Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate 2

Chapter 2 - Second Player

On the second day overall, which was technically the first day of school, we went through all the course objectives with our teachers. Sudou slept during most of the day and other students like Yamauchi, Ike and a girl called Karuizawa Kei were spending their time primarily on their phones.

I heard the two boys refer to her as 'gyaru', whatever that meant. It was a term I was not familiar with, so I figured that I should look it up later to broaden my horizon. Those four weren't the only ones who were disturbing the lessons, of course. But compared to the others, they were piling up their misbehavior count much quicker than anyone else.

Contrary to my expectations, the teachers didn't seem to mind. Not even the strict Chabashira-sensei, also dubbed Sae-chan-sensei by the likes of Ike and Yamauchi, showed any signs of being bothered by their total disregard of social norms and school rules. This struck me as odd, since she was the one who told us about our worth just yesterday. I already had a rough idea about what this was about, but I saw no reason to inform my classmates at that current point in time.

Our homeroom teacher bored us to death with Japanese history. I doubted that most of them would survive a quiz if she were to give us one, but that was just me. Since nothing of note had happened during our previous lessons, and I was growing tired, I took matters into my own hands.

"Yes, Ayanokouji?" Chabashira-sensei asked after I raised my hand.

My name rang nicely through her smoky tone, and I enjoyed listening to her quite a lot. She had one of those voices where one could listen forever without becoming annoyed by it. A tranquil, yet mysterious and strangely attractive one.

"Could I go to the restroom?"

Some people turned around upon hearing my question, while others were occupied with themselves or cared little about my situation. I should have chosen a good time, since I asked at the exact half-point through our lesson. Kouenji smirked, which irked me somewhat, but I had to let it go for now. My neighbor peeked at me and shook her head, as if disappointed by my inability to hold it in.

Did I do something wrong? Was there some sort of unwritten rule I was unaware of?

"Of course." Chabashira-sensei nodded before resuming her lecture in a soothing tone of voice.

Could she be able to read minds as well? Which question did she answer?

I made my way through the school building and went to the toilet. After taking care of my business inside, I strolled back toward our classroom. Due to our placement in Class D, it was at the far end of the corridor. The first room I passed was Class A's. The way I took to reach the toilet was rather roundabout. There would have been a much quicker one, but I took my time admiring the architecture and interior design of this unfamiliar place.

Due to my indifference about today's lessons, I placed an imaginary coin in my hand and flung it upwards. It spun around for a while until it landed back inside of my palm. Unfortunately, I didn't have a real one, but it was no problem to simulate the rise and fall of an average yen coin which was hurled with a certain force. With some lingering excitement, I peered into my hands, which held said theoretical object.

Heads, huh?

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. People did this kind of thing before resolving themselves, apparently. What I was about to do was borderline insane, at least for someone like me. After bracing myself, I grabbed the door and slid it open. Someone might say, 'Ayanokouji-kun, that's out of character for you,' but I'd have to disagree.

Besides the fact that no one would even notice, I didn't have a character I could be out of just yet. I was gradually forming the vessel I would inhabit during the time I would spend in this school. I wasn't sure how it would end up in the long run, but there were a few traits that I'd like to build up while I had the chance.

...

...

...

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

A teacher with chest length, light brown hair asked me with a charming smile. Her voice was sweet and gentle, like a fresh autumn breeze, altogether different to Chabashira-sensei's. Her clothes also reflected this as she was wearing a pink, comfortable looking top, a gray skirt and convenient sandals.

Her breasts seemed bigger than Chabashira-sensei's, but this could have been due to their difference in attire. One was showing herself off in casual clothes while the other donned a formal, business-oriented wardrobe. If I were to compare them side by side, I doubted there'd be much of a difference. Those thighs filling these black stockings, though. But I digress.

What was wrong with me? Did Ike and Yamauchi already rub off?

My gaze wandered through the classroom after I broke my gaze away from the teacher. There was not a single person who looked familiar to me, which didn't come as a surprise since I barged into the wrong room by accident.

Scratching my head, I apologized for my gaffe.

"Ahh. Wow, that's embarrassing. I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion. It seems like I misread the sign."

I tried to shrug it off and averted my gaze towards the students once again. A strawberry-blonde girl in the middle row caught my eye after my initial impressions of everyone concluded. Different from the others, who tried to suppress their snickers or giggled outright, she flashed me a bright smile as if to say, 'It's alright. That happens. Don't let this ruin your day'.

What a lovely expression she had.

"Which class do you belong to?" The teacher asked before I could bow and escape this unpleasant situation.

It was less the teacher's fault, but more so mine as I got distracted by all the stimuli my sensory organs picked up on.

"I'm in Class D. As much as I enjoy chatting with you sensei, I believe that I should go back to class, otherwise Chabashira-sensei is going to be mad at me for sure."

"Ohh. You are one of Sae-chan's students! Please tell her to stop looking so mean all the time."

I came back with a dry laugh. She was dead serious, according to her mesmerizing smile, which didn't waver in the slightest after uttering such cruel words. Since she was calling her Sae-chan, the two of them ought to be close.

Opposites attract, I guess.

"I don't think that's a good idea, sensei."

"Hmph. Despite that, I forgive you for your intrusion because you are cute. My name is Hoshinomiya Chie. You can call me Chie-chan."

She flashed a striking pose that could have been stolen from a commercial after her initial pout, which seemed somewhat playful in hindsight. My gut-feeling told me that she was like Kushida, but in what sense, I couldn't tell just yet. Their smiles and expressions didn't seem genuine from time to time, different from someone like Hirata or even Horikita.

I regretted throwing heads. Tails would have been the better option by a considerable margin. The instructor in charge of Class C couldn't have been as bad as this one. She was far too extroverted for me to handle. The atmosphere she gave off was sucking the energy out of me just by standing there while she examined me with those enticing violet eyes.

