COTE what ifs

A game between two monsters

Ayanokouji POV

These two, collectively known as blank by the student body were challenging me to a game, a game of chess to be exact, in which the loser would transfer to the winners class.

I normally would decline as it would bring attention to me and might ruin my peaceful life, but these two were different, their brains functioned on a level a normal high-schoolers didn't. I would play their game, and i would win.

Sora POV

Our reasons for challenging ayanokouji to a game of chess were twofold.

1. He was simply interesting, he had hidden behind horikita and manipulated the student body to win the island exam, if it weren't for, him we would have undoubtedly won

2. I could sense a darkness within him, much like the one in me and shiro, something had happened in his past and i wanted to know what it was.

My reason for choosing chess was not just because it was one of blanks best games, it was because a match of chess between 2 masters of the game usually had 3 stages.

It would start out as a battle, each player fighting tooth and nail to get an advantage over the other, then as the players got to know each other better, it would take form in a dance.

The players would begin to formulate strategies specific to their current oponents playstyle, and finally the hardest stage to reach, and what i was  aiming for with ayanokouji, a look into your enemies mind.

But more importantly he would be a good challenge to beat!

Time skip

"So, ten games, whoever wins more, wins overall, cool?"

"That's fine, should we start then?" Replied ayanokouji

" Want to get right into it eh? I'm down! How bout you Shiro?"

"...ready.."

Timeskip to after the first match
Ayanokouji POV

"Huh"

While sora appeared calm and collected, i could tell that underneath, he was surprised that we had stalemated, i'm sure for someone who claims to have never lost, to even draw would come as a shock. Outside, he had a wide grin on his face which i thought at first was false but later realised it was a true reflection of his feelings at finally finding a worthy oponent, I also felt the same way. I myself was surprised as well, back in the white room, no one could even come close to drawing with me. While i could vaguely read what sora thought, shiro was a mystery to me. Although i don't think she was masking what she thought, i think something in her past made her that way.

I will find out what it is in due time, right after i win this little match.

Right after i crush them.

Timeskip to the last match

Sora POV

Daaaamn bro, this guy is good, probably the best me and shiro have ever played. The tally right now was seven stalemates and one win each, it all came down to this last match.

At first i was a little rattled, but now that I've got more and more into it, i was just excited, would we, until now undefeated (other than just now against ayanokouji of course) lose against our toughest oponent yet or would we prevail? I couldn't wait to find out!

Ayanokouji POV

As the final match continued i felt my fingers tap on the desk, an old habit i had picked up when i was learning piano, i was playing along to shostakovich's symphony no.11. It captured the sense of people fleeing from pursuing demons.

It was the perfect accompaniment to how sora and shiro were cutting off my escape routes in the game we were currently playing, they were cornering me.

Timeskip to after last match

I..... had lost. Blank were a worthy oponent for sure, but i still never invisioned losing.

I felt....nothing. I thought that losing, finally losing to an oponent better than even me, the masterpiece of the white room would incite some sort of emotion, sadness that i had lost, even happiness for the same reason. But i still felt nothing.

"Well then," Sora grinned satisfied with the outcome of the match, even the corners of shiros mouth turned up, evidence of the fact that she was capable of showing emotion,
"We win."

Sora POV

With that match, i figured out that the reason ayanokouji never shows emotion is, i thought at first it was just because he was bad at communicating, but i think now it is because he either was denied affection or he lost the only people who showed affection to him. It could even be a combination of the two.

But more importantly.

We won.