"Wuah..."

"No way... I can't believe it..."

Crowds of students were gathered around rows of papers that had been stapled in a board outside the school's main building.

"Class 3-1 didn't come first...?"

Hikaru was standing in the middle of the crowd, standing on her toes to try to peer past the heads of the students ahead of her.

The morning sky was as gray as the other day, towering over Hikaru as though emphasising her shortness.

"What?! That's impossible!" Fumiko snapped at the guy that had made the earlier comment, then pushed ahead of the crowd. Hikaru let out a short yelp as Fumiko dragged her along by the side.

Coming to a stop, Hikaru let out an exhale, trying to catch her breath from the sudden jolt.

Glancing up at the board -- it was just as the boy had said earlier.

On one of the many papers stapled across the board was the class rankings for their grade;

1. Class 3-3

2. Class 3-1

3. Class 3-6

...

"..."

Hikaru glanced to her side at Fumiko who was staring at the board quietly, her jaw clenched.

"Wow..." Sana let out a polite laugh, having been dragged to the front too, but on the other side of Fumiko. "I can't remember the last time our class lost the first place."

"That's because we've never lost it before!" Fumiko flared, then stomped away from the board.

Hikaru continued staring at the board with Sana by her side, searching the seemingly endless rows of paper but it didn't take long to find what she was looking for.

TERM 3 PREPATORY EXAMINATION RESULTS

1. Aya Kuramoto, 99.85

2. Risa Yukimoro, 99.80

3. Yui Ueda, 94.30

4. Hachiro Saito, 94.20

...

8. Sana Hirata, 92.95

...

"Aya is still first as usual..."

"But her marks have been slipping recently..."

"Risa is going to catch up soon..."

HIkaru glanced around at the gloomy faces of the students around her, mumbling to each other.

Hikaru then turned her eyes back to the list, trying to search for her name, but she had to go several pages back.

Eventually, she found it.

...

158. Hikaru Okada, 62.50

...

Hikaru let out a breath, feeling relieved.

Sure, the grade wasn't that good, but at least she was getting past the 50 mark now.

The examinations at Hibiya High were one of the most difficult ones in Japan due to the school's ultra high prestige and reputation.

Hikaru was certain she would had failed, if not for Aya's help with her studying.

"Wah!" Sana clasped her hands together next to Hikaru. "Your grades have improved so much, Hikaru!"

"Haha, but I'm still last in the class..."

"I'm sure you will keep moving up the rankings at this rate," Sana smiled cheerfully at Hikaru.

"Thanks, Sana," Hikaru smiled back at Sana. "You did really well as we--"

"Guuuaaah--!!!"

A defeated sounding shout interrupted what Hikaru was about to say, and the two of them turned to glance at their side where a girl with cherry red hair stood in front of another board where a second set of the results were published.

"H, h, how could I lose to Fu, Fumiko...?!" Mika stammered with a deathly pale face, both her hands holding the top of her head. "No way..."

"You idiot," Kenzou sighed from the side of Mika where he stood at the front of the crowd. "This is because you spent all your time planning the winter festival."

"G, gak! But the winter festival is the biggest school event of the year!!"

"...You're still an idiot."

Sana chuckled by the side of Hikaru, watching the scene.

Hikaru glanced around the crowd of students, looking for someone, but it wasn't like she could see much at her height.

"Where's Aya anyways?" Hikaru turned to Sana, deciding to ask her instead.

"Hmm? Oh, Aya said she had something to deal with."

"Okay..."

Hikaru nodded.

'I guess she must of had something important to do, huh...?' Hikaru thought to herself. 'She's normally always by my side...'

~x~

"Damn that Risa...!!"

Aya was storming up a flight of stairs, an angry cloud hovering over her head and crosses over her eyes.

Students jumped out of her way, their eyes following her bewilderedly.

"Is that Aya...?"

"No way! That girl looked so angry and scary!"

"It's probably just a lookalike..."

Aya didn't really care for the hushed comments that came from behind her back.

Most students were out on the school grounds today, owing to the exam results being released but Aya had already known the results a little earlier this morning -- thanks to Abe-sensei.

"Making my class come second..." Aya grovelled. "She must had used her dad's connections to grab a hold of the earlier versions of the exam papers... That spoilt little..."