"Ahh. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. It was very nice to meet you. Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion, Hoshinomiya-sensei."

I bowed respectfully and withdrew from the classroom before closing the door behind me. It was of utmost importance that I fled as soon as possible, since I had the bad feeling that this teacher was more trouble than she was worth getting to know. I still had Chabashira-sensei to figure out, after all.

I wiped my non-existent sweat from my temple before making my way back to Class D. After I sat back down, the words that left our homeroom teacher's mouth went unnoticed by me as I once again drifted back into my daydreams.

Class B behaved exemplarily while Class D repeatedly disregarded the teachers and did whatever they wanted. 'Defective' was indeed an excellent way to describe them. It was now obvious that the classes were ranked from highest to lowest, seen from an overall ability standpoint. I had neither seen nor heard anything about the other classes, but the pattern should be something like defective products in Class D, adequate ones in C, good crops in Class B and the top dogs in A.

This, however, didn't mean that everyone in Class D was useless. Someone like Kouenji should excel in physical ability alone, which was apparent by his impressive physique. If his remark to Kushida was not just a fluke, he should be highly intelligent, or at least exceedingly observant as well. If I were to guess the reason, or rather his defect, that brought him here, it would be his narcissism and complete disregard for social norms, rules, and other regulations. Being the sole heir to a large conglomerate could easily warp one's perception to such a degree that it was hard for him to see anyone as an equal.

Horikita was academically smart, but too arrogant and hellbent on being a lone wolf. I knew little about her physical abilities, but she was nowhere near the level of Kouenji. Hirata seemed almost too perfect from a first impressions point of view. There was no apparent lack in physical, academical or communicational ability from what I could gather until now, which meant that his defect was something different. It could be something that shone only under certain circumstances. I would have to wait and see.

All three of them could have been placed in higher classes, even with their deficiencies, but they weren't. This left only one viable conclusion: putting them anywhere else would create too much of an imbalance in the overall classes abilities. This, however, would only be important if the classes were competing for something, which meant that the 100% employment guarantee from the school likely only belonged to the students of the highest ranked class. Namely Class A.

Our lesson ended a while later, and lunchtime followed soon. My classmates left with their friends or went to meet people from other classes. It would be nice if someone would invite me. I really don't want to eat alone.

"Pathetic."

Huh? I almost forgot about her.

"What is?"

"It would be nice if someone would invite me. I really don't want to eat alone. Your thoughts are obvious."

How the hell did she do that?

I slid my chair away from the Esper without her noticing. Or at least, that's what I hoped. I couldn't be certain that she didn't read my mind at this current moment and realized that I had worked out the secret that she had kept for years.

"You are alone as well. Doesn't that make you just as pathetic?"

"Not at all. I'm perfectly fine with being alone, or rather, I prefer it."

She stated this matter-of-factly, there was not a single lie spoken. I believed that she didn't care if she were to be alone for the next three years. And I could not understand why. It was pretty sad, since I was sure that she could have been popular if she fixed that ruthless attitude of hers.

After our short conversation, almost half of the students were gone. There wasn't anyone I could join. I mean, how was I supposed to do that, anyway? While I was working through my existential crisis, a godly existence descended into the mortal world and blessed me with his grace.

"I was thinking of heading to the cafeteria. Would you like to join Ayanokouji-kun?"

Hiraataaaaa~

No, I had to calm down. How weird would it be if I just screamed his name? I was thankful, however. As expected of the most popular person in class who radiated genuine positive feelings. I couldn't be more happy to have him nearby. Hirata noticed my pathetic existence and lent a helping hand, unlike Horikita, who just kept kicking me while I was down.

"Ahh, yeah sure. I guess. It's not like I had anything planned, anyway."

"Really? That's great!"

He flashed a smile, which was almost blinding, as it emanated the heat of a thousand suns. I'd promised myself right there and then: if I ever were to find out his flaw, I would help him fix it in any way I could. A person like him deserved all the happiness available. He was such a wonderful guy.

While I wiped away my imaginary tears, my savior tried to address Horikita. Tried, because some girls squealed his name and surrounded him like a pack of hungry wolves before he could get a single word out. This prevented him from calling out to my neighbor, who watched this exchange with an annoyed expression.

"I'll go too!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Yeah, come on let's go Hirata," the gyaru, Karuizawa Kei, said as she latched onto his arm.

Her eyes met mine since I had Hirata's attention before they came around. I felt somewhat uncomfortable, maybe even a little scared. Like a worried mother, she bared her fangs against the attacker, me, as if to say, 'He's mine. Stay away!'

I tried to avert my gaze, but she spoke with a questioning yet kind voice. "You comin' as well?"

"Ahh? Yeah. Thanks for having me."

I bowed lightly before standing up and following the group outside. In the meantime, Horikita packed up her materials without glancing at either of us. Calling her Ice-Queen wouldn't be off the mark. I wondered if she was angry that no one had asked her if she wanted to join?

I wasn't sure if Karuizawa just asked me to have a better hold over Hirata or if she just didn't care about whether I was with them. Whatever the case may have been, I felt like a third wheel.

From an outsider's perspective, our setup would look like five girls going to the cafeteria with Hirata, and one weird guy following them around with slight delay. This information alone should be enough to realize that I felt out of place in this high caliber group.

What was I even doing here?

Hirata tried to help me multiple times, but was always interrupted by one of the girls who latched onto him for whatever reason. They asked about his grades, favorite color, food, drinks and to play soccer with them. Hirata had his hands full dealing with these enthusiastic girls. If even he couldn't beat them, how was I supposed to deal with this strange life-form?

Should I just stealthily leave and tell them a friend called out to me afterwards? No... that would be too sad, even for me. Besides, what in the world would I tell them if they asked who called out to me? Not a single name came to mind while planning my escape. Maybe I should just run away and tell them that I forgot something important? But what could I have forgotten?

