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"S-so it really is like that, isn't it…?"
Kiyono glanced up at the Heavenly-Descent type, whose smile was forced, and quickly added, "Childhood friends have their good points, and Heavenly Descendants also have their charm. There's no need to specifically compare them… Most boys probably think that way."
Of course, 8K and 4K are exceptions.
Although he was currently on the 4K side.
"Hmm, if Kiyono were the protagonist of a light novel who received a confession, whose feelings would you prioritize more: your own, or the heroine's?" Asahi said softly, stroking the patterns on the knight piece.
"I don't know."
Kiyono wisely avoided that choice. He looked up at the literary girl. "Asahi-kun is very gentle."
"Eh? Why do you say that?" Asahi tilted her head slightly, her soft black hair following the movement.
"Because you're wondering if your actions are only thinking of yourself, without considering those two people. To me, your attitude is like wanting to take responsibility for others' feelings as well."
Kiyono put down the piece in his hand, took a sip of tea, and continued, "If you like someone, say it out loud. That's not despicable, but strong… That's what I believe."
As he spoke, he glanced at Yanami beside him.
"So there's this way of looking at it too…"
Asahi gazed at him, her eyes moist and sparkling, and the dust accumulated on her soul was slowly being wiped away.
"Kiyono looks like a younger brother, but he gives off a very reliable feeling," she said, gently moving a piece, her thoughts still clear.
Yanami's gaze sharpened, catching something amiss.
Those few lines just now… did they increase his favorability?
As they spoke, the first game was decided.
Kiyono lost.
Even though she was distracted… Kiyono was a little depressed. If Yanami was at the level of a beginner's guide, then Asahi was clearly the first Boss encountered after leaving the Novice Village. If he couldn't even beat her, that fifty thousand yen was really hard to get!
Training continued.
Finally, after twenty consecutive losses, in the twenty-first game, he secured his first victory!
The moment he won, Kiyono lay back in his chair, breathing slightly, and exclaimed, "What a difficult victory."
"That's amazing, truly amazing."
Chihaya Asagumo looked at Kiyono, who was constantly improving and whose lips were curled up, and subconsciously pursed her lips into a gentle smile. Then she stood, reached out, and touched his head—the subtle gaze from Yanami beside them made her belatedly realize something, and she slowly withdrew her hand.
"Ah… I don't know why, but looking at Kiyono inexplicably makes me feel like I'm looking at a younger brother. Is it perhaps because of our age difference?"
The literary girl blinked, her tone and expression as natural as water.
"Why does everyone want to be an older sister…?" Kiyono didn't understand.
"Well, I'll head home now. Let's play chess again next time, and Yanami-kun should come along too," Chihaya Asagumo said, picking up her bag. It was almost time for the shop to open.
The three waved goodbye.
After Asahi left, Yanami also showed an expression of completion, smiling and giving him a thumbs-up.
"That feels great. Kiyono can definitely convey his feelings now!"
So what exactly did he need to convey?!
Although he didn't quite understand, the atmosphere was already there, so Kiyono still showed a cheerful smile.
The smile disappeared.
"…Why is the match at your house?" Kiyono looked at the entrance and living room, which were so familiar they were second only to internet cafes, then turned to Yanami with a blank expression.
"Th-this is the last formidable opponent I've prepared for you. If you beat him, you'll definitely win the championship!"
Yanami's eyes darted around, and in the end, she simply pushed him in by his back.
In the living room, a demon god was already waiting.
This person was…
"So this is your father?" The moment he clearly saw the handsome uncle's face, Kiyono's heart surged, and lightning bolts of thought flashed through his mind.
It connected.
Everything connected.
Why had this uncle been staring at him, why had he shown such a complex look, why had he given him a dangerous feeling that he didn't want to approach—the last point might have been overthinking.
Kiyono turned his head in zero frames, whispering through gritted teeth into Yanami's ear, "What the hell is going on?!"
"Oh, it's for your own good," the girl smiled innocently.
Kiyono turned back, laughing cheerfully. "We meet again… Uncle, I think you might have misunderstood something."
The man in a sharp suit raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? What did I misunderstand?"
"Ms. Yanami and I are just close friends…"
Kiyono's mouth twitched. He could confirm this point, but how was he supposed to explain such a thing!
"Oh, just close friends. Don't just stand there, please sit down." The Old Father seemed very enthusiastic. "Have some water too; we'll be battling for three hundred rounds later."
He must be talking about chess, right? It shouldn't be a real-life duel, should it?
Since he was Yanami's father, he couldn't be treated as a perverted uncle. He had been going to this uncle's house for the past two months, and he had eaten this uncle's food for free—Kiyono responded, politely sat down, and gulped a large mouthful of water.
"Young man, what are your hobbies usually?" The man glanced at his daughter and asked unhurriedly.
"Just reading, playing chess—things like that," Kiyono answered truthfully. Playing chess was something Yanami had forced him into just these past few days.
"Hmm? You're a hot-blooded young man, aren't you? Don't you have any hobbies a teenager should have? Like games, going to bars, clubbing, making friends of the opposite sex… It's okay, these are all understandable things."
"I just read books…"
Kiyono paused, then added emotionlessly, "I don't have money to go to those places."
This was a fatal blow.
The Old Father's cunning face instantly froze. He felt the needle-like gazes from his daughter and wife—this made him feel a hint of guilt, but also a bit helpless. Between an outsider and himself, you actually don't support the head of the family?
