A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror.

—Wilhelm Steinitz

They were standing, in the middle of a barren wasteland. For miles... there was nothing but dust and washed out mountains watching the two actors. The sky loomed a grim shade of red — fifty feet apart, they stared unmoving into each other's eyes, like cowboys about to lock horns in an old western action movie. Net was wearing a jumpsuit with belts and pouches placed nearly everywhere, looking like something out of a cyberpunk fantasy setting.

Anasthese, unlike Net, brandished an otherworldly-looking weapon. It was a sword with not a sharpened blade, but an ephemeral one that seemed to mimick both light and smoke, pulsing and undulating as though it had a life of its own. A small, feathered wing grew out of her back, giving her, even though it was missing its pair, the appearance of an angel about to slay great evil.

A pro-level Blackmar, thought Mukuro. This won't be like anything we've seen before...

Net pointed his arm forward, and shot an arrow from an intricate‐looking machine attached to his wrist. Anasthese closed her eyes: the arrow was clearly off mark, not even grazing her. Net shot three more arrows with better aim, Anasthese deflected them with her sword.

"Not coming?" she called out. "You won't mind me taking the first dance, then."

She lowered her body, and with an explosive burst, shot forward like a cannon. Net barely had time to take in what was happening — she was flying, as though thethered to invisible ziplines, and before he knew it, she had closed the distance between them.

"This all you got?"

Anasthese swung down her blade, aimed at Net's head. It fell down in slow motion... 12 inches away— 6 inches away — Net retreated, but that was not going to escape the blade, 3 inches —

It was abruptly knocked sideways by a solid, blunt-like force. Anasthese spun around and recovered: in Net's hand was a baseball bat, sharp, pointed nails protruding from its outer end.

Where did that come from?

She swung her blade; Net blocked but the bat was cut in half. She gathered for a second strike, but now the view of Net started drifting away, as though the ground below him was a conveyor belt.

—??

When she looked down, he was now sporting a pair of motorized rollerblades.

...Naruhodo, smiled Anasthese.

Net turned around and dashed off, trying to get some distance back. Anasthese followed.

Time left:

[14:10] Anasthese

[13:49] Net

This... almost looks like a Halosar, doesn't it?

There is a sub-variation of the Blackmar Gambit, known as the "Halosar Trap," — a riskier, more cutthroat approach to gambitting. Here, White sacrifices a second pawn by bringing out the Queen early. This is considered ambitious and too unsound to play, Mukuro has never used it before...

The moves look similar, but the position is completely different. That Bishop is undefended. This is not a second gambit, but an in-between move in the same spirit as the Halosar.

White plans to intercept all of Black's development head on. Bringing out the Queen early is generally not advisable strategy, as it is too valuable a piece to lose... That said, the Queen has the greatest freedom and movement range of all pieces. It can chase anything with ease, even if it's on the other side of the board. Right now it's hitting both the Knight and the Bishop.

Anasthese chased after Net with continued vigor. Even though Net's rollerblades had enough speed to race a motorcycle, Anasthese was still tailing him with ease.

Net shot a bunch of arrows from behind to slow her down. Anasthese jumped higher into the air, "Hey, great idea."

Next second, a wind razor was heading straight for him. He narrowly avoided it by upping his speed, but a second one, aimed straight ahead of his route, forced him to slow down and change direction.

"Sht."

"Heh. Two can play at this game."

Anasthese sent wind beams at varied aims; Net criss-crossed around trying to avoid them, changing speeds continuously, unable to reach a constant speed.

That Queen is deadly, thought Mukuro. It's as if she has control of you no matter where you go. No matter the distance, no matter the obstacles, she has something to chase you away. Air... It's as if the very air itself bends to the will of Anasthese, a magic that is everywhere all at once and succumbs to no one.

...On and on the flurry continued. Net kept dodging the attacks, but Anasthese was chasing from a high elevation. Even if he shoots more arrows to counter-attack, the chances of them hitting are slim to none. She on the other hand, had full view of every direction shift he made, and the added height increases the weight of her attacks. Gravity is on her side.

Kh—, this won't get anywhere at this point, he thought.