"Ayanokouji-kun. Were you thinking something stupid just now?"

Huh, Horikita?

As I turned to the voice, however, a brown-haired girl with tranquil, ocean blue eyes stood beside me. My first impression was that she felt genuinely curious about what thoughts were spinning through my mind due to the adorable way she tilted her head.

I remembered her from yesterday. She was one of the people who introduced themselves well. Her name was Matsushita Chiaki. This was the first time I noticed her presence, and I had to admit that she was quite the beauty. I wasn't ignorant about her being in our class, but all I did for now was glance over at my classmates and note down their names and my thoughts about them.

Even compared to Kushida and Horikita, she didn't lose out by much, which meant a lot. Kushida had deadly measurements and a bubbly aura, while Horikita had this dignified and mysterious air around her, similar to Chabashira-sensei.

Why was I always ending up with her in my mind?

"Um, Matsushita, right? I didn't. How did you get that idea?"

"Women's intuition, I guess."

She smirked and narrowed her eyes slightly. I once again had to note down that women were scary. There was no other way to put it. Apparently, all of them were Espers of some sort.

"So, why are you talking to me? Do you need something?"

In my mind, that was a legitimate question. I couldn't understand why she, a cute girl, would start a conversation with me, aside from having an ulterior motive. I was bland and boring, insignificant, even. If I were in her shoes, I would try my hardest to chat up Hirata, just like the other girls were.

"Nothing like that. I just thought about getting to know you better. Why would you think that I'd have an ulterior motive?"

She wanted to get to know me better?

Oh, I got it. That sly little devil. If she managed to befriend me, Hirata would naturally be thankful to her, as he was doing his best to look out for me. If he noticed that she was assisting him in his endeavour, it would bring them closer together. Put another way, she was just using me to get what she wanted.

"Isn't it weird if a beautiful girl springs into a conversation with a boring character like me? Some might even think you lost a bet or something."

I glanced at her, wishing that it was neither of the two possibilities I had come up with. If she only talked to me because of a lost bet, I'd probably cry. And using me to get closer to Hirata was just as bad, even though she wouldn't be the only one, since I suspected that Karuizawa did the same when she asked me if I'd join them.

"Eh?"

What's that supposed to mean? Did I say something wrong? Wait, was she really talking to me because of a lost bet? Why was she blushing? Hey! Don't avert your eyes just because you are feeling guilty after I figured you out!

"Did I say something weird? I apologize if that was the case. I'm just not very good at human interactions since I was homeschooled before."

That was technically not even a lie. The White Room could be labeled as my home, after all. But human interaction? Come on, you can use words a normal person would actually use. Get a grip. This sounded like I was some kind of alien.

"Oh. Ah, no. I was just surprised that you would say something like that. I think if someone lost a bet, they would be instructed to talk to Yamauchi or Ike. You are just quiet. Maybe introverted? That is not a bad thing. It might just take you a bit of time to warm up to other people."

The girl peered at me while caressing her chin. Matsushita's supple lips formed a sympathetic smile, as if she remembered something from her past. Her eyes, also called window to a person's soul, were gentle and compassionate.

Girls were incredibly dangerous. A single, innocent move like this, and my heart skipped a beat.

It seemed like my standing in the class was higher than predicted. Just staying quiet was far better than being loud and obscene, like Yamauchi or Ike. I was pleased to discover that I wouldn't be the punishment for a lost bet. It made me somewhat happy even.

Wait, wasn't that a sad thing to be happy about?

Leaving these dark thoughts behind, I got to know Matsushita a little better on our way to the cafeteria. The other girls were occupied with Hirata and didn't even notice that I was chatting with her. The man in question, however, seemed reassured whenever he glanced back from time to time. He really was a kind person.

I still couldn't help but ruminate about why she would start a conversation with me, though. Hirata was dazzling, outgoing and handsome, while I was... well, me. There was nothing special about me at all. Did she talk to me because I seemed left out? Or out of pity? If the former were the case, I would be thankful to her as well, since I truly felt that way.

Her circle of friends was manageable, as it only contained the people currently with us, excluding me. From what I could see during today, she was closest with Karuizawa and Satou and had almost no contact with others outside of this group. But this was our first full day, so it wasn't weird that she still hadn't gotten to know some other girls.

We all gathered at a large table in the cafeteria's corner. Hirata sat opposite of me with Karuizawa and Satou on his left and right, respectively. Matsushita sat alone at the head of the table, which kind of suited her older sister vibe. The bench was occupied by Mori Nene, me and a girl called Mei-Yu Wang, who seemed rather sullen after sitting down. I knew nothing about them other than that Mori was part of a friends group with Karuizawa and Matsushita and that Mei-Yu Wang, also called Mii-chan, moved here from China, which didn't come of much as a surprise.

Any outsider would wonder why I was sandwiched between two girls. The answer was Hirata. I would have preferred to sit between him and the glass window, but my savior had other plans for me. Mei-Yu Wang was the first to sit down on the bench's corner. She tried to convince Hirata to join her, but that failed spectacularly, since Satou and Karuizawa didn't leave Hirata's side ever since we left the classroom.

Hirata seemed to have noticed this as well and sat down on the chairs as opposed to the bench to get a bit of breathing room for himself. Since he saw me talking with Matsushita before, he decided to 'place me' between two other girls with whom I had little contact with yet, while keeping Matsushita nearby to lend a hand in case something went awry.

I couldn't believe how he managed to handle all of this after realizing what he had done. In such a short time and without talking to anyone about specifics, no less. Hirata was the master of social interactions and I hadn't even seen Kushida in action. It wasn't an understatement that I could learn a lot from both of them.

