The Curtain Falls

"What a splendid match."

Mashima Tomoya let out a soft breath, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard. There was sincere admiration in his voice, along with a barely perceptible bitterness. "As the Chess Club's advisor, I consider myself a decent player. But if I were sitting here, facing the two of you, I'm afraid I would only end up defeated as well."

He shook his head and unfolded the agreement again, his fingertips tracing the stark black-and-white terms as his voice regained the steadiness and rigor expected of a teacher.

"Then, according to the agreement, there is a fifty-thousand appearance fee, plus a two-hundred-thousand victory bonus. Classmate Sakayanagi, you need to pay Classmate Miyama two hundred and fifty thousand Private Points."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand..."

There was not the slightest hint of frustration in Sakayanagi Arisu's voice over losing such a huge sum. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes still gleaming with lingering interest, as though what she had just lost was nothing more than an inconsequential string of numbers.

"That truly is no small amount." She chuckled, casually tapping the top of her cane with her fingertips before turning her gaze back to Miyama Saku. "Still, having a match with you means it was not a loss.

"Classmate Miyama, please hand me your terminal. Not one point of the two hundred and fifty thousand will be missing."

She leaned forward slightly and lightly tapped the tabletop with her fingertips.

Miyama Saku did not move.

"No need for the trouble, Classmate Sakayanagi." He leaned back slightly, his tone so calm it was almost cold. "Just transfer it directly to me. I'm not used to letting my terminal pass through someone else's hands."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Sakayanagi Arisu's hand paused in midair. Rather than becoming upset, she let out a soft laugh. "You really are so cautious it almost hurts my feelings. We have been sitting across the same chessboard for so long, and you still guard against me like I'm a thief?"

"I'm not guarding against you." Miyama Saku opened his terminal, tapped it a few times, and projected his payment code onto the table. "It's just a habit. Please."

Sakayanagi Arisu stared at him for two seconds, the amusement in her eyes deepening as though she had discovered something interesting. She did not insist further. Opening her own terminal, she scanned the payment code. After a brief electronic chime, the transfer was complete.

"There, the two hundred and fifty thousand points have arrived. Make sure to check them."

Miyama Saku lowered his eyes to confirm the balance, then nodded faintly. "Received. Thanks."

"Just a thank-you?" Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head, her tone carrying a teasing meaning that was hard to place. "You are not even planning to leave me your contact information? If I want to invite you to another game, would I have to block your path all over campus?"

"I doubt there will be any need for that." Miyama Saku stood up and slung his shoulder bag over one shoulder. "I don't like playing Chess. I only came today because Hiyori wanted to take a look at the club."

He paused, then added in the same flat tone as if he had just remembered something. "But if you want my contact information, just say so. It's not like I wouldn't give it to you. As for chess, forget it."

Sakayanagi Arisu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then she laughed softly, as if she had heard something incredibly amusing. She handed over her terminal, already opened to the new contact screen. "All right, then. Since Classmate Miyama is being so generous, I will not stand on ceremony."

Miyama Saku took her terminal and tapped the screen a few times, entering his number before handing it back.

"That should do, right?" His tone remained flat.

"More than satisfactory." Sakayanagi Arisu looked at the newly added name in her contacts, her eyes curving into crescents. "I will cherish this number properly. After all, you entered it personally, so its meaning is different."

Miyama Saku did not respond to that. He merely glanced at Shiina Hiyori. Hiyori stood quietly where she was, her gaze resting on Sakayanagi Arisu's terminal for only a brief moment before shifting away.

"Let's go eat."

He had barely taken two steps when the club senior who had played Sakayanagi before he arrived hurried after him from behind. Pushing up his black-rimmed glasses, the senior quickened his pace and stopped in front of Miyama Saku, his expression serious and unable to hide his excitement.

"Sorry to hold you up. I'm the president of the Chess Club. I watched that game from beginning to end. Your opening and middlegame ideas were both unique, completely unlike the style of an ordinary student player."

He paused, his tone turning solemn. "If you have not joined a club yet, would you consider joining the Chess Club? You would not need to attend activities regularly. Even just joining in name would be fine, and you could occasionally come guide the newer members."

Miyama Saku looked at him in silence for a moment before speaking. "Thank you, but I'm already in a club."

"Then... all right." The president's shoulders visibly slumped, though he still forced a smile. "But the Chess Club will always welcome you. You can come by just to play a few games too."

Miyama Saku did not answer. He merely gave a slight nod before leaving with Hiyori.

The classroom fell quiet.

The setting sun slanted in through the windows, stretching the black-and-white squares of the chessboard into long shadows.

"Lost again."

Sakayanagi Arisu gazed toward the doorway, her voice soft as though she were speaking only to herself. Slowly, she picked up her cane and stood. The expression on her face was so faint it seemed to dissolve in the light. She lowered her eyes to her terminal. The new number rested quietly in her contacts list, like a chess piece that had just settled into place, still unaware of what day it would be called upon.

"Sakayanagi?" Teacher Majima stepped closer, hesitating. "Did you... know Classmate Miyama before?"

Sakayanagi Arisu did not turn around. She merely lightly brushed the top of her cane with her fingertips. The corner of her lips seemed to curve, or perhaps it did not.

"Do not worry about it, Teacher Majima."

She walked toward the door, her cane striking the floor with crisp, steady taps.

Shiina Hiyori walked beside Miyama Saku, always half a step behind him. She kept the distance just right—close enough to hear every word he said, yet far enough not to seem too deliberate.

"Saku, why did you refuse Classmate Sakayanagi twice today?"

"I wasn't interested. I did not really want to play Chess," he answered bluntly.

"Then why did you agree to play her afterward?"

Miyama Saku did not stop walking. He turned his head to look at her. "You stood up for me back then, so I had to go teach her a lesson."

Hiyori's steps faltered, and her cheeks grew a little warm. After a while, she spoke again, her voice lower than before.

"Then why did you give her your contact information?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze. Her tone had been far too obvious.

This time, Miyama Saku did not answer right away. He walked a few more steps before speaking unhurriedly. "You used to keep telling me to make more friends."

Hiyori opened her mouth, unable to think of anything to say for a moment. She had indeed said that, more than once.

"That's different," Hiyori said quietly.

"How is it different?"

Hiyori did not answer. She could not answer. Or perhaps she vaguely knew the answer in her heart, but it was something she could not easily say aloud.

Miyama Saku suddenly stopped and turned to face her. His gaze was especially calm in the dusk.

"Don't worry," he said. "It is only contact information. If I do not want to contact her, then even if it is saved, I will not call her."

Hiyori raised her head and met Miyama Saku's gaze. There was no change in his expression.

"Mm." She answered softly and followed after him once more.

"When you helped me before, there were some things you clearly did not want to do. So why did you still help me in the end?"

Miyama Saku paused. "Let me think... If I did not help you with certain things, you would keep nagging me."

Hiyori could not help smiling. Her laughter was soft, swept away by the wind before it could be heard.

"When I nag you, do you ever get impatient?"

"Not really," he said. "I just think that being nagged by someone is not so bad."