A Game of Chess

The agreement was simple: black and white, with clear terms.

Sakayanagi Arisu would pay fifty thousand Private Points as Miyama Saku's appearance fee for playing Chess with her. If Miyama Saku won, Sakayanagi Arisu would pay an additional two hundred thousand Private Points. If Sakayanagi Arisu won, the appearance fee would not be paid, and Miyama Saku would instead pay Sakayanagi Arisu thirty thousand Private Points. If the game ended in a draw, Sakayanagi Arisu would pay Miyama Saku the fifty-thousand-point appearance fee.

"Forgive me for saying so, Sakayanagi, but this agreement is very unfair to you." After reading the terms, Mashima Tomoya frowned slightly, his tone carrying the caution of an adult.

"It doesn't matter." Sakayanagi Arisu answered lightly, that composed smile never leaving her lips. "I was the one who wanted to play Miyama, and he was unwilling. It's only natural for him to charge a fee."

"...All right."

Mashima Tomoya fell silent for a moment before finally saying nothing more. He picked up a pen and neatly wrote his name in the witness section.

"If neither of you has any objections, please sign here."

Miyama Saku stepped forward, picked up the pen, and signed his name without hesitation. His strokes were decisive and forceful.

"How decisive, Miyama. You know that Teacher Majima and I know each other, yet you still dared to sign. Aren't you afraid of losing?"

"Every move on the board can be seen. What do I have to worry about? Besides, I don't think I'll lose."

"How confident." Sakayanagi Arisu took the pen, silver hair falling beside her cheeks. Her gaze paused briefly on Miyama Saku's forceful handwriting, and a satisfied smile curled her lips before she signed her own elegant name beside it.

"The contract is established."

Mashima Tomoya carefully put away the agreement, then gave the two of them one last look. His tone held a trace of helplessness, along with an almost imperceptible expectation.

"You may begin the match now."

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her eyes slightly. Those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything locked onto him again, her tone carrying an irresistible pressure and anticipation.

"Then, Miyama... can you let me see that 'temper' of yours now?"

Miyama Saku nodded slightly, his calm gaze settling on the girl before him.

"Before we officially begin, we need to confirm the rules." His voice was steady, without the slightest ripple. "According to FIDE—the International Chess Federation—competition standards, there are three time controls: standard, rapid, and blitz."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Sakayanagi Arisu's somewhat pale face. A trace of rational consideration entered his tone. "Considering your current condition, I suggest we play either standard or rapid. As for blitz, the pace is too extreme. I don't think your body or stamina can keep up with that kind of pressure."

"Oh? How arrogant." Sakayanagi Arisu arched a slender brow, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her lips. A flicker of amusement passed through her deep eyes. "You're that certain I can't keep up with your pace?"

Watching the seemingly delicate yet sharp-edged girl before him, Miyama Saku's expression did not change. He merely stated the facts calmly. "It's for your own good. I don't want the pressure of an intense match to put you in the hospital."

"Then thank you for your 'consideration.'" Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled softly, tapping her cane lightly against the floor. Her voice was gentle, yet carried unquestionable confidence. "In that case, let's choose rapid."

Rapid games generally had a total time limit of between ten and sixty minutes. This format carried a suffocating sense of time pressure while still leaving players enough room to calculate variations and think deeply.

"Before we begin, may I ask if I can record this?" Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly asked.

She supported herself on her cane with one hand while slowly taking out her phone with the other. Her violet eyes curved slightly, her voice gentle as though she were merely discussing it, though a subtle probe hid in her gaze.

Miyama Saku did not even raise his eyelids. His gaze remained on the board, his tone perfectly flat. "I don't care. Record it if you want."

He did not even glance at the phone, as if it were nothing more than an irrelevant decoration.

Miyama Saku took White. His first move was an aggressive pawn advance, and he played at astonishing speed, the sound of pieces striking the board forming a rapid drumbeat in the silent chess room.