The popular youth started the conversation and asked me a trivial question. After I answered, he pulled the other girls into our discussion as well. Just like that, we started chatting as if it were the most natural thing to do. They laughed and snickered. Overall, we all seemed to have a good time, including myself. Hirata was concerned at first, likely because I never changed my expressionless face, but he seemed to recognize that I had fun as we exchanged trivial information and funny stories.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you ever smile?"

There was another person who detected this as well and therefore asked what weighed on her mind. Hirata wanted to reprimand her in his usual gentle ways, but I beat him to the punch.

"I honestly can't remember if I ever did. Probably when I was a child? I have a hard time expressing myself, so I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not having fun or anything. This is my first time hanging out with people from school, so I'm still overwhelmed."

"Ahh. No, that's not what I meant. I was just wondering about that. Sorry if I sounded insensitive."

Matsushita, the girl who posed this question, bowed her head. I didn't mind, so I let her know that I wasn't irritated by her inquiry. Satou wondered what I meant with this being my first time, so I explained to them that I was homeschooled before, which surprised them. They began asking me many questions about the process and experiences, which I had trouble answering due to obvious reasons. As luck would have it, an angelic voice cut through the busy cafeteria, saving me from certain doom.

"Oh! If it isn't Ayanokouji-kun. Did you manage to find your classroom?"

The girl with strawberry-blonde hair grinned from ear to ear while delightfully giggling. I glanced past the young woman and her heavenly expression and noticed a group of three sitting on a nearby bench. They were Class B students who waited for her to join them.

The entire table's attention once again focused on me. I would lie if I said that this wasn't uncomfortable. The beauty from Class B caught this and came to my rescue with a sweet smile.

"Ah. Silly me, I haven't even introduced myself properly. My name is Ichinose Honami. It's nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun!"

"Likewise. And sorry about before, I was completely zoned out."

I scratched my head while avoiding her captivating eyes. It was unquestionably dangerous to look at this girl for long. She was just that beautiful. It wasn't only her body that was aesthetically pleasing, either. Her smile was charming and simply irresistible. Her voice rang through my ear like a siren's song and the whole atmosphere she gave off was to make people feel comfortable with her around.

"No worries, no worries. That could have happened to the best of us," she responded with a vivid smile.

While my classmates were eyeing me with suspicion, Hirata detected that I was out of my element and took control of the conversation. He stood and turned around to the visitor before introducing himself and the others to lift this burden off my shoulder.

"My name is Hirata Yosuke. It's nice to meet you, Ichinose-san. I heard a lot of good things about you, but unfortunately didn't have the time to introduce myself yet. The girls are Karuizawa Kei, Satou Maya, Matsushita Chiaki, Mori Nene and Mei-Yu Wang."

He pointed at each of them during the introduction to make everyone feel as if they were part of the conversation. Karuizawa and Satou looked like they ran into a mortal enemy of sorts. Aside from those two, the rest replied with a positive attitude. The girls exchanged their greetings as well, before Ichinose acknowledged all of them with a delighted expression.

"It's nice to meet you, Hirata-kun, Karuizawa-san, Satou-san, Matsushita-san, Mori-san and Wang-san. I also heard about you from Kushida-san. She said you are stepping up the be the class leader?"

"If you could call it that. I just want everyone to enjoy school to their hearts' content. If I can help with that, I should."

That sounded like something Hirata would say. It seemed like he, Kushida and Ichinose were the social elites of the first-years from what I could gather through the conversation. Ichinose used class leader as term to describe Hirata instead of representative or something similar. Which might have betrayed some of her knowledge.

Did they also think that this school was weirdly lenient and suspected something? If so, they beat our class by a landslide. I was glad, however, that they were chatting with each other now. As luck would have it, no one asked why Ichinose greeted me and how we knew each other. I hoped that none of them would realize that —

"Ichinose-san, how do you know Ayanokouji-kun?" Matsushita asked while throwing me a sideway glance.

Are you kidding me?!

"Oh, he confused our classroom with yours and suddenly stood at the door in the middle of our lesson."

...

Silence descended onto the table — until.

"Hmpfhaaahahaha, I can't. I'm so sorry Ayanokouji-kun. But — hahaha," Satou Maya giggled.

"Seriously? He did, what?" Karuizawa Kei asked without being able to hold her laughter back.

"Hmph," Matsushita Chiaki snorted. Trying her hardest not to get louder.

"Hahahaha," Mori Nene chuckled into her sleeve.

"Calm down, calm down," Mei-Yu Wang chanted to herself while hiding her face.

"I'm so sorry Ayanokouji. But this..." even Hirata Yosuke caved in and couldn't help himself after seeing their expressions.

While all of that happened, the girl called Ichinose Honami flashed a brilliant smile and clasped her hands like an angel. She seemed to know that this was only light banter, and that they weren't laughing at me, or else she wouldn't have done this.

She wouldn't have, right?

"Well, yeah. That happened."

I said to no one in particular in my telltale emotionless voice.

"Your reaction makes this even better."

Karuizawa shrieked, unable to keep it in. It took a moment for everyone to calm down before they apologized for laughing about this. Hirata was most affected by his guilt. But I saw it like the girls around the table, just harmless fun.

"It's fine. You really don't need to apologize. I mean, it was funny after all."

Ichinose gave me a thumbs up and excused herself before leaving as promptly as she showed up. She was a nice girl. If this revelation would have harmed me, she wouldn't have told anyone. This was as much as I could gather from this girl. But —

This meant war. Ichinose Honami.

After finishing our meals, we exchanged numbers and were about to go back to the classroom, as an announcement rang through the building's speakers.

"At five PM Japan Standard Time today, we will hold a club fair in Gymnasium No 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No 1. I repeat, at five PM —"

"Are you interested in joining a club, Ayanokouji-kun?"

