Chapter One:
Pawn
1
THE SUN PEEKED OUT FROM BELOW THE horizon. Rays of soft light spread gradually up and out across the night sky, heralding the dawn of a new day. Luke couldn’t help but sigh at the sad scene before him: Mia, lying unconscious on the floor. She had suddenly decided to pay him a visit at the crack of dawn, and when Alice appeared in the doorway, completely nude, Mia fainted in surprise. It hadn’t exactly been the most relaxing morning so far.
“She wants to be your pawn? Doesn’t she know you have me? I would carry out with perfect precision any order you gave me, no matter how vile or despicable…and do it much better than a girl like Mia ever could.”
Alice spoke a little louder than she usually did, and her voice was tinged ever so slightly with genuine emotion. Most people wouldn’t have been able to detect it at all, but Luke knew her well enough to perceive the subtle shift. Additionally, her facial expression appeared very complex indeed.
But Luke did not understand why.
“How did you come to such a misunderstanding? You’re my fiancée, not my pawn.”
Alice gave a small gasp, then fell silent.
To Luke, it was a complete nonissue. Alice and Mia occupied different positions in relation to him, and that was an objective truth. However, there was something that Luke had yet to realize: Privately, his perception of Alice had changed, and he accepted her as a part of his daily life. At first, he had resented the very idea of being with her, but over time, he had come to acknowledge her as his fiancée. It was a clear transformation that had taken place.
Fiancée, fiancée, fiancée…
But to Luke, it was all so normal that he barely noticed the change at all. He certainly didn’t outwardly display it—he was just as reserved as Alice, or perhaps even more. He was similarly cold and aloof, and that made the merest glimpse of his feelings toward her all the more stimulating and enticing. She turned the word “fiancée” over and over in her head, repeating it to herself as it melted into her, until she was completely intoxicated by it.
Her excitement gradually turned into lust. She felt her body getting hot, her breathing ragged. She would usually have made some attempt to hide her filthy desires, but didn’t have the will to do so this time around.
“You really do know how to drive a woman mad.”
Alice was completely naked, but that didn’t appear to bother her at all. In fact, she thought it was pretty convenient that she happened to be nude already, as she slipped her hand behind Luke’s neck.
“Hey! Mia’s still here,” he pointed out.
“Heh heh…we’ll be in trouble if she wakes up, then.”
Alice stretched up and pressed her mouth to Luke’s. It wasn’t a warm, soft sort of kiss, but the sort in which two people completely surrendered to their desires. With Mia unconscious on the bed, they found themselves collapsing onto the floor beside it.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hey. Get up already.”
“…Urgh.”
With that business concluded, Alice and I arose to prepare for the day ahead. However, Mia still wasn’t waking up.
At this point, I can’t tell if this girl’s too sensitive or not enough… Either way, I guess she was really stressed out.
“Finally awake then, sleepyhead?”
“Uh…A-Alice…? Wha—”
Mia jerked awake at the sight of Alice, and she jolted upright in bed to sit with her back to the wall.
“Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing here?!” Mia spluttered.
“I should be asking you the same thing. You know that Luke and I are engaged to be married, and you still come knocking on his door? You sneaky little home-wrecker.”
“Th-that’s not why I’m here!”
“No? Then perhaps you can explain why you had that look on your face when you arrived.”
“I-I didn’t have any look on my face! Stop being weird!”
I watched silently for a moment as Alice teased the poor girl.
Well, I suppose I am the one that started all of this, so I should put an end to it. I’ve already explained the situation to Alice, but I guess the two of them really just don’t get along, huh?
“Mia, what classes are there today?” I asked.
“Um…we’ve only got lessons in the afternoon, third and fourth period…that’s it.”
“In that case, go ahead and reserve one of the magic training areas. Either One or Two. Doesn’t matter which.”
“O-okay.”
“I’ll be in the library. Come get me once you’ve got a training area booked.”
“Okay… I understand.”
Hm, she’s already obediently accepting everything I say without a second thought. Everything is working out even better than I expected. Actually…on second thought, maybe it’s going a little too well. What’s this faint sense of doom I feel in the back of my mind?
