Board Game Club
"There's no one in the clubroom yet, come on in."
Chika unlocked the door and pushed it open with ease.
The school's clubs were divided into two categories: sports clubs like volleyball, baseball, soccer, and track & field, which were quite demanding, often requiring members to be at school by six in the morning for training; and the more relaxed cultural clubs, like this one, where members only needed to gather in the activity room in the afternoon, leaving the mornings largely empty.
As Amamiya stepped inside the room, the first thing she noticed was a round table with a tea set resting on top. A double sofa was positioned nearby. If it weren't for the game posters decorating the walls, it would've been hard to believe this was a board game club.
"The board games are stored in the cabinets over there," Chika pointed to a corner of the room. "Since we have so many members coming and going, it's easy for things to get lost if they're left out... Do you want to play something? One of my friends just got a brand-new game, and it's super fun!"
Amamiya responded with a sigh, "Let's focus on the task at hand first."
"Fine, fine," Chika waved her phone, setting a countdown. "We'll save the games for later. Let's start."
Amamiya sat down across from Kaguya, both of them meeting each other's eyes across the table.
Moments passed.
"No, this isn't working."
Kaguya suddenly pressed her fingers to her brow, averting her gaze.
"Hey, it hasn't even been a minute yet," Chika complained, "How are your eyes already tired?"
"My eyes don't hurt," Kaguya said, sounding annoyed. "But the task isn't registering."
Amemiya furrowed his brows, "Maybe we haven't met the right conditions for the mission."
"Could it be… you two are sitting too far apart?" Chika suggested after a brief moment of thought.
"Hmm?"
Kaguya glanced up at her, curious.
"Did you ever play 'who blinks first loses' when you were little?"
"No," Kaguya responded.
"What? You've never played such a classic game?" Chika sounded genuinely disappointed. "That was a big part of my childhood."
Amemiya, however, could not see the appeal of such a "boring" game.
"I used to play it with my friends all the time," Chika continued, hands on her hips, her voice swelling with pride. "We'd sit really close, like right in front of each other. That's probably the problem! You two should try sitting on the sofa instead."
Kaguya nodded slightly, getting up from her chair to move to the double sofa. Amemiya followed, sitting next to her without hesitation.
To most people, Kaguya was seen as an untouchable, cold beauty—a princess encased in ice, with an aura that seemed to freeze anyone who dared to approach her.
But Amemiya had long realized she was only cold on the outside.
"Stare—"
The two of them locked eyes again.
Kaguya maintained her cool and composed demeanor, her face expressionless, but internally, she was puzzled.
'Why doesn't he look away?' she thought.
Most boys at school didn't even dare speak to her, let alone hold eye contact for this long. And yet, the boy sitting before her seemed completely unafraid.
Just two days ago, he had the audacity to ask for something from her... How bold!
"Kaguya-chan, how's it going now?" Chika asked from the side, watching closely.
"It's working," Kaguya replied, her voice steady yet cold. "The mission has started."
"Great!"
And so, the peculiar task continued.
Chika, meanwhile, sat beside them and pulled out a box of chocolate bars. "Want some snacks?" she offered cheerfully.
"How am I supposed to eat in this situation?" Amemiya raised an eyebrow.
"I could feed you," Chika teased, waving a chocolate bar in front of him.
"I'm not hungry," Kaguya swiftly rejected the offer.
Just then, Chika's phone buzzed.
"Oh, it's a message from the teacher. I have to go to the office."
Chika stood up quickly, waving goodbye as she headed for the door. "You two continue with the task!"
And with that, she left.
Suddenly, the room fell quiet. The absence of Chika's bubbly chatter left the board game club eerily still. The soft sound of breathing was the only thing that could be heard.
A gentle breeze floated through the open window, causing the curtains to sway slightly.
Sunlight poured into the room, casting a soft glow on Kaguya's face. The light split across the bridge of her nose, as if she stood balanced between two worlds—one of light and one of shadow—waiting for someone to either pull her into the light or let her fall into the abyss.
For the first time, Amemiya truly observed Kaguya.
Her eyes… were mesmerizing.
Her burgundy irises sparkled like polished gemstones in the sunlight.
Her eyelashes were long and slightly curled, adding a touch of delicate beauty to her otherwise cold demeanor.
Her skin was as white as snow, with a translucence that made it glow softly in the light.
Her nose was petite and perfectly formed, and her lips, pink and moist, reminded him of cherry blossoms after a gentle rain.
From any angle, Kaguya was undoubtedly a beautiful girl.
Her only flaw was that she came off as too aloof, making her hard to approach without getting frostbitten.
In comparison, Chika's easygoing nature felt more… endearing.
"What are you staring at?" Kaguya suddenly asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Well…" Amemiya hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest, "Shinomiya-san has beautiful eyes."
Surely, she had heard this compliment countless times before.
But the next moment, Amemiya noticed something surprising.
A faint blush spread across Kaguya's face, the warmth contrasting starkly with her snow-white skin.
'Wait… is she blushing?'
Miss Kaguya, the girl who bleeds but never cries, actually blushing? This would be breaking news!
If the campus news team got wind of this, it'd be plastered across the front page by tomorrow.
Watching Kaguya's face gradually redden, with her long eyelashes trembling slightly, Amamiya couldn't help but consider a possibility.
"Are you... about to sneeze again?"
"I'm not!"
Kaguya bit down lightly on her lip, her fists clenching as the unpleasant memories resurfaced.
Getting treated like a sandwich on the playground was one thing, but sighing with regret afterward? 'What a disgrace!' How utterly humiliating!
Still, this boy before me has his uses, Kaguya thought to herself. Once I've squeezed him dry, I'll make him confess his misdeeds!
"My eyes just hurt," Kaguya muttered coldly, her tone rarely wavering. "I don't need to sneeze."
There was another reason she didn't mention.
For some inexplicable reason, seeing her reflection in Amemiya's eyes made her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly.
"My eyes are hurting too," Amemiya said, deep in thought. "The mission only says we can't blink, so I guess it's okay for me?"
"Don't blink," Kaguya ordered, arms crossed, her tone icy and uncompromising. "We're already three and a half minutes in. If your blinking messes things up, we'll have to start over."
"It's only ten minutes."
"Whether it's ten minutes or not, if you start something, you finish it. No half-measures."
"..."
'Wow, I didn't know you were such a perfectionist!'
The soft, sweet breath she exhaled brushed against Amemiya's face, causing a slight tickle.
Wait a second.
Amemiya's eyes widened in sudden realization.
'Since when did we get this close?'