Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, gymnasium.
The gymnasium was bustling with voices. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, spilling across the wooden floor in dappled patterns.
"Sorry for the wait, Rei-kun."
The sound of a cane touching the floor came from behind him. Amasawa Reigetsu turned around. Sakayanagi Arisu's silvery-white hair shimmered softly in the sunlight, and her face wore that trademark, ethereal smile.
"I just got here too, Sakayanagi."
Amasawa Reigetsu gave a slight nod. His tall, straight figure looked especially slender beside her.
"Oh my~ That's so formal. Just yesterday, you were calling me Princess. How heartless of you, Rei-kun."
Sakayanagi Arisu stopped a fist's distance from Amasawa Reigetsu. Taking advantage of their height difference, she looked up at him from below and gave a little devilish chuckle.
"Chuunibyou? Ah, Sakayanagi is at that age, after all. Understandable. So—"
"At least call me Arisu..."
"Alice?"
"Whatever you like... You're the only one who'd give me such a strange pun nickname anyway."
"Alice~ Alice~ Calling each other by English codenames makes us sound like a secret organization. I think I'm starting to understand your chuunibyou a little, Alice."
Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing. She just kicked Amasawa Reigetsu in the shin to show her displeasure, but her kick only met something hard and wouldn't budge him...
"Come on, Rei-kun. Keep me company while I look around? Though I don't think you're very interested in these clubs."
"Then why did you ask me to come?"
"Keep me company, won't you? It's a princess's privilege, isn't it?"
"You should say 'princess,' Alice."
"Pfft."
The Basketball Club's booth was closest to the entrance. A few tall boys were showing off their dribbling skills. Sweat glistened on their bronze skin, and every jump was full of youthful energy.
The club president was a third-year student with a mohawk, loudly preaching the basketball philosophy of "passion and friendship" to the watching first-years. There seemed to be a redhead among them whom Amasawa Reigetsu had seen in Class D before, but he didn't know his name.
In sharp contrast to the Basketball Club's boisterous booth was the Light Music Club's. A few girls in cute uniforms held guitars, basses, and other instruments, their gentle melodies flowing through the air. Their booth was decorated with pink balloons and ribbons, and homemade cookies sat on the table.
"Would you like to try one of our treats?"
A brown-haired girl shyly held out a cookie.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Chihaya Nagasaki, the lead singer of Myjica Band!"
Sakayanagi Arisu reached out and took the cookie from Chihaya Nagasaki. A flicker of disappointment crossed Chihaya's eyes, but when she saw Sakayanagi Arisu's doll-like, adorable face, her eyes lit up with a KIRAKIRA sparkle.
"It tastes pretty good," Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Thank you, Chihaya. We'll think about it."
Amasawa Reigetsu's somewhat sweet, soft voice reminded Chihaya Nagasaki of a singer she'd once promoted. But considering their ages, that singer definitely couldn't be attending high school (laugh). Still, it was enough to get Chihaya Nagasaki, herself a lead singer, excited.
"Please do! I really love your voice!"
Chihaya Nagasaki clasped Amasawa Reigetsu's hands in both of hers, then seemed to realize it might be inappropriate. Blushing, she returned to her booth, and a cheerful mood immediately swept through her bandmates.
As they continued forward, Amasawa Reigetsu realized just how many oddballs there were at this school—
The Tea Ceremony Club, Kyudo Club, Going Home Club, Rhythm Game Club, GJ Club, Magical Far East Nap Society, Magical Girl Research Club, Girl Band Aluminum-Copper Extraction Research Club??
It was a little shameless, but Amasawa Reigetsu had to admit that these oddballs did seem pretty interesting.
On the other side of the gymnasium, the Chess Club's booth was especially quiet. In sharp contrast to the other clubs' noise, it had only a chessboard covered in green felt and a few comfortable chairs. A complicated endgame sat in the middle of the booth, silently awaiting challengers.
"Rei-kun, we've never played chess together."
Amasawa Reigetsu raised an eyebrow, then stepped closer to the chessboard and studied the arrangement carefully—
White: King on h1, Queen on d5, Rooks on a1 and f1, Bishop on c4, Knight on e5, Pawns on a2, b2, c3, d4, e4, f2, g2, and h2;
Black: King on h8, Queen on d8, Rooks on a8 and f8, Bishop on c8, Knight on e7, Pawns on a7, b7, c7, d6, e6, f7, g7, and h7.
