Chapter 84 Chess Tournament Special Exam - Part 2 [Kanako Hanae]

I watched as Hasegawa's fingers glided across the piano. It was clear that she wasn't some amateur. She had practised... a lot. But not only that, it seemed that music just seemed to grow on her, like a talent similar to mine.

The piece filled my ears, blessing them with beautiful noise. I enjoyed standing by and listening to Hasegawa's playing. I wasn't exactly new to piano either since my father always enjoyed listening to talented musicians, especially pianists. However, from what I could tell, she seemed to be better than any other pianist I had ever heard.

She played the pieces flawlessly, one after another. No matter how difficult the technique was, she made it look easy.

The only thing was that it felt as if her music lacked... emotion.

I don't really know how to explain it. But there seemed to be some sort of emptiness in her playing. It felt like listening to a computer.

Suddenly, she stopped.

"We've got to get to our next match, don't we?" she said.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

The two of us made our way to the next classroom.

***

The rest of our matches for the day went without any issues.

In the end, we were completely undefeated.

-

Group D Ladder:

1. Kanako Hanae and Hasegawa Mio - 12

2. Hamasaki Ester and Miura Kenji - 9

3. Kaoru Hiroto and Kobayashi Lucy - 6

4. Lawano Botan and Satou Ryota - 3

5. Tanaka Shion and Iwasaki Kota - 0

-

It was a pretty easy victory. The only team that was a slight issue were Hamasaki Ester and Miura Kenji, who managed to put up a good fight. The 15,000-point reward was quite nice, which I assumed that I'd be receiving soon.

I still wanted to get to know Hasegawa better.

"Hey, Hasegawa, do you want to go to the cafe?"

"Ah, I don't usually spend that much money on food."

Why does she remind me of Mizuhara...

"I'll pay for it. I want to get to know you better."

"Um, well, that's fine then."

I managed to get her to agree. I didn't have any problems in terms of points, especially with all the ones that Fukuda had stocked up, so it was fine. Hasegawa seems like an amazing person... she's someone I'd like to be like.

The two of us began making our way over to the commercial zone of the school. There was a new shop that was nearing completion in the construction area. From what I could see, it looked like it could've been either a restaurant or another cafe. There were still many structures in the construction zone that was still in the process of being built. I could only assume that the school was trying to accommodate all of our needs.

I would've preferred more recreational facilities... maybe somewhere you could go on a date.

Ah, before long, the two of us arrived at The Outcome, the only cafe in the school. Unlike usual, it was nearly empty. I guess students were budgeting more.

The two of us found a table and sat down.

"Order whatever you like. You don't need to be shy."

"Thanks, but I'll just get a light snack."

"Whatever you feel."

After thinking for a little Hasegawa came to a decision.

"I'll just get the baked cauliflower," she said.

"Alright."

It was a pretty cheap dish, but I guess if that's what she wanted, then it's fine.

After giving our order to the server, I decided to chat with her some more.

"So, how long have you been playing the piano?"

"Probably as long as I remember."

"You're very good at it."

"Thanks, it's the only thing I really like doing."

"Oh? Don't you have any other hobbies?"

"Not really, I guess."

A few moments later, the server came back with the cauliflower dish. It looked quite plain, it was definitely something that was meant to be eaten with other foods, but Hasegawa was just having it by itself.

"Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

"It's alright. This is all I want."

"If you say so."

I had ordered a decently large burger and fries, along with a drink. Seeing Hasegawa eat so little was making me a little self-conscious, although I'd always been able to eat quite a bit without gaining weight. As the two of us ate, I could hear some chatter outside. There was quite a large group of people hanging just outside the cafe.

"Kanako, I've noticed that you and Fukuda seem to have something going on."

What was this now?

"I suppose he's just a friend of mine."

"Now that's not true, is it."

"W-what do you mean?"

"It's clear that you guys aren't conventional friends. He seems more like your servant, or maybe your underling, to do your bidding."

How did she know...?

Before now, we hadn't interacted at all.

"Well, you don't need to tell me. But Kanako, you're a pretty interesting person."

Was that a compliment?

"What do you mean...?"

"Ah, I didn't mean to make the atmosphere all tense. Have you finished your meal?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty much done."

"Alright, I'll pay for my dish. You don't need to worry about it."

'O-oh, okay."

She suddenly made her way to the counter and paid for the entire meal, including mine. After that, she made her way outside.

"Hasegawa! Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, I've got some stuff to do. We can go out again if you want to in the future."

"I think that'd be fun!"

She smiled and waved back at me.

"Alright, see you later~"

***

A day later, the school sent an email regarding the Finals.

-

National High School

The Extended Stage of the Chess Tournament Special Exam has concluded. Five students have been expelled due to their point balances falling below zero. We will now begin the Finals Round. The following students have been selected to participate (in no particular order):

1. Tachibana Emi - Class 2A

2. Fujiharu Sara - Class 2A

3. Hasegawa Mio - Class 2A

4. Hamasaki Ester - Class 2A

5. Sasaki Junpei - Class 2A

6. Mizuhara Ayato - Class 2C

7. Kanako Hanae - Class 2D [You]

8. Murakami Akio - Class 2D

-

Ah, it looked like Mizuhara was in the Finals.

So was Hasegawa.