Net dashed full-speed in one straight line. Anasthese continued the pressure, but Net now committed to one direction, changing only his speed but maintaining it as high as possible. It was more risky to navigate, and he had near misses, but it helped tremendously that he did not dip below 80% maximum speed. After a while, he squeezed enough distance to stay out of Anasthese's grasp range.

"Hmmm...?"

Anasthese took a deep breath, and geared for one, big, longitudinal strike: a parallel wind razor that 100% will force him to veer either left or right. But before she could do so, a small cannon attached to Net's arm, shot a cylindrical something up into the air. It rose to Anasthese's level, a package of some sort tied by strings, and as it lost more and more forward momentum, the package made its trajectory towards Anasthese.

She readied herself for what it could be. A bomb? Poison? Or perhaps a distraction, with the real attack coming from Net? That's certainly well within his options, in which case the best course of action is to—

Anasthese was keeping vision of Net when the package burst into a gigantic tarpaulin, twelve meters wide and five meters high, enough to plaster the side of a house with surplus. It was coming too fast to slice, Anasthese slowed down her flight and descended to ground level. The enormous fabric hugged air, before dancing in waves and falling behind in the distance. Looking back, Anasthese saw the remnants of a cup noodle advertisement, before the mysterious object had fully deflated into mess.

I see. He seems to be able to create objects out of nothing. Or rather... Anasthese gazed around. The dark red sky. The absence of water. The excessive dust... This must be a post-apocalyptic setting. If so, he's reproducing man-made technology and advancements lost to time, adding his own little spin into the mix.

How fancy...

Anasthese stared up at the cloudless, desolate sky, the cold air whipping into her face like a winter shower.

Rei... Lost to this...?

Net was finally able to get good rhythm. Sending Anasthese down was a good idea; as long as she has high ground, he'll be at the mercy of her attacks. Space Domination. This is the foundation from which Classical chess was founded upon. Like a boxer constantly driving you against the corner, depriving you of all breathing room. Mukuro's game already showed that, forget attacking, you can't even get into the proper shooting position at all. The only thing that will catch her off guard is—

Suddenly, an overwhelming gust of wind blew across his feet.

—!?

It was a strange wind, specifically blowing only a few inches above the ground and nowhere else. But it was so strong that he actually felt his feet getting pushed around. He can't keep this up without falling off-balance.

I need to stop!

He spun around and launched heavy steel beams in Anasthese's direction, slowing to a halt. They arched into the air like Molotovs, and on their way down, broke out the loudest clang of metal he had ever heard: Anasthese had knocked a beam away just with the hilt of her sword.

That's nuts. "Oi, oi, how badly do you want to beat me...?"

Anasthese, he noticed, was now different. She had two wings instead of one, and white, tattoo-like markings were beginning to etch on her face. "How much longer are you planning to keep running? I can't start the fun until you fight back, you know." And as she said this, Net saw: the inside of her teeth now bore fangs.

She has a point. He can't just keep running, he has to engage sooner or later. That said though...

Net gazed around: if he wants any chance of overturning this game, he needs to reach atleast a hill or a cliff. She's fighting from up the air. Just the fact that she's castled means he can't get to her King — meanwhile, his was still standing in the middle. He'd be easy target should the position open u—

Anasthese launched whirlwinds without warning. On reflex, Net grabbed the ground and summoned a giant slab of metal in front. It worked to blunt the incoming razor winds; an ominous rumbling followed — a pebble under Net, the size of a grape, tore upwards like a bullet.

Gh—!

A clean hit.

Net staggered away, bleeding slightly from the mouth.

"What are you daydreaming about," snapped Anasthese.

[12:58] Anasthese

[9:32] Net

Net wiped his mouth. That was most likely a wind pressure attack delivered through air pockets in the soil. She can do that too, huh. This is going to be difficult...

But—!!

Thanks to that, he understood one thing. She can't cut steel yet.

Gathering all his energy, he propped as many steel columns as he could from the ground.

"What is it this time?"

