Strategy Queen, Takenomiya Marie

Two Onmyou students sat before a Shogi board, pieces arranged unusually. The brunette, on the left side, gazed at the board, visualising moves from her desperate position. Her companion gazed out the window. Both wore school council badges on their lapels. The blonde student, her voluminous hair tied in a ponytail, brushed aside her bangs and looked at her companion, still contemplating. She yawned before speaking.

‘Shiraki, it doesn’t matter what you do. You’ve already lost. I could describe every move, and you’d end up in the same situation. Your chances of a comeback are zero,’ she expounded. ‘Just make your move and let’s finish this. We don’t have all day.’

‘Oh, really...? Just watch this!’ Shiraki moved the silver general piece diagonally, pinning her opponent’s horse and menacing a check. ‘What do you think of that?’ Her companion snorted and shifted the gold general, setting up checkmate with help from the bishop and lance. ‘Eh?! Impossible!’ the blond girl stretched and got up from the table. Frustrated, her adversary analysed the board.

‘Why do you insist on prolonging it?’ she yawned again. ‘You need to know when to surrender.’

‘I refuse to abandon Miss Sawari’s philosophy!’ Shiraki seemed annoyed.

‘Whatever you say...’ The other girl brushed past her, surveying the room. ‘We were supposed to have a regular meeting. Where is everyone? It’s already past the agreed-upon time.’

‘Oh!’ the brunette addressed her classmate. ‘The president has cancelled it.’

‘What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?’ The blonde crossed her arms.

‘Because you would have left without giving me a rematch,’ Shiraki shrugged. The blonde girl covered her face with her hand and frowned. ‘I had a feeling I would win today!’

‘You haven’t won in the previous 47 feelings, you only waste my time.’ She expelled a breath, annoyed, gazing up as a flash seized her attention, followed by a distant roar of thunder. Shiraki also turned to look. Her companion walked toward the exit. ‘It seems we have work to do.’ After a few seconds, Shiraki turned and ran after her companion.

‘Hey, wait, Takenomiya!’

***

The raindrops slammed into an invisible barrier, sliding and splashing as if hitting a glass dome. Inside the circle, the first year’s students were kept safe from the rain. Masami listened intently to the twins’ adventure story. The blonde girl began to laughing, which caused her friends to give her an irritated glare.

‘What’s so funny!?’ Haru sounded upset.

‘Are you made funny with us!?’ Like her sister, Aki was annoyed.

‘I’m sorry, but I can’t believe you both foolishly think that having a boyfriend before the other makes you the elder sister. Though, knowing you two. I shouldn’t be surprised by your thinking.’ The sisters' cheeks grew red from embarrassment, but before they could say anything, Masami shifted the conversation. ‘From what you’ve told me, it seems we’re not the only ones aware. The student council president is involved in this mess, too.’ She recalled Yumiko’s figure from the previous day, furrowing her brow. ‘That girl is connected for sure, but...’

‘It was terrifying!’ Haru caught her friend’s attention.

‘Isn’t it suspicious? The student council and disciplinary committee are supposed to enforce the rules. Yet, their president allowed a peeping tom to confront you. On one hand, fights are prohibited, and I understand why she intervened, but something doesn’t add up,’ the blonde mused.

‘Now that you mention it, it’s strange,’ Aki turned to her sister. ‘What is the demon president up to?’

“It can’t be a coincidence. Unless Kate betrayed us, no one else knew.” Ayumu’s phone rang, catching them off guard. Sakai pulled it from her jacket pocket, feeling nervous, earning suspicious glances from the twins. ‘Wait, this isn’t your phone.’

“Oh, don’t worry... it’s a little detail I forgot to tell you,” Sakai tried to calm them. She unlocked the screen, and the twins leaned in to see. Afterward, she put the phone away and opened the AI app. The trio fixed their eyes on a paper with a kanji written on it, slamming against the barrier. Sakai reacted, pushing the twins out of the circle and stepping out herself. Whitish lightning bolts emerged from the paper, striking the invisible dome and jumping erratically. Eventually, they broke the barrier.

‘Masami!’ the twins screamed. The blonde, amidst the pouring rain and squinting.