"White moves first. Checkmate Black in three moves."
A bespectacled third-year student explained,
"This is a little puzzle from our club. Solve it and you'll get five thousand points."
Amasawa Reigetsu barely had to think. He lightly tapped a finger on the board.
"Queen from d5 to h5, check."
The president adjusted his glasses, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Correct. What's the second move?"
"Black can only block with the Bishop on g7."
Amasawa Reigetsu's voice was calm and confident.
"Then White's Knight jumps from e5 to g6, check."
The president's expression shifted slightly. "Black can only move the King to h7."
Amasawa Reigetsu lightly tapped the board with his finger. "Queen from h5 to h7, checkmate."
A low murmur of amazement rose around the booth.
The president adjusted his glasses and looked Amasawa Reigetsu over carefully. "You're quite good at chess."
Just then, the president's gaze fell on Sakayanagi Arisu, and a flash of disbelief crossed his face.
"Wait... Are you... Miss Sakayanagi Arisu?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with a light laugh.
"That's right. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu."
The president jumped to his feet, his voice trembling with excitement.
"It really is you! The champion of last year's National High School Chess Championship! I... I'm your biggest fan!"
The students around them began to stir and gather. Sakayanagi Arisu waved a hand.
"May we use the chessboard? I'd like to play a game with Rei-kun."
Sakayanagi Arisu turned to Amasawa Reigetsu, a sly glint in her gray-blue eyes.
The game began.
Sakayanagi Arisu played White and moved first, advancing her Pawn two squares. "e4."
Amasawa Reigetsu barely thought before advancing his own Pawn as well. "e5."
"The Italian Game?" Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, moving her Knight to f3.
An inscrutable glint flashed in Amasawa Reigetsu's gray eyes. Instead of following the usual line, he moved his Knight to c6.
Sakayanagi Arisu paused for a moment, then smiled and moved her Bishop to c4.
But the next few moves were completely beyond what Sakayanagi Arisu had expected.
Amasawa Reigetsu's style... was completely different from Ayanokoji Kiyoko's. Playing against Ayanokoji Kiyoko was like playing against an AI; her precise calculations shut down any possibility of victory—
Amasawa Reigetsu, on the other hand, was like one of those hellish levels in I Wanna: utterly unpredictable. Rather than follow standard defensive strategies, he went on the attack, moving his Bishop to b4 and directly threatening Sakayanagi Arisu's Knight.
"As expected of you, Rei-kun. This kind of play is just what I like~"
Her games against Ayanokoji Kiyoko had been far too boring. So were her games against other players her age, and even against world champions. They were nothing more than contests of chess knowledge—getting crushed by Ayanokoji Kiyoko, then crushing other players...
Was chess always such a boring game?
Sakayanagi Arisu had wondered.
She stood too high, and too far off to the side. Perhaps by the time she had made it here, there was no room for anyone else beside her.
But when she truly entered the room and switched on the light, she realized—
She had been sitting on Amasawa Reigetsu.
Sakayanagi's face grew warm.
The more time she spent with Amasawa Reigetsu, the more she was tempted by his kindred presence—an even stronger kindred presence—and her loneliness was slowly worn away.
If Ayanokoji Kiyoko was a target she had to defeat, then when it came to Amasawa Reigetsu...
She wanted to stay by his side like this forever.//
The solitary believer had finally come into contact with the god she worshipped. Having tasted that closeness, she no longer wanted to helplessly reach out toward Rei's back.
Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to seize the future.
The two played as if it were speed chess. Neither took time to think or even hesitated; they arranged their pieces by instinct alone.
"Check."
Amasawa Reigetsu said softly, moving his Knight to d5.
Her King had been driven to g8, while Amasawa Reigetsu's Queen lay in wait, poised to strike the final blow.
Sakayanagi Arisu let out a long breath, tasting of blueberries.
The game had taken too much out of her. When she came back to herself, sweat had dampened her bangs.
Her face was still flushed.
"Rei-kun, I'll catch up to you."
Amasawa Reigetsu rose to his feet and held out his hand to Sakayanagi Arisu, extending an invitation like a knight.
"On this road, there are only you and me, Alice."