"Pleased to meet you, Classmate Sakayanagi. Please, have a seat." Watanabe Hayabara smiled and gave a graceful, perfectly executed gentleman's bow. Then he inclined his head and gestured toward the chair with his right hand, inviting Sakayanagi Arisu to sit.
Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curved into a polite, charming smile. "Thank you, Classmate Watanabe," she said softly. Then she walked lightly over to the chair and sat down, her movements graceful and composed.
The two sat across from each other at a small table in the café, the atmosphere a little stiff. Just then, Kamuro Masumi, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Hayabara, you two get to sit at a little table, and you're making me stand?" Her voice carried a hint of teasing.
At that, Watanabe Hayabara turned to look at Kamuro Masumi, his smile broadening. He gently took her hand and said softly, "That way, you can sit on my lap without anyone being able to complain, Masumi." With that, he gave her a gentle tug and drew her to his side, letting her sit on his lap.
Kamuro Masumi was clearly a little embarrassed, but she obediently settled onto Watanabe Hayabara's lap, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Watanabe Hayabara took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist and hold her close.
Once he was done, Watanabe Hayabara lifted his head and met Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze. His eyes held a hint of scrutiny and curiosity, as though he wanted to see how she would react. Sakayanagi Arisu showed no sign of discomfort under his gaze. Still smiling politely, she asked softly, "What did you want to see me about, Classmate Watanabe?"
Watanabe Hayabara's lips lifted in a faint smile. "I just wanted to remind you not to set your sights on my little Masumi, Classmate Sakayanagi." His tone was casual, but the warning was unmistakable.
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile remained unchanged. "Why would I? I don't feel that way about Classmate Masumi, Classmate Watanabe," she replied softly. Yet a trace of slyness flickered in her eyes.
Watanabe Hayabara clearly wasn't satisfied with her answer. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I wouldn't dare take your word for it, Classmate Sakayanagi."
"I prefer to get straight to the point these days. You've noticed that my Masumi has a stealing habit, haven't you, Sakayanagi Arisu?" Watanabe Hayabara asked bluntly, staring directly at her as if trying to read something in her expression.
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed a little surprised by how direct Watanabe Hayabara was, but she remained composed. Putting on a look of astonishment, she said, "Classmate Kamuro is certainly more cautious than most people. But does she really have a stealing habit?" A hint of curiosity and confusion colored her voice.
Watanabe Hayabara's lips lifted slightly in a faint smile. "A million points. As long as it doesn't put my interests at risk, you can have Classmate Kamuro at your beck and call. What do you say?"
Just then, Kamuro Masumi, who had been quietly resting in Watanabe Hayabara's arms, suddenly took offense. She grabbed his cheek and gave it a hard pinch. "You're just going to sell me off like that?!" Her face was full of anger and indignation. She was clearly furious about his proposal.
Watanabe Hayabara didn't seem bothered by Kamuro Masumi's reaction. Still smiling, he explained, "That way, you'll have something to do and won't have the free time to steal, right?" His tone was casual, as if he thought it was a splendid idea.
Sakayanagi Arisu kept smiling as she watched the pair of lovebirds. With a teasing note in her smile, she said, "Could you two stop showing off your affection? I'm just an outsider, and I'm getting a little jealous."
"What do you think of my offer, Classmate Sakayanagi? I think having someone to run errands for you would be pretty convenient in Class A," Watanabe Hayabara said casually, as though it were a trivial suggestion.
Kamuro Masumi suddenly interrupted, "Hayabara, can you really bear to sell me off like that?" Her voice held a hint of teasing, making her sound like an adorable cat.
Watanabe Hayabara smiled and gently stroked Kamuro Masumi's head to soothe her. "Don't put it like that, Classmate Kamuro. This is a chance for you to get some practice, too."
Kamuro Masumi blinked, seeming unsure.
Just then, Sakayanagi Arisu spoke up. "All right, Classmate Watanabe. But you have to agree to one thing."
Watanabe Hayabara promptly asked, "What is it? Go ahead, Classmate Sakayanagi."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled faintly, a sly look on her face. "How about a game of chess?"
"Classmate Sakayanagi, with your professional-level skills, you really do love picking on people," Watanabe Hayabara teased. "But I've studied chess a little myself, so I'd be grateful if you gave me a lesson or two."