Aya continued stomping along her path, past the corridors, almost reaching her destination.

"I will make her pay..." Aya was grumbling to herself. "And I will get her back a million folds for Hikaru too... Hehe... and then Hikaru and I--No!! Concentrate, Aya!"

Aya stopped at the door of Class 3-3, taking a deep breath.

There was none of Risa's grunts watching over the classroom today. Aya had made sure of that. Before the results were released, she had instructed a girl to stay outside the classroom and keep a close eye over the class so that she would know when the guards left to check their grades.

Grabbing onto the door handle, Aya pushed it open, preparing to give Risa an earful.

The classroom was empty except for one boy sitting at his desk in front of the room who was already watching the door when it opened.

"..."

Aya stared at the boy, thinking about what to say next.

"Wasn't expecting me?" Hachiro smiled at Aya, brushing his ebony black hair to the side. "My... you're even more beautiful up close than you are far away."

"Who are you?" Aya asked, walking into the classroom and studying her surroundings. "Where's Risa?"

"Come on, Aya, I know we're in different classes but to not know the son of the Minister of Agriculture?"

"Ah, so you're Hachiro then." Aya said, now glancing at the walls where papers were stapled everywhere with names of students in the classroom. "So she uses a point system to control the class, huh?"

Hachiro grinned, getting up from his seat. "Where have all your manners gone? What happened to the oh-so-hollier-than-thou-Aya that is our beloved school role model?"

"I figured if you are one of the many stray pups that Risa has decided to adopt, then she's probably already told you all about me."

Hachiro laughed, "To be called a pup by Aya Kuramoto! What an honour I have been given!"

"..."

Hachiro's laugh stopped and he smiled at Aya -- all his actions and movements seemed so precised and controlled, he could had easily passed off as an actor.

"Sorry, that was rude of me." Hachiro said. "It's just that I had heard that you don't usually speak very fondly of your fellow classmates."

"..."

"Or at least that's what Risa told us," Hachiro chuckled, glancing over at Aya, "No? You don't remember?"

"I'm not in a good mood today so if you'll excuse me..."

Aya turned to face the door, just in time to see it slam shut.

She heard the door locking, and Aya sighed, turning to face Hachiro again.

"How about we play a game?" Hachiro strided across from his desk to the empty whiteboard at the front of the classroom. "If you beat me, I will tell you where Risa is."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Clever, you pick on quickly."

"Well, let's hurry up and get this over with." Aya sighed, walking to the window and glancing outside.

"Aren't you going to ask me what happens if you lose?" Hachiro asked, but Aya didn't bother to give him a response. "Ah, of course, losing doesn't even come as a possibility to you."

"Let's just get to the game." Aya said impatiently, turning around to face Hachiro. "I haven't got all day."

Hachiro grinned at Aya's response. "Do you want to know what Risa told us your weakness was?"

"What?"

"Arrogance."

Hachiro turned to the whiteboard, picking up a marker and scribbling something down.

"It's simple, really," Hachiro said, "a game of chess."

"I see..."

"Strategy, tactics, logic, ingenuity," Hachiro turned to face Aya, smiling, "there's really nothing else out there like a good game of chess."

On the whiteboard, Aya could see her name and Hachiro's name written down.

"So, what is that for then?" Aya asked, tilting her head towards the board.

"Well, one win wouldn't decide the victor, would it?" Hachiro explained. "We don't want anyone crying that our game was simply a fluke."

"Fine by me," Aya replied, then glanced around, "Where's the board?"

Hachiro strolled over to the desk he was sitting in earlier, then pulled out something from underneath the desk.

He laid the chessboard down on the desk, taking his seat.

"You're prepared," Aya commented flatly, walking over to the desk to take her seat.

Hachiro grinned.

"You know, you can learn a lot about someone through a game of chess." Hachiro said, setting up the pieces. "How they think, what their strengths are, their weaknesses..."

"I'm guessing you play this regularly?" Aya asked, as she finished setting up her side of the board.

"A few times here and there," Hachiro replied.

The board was now set and Hachiro had the black side, having allowed Aya to have the white pieces and thus, first move.

