Chapter 25

"This is what I've heard…"

Chess told them everything he learned from the girls earlier. From the different gossips that had spread, up to the rumored source of the idea.

He told them about the handsome man.

"That's true, we're handsome…" Jill commented.

He's back on his playful self, but there's something on his eyes whenever he looks at Chess. His eyes looked vicious, as if a mad dog, ready to bite Chess if he just had the chance.

"Hmn…" Prof made a sound as he thought deeply.

All eyes turned to look at him, waiting for his words. He's the professor, so naturally, his students would rely on him on matters like this. But instead of giving them answers or clarifications, Prof just scratched his head as he smiled guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea…"

Sounds of sighs filled the room. Prof immediately scrunched his forehead as he widened his eyes at his students' scrutinizing gazes.

"Hey, what can I do? Stop staring at me like that! The higher ups told me nothing!" he defended himself.

Kane pulled out a box of cigarette out of his pocket before pulling one stick out. He then placed the box beside him and lighted the cigarette dangling on his lips.

He puffed a long smoke before parting his lips to speak.

"When did they ever tell us anything, aside from orders?"

"Well, that's true…" Prof stated.

"If we want to know anything, we should move for ourselves." Kane once again said.

Jill immediately grinned as he nodded his head repeatedly. He stood up from his seat and approached Kane. Then he sat beside him and was about to stretch his arm to wrap it around Kane's shoulder when he felt something crumple behind him.

Something crunched when he sat…

"What's this…" he mumbled as he stood up once more to check the couch.

And to his horror, he saw the crushed box of Kane's cigarette.

Cold sweat started to form around his forehead as he froze on the spot. He found it difficult to breathe as the temperature on a certain spot beside him seemed to drop.

"That was my last box."

His heart seemed to stop beating at those words. He started to slowly lift the corners of his lips into a hesitant smile, attempting to take a few steps back. But it was impossible. It was impossible to escape Kane's rage.

"Woah!" Jill panicked when Kane grabbed the back of his collar with force. "Wait, wait! I'm sorry!"

"Buy me a Treasurer Luxury Black cigarette." Kane said casually.

Jill widened his eyes, looking like it'll almost pop-out, as he opened his mouth for a loud gasp.

"Are you crazy?!" he blurted out, looking at Kane like he's a cigarette maniac.

And cigarette maniac, yes, Kane is.

"What? You don't want to?"

Kane looked down on Jill with his menacing eyes. Jill was shaken, but he still managed to refute. With his loud voice, he retaliated.

"Hey, what I crushed is just a box of Marlboro! Why would you make me buy a Luxury Black in return?!" Jill found it difficult to remove Kane's grip on his collar as he looked back.

Kane's eyes glimmered, and Jill felt like he was staring at a devil.

"So?" just that one word made Jill give up on trying to find his way out.

He sighed and groaned as he pulled his own hair before agreeing.

"Fine! Just one box!" it sounded so forced.

Chess found it difficult to watch Jill as he continued pulling his hair, while the others just laughed at his ill fate.

"Buy me too." It was a lazy and hoarse voice.

Everyone halted and turned to look at who spoke. Syn just raised his brows in return. He was still in his sleeping position, but this time, he had supported his head with his arm to look at everyone.

"What?" he asked, specifically glancing at Jill's direction.

Jill had no words to say. He didn't have the energy to refute, in the first place, he had no intentions of offending Syn.

Jill just glared at each and everyone of them before sitting back on the couch. This time, he made sure to crush the box of Marlboro finely. He vented all his frustrations on that box. It's all its fault that he had to spend money on something he doesn't even need.

He even had to buy for Syn too… ah! It's frustrating.

While Jill continued on picking with the pitiful box, the others had already gone back to the topic of rumor. They all turned their attentions back on Chess.

"When did it start spreading?" Reis asked.

"The day before yesterday." He answered honestly.