Anasthese zipped past the forest of steel columns separating them. But this time, Net was ready for her... She entered grappling range, aiming straight for his neck — once more, the world fell into slow motion. She saw: a weird-looking weapon Net was swinging down, a metal umbrella. Its runners flashed with spikes, and the plate ended in sharp, glinting edges.

Net was striking down without regard for his own safety, as if he had accepted his own death in exchange for taking Anasthese down with him. She had just enough time to re-maneuver herself, and, facing the incoming umbrella... blow.

The resulting gust was enough to send him tumbling backwards. Anasthese lunged after. She swung with all her might, Net blocked; Anasthese re-routed, striking from a different angle. Net was now on the defensive, parrying blows upon blows from unseen directions.

Net could not keep up. Five blows later, Anasthese found her way behind him, his undefended back exposed like a shooting target, and thrust.

Got'cha now! Net pushed a button, and the end of the umbrella's shaft grew into a second canopy of metal plates. A Double-ended Metal Umbrella.

Anasthese's attack was blocked. —!? She quickly retracted her arm as the metal plates snapped forward like a bear trap. She flew backwards up and hit her head pretty hard; Net had anticipated her running, calling a street lamp to block her retreat. He pointed the umbrella towards her and it shot off like a crossbow. Anasthese rounded the lamp post.

Before she could recover, Net was already quick on his next move. A railroad was snaking into the far distance — Net, who had now fashioned a self-driving railroad car (the ones used for carrying coal) hopped on and raised a middle finger, before driving away.

Anasthese dusted off her wings. All this fancy flourish. I'm beginning to understand why Rei said he isn't suited for professional play.

"...He's using up too much time," observed Mukuro, starting to get worried. It's still just the opening and Anasthese is already four minutes ahead. There's still the rest of the game to play.

Mukuro watched Anasthese catch up to the speeding coal car. Net was hurling metal chains to disrupt her flight.

There's many pieces in tension now, it's reached just about it's limit. How this resolves, will determine how the rest of the game progresses...

Anasthese reared for one, heavy attack. Here it comes... breaking point... She swung.

Fifty feet away, the body of the coal car shattered into a thousand pieces. "Wha—!"

Net jumped off and made a skateboard, continuing the momentum.

Anasthese gunned the ground, not giving him a second to relax. Net ran for dear life. Anasthese re-adjusted her aim, and the very back of his skateboard got hit by a wind beam, launching him fifteen feet into the air. But he was lucky...

Staring at him ahead was a cliff, a wide canyon stretching across both directions like a river, the darkness ready to swallow him whole like a meal. They had finally reached the outskirts of the map.

Perfect timing!

Net summoned a burglar safe and dived headfirst into the depths. Anasthese followed him, a fall of unknown tens of meters. Net faded to a speck in the darkness, until abruptly out of nowhere, Net shot up at ten times his initial speed.

Anasthese dodged to the left, and the combined speed of Anasthese going down and Net going up, ended in millimeters to spare. Anasthese slowed to a halt as Net hovered above and rested on a cliff wall, grabbing onto a basketball hoop at the apex of his jump.

What a fierce exchange! thought Mukuro, chills running down his spine, That White Queen side-stepped everything like it's second nature — first, an in-between from the light-squared Bishop, then a threat pinning the Queen to the King. Lastly, a discovered check attempt from Black.

And she played everything in barely five seconds. A drop of sweat trickled down his neck; he gulped. She's already playing the move before I even realized what Net was trying to do. Sh— she saw everything!

"No way. You were able to avoid that?" called Net.

"What fool do you take me for? It was obvious to anyone what you were trying to do."

Too much theatrics, she counted. That was a feint with "falling down the cliff" as a pretense. He had a trampoline concealed on the bottom, that's why he created that heavy safe vault.

Kinetic energy is dependent on mass and velocity. By holding onto a heavy object, he stretched the trampoline further than he would've by himself. Then, at exactly the point of its highest tension, he made the item disappear. This propelled him at magnified speed like a cannonball, locking any unsuspecting player in a death flag.

But again, resumed Anasthese, too roundabout. There's far simpler ways to attack... Not to mention, why are you even bothering to attack when you have no initiative? You're not trapping my Queen in an open position like this.