According to his guilty expression, he still felt bad about laughing at me, which I couldn't understand. Wasn't it normal to laugh with or about a friend if he did something weird or funny? I believed this to be a part of friendship, but since I wasn't an expert in this field, I should learn from him.

"Mh, I don't think I will. But I might look at the clubs, at least. You are going to join the soccer club, right?"

"Yeah, since I've played for a long time already. What about everyone else?"

He asked around the group and everyone denied being interested in any clubs. Matsushita said she wouldn't be coming and rather relax in her room while the others decided that they would join Hirata.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hirata turned out to be the first guy in a relationship in our year in a few days. It was insane how popular he was. If anyone deserved this reputation, however, then it was undoubtedly him.

It felt weird walking among such a large group of people. I clutched the phone in my pocket, which now had six numbers saved. I never thought that it would be this easy to make friends. None of them seemed like bad people, so I was pretty happy with how today turned out. When we arrived at our classroom, I had a light smile on my face.

Horikita stared at me in amazement as I sat in my chair. I ignored her drilling stare and waited for the teacher to arrive. With a rather proud bearing, if I might add. 'Ha! See, I showed you.' I cheered in my mind.

"Are you happy now?"

"Whatever would you be talking about?"

I tried to stay relaxed and not let her get under my skin. She was usually mean, so she probably wanted to corrupt my current happy-state. Horikita would likely enjoy every second my newfound confidence crumbled under her relentless assaults.

"It seemed you found some people to spend your break with. So I was wondering if you achieved what you sought to do."

"I'm not sure yet. But it was fun, I guess. What about you?"

"I had a productive lunch break. Thank you for asking."

She thanked me? Who are you and what did you do to Horikita? Since she was in a good mood or not Horikita at all, I tried to make some harmless small talk and find out more about the strange person beside me.

"Did you hear the announcement?"

"The one that was broadcasted throughout the whole school? No, I didn't notice at all."

Ah, yeah. She's back. Must've been a temporary lapse in judgment on her part.

"Are —"

"I'm not interested in joining a club."

"That's not even what I was going to ask."

"Really? What is it then?"

"Are you joining a club?"

She turned her face for the first time since the start of our conversation to send an icy glare at me. I could almost feel the cold breath seeping out of her mouth when she opened it, while her red eyes narrowed, scrutinizing my every move.

"Are you an idiot? Didn't I just tell you that I'm not interested in joining a club?"

"I didn't ask whether you were interested. I asked if you were going to join one, which is not mutually exclusive."

"Ayanokouji-kun. Just be quiet. You are making my head hurt."

"Should we call a doctor? It could be something serious. As a friend, I'm worried about you."

"We are certainly not friends. Please scratch that off your vocabulary."

"Really? I heard friends sometimes banter with each other. Thinking back to our arguments until now, we seem to be quite good buddies already."

She karate-chopped me in the side. The word 'buddies' was apparently too much to handle. It didn't hurt, but I acted as if it did to see if she felt guilty. Long story short: she didn't. Instead, she kept kicking me while I was down.

"I am not bantering. You seem incapable of even the simplest things, so I am educating you. I feel sorry for you, which is why I'm sacrificing my valuable time to talk with you. Be thankful."

"Wait... wouldn't that make you... friend-ly?" I backed up on my chair and moved it away from her before this icy girl could get in another hit. "Who are you and what have you done with Horikita?"

She exhaled and held her head.

"Ayanokouji-kun, please come back."

"Why would I do something so dangerous?"

"If you come back, I'll go with you."

"Go with me where? Please specify before I commit to anything."

"I'll go with you to the club fair."

"Really?"

I began eyeing her with suspicion. Who, or whatever, this individual was, it sure as hell wasn't Horikita. Strange things were happening, and I somehow understood why that man wouldn't let me leave the White Room.

"Really." She nodded.

"Okay..."

I slid my chair back to its previous position.

"Ouch."

A pained, yet emotionless voice rang through the classroom.

"With so many people around, even you shouldn't be able to fail in making at least one friend."

"But I already have some. Like Hirata, for example."

"Debatable. He is everyone's friend."

"Then what about Karuizawa, Satou, Matsushita, Mori and Mii-chan?"

I was proud since I could call her Mii-chan. Well, anyone could, but still. This should count for something, right? Even without counting Hirata, I had five friends now and all of them were girls. I still wasn't sure about Sudou, though. Since I didn't have his number, we weren't friends, right?

"Did you ever hear the term 'friend of a friend'? And who is Mii-chan?"

"I haven't. She's Mei-Yu Wang from our class. But she likes to be called Mii-chan. I think it's fitting, too."

"You should look it up. It would open your eyes to a world of pain and suffering."

Like so often, Horikita and I were occupied arguing with each other while observing around two-hundred students throughout the gymnasium. We were both flapping through the pamphlets we had received when entering the locale while strolling around the venue. I found nothing interesting, and she seemed disinterested from the very beginning, so I had no hope in either of us finding something worthwhile.

"Are you still —"

"No."

"You don't even —"

"Please ask away then."

"Nevermind. I give up."

"Good for you, or else I would have hit you again."

After sliding away from her, I asked, "Have you been in a karate club or something similar before?"

She noticed the increased distance and moved a step towards me to stay in striking distance.

"No, I haven't. Do you have any more questions, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Ehh... I don't think so?"

I kept glancing over the locale but couldn't find anything that piqued my interest aside from the music club, which wasn't taking part in this gathering with a piano. All their members walked around with convenient instruments like the violin or a guitar. Even if they had a piano, I wouldn't just walk up and play something, anyway.

"Thank you all for waiting. We will now begin the club fair. A representative of each club will explain their function. My name is Tachibana, the student council secretary and the club fairs' organizer. It's nice to meet you all."