Without hesitation, Aya pushed her center pawn forward to the middle of the board.

"Aggressive," Hachiro laughed, "just as Risa said how you would play."

Aya furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance.

"Hurry up..."

"Right, right,"

Hachiro pushed a pawn forward so that it stood in direct opposition of Aya's pawn, blocking the path.

Aya pushed her second center pawn forward and Hachiro smirked, taking the pawn immediately.

"By the way, the conditions if you lose..."

"What is it?"

"Your withdrawal of enrollment from Hibiya High."

~x~

Itsuo yawned, staring as the clock slowly ticked down in a classroom with at most five or six other students sitting in it.

Patrolling the room was a teacher that glanced around the room with stern eyes, sheltered behind a pair of glasses.

He stopped next to Itsuo's desk, glaring down at him.

"Attacking another student in broad daylight... Thank your lucky stars that the principal only gave you a month of detention."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Itsuo raised his head from his hand that he was leaning in earlier, giving the teacher an annoyed glare back. "I was just asking him if he knew a girl called 'Risa' and he just suddenly threw a punch at me...!"

"..."

The teacher stared down at Itsuo disbelievingly.

"That boy you beat up, his family are a respected partner of the school that has been supporting Hibiya High for many years..." The teacher said. "What would he gain from hitting you?"

"Beats me, why don't you go ask him?"

"We would, except he's recovering in the hospital after the beating you gave him."

"Hah..."

Ichiro glanced away, crossing his arms with an expression that said 'serves him right for hitting me first' and the teacher whacked him lightly on top of the head with a notebook he was holding.

"Ow...!!"

"Listen Itsuo," the teacher sighed, adjusting his glasses, "since you're still quite new to Hibiya High, I understand that you might not understand how things work around here, but here's a word of advice -- don't get involved with Risa. For your own sakes."

"And why's that?"

"She... has a unique standing in the school..." The teacher shook his head. "You know that her father is the secretary general of the LDP, right?"

"I... I didn't know that..."

Even for someone like Itsuo who didn't know anything about politics, at the very least knew who the controlling party of the Japanese government was. The Liberal Democratic Party had been in control in Japan for over 20 years and it was said that they had powerful links with all the top echelons of Japanese society -- from businessmens, celebrities, to even yakuzas.

"That's why I'm telling you this for your own sakes, Itsuo," the teacher sighed again, "whatever business you have with Risa, just forget it."

"..."

Itsuo glanced down at his desk.

The whole reason he had been looking for Risa in the first place was to protect Hikaru.

He had knew at that moment as soon as he first saw Hikaru's troubled face that something was bothering her.

It didn't take him much digging to find out from other students that there was a rumour floating around that Hikaru was being targetted by a girl called Risa.

The trouble was actually finding out who she was or where she was.

And now finding out that this girl was actually the hotshot daughter of the secretary general of the freaking country?!

Oh boy, his parents were sure going to love that.

He could already imagine his mother's nagging voice at his ear, begging him to just leave the whole situation alone.

...

Unfortunately, there was a stronger voice inside his heart.

The one that always managed to get him into trouble.

"Watanabe-sensei..." Itsuo said, glancing back up at the teacher.

He was about to open his mouth to say something when a loud bang went off outside the classroom, sounding like a small bomb had just exploded.

"W, wha--?!"

Watanabe-sensei jumped, turning around to face the classroom door. Then, he turned around to face the students.

"Everyone, stay here, okay?" Watanabe-sensei said. "Remember, you're still in detention, alright? If anyone leaves this room... let's just say that you're probably going to spend the rest of your lunches for the rest of the year, eating here."

With that, Watanabe-sensei dashed out of the classroom door, disappearing from sight much to the relief of the students inside the classroom.

"Tch..."

Itsuo laid his head back on his hand, staring outside the classroom window.

"Hey, were you looking for Risa...?"

Itsuo glanced back to his side to see a girl that had been sitting a few desks away had now moved over to a desk right next to Itsuo.

"Yeah..."

Itsuo stared into the girl's scarlet eyes, that flickered hypnotisingly at him behind a pair of glasses.

"I heard Risa is at building C today," the girl said quietly, her tied dark brown hair bouncing as she swung her head around to make sure no one in the class was listening. "Apparently, she's submitting an application to be in the student council..."

