BAM!
Yuuji rolled across the grass, narrowly avoiding Ayaka's hammer again.
The countdown timer projected above the training field ticked away mercilessly.
2 minutes left.
Ayaka laughed as she charged, her hammer swinging wild arcs through the air.
"You're tougher than you look, King Boy!" she roared.
Yuuji dodged, ducked, weaved—using minimal movements, conserving energy.
He couldn't outmuscle her.
He couldn't outspeed her.
But he could outlast her.
Ayaka's strikes were getting slower. Heavier.
Her grin was fierce, but her breathing was rougher now.
"Big moves burn stamina fast," Yuuji thought.
He sidestepped again—another wide hammer swing missing him by inches.
1 minute left.
Ayaka growled, frustration flashing across her face.
Yuuji smirked.
He was winning by doing nothing.
As the final seconds ticked down, Ayaka lunged for one last desperate strike—
—and stumbled, her footing slipping on the churned-up grass.
"TIME!"
The referee shouted, a magic glyph flashing across the field.
Ayaka skidded to a halt, panting heavily.
Yuuji straightened his uniform, brushing imaginary dust off.
"Endurance match survived," he said proudly.
Ayaka blinked—then threw back her head and roared with laughter.
"Not bad, King Boy! You've got guts after all!"
She thumped him on the back—hard enough to nearly knock him over.
"Fine! I'll join your House!"
Mira whooped from the sidelines.
Clara simply nodded coolly.
Yuuji grinned.
Three pieces on the board.
Later that evening, under the golden sunset, Yuuji stood at the central academy plaza.
Before him stood Mira, Clara, and Ayaka—each now wearing a small, silver badge shaped like a chess piece: a Knight, a Bishop, and a Rook.
Yuuji held a crystal scroll—the official charter for forming a new House.
He took a deep breath.
"From this day forward," he declared, "we are a team.
Not bound by old Houses.
Not ruled by empty traditions.
We are players of our own game."
The girls exchanged looks—Mira smirking, Ayaka nodding firmly, Clara giving the slightest approving glance.
Yuuji pressed his thumb against the scroll, activating the ritual.
Golden light flared around them.
Above the plaza, the floating academy display updated:
NEW HOUSE ESTABLISHED: THE HOUSE OF CHECKMATE
Yuuji smiled.
Step one: complete.
Not everyone celebrated.
From the shadows of a nearby tower, a figure watched them with cold eyes.
Tall, with dark armor and a polished black Bishop badge pinned to his uniform.
His name: Leon Vortan.
Top-ranking Bishop of the Academy.
Genius strategist.
Merciless player.
And he hated upstarts.
Leon narrowed his eyes at the new House's announcement.
"House of Checkmate, huh?" he murmured.
He turned, striding away into the darkness, already planning his next move.
"I'll crush them before they even finish their opening moves."
The next morning, a sharp chime echoed across the academy grounds.
Students paused, looking up as the announcement spell crackled through the air.
"ATTENTION.
A CHALLENGE HAS BEEN ISSUED.
HOUSE OF CHECKMATE VS HOUSE OF VORTAN.
TOMORROW.
1v1 MATCHES. 3 WINS REQUIRED."
Yuuji looked up, blinking.
Mira cursed under her breath.
Ayaka cracked her knuckles excitedly.
Clara just sighed quietly.
Yuuji grinned.
"Looks like someone wants to play already."
He tightened his gloves.
"Fine. We'll show them how a real House plays."
The real game was just beginning.
The academy buzzed like a disturbed hive.
News spread fast.
A brand new House challenging an elite one so soon?
Unheard of.
Inside one of the smaller training halls, Yuuji sat cross-legged, a portable chessboard in front of him.
Mira paced nearby, restless.
Ayaka punched a practice dummy until it burst apart.
Clara leaned against a pillar, calmly flipping through a book of tactics.
Yuuji studied the board, moving pieces slowly.
He muttered to himself:
"Leon Vortan... Bishop class, highest rank.
Rumors say he specializes in trap strategies."
He pushed a pawn forward.
"We'll need to win three 1v1 matches."
He tapped three pieces—Knight, Bishop, Rook.
His eyes sharpened.
"I can't fight him directly yet.
Mira can handle speed duels.
Clara can counter magic setups.
Ayaka can break defensive walls."
Mira flopped down next to him, frowning.
"What about you, King Boy?"
Yuuji smiled faintly.
"I'm not the frontline.
I'm the player moving the pieces."
Ayaka wiped sweat from her forehead, grinning.
**"Heh. Then you better have a damn good strategy."**
Clara closed her book with a soft snap.
"Tomorrow... will be interesting."
Yuuji looked up at his team—the misfits he'd somehow pulled together.
His first House.
His first real gamble.
He set the white King piece at the center of the board.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "we make our move."
Night deepened over the Academy.
Most students had retreated to their dormitories, resting up for the battles ahead.
The campus was eerily quiet under the silver light of the twin moons.
But Yuuji stayed awake.
He sat alone on the rooftop of the training hall, knees drawn up, staring out at the endless chessboard-patterned grounds below.
His mind raced.
Not with fear.
Not with panic.
But with possibilities.
Below, he spotted movement—small lights, students practicing late into the night.
He recognized some: powerful mages, strong knights, fierce rook defenders.
All players in the grander game.
All potential future enemies.
"They're moving their pieces already," he murmured to himself.
He closed his eyes, visualizing the board in his mind.
Leon Vortan—
an aggressive Bishop, expert at baiting traps and controlling diagonals.
If Yuuji moved wrong, even once...
it could all fall apart.
But if he moved right—
Checkmate.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Yuuji turned to see Mira stepping onto the rooftop, a bag of snacks in one hand.
She flopped down beside him without a word, tossing him a can of soda.
He caught it one-handed.
"Can't sleep?" she asked, popping open her own drink.
Yuuji shook his head.
"Too many moves to think about."
Mira leaned back, staring up at the stars.
"We'll be fine."
Yuuji raised an eyebrow.
"That confident?"
Mira smirked.
"You pulled together a crazy-ass team in less than a day.
I figure... if anyone can pull off a miracle, it's probably you, King Boy."
Yuuji blinked.
Then laughed quietly.
"Thanks, Mira."
They sat there in silence, the soft fizz of their sodas filling the cool night air.
Below them, the Academy slept.
Above them, destiny waited.
Tomorrow...
the real battle would begin.