Clock is ticking...

[11:59] Anasthese

[6:04] Net

...He let go, landing on a metal fence protruding sideways from the cliff. Anasthese started another clash — Net ran from the sweeping barrage by creating staircases, running them up and down at intervals to shake off her prediction.

"Is this kind of chess fun for you?" he called behind. "...curbstomping your opponents like this."

"Uhuh, sure it's fun~" answered Anasthese, and the last of Net's stairs was finally destroyed, he was reduced to swinging on whipvine-like ropes. "—It's what wins all my games."

"Heehhh..." condescended Net. "Even though you're just winning the same every game..."

"Are you stupid?" laughed Anasthese, "The game only ends in either a win, loss or draw. —And chess is all about winning."

"—Hmmm? I get that, but you know... winning, is not always the same as trying to win. In real life, people have limits, and there will always come a time when you can't win the game anymore no matter how much you force it—"

Anasthese slashed the rope supporting Net. "So impatient..."

As Net fell, something glinting shot from his arm. "If you can't even tell the difference—"

She dodged, it thinking it was an attack, but the thing, which lodged itself into the cliff top, was—

A spring!?

Net, holding onto the spring, gushed back into the air.

"This is exactly why you can't beat Rei!"

Anasthese tried to intercept, but the speed was too fast: he was catapulted straight off the canyon.

Tch!

Net was gliding through the air, heading towards the top of a small hill. "About time." Small parachutes sprung from the belts in his sleeves to soften the fall...

But Anasthese was not having it. A storm-like draft blew him off-course. "W— Wooaah!" He paralleled a snowsled into the mount slope and slid down, but a narrow upward gust then held him completely in place.

"Na—!?"

"—How 'bout instead of saying all this fancy wordplay, you start taking this game as if your life depended on it?"

Anasthese's voice rang through the entire atmosphere. It had an eerie echo, as if two of her were speaking at the same time. The clouds began to darken, and flashes of light appeared at timely intervals. Net was struggling to nudge his way down the slope, but the focused stream of air did not surrender.

Anasthese appeared through the sky. She now had four wings instead of two. Horns, resembling a dragon's, had settled themselves on either side of her forehead. "Weren't you gonna show me something I've never seen before?"

He had to go and provoke her...

Mukuro glanced at the clock.

[11:16] Anasthese

[3:11] Net

There is no going around it... He has to settle things now, no time for an endgame.

Net made an electric post jut out from under him, propelling him up out of the wind stream. Anasthese went to intercept him again, but Net tossed a dynamite-looking cylinder into Anasthese. Immediately, it exploded into a blinding flash of light—

A Flash Bang.

Anasthese curled up from the resulting explosion. Net was free to slide away in his flash-proof sunglasses, but he would soon regret giving Anasthese the idea. A loud shrill tore across the atmosphere, rendering his eardrums aflame.

A Noise Grenade. Anasthese had fashioned a makeshift sound grenade by generating vibrations in the air molecules, localized to only his area so she was not affected.

Net tumbled down, his senses now disoriented.

You slimy little—

Anasthese lunged for an attack. Net made a giant wall of mirror separating them, which she simply broke through.

I refuse to believe—

Amidst the rain of falling debris, she spotted Net attaching a zipline to the next mountain.

I simply refuse to believe—

The shards of glass shot like bullets, cutting the zipline in multiple places. Net who was riding it fell mid-travel—

I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS POOR SHOW OF CHESS BESTED REI!

Anasthese sent a strong downburst accelerating his fall. Net crashed to the ground like a meteor. Anasthese dived — the cloud of dust cleared to reveal the speeding view of Net's body, lying unconscious in the center of a large crater.

This is the end!

Gripping the sword with both arms, she aimed all her weight onto the accelerating target.

But a split second before Anasthese landed, Net jumped into a sommersault. A loud blast echoed through the atmosphere.

"Did that get her?"

Net waited for the smoke to clear. The figure of Anasthese slowly emerged, her glowing sword muzzled in a bear trap.

"Is this your final trick?" she said disappointed.

Net did not answer. She tossed the bear trap away.

