Ch.1 – EP07 Cheat Bastard

The next day, Momoko and Sora dropped by the chess club together.

Momoko: “As I thought, other than the fact that the chess set’s pieces and board were a bit heavier than they looked, it seemed to be just an old set. The ornamentation is distinctive, but nothing happened when I held it. I wonder what it’s made of? It’s not just plain wood, right?”

Sora: “But… just knowing it belonged to my mom makes me happy. I barely knew anything about her.”

At Sora’s soft smile, Momoko swallowed her words a little.

Just then, the club captain Iori called out to them.

“I’m glad you’re both here. Before the district preliminaries, we’re going to have a practice match with an outside club. Today we’re scheduled to visit the ‘Galaxy Chess Club.’ You can play seasoned locals—good study for you.”

Momoko: “Sora, it’ll be a great experience. Let’s go.”

Sora: “Uh… I’m playing adults. I’m nervous…”

____________________________________________________________________________________

The “Galaxy Chess Club” sat in a corner of the shopping street.

When they opened the narrow door under a wooden sign, air completely different from the school clubroom wrapped around Sora.

The scent of coffee. The small clink of cups being set down.

The dry sound of pieces striking boards, and occasional laughter mixed in.

Though more cluttered than the school clubroom, it carried a certain adult ease and heat.

“Thanks for having us. Pleased to meet you.”

When Iori bowed, the owner smiled them in.

“Oh, Iori-kun. I’ve been waiting. In the evenings it gets lively with people dropping by after work. Try calling out to anyone you like.”

Sora couldn’t help looking around. People of all ages and genders sat across boards, moving pieces with focused eyes.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Without hesitation, Momoko called to a nearby table.

Sitting opposite was an elderly man with a slight stoop. His expression was gentle, but his fingertips moved sharply.

“Hehe, go easy on me, Grandpa♡”

Cracking a joke, Momoko nevertheless won brilliantly.

“Smothered Mate, huh? You’re strong, young lady!”

Meanwhile, Iori approached a big man toward the back.

“Hello. If you’re willing, may I have a game?”

The opponent glanced up for a moment, sending a sharp look.

Once the pieces were set, his hands moved like a general commanding the board.

But Iori’s smile didn’t waver; steadily, he began to overturn the position.

Owner: “Yamada-san is a fighter around ELO 2000 (see EP03 for ELO), and yet Iori-kun is in a class of his own.”

“Sora, you too—hurry up and try someone,” Momoko prompted.

Sora looked around in a fluster.

(I’ve gotta… find an opponent…)

At that moment, the entrance door opened.

A single high-schooler in uniform. With sharp eyes, he swept the room and headed straight for Iori’s board.

He watched with arms crossed for a while, and after seeing Iori win and shake hands, he spoke.

“Iori—fancy meeting you here. I tasted bitterness at last year’s district tournament, but this year I’ll use you as a stepping stone. I’d like a game.”

The owner muttered in a low voice.

“...That’s Hayato. He was around ELO 1900, but lately he’s been getting a lot stronger. He’s been on a winning streak here too. Only—his play is a little odd. He keeps checking his watch…”

Iori smiled at Hayato.

“I see, long time no see. The honor is mine. By all means.”

And when the two sat across the board, the air instantly tightened.

Sora unconsciously held his breath.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Iori pushed his first pawn forward.

At that instant, the watch strapped to Hayato’s arm trembled slightly.

Whether he noticed or not, Hayato took a sip of water with a calm face and, without hesitation, hopped a knight.

The move was just a hair off the theory Iori knew—something you’d hardly find in textbooks.

“...An unusual move,” Iori murmured, and Hayato twisted his mouth and snorted through his nose.

“Heh… That’s why you beat me last year. My true games are beyond human understanding.”

At those words, the club onlookers stirred.

Momoko furrowed her brows; Sora drew a small breath.

♢♢♢ Middlegame.

Iori played the one move he was convinced was necessary.

A daring sacrifice—giving up a bishop to open the attack line.

The board began to tilt exactly as he’d intended.

“This is… mine!”

But the next moment.

His wristwatch buzzed; Hayato’s fingers moved.

