COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 58 - : A Weakling’s Battle

Hikigaya and a certain troublemaker arrived at the chess club's room once again.

It was empty.

Well, almost.

A purple-haired girl sat in the corner, chewing on a lollipop while playing on her phone.

Kamuro briefly glanced at them before going back to her screen.

"Today, it's just me, Hikigaya-kun, and Masumi," Sakayanagi said as she walked to a table with a chessboard already set up. She turned around and leaned forward slightly.

"Please, take your seat."

Hikigaya sat down without hesitation. As he looked around, he asked, "Is this A-Class's clubroom? Every time I come, it's always just you guys here."

Sakayanagi chuckled. "Unfortunately, this is just a clubroom. But, as with any game, losing comes with consequences—especially in this school, where winning and losing are everything. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Why do I feel like you're hinting at something?"

"Hehe, the club president lost three times in a row, so the room is mine for three days," Sakayanagi said casually. "So, Hikigaya-kun, are you willing to bet something? If you win, I'll agree to any request you have~ and I mean anything."

"That's quite the tempting offer."

But Hikigaya wasn't fooled by the bait. He kept his cool. "Of course, that only matters if I win. Otherwise, any promise is just an illusion."

And besides, I wouldn't use this kind of deal for something like that... probably.

He had already experienced Sakayanagi's chess skills firsthand. With his current level, his chances of winning were slim.

"Still, I accept."

That caught Sakayanagi off guard.

She had expected him to use this opportunity to negotiate something else. She was prepared for that. But while the result was correct, the process was different from what she had anticipated. That little miscalculation left her slightly unsettled.

Not far away, Kamuro instinctively looked up at the dead-fish-eyed boy. She frowned slightly as if she wanted to say something but ended up just sighing.

"Could it be that you have some kind of secret weapon?"

Sakayanagi studied his face, trying to read something from his expression.

But all she saw was a blank face and those indifferent, lifeless eyes.

She didn't dwell on it. In the face of absolute skill, tricks were meaningless. She was confident in her own abilities.

Sakayanagi chose black, a clear display of confidence in herself. Knowing the gap in their skill levels, Hikigaya didn't hesitate to take white and go first.

The room fell silent.

Only the sound of chess pieces moving filled the space.

As soon as Sakayanagi placed her first piece, Hikigaya immediately made his move, his speed unexpectedly fast.

As soon as Hikigaya finished his move, barely having time to think, Sakayanagi had already placed her next piece. She glanced up at him, the corner of her lips curving slightly, as if to say,

"If you want a fast game, I'll gladly keep up."

The two of them started increasing their speed, almost as if competing to see who could move faster. This naturally cut down on their thinking time, and the game progressed quickly.

Despite the fast pace, Sakayanagi showed no signs of stress. On the contrary, she remained completely composed and confident the entire time. Whether it was faith in her own skills or simply that she had already figured out Hikigaya's level, it felt less like a match and more like a cat playing with a mouse.

At some point, Kamuro had walked over to watch. She didn't understand chess, but she could read their expressions—one was calm and assured, the other focused and tense. The gap between them was obvious.

As the game reached the middle stage, Hikigaya's speed noticeably slowed down. His pauses grew longer as he took more time to think. Meanwhile, Sakayanagi maintained her fast pace, her moves swift and decisive. To an outsider, it looked overwhelming, and the smile on her face only deepened.

"So in the end, hard work really can't beat talent?"

Kamuro felt a strange sense of frustration. No matter how much someone struggled, there were people whose natural gifts alone outweighed years of effort.

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People say genius is 99% hard work and 1% talent. But that 1% is what truly makes the difference.

Last time, Kamuro had thought Hikigaya might have thrown the game on purpose. But now... it seemed the one who had been holding back was actually Sakayanagi.

Damn it.

These two liars.

The thought irritated her.

Just when Kamuro was convinced the match had no suspense left, Sakayanagi suddenly let out a soft sound.

"Hm?"

For a brief moment, her face showed a hint of doubt. Her hand, which had been about to place a piece, froze mid-air for several seconds before finally making her move. It seemed like a small hiccup, and after that, her turns continued smoothly.

But even she might not have noticed—her pace had subtly slowed, and there was now a bit more caution in her play.

On the board, Sakayanagi's black pieces remained in control. No matter how Hikigaya attacked, he couldn't break through her solid defense. And whenever she adjusted her formation slightly, her once-impenetrable wall would transform into a sharp spear, striking directly at Hikigaya's weak points.

With such a huge advantage, Sakayanagi entered the endgame. As long as she played steadily, victory was only a matter of time.

Yet Kamuro noticed something strange—Sakayanagi no longer had that relaxed expression. The faint smile she had worn before was gone.

Could Hikigaya actually pull off a comeback?

Was there going to be a twist?

...No, there wasn't.

In the end, Sakayanagi still won.

But despite her victory, there was no trace of satisfaction on her face. In fact, she looked slightly upset.

"Hikigaya-kun, you never planned to win from the start, did you?"

The silver-haired girl lifted her gaze to the boy across from her, who remained expressionless.

On the empty chessboard, only two black pieces were left, standing out starkly.

From the very beginning, Hikigaya had been playing with a do-or-die mentality—winning was never even an option for him.

"No one likes losing, right?"

Hikigaya picked up the last two black pieces and placed them back on the board. Then, he finally looked at her, his face strangely calm.

"In terms of chess skill, I'm definitely not as good as you. But that doesn't mean the weak have to submit to the strong. Even if the final result won't change, at least I can make the process mean something."

"I know, Sakayanagi from Class A—your background, your status, your academic abilities, everything about you is better than someone like me, an outsider from Class D."

Hikigaya slowly stood up and glanced at the now-empty board. Then, he let out a self-mocking chuckle.

"But this is just the last struggle of an ordinary person like me."

Even ordinary people have their own ways to fight.

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