Chess Game (3)

"Ahem!"

Oreki deliberately drew Kiyoko's attention.

He stepped forward slowly.

"Hello."

"Something the matter?"

Kiyoko looked up.

She wore an expression of deep thought.

She had likely realized the issue with the match just now.

"Class A, third year..."

"The Student Council secretary? Sorry, I'm not very close with her, so I probably can't answer your questions."

"Mm."

Oreki nodded and walked away.

The situation was clear.

He hadn't even mentioned who he was talking about, yet Kiyoko already knew it was the Student Council secretary.

It was obvious.

Kiyoko had also deduced that the tennis ball belonged to Tachibana Akane.

She probably hit it against the steel frame by accident during training last year.

She likely didn't mention it to anyone for fear of being reprimanded by the school.

If I could team up with this person... forget it.

As soon as the thought of an alliance surfaced, Oreki dismissed it.

Collaborating with someone whose background was unknown carried too much risk.

Especially with a genius.

Who knew when they might stab you in the back?

It was always better to be cautious.

"What did you two talk about?"

Karuizawa Kei asked curiously.

It wasn't as if she hadn't chatted with Kiyoko before.

To build a good image among the girls, Karuizawa Kei had spoken with every one of them.

The most troublesome among them was Kiyoko.

She had no interest in gossip.

Nor did she have any particular hobbies.

Her academic performance seemed quite average.

Karuizawa Kei simply couldn't find any common ground.

If it were about which girl was with which boy...

That would have been much easier for her.

"Nothing much, just testing her."

"Testing her?"

"Mm..."

Oreki replied casually.

Since he had gauged the other party's strength, there was no time for hesitation.

Either prepare early to be outmaneuvered by her.

Or simply...

But for the moment, Class A wasn't exactly stable.

There were at least two factions fighting each other.

If he didn't completely unify Class A before planning to deal with other classes, it would be easy for the enemy to take advantage of the situation.

The most common method was internal collapse.

"Do you have time this afternoon?"

Karuizawa Kei said suddenly.

She looked worried.

"I'm free until five."

"Then... could you come to the cafe with me?"

"What for this time?"

"Just to meet up with my girlfriends..."

"Asserting your territory?"

"It's not that dramatic."

Karuizawa Kei shook her head hurriedly.

She had thought about being the queen of the girls' group, but that was just a passing thought.

Given Karuizawa Kei's personality, she would be exposed in no time.

However...

Having a boyfriend from Class A would certainly bring her a fair amount of prestige.

At the very least, it would keep her from being marginalized.

"Please~ please~"

Karuizawa Kei hooked her arm through Oreki's right arm.

The movement was far too practiced.

"Sigh... let's go."

Oreki finally agreed.

Since Sakayanagi already knew, there was no point in hiding it; he might as well take the opportunity to solidify the mutually beneficial relationship between him and Karuizawa Kei.

As for the others...

Oreki didn't take them seriously.

At most, they would just assume they were dating.

Could they really see through the charade?

Forget it.

That was something only Sakayanagi could do.

"Great!"

Karuizawa Kei said happily.

She looked genuinely delighted.

How much longer can this fake relationship last?

Oreki couldn't help but wonder.

Could it become real...

Better not.

Instead of thinking about such impractical things, it was better to stay realistic.

Before he knew it.

"We're here."

Karuizawa Kei pointed to the cafe ahead.

It had been very popular lately.

To be precise, it was the large groups of girls that had made it popular.

Whenever they had free time, they would come here.

Then they would chat while sipping their drinks.

The topics were varied.

However, most of it was just gossip.

"Kei!"

From a higher vantage point.

A girl with short blonde hair was waving at them.

She was overly energetic.

It was hard to tell if it was an act or if she was just a natural.

"Who is she?"

"That's Kikyo from our class. Come on, let's go, I'll introduce you."

"There's no need for—"

Oreki, who had intended to refuse, shut his mouth.

Since he had promised Karuizawa Kei, he might as well go and see her.

Soon, Karuizawa Kei pulled him upstairs.

There were many girls here.

As a boy, Oreki looked quite out of place.

"Hmm? So you're the one our little Kei has been thinking about day and night?"

Kushida Kikyo said, resting her index finger against her chin.

She looked very curious.

Curious about what kind of person Oreki was.

"It's not like that..."

Karuizawa Kei lowered her head and walked over to Kushida Kikyo's side.

She seemed a bit shy.

"..."

Oreki had no intention of explaining.

If they wanted to misunderstand, let them; it was what Karuizawa Kei wanted anyway.

"What about the other two?"

"They had something come up at the last minute and couldn't make it."

"I see..."

Karuizawa Kei felt a little disappointed.

It seemed her influence wasn't quite enough yet.

But that was fine.

Having Kushida Kikyo here was enough.

She would definitely spread the word about what happened today.

It wouldn't be long before most of the girls knew.

On the other side.

Oreki had expected to spend this time in boredom.

But who would have thought that Kushida Kikyo would suddenly say...

"Since Oreki-san is from Class A, you must know Sakayanagi Arisu, right?"