After the girl named Tachibana delivered her speech, the club representatives walked up to the stage and introduced their clubs. There were physical ones like Judo, Basketball and Soccer as well as academical ones like Math or Literature clubs. The Music club also introduced themselves and listed some of the usable instruments. The piano was part of the line-up, of course, but I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention, which was why I just gazed at them from afar.

"'It's nice to meet you all,' she said. You might make a friend over there. Or what about the weight-lifting club? The representative looks friendly."

I followed her line of sight to a booth which was occupied by six burly men that could all be referred to as 'bear' or some similar animal which could kill you in a single swipe of its giant paw.

"I think he could crush my arm if we were to exchange greetings. I really shouldn't go there."

"He would probably bench you immediately. There is no need to worry... I think."

She sounded unsure, yet perfectly content in using me as a guinea pig to test her theory. What a heartless woman.

"That's pretty harsh. I'll have you know that I'm an expert martial artist. I could easily wipe the floor with everyone here without breaking a sweat."

I glanced over to Horikita, gauging her reaction.

"Are you copying one of those idiots now? That is stooping low, even for you."

"But aren't you still talking to me? Wouldn't that make you just as bad?"

I wondered how long I could get away with this without being hit again. It was quite fun, actually. I understood why some friends bantered with each other. A reply to my question, however, never came.

"Horikita?" I turned to her, wondering why she wouldn't react to my cheap provocation.

Her gaze was fixed on the stage. As I kept observing her, I noticed that she paled with every passing second. I wondered who or what could make someone like her act in such a way and followed her line of sight towards the stage.

To my surprise, I couldn't see anything noteworthy. The basketball club's representative had just finished the presentation about his club and left the stage in a heightened mood while the next delegate took the stage. There were a few students in the background, but none of them stood out either. The girl, Tachibana, talked to someone who stood behind the curtain, so I couldn't make out who it was.

As I've widened my search radius, I noticed Sudou fighting through the crowd in the basketball representative's direction. I also spotted Karuizawa and the other girls, who were following Hirata as he signed up with the soccer club. There was also one of the guys who was with Ichinose in the cafeteria, but I didn't know his name.

I was quite surprised that Sudou played basketball. Due to his personality, I had expected him in other physical sport disciplines that catered more to his inherit nature. I should ask him if he's any good when I meet him the next time.

The representatives kept introducing their clubs one after another. There was even a Tea and Calligraphy club. More and more first-year students moved to the tables on the sides and joined the clubs they were interested in. I heard Sudou yell something like 'Yoshaaaaa,' even through all the hustle and bustle that the students generated. The stage emptied as time passed until only one person kept standing. As he walked to the microphone, everyone's attention focused on him. Horikita, still pale-faced, stared at that exact student.

I couldn't find anything that would warrant such a reaction. He was rather small for a man, slender and had sleek black hair. His glasses framed his piercing, calculating gaze perfectly. Their eyes looked kind of similar, though, which could be one reason for her unnatural behavior. The man in question just stood there and kept silent. This fascinated me quite a lot since it was a common technique in public speaking which neither of the representatives before him had taken advantage of.

Silence commanded power. The words that would follow would have that much more impact due to this minor detail. It was an unconscious reaction by humans, but an undeniably effective one if you knew how to use it to your advantage.

Some of the first years cheered him on, others laughed at him as he just kept standing there, staring down at us. It was already clear to see that these individuals were disappointments in his eyes, as well as mine. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of club he was representing, but then everything clicked into place.

My gaze wandered towards Tachibana, the girl who held the opening speech for the club fair. She stood to the far side on the stairs to the stage and watched that man with admiration. He was not only commanding power through silence, he also drew a separation line from the previous clubs and the one he represented. A clear reminder that this was the main course, the most important and privileged club in the entire school.

The cheers and yells died down until only a heavy silence remained. Most of the students were confused, but still kept their mouth shut due to the intense atmosphere. The silence continued for a few more seconds after everyone had already stopped. Only then did the lone student on the stage start his speech.

"I'm the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu."

That explained the similarities...

"The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third-years. Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We customarily won't accept students involved elsewhere."

I wondered if Horikita wanted to join the student council now that she knew her brother was a part of it. I couldn't help but feel danger approaching if I were to ask her, which was why I decided against it. For the foreseeable future, at least.

"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naïve outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity of this school. It is the student council's right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this."

After finishing his due diligence, he walked off the stage and left the gymnasium without another word. Even after he left, the gymnasium was eerie quiet. Tachibana re-entered the stage and ended the club fair with a few closing words.

"Horikita?" I asked once again.

Now that the president was gone, I thought she would be back to her old self. Contrary to my expectations, she wasn't. This revelation seemed to have shaken her up quite a lot. I wondered if I should stab her with my fingers. The physical stimulus would bring her back to her senses. I wasn't sure if my finger would suffice right now, but I might just start tickling her or something like this. She would definitely hit me afterwards, but it was worth teasing her like that. As I was about to snake my arms around her body, someone called out to me.

"Yo, Ayanokouji. You came as well?"

I froze before turning towards the trio that walked into our proximity.

"Hey. The three of you seem to get along well."

If not for the circumstance that I went out with Hirata and the girls before, I'd be pretty envious of their newfound friendship. Thinking back to Matsushita's words, however, I should be overjoyed to not be lumped in with them. Sudou wasn't that bad. He had a short fuse and was a light pervert, but who wasn't? Ike and Yamauchi were in a league of their own, though. They would even drag Sudou's already bad impression through the mud with their antics.

"You joined a club too?"

"Not really. I was just looking around. I saw you signing up for the basketball club, though. How long have you been playing?"

"Ever since elementary school. It was a given that I'd join here as well."

I still couldn't wrap my head around him being a basketball player. I mean, he was athletic. There was no reason to deny this, but I wondered if he wasn't too aggressive for a game like this. Apparently, I worried for nothing since his previous schools would have kicked him out in case of the club in case of continuous physical altercations.

