v01_c02_Game_Master

GJ-Bu

Volume 01

Chapter 02

Game Master

A certain day, after school.

Surprisingly, not many people were in the room. Kyouya was alone with Shion.

With nobody to make him tea, Kyouya sat solitarily at the round table.

"No one's coming today, right?"

"Yes, it seems so."

Shion was facing the computer. Only the clicking of the mouse resounded through the room.

The girl was a mysterious person, always playing some game. It wasn't anything like a cellphone game though, she played classic games.

Actual games, that used boards and pieces.

At the computer, Shion would always play alone these games that were originally meant to be played with two people, moving the pieces from both sides by herself.

However, not today.

On the screen of the computer, which was connected to the Internet, black and white squares lay across.

Even Kyouya knew the name of that game. It was chess, the western version of shogi.

"Are you playing against someone?"

"Yeah."

"That's unusual."

"It's been a month."

Shion swiped to her back the hair that was falling down her cheek. Her long, glossy black hair looked as if would reach all the way to the floor.

Being very intelligent, she often talked in very peculiar ways. She'd answer the questions before even being asked. Because of that, it was often hard to engage in conversation with her.

Right now, she probably meant it had been a month since the last time she played against a human.

"Who are you playing against?"

Kyouya pulled a chair to her side to watch the match.

"The one I've been playing up till now was the pan-American chess champion."

Shion said casually.

"What?"

After being baffled for a while, Kyouya came back to his senses. Approaching the girl just another 30 centimeters, he peeked at the screen.

"Isn't that like a really amazing person?"

"Yes. He's even more amazing now that he faced the British champion on the world championship and became the world's best player."

"The world's best..."

Kyouya couldn't put two sentences together.

"Even if it's over the Internet, if that person is granting you a match... Could it be that you're a really amazing player?"

"The one who asked for the match was him."

"Eh?"

Looking closer at the brown tube monitor, at the opponent's side there was a mark indicating he was the challenger.

"I had promised him."

"That champion?"

"Yeah. A long time ago, I promised on an impulse that I'd practice with him if he became world champion."

"What?"

"I was so young too. That was when I was eight years old."

"Ehh!?"

Kyouya involuntarily let out a loud voice.

The match quietly proceeded. Only the clicking of the mouse could be heard.

In contrast to her opponent who would make his moves after much consideration, Shion played her turn in practically no time.

Before long, a give up message appeared. "I surrender. Complete defeat." it said. One could easily imagine he meant that as a praise to Shion.

"So... Er, well... Did you just beat the world champion?"

"As you can see."

Shion spun her chair to face Kyouya, the tips of her long black hair drawing and arc on the air.

"Would you like to try it? He's asking for a rematch."

"No way! There's no way I can go against the world champion! I don't even know the rules to begin with!"

"I have a great book. Why don't you take this chance to learn the rules?"

She pointed to the shelf beside her.

Along with some computer manuals, a chess primer rested on the shelf.

That's when he finally realized.

"Are you making fun of me by any chance?"

"You're cute."

Shion pulled her side bangs behind her ears with a light smile.

Just when had she started messing with him? From the start? If not, then...