The Fate of the Club 3

The attack begins. My knight pounces to g4 (Ng4), threatening a mate with my queen on the h2 square. This game is close to being over. I can feel it. 15:20.

"Naoto-san, that was an inaccuracy."

That's the first move of mine that Megumi criticized.

"Don't worry, it's part of the plan."

I knew that the best move was to take the free pawn on b2. I saw the pawn and my queen light up before I even grabbed my knight. Maybe it was an indication that it was the best move. My left eye lighted yellow, unbeknownst even to me. But I ignored it and played Ng4.

"Alright, Naoto-san. I trust you."

"Thanks."

It was Hasegawa's turn and she quickly moved her g-pawn up one square (g3), blocking the check. 14:22. It was her first move in a while where she moved quickly. It was obvious that she would block the threat. Even from her previous moves, I could tell she wasn't just some amateur. She isn't an idiot. She's the student council president after all.

My turn. I slid my queen back one space diagonally (Qf6). It was a waiting move and it was setting up the perfect opportunity for me to win. 15:19. Again, the b-pawn lighted up and I ignored it.

Her turn. She centralized her knight to d4 (Nd4) attacking my bishop. She planned to "play two moves at once". As I see it, this was the best move. 14:30.

My turn. I slid my queen to h6 (Qh6), keeping it simple. At least, that's what it appears at face value. It's a move that lures innocence. If she takes the bait, it's all over for her. 15:28.

Her turn. This will be the biggest move of the game. Will she take the bait, or will she stay alive?

She took my bishop (Nxf5). 14:48.

"Naoto-san..." I can hear Megumi's worrying voice inside my head. She wasn't worried about me but about Hasegawa. It's over. She took the bait and she blundered. I took the pawn on h2 with my queen.

"Checkmate," I announced. (Qxh2#)

The game's over. I win. Hasegawa's face was surprised. Her eyes widened as she realized what has happened.

She was seen as someone who always had a serious expression, but now, her face turned to shock, as if this has never happened before. The once-serious student council president was now in shock in front of our eyes.

"T-there's no way!"

Sato, the boy beside her, appears to have the same reaction. Sato believed that she could do anything. He believed she was the best student in the school. But now, he can't comprehend that she failed. And his statement showed that.

"Sato-kun, he's right." Hasegawa seems to accept the fact that she had lost.

"Hasegawa-san..." Sato couldn't believe it but he had to accept it. Hasegawa closes her eyes.

"It is my loss, Naoto-kun." She offered her hand after opening her eyes and we shook hands. It was officially over. Hasegawa pressed the clock, stopping it from ticking. The squares all lighted up in a blue hue with something similar to a holographic wall on each one. The pieces which were in the current position were all brought back to the start.

Hasegawa started grabbing her pieces, looking to return them to her case. I started to do the same. As we were cleaning up the board, Hasegawa spoke.

"Honestly, I couldn't see how you found that series of moves. You moved so quickly every time. Did you already know what was going to happen from the start?"

"Not until you centralized your knight on e5. Before that, I just followed a line in my memory."

That move sealed the game. Of course, everything had to be for my plan to work. Thankfully, things went my way and I got the win. I didn't spend much time on each move since I knew what I was supposed to do.

"I see." She said with a disappointed face. Was she disappointed that I wasn't even really thinking during our game and just used my memory? We finished putting our pieces back on our cases.

"In any case, you won. I will honor your request ."

"Then, that means..."

"I'll allow you to promote the chess club in the upcoming school festival."

"Really?!" Kinoshita who remained quiet this whole time suddenly spoke.

Hasegawa nodded in response.

"Alright!" Kinoshita sounded happy. His eyes lighted up with joy. All this time, I only saw him with a worried face. A faint smile was the only thing you'd see on the outside. Deep down, he was hoping to not let the club disappear. But now, I could see him feeling better. He was ecstatic.

"Does that mean you won't abolish the club?!"

"Unfortunately, that wasn't part of the deal."

Kinoshita's happiness tuned down after hearing that the club is still in danger.

"But if your promotion does well, we might reconsider it."

Hasegawa's follow-up comments suddenly brought back his joy.

"For now, I'll process your request." Hasegawa turned to me and I bowed.

"Thank you very much, Hasegawa-san. It was a good game."

She smiled. She wasn't the only one. I could feel Megumi smiling beside me as she floats.

I stood up and looked at the wall clock. 8:56.

"Crap! We're gonna be late for the next class!" I exclaimed.

There are 4 minutes left before it starts. Were we playing chess for that long? I didn't even realize that we didn't inform anyone that we were doing this. We just went to this room as soon as we entered the school building. Well, I doubt anyone would've listened to us. I looked at the time as it continued ticking. 3 minutes left.

"Eh!? We gotta go!" Kinoshita realized what I was saying. I grabbed my case and headed for the door.

"Sorry, Hasegawa-san. We gotta go." I said as we both hurriedly went towards the door and exited the room.

'Wait for me, Naoto-san!' Megumi commented as we closed the room behind us and started running as fast as we could toward our classroom.

'Crap. Crap. Crap!'

We hurriedly went up the stairs. We skipped up, not caring if we fall. All that was on our minds was to not be late for the next class. We didn't show up in the previous class. There's no way we're gonna show up late for this one.

We made it to the third floor and I immediately turned right. Junichiro was behind me, out of breath as we made our way to our classroom's door. We momentarily stopped to catch our breaths. I looked at the time. 8:58.

"*pant* *pant* We made it." With 2 minutes left, we were outside of our classroom. I slid open the door.

****

"You made it just in time." The teacher announced after someone had opened the door. Two people entered the room. One had yellow hair and the other had blue. They wore the same clothes as ours. They were students of this school. Moreover, they're in our class.

"Sorry, teacher." The yellow-haired boy said. That voice is familiar to anyone in the class.

"It's alright, Kinoshita. To your seats. We're starting."

He was Yuuki Kinoshita. The guy beside him sat down at the farthest seat of the room. That seat belonged to only one guy. Someone who is always alone due to his former attitude. Whenever anyone saw him, he was the talk of the town. Classmates talked about the boy with blue hair. I knew him well. I couldn't mistake him for anyone else.

But something was different with him. For the first time, I could see a faint smile on his lips. What happened to him?

****

The two members of the chess club had just left. They rushed out of the room, not wanting to be late for their next class.

"He can be clumsy, huh?" I smile at the thought

"What did you say, Hasegawa-san?" The boy beside me spoke. He was my most trusted secretary.

"Nothing, Sato-kun. Can you bring me the papers?" Sato was someone I've always been with since my election as student council president. He always supported my decisions, defended my acts, and was always with me even when I was working overtime.

"C-certainly."

He was only a second-year student, but he was always willing to help with the student council. I believe that he'll make a fine president in the future. Someone who can guide the students of this school.

Seeing him care about me was soothing. When I lost, he again tried to defend me. But I had to accept defeat. It wasn't the first time I felt it. Surprisingly, I didn't feel bad at all. On the contrary, I feel satisfied. Being able to play chess was a fun little thing to do once in a while. Maybe I'll have the urge to play it again, especially if he's the one I'm playing.

Shinji Naoto, a great chess player. He used to ridicule everyone, but what I saw today was far from that. He was respectful of others. I could see in his eyes that he really wanted to win this. Whether it was for himself or the club, I'll never know. But I felt that this game meant a lot to him.

Sato put down the massive stack of papers on the desk. The stack toppled me in my chair. Countless papers that I was tasked to sign as the president.

"*sigh* More paperwork."

You're really an interesting guy, Naoto-kun...

To be continued...