"[sad]No evidence... nothing..." The afternoon light streaming through the classroom window illuminated the blank notebook on the desk, making it starkly, painfully white. Naruhodou Ryuuichi remained slumped over his notebook, letting out a sigh. Only a few days remained until the first hearing. And yet, he didn't have a single piece of evidence that could prove anything about Mitsurugi-kun. No, even before that — he barely knew what kind of person Mitsurugi-kun was in the first place. All he knew was that he was the academy's prince, that he had silver hair, that he was an incredibly beautiful person, and that — he might have been someone who stood beside someone else in the memories of his past life. That was it. (*Can I really walk into court like this?*) A heavy weight settled deep in his chest. But he couldn't afford to lose heart here. After all, he hadn't lied. At the very least, he hadn't tried to use Mitsurugi-kun. That much, he wanted to prove properly. "...Alright." Naruhodou lifted his head with sudden determination. First, he had to learn about Mitsurugi-kun. There was no starting without that. In that case, he'd go to the place Mitsurugi-kun always was after school today. The Chess Club room. The after-school chime rang out in the distance. Naruhodou sprinted up the stairs leading to the second floor of the club building, taking them two at a time. His heart was pounding loudly. Was it nerves, or lack of exercise? Probably both. The Chess Club room was at the very end of the hallway. A handwritten placard reading "Chess Club" hung beside the wooden door. Almost no sound came from inside. (*I-is he in there...?*) Timidly, he opened the door. —That moment, it happened. Inside the room, several club members were facing their chessboards. And in the center seat of the room sat Mitsurugi Reiji. His silver-gray hair shimmered softly under the fluorescent lights. He rested his chin on one hand, his gaze fixed on the board. And beside him. A female student with black hair tinged with indigo sat quietly, almost doll-like. Houzuki Yomi. She wasn't sitting across the board from Mitsurugi, but right beside him — close enough that their elbows might almost touch. (*Huh? What's with that distance...!?*) Naruhodou's chest tightened inexplicably. That's when it happened. Houzuki lifted her head smoothly. Her deep crimson eyes pierced straight through Naruhodou. Her expression didn't change at all. She wasn't smiling, nor was she angry. Only her gaze was incredibly heavy, as if the air itself had suddenly solidified. "[scared]Ah, um... h-hello..." His voice cracked. His legs wouldn't move properly. Go in? Run away? His body trembled slightly, frozen as he clung to the door. Like a frog caught in a snake's stare. "...What are you doing there?" A voice resonated from the back of the room. Low and composed. It was Mitsurugi. Without lifting his eyes from the board, he let out a single sigh. "[excited]Oh, um! I thought I'd drop by! I wanted to observe some chess!" "[sarcastic]If you're gathering evidence, say so from the start. You're too roundabout." *Ulp.* He'd hit the nail on the head. So precisely that not a single excuse came to mind. Mitsurugi-kun wasn't just cool. His eye for observing people was incredibly sharp, too. "[gentle]Houzuki, let him in. He looks pathetic just standing there." Houzuki stared at Naruhodou for a moment, then eventually nodded silently and shifted her stool just slightly to the side. (*I-I'm allowed in...?*) Stumbling over his own nervous feet, Naruhodou practically tumbled into the club room. "[scared]Whoa—!?" His shoelace caught on a desk leg, and he nearly took a spectacular fall. He instinctively grabbed the desk, but this time the chessboard on top rattled violently. One piece, then another, spilled off. "Ah, I-I'm so sorry!" "...You really do fall a lot, don't you." Mitsurugi said it with exasperation, picking up the fallen pieces. But the corner of his mouth softened for just a moment. He wasn't angry. If anything, he seemed faintly amused. (*Thank goodness, he's not mad...*) Mitsurugi placed an empty stool directly across from himself. "Sit. Since you've come all this way, how about a game?" "[surprised]Huh, really!?" "However, I have no intention of losing to someone who doesn't even know the rules. First, I'll teach you." Mitsurugi placed the chessboard in front of Naruhodou and began explaining how the pieces moved. "The pawn moves forward one step. However, only on its first move, it can advance two. The knight jumps in this pattern. The bishop moves any number of steps diagonally. The rook moves vertically and horizontally. And the queen can do both." "[excited]So the queen is the strongest!? Then if you just fight with the queen from the start—" "If your king is taken, you lose. Don't move that king carelessly. First, look at the entire board. Don't focus on the material gain or loss of pieces — follow the flow of the match." Naruhodou hurriedly pulled back the hand that had been about to move his king. Mitsurugi's teaching style was strict, but incredibly easy to understand. (*Look at the entire board... That's just like cross-examining a witness in court.*) Read behind the opponent's words, grasp the overall flow. The instincts of his past-life lawyer flickered at the back of his mind. Following Mitsurugi's instructions, Naruhodou advanced his pieces carefully, one move at a time. And then—. "...Hoh." Mitsurugi's hand stopped dead. His silver-gray eyes widened just a fraction. On the board, Naruhodou's knight had somehow ended up in a position where it threatened both of his bishops. Even Naruhodou himself didn't quite understand how his piece had gotten there, but regardless — Mitsurugi-kun had shown a surprised expression. (*Th-that was... thanks to my past-life memories.