"What--? Why?"

"I don't know... it's just what I heard, but--"

Itsuo got up from his desk.

"Sorry, I gotta go," Itsuo said, "I have something I need to talk to Risa about."

"What? But we're in detention--"

Itsuo went for the classroom door in a hurry, knowing that he if he wanted to make it back before Watanabe-sensei realised he was gone, then he better make it quick.

"Thanks for letting me know!" Itsuo shouted off, before disappearing.

Once Itsuo was gone, the girl snickered quietly to herself.

She undid the bands tying her hair, letting her layered dark brown hair fall down to her shoulders. Then, she took her glasses off, revealing a much different looking girl than the quiet, inconspicious girl from earlier.

Now, a flair of confidence and cunningness was carried in the girl's delicate expression, a smile tugging at the end of her lips.

"Yui..."

A boy that had been sitting at the back of the class moved up to sit next to the girl.

"Why did you send that boy to Risa...?" He asked, his blond hair perched on top of a pair of striking blue eyes.

"A distraction." The dark brown haired girl called Yui replied. "You don't fight a lion head-on, Hiro."

"..."

"Now..." Yui stood up from her desk, smiling down at Hiro. "Shall we begin...?"

~x~

"Uh oh..."

Fumiko stopped to look down at her phone and Hikaru and Sana stopped too, glancing back at Fumiko.

"What's wrong, Fumiko?" Sana asked.

The three of them had been walking back to their classroom, now inside Building A where their classroom was situated -- one of the more well renovated buildings normally reserved for the cream of the crop students.

"I just got news that someone saw Aya at class 3-3..." Fumiko said, reading the text message on her phone. "Apparently, Hachiro challenged Aya..."

"What...?" Hikaru said. "What do you mean?"

Fumiko sighed, putting her phone back in her bag. "In this school, the students here mostly all come from wealthy renowned families... so there is often a lot of competitiveness between the students here..."

"We should go check on Aya," Sana said. "Do you know what the challenge was?"

"Apparently, it's chess--"

"Eek!" Sana clasped her hands over her mouth.

"What, what? You scared me there..." Fumiko said, crossing her eyebrows.

"You said chess...?" Sana asked unsurely.

"Yeah... why?" Fumiko asked. "Aya's a good chess player, I've played her before."

"I know Aya's good, but it's just..." Sana paused. "Isn't Hachiro the president of Hibiya High's chess club...? I heard he plays competitively and is ranked as a Grandmaster..."

Fumiko's face slowly fell as Sana continued.

"From memory... I think he had a FIDE rating of 2712... I heard he was a child prodigy, starting from the age of 5 years old, and--"

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier--?!" Fumiko cried, then grabbed onto both Hikaru's and Sana's hand, dragging the two of them behind her as she ran off for class 3-3.

~x~

Puffing, the trio stood outside class 3-3, Sana and Hikaru both exhausted to the point that they looked like they were going to collapse on the floor.

Fumiko kicked the door to class 3-3 open, storming inside with her two much less athletic companions.

"Stop this game right there--!!" Fumiko yelled into class, then glanced around.

The class was empty except for Hachiro who was standing by the windows, staring outside. He didn't even turn to look around when they had busted into the room.

"W, where's Aya...?" Hikaru breathed, trying to recover her breath as she walked inside the class behind a confused looking Fumiko.

Fumiko shook her head, recomposing herself as she marched forward to Hachiro.

"We know that you're ranked as a Grandmaster at chess, you sniveling brat...!" Fumiko trailed off, then stopped herself from further berating Hachiro to get back to the point of her coming here. "Where is Aya? What did you do to her?!"

"The challenge is over." Hachiro said simply, without turning back.

"W, what...? But it must had been at most half an hour..." Sana said.

"Gwaaaah--!!" Fumiko cried to herself, scrambling her head with both hands as she dropped to a defeated squat. "We were too late..."

"W, who won...?" Hikaru asked Hachiro, feeling her heart tense.

"..."

Hachiro sighed.

"Look at the board." He said.

The trio glanced to the whiteboard at the front of the room.

On the whiteboard was the words;

Hachiro: 0

Aya: 10