The First Chess Piece--Karuizawa Kei

"Then we're friends from now on."

"Mm!"

As the girl replied, the corners of her eyes curved into crescent moons, and the dimples on her cheeks brimmed with light. That smile was as clean as morning dew falling onto a fresh leaf; it lacked the conspiracies, calculations, and infighting common in this school, nor did it hold the sycophancy and sordidness of the adult world—there was only the clearest joy and a sincerity untainted by even a shred of impurity.

This was likely the reason so many people in his past life had been moved by this girl. She was too clean, too pure. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, you really deserve to die—

Uesugi Hara gazed at the girl before him, his chest feeling as if it had been gently struck by something, and a thought settled with absolute clarity: he must protect this smile.

"Then, may I call you Airi?"

"Y-yes, you can..." The girl's fingertips curled slightly, and a faint pink flush crept up the tips of her ears.

"Then Airi can call me Uesugi, or just Hara. It wouldn't be fair if only I were the one calling you by your name, right?"

"Hara... Hara-kun?" She tested the name first, her voice as light as a feather landing, before gathering her courage and repeating it slightly louder, "Hara-kun!"

"I'm here—"

"Airi, have you been receiving a lot of harassing messages lately?"

"Y-yes, I have received a few..." The girl subconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, her voice thin and weak, her cheeks still flushed with lingering shyness.

"Then Airi, you must be careful of that clerk you met today." Uesugi Hara's tone deepened. "I saw his computer screensaver earlier; it was a photo of you. It's possible those messages were sent by him. And the way he looked at you—" He paused, deliberately suppressing his words, his tone turning icy, "—it was as if he wanted to devour you."

"Th-then what should I do?" Hearing this, the girl grew fearful, her face turning pale in an instant.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Uesugi Hara's voice softened, carrying a deliberate, soothing tone. "Don't go to that shop alone anymore. If you need to buy something, you can come to me, and I can accompany you somewhere else."

Watching the girl's fingers turn white as she gripped her skirt, he added, "Also, delete any strange messages from your phone directly; don't reply to anything. If you receive any more weird messages or run into that clerk on the street, message me immediately—remember, you can do it at any time."

Airi bit her lower lip and nodded. The fear in her eyes receded slightly, and the gaze she turned toward him held a hint of reliance: "Th-thank you, Hara-kun..."

"You're welcome." Uesugi Hara watched her fingers slowly loosen, the tight knot of worry in his heart finally easing. "After all, we're friends, and friends should look out for each other, shouldn't they?"

These words seemed to act as a sedative for the girl; she gave a soft "Mm," and the color finally returned to her face.

After chatting with Airi for a while longer, Uesugi Hara only withdrew his gaze once her figure disappeared around the street corner. He raised his hand to check the time on his terminal—4:08 PM.

With Airi seen off, it was time to find Karuizawa Kei.

As soon as this thought surfaced, his footsteps naturally shifted direction. Unlike the gentleness he showed Airi, his eyes were now much calmer, as if he had switched modes.

Inside Palette Cafe, it was already 4:22 PM.

Karuizawa Kei had already arrived. She sat by the window, her fingers clutching her coffee cup tightly. Her meticulously styled, slightly curled hair hung over her shoulders, but it could not hide the panic in her eyes.

Uesugi Hara ordered a latte and walked straight over.

Seeing Uesugi Hara sit directly opposite her, she stood up abruptly, her voice carrying an unmistakable tremor: "Who exactly are you? How do you know about those things?"

"Sit down and let's talk," Uesugi Hara pulled out a chair, his tone as calm as if he were discussing something trivial. "I am Uesugi Hara from Class 1-A, but that's not important. What matters is, if these things were to spread through the school—like the photos of you being forced to kneel in high school, or the recordings of those people calling you a 'trash'—do you think the friends surrounding you now would still treat you the same way?"

Karuizawa Kei's face turned white instantly; her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.

She knew better than anyone that her popularity in Class D, while seemingly solid, was entirely propped up by her "perfect image." Once labeled as a "victim of bullying," those flatteries and intimacies would only turn into mockery and alienation.

"Are you threatening me?" She managed to squeeze out after a long while, her eyes slightly red.

"Consider it a partnership." Uesugi Hara stirred his coffee. "I need you to keep an eye on the movements in Class D, especially Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune, and Kushida Kikyo. In exchange, I will help you keep your secret and help you stand more firmly in Class D—more firmly than you are now. You could even parasite off me; I can act as your umbrella. It's no skin off my back to keep you."

"Why should I trust you?" She glared at him, her eyes filled with anger, but even more so with fear.

"Because I know what you fear most, and I know how to help you avoid it." Uesugi Hara looked up at her, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty. "You just need to report the situation in Class D to me periodically; you don't need to worry about anything else. Or, would you prefer I post your high school photos on the school forum right now?"

This sentence completely shattered Karuizawa Kei's defenses. She gritted her teeth, her nails digging into her palms, until she finally nodded: "...Fine, I agree. But if you dare to lie to me..."

"I have no interest in destroying my own pieces." Uesugi Hara finished the last of his coffee, the bottom of the cup clicking against the table with a crisp sound. He stood up and straightened his cuffs, his tone flat yet carrying an undeniable weight. "Remember, don't leave any traces. Keep in touch."

"By the way, how many points do you have left?" Uesugi Hara asked before leaving.

"34252," Karuizawa Kei glanced at her terminal.

Uesugi Hara didn't say much, simply transferring twenty thousand points. Only when the numbers on the screen stopped moving did he speak: "Maintain your persona and save your points. Given the current state of Class D—next month will be hell for you all."

"What do you mean by that?!" The other party's voice rose sharply, carrying a hint of hidden panic.

Uesugi Hara ignored her and walked straight out.

As he stepped out of the cafe, the setting sun was dyeing the street in warm gold. Uesugi Hara looked at the contact list on his terminal, a faint, imperceptible curve touching the corner of his mouth.

Karuizawa Kei might only be an information window in Class D for now, but he knew that in the future class competitions, her influence among the girls of Class D would become an unexpected weapon.