[10:48] Anasthese

[1:59] Net

Net summoned an axe, but before he could throw it, an invisible force shot out of nowhere and sent it to the ground. "Gh—!" He tossed vinyl records next, but these too, deflected to the sides upon entering Anasthese's airspace. A moment later, Net's leg exploded into a whirlwind of red — gashes appeared on every inch of his skin, his previously intact cargo pants now a mangled mess.

He dropped to the ground, clutching his mutilated leg. Even if he applies a stint, at this level of damage he won't be able to use it anymore.

Here it comes. Just like last game, the center pawn cuts forward through all obstacles. Ah, this is hard to watch...

—Look at you. Barely able to stand anymore... In two minutes you will flag, and I will have won without even using half my clock. I guess you were a disappointment after all... I was prepared to be disappointed, but seeing it now, I honestly want to puke. From the bottom of my heart. This sinking feeling down my throat is not something I can stomach any longer...

There's no use denying it anymore. In the end, Rei is just invincible...

Let's just forget he ever existed, thought Anasthese. There's no point chasing after ghosts. Everyone's probably waiting for me, everyone's probably worried sick trying to find me — I have to get back and apologize, for leaving without a word.

After this game, I will change myself... This is my closure. After this game, I will no longer get hung up on the past. It doesn't do well to stagnate — I'm sure Rei wouldn't want me to stop improving too if he were alive. After this game, will be born a new Anastasia. After this game, I will cut off all ties with Rei...

That's right... He was just a small snag in my journey... This doesn't change my goal. After I leave this country, I can still work my way up to a title. I will earn the World Champion seat one day, this doesn't change a single thing...

So after this game, it's okay to cut off all ties with Rei...

After this game...

Anasthese looked up.

I will... cut off...

She met Net's eyes; he was glaring at her like a wild animal.

...What. Angry that you lost? Blame yourself for that, dimwit.

Anasthese advanced the Bishop.

22. Be5 Qh6

23. Rdg1 f6!!

With time almost out, Net plays the move instantly.

Futile effort. Anasthese calmly retreats the Bishop.

24. Bg3 Rad8 — 25. Bf2 c5 — 26. d5 —

Now two pawns are hanging, thought Mukuro.

—c5 or e6, he will lose one. Ah, this is painful to watch, he doesn't even have time to think anymore.

— b6 — 27. dxe6 Rfe8 — 28. e8!!

Here it comes. The center pawn cuts forward, just like last game...

Net fell to a stop. 1:08... 1:07... 1:06...

Mukuro closed his eyes.

0:59... 0:58...

As I thought... You weren't anyone special...

0:40... 0:39...

It's time to pack up...

Anasthese was prepared to get up from her seat, when something caught her attention. Net was staring at the board with such intensity she had never seen before. He was still as a statue, but the air around him seemed to be moving on its own. It's as if he had turned into a completely different person.

—No, rather... it's as if he's being possessed, thought Anasthese.

This was a stark contrast to the Net who had been playing up until now. It felt like a game of life and death was unfolding. With demonic intensity, Net played a move more ferociously than he had all game.

28. — Rd2!!

Mukuro started. "Is he going to—?"

Anyone watching would feel the temperature drop a few degrees. It's as if Net had turned into a completely different person.

What's this, thought Anasthese, unfazed. He feels like a wild beast. They say nothing is more dangerous than a prey about to be cornered. Is that it? Well, doesn't matter...

29. Qc4+!

"You've left yourself wide open."

— Kh7 — 30. Qf7!! — Rxc2!!!

threatening a discovered checkmate with Rc1#.

— Ka1 — Bc1!! —

Now threatening checkmate with Bxb2+, Rxf2#.

Anasthese looked at the clock.

[0:03.5]

Ghhhrrr—!!

— Nd1 — Rxb2!!! —

Threatening checkmate with Rb1#!

"N—!"

Anasthese recovered: Nc3 — Rc2 — Nd1 — Rb2 —

"JUST FLAG DOWN ALREADY!!"

— Nxb2 — Bxb2 — Kxb2 — Qd2!!

