In a corner of the library, Wu Qiao had somehow gotten hold of a chess set. He was flipping through a book of rules while arranging the black and white pieces on the board.
Ichinose Honami had never played much chess herself, so she sat beside Wu Qiao and played a casual game with him.
Resting her chin in her hand, Ichinose Honami watched the boy, who in just a few days had already begun to resemble the bookworm from the first simulation. She felt even more certain that the previous simulation had gone wrong because of her.
Or rather, as long as the people around him didn't put that invisible pressure on him, the boy was really just a simple bookworm who loved reading and was absorbed in his studies.
Even though it was both of their first times playing chess, Wu Qiao adapted at an astonishing speed. Before long, Ichinose Honami couldn't keep up with him at all.
The game ended in checkmate. Ichinose Honami smiled helplessly and toppled the king on the board.
After the game, Wu Qiao didn't put the chess set away right away. Instead, he kept reading the book in his hands about chess tactics and history. Watching him, Ichinose Honami blinked curiously and asked, "Wu-kun, aren't you going to study? Why are you suddenly reading these books?"
Wu Qiao closed the book and gazed at the unmoving chess pieces, his voice tinged with emotion. "Ichinose, lately there have been two voices in my head, and they've been getting really loud. One wants to calculate, and the other wants to laugh. I feel like people should know how to enjoy themselves and find things that make them feel good."
As he spoke, a carefree smile tugged at his lips. Of course, Wu Qiao couldn't exactly tell her the truth: leveling up on the Path of Erudition was just too painful and tedious. That feeling of doing nothing but squeezing every last bit of brainpower out of himself was enough to drive anyone crazy.
He'd had enough of being a soulless problem-solving machine. Now he wanted to change things up a little and try walking the Path of Elation for a while. After all, if he kept studying with his nerves stretched tight, what if he really drove himself mad one day?
Ichinose Honami listened to him, first taken aback, then breaking into a warm, relieved smile. "I'm so glad you can think that way, Wu-kun. You're right. It's important to relax once in a while and enjoy the happiness of the moment."
Watching Ichinose Honami look so genuinely happy, Wu Qiao grumbled inwardly, Looks like the occasional vague, artsy line works pretty well.
Still, chess was definitely more fun than rote memorization. At least when he lost, he could click his tongue and vent a little. Math problems, on the other hand, just made him question his whole life whenever he got one wrong.
Ichinose Honami played a few more games with Wu Qiao. Since he kept flipping through his book and placing his pieces absentmindedly, she managed to win a game or two now and then, beaming with delight each time.
Before long, a slender figure arrived in the corner, leaning on a cane.
Sakayanagi Arisu was accompanied by the taciturn Kamuro Masumi. She stopped some distance away and watched the two of them play with amused interest.
One was thinking hard while the other was distracted. The contrast made her narrow her violet eyes slightly.
After one game ended, Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her cane and walked up to them, her voice gentle but carrying an air that brooked no refusal. "Would you be interested in playing a game with me?"
Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't actually come to the library to read. She was simply there to sit for an hour and check in. Since she had nothing else to do, she figured she might as well play.
Ichinose Honami realized it was Sakayanagi Arisu. Though a little surprised, she didn't think much of it.
In the simulation, Sakayanagi Arisu had been a very difficult opponent during the Special Exam, but this was only a game of chess. It shouldn't be a big deal, so Ichinose Honami readily gave up her seat.
Sakayanagi Arisu set her cane aside and sat down gracefully. Seeing this, Wu Qiao finally put away the book on chess tactics and dropped his languid demeanor.
They set up the pieces and started a new game. Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at the boy across from her, whose expression had changed, then raised an eyebrow and asked with a faintly amused smile, "Done reading?"
Wu Qiao replied casually, "Classmate Sakayanagi from Class A, you're an experienced chess player. I can't afford to be as careless as I was before."
At that, Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curved in a pleased, sweet smile. "You're well informed."
As the two played, Karuizawa Kei also slipped into the library. She'd originally come to see how miserable Wu Qiao would look after Sakayanagi Arisu had "set her sights on him." Instead, she found the two of them playing in perfect harmony.
