Royal Pride (Leona Kingscholar/Yuu)

3 ~ Chatter and Chess

They sat in the greenhouse silently, the only noises being the clacking of the chess pieces and the occasional chattering of students who would flee in the other direction when they caught glimpse of Leona. Ruggie had gone off to take care of some chores for Leona, leaving just the two of them quietly playing chess.

Yuu enjoyed these moments—there was something peaceful about the environment, untouched by any outer disturbances, allowing for a greater focus on the game.

"Checkmate."

Leona was often the winner of their chess matches, yet he still invited Yuu to play time and time again. After they'd play a few matches, they would part ways and repeat the cycle again another day.

"Don't you get tired of playing against me?" Yuu asked. She'd started being friends with Leona the year prior, yet she really didn't know much about him. After all, they mostly played chess, or on rarer occasions, Leona would help Yuu with her homework. She really wished she knew more about him.

Leona chuckled. "You're better than some of the other herbivores I've played against in the past. It's entertaining enough."

"Hm." Her hand rose to her chin in a thoughtful gesture.

"Sounds like you've got something to say," he stated, refreshing the board for a new round. Yuu kept her gaze on him, wordlessly studying him. Her entire body had subconsciously shifted closer towards him, eventually catching his attention.

"...Quit staring at me like that."

Yuu closed her eyes. "Sorry, I was just thinking," she said. She leaned back to her former upright position and started fidgeting with her hands.

Leona cocked his head slightly to the side and questioned, "What about?" Her eyes fluttered open, resting her gaze on him once again. "What?"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing important."

"Liar. You always mess with your hands like that when you're thinking about something."

"Doesn't mean what I'm thinking about has to be important."

"Tch. Fine."

He stopped pressing, but Yuu could tell he was still curious. She let out a gentle sigh and said, "I was thinking about questions to ask you."

"Huh?"

"We..." She paused, taking time to piece together what she wanted to say so she wouldn't stumble. "I've been friends with you since last year, yet I hardly know anything about you. I know you're part of the royal family, I know you—evidently—like chess, I know things that pretty much everyone knows about you. But I'd like to get to know you better."

There was a terribly tense silence. "O-Only if you don't mind, though! I'd hate to—"

"Hey."

Leona's voice cut through her rambling and she pursed her lips tightly. Was she imagining it, or was there a hint of redness in his face that wasn't usually there? 'Must be the lighting here,' Yuu thought. 'Though... his expression looks less harsh than usual. I can't tell what he's thinking.'

"Is this really what's been bothering you? You could've just asked," he responded casually, packing up the chess set. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "It's a little hard to 'just ask' you things, y'know."

He crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. "How so?"

Yuu let out a small laugh. "You're pretty unapproachable. Intimidating, if I do say so myself."

"Aren't you the one who said we've been friends for a while? Shouldn't we be past all that?" he said with a teasing lilt in his voice. Something about him seemed more radiant today, though Yuu just chalked it up to the lighting. 'That face he made earlier won't get out of my head, though...'

She felt her smile stretch wider as their banter continued, with every passing joke and comment. Though she joked around with Ruggie and her other friends similarly, something about the way she and Leona conversed made her feel lighter, in a way. It was an entirely novel experience for her, though not at all a bad one.

They spent more hours than they should've simply sitting next to each other on a bench talking in the greenhouse—the two of them had never had such an extensive conversation before. The way Yuu would share a tidbit from her memory and Leona would add on with an anecdote from their childhood, which would lead to more and more conversation, more and more jokes and talk. It was an addictive feeling for both of them; neither of them wanted to stop talking. This was much better than chess.

In fact, the duo talked for so long that they both succumbed to their tiredness mid-conversation, falling asleep on each other's shoulders.