Part.4

"First we have to take down Raiser's [Pawns]. It will be troublesome if they all promote into [Queen]."

Buchou says it while sitting on the sofa. She's quite confident.

Akeno-san starts to prepare tea. U-Umm, we are in a middle of a match, you know...?

"B-Buchou, you seem pretty calm..."

"Ise, the battle just started. The "Rating Game" is originally a game that doesn't finish in a short time. There are times when it becomes a "blitz", but mostly it's a game that takes very long. Just like the actual chess game."

I-Is that how it's played? I thought it will be like those battles you often see in films... Something like those "ultimate fight between monsters" types of things.

"The "Rating Game" has a meaning only if you use the battlefield to the fullest. Usually the base would be a fortress, a castle or even a tower. There are forests and rivers between the two bases and we battle using those areas. This time the school is our stage. Yuuto."

"Yes."

Kiba spreads a map on the table after Buchou urges him. Wow, the whole map of our school.

It's divided into grids and there are English alphabets and numbers on it. Oh I get it.

It's broken into grid that is similar to a chessboard.

Buchou draws a circle around the old school building and the new school building with a red pen. Oh, I see. She marked our base and the enemy's base.

"There's a forest near our base. It's safe to assume that this is also our territory. In other words the new school building would be Raiser's territory. It's quite possible that there will be an ambush when you enter their territory. The school field is visible from the new school building. So it's dangerous to pass through here."

She is right. The school field is visible from the new school building's windows. Once we enter the battlefield, it's impossible to teleport using the magic-circle. So it's impossible to teleport from the old school building to the new school building. So we have to use our feet to move around then. Well, we can use our wings to fly, but we will become a sitting ducks. Also, I can't fly yet.

"Then do we have to go through the sports ground to get to the new school building?"

Buchou chuckles at my question.

"Normally, yes. But the enemy will also know that. So he'll have his servant positioned at the sports ground. ... He'll have his [Knight] or [Rook] positioned at one of the clubrooms located in the sports ground. No, if it's a sports ground, you will need a person with "mobility". So he'll have one [Knight] and three [Pawns], a total of four servants positioned here. Then he'll have control of the whole sports ground."

Then Kiba says his thoughts.

"Buchou, it's about the gym near the old school building. Shouldn't we occupy this location first? If we capture it here then we will have a route to the new school building. The gym is a passage to both of the buildings so we could also restrain the enemy's movements."

Buchou nods at Kiba's opinion.

"Yes, I also have the same opinion. First we will capture the gym. ...In terms of location, the opponent may have his [Rook] positioned there. Since it's inside a building, it would be better to use the [Rook] with destructive power over [Knight] with mobility."

...Wow, they started to talk about the strategy in a way that I don't understand! W-Well, I'll just follow the order! I just need to make sure that I don't cause any trouble for them.

"...Yuuto and Koneko, you two set a trap in the forest. Take another map with you and make sure you mark the places where you set the trap in. I will make a copy afterwards and hand it to everyone."

"Yes."

"...Roger."

Koneko-chan and Kiba leaves the room straight away and takes a map and a weird looking tool box with them.

"Everyone else will be on standby until they finish setting up the trap. Oh, Akeno."

"Yes."

"After Yuuto and Koneko returns, can you cast illusions and mists around the forest and the sky? Obviously a trap that only reacts to Raiser's group. That's how the start of the match will be like, though it seems like this battle will become intense midway through it. So I'll leave the issue regarding the mists and the illusions to you, Akeno."

"I understand, Buchou."

Akeno-san confirms. The strategy has already begun. Both Asia and I don't know what we are supposed to do.

"U-Umm, Buchou? What am I supposed to do?"

I think it's bad if I don't do anything. I want to do something!

"Yes. Ise, you are a [Pawn] so you have to use "promotion"."

"Yes!"

I reply to her energetically. Buchou waves her hand towards me. Hmm? What is it?

"Sit here."

I sit next to Buchou because she told me to. She then points at her lap.

"Lay down here."

—! W-Wait, is that...the legendary "lap pillow"!?

I-I can really...use that white legs of yours...am I really allowed to do it!?

"I-I will be in your care!"

I unconsciously bow my head to Buchou politely.

Gulp... I start to put my head on Buchou's lap slowly while gulping down my saliva.

TOUCH.

