The chessboard lay quietly between us, and I could feel Sakayanagi's gaze lingering on me.
There was always a subtle tension before a game with her, as if we weren't just playing chess, but unraveling something more delicate.
She chose black, as always, preferring to react rather than initiate.
But this time, I wanted to draw her out.
I moved my pawn to e4, taking control of the center.
"Classic," she remarked, her voice carrying a light, teasing edge as she mirrored my move, e5 "I wonder if today's game will follow the familiar script."
I shruged and moved my knight from g1 to f3, targeting her pawn. "There's comfort in the familiar."
Her eyes sparkled as she moved her knight from g8 to f6 to match me. "Comfort, perhaps. But isn't there also a danger in becoming too predictable, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Her question lingered in the air. Predictability.
The word itself was one she often danced around.
I advanced my pawn from d2 to d4, challenging her center.
"Predictability is only a problem if you don't understand the rhythm."
She tilted her head slightly, taking a moment before capturing my pawn, e4xd4.
"And yet, I've never been able to predict you."
I recaptured with my knight, Nf3xd4, keeping control of the center.
"Maybe because I don't let you."
Her smile widened, but there was something softer in her expression.
"It's not that simple. I think I've come to enjoy that part of you-how elusive you are."
For a moment, her words caught me off guard. Enjoy. It wasn't a word she used lightly.
I paused, castling kingside, O-O, focusing on the game while her words settled in my mind.
There's something about how she says these things, carefully, almost testing the water.
It's not just about chess. It never is with her.
She watched me carefully as she brought her bishop out to b4, pinning my knight.
"I've found very few people worth playing with, you know. But with you... it's different. The game never feels dull."
I moved my rook from f1 to e1, preparing to free my knight.
"I don't play with anyone else."
That brought a slight blush to her cheeks, though she quickly covered it with a small laugh.
"Is that so? Then I really am fortunate, aren't I?"
I nodded, not bothering to elaborate. There was a kind of quiet satisfaction in her reaction.
Her words were designed to make me reveal more, to pull me out from behind the careful façade.
I advanced my pawn from f2 to f4, challenging her position again.
Sakayanagi's fingers rested on her knight as she contemplated her next move.
"Tell me, Ayanokouji-kun, why is it that you choose to play with me?"
Her voice softened, almost vulnerable, though she kept her composure.
She moved her knight from f6 to e4, taking my pawn. A small tactical victory, but it felt like a shift in the conversation as well.
