The night sky above the Academy glowed with floating lights and soft fireworks.
The courtyard of House Checkmate was louder than ever.
Students had gathered from other Houses—
cheering, celebrating, gossiping.
"Did you see how he outplayed her?!"
"King Serizawa really did it!"
"I heard House Vermillion Rose is furious—and impressed."
Yuuji stood at the center of the garden, surrounded by food, glowing lanterns, and far too many people congratulating him.
Ayaka had already challenged two other Rooks to an arm-wrestling match.
Mira stood nearby, arms crossed, glancing at every girl who got too close.
Clara sat under a tree, sipping tea in silence, her eyes always watching.
Yuuji smiled politely as a group of female students handed him a custom scarf embroidered with a little chess crown.
"You're our MVP!" one of them beamed.
Yuuji scratched his cheek, clearly embarrassed.
"Uh... thanks?"
Mira stepped between him and the girls a second later.
"He's got a House already.
Back off, fan club."
The girls shrieked and fled.
Yuuji chuckled.
"Jealous, Mira?"
She looked away, face red.
"Pff. I just hate crowds."
Suddenly, Clara spoke from under her tree:
"We're being watched."
Everyone stopped.
Yuuji's smile faded.
He turned slowly toward the edge of the courtyard—
where a tall figure stood in the shadows.
A girl.
Unfamiliar uniform.
Wide-brimmed black hat.
A silver bishop emblem glowing on her cloak.
Her presence was... unsettling.
Like she didn't belong.
Like she didn't need to.
She spoke softly, but the words echoed unnaturally.
"Interesting match, Serizawa.
But the next game won't be so kind."
And just like that—
she vanished into the dark.
Yuuji stared for a moment, lips tightening.
"Looks like the board's already shifting."
The next morning, the courtyard was quiet.
Only a few students wandered around, heads aching from too much party punch.
Yuuji sat under a tree, sipping weak tea and staring at the sky.
Mira walked over and plopped down beside him without a word.
"Tired?" she asked.
"Mentally."
Yuuji exhaled slowly.
"Feels like the whole school flipped after yesterday."
Mira smirked.
"You did beat the most feared House."
Before he could respond, Clara approached with something in her hand.
A black envelope, sealed with silver wax.
Yuuji raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
Clara held it out calmly.
"Summons.
From the Academy Council."
That got Mira's attention.
"The Council?
Already?"
Ayaka came jogging up, still chewing on a rice ball.
"What's up? Who're we fighting now?"
Yuuji took the envelope and opened it carefully.
Inside was a single line of text:
"The King of House Checkmate is hereby summoned to the Council Chamber.
Immediate attendance required."
Yuuji looked up.
Eyes calm.
Voice steady.
"Looks like the