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to have come prepared. She took a folding chessboard out of her little white shoulder bag and opened it on the café table.
After arranging the pieces in front of them, the two exchanged a glance. Sakayanagi Arisu raised her hand first. "Could I ask Classmate Kamuro to act as the referee?"
Kamuro Masumi gave a slight nod, and Sakayanagi Arisu smiled in response.
"Go ahead, Classmate Watanabe."
"Then I'll go first, Classmate Sakayanagi."
Watanabe Hayabara held his right hand over the board, precisely pinched the King's Pawn between his index and middle fingers, and advanced it two squares. e4—the most direct King's Pawn Opening.
Sakayanagi Arisu's pale purple eyes didn't even glance at the board. Her fingers had already picked up the c-pawn and made her response. The Sicilian Defense—a choice as elegant and counterattacking as she was.
"Just as I expected." Watanabe Hayabara pushed up his black-framed glasses, his gaze growing even sharper behind the lenses. He had prepared for this and quickly moved his knight to f3, forming a classic attacking setup. Sakayanagi's response was just as swift: she advanced her d-pawn one square, as if to say, Come at me.
The first eight moves unfolded like two armies taking their positions. Watanabe Hayabara's pieces gathered on the kingside, ready to attack, while Sakayanagi Arisu quietly assembled hers on the queenside. But on the ninth move, Watanabe Hayabara suddenly changed tactics. He boldly moved his bishop to c4, taking direct aim at the weakness on f7.
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyelashes quivered almost imperceptibly. Not bad. He's been hiding his true ability all along.
Sakayanagi Arisu turned her attention to the game. She couldn't afford to be careless now. She had underestimated the "monster" from Class D sitting before her.
She paused for a full twenty seconds—an unusually long time for her—before moving her knight to c6 to defend.
Watanabe Hayabara noticed her left pinky unconsciously tracing a semicircle on the tabletop. It was a microexpression she showed when faced with a difficult problem.
I've found a crack.
Watanabe Hayabara decisively advanced his d-pawn, forcing the center open. The sharp clack of the pieces striking the board rang out clearly in the quiet venue.
Sakayanagi Arisu's c-pawn took the d-pawn. Watanabe Hayabara immediately recaptured with his e-pawn, completing the exchange in the center.
The position on the board resembled the sea before a storm: calm on the surface, with hidden currents churning beneath.
Just then, Watanabe Hayabara made a risky decision—one that would set up his eventual victory. He moved his bishop to b5. It looked as if he wanted to trade pieces, but in fact he was deliberately exposing the bishop to Sakayanagi Arisu's a-pawn.
Sacrificing his bishop? A flicker of surprise crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's mind. Was that a mistake, or...?
Her pupils contracted slightly. Her slender fingers hovered over the board for an unusually long three seconds before she slowly advanced her a-pawn and took the bishop.
As her fingers moved away from the piece, Watanabe Hayabara noticed her knuckles had gone pale. She was nervous—or, more accurately, her physical condition was making it difficult for her to keep up with the game.
A fleeting smile appeared at the corner of Watanabe Hayabara's mouth. He quickly used his d-pawn to take the knight on c6, opening the d-file at the same time. The exchange looked disadvantageous, but it opened a crucial line. Sakayanagi Arisu's queen was forced back to c7, and her formation loosened slightly.
Watanabe Hayabara felt his temples throb. He was getting excited. He advanced his f-pawn to f4, bolstering his kingside attack.
Sakayanagi Arisu's response was impeccable. She moved her bishop to e6, defending a key square while keeping open the possibility of counterattacking. But Watanabe Hayabara noticed that she had taken fifteen seconds to think this time, five seconds longer than usual.
Her concentration is starting to falter.
Watanabe Hayabara made a mental note and decided to increase the pressure. He moved his queen to f3, aiming directly at the black king's position. The move looked aggressive, but it was precisely calculated: if Black took the g2-pawn, she would fall into White's carefully laid mating net.
Sakayanagi Arisu's breathing changed almost imperceptibly. Rather than accept the challenge, she moved her rook to c8 to strengthen her defense.
Watanabe Hayabara felt a surge of excitement. She's backing down! This is the first sign that her mental defenses are cracking.