—Ka3 —Qa5 —Kb2 —Qd2 —Ka3 —Qa5 —Kb2—

"—Draw!!"

Net had his hand firm on the timer, Mukuro rushed over to look.

[0:0.5]

"Safe!!" he declared, crossing both arms up. Net collapsed to the back of his chair, sweating profusely. "Haa... Haah... H—" Anasthese, too, was speechless at what she just saw.

"Wow... You actually managed to scrape a draw," mumbled Mukuro. Net was too busy catching his breath to reply.

What just happened...

Anasthese could not organize her thoughts.

What was that?

How did I let this happen...?

"Anoo~," Mukuro turned to Anasthese, who was still speechless, rooted to the spot. "Ummm, I'm sure you know what this is right? Well, uhh... yeah! So this guy's specialty is swindling people over the board. And he does it every game, mind you, even when there's absolutely no reason to, he'll just g..."

Anasthese could not keep track of what he was saying anymore...

Swindle. In chess, it is the act of salvaging a losing game, by any and all drastic means available, into a draw or even a possible win. Put straight, it is a dying soldier's last stand, using everything within reach to damage the enemy one final time.

"Su—, Swindle te—??"

She stared unblinking into Mukuro, then to Net, to Mukuro... back and forth the same way the Queen chased the King repeatedly...

"H– how you like 'dem apples?" said Net weakly, raising a shaky peace sign. Anasthese stared agape with furrowed eyebrows. "What. You look like you've seen a ghost..."

She did not understand. How can these two stay so calm. They're accepting the result as if this was normal... almost as if they don't realize what had actually happened...

"—A... —Are you truly stupid or something," she mumbled.

"Hey now. That's not what I should be hearing after I just closed that massive L into a draw."

Game Transcript:

https://lichess.org/study/rFmslTPv

"D—, D—?"

Anasthese could not believe her ears. "...Draw??? You missed mate!!"

The back of Net's chair dropped to the floor. "Haah??"

"Is that true?" chimed Mukuro. Anasthese turned from one to the other, unsure what to say. She continued the moves on the board. Ka3.

Then she moved Net's Queen in the same previous trajectory, only stopping one square short of where Net would have placed it...

...Checkmate.

"Nh—!"

Mukuro burst out laughing.

"Yeah, but I was only aiming for the perpetual!" defended Net, undoing the moves. "If you'd gone Ka1, I'd have run out of checks and flagged out."

Anasthese, expressionless, moved the same Queen, in the same direction, only stopping two squares short of it's intended destination.

...Check.

Net moved her King to b1. Anasthese pointed at the Bishop on f5, preventing the King from going there.

...Mate.

Gloom and sour filled his face as Mukuro kept laughing in the background. Net, furious, grit his teeth, "Dammit bitch, this isn't how it's supposed to end! I was supposed to end up in a losing position and show you up at the last second, now I feel like I actually lost for not seeing that!!"

"Haah??" proclaimed Anasthese, regaining her true composure. "How is that my fault?? You're the one who didn't see the checkmate, a very obvious one at that. And what do you mean show me up at the last second?"

"You son of a..."

Mukuro finally managed to catch his breath. "Don't bother, this guy refuses to play any proper chess, he's just in it for the swindle points."

"Swind—?? You keep saying that like it's a thing, a swindle is what someome who's 100% sure to lose does to stay alive longer."

"Yeah," he answered as-a-matter-of-fact.

"You'd have to be losing first to actually be able to swindle!!!"

"Thaat's what he does~" maintained Mukuro. Anasthese looked at Net with rapidly accelerating disappointment.

"Don't tell me—? You intentionally get into losing positions???"

Net clicked his tongue. "Anything's gonna sound stupid when you put it like that."

Anasthese had never seen anything like this before. This is an anomaly. This guy's brain isn't right. His idea of chess does not fit any known definition.

Anasthese thought back to the all the things said about Net.

"His chess is far different from yours or mine. It’s not something that can be put to words or measured in ratings."

"Need I remind you? That you only won because I gave you a hint? You didn’t win again afterwards, right?”

"Hmmm, how to say it... His play style really isn’t fit for those kinds of things."

