Book 7: Chapter 6: Three Most Prestigious Schools (1/2)

”Monica, how about we go shopping on the next day off?”

At a certain day lunchtime, a week before the upcoming school festival, Lana suggested that idea.

Lana sounded like she has been planning on going shopping to get some things she needed for the school festival.

In Serendia Academy, students could go shopping in the nearby town if they filed an out-of-town notification. But as Monica chewed on a piece of bread, she shook her head.

”I'm sorry…but I had some things to do…on that day…”

”…chess tournament.”

The piece of bread stuck in Monica's throat when Claudia blurted out the words, caused her to choke. While Lana widened her eyes in response, looked at Monica in shock.

”Do the student council have jobs on the day of the chess tournament?”

”No, I just…”

Claudia blurted out again, intercepting the stammering Monica.

”…She's become representative player, as a first player.”

That words almost caused the same thing to happen again, so Monica turned her head at Claudia with tears in her eyes.

It's not surprising that few people were aware of the players representing the chess tournament, as they were discreetly posted on the bulletin board.

In fact, the chess tournament itself was not a very large-scale event. Even it was called a tournament, but in reality, it's more like a social event where players from other schools were invited. Because of that, very few students had an interest in the chess tournament.

Even Lana, who stared at her with her eyes wide open, didn't seem to know that Monica had been chosen as a player in the chess tournament.

”What? Don't tell me you've been chosen as a player, Monica?”

”…………m-more or less…”

Talking about something like getting chosen as a representative always made Monica uncomfortable, so she never told anyone about this.

—You're getting too carried away, you're only a good-for-nothing without skills.

Those memories of heartless words thrown at her in the past kept running through her head. The mere thought of the cold eyes of that boy Monica had once believed to be her friend was enough to make her heart squeezed, but contrary to her expectation…

”That's amazing!”

Lana rattled her chair off, leaned forward to examine the flabbergasted Monica before excitedly rambled on.

”Oh, my gosh! Why do you keep those things to yourself! Do cheering the match allowed in there?”

”…you're planning to do that when you don't even know the chess rules?”

Lana's lower lip pouted at Claudia's remark.

”I've learned the name of each piece.”

”…Are you have no shame, to say understand the rules with that alone?”

”W-What's wrong with that?”

While blushing with embarrassment, Lana looked at Monica whose mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, unsure of what to say, but her fluster state forced her to nod.

”Yeah, I'm happy… to have your support,” said Monica in a hushed voice, leaving Claudia sighed in disbelief.

”… honestly, that statement could cause the bystander idiots who don't understand the rules to cheer loudly.”

”Not even I would do something like that!” yelled Lana with her raised eyebrows, before turning her head to Claudia as if she had remembered something.

”Speaking of which, didn't you participate in last year's tournament? I remember there were also two members from the student council…”

”…I'm surprised you remembered.”

Claudia grunted as her beautiful face contorted in vexation. Expressing as if she had been confronted with the mistakes of her past.

”Right, after Neil said, ‘Let's do our best'…  I can't hold back in my match and accidentally playing it with my all… what a blunder…”

Miss Claudia Ashley was well-versed in many knowledge, yet extremely troublesome to handle at the same time.

Essentially, she loathed being depended on by anyone, kept others at a distance with a brooding aura, and made no effort to hide her spiteful attitude to anyone but Neil.

Of course, her motivation to participate in the tournament last year was the participation of Neil.

I wonder what kind of chess Lady Claudia plays… I'd like to have a match with her, but I don't think she would agree to my request if I asked her to… probably…