I can feel a really soft sensation on my cheek. Ooooooooh! Why are you so soft, Buchou!? My head is about to explode because I'm having lots of physical contacts with Buchou!! Her actions towards me are too great for someone like me who am going through that age!

I want to grind my cheek on her lap, but I think my heart will stop!

"Uuuu."

I have tears on my eyes without even noticing it.

Lap pillow. Out of all the things I want to get done by a girl, it's definitely among the "Top 10". And right now it became a reality...

I can't stop the tears that are falling from my. Man, what am I doing in the middle of an important match?

But a perverted student like me who has no luck with girls is getting this sweet treatment. Oh, mum and dad, thanks for giving birth to me!

Buchou sighs while looking at me.

"Geez. Why are you crying?"

"Sob, getting a "lap pillow" from Buchou, I'm so moved that the tears won't stop. I will never forget this sensation. Sob, I'm happy that I was born."

"If it's just "lap pillow", then I will give it to you again. You seriously are an overreacting boy."

What!? T-This is absurd!? You will!? Why is Buchou so nice to me!? No, that's not important now! So something like that is possible!?

Yes, I'll ask her myself next time! Aah, my school life is so wonderful! I'm totally in a league over Motohama and Matsuda! Now I feel sorry for them. I just need to hope that their life will get better.

Ah! Asia is looking at me with teary eyes! And she is making a weird face. Huh? Is she angry? Why? She looks very unpleasant...

TOUCH.

Buchou then puts her hand on my forehead.

"...I unlocked a small portion of the seal that I had cast on you."

"Huh? Seal?"

The moment I say out the doubt I had, there is a big change in my body.

Heartbeat!

At the same time, I can feel a power growing within me. What is this? Amazing, it feels different than the power up that I get from my Boosted Gear. If that is a power I receive from elsewhere, then this power up is coming from within me and it feels comfortable.

What is this—? Buchou then says it my ear while I find it suspicious.

"Do you remember? The talk about where I used all my eight pieces of [Pawns] to reincarnate you?"

"Yes."

"At that time, your strength as a Devil was low so I had to put a limit on your power as a [Pawn]. You, who just reincarnated from human, didn't have a body that could endure the power of eight pieces of [Pawns]. To put it simply, you would be the strongest after Akeno, so you needed to attain more power or else your body would break. So I just unsealed a bit of the seal."

Unsealing it—. Then this power that is flowing within my body is my natural power.

"That training was meant to have you cope with the power of Boosted Gear and the [Pawn]. Though there are areas you still lack in."

So there was actually a meaning to that harsh training! I'm glad that I went through that training by training hard!

PAT PAT.

Buchou then starts to pat my head. Aah, it feels so nice to have Onee-sama pat my head.

Is it me or is Asia looking at me with sharp eyes?

"Listen up, Ise. You have to beat your opponent even if they are girls, okay? You can't hold back. They won't hold back against you."

"Y-Yes, I understand!"

"That's a good boy. Use the "promotion" to change into [Queen]. The battle will change if you promote into the [Queen] that possess the strongest power."

"But it feels weird for me, who am a guy, to turn into a [Queen]."

Buchou makes a small laugh at my opinion.

"It's just a name for a role in chess, so you don't have to think too deeply about it. We are already at a disadvantage by having fewer members than Raiser. So you have to prepare yourself to work over the limit. If we lose even a single person, our situation will get even harder."

Buchou already thought about our roles carefully and has already made a plan for our move...

The battle can be settled if I charge up my demonic-power with my Sacred Gear and shoot it to the new school building...though it won't be that simple, right? The opponent may also foresee such method, and they may have a counter-measure against it.

Also there is a limit to my attack which has powered up, and since I'm bad at using demonic-powers, I can't do something like wasting it. If I have to do it, it will be safer to promote to [Queen] first, that way you can guarantee the power of the attack.

Yeah, I will just go forward while believing in Buchou and my comrades!

"Buchou! I will definitely make you win!"

That's what I thought from the bottom of my heart. My true feeling. Yes, it's better to tell her my actual feelings.

Buchou smiles after hearing that.

"Yes, I will be relying on you. My adorable, Ise."

I will definitely make Buchou win! I won't give Buchou to a jerk like that!

Like that, I was having fun with Buchou's lap until Kiba and Koneko-chan got back.

Thanks to that, I'm fully pumped!