"Teh—! Small fry??? You can barely beat me once every five games!"

"It's true. Of the games we've played, I'd say maybe three out of five I've won, with all the rest being draws/wins for him. But that's not to say he's a bad player though! He's actually— Well... he's terrible..."

Suddenly, it all made sense now. A swindler! That explains why his performance is so inconsistent. That explains why he's not fit for professional chess!

"Ah, a swindle..." moaned Anasthese, burying her face in her hands.

But a swindle... It's fine to swindle when one has fallen into a deadlost position, but how does one even intentionally swindle? How does one go into a losing position and expect to come out unscathed??

Anasthese clapped her hand to her mouth, thinking.

First, he induced a Blackmar Gambit from me by taking a Scandinavian Defense. He knew my goal was to see him play. If we had followed book lines, I would've gotten an automatic advantage just within the first 12 moves — that would not tell me anything about him as a player, so I opted to transpose instead, to the Blackmar Gambit.

Then, up a pawn and now facing rapid piece aggression from White, he pretended to use up all his time thinking on defense. He ran down his clock to under a minute, to lure me into a false sense of security, make it seem like he's much more harmless than he actually is. If he has only a few seconds left to think, creating a comeback is virtually impossible — the game is decided. And since the game is decided, that lead me to taking the easy way out and only playing to flag him down...

True... Under normal circumstances, the normal me would never have been careless like that. I would have seen checkmate coming from a mile away. I got impatient and forgot caution... For the first time in a long time, Anasthese has gotten herself in a position that could've been disastrous.

—Then, does that mean those final moments leading up to the draw has been perfectly orchestrated by him? No, not possible... Luring me into a false sense of confidence was a large help, but there's no way he steered the game into that exact scenario, down to every minute detail. No human can predict the opponent's moves with 100% certainty. Different people will have different personalities — no matter how well you know a person, you can only correctly predict their moves for so long. He even missed a very simple mate in two; he clearly did not plan for any of this to happen. It was spur of the moment.

Anasthese thought back to the final moments leading to the end, the feeling of the final checkmate threats Net made in the brink of time.

That was not human... Three moves in a row. Three turns, he played the absolute, best move while barely having time to think. One callous misstep and the game would've ended there, I would not even live to see a draw... I survived three checkmate attempts, and the fourth and final one, which was guaranteed to finally lay coffin, Net missed...

That wasn't luck or coincidence. You don't play three perfect moves in a row through luck, if anything, I'm the one who should be thanking my stars for surviving that. And it's impossible he steered the game into any specific position. He tricked me into letting my guard slip, and one bad move was all it took to leave myself open, but whatever "bad move" it may be that I make, surely, he had no way of knowing what it is or when it will come? He had to make do with whatever the board threw at him, and find his answer on the spot.

This is not something any ordinary player can do. Tempting me into making a "bad move," that part is doable. But you'd also shoot yourself in the process. How are you going to punish that bad move when you have so little time to think? Forget finding the correct move, you might not even be able to finish the game.

So how did he find those moves?

If it wasn't luck... And it wasn't foresight... Then it can only be one thing.

Instinct...

Intuition. Hunch. In other words, he played the moves subconsciously, without knowing whether they're good or bad, just by how they "feel". He has latent chess skill... But he needs a crutch. He can't tap into his peak potential until he thinks "I'm going to lose, there's no way out" first.

That's it! That's the secret to why he can do this. In short, he's someone who works best under pressure. Anasthese thought back to the moment before Net's counter-attack. His composure had turned almost animalistic and beast-like. His brain had gone into overdrive, he was like a cornered animal searching desperately for every way to survive.

He is the prey that bites his predator. This is the crux of Net's entire playstyle...

A predator's defense is at its lowest when it goes in for the kill. Net recognizes this, and understands that chessplayers behave roughly the same manner. It's easy to become impatient. It's easy to become overconfident. When one thinks he's winning, that's when he is most likely to lose focus. When you think you have the high ground, that's when you stop paying attention to details... Net is not playing the chessboard, he is playing a mindgame. He goes half-hearted when the opponent goes all in, and he goes all in when the opponent goes half-hearted.