‘Lock on.’ Her glasses marked three targets. Sae and Shiraki emerged swiftly from the undergrowth, heading towards the twins to subdue them. The twins weren’t fast enough. The barrier shattered, leaving them exposed to their adversaries. Sakai conjured two magic circles and two coins. As they passed through the circles, the coins shot toward two of her marked targets. Shiraki hesitated when a coin whizzed between her and Haru at shoulder height. Mukoda blocked the shot with her bokken, deflecting it. Haruna recognised the stars in Shiraki’s uniform.

‘Masami, you’re a liar! You said you wouldn’t report us to the council!’ Haru, angry, glared at Sakai. Aki also grew furious.

‘That’s right! The phone sound was a warning! You’re in cahoots with Kate, and you’ve betrayed us!’

‘What are you talking about? I’m just as surprised as you!’ The council members exchanged perplexed glances, attempting to understand the first-year students’ accusations. ‘This is bad. If I don’t act, we’ll get caught, and my chance to investigate with Ai will be gone.’ Sakai grew serious, meticulously assessing the precarious situation. Shiraki kept her eyes on Haru, while Sae closely watched Aki. Neither attacked, but they remained vigilant, ready to react if the twins made a move.

‘What does the student council require? You’re violating our right to a meeting,’ Shiraki addressed her, keeping her gaze fixed on Haru.

‘According to Article 18 of the Onmyou regulations, unauthorised fights are prohibited,’ Shiraki stated.

‘The transgression of this rule will may cause a warning or expulsion.’ The raven-haired specified. Nervousness took over the twins.

‘You can’t confirm that we have fought, and you cannot prove anything because it would be a lie.’ Masami was silenced by Takenomiya’s mischievous giggle.

‘You’re correct. There is no proof yet; but we can easily fix it. I’m sure there are witnesses who have seen lightning strike in this area and witnessed a towering inferno.’ Takenomiya came out of the shadows. She crossed her arms with a smug expression on her face. ‘I don’t want to accuse anyone unfairly, but I wonder... what element is your core connected to?’ Haru and Aki started trembling. ‘I’m sure none of you are elementalists of the mentioned elements, right?’ Sakai wiped the confident smile off her face and became serious. ‘Oh, I see! Does that expression mean I’m wrong?’ She refocused on Masami. ‘Even if that’s not the case, you’ve attacked student council members, violating Article 18.3 of the regulations. Would you like to add anything, Sakai?’

‘I need to act now...’ She hid one hand, making Takenomiya suspicious and vigilant. The council spokesperson inserted her hand inside her jacket. Touching one of her talismans prepared to respond to the attack, she gave her a warning.

‘Whatever you’re thinking, I recommend you think twice...’ Sakai’s eyes glimmered, but Azu stopped them.

‘What’s happening?’ The two teachers stopped and examined the scene.

‘Just a minor incident,’ the council spokesperson gazed at the two teachers. “But now, everything is under control.”

‘I see...’ Yuuko fixed her gaze on Masami, who tilted her body to avoid revealing her hand, arousing suspicion. Azu scratched her head and spoke up.

‘Good job, I guess.’

‘If you could kindly accompany us,’ Sae recommended. ‘It’s not wise to catch a cold in this pouring rain.’ With their eyes, the sisters begged their friend to do something. Masami met their gaze and raised her thumb, smiling. The twin’s faces held hope.

‘Your sacrifice will be remembered in the realm of science and technology.’ A magic circle formed beneath Masami’s feet, emitting a vibrant green glow. This caught the others off guard. Azu tried to run towards her, intending to stop her. Takenomiya grabbed one of her seals, marked with a kanji, and attempted to throw it at her.

‘Wh- What!?’ Something forcefully pulled Takenomiya, causing her an abrupt stop. The metallic buttons of her bluish uniform jacket shot out like cannonballs. Sakai used the distraction to run away using her martial aura.

‘Be careful!’ Yuuko warned, tightly holding onto Azu to prevent her from getting hit by the buttons, which ended up striking trees and tearing off pieces of bark.

‘You, wait!’ Azu broke free and chased after Sakai. Serizawa sighed and averted her gaze at what was about to happen.

‘Didn’t I have enough already!?’ Then she started running after her companion and Sakai. ‘Azu!’

‘Eh?’ The twins were left confused.