Hiding behind a bookshelf, Karuizawa Kei watched them and wondered to herself, So this is what that stupid system meant by "being targeted"?
The atmosphere looked more like a match between masters who respected one another! Wu Qiao was actually sitting across from that monster from Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu, as an equal, playing chess...
She tightened her grip on her phone. Watching the black and white pieces cross paths on the board, she had a vague feeling that behind this seemingly peaceful game, an invisible war was brewing.
It didn't take many moves for Sakayanagi Arisu to notice that something was off about Wu Qiao. This guy... was playing speed chess.
After every move she made, he never took more than five seconds to think about his next one.
His moves flowed so smoothly that it was as if he didn't need to think at all, as if he were following some instinct or a path he'd already calculated.
Seeing how brazenly his opponent was playing speed chess, Sakayanagi Arisu's pride wouldn't let her respond at a leisurely pace. She picked up her speed too, trying to take control of the game's rhythm.
The biggest problem with speed chess, though, was how much it tested one's composure and calculating ability. The slightest slip could lead to a fatal mistake. After just one misstep, the game Sakayanagi Arisu had been so proud of instantly turned into a one-sided struggle.
She was shocked to realize that Wu Qiao hadn't made a single mistake from beginning to end. Every response was as precise as a line of code written in advance.
After holding out for a while, Sakayanagi Arisu found herself in a dead end, with every escape route on the board blocked. She let out a soft breath and looked straight at the boy across from her. "How long have you been studying chess?"
Wu Qiao tilted his head, his tone utterly relaxed. "I started today. But I've learned a lot of things. With games like chess, it mostly comes down to who can go longer without making a mistake. You rushed it."
Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help scoffing. A defiant glint shone in her violet eyes. "Weren't you rushing too?"
Wu Qiao shook his head and pointed at his own forehead, offering a perfectly serious explanation. "I calculate fast."
He said it so casually, yet with such absolute confidence that it was impossible to argue. Behind the bookshelf, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help rolling her eyes. Is he showing off? He only started today, and he's already crushing that monster from Class A without giving her a chance to fight back. And all he says is, "I calculate fast." This is what monsters talk about, isn't it?
Sakayanagi Arisu stared at Wu Qiao for a few seconds, then smiled helplessly and gracefully toppled her king. "You're right. I've lost. It seems there's another interesting variable at Advanced Nurturing High School. But don't get too excited."
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't dwell on it. A chessboard was like a battlefield, and in speed chess, whoever made the first mistake paid the price. She could accept losing and never made excuses. She simply gave the unfathomable boy in front of her a special label in her mind, then said no more.
Just as the game ended, Wu Qiao caught a faint movement behind the bookshelf.
He couldn't miss it. The corner of that signature jacket she had tied around her waist was sticking out conspicuously.
Wu Qiao stood and beckoned toward the bookshelf. "Come on out, Kei. What brings you here today?"
Karuizawa Kei realized she'd been spotted and couldn't keep hiding. She sheepishly stepped out from behind the bookshelf and scratched her head. "It's nothing, Wu-kun. I just happened to be passing by, so I came to take a look."
Karuizawa Kei had previously given Wu Qiao leverage over her, and he'd used it to "threaten" her. But he hadn't done anything excessive—in fact, he'd even helped her—so the two of them were still able to maintain a harmonious understanding on the surface.
Ichinose Honami was a little surprised by Karuizawa Kei's sudden appearance. In her memory, Karuizawa Kei hadn't stood out much in the earlier simulations. She was the sort of person it was easy to overlook, and Ichinose Honami barely remembered anything about her. She hadn't expected Karuizawa Kei and Wu Qiao to seem so familiar with each other.
Seeing that it was getting late, the three of them exchanged a few words and left the library.
Once the sound of footsteps faded, only the two of them remained in the quiet corner. Sakayanagi Arisu slowly rose, leaning on her cane, still pondering Wu Qiao's earlier remark: "I calculate fast."
She turned to the capable subordinate who had been standing silently behind her. Her voice had regained its usual calm composure. "Masumi, look into him when you get the chance. I want to know how many more surprises that boy named Wu Qiao is hiding."
Kamuro Masumi simply nodded expressionlessly, silently committing the order to memory.