The next five moves were like a standoff between two armies. Watanabe Hayabara's attacks came in wave after wave. He advanced his h-pawn to h5, threatening to open the h-file, while Sakayanagi Arisu launched a counterattack on the queenside, trying to distract White. But Watanabe Hayabara remained unfazed and continued to carry out his kingside attack.
Does she want to fight me in a war of attrition?
Sweat trickled down Watanabe's temple.
Kamuro Masumi had been watching from the sidelines, though she didn't understand the shifts in the game or who had the advantage. But when she saw the beads of sweat on Watanabe Hayabara's forehead, she pulled out a tissue and wiped them away. This dealt Sakayanagi Arisu yet another heavy blow.
Watanabe Hayabara answered Kamuro Masumi with a smile—a genuine one. He felt himself getting a little too emotionally invested.
But the game was tense, so Watanabe Hayabara refocused and studied the board, calculating the possibilities. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He had spotted a hidden threat—a move that could end the game.
He took a deep breath and moved his queen to h3. The move seemed to put his queen in danger, but it was really a setup for the coming attack. Confused murmurs rose from the audience, and even the commentator was momentarily at a loss for words.
Sakayanagi Arisu's body visibly stiffened for an instant. She stared at the board, the light of calculation flickering in her pale purple eyes. From her slightly constricted pupils, Watanabe Hayabara could tell she was reassessing the entire position.
For the first time, Sakayanagi Arisu's fingers trembled visibly. She chose to take the h2-pawn with her rook, apparently winning a piece but actually falling into Watanabe Hayabara's trap. Without hesitation, Watanabe Hayabara used his bishop to take the rook on h2, completing the exchange. White now seemed to be a piece down, but the black king was exposed to danger.
Watanabe Hayabara moved his rook to d1, strengthening his control of the d-file. Sakayanagi Arisu's response came slowly. She took a full minute to decide to move her king to f8. It was the first time she had spent more than thirty seconds thinking.
The Ice Queen is starting to melt.
I'll break through her defense and crush her attack.
Watanabe Hayabara advanced his g-pawn to g6! The pawn sacrifice was like a boulder dropped into a tranquil lake. Sakayanagi Arisu was forced to take it with her h-pawn, further weakening the defenses around her king. Watanabe Hayabara quickly moved his rook to h1, completing a deadly maneuver.
Fine beads of sweat appeared beneath Sakayanagi Arisu's silver hair. She tried to defend the h-file with her queen, but Watanabe Hayabara had already anticipated it. He took the pawn on g6 with his bishop, delivering check at the same time! The black king was forced to move to g8, fully exposed to White's firepower.
Watanabe Hayabara moved his queen to h7, setting up the final mate. Sakayanagi Arisu's face turned pale as she realized there was no escape. No matter what she did, she would be checkmated on the next move.
Sakayanagi Arisu's fingers hovered in the air, unable to make a move. At last, she gently tipped her king over, signaling that she resigned.
"A brilliant variation of Boden's Mate," she said, her voice barely audible. "You started setting it up on move twelve, didn't you?"
Watanabe Hayabara nodded slightly, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses with the afterglow of victory. "By the time you played h5 on move eighteen, you were already lost."
A nearly imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth. It was the first time all game she had come close to smiling. "I won't let you get away with that next time, Hayabara. I'll transfer you 1.5 million points."
"I only want a million. Transfer the remaining 500,000 to Masumi. It's been a long time since I've played such an exhilarating game. I look forward to our next match, Miss Arisu."
"My health isn't in the best shape, and I'm feeling a little unwell. I'll be leaving now." Sakayanagi Arisu put away the chessboard, stood her cane upright, and slowly got to her feet. She removed her beret and bowed.
"Could I trouble you to help me back, Classmate Kamuro?" Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Watanabe Hayabara and smiled.
Watanabe Hayabara nodded gently. "Masumi, could you please escort Classmate Sakayanagi?"
Kamuro Masumi reluctantly stood up, went over to Sakayanagi Arisu, and helped her along.
Watanabe Hayabara rose and gave a gentlemanly bow. "Masumi, Miss Arisu, you can head off first. I won't walk you out—I need to pay the bill."
Before you continue