COTE: The Quiet One Can Be Dangerous

Vol. 11 Chp. 7: Final Battle

Ayanokouji's POV

The match began, and we played for some time without exchanging words. As the sun started to set, the only sound was the constant clatter of the black-and-white pieces on the chessboard. 

However, it didn't last long, as the match was already in its final stages. Soon, the game was over, and Sakayanagi sighed as she stared at the board before her. She couldn't find any way to avoid checkmate.

"As expected of you, Ayanokouji-kun. It's my loss."

It was a closely contested match, with both sides evenly matched.

"You sure are honest about it."

"Do I look like some haughty lady who can't acknowledge her defeat?"

I'd be lying if I said I couldn't see it.

"What I wanted to know was where things stood between the two of us. Who stood above the other? I'd never sit here and complain about the result."

"Though I may have won, this was just a recreation. There's no guarantee that the match would've progressed like this at that time and precise moment."

I couldn't discount the possibility that it was a move I had managed to think of due to the extra time given to me.

"This match was the outcome of the advantageous situation Horikita had created during her match with Hashimoto. As far as I see it, I intervened while we still had the upper hand. I don't think it was a very fair match."

The match turned out the way it did because Horikita had given me an advantage. However, Sakayanagi's ability to overcome that disadvantage was a testament to her strength. 

If we were to play again without any advantages, I would not be guaranteed to win. Even if she proposed a rematch, I would prefer to avoid it if possible.

"Is that your way of comforting me?"

Sakayanagi chuckled, finding my response strange.

"That's not it. I was objectively stating the facts."

"I'm satisfied with this result. Isn't that enough?"

If she was satisfied, then that was certainly alright. That being said, it still didn't make me feel better.

"When this special exam was announced, you could've chosen to face me directly by further restricting the one-on-one event. If you had proposed something like that, I still would've accepted. But even so, you didn't. Why was that?"

Of course, it would've still been a random battle fought using only seven of the ten events, so there would've been no guarantee it'd get chosen. But, if the two of us had come to an agreement surrounding both of our one-on-one events, the chances of everything working out would've been relatively high.

"The reason is simple. As you must have reasoned, there was no guarantee it would be chosen. Also, if you indiscriminately competed with me in this one-on-one match, the people around you would surely be suspicious. I wanted to avoid letting either of those things happen. Though, the Acting Director took advantage of it in the end."

Sakayanagi had carefully planned the particular exam, considering my circumstances. This was probably why she got angry when Tsukishiro intervened. 

The seven events chosen today and the order in which they were selected were most likely predetermined and not random. Therefore, it was not a fair competition from the beginning.

"Besides, Hashimoto-kun was the most talented chess player in Class A, and yet he lost to Horikita-san after you taught him. That means that I lost in that respect as well."