Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 20 - Armageddon Game

I glanced at the three chess boards one last time before my departure.

Due to the aftermath of the Sudou incident, quite a lot had changed. The red queen moved up two squares diagonally towards the center of the board, showing off her reach. One of the red rook's had also moved up two squares, followed by a lone red pawn which was positioned directly behind it.

The green pawns that had been standing on the board were nowhere to be found due to their expulsion.

After making sure that everything else was tidied up, I left a set of coded instructions on the bed and took a deep breath.

This familiar room, the wooden boards, and the aroma of fresh tea which still lingered in the air... I would miss them for the next few weeks because I've long since grown accustomed to these positive changes in my life.

Yet, I was looking forward to our upcoming 'vacation'.

While Fuka tackled her special exam here, I would take care of my first one on an island far away from Tokyo or the school grounds. That much was all I had worked out so far. It was impossible to know what exactly we needed to do on said island, but I was optimistic that I could form new bonds during our stay there.

Fuka had seen me off yesterday, aware that we couldn't meet up before we boarded the buses in the morning. I hoped that she wouldn't do anything weird, like sleep in my room while I was gone, but it wasn't like I could stop her if she wanted to.

Two knocks reverberated through the room, originating from the front door. I let my gaze roam around my apartment one final time before grabbing the previously prepared bag and marched towards the knocking sounds.

Chiaki's bright smile, Sakura's shy bow and Sudou's excited exclamations were the first things that came to my attention as I opened the passage to the boundary between heaven and hell.

♙♘♗♖♕♔ 🄲🅷🄴🅲🄺🅼🄰🆃🄴 ♚♛♜♝♞♟

The endless summer sea, the infinite blue skies and the perfectly clear air.

Here, in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, we, the students of the Advanced Nurturing Highschool, were spared by the intense midsummer heat that should have sapped on our energy. Instead of sweating due to the sun's merciless, searing rays, a gentle sea breeze kissed our bodies and comfortably embraced every fiber of our beings.

"This is amazing!"

My classmate, Ike Kanji, also hailed as the lone idiot in our class, raised his arms into the air as he leaned against the railing. His earsplitting voice was as annoying as usual, even outside the classroom.

After Yamauchi's expulsion and Sudou's vow of self improvement due to what had happened in June, he was the only student in our class that still behaved the same as back in April, at least most of the time.

Everyone else had grown, some more, others less.

Sakura hadn't attended school for a short while after her incident with the store clerk, but Sudou kept visiting and talked to her every day. Aside from his training in the basketball club and making sure that Sakura was feeling okay, he behaved well during classes and tried his utmost to keep his temperament in check.

He didn't do a complete 180 in a matter of days or one simple month, of course, but he was earnest in his attempt to be more helpful to Chiaki, and in extension, to the class, after what she had done for him.

There were some hiccups along the way, but his progress was clear as day.

"The view is incredible! I'm honestly super moved right now!"