After school, Hikigaya made his way to the library as planned and found Kamuro waiting by the door.
"Sorry to drag you into this," Kamuro said, a hint of apology in her voice.
"Don't worry about it. I kind of expected this would happen."
Even though Kamuro appeared slightly remorseful, Hikigaya didn't see a reason for her to feel guilty. Whether she agreed or not, Sakayanagi would have found someone else to carry out her plans.
In the end, the outcome would be the same.
Sakayanagi's relentless tactics... She's got the makings of a true capitalist, Hikigaya thought as he followed Kamuro into a secluded cubicle in the library.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun. I've been waiting for you."
Sakayanagi was already seated on the sofa, a chessboard set up on the round table in front of her.
"...Chess?" Hikigaya asked, puzzled by the sudden introduction of the game.
"Yes, would you like to have a match?"
Sakayanagi smiled a glint of challenge in her eyes.
"You know how to play, don't you?"
"I do, but I'm not exactly a pro. Don't expect too much."
"Haha, that's fine. I believe you'll give me more of a challenge than most students."
Despite the compliment, Hikigaya felt no sense of achievement. There was something almost sinister behind her words.
And truthfully, his skills were average at best. Most of his experience came from playing online. In the past, he'd occasionally play against Yui Yuigahama, but those games often ended in crushing defeats, leaving no fond memories.
"Just to be clear, this is just for fun, right? No stakes involved."
Hikigaya wanted to avoid falling into one of Sakayanagi's traps again.
"Of course, this is purely for entertainment. I'm just happy you came to honor our little 'date,'"
Sakayanagi replied, her tone laced with something more than innocent amusement.
She emphasized the word "date" in a way that made Hikigaya uncomfortable, but she didn't push further, sparing him any mention of Haruno—likely because her face hadn't been visible in the photo.
This little devil is a handful, Hikigaya thought, inwardly sighing.
Despite the seemingly innocuous nature of their game, Hikigaya wasn't taking any chances. He had turned on a recorder before arriving, just in case.
"Without further ado, Hikigaya-kun, you may choose whether to go first or second," Sakayanagi offered, gesturing toward the board.
"I'll go first."
Hikigaya chose the first move without hesitation, knowing that in chess, the player who goes first often has a slight advantage. In professional matches, the second player usually aims for a draw, but that only applies when both players are on equal footing.
Judging by Sakayanagi's confident expression, she was anything but an ordinary opponent. She had a reputation for decimating the chess club, and Hikigaya doubted he stood much of a chance against her. His only hope was to avoid an embarrassing defeat.
Ten minutes into the game…
This is ridiculous.
She's way too strong!
Hikigaya had heard that Sakayanagi was skilled, but experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely. Her level of play was probably on par with professionals.
In the early stages, he had managed to hold his ground, but as they transitioned into the middle game, Sakayanagi's dominance became clear. Hikigaya found himself in a precarious position, with no visible path to victory.
Every move seemed to edge him closer to defeat. No matter what he did, all he could see was the looming end of the game.
It reminded him of those painful matches against Yui—both shared a relentless, almost sadistic style, steadily suffocating their opponents without offering a moment's respite.
Hikigaya was on the brink of surrendering when Sakayanagi suddenly smiled and made a gentle gesture.
"Hikigaya-kun, how about we take a break? Let's chat for a bit before resuming our game."
"…That's fine. Playing chess with you is giving me a headache."
"Hehe, I'm sorry about that," Sakayanagi replied, her smile not wavering.
Despite the temptation to give up, Sakayanagi's confident grin made Hikigaya bristle with irritation.
—Keep pushing for a bit longer.
He rubbed his temple, his gaze fixed on the chessboard.
Sakayanagi, however, remained unfazed. She rested her chin on her hand, pretending to think.
"By the way, I heard you've signed an intriguing contract with Class C."
"Yeah?"
Hikigaya's focus remained on the chessboard. He was not surprised Sakayanagi had uncovered details about the contract; it was only a matter of time before she learned everything, given the involvement of forty people.
At worst, I'll just face more threats.
At this point, Hikigaya had resigned himself to whatever consequences came his way.
However, Sakayanagi didn't seem to be using this information to threaten him. Instead, she frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied.
