Part 3

The match began, and time flowed by without so much as a word from either of us.

As the sun began to set, the only sound was the repeated clatter of the white and black pieces on the chessboard.

But that didnt last for very long.

There was no need to spend much time on the match since it was already at the final stages when it began.

And before long, the match ended. Sakayanagi quietly let out a sigh as she stared at the board in front of her.

A way to avoid checkmate was nowhere to be found.

As expected of you, Ayanokji-kun. Its my loss.

It had been a life and death match, move for move.

It didnt seem like she was discontent or anything, she just acknowledged her loss with satisfaction.

You sure are honest about it.

Do I look like some haughty lady who cant acknowledge her own defeat?

Id be lying if I said I couldnt see it.

What I wanted to know was where things stood between the two of us. Who stood above the other. Id never sit here and complain about the result.

Though, while I may have won, this was just a recreation. Theres no guarantee that the match wouldve progressed like this at that time and at that precise moment.

I couldnt discount the possibility that it was a move I had managed to think of due to the extra time given to me.

No, even more importantly

This match was the outcome of the advantageous situation Horikita had created during her match with Hashimoto. As far as I see it, I intervened while we still had the upper hand. I dont think it was a very fair match.

The match had only developed the way it had because Horikita had passed her advantage onto me. The fact that Sakayanagi had been able to overcome that while at a disadvantage was a testament to how strong she truly was.

If we played each other from scratch, there was no guarantee that Id win.

Even if she proposed to have a rematch with me, Id want to avoid it if I could.

Is that your way of comforting me?

Sakayanagi chuckled, finding my response strange.

Thats not it. I was just objectively stating the facts.

Im satisfied with this result. Isnt that enough?

If she was satisfied, then that was certainly alright. That being said, it still didnt make me feel better.

When this special exam was announced, you couldve chosen to face me directly by restricting the one-on-one event even further. If you had proposed something like that, I still wouldve accepted. But even so, you didnt. Why was that?

Of course, it wouldve still been a random battle fought using only seven of the ten events, so there wouldve been no guarantee that itd get chosen. But, if the two of us had come to an agreement surrounding both of our one-on-one events, the chances of everything working out wouldve been rather high.

The reason is simple. As you must have reasoned, there was no guarantee it would be chosen. Also, if you indiscriminately competed with me in this one-on-one match, the people around you would surely be suspicious. I wanted to avoid letting either of those things happen. Though, it was taken advantage of by the Acting Director in the end.

Sakayanagi had planned out the special exam while also being as considerate to my circumstances as possible.

That was probably the reason why she had gotten so furious over Tsukishiros intervention.

The seven events chosen today and the order they were chosen in were most likely not randomly generated at all.

It simply hadnt been a fair match from the start.

Besides, Hashimoto-kun was the most talented chess player in Class A, and yet he lost to Horikita-san after being taught by you. That just means that I lost in that respect as well.

Sakayanagi peacefully bowed her head to me.

Ayanokji-kun. It was a pleasure to face off against you. The answer I was looking for is clear to me now. You are certainly a genius. Your skill is by no means fake.

You dont plan on taking revenge with chess again?

Do you want me to?

No, I dont.

Fufu, how honest.

The fact we managed to have this game just between the two of us was, in and of itself, thanks to the extremely rare situation we were in.

The special exam was over and tomorrow marked the beginning of a long break. Thus, we had been able to find a place without anyone else around.

As for the reason why Im not planning on taking revenge Honestly, I got the impression that you and I are fairly evenly matched when it comes to chess. If we played ten games, it wouldnt be strange if we each ended up with five wins and five losses. Would you disagree with that?

No, I agree completely.

Interestingly enough, our true abilities were a perfect match.

If we were to face off again, it would definitely play out the way Sakayanagi predicted it would.

But, I get the feeling that the winner of this first bout was you, Ayanokji-kun. I think I wouldve lost back then, during the critical moments. Well, you have a slightly longer history with chess than me, after all. Perhaps that made the difference.

A slightly competitive look showed on her face, emphasizing the importance she placed on winning.

If I were to take revenge using chess, that would take the fun out of it. For me, chess is a leisure activity, and Id like to keep it that way.

As she spoke, she picked up one of the knights from the chessboard.

Seeing as though you brought up my history with chess, that means you did see me back then after all?

