The afternoon curriculum dragged on, a monotonous drone of basic academics that tasted like dry ash to Kaedehara Tetsu.
Having already weathered the grueling meat grinder of postgraduate studies and the unforgiving currents of adult society, sitting through high-school lectures was an exercise in pure endurance.
He spent the hours adrift in his own thoughts, his gaze occasionally drifting to the periphery to observe his peers.
To their credit, the students who had earned their place in Class A possessed a commendable work ethic, their eyes glued to the chalkboard with rapt attention.
The sharp trill of the dismissal bell finally shattered the stifling atmosphere.
The classroom instantly fractured into lively clusters.
Students gathered their bags in pairs and trios, their voices overlapping as they debated how to spend their newly liberated afternoon.
Kaedehara Tetsu took his time, leisurely sweeping his stationery into his backpack, fully intending to retreat to the quiet solitude of his dormitory.
Then, a distinct, rhythmic sound cut through the ambient chatter.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
Tetsu lifted his gaze.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood beside his desk, both hands resting lightly on the polished grip of her cane.
The surrounding noise died a rapid, unnatural death.
The remaining students instinctively parted, giving her a wide berth.
“Kaedehara-san…”
Her voice was a crystalline chime, laced with an authority that demanded an audience.
“Do you have any plans for the time being?”
“Not yet,” Tetsu replied, leaning back in his chair to meet her gaze.
“I was just about to head back to my room and stare at the ceiling.
Why?
Does Sakayanagi-san have a better itinerary in mind?”
From his seated vantage point, the delicate curve of her jaw and the pale, fragile line of her neck were striking.
“The Gymnasium is hosting a joint club information session,” she said, sidestepping his question with practiced ease.
“Various organizations are aggressively recruiting new blood.
I thought it might serve as an adequate pastime.”
She paused, a fleeting, playful light dancing in her violet eyes.
“However, wandering through such a crowd alone sounds rather tedious.
Would you care to accompany me?”
Tetsu recalled the brief broadcast during the lunch hour—something he had tuned out while dealing with Yamauchi and the others.
A slow smile curved his lips.
He stood, casually slinging his bag over one shoulder.
“Since it is a personal invitation from Sakayanagi-san, I hardly have a reason to refuse.”
They exited the classroom side by side, stepping into the bustling corridor.
Almost immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
Passing students threw them poorly disguised glances, their eyes wide with curiosity and confusion.
It had only taken twenty-four hours for the school’s rumor mill to churn out the identities of the elite; the fact that Sakayanagi Arisu was the chairman’s daughter was already an open secret. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Seeing the untouchable princess of Class A strolling casually beside a male classmate was prime gossip material.
“It appears that walking with me has brought you a considerable amount of trouble,” Sakayanagi noted, her tone perfectly flat, betraying no actual concern.
“Trouble?” Tetsu chuckled, turning his head to shoot her a deliberate wink.
“Not at all.
I prefer to interpret these stares as…
a public affirmation of my overwhelming personal charm.”
“What a thoroughly greasy sentiment,” she murmured, her expression deadpan.
The route to the Gymnasium wasn’t particularly long, but they maintained a slow, measured pace to accommodate her.
“I gave it some thought yesterday,” Sakayanagi spoke up, her voice slicing cleanly through the quiet space between them.
“Your decision to stand up for me in the classroom wasn’t merely because you agreed with my perspective, was it?”
“Oh?” Tetsu countered smoothly.
“Then why do you think I did it, Sakayanagi-san?”
“You are investing.”
Her assertion was absolute, leaving no room for debate.
“You were displaying your value and your stance to secure my attention.
You intend to carve out a highly favorable position within the power hierarchy of Class A.
And you calculated that, compared to Katsuragi-kun, aligning with me serves your interests far better.”
“A truly brilliant deduction.”
Tetsu didn’t bother hiding his amusement.
“It is infinitely more pleasant to converse with someone of your intellect.
You are entirely correct.
I am investing.
After all, it is only logical to push your chips toward the player most likely to sweep the board.”
“Are you so certain that I will be the victor?”
“I never place a bet unless I am absolutely sure of the outcome,” Tetsu replied, his smile sharpening into something dangerous.
“also, I am quite confident in my ability to swallow Class A whole.”
Sakayanagi’s cane paused mid-strike.
She stopped entirely, turning her head to fix him with a deep, calculating stare.
“…Kaedehara-san, your appetite is even larger than I anticipated.”
“Ambition is a man’s finest accessory, wouldn’t you agree?”
Tetsu offered nothing more, letting the heavy silence stretch.
Pushing through the double doors of the Gymnasium, they were immediately hit by a wall of sound.
The cavernous space had been transformed into a chaotic festival, swarming with hundreds of freshmen.
Booths for everything from high-intensity sports to obscure cultural societies lined the perimeter.
Upperclassmen practically shoved brightly colored flyers into the hands of anyone who walked past, shouting their recruitment pitches over the din.
“Kaedehara-san, is there a particular club that catches your eye?”
“Unfortunately, I have zero intention of joining any of them,” Tetsu replied, his eyes sweeping over the frantic displays with mild disdain.
Sakayanagi tilted her head, a faint hum of curiosity escaping her lips.
And why is that?”
“What possible value is there in squandering a finite lifespan on such childish group activities?”
“Fufufu…” A soft, airy laugh escaped her.
“It seems our perspectives on this matter are surprisingly aligned.”
They bypassed the aggressive recruiters, strolling unhurriedly through the dense crowd until the noise began to thin.
Near the far end of the Gymnasium, a pocket of tranquility revealed itself.
There were no shouting upperclassmen or flashy banners here—just a simple, long table draped in dark green felt.
Several sets of black and white pieces stood in perfect formation.
The International Chess Club.
The two or three senior members manning the booth weren’t bothering to solicit the passing freshmen.
Instead, they sat in quiet concentration, entirely absorbed in a match, only occasionally glancing up.
For the first time since they entered, Sakayanagi stopped walking.
Her gaze locked onto one of the active boards, currently locked in a tense mid-game state.
“Kaedehara-san,” she murmured, her eyes never leaving the wooden pieces.
“Do you have any experience with chess?”
“Chess, huh…” Tetsu followed her line of sight.
“I know a little.
Probably just enough to know that the king shouldn’t be marched to his death, and the pawns exist to be pushed forward.”
It was a deliberately humble, almost dismissive answer.
Sakayanagi finally pulled her gaze from the board, turning to look at him fully.
” ‘A little’?
What a delightfully vague response.” She shifted her weight, taking a half-step closer to the display table.
“In that case, how about…
we use this board to deepen our understanding of one another?”
The very second the challenge left her lips, a sharp, synthetic chime echoed in the deepest recesses of Tetsu’s mind—a sound only he could hear.
A translucent, light-blue interface materialized directly in his line of sight.
[Side Quest Triggered: Chess Match]
[Quest Objective: Play a game of chess against Sakayanagi Arisu and secure a victory.]
[Quest Reward: 500 points.]
Tetsu’s pupils contracted for a fraction of a second, the physical reaction entirely masked by his neutral expression.
Five hundred points.
That single payout eclipsed everything he had managed to hoard over the past decade.
Was this the sheer profitability of finally stepping into the main plotline?
Yet, beneath the allure of the reward lay a cold, hard truth.
With his current, strictly amateur grasp of chess, Sakayanagi Arisu would likely dismantle him and force a checkmate within twenty moves.
Without missing a beat, his consciousness dove straight into the System Store, his mind racing as rows of dazzling, high-tier skills began to scroll rapidly past his eyes.
[Inorin’s Note:
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