Both Are Possible

In this rematch, both of them had complicated feelings.

Unlike their first encounter, when they had understood each other perfectly and both been willing, giving in little by little, this time they each had a reason they couldn't afford to lose.

Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to wipe away the shame of her previous defeat, while Makoto Nishikado hoped to draw even more emotional points out of her.

Their feelings could be summed up in two lines.

Sakayanagi Arisu: If we switched roles, I'd show you what cruelty really means!

Makoto Nishikado: I want to learn the Hand of God so badly! I-I-I dream about it!

Originally, this rematch should have been a friendly match.

But once the contest officially began, they both cast aside every distraction and focused entirely on winning.

On the board, every piece they placed carried the determination to win.

One move, two moves, three moves... The game progressed step by step, and their breathing gradually settled.

After ten moves, Sakayanagi Arisu's hand froze as she held a piece.

She looked up at Makoto Nishikado, disbelief flashing in her eyes.

Then that disbelief was replaced by intense delight.

She had thought Makoto Nishikado had gone along with her choice of game because he meant to let her win, just to comfort her, his little princess.

But now she realized that Makoto Nishikado had no intention of letting her win.

It was too early to say how things would go from here, but it was clear from the opening that he had studied the game. He was obviously no amateur.

At chess, Sakayanagi Arisu felt pressure she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"I see. You've been hiding your true abilities all along."

Sakayanagi Arisu spoke softly, a flicker of excitement crossing her face.

Then she turned her attention back to the game.

She had an absolutely unbreakable reason to win this one.

"..."

Makoto Nishikado looked up at her words. Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu had already refocused on the game, he didn't respond.

This match was genuinely challenging for him.

According to the system's evaluation, he was now better than Sakayanagi Arisu.

But once they actually started playing, he was certain the gap between them wasn't large enough to put them in different tiers.

One careless moment—or, to be precise, even a single wrong move—could cost Makoto Nishikado the game.

That couldn't happen.

Makoto Nishikado was in a hurry to gather enough points to exchange for the Hand of God and experience that legendary state.

If he lost this match to Sakayanagi Arisu, she would surely provide him with a generous haul of emotional points.

So he absolutely couldn't lose!

With the same determination, the two of them fell silent without a word. The only sound in the clubroom was the movement of the pieces.

Four hours after parting ways with Makoto Nishikado, Yuki Himeno decided to see whether her boss had won.

As it happened, she ran into Kamuro Masumi, who was also a follower.

The two women exchanged glances. Since they were headed the same way, they went together.

As fellow followers, they were both rather curious about each other.

"You know, Sakayanagi is practically inhuman. She treats me like a beast of burden..."

Perhaps because she thought they had something in common, Kamuro Masumi couldn't help getting the conversation started.

She had plenty of complaints about Sakayanagi Arisu, but didn't dare bring them up with anyone else.

But it should be all right to tell Yuki Himeno.

Makoto Nishikado would keep her in line.

"My boss is the same. She often assigns me work I never saw coming, though I'm sure it's nowhere near as bad as yours."

After hearing Kamuro Masumi out, Yuki Himeno picked up the thread.

On the whole, she was very satisfied with Makoto Nishikado as a boss.

At least Makoto Nishikado was a much better boss than Sakayanagi Arisu.

In Kamuro Masumi's telling, Sakayanagi Arisu was a capitalist who deserved to be strung up from a lamppost.

Yuki Himeno thought that sounded a little exaggerated.

If Sakayanagi Arisu were really that awful, why would Kamuro Masumi still work for her?

"I think those two were made for each other. They should just get together and stop ruining things for everyone else."

"Made for each other? Hard to say. My boss is pretty popular."

While complaining about their bosses, the two walked side by side toward the Go Club.

The two who had been strangers moments ago had nearly become friends by complaining about their bosses together.

When the clubroom came into view, they both stopped at the same time.

"Who do you think will win?"

Kamuro Masumi narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Either one could win. That's the answer."

Yuki Himeno's heart was pounding too. She couldn't bear to imagine Makoto Nishikado's losing CG.

For all their complaining, they both had complete faith in their respective bosses' abilities.

But they also knew that the opponent this time was formidable.

Would he win?

"Want to make a bet?"

Kamuro Masumi suddenly grabbed Yuki Himeno, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sakayanagi Arisu had strictly forbidden her from stealing again, and the pent-up energy had been building up.

If she couldn't use the Flying Dragon Cloud-Searching Hand, she wanted to find some other way to get a thrill.

"Not interested. I'm not betting."

Yuki Himeno rolled her dead-fish eyes, utterly unenthusiastic.

Though she thought Makoto Nishikado would win, a good girl had to learn to stay away from gambling.

Was Yuki Himeno a good girl?

Of course!

Chizuru Mizuhara was a good girl, Lin Pianpian was a good girl, and Yuki Himeno was an even better one!

"Let's just bet on which of them wins. Sakayanagi will probably lose at Go, but she'll definitely find some other way to win. We'll bet on the overall result."

"Why not bet on your boss? If you win, what do you want as your stake? I'm in for anything!"

Kamuro Masumi urged her on.

She believed that if Yuki Himeno just tried it once, she'd fall in love with the feeling too!

As for this time, she was certain she'd win.

For one thing, Makoto Nishikado was at least a bit of a gentleman, and after winning one game, he might let Sakayanagi Arisu pick something she was good at.

For another, she had a great deal of faith in Sakayanagi Arisu's talent.

In an event that Sakayanagi Arisu excelled at, her chances of winning were at least seventy percent!

"I said I'm not betting."

Yuki Himeno waved her off.

Hadn't Kamuro Masumi noticed her well-rounded dead-fish eyes?

Her only hope in life was to live a peaceful one.

Gambling had nothing to do with a peaceful life.

If she got dragged into it by accident, she'd turn into an FX warrior too.

Seeing that Kamuro Masumi was still eager to try, Yuki Himeno held up five fingers.

"If you insist on betting, we'll bet five points."

That's right, not 5,000, not 500, not even 50.

Just five points!

That was as far as she was willing to go.

"You're no fun at all."

Kamuro Masumi's enthusiasm fizzled, and she obediently pushed open the door to the Go Room.

By then, the match between Makoto Nishikado and Sakayanagi Arisu was already over, and the chess pieces had been cleared from the table.

The two were chatting.

What was strange was that they were both smiling and laughing, and seemed to be on very good terms.

Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't at all surprised to see Kamuro Masumi arrive, but Makoto Nishikado looked at Yuki Himeno in surprise.

He hadn't messaged Yuki Himeno to come over.

Besides, unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, he didn't need anyone to make special accommodations for him.

"Sakayanagi, did you win?"

Kamuro Masumi was puzzled and curious.

By her reckoning, if Sakayanagi Arisu had won, she'd surely have lost interest in Makoto Nishikado.

If she'd lost, she wouldn't let Makoto Nishikado off easily, and there was no way she'd be this calm.

If she'd lost first and won later, she should have seemed more fired up, too.

What was with this cheerful, cozy atmosphere?