They fell into deep thought as they tried to remember what they were doing and where they were on that day. But first, who among them had the motive of exposing the class?

It was impossible. It's not one of them. If it's not Chess either, then who?

"Who spread the rumors… it's impossible to be one of the higher ups themselves." Reis mumbled.

"That's right, it's not they, themselves… they even built this section so that they wouldn't need to move themselves." Jill mumbled.

His playful grin is gone as he stared at space, looking so deep in his thoughts. He had his hand on his chin, slowly caressing his jaw with his fingers.

"If I was one of the higher ups… who would I use?" Jill mumbled once again.

Everyone just threw him a glance before turning silent too. All of them just waited for Jill to speak.

To tell the truth, when Jill started thinking, they all had already stopped thinking on their own. They just waited for him to finish, waiting for the answer he's going to give.

Why?

Well, here's one funny fact.

Jill is actually 'quite' intelligent.

It's just that, he likes playing and having fun more, so he's not using that brain very often. He only thinks when he needs to think. And when he starts thinking, he can solve everything, especially if it involves things like crimes.

It was not because he studied criminology. Its not because he read criminal books or watched criminal movies either. It's just that…

Jill thinks like a criminal.

So, when it involves the perspective of a criminal, Jill is the perfect detective. In this case, the higher ups are the criminal. Now, he's putting his self in those higher-up's shoes.

"If I am one of them… No, if I am the Chairman… who would I choose to do the work for me? The Pawns aren't available because they are the ones I'm getting rid of… then…" Jill continued on mumbling.

The more Chess watched him, the more he looked like a criminal. And strangely, it felt like he was back in that room on his first day in the university. The one where the students who passed are chosen.

Inside, he met that man there. The one who placed him in this 'supplementary' class, or the Pawns' class. The Chairman himself.

And now, when he looked at Jill, he felt like he was back inside. The aura he releases is almost the same as the aura of that man.

"If I have Pawns… then wouldn't I have Knights too? And Bishops? Rooks? Queen?... and King?" Jill's voice became louder and louder, as if he was getting near the truth.

"If I'm just getting rid of the Pawns… Then I don't need to use the King and Queen, right? I wouldn't use rooks either… so, it's just either Knights or Bishops." He concluded.

He then raised his head and stared at each and everyone of them. Then he snapped his finger and grinned.

"It's the Bishops." He said so surely.

In a Chess Game, there are values for different pieces. A pawn is worth one point, a knight or bishop is worth three points, a rook is worth five points and a queen is worth nine points.

The King, who is the most important, had no points. Because once the King is captured, the whole game would come to an end.

That's why, Jill thought it was impossible for the Chairman to send the important pieces just to take down the Pawns.

He hit that on the spot. However…

"Who are the other pieces?" Kane, Reis and Aoi, as well as Jill, asked in unison.

They exchanged glances at each other. Chess remained silent as he listened to their conversations. He, himself, only knows of the Pawns. Is it the same for the others?

The students of Section 0, the Pawns, never thought that the day would come where they would have to find the identities of other pieces. In the first place, they never knew there were other pieces, until now.

If it wasn't for this rumor, if it wasn't for this problem, they wouldn't even think it's possible that there are other pieces, aside from them.

But now that they heard it, it was extremely plausible. Given the fact that they are named 'Pawns'.

"It's impossible to know who the other pieces are…" Cale suddenly spoke from the corner.

He turned his chair and faced their direction. Syn, who had closed his eyes, once again opened them as he raised his head with his arm once more. His lazy eyes then darted towards the others as he yawned.

"Unless, we find them ourselves." He added.

Silence once again ensued the place.

It was silent, but the atmosphere completely shifted.

From the confused faces of people inside, it all warped into a devil's face with a sinister grin.

Everyone, except Chess, had an interesting thought in their head. And at exactly the same time, everyone spoke their minds.

"Let's hunt them down."

And from here on out, the Game of Chess that they all are participating at, took a complete 180 degree turn.