What he placed on the board was a piece no one could have predicted.

A move that seemed meaningless—wasteful.

“...Huh?”

Iori’s eyes wavered.

Spectators tilted their heads.

Yet after a few more moves, Iori’s expression changed completely.

The winning line that had surely been there moments earlier had vanished without a trace.

“W-what is this…”

Hayato laughed—coldly, cruelly.

“Didn’t you see it? Your attack was crushed from ten moves ago.”

“In the end, your chess is bound by the ‘human frame.’ I’m already outside it.”

Something cold gripped Iori’s chest tight.

It felt as if the one controlling the board wasn’t human at all, but some inorganic “something” made of iron and light.

Iori quietly tipped his king.

“...I resign.”

His voice sank with the heavy ring of acknowledged defeat.

____________________________________________________________________________________

A murmur ran through the spectators’ seats.

“Iori… lost?”

“Wasn’t Hayato’s play kind of strange…?”

Hayato set his eyes on Momoko.

“You’re next… you there, girl. Let’s go—I’ll toy with you a bit.”

Momoko stood; the two faced each other over a board.

She straightened her back, wearing her usual bold, competitive smile.

“Fine, I’ll play. Don’t let beating Iori-senpai go to your head.”

Hayato snorted and flicked his watch lightly with his finger.

“Hmph… A girl like you? I can read your entire game.”

♢♢♢ Opening

Without hesitation, Momoko hopped a knight.

It wasn’t just a first move. It was a peculiar rhythm—her characteristic setup for “Fear Spike”.

She stared at Hayato with a fixed gaze as she slid the knight onto the board.

—A provocative sacrifice; a distinctive rhythm that makes the opponent think “there’s a trap.”

“...It’s coming,” someone whispered.

The spectators held their breath. Momoko’s eyes shone; her pieces synced with her gaze.

After studying the board for a while, Hayato grinned.

“Heh… You think that ‘human-stinking little trick’ can bind me?”

The next instant, his watch buzzed slightly, and he advanced a piece without the slightest hesitation.

A cold move as if to ignore Fear Spike head-on.

♢♢♢ Middlegame

Momoko delved further. She feigned a knight sacrifice to craft attacking lines, piercing Hayato with a sharp gaze.

“Well? Are you at least a little scared of my pieces now?”

But Hayato’s mouth curled up; he spoke as if to mock her.

“Scared? Me? Hah—don’t be ridiculous. As if I’d fear you!”

His voice rang through the quiet room, sending a chill down the spectators’ spines.

Momoko’s hand paused.

(…It’s not working? My Fear Spike… isn’t getting through…!?)

On the board, Hayato’s pieces advanced with cold precision, snuffing out Momoko’s attacking lines one by one.

Like the movements of a calculated machine.

“What’s wrong? Where’d that bravado go?”

Cold sweat slid down Momoko’s forehead.

In her line of sight, she realized her Fear Spike was dissipating.

(…This opponent… isn’t human… It’s like I’m playing an AI… but how…!)

Several seconds of silence.

(…That watch is suspicious after all—he’s probably receiving instructions from an AI via the watch’s vibration function or something… But without proof, there’s no point going further.)

Momoko slowly released the piece in her hand and tipped her king on the board.

“...Przegrałem (I resign).”

Hayato leaned back in his chair with a triumphant smile.

“In the end, you’re just human. I’m already beyond that frame.”

Momoko bit her lip and couldn’t say a thing back.

Watching that scene, a black flame flickered to life in Sora’s chest—

____________________________________________________________________________________

And then the moment came. Hayato shifted his target to Sora.

“You there—you’re entering the tournament too, right? Don’t just stand there spacing out—play me.”

Momoko grabbed Sora’s arm and whispered in his ear:

“Sora… this guy is Oszukiwanie, a cheat bastard. He’s probably playing by AI instructions. You absolutely can’t win, so don’t accept a game like this.”

The westering sun filtering through the blinds lit Sora’s face, and for an instant Momoko thought his eyes looked deep green.

“No… watching the way Hayato played just now… I feel like I can win…”

As if guided by something, Sora slipped smoothly into the seat across from Hayato.