“Arranging your clandestine meetings right in front of me? How wicked of you,” said Alice.
“…I’ve already explained what this is.”
“Yes, and I understood what you said, but whether I accept it or not remains to be seen,” she retorted, her breathing growing steadily more ragged. “I’m sure I w-won’t be able to concentrate on a-anything else, so I’ll end up coming to find you…watching from some secret h-hiding place…keeping an eye on everything that the two of you get up to.”
She began panting openly with excitement as she continued. “I’m sure it will be, ah, so terribly hard to watch, b-but for some reason, I find my body growing hot at the th—”
“Wh-wh-what are you saying?” I interrupted. “We won’t be doing anything like that!”
“Oh? And what is it you’re imagining that has made you blush such a bright shade of red? I didn’t specify any particular activity, did I? I merely mentioned that I would be watching everything the two of you get up to.”
“Urk, that’s not…”
If you really want to observe, you could just sit and watch like a normal person, you know. Why do you need to hide? I honestly don’t understand that at all—nor do I really care to.
“I’m going to the cafeteria. Both of you, get out of my room.”
“Yes, quite right. I don’t want to spend another moment speaking with this shameless harlot.”
“I told you that’s not why I came!”
All three of us exited the room. I locked the door and headed for the cafeteria, where I found a familiar scene.
A red-haired boy with mean eyes was already seated at a table, eating breakfast.
Ah, it’s Lloyd. He always gets here earlier than everyone else.
He looked in our direction, and our eyes met.
He must’ve seen Mia too, naturally.
Lloyd didn’t say anything as we walked in. He quickly averted his eyes and turned back to his breakfast.
He’s sitting a bit further away from the table than yesterday. Is he still doing as Alice told him? Heh heh…interesting.
“…Hm?”
Mia suddenly walked toward Lloyd’s table.
“I lost. No excuses,” she admitted plainly. “But I’m definitely going to get my revenge.”
“…Yeah? Well, come at me anytime, then,” Lloyd said. “Ready when you are. Better hurry, though, ’cause I’ll just keep on going, always one step ahead. Ain’t gonna run or hide, but I’m sure not waiting around for you to catch up neither.”
Lloyd looked in our direction—not at me but at Alice. He got up from his table and slowly approached her.
“I want a rank duel.”
“Is that so? Very well,” Alice answered immediately.
“I mean…it ain’t like I think I can beat you,” he added, “but we all just got here. I wanna get a clear idea of how much further I’ve got to go. Sorry, but that’s why.”
“I assure you, I really don’t care about your reasons, so you can stop flapping your mouth. I’m not actually listening, you know?”
“…”
With nothing to say in response to that, Lloyd went back to his seat.
“Mwa ha ha…”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
Lloyd is just too interesting. I like him.
“Why not challenge me instead, Lloyd? You don’t have to bother with this mere girl.”
Upon hearing the phrase “mere girl,” Alice’s breathing became heavier for some reason.
How irritating…but I will allow it. I’m in a good mood today.
“You? Nah, not yet. Ain’t no point in challenging you now.”
“Ah ha ha ha… I see. When you are ready, then. Though in your case, we need not fight a formal rank duel. Something more casual is fine.”
“Huh…you serious?”
“Yes, I am.”
I’ll give him some of my precious time. I suppose that shows how much I like the guy.
“Right.” Lloyd hesitated. “Then…maybe. Sure.”
“Don’t be shy, please. I will allow it—for you.”
Lloyd’s eyes opened wide for just a brief moment, then his expression returned to normal.
Mwa ha, mean-looking as ever.
That was the extent of our conversation, and the two of us returned to our food. A few moments later, Leonard entered the cafeteria.
“Hey, good m—” he began, and then spotted Alice.
She locked eyes with him, her gaze cold and disdainful.
“R-right…I guess I’ll go eat in the corner…ha ha ha…”
That was all it took to send Leonard drifting away to sit with Lloyd instead. That, too, was something I was getting used to seeing.
Then, a new voice chimed in as I ate my breakfast.
“Uh…um, do you mind if I sit here?”
“…”
I turned to see Abel standing beside me, accompanied by the loud irritating girl that was always with him.