His eyes locked onto the board as if he intended to rip Sakayanagi Arisu's defenses apart in one sweep.

In contrast, Sakayanagi Arisu appeared utterly relaxed. She supported herself on her cane with one hand and leisurely picked up the black pieces with the other. Each piece hovered above the board for several seconds before she gently set it down. When she moved, even her soft breathing could be heard.

Faced with Miyama Saku's fierce attack, she did not panic. Instead, she moved her knight to a seemingly useless corner, far from the central battlefield.

"You're running out of time, Classmate Sakayanagi." Miyama Saku looked at the chess clock. Because he had played so quickly, he still had plenty of time left, while Sakayanagi Arisu, his opponent, was running short.

"Shouldn't you be the one getting anxious?" Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly smiled. A teasing ripple spread through her violet eyes, like a stone cast into deep water. "You're playing too hastily. Every move carries anger, as though you're rushing against time. Rapid Chess may test speed, but it also requires patience."

Before her words had even faded, she moved her bishop. The piece landed precisely in the weak point of Miyama Saku's formation—the opening he had left during his aggressive assault. It had been concealed by White's attack, but Black's bishop now pierced straight through it.

White's imposing line was instantly torn open.

"I underestimated you." He took a deep breath and refocused on the board.

"Saku, are you hungry? I still have a bag of chocolate."

Shiina Hiyori's voice came from beside him, soft as though she were afraid of disturbing something. She took a bag of chocolate from her pocket and held it out to Miyama Saku, her fingertips still carrying the warmth left in the wrapper.

Miyama Saku did not turn around. With a hook of his fingers, he caught the chocolate between them, casually unwrapped it, and took a bite.

"Thanks, Hiyori. I'll treat you to a big meal later."

"How arrogant."

Sakayanagi Arisu tossed out the remark lightly. Her voice was soft, like it had drifted over from far away. After saying it, she made another move, her fingertips lingering on the piece for a moment, composed and elegant.

"Don't forget that if you lose, you'll still have to pay me thirty thousand points. Whether you'll still be able to afford that big meal then is another matter."

Miyama Saku did not respond. He merely savored the sweetness of the chocolate on his tongue, while the pace of his moves suddenly quickened.

Over the next few minutes, the game abruptly tightened, as if even the air had been compressed. Miyama Saku's moves grew faster and faster, the pieces striking the board in dense, urgent succession like an approaching downpour.

"Your style reminds me of someone." Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on the board, her voice carrying a trace of nostalgia. "The same arrogance, the same impatience for quick results. But a true genius knows how to find balance between fast and slow, how to hide killing intent between attack and defense."

Miyama Saku said nothing, only stared fixedly at the board.

Just when Sakayanagi Arisu believed victory was assured, Miyama Saku suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint. He picked up an inconspicuous white pawn and pushed it forward one square. The move seemed ordinary, even a little unnecessary, yet Sakayanagi Arisu's expression changed instantly.

She looked down, and her pupils contracted sharply. That white pawn had cut off the knight's retreat, while the bishop she had positioned to lure him deeper had instead trapped her in the corner. It was a trap she had carefully designed, yet now it had become a cage trapping herself.

"You..." She looked up, disbelief filling her eyes, like a massive stone had suddenly been dropped into a placid lake.

"You're right. I was too arrogant." Miyama Saku's voice was calm, but carried a trace of resolve. "But my arrogance isn't impatience for quick results. It's built on absolute strength. Every retreat you made, every adjustment, was within my calculations. I deliberately exposed an opening just to lure you into this trap."

Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the board for a long while, then suddenly laughed softly.

Her laughter was quiet and carried a hint of relief. She was not angry; instead, she seemed to have let out a breath. "So that's how it is... I lost."

Miyama Saku stood and extended his hand. "Good game."

Their hands touched briefly before separating. The warmth of their fingertips intertwined for an instant, then quickly parted.