Sayuri stared at the Shogi board placed at the centre of the cloth-covered table. The table was located at the rear-end of the main hall where lesser people resided.
Midorima took a seat wordlessly and glanced at her, "Sit down," he ordered, voice brimming with nonchalance as he arranged the pieces on the board.
She hesitated for a bit before eventually giving in. She took a seat carefully on the cushioned chair, still confused about Midorima's sudden behaviour.
"Play shogi with me," he said arranging the game pieces to their rightful places.
Sayuri narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. When he didn't hear a response, he looked up at the girl swiftly, causing their eyes to meet.
Sayuri immediately lowered her head as an obvious blush appeared on her cheeks.
"P-Play Shogi with you?" she repeated, trying her best to sound unfazed by his disposition.
He shot her a no-shit-Sherlock look.
"Why... me?"
And then it hit her. Was he implying to play with Akashi?
"Oh wait, do you want me to call Seijuro for you?" she answered, beginning to stand up from her seat.
She was seconds away from leaving when he stopped her midway, "No," he replied, his dead-serious stare causing her to inch back down on her seat.
"I heard you beat Akashi in Shogi. I just wanted to test you, that's all," he explained.
Sayuri was stunned by his honesty, unsure of whether to feel flattered or not. Either way, Akashi indirectly helped her out in this one so who was she to complain?
"Well, I only beat him once and that was a really long time ago. Not like I can beat him now in his current sta-"
"I don't care. All the more reason why I should play with you," he commented. What did he mean by that?
"If I win against you, that only means that I'll have at least a five per cent chance of beating him as well," he said while staring at the surprised girl.
"Why do you want to beat him so badly?" she asked curiously. She knew Midorima and Akashi had some sort of rivalry going on even back in middle school, but she didn't think it would be this serious.
Midorima shrugged his shoulders. "I just do," he stated nonchalantly.
Of course, she gave in and agreed to a game.
The game progressed sedately. Both of them making smart and calculated moves as they stare at the pieces on the wooden board.
Despite his calm composure, Sayuri noticed his extreme concentration, and it made her guilty when she noticed that her next move meant the end of the game.
"C-Checkmate," she said shyly, low-key expecting a frustrated reaction from him. But instead, she was met with an unexpected chuckle.
The sound of his voice echoed through her, making her shiver in delight.
"That was predictable," he chuckled, "I knew I wouldn't be able to beat Akashi just yet," he replied, staring at the blonde girl's blue orbs.
But you played with me, not Seijuro... Her heart stung with familiar annoyance but she gulped to push down the unpleasant feeling.
"That was a good game though. You exceeded my expectations Hamasaki," he added, giving her an invisible smile that only she could notice.
She beamed at him, her eyes turning into crescent moons.
"That was a good game indee-" she was cut off by the sound of loud approaching footsteps.
"Shintarou," a deep, almost ferocious voice called out to the green-haired boy.
The redhead's heterochromatic eyes were the first thing that caught her attention. They looked deeper than usual, almost ravening.
"Akashi. It's nice to see you here," Midorima replied while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.