Yes. I was watching as you relentlessly overwhelmed your opponents in the White Room. Ive been fond of chess ever since, believing the day would come when Id face you myself.

The hunch I felt when I saw the list of events Class A proposed had been spot-on.

That, it wasnt a mere coincidence that chess had been chosen as an event.

Well then lets hurry back, shall we?

Ill put it away. Just sit there and wait for a bit.

Thank you very much. Ill gladly take you up on that.

I went and returned the pieces and board back to their original places.

Its with regret that must I say this, but I will be keeping my distance from you from now on. If I were to continue fixating myself on you, our classmates would probably start to suspect something. Furthermore

Furthermore?

Ive been dying to get to know you for so long now. To me, youre like a childhood friend Ive never met; One Ive always, always chased after. If its easy for us to compete with one another, it would probably end up losing some of its value to me.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she looked at me with affection in her eyes.

Though, knowing Acting Director Tsukishiro, this is no time for students to be fighting amongst each other anyway.

A perfect example of the school getting its priorities backward. Under normal circumstances, this school is supposed to have students fighting one another.

Even if we competed in similar ways later, there was no guarantee that he wouldnt interfere again at some point.

Its probably more accurate to say that hed do whatever it takes to get in my way.

In that respect, I was grateful that I only needed to be careful of him now.

If I was surrounded by enemies on all sides, the exhaustion that would come with it would be considerable.

The two of us left the library.

Come to think of it, this is the first time weve left the school together like this.

Now that you mention it, youre right.

There was always somebody else together with her.

Moreover, the idea of the two of us walking side-by-side together like this wasnt the most natural one out there.

I must apologize for being such a slow walker.

You dont have to apologize for that.

Her walking speed was certainly slow, but it was because of her handicap.

And strangely enough, today, I felt thankful for that.

If I walked as I usually did, I would reach the dorms in no time at all.

What are you thinking of doing from now on?

It just depends on what Tsukishiro does next. He may just be filling in for your father, but hes still the director. Ordinary methods wont work for him.

Youre right. Given the current situation, Fathers reinstatement doesnt seem like itll come easily after all.

What are you planning on doing?

As I asked, Sakayanagi pondered for a bit.

For the time being, Ill spend my time enjoying myself as I always have. If Katsuragi-kun starts opposing me again, Ill act as his opponent. If Ichinose-san comes chasing after my position, Ill have fun crushing her back down as I play with her. If she got herself expelled, Id have the pleasure of watching as Class B falls apart as well.

She smiled like a little girl who was innocently playing with her dolls.

I didnt foresee Ryen-kuns move but If hes come back to the battlefield, Id like to face off against him as well. Thinking of it, it seems like it may not be such a boring school life after all.

Thats good to hear.

What about you, Ayanokji-kun?

Id like to avoid doing anything that would make me stand out if possible. Other than that, just keep making Horikita do her best.

And Im sure shes going to have quite a lot of growth to show for it. Ill look forward to it.

Someday, Horikita may just be able to get her name on the list of opponents that Sakayanagi was willing to take seriously, right alongside Ichinose and Ryen. If that were to happen, Sakayanagi would surely enjoy her school life here all the more.

Theres one thing I have to apologize for.

Apologize?

Earlier, I told you about why I wanted to avoid a one-on-one match with you, but that was a lie.

She had said it was to avoid putting me under the spotlight, her consideration so to say.

But now she withdrew that statement.

To tell you the truth, I just wanted to be together with you, even for one second longer.

As she spoke, she extended her right hand out to me.

I took it, thinking it was a handshake, but when I squeezed back, she put her left hand over, enveloping mine.

People learn of warmth when they touch each other, and thats a very precious thing. The warmth of another human is by no means a bad thing. Please remember that.

What do you mean?

Its a belated message from me to you.

Before I was able to understand what she was saying, she slowly released my hand and started walking once again.

Come now, lets go back.

It didnt seem like she was willing to explain it any further.

Together, we watched the sunset as we slowly made our way back home.

Oh, by the way, have you heard? Yoshida-kun from class A

We didnt have the type of relationship where wed reminisce about the past.

There were no objectives or ulterior motives. The two of us simply exchanged tales about our daily lives.

All the way until the very moment we arrived at the dorms.