𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

3. King's Pawn To E4

"Would you like to play chess with me, then?"

These words echoed throughout Kanari's mind as she processed what she was hearing.

The king. Wanted. To. Play. Chess. With her.

Just thinking about it made her feel excited and nervous and honored in so many different ways.

She took a deep breath as she composed herself, fully aware of the king's gaze on her as he awaited her answer. She closed her eyes for just a moment longer than a single blink would last, before looking back into King Ayato's lavender irises. A small, yet genuine smile appeared on her face as she told him her answer.

"I would be honored, Your Majesty."

The king mirrored her smile as he glanced at General Kujou.

"Perfect. General, would you mind fetching us the chess board from the cabinet. Just behind you, it's under the third bookshelf from the left," he said, gesturing to the space behind Sara.

The general turned around and fetched a large wooden case from the lower cabinets. With utmost care, she set the case down between Ayato and Kanari, and took a step back to where she was standing a few moments ago.

Ayato looked at the case for a brief moment, before carefully unlatching the sides. He opened it to reveal a chess board on one side, and a felt-lined case that held the pieces on the other. Kanari could tell the board was of the highest quality from its lacquered wood and pristine condition. The king began removing the pieces from the case gently. Without glancing up, he issued a command to General Kujou.

"The match might take rather long, General. I believe you may have better things to do than watch a game of chess. You are dismissed."

Sara bowed low and proceeded to leave the room, leaving Ayato, Kanari and the guard by the door in a very awkward silence. The king finished taking out all the pieces, which he had set upon the board in a rather unorganized manner. He looked up, meeting Kanari's gaze, and the two stared at each other for longer than was socially acceptable. Realizing this, Kanari lowered her gaze. She could still feel the king's gaze on her head as her face started to get warmer. After a few moments, the king looked away, clearing his throat, before speaking up again.

"I shall let you have the honor of choosing the color, seeing as I was the one who invited you to play," he said, the smile returning to his face.

Kanari hesitated for a second, before looking back up at the king.

"I choose black."

The surprise was clearly displayed upon Ayato's face as he heard her answer. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. Everyone he'd ever challenged to a chess match chose white. It was simple, really. White had a clear advantage, always being one step ahead of black. So what was this intriguing person planning, choosing black?

He grinned and started to line pieces in the correct positions. Kanari, her mouth set in a thin line, did the same. She was aware of how strange her choice was, but she was sure of it. When she played against herself, she won more with black. She preferred to observe her opponent and plot her next move from theirs. Playing first and setting the game gave her a slight nervousness, so she avoided it.

After the board had been set up, Ayato glanced back up at Kanari for a moment, observing the determination on her face. Turning his concentration back to the board, he moved his king's pawn up two spaces, onto the fourth row. Kanari responded immediately by moving one of her pawns up to meet his, her eyes never leaving the board. The game had begun.

The two individuals played on in silence. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the subtle ticking of the clock, and the gentle thud of chess pieces against the wooden board. Occasionally, Ayato would glance up at Kanari, but she never took her eyes off of the board. She became someone completely different from the polite figure the king was greeted with earlier as they continued to play. Her demeanor became more relaxed as she got lost in the world of chess. She placed each piece with nothing but certainty, and seemed to predict the king's every move. Kanari was so caught up in the game she almost forgot she was playing with King Ayato himself.