CoTE: [Checkmate]

Vol 1 Chapter 1.1

How uneventful, my first day of school

The trip to my new school was nothing more than cliche.

I was heading by car which my sister drove because of her good heartedness. She's happy, that's what was blatantly obvious to me as I stared at her from the side.

Arms and legs crossed as I look back to the scenery in front of me. We were beginning to get nearer to my new home for the time being. It was nothing more than a shame, I had to spend at the very least three years of my life in an environment I barely knew while my elder sister is left at home alone.

The landscape changed gradually from one area to the next. I could hear the hums of my sister becoming louder as we waited for the bus in front of us to board its passengers.

The sakura trees blooming outside gathered my attention like a moth to a flame.

Wish they could last like this forever. I thought to myself while observing the beautiful sight of pink petals.

It was mid-April and the time for these Sakura trees to cease blooming grew near. To say the least, it reminded me of a rather unpleasant memory. Even so such a sight brought me a form of warmth I could really only experience upon drawing a character I wanted from a gacha game. Not like I ever played one before though.

The woman next to me turned up the volume and began her own kareoke within the car. That when I knew one very important thing.

I made a mistake by not taking the bus.

I thought the trip might be peaceful, staring at the refreshing clear sky without a single cloud. Maybe I could have slept all the way if it weren't for how obnoxious my sister had become over the years. Alas, I could never receive the tranquility I wanted for long.

"You did do well in the entrance exam right?"

She turned the volume down upon witnessing my annoyance growing. Then a question arose from nowhere, one that again, she's been asking ever since last month after I finished the entrance exam for my new school.

"Pretty sure I failed, no other reason why I would be accepted into class-D after all."

My sarcastic tone earned the laughter of my elder, even though that clearly wasn't what I was after. She patted me on the back while driving with her other hand.

Apparently the thought of me failing an exam was so laughable she thought it'd be better if I picked up a comedic book. I've never been one to joke around so this really didn't help. Thank god the trip was almost over, I felt like pissing my pants in shame and jumping out this instance.

Then, I decided to change the topic to pass the time.

"Hey Nee-san, you're a graduant here right?"

"That's right! Are you really that surprised your genius elder sister was able to graduate from one of the most prestigious schools in history?"

"No I'm more surprised by the fact you're still single at the age of 31. Please find a man soon before I graduate from this school?"

She physically flinched upon hearing my comment.

It's true though. My sister was mostly the reason I chose to enroll into this school specifically, she graduated from here after all and there really wasn't many other options. I trusted my gut and now it seemed like a bad idea since I was about to be let go like a baby bird who learned to fly.

As the car stopped and the passengers in front went off the bus, I too left the nest while hearing the words of goodbye said by my embarrassing sister.

This is it, the day I become a man!

I was free at last. Freed from the shackles that is normal teenager life, finally I was about to ascend to adulthood...after I graduate of course. The excitement I felt like slowly approaching the gate was...absent? No that's not right, more like it felt not much different compared to the first day of school in real life.

What gives? In light novels, manga and most importantly anime this kind of life changing event usually begins the whole story. It would be natural if my excitement levels were to spike right now as a slow-mow effect kicked in at this moment. Unfortunately what I hoped for never happened, reality is often disappointing.

The gate was made of natural stone from my observations. Suffice to say that's a rather interesting choice as it both looks stylish and can provide good protection, though I wondered if the looks mattered more in this case. Either way there was no denying how expensive it all looked.

The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is one people often use. Looking at the saying from another angle, the fact that this gate looks so pricey and well polished can earn the attention of many people because of the aesthetics alone. Like a marketing strategy, if you make something appealing to the human eye, naturally people would like to find out more about it.

I wasn't a very good person to judge designs of certain objects but just by observing the markings, I could tell all of them are intentionally placed there for better appeal towards the new students. Nice choice.

Koudo Ikusei High School.

A school created by the Japanese government, its aim is to nuture the young potential leaders of the world. It's also notorious for granting those who enter the school a 100% employment rate and entry of any college of your choosing.

This was the place I will be attending starting from today.

Deep breaths, brace yourself, stone your composure.....and go-!

"Wat a second!"

The dramatic effect was ruined in an instance. My foot stopped on the first step as the words of a female human reached my ears.

As I looked around to search for the source of the voice, I suddenly spot a raven haired beauty looking down on a rather uninterested young man. The sight was similar to a queen staring down a peasant for something he didn't even do. I almost felt bad for the poor guy, do they somehow know each other?

Siblings or childhood friends wouldn't be that much of a surprise given how popular this school is, I'm sure many people would try to enter if given the chance. The only issue is first of all, they look nothing alike and second the eyes of that beautiful raven-girl tell me she probably dislikes everything that's living in this world. Goes to show how such beauty can go to waste, but I digress.

Seeing how the conversation they were having seemed to have nothing to do with me, I continued my footing into my new school.