'm not looking for a subservient follower, but rather... an 'ally' or 'partner' who won't create obstacles at critical moments and can even provide help when necessary."

"I want to become the one who truly controls the situation in Class A, and in this school. And I don't want someone as smart and resourceful as you to become my 'problem.'"

He paused, his gaze deepening.

"After all, I said that those who underestimate you will pay the price. I don't want to be the one paying it; I'd rather we become a combination that makes 'others' pay. Consider it a fair trade. How about it? Do you agree?"

Mazumi Mami said.

Sakayanagi Arisu stared back at him quietly, as if weighing all the risks and potential gains of this deal.

Sunlight danced on her silver hair, but it couldn't penetrate the depths of her abyss-like violet eyes.

"...I hate empty promises and unverifiable claims."

Finally, she spoke slowly, her voice regaining its usual calm, "Before I make a decision, I at least need to see some... 'proof of possibility.' Proof that Mazumi-kun's so-called 'treatment method' isn't just empty words."

"Fair and reasonable."

Mazumi Mami showed no surprise; he nodded calmly, pulling out the school-issued smartphone from his pocket. "Then, please wait a moment."

He quickly dialed a number, walked some distance away, and spoke for a few minutes.

After hanging up, he showed Sakayanagi Arisu a reassuring smile. "I've contacted one of my maids. She'll be here shortly with a little 'sample.' It won't cure your congenital condition immediately, but it should be enough to let you personally experience... the possibility of 'change.'"

"I look forward to it."

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a slight nod, leaning back against the bench once more, her fingers unconsciously tracing the cold metal of her cane.

The afternoon breeze remained gentle, but the air around the bench seemed to have shifted, altered by this secret transaction just concluded—one concerning the future and health.

Mazumi Mami knew that this first step of probing and recruitment had been successfully taken.

Now, it remained to be seen whether his "bargaining chips" would carry enough weight.

And Sakayanagi Arisu, the principal's daughter and a potential key figure in Class A, was about to witness firsthand the hidden, extraordinary side of the world belonging to "Mazumi Mami."