He coughed twice, very deliberately changing the subject. "Come, Kiyono, you're here to play chess today, right? Let's play chess. Weren't you inspired by my chess skills to want to play shogi? If you can beat me in just a few days, then that matter—I might consider it."
—What matter?! And who are you? Who is inspired by you?!
Kiyono was startled. He had a feeling that Yanami had fed her father some incredible information.
Regardless, he could only sit opposite him on the sofa.
The chessboard was already set.
The wooden board shimmered with a rich texture under the light, its edges slightly worn—clearly an item used for many years and well maintained. He now knew how Yanami's chess skills were honed.
The blue-haired girl also quietly leaned closer.
Kiyono, however, didn't think too much about it, nor did he care about the uncle's words—it felt less valuable than the fifty thousand yen!
"Let's have a full-strength match, betting on a man's pride." The Old Father was excited, as if frustrated outside the game, seeking to regain his pride within it.
Kiyono slowly moved a pawn, his expression a little solemn. The difficulty of this big Boss was indeed incomparable to Yanami and Asahi before.
The man casually placed a piece, his expression gentle and mellow, fully displaying the benevolent senior's demeanor.
However… huh? Is it just my imagination?
He feels… not as good as Emperor Asahi.
The game gradually entered the mid-game, the sound of pieces being placed was crisp. The uncle's King made a clean sound at position 9, sandwiched by Kiyono's two Knights—just as Yanami finished eating a taiyaki and casually stuck the bamboo skewer in the middle of the board.
"This 'Ghost Killer' tactic was personally taught by Teacher Yanami."
"Teacher? Anna, you actually taught him our secret technique?! How many times have you two secretly played chess?!" The Old Father was greatly alarmed, even forgetting to remove the bamboo skewer.
Kiyono remained silent, only pursuing.
On the crisscrossing board, densely packed pieces intertwined—Pawns bravely charged; Gold Generals and Silver Generals clashed; the King sat high in the clouds. Both sides sat silently before the board, each deep in thought. The scene was exceptionally solemn.
Click, click-click—the crisp sound of pieces being placed.
Thump-thump, tap-tap—Mom was preparing dinner in the kitchen.
The subtle hum of the air conditioner served as background music.
Dad, Mom, himself—that person.
Yanami knelt at the table in front of the sofa, her feet clad in black cotton socks, wiggling. She gazed at the scene before her and suddenly had a feeling she would immensely miss this moment in the future.
When she snapped out of her daze—
—the game was over.
"I lost. This child has successfully stolen the essence of the Yanami family; his chess skills are profound," the Old Father sighed, his voice full of dejection.
"It's all thanks to Yanami… and Uncle's good teaching," Kiyono smiled sincerely—winning made him happy, so he said some nice words to coax him!
"One more game, one more game."
The uncle was clearly not satisfied yet.
He set up the pieces, and before the next game began, he glanced at his daughter beside him, then looked at the young man in front of him, and slowly spoke:
"Oh, I mentioned earlier that there would be a condition if you won, didn't I?"
"Ah, don't worry about it, Uncle. I'm not playing chess with you for that reason…"
Kiyono held a piece and shook his head. Even if the fifty thousand yen was a prize provided by the Yanami family, he couldn't accept it.
"Wait for me to finish—what is your identity situation? Tell me in detail, and I'll see how I can help you sort it out. Life must be very troublesome without an identity, right?"
The uncle looked into the young man's eyes and said with a smile, his voice gaining a steady, sincere quality. At that moment, he seemed like a true pillar of the family.
Kiyono suddenly froze.
He slowly realized something and turned his head.
Under the soft light, the blue-haired girl was sprawled on the table. When she noticed his gaze, she gently turned her head and gave him a sly smile.
And in that instant, various scenes flashed through Kiyono's mind:
Yanami, thinking hard about solutions after learning of his situation; Yanami, hesitating, struggling, and then deciding to ask her father for help; Yanami, with a joyful smile, having come up with this clumsy plan; Yanami, pestering him to play chess; Yanami, training with him to help him win; and now, this smiling Yanami.
A long silence.
He let out a soft sigh.
"Are you an idiot…?"
Although he was very touched, when it came down to it, he hesitated—this was truly a huge favor. During this time, he had also researched Japan's household registration system online. It wasn't simple, but it wasn't difficult either; in summary, it was troublesome—very troublesome—or rather, it was the same in any country.
So he subconsciously hesitated. His relationship with the Yanami family was clearly not yet at the point where he could comfortably accept such help. All of this could be said to be entirely for Yanami's sake.
He looked at Yanami, who was anxiously watching beside him, and finally stopped agonizing.
The girl had gone to such lengths; his continued, meaningless pretense would only embarrass her. She probably thought of this, which is why she acted first and reported later—and this matter was very important to him; otherwise, the bunko company wouldn't be able to handle it later.
He would remember this favor and repay it twofold when he had the ability in the future—it wouldn't be long now. At most, by next year, he would achieve a class ascent, and then he would find a way to repay her!
Seeing Kiyono accept it calmly, Yanami also quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile bloomed on her face again.
Over the next few days, Yanami's Old Father took Kiyono to various places: the ward office, the committee, the administration bureau, the hospital… He even made a trip to their old family home in the countryside, because he needed to establish a distant family relationship for him, which by approximation would make him a member of the Yanami family. During this time, the uncle also pulled many strings and found people—which Kiyono noticed. This was another significant favor.