"What about you two?"

This was the first time I was branching out a conversation at my volition. It was an intriguing feeling. Before, I only had one person to talk to or got strung along without wanting to. This time I attempted to include new people into the conversation consciously and with a goal in mind, just like Hirata usually did. I hoped this wouldn't spill my doom in the future, but only time would tell.

"We just came here on a whim. Besides, we thought we might have a fateful encounter."

Ike responded for the two of them.

"A fateful encounter? With the alien kind?"

He shook his head as if I made some sort of rookie mistake.

Maybe I did, I wouldn't know. I'm a rookie, after all.

"A fateful encounter with a girl, obviously! Something like two hands grabbing onto something that fell down. And the girl is like 'Oh. Ike-kun!' Do you understand now?"

Where have I gone wrong? I started reconsidering my priorities. Hanging around with these people seemed dangerous. To my social standing and sanity. I mean, how would the girl in this story even know that his name was Ike just because their hands touched?

"That student council guy was scary, though, wasn't he?"

"Ah yeah. Everyone just went quiet suddenly."

"Like in an anime, right?"

What's an anime?

"... Yeah, like that."

"By the way, do you wanna join our group chat? I made one for the guys of Class D yesterday."

Yamauchi pulled out his phone before I even said yes, which meant that he really wanted me to join.

Or did it? I wasn't sure.

"Sure." I said and took my phone out as well.

As we were about to exchange contact information, Horikita vanished into the crowd. I wondered if I should go after her, but ultimately left her be. It's Horikita after all. She would be fine.

"You okay?" Ike asked, looking in her direction.

"Yeah, no worries."

Thus I exchanged numbers with Sudou, Ike and Yamauchi, putting my contact total to nine.

Proud of my accomplishments for today, I left the gymnasium with Sudou, while Ike and Yamauchi kept looking for their fated encounter. I couldn't bring myself to tell them that something like this would likely never happen. At least they still had hope now, even though it was almost impossible that their delusions took form.

On our way to the dorms, I parted with Sudou as I had some additional items to buy which I couldn't get around to yesterday. I briefly caught a glance of Kushida before running into Ichinose and two of her classmates. I wondered where the class angel was heading, but I had to keep my interest in check.

"If it isn't Ayanokouji-kun. I'm running into you quite often today, aren't I?"

"Oh. Hey Ichinose. I saw you at the club fair. Did you join a club?"

She nodded cheerfully. "Mhm. I was planning on joining the student council. I'm not sure if they are going to accept me, though."

"They would be quite foolish not to accept someone like you."

"Hm. You think?"

She flashed a bright smile upon hearing my response.

"I do. From what I've heard, you are smart and kind. You try your best to please the people around you and keep things fair for everyone. The student council would be lucky to have you."

Her genuine smile felt somewhat forced after the words I had spoken. It's clear that she knew more than she let on. I emphasized 'fair for everyone,' just to probe her reaction. There was no reason for her to help me or my class, and it seemed like she had no intention of doing so.

Maybe she thought that anyone would already know that the school felt somewhat weird, but then there was no reason to feel bad. I could extract more information from her, but now was not the time due to two watchful gazes that were hovering over me.

One of them was hostile, while the other... I wasn't sure. Girls were scary.

"I saw the two of you in the classroom this morning. Sorry again for the intrusion." I bowed slightly.

"No worries! Right, Kanzaki-kun? Kanzaki-kun?"

The girl beside him asked and stepped on his foot after he didn't reply to her.

"Augh. Damn it, Amikura. That hurt." He complained before turning to me. "I'm Kanzaki Ryuji, it's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Amikura Mako!" The girl stuck out her tongue and held her fingers in a peace sign in front of her eye.

"It's nice to meet you Kanzaki, Amikura. I should go though. It's already late, and I had a long day. This morning's fiasco didn't really help."

Ichinose and Amikura giggled before waving me goodbye. Kanzaki didn't seem to like me very much though, as he just glared at me with narrowed eyes.

After dragging my feet into the elevator and finally through the door of my dorm room, I dumped the bag of items on a chair and prepared a meal for supper. I resolved myself to cook from today onwards. I didn't know how to cook, but the internet was rather helpful in that regard. While I was waiting for the water to heat, I typed a few things I learned today in a search engine.

'Gyaru, a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word gal, is a Japanese fashion subculture.'

That confused me even more. What did Karuizawa have to do with gravimetry? And since when was gal a slang word? Would coulomb or lumen be slang words as well? I had to ask someone about that.

Even more confused than before, I typed in my second query.

Once again, I read the first sentence. This time, I even understood it. This, however, made things worse than I could have ever expected.

'In sociology, a friend of a friend is a human contact that exists because of a mutual friend. Person C is a friend of a friend of person A when there is a person B that is a friend of both A and C. Thus the human relation "friend of a friend" is a compound relation among friends, similar to the uncle and aunt relations of kinship. Though friendship is a reciprocal relation, the relation of a friend of a friend may not be a friendship, though it holds potential for coalition building and dissemination of information.'

The proud feeling I felt for everything I had thought I'd accomplished today vanished immediately. It seemed like making friends was much more complex than initially assumed. I couldn't believe I made such an oversight. And even worse...

"Did that mean I still had no friends?"

Looking at it objectively, Horikita was right. Having Hirata as a friend was insignificant, since he was everyone's friend, so he might as well be no ones. Karuizawa, Matsushita, Satou, Mori and Mei-Yu Wang can only be labelled as friends of a friend, meaning they are also not my friends. The same goes for Ike and Yamauchi, who are friends of Sudou. The question was whether Sudou can be categorized as a friend.

Once again, I typed something into the all-knowing search bar of the internet.

'a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations.'

Did Sudou and I have a bond of mutual affection? I doubted that. We only met each other yesterday, and he wasn't in the best of moods. Could such a bond of mutual affection manifest this quickly? I didn't know.