"Hikigaya-kun, it's no surprise that you can outmaneuver Class C, but why did you show them mercy? Do you have some ulterior motive?"
"No, I just wanted them to stay in line."
Sakayanagi seemed even more discontent with Hikigaya's answer.
But her displeasure quickly transformed into a mischievous grin.
"Since Hikigaya-kun doesn't wish to elaborate, I won't press the issue. Let's shift the topic to your junior high school days, shall we?"
"Junior high school?"
Hikigaya was momentarily startled, his attention momentarily diverted from the chess game.
"Well, my junior high years were quite uneventful. I was surrounded by average students."
Sakayanagi's comment seemed to backfire. Her demeanor was less mature than she probably intended.
"But I imagine your junior high experience was quite fascinating. I've always been curious about it."
"Not really," Hikigaya shook his head. "It was pretty much the same as now—isolated and routine. Nothing noteworthy."
"Is that so? My sources suggest otherwise."
Hikigaya felt a pang of unease at Sakayanagi's probing.
Could she have discovered something more?
"You accomplished something quite remarkable during junior high," Sakayanagi continued, her tone becoming more serious.
"You leveraged public opinion to compel a powerful school to yield. It was a brilliant move—hard to believe a junior high student could pull it off."
"…It was just a coincidence."
Hikigaya maintained his composure, though it was clear he was trying hard to stay calm.
"Hehe, let's leave it at that… But even if it sounds simple, executing it is another matter entirely. Should I call you the—"
Sakayanagi's voice lowered, but Hikigaya could still catch her words.
"The Demon King of Sobu?"
"Huh?"
Hikigaya froze, puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
Is she referring to Haruno?
Sakayanagi's words immediately shattered his attempts to dismiss the past.
"Looking at Hikigaya-kun, you truly didn't know... But it makes sense, considering you're the person who caused over forty girls to be punished. No one dares to speak of you openly."
"…So? What are you trying to achieve by bringing this up?"
Hikigaya felt a suffocating sense of discomfort. He didn't care how Sakayanagi had learned about it; he just wished she would drop the subject.
Unfortunately, Sakayanagi ignored his discomfort and continued.
"Not only did you affect those forty girls, but even a teacher was transferred. Your actions significantly altered the fate of many individuals... Calling you a demon king doesn't seem excessive, does it?"
Her words ended with her usual mocking smile, which Hikigaya found particularly infuriating today.
"You've prattled on long enough. What's your real point? Can we get back to the game now?" Hikigaya said with an edge to his voice.
"Oh, you're surprisingly composed. As expected of the Demon King," Sakayanagi said with a sarcastic tone.
Hikigaya snorted in response.
"It's been two years. Do you think I still care? And don't call me by that cringe-worthy title. It's embarrassing."
"…Hehe, I didn't expect you to react this way."
Sakayanagi initially looked taken aback but then laughed with genuine amusement.
"It seems my efforts haven't been in vain," she said, clearly delighted.
"That's right, Hikigaya-kun. You were rather dull before, but now you must show your true skills in the upcoming exam."
"Have you finished with your nonsense? Can we continue the chess game now?" Hikigaya pressed, impatient.
"Haha, the chess game is secondary now."
Sakayanagi moved the chess pieces, her excitement palpable.
"I'm more interested in seeing how Hikigaya-kun will deal with the Katsuragi faction. It will make for an interesting prelude to the official match against Ayanokouji-kun. I need to be fully prepared; otherwise, it would be quite rude."
Hikigaya was genuinely fed up with the inexplicable rivalry between Sakayanagi and Ayanokouji. This time, it had somehow dragged him into the mess, making it all the more unbearable.
"You want to defeat Ayanokouji in the class competition? Don't you feel a bit ridiculous saying that?" Hikigaya didn't bother hiding his sarcasm. "Even if you lead Class A to victory over Class D, what's there to brag about? Let's face it, even if someone like Yamauchi were leading your class, he'd still beat Ayanokouji."
The truth was, if it came down to a battle of average scores in the finals, even if Ayanokouji somehow managed to score perfect marks on every test, Class D would still be outmatched by Class A.
Hikigaya had been holding back out of consideration for Sakayanagi's feelings, but this time he was done playing nice.