Both Are Possible

For the rematch, both of them had complicated feelings.

Compared to their first encounter, where things were understood, consensual, and half-reluctant, this time both had reasons they could not afford to lose.

Sakayanagi Arisu hoped to wash away her previous shame, while Makoto Nishikado hoped to farm more emotional points from Sakayanagi Arisu.

Their specific mindsets could be summarized by two lines.

Sakayanagi Arisu: If our roles were reversed, I would show you what true cruelty is!

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

Originally, this rematch was supposed to be a favor-trading match.

But once the duel officially began, both cast aside all distractions and threw themselves heart and soul into the contest.

On the chessboard, every piece placed carried a determination to win.

One step, two steps, three steps... the game progressed, and their breathing gradually steadied.

After ten moves, the hand Sakayanagi Arisu used to hold her piece suddenly paused.

She looked up at Makoto Nishikado, a flash of disbelief crossing her eyes.

Immediately, that disbelief was replaced by intense delight.

She had originally thought that Makoto Nishikado following her choice of game was an attempt to intentionally let her win a round to coax her, the little princess.

But at this moment, she realized that Makoto Nishikado had no intention of going easy on her.

It was hard to say what would happen later, but judging by this opening, he had clearly studied it, and his strength was obviously formidable.

In chess, Sakayanagi Arisu felt a long-lost sense of pressure.

"So that's how it is. You've been hiding your strength all along."

Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, a fleeting arc of excitement appearing on her face.

Afterward, she threw herself back into the game.

She had an absolute reason not to lose this match.

Makoto Nishikado heard this and looked up, but seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu had already returned to the game, he did not respond to her words.

In this battle, he truly felt the strain.

According to the system's evaluation, his current strength was above Sakayanagi Arisu's.

But now that they were actually fighting, he could confirm that the gap in their strength did not reach a tier-level difference.

The slightest carelessness—or to be precise, even one wrong move—could lead to Makoto Nishikado's defeat.

That would not do.

Makoto Nishikado was anxious to gather enough points to exchange for the Hand of God and experience that legendary realm.

If Sakayanagi Arisu lost this battle, she would certainly provide him with a generous amount of emotional points.

Therefore, he absolutely could not lose!

Holding the same determination, both fell silent by unspoken agreement, leaving only the sound of pieces moving in the activity room.

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

Coincidentally, she ran into Kamuro Masumi, who was also a subordinate, on the way.

The two women exchanged a glance; since they were heading in the same direction, they walked together.

As fellow subordinates, the two were quite curious about each other.

"You know, Sakayanagi is simply not human. She uses me like a beast of burden..."

Perhaps feeling they had a common topic, Kamuro Masumi couldn't help but start the conversation.

She dared not easily voice her complaints about Sakayanagi Arisu to others.

But telling Yuki Himeno should be fine.

Makoto Nishikado would keep her in check.

"My boss is the same, often assigning me unexpected tasks, though it's probably not as bad as yours."

After listening to Kamuro Masumi's account, Yuki Himeno took over the conversation.

She was generally very satisfied with her boss, Makoto Nishikado.

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

In Kamuro Masumi's words, Sakayanagi Arisu was a total capitalist who deserved to be strung up on a lamppost.

Yuki Himeno felt this description was a bit exaggerated.

If Sakayanagi Arisu were truly that excessive, why would Kamuro Masumi still work for her?

"I think the two of them are a match made in heaven; they should just lock themselves together and stop harming others."

"A match made in heaven? Hard to say, the boss is still quite popular."

The two of them walked side by side toward the Go Club, complaining about their boss as they went.

Two people who were originally strangers had almost become friends through the shared act of venting about their employer.

When the club activity room came into view, both of them stopped in their tracks at the same time.

"Who do you think will win?"

Kamuro Masumi narrowed her eyes, feeling unexpectedly nervous for a moment.

"Either one is possible; that is the answer."

Yuki Himeno's heart was also pounding; she dared not imagine a defeat CG for Makoto Nishikado.

Complaints aside, both women had immense faith in their master's talents.

However, both women also knew that the opponent they were facing 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 continuing to steal, which had caused her emotions to build up.

If she couldn't use the Flying Dragon Cloud-Searching Hand, she wanted to find some other form of stimulation.

"Not interested, no betting."

Yuki Himeno rolled her dead fish eyes, completely lacking motivation.

Although she felt Makoto Nishikado would win, good girls had to learn to stay away from gambling.

Was Yuki Himeno a good girl?

Of course she was!

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

"Let's just bet on the outcome of their match. Sakayanagi will probably lose at Go, but she'll definitely find another way to win. Let's bet on the outcome of this round."

"Do you want to back your boss? If you win, what do you want as a stake? I'll match whatever it is!"

Kamuro Masumi urged.

She believed that if she just tried it once, Yuki Himeno would fall in love with this feeling just like she had!

As for this time, she firmly believed she would win.

On one hand, Makoto Nishikado still had some gentlemanly conduct; after winning one round, he might let Sakayanagi Arisu choose a game she excelled at.

On the other hand, she highly recognized Sakayanagi Arisu's talent.

In a game Sakayanagi Arisu was good at, her probability of winning was at least seventy percent!

"I already said I'm not betting."

Yuki Himeno waved her hand in refusal.

Couldn't Kamuro Masumi see her pair of nutritious dead fish eyes?

The only expectation she had for life was for it to be a little more stable.

Gambling and the like had absolutely nothing to do with a stable life.

If she accidentally fell into it, she would end up becoming a forex 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 5 points."

Yes, not 5,000, not 500, not even 50.

Just 5 points!

That was the extent of her willingness to play along.

"You are truly boring."

Kamuro Masumi deflated, honestly pushing the door open to enter the Go Room.

By this time, the duel between Makoto Nishikado and Sakayanagi Arisu had already ended, and the chessboard on the table had been cleared away.

The two were currently chatting idly.

What was strange was that both were laughing and talking, looking like they were on very good terms.

Sakayanagi Arisu was not at all surprised by Kamuro Masumi's arrival, but Makoto Nishikado looked at Yuki Himeno with a strange expression.

He hadn't sent a message for Yuki Himeno to come over.

Moreover, he wasn't Sakayanagi Arisu; he didn't need to be specially looked after.

"Sakayanagi, did you win?"

Kamuro Masumi felt strange and curious.

According to her expectations, if Sakayanagi Arisu had won, she would definitely have lost interest in Makoto Nishikado.

If she had lost, she certainly wouldn't have let Makoto Nishikado off easily, and her mindset couldn't possibly be this peaceful.

If she had lost first and then won, she should have displayed more fighting spirit.

What was going on with this harmonious atmosphere?