Finally! Finally, she understood everything! Combining a psychological trick, with his innate, natural "feel" for the game, he slips out of tight, losing situations and swindles the opponent. This is the answer she's been looking for!

Anasthese took a deep breath.

Do I see Rei falling for this? His chess is like a machine, that's for sure — but what about the human side of him? If I myself have fallen, would Rei, too? Rei said he not only got draws, but also lost.

I... would've lost too if he had found the correct move, wouldn't I?

This was an almost nostalgic feeling... When was the last time someone other than Rei beat Anasthese, or even managed to draw against her? It's been so long she almost forgot. The last person to draw was Milo three years ago, the last person to beat her, God only remembers.

Anasthese found herself smiling against all odds, curiousity and amazement welling up in waves. How... How could I get myself into a position where I almost lost... How did he lure me into leaving my King undefended...

It's as if...

Anasthese recounted the feeling of running under fire from those attacks. It's as if right as I was about to go for the kill, a hundred arrows started raining from behind me. A relentless cascade that felt like it would continue on forever. You block one, there's three more coming right behind...

I can definitely see talent behind his play... It's the way he utilizes that talent that's the problem. He doesn't play for the win, he plays to lose.

Interesting...

—I know what I have to do.

Anasthese stood up. Without a word, she proceeded out the room, not even bothering to get her bag or the chess clock.

"Oi."

In a moment' notice, she was gone. Mukuro and Net were left to themselves. "What was that about?"

"Beats me..."

"Well, — uuuuhhhgg!" said Net, stretching, "Glad that's finally over."

They would not see her again for the following days... School life went on, and the ailing Futenma Chess Club would soon return to its usual, daily bustle. The only worry Net had was on the last weekday: "Oh, crap! This isn't gonna be some dumb anime plot twist where she enrolls as a new transfer student, is it??"

But these worries, too, would come to pass... Their lives remained uneventful, for the most part preoccupied with only homework and exams. They would eventually be convinced Anasthese returned to her home country, and, with now badges of honor for playing against a pro, for the two, that was the end of the matter...

"Good morning~" yawned Mukuro.

"Ugh, not now..." groaned Net at the Monday morning assembly, "I spend all night cramming yesterday, my brain doesn't have space for other things."

"You had two weeks to study, and you still crammed everything the night before?" laughed Mukuro. "I like to live dangerously, too, but that's just pushing it..."

"Mike test, mike test. Good morning, everyone. As you've all been waiting for, the Hanabisu Building will finish construction by next week thanks to the generous donation of Mr. And Mrs. Kuroyanagi. After the final ribbon-cutting, all Home Ec and Music classes will be transferred there.

"Also, I would like to remind everyone that Wednesday one week from now is a two-hour early out. There will be a film-showing event at the gym about climate change, but attendance is optional.

"P.E. teacher, Mr. Ito, has announced a leave on back pain, so until further notice, classes for his second years will not be held."

"Ughh, get on with it..." grumbled Net, trying to keep the formulas he memorized afloat.

"And finally, we are happy to announce the employment of a new teacher. Please welcome, our latest faculty member—"

Mukuro's jaw dropped. Net, also open-mouthed, nudged him in the stomach so hard he almost toppled over. Climbing onto the stage, was the familiar lavander hair they had only parted not too long ago. With a bell accessory sticking out of the top left, and hairclips brushing her bangs to the right. A black feather hanging from her right ear.

"Ms. Anastasia Ezeline!!"

The whole venue erupted into a chorus of murmurs and chaos. Everyone was trying to get their piece in, it was impossible to tell who's saying what anymore.

"Eh?"

"A student?"

"No, they said teacher, right?"

"No way~"

"Is she a foreigner?"

"Oh, I've seen this! She's one of those geniuses who skip highschool and go to college!!"

"Yh—... You seeing this??" Mukuro, slightly worried, called over the pandemonium.

Net stood frozen like a statue...

"Th—! THAT F*****!! She didn't enroll as a transfer student—...

"SHE ENROLLED AS A TRANSFER TEACHER!!"

Net forgot everything he studied and got a zero on his exam that day.