Suzune Horikita managed to postpone the meeting between Class C and Class D by three days, using the excuse that Class D didn't have enough points and needed time to gather them.
In the end, Manabu Horikita approved the request, with the final ruling to be issued three days later.
After finishing the spectacle, Ren left the conference room with Honami. Meanwhile, Hoshinomiya-sensei had already impatiently dashed off to the office to find her "best friend," Sae Chabashira.
"Honami, what do you think?" Ren asked casually as he walked beside her, their hands interlaced.
Honami, who still hadn't fully grasped how ugly people could be, gave her honest impression. "It's wrong for Sudō to hit people."
"And what if Sudō didn't hit them at all?" Ren pointed out the most important part of the meeting, pushing Honami to look past the surface.
While Honami was lost in thought, a purple-haired girl stepped into their path.
"Katsuragi-kun, could you come with me? Sakayanagi-san says she has something she'd like to discuss with you."
Masumi Kamuro spoke with a faint hint of unease as she passed along Arisu Sakayanagi's message. She was only the messenger.
Honami snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Masumi. Of course she knew who Arisu Sakayanagi was—but why would she suddenly want to see Ren?
"Does Sakayanagi-san need Ren for something?" Honami asked before Ren could speak, stepping in on his behalf.
"I'm sorry, Ichinose-san. I don't know," Masumi replied. She didn't understand what Arisu was planning either, but since Arisu had leverage over her, she had no choice but to comply.
It seemed Arisu Sakayanagi could no longer hold herself back and wanted to test him again.
Ren decided to see what she wanted. "All right. Lead the way, Kamuro."
He didn't bring Honami with him. Instead, he told her to head back to the dorm and piece together the entire sequence of the incident—he would review her reasoning when he returned.
He went alone.
------------------
The Chess Club
When Ren pushed open the clubroom doors, he saw immediately that Arisu Sakayanagi had already set up a chessboard.
She sat on a slightly elevated chair, her small feet—encased in white thigh-high stockings—dangling above the floor and swinging idly.
Arisu noticed Ren at the door. She lightly lifted the hem of her white skirt in a properly ladylike gesture and pointed to the empty seat across from her. "Good day, Katsuragi-kun. Please, have a seat."
Masumi Kamuro, her job done, stood straight and silent behind Arisu's chair.
"So this is why you called me here?" Ren sat opposite Arisu, picked up a chess piece, and rolled it lightly in his palm.
"Correct. Care for a match?" Arisu didn't deny it. A confident smile crossed her face.
Without bothering to refuse, Ren made a small "after you" gesture. Arisu didn't pretend to be modest; as White, she made the opening move.
After moving a pawn in response, Ren spoke evenly. "Sakayanagi, was my information interesting to read?"
At Ren's question, Arisu's hand tightened slightly around her piece. She immediately made her next move. "Katsuragi-kun, I don't know what you're talking about."
The fact that she could access student records was not something Arisu could admit. If she did, it would bring unnecessary trouble to her father. So she played dumb.
Ren caught the reaction and smiled faintly, but he didn't press.
The battle on the board had only just begun. Arisu's style resembled Ren's: both were the type to sacrifice pieces rather than surrender initiative. The game accelerated quickly.
The first piece came off the board—Arisu's.
As he took it, Ren spoke for the first time since the tempo sharpened. "Arisu Sakayanagi. The only daughter of Chairman Sakayanagi. Born on March 12, at Tano Hospital."
Arisu looked at Ren, confused, not understanding his point. When she saw he had no intention of explaining, she returned her gaze to the board.
"Diagnosed with congenital heart disease at one year old. Chairman Sakayanagi sought help everywhere." A second piece disappeared, and Ren continued.
A third fell. "At two years old, after finding no cure, Chairman Sakayanagi had no choice but to keep you by his side at all times."
"Three years old…"
"Four years old…"
...
"Nine years old. Taken to the White Room by Chairman Sakayanagi, where you saw Kiyotaka Ayanokōji playing chess. One might suspect you felt a hint of sympathy for him?"
"Ten years old. You began studying chess and displayed a frightening talent beyond what ordinary people possess."
As Arisu's pieces were captured one after another, Ren revealed more and more. Arisu seemed to grasp his intent. Is this a psychological attack? Even so, she kept fighting viciously over the board.
When Arisu's king finally fell, Ren skipped two uneventful years and jumped straight to the present.
"Eighteen years old. Hearing that Kiyotaka Ayanokōji had enrolled at this school, you ignored your father's warnings and insisted on coming—determined to defeat this man-made genius."
"Katsuragi-kun, what exactly are you trying to say?" Arisu's breathing had grown slightly uneven. She was being crushed in the one game she took the most pride in.
Masumi Kamuro, who had been standing behind Arisu, had slipped into a corner and covered her ears the moment Ren mentioned Arisu's first year.
She kept muttering, "I can't hear anything, I can't hear anything, I can't hear anything…"
Is this even something I'm allowed to hear?
Masumi loved gossip, but she knew the difference between harmless rumors and lethal secrets. This was unquestionably the latter. If she listened, that little brat Arisu would kill her.
"Sakayanagi, was my information interesting to read?" Ren toyed with his own king using his left finger, rocking it back and forth. His right hand propped up his chin as he looked at Arisu with a faintly playful expression.
"Is it because you couldn't find a single scrap of information on me? What a shame. On the other hand, the day after you looked into me, your entire life story landed on my desk."
Arisu's earlier smile was gone. She lowered her eyes. "What do you want?"
"Checkmate, Sakayanagi." Ren smiled as he set his king down in the square where Arisu's king had been.
Staring at Ren's king sitting in her king's place, Arisu said through clenched pride, "One more game. I won't lose the next one."
"And what's the price if you do?" Ren asked.
"I won't lose," the girl declared boldly.
As they reset the board for a second round, Ren removed one of his own pawns, a knight, and a rook.
Arisu flared with anger. She had never met an opponent so openly insulting. "Are you mocking me?"
Watching her, Ren considered it for a moment and decided to give her at least a little dignity. He placed the pawn back on the board.
"I respect every opponent—provided they qualify as one."
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The Black Dragon of the Katsuragi Family now has 180 chapters.
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