*) Naruhodou made the excuse in his head. But his face was burning hot. He could feel it himself — he was blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. "[gentle]...Not bad at all." Mitsurugi smiled, just a little. It wasn't his usual cool smile, but something softer — a way of smiling that seemed like he'd returned to his childhood. The gentleness of that broad back he'd seen in his past-life dreams overlapped with this moment for just an instant. The center of his chest grew tight and warm. —This is because of my past-life memories. He tried to make that excuse, but the words wouldn't form. Because the warmth he felt was definitely something Naruhodou Ryuuichi was feeling *now*, in the present. At that moment, Houzuki stood up smoothly, without a word. She gazed steadily at Naruhodou, tilting her head slightly. Her eyes were strange — as if she were thinking something over, or sizing him up. Noticing her gaze, Naruhodou panicked and knocked over the pieces, board and all. "[scared]S-s-sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" *Crash!!* The wooden pieces scattered across the floor. The club members all wore expressions that said "oh, great" in unison and resigned themselves to picking up the pieces. Houzuki, too, crouched down expressionlessly and picked up a single pawn. He had the faintest feeling that her cheeks were just a little bit flushed. (*Could she be... angry? No, is she laughing...?*) He couldn't read her at all. But the trust she placed in Mitsurugi-kun was abundantly clear from the way the pieces moved on the board. Practice ended, and the club members trickled out of the room one by one. Houzuki, too, gave Mitsurugi a slight bow and disappeared silently through the door. The crimson eyes that glanced back at Naruhodou one last time still said nothing, but they seemed just a little less guarded than before. Naruhodou also stepped out into the hallway, but immediately turned on his heel. "Oh, I forgot my pencil case." When he quietly opened the club room door, Mitsurugi was there alone, standing by the window. He was gazing intently at the large cherry tree in the courtyard. The twilight dyed his silver-gray hair orange. His profile was completely different from the gentle face he'd worn while teaching chess earlier — it was terribly quiet, and somehow — it looked lonely. Naruhodou held his breath. He missed his chance to call out and just stood frozen at the door. "[serious]If you have something you want to ask, just ask." Mitsurugi didn't turn around. But it seemed he'd known Naruhodou was there for a while now. "[whispers]Mitsurugi-kun... don't you hate the Confession Court?" He gathered his courage and asked. Mitsurugi was silent for a moment. "...Acting based on whether I hate it or not is inefficient." His voice was lower and quieter than usual. He didn't say he didn't hate it. (*Ah, so that's how it is.*) Something clicked into place inside Naruhodou. Mitsurugi-kun had faced twenty-three Confession Courts and never once chosen anyone. It wasn't because he didn't like anyone. He was more afraid of hurting someone than anyone else was. He kept people at a distance because he might hurt them. He was afraid of being hurt himself, and of hurting the other person — afraid of all of it — and so he tried to be alone from the very beginning. —How clumsy, and how incredibly kind. A sharp ache tightened deep in his chest. Just wanting to be friends wasn't nearly enough. He wanted to know more, so much more about this person. He wanted to know everything. (*Could this be...*) Afraid he was about to realize the true nature of his own feelings, Naruhodou frantically shook his head from side to side. "[excited]A-anyway! Sorry for intruding!" "[surprised]Hey, Naruhodou—" Hearing Mitsurugi's voice at his back, Naruhodou bolted out of the club room like a startled rabbit. As he ran down the hallway, he could feel his face burning like fire. (*I'm scared to admit it. Because if I put a name to this feeling, I won't be able to use the excuse of "just friends" anymore.*) Besides, he had so many wonderful, impressive people confessing to him. There was no way someone like him could compete. The next morning. As Naruhodou headed toward the entrance with heavy steps, the atmosphere felt different from usual. Students were loitering in front of the shoe lockers. Smartphones in hand, faces brimming with curiosity. "...Huh?" He approached his own shoe locker and his breath stopped. *'Naruhodou Ryuuichi is a fraud who is using the lie of being a past-life lover to get close to Mitsurugi-kun and gain an advantage in court.'* A slanderous poster printed in bold letters was plastered firmly onto his shoe locker. The same thing was posted on the hallway bulletin boards, on the bathroom doors — copy after copy after copy. "You've gotta be kidding..." The hushed whispers of the surrounding students stabbed at his ears. "Hey, is this really true?" "Using Mitsurugi-kun, that's the worst." "And a past-life lover? Isn't that creepy?" Naruhodou tore off one of the posters. His fingers trembled. Clutching the paper, he ran to his classroom. Even when he entered the classroom, the situation was the same. "...Ah." The moment his classmates saw Naruhodou's face, they averted their eyes. A few of them sighed loudly enough for him to hear and got up from their seats. Even the ones he thought he'd been on good terms with looked down, troubled expressions on their faces. (*I'm alone.*) The core of his body went cold. No evidence. No allies. At this rate, he couldn't even stay at school, let alone stand in court. "[whispers]This isn't a coincidence..." He muttered it to no one in particular. Yesterday's social media firestorm. And today's organized poster campaign. Someone was clearly, deliberately timing this to corner him. (*—Wait.*) His own voice echoed in his head. The instincts of his past-life lawyer. (*Sort out the issues. The opponent wants to remove me from the court. Or they want to make absolutely sure I lose in court. Who stands to gain t