I grabbed my phone and open a chat with Sudou.

[10:47:33 PM] Hey Sudou, you awake?

I waited for about thirty seconds without receiving an answer. Maybe he was already asleep. I decided to first take care of my supper since it was already late. Or would the term 'Midnight Snack' be more appropriate? If I were to round the times, then my meal would be closer to a Midnight Snack than supper.

Whatever the case may have been, I cooked Harusame Noodle Soup for my first test run. It was a rather light meal, which was perfect for a late snack. I prepared the ingredients I had bought today and took care of the cooking process. It didn't take long, because the recipe was clear and concise.

"Itadakimasu." I said to no one in particular, but I heard one was supposed to do this before eating.

I never had this in the White Room, so it was a new sensation for me. I blew in the soup so I wouldn't burn myself and took a few sips. For my first try, I'd say it was alright. Unfortunately, I couldn't compare it to anything. It might very well be the case that the taste was horrible for other people.

As I was taking my time eating my freshly made meal, my phone vibrated.

[10:59:12 PM][Sudou] Yeah, I'm awake. What's up?

I replied shortly after swallowing the contents of my spoon, since I wanted an answer to my question so that I could sleep in peace. If I knew that I had a friend, I could doze off happily. If not, well... we'll see when we get there.

[11:00:20 PM] Do we share a bond of mutual affection?

The message was read in an instant, which was a welcome surprise. This would mean I'd get an answer today. As I was swallowing the last bits of my soup, the phone vibrated once again.

[11:03:44 PM][Sudou] Are you drunk?

[11:03:59 PM] I drank soup just now. Why?

[11:05:01 PM][Sudou] What the hell does that even mean?

[11:05:12 PM] What?

[11:05.33 PM][Sudou] The hell is a bond of mutual affection?

[11:06:22 PM] I don't know. That's why I was asking you.

Once again, it was marked as read. I waited and waited, but no answer came. I wondered if he had fallen asleep.

[11:06:40 PM] Hey, what's a bond of mutual affection?

[11:06:42 PM][Ike] SUDOU, WHO TOLD YOU THAT? HOW DARE YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE ME?

[11:07:18 PM] How the hell did you even type that in 2 seconds? Ayanokouji asked me if we had a bond of mutual affection.

[11:07:50 PM][Ike] The hell? Is he... you know... interested in guys?

[11:08:55 PM] Wait a second. You think he's interested in me or what? Ayanokouji? There is no way. Right?

[11:09:25 PM][Ike] Let's ask Yamauchi.

[11:10:13 PM][You were added into the Group Chat 'A fateful encounter' by the Group Administrator 'Ike']

[11:10:14 PM][Yamauchi] IKE! ARE YOU SERIOUS? HOW DARE YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE ME!

[11:10:40 PM] What the fuck kind of group name is that?!

[11:10:45 PM][Ike] How the hell did you even type that in a second? And no, the chat is because of Sudou.

[11:10:47 PM][Yamauchi] SUDOU! DAMNIT WHO IS IT? IF IT IS KUSHIDA-CHAN I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU.

[11:11:33 PM] How the hell did you even type that in 2 seconds?

[11:11:34 PM][Ike] How the hell did you even type that in 2 seconds?

[11:11:36 PM][Yamauchi] STOP DIVERTING THE ATTENTION FROM THE ISSUE AT HAND!

[11:11:59 PM] We're talking about Ayanokouji.

[11:12:00 PM][Yamauchi] ?

[11:12:32 PM] Ayanokouji asked me if we had a bond of mutual affection.

[11:12:42 PM][Yamauchi] What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[11:12:59 PM][Ike] That's what we were asking you.

[11:13:00 PM] That's what he was asking me.

[11:13:13 PM][Ike] What?

[11:13:13 PM][Yamauchi] What?

[11:13:16 PM] What?

[11:14:01 PM][Yamauchi] So let me get this straight. Ayanokouji asked Sudou if they shared a bond of mutual affection?

[11:14:12 PM] Yes.

[11:14:13 PM][Ike] Exactly.

[11:14:32 PM][Yamauchi] Is he gay?

[11:14:49 PM][Ike] That's what I thought as well.

[11:14:51 PM] So we are in an agreement that we think Ayanokouji is gay, yes?

[11:15:00 PM][Ike] Yes.

[11:15:04 PM][Yamauchi] I think so too.

[11:15:59 PM] Wait, we can't just decide this like that. We need to make sure, right? What if he isn't and we screw things up for him?

[11:16:12 PM][Ike] Swimming lessons are soon, right? We could check there if he has certain reactions, you know?

[11:16:21 PM][Yamauchi] I agree. We could also ask him what he thinks about the girls and stuff like that.

[11:16:49 PM] Alright, for now we'll treat him as straight and make sure how he feels about men. And I'll tell him no about the affection thingy.

[11:17:16 PM][Ike] Good plan.

[11:17:21 PM][Yamauchi] I agree.

After cleaning up my cooking utensils and dishes, my phone vibrated once again. I hoped it was Sudou. I genuinely wanted to know if I had already made a friend and he was the only one I could ask. Upon glancing at the message, I wished I had only seen it in the morning.

[11:18:46 PM][Sudou] Hey man, sorry for replying so late. I don't really understand that mutual affection thingy. But I don't think we have that kind of relationship.

It was rather disheartening to read. I didn't know if I should reply or not. Did he expect one? Or was that marking the end of our conversation?

[11:19:49 PM] Okay, thanks for your answer.

I left it at that. I wasn't sure if it was the correct decision, but I couldn't take it back now. Done with today, I walked towards the table in a corner of the room in a somewhat depressed mood.

This time I didn't take one of the red pieces, but two of the blue ones. I placed the king and the queen on their respective fields on the left side of the board.