Chess Tournament Special Exam - Part 2

It was the next morning.

I was awoken by the sound of knocking on my door.

"Who's here... this early...?" whined Kimura.

"An acquaintance of mine."

"Ah, I see~ alright, do what you need to."

***

The sun had yet to rise above the horizon. The outside of the dorm building was lit up only with dim lights on the path. With the chilly wind brushing against us, Tachibana looked up at me with an unpleasant expression.

"Ayato, what did you do."

"What do you mean?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at me.

"Mana Ichikawa is in the losers' group. She was partnered with Kimura, who's very reliable. I know you have something to do with this."

I, in fact, did have something to do with this.

*

A few days ago, I offered Kimura a very simple offer.

[If you purposely lose and bring Ichikawa down until I'm excused from the exam, I'll give you at least a top 2 winnings from the Finals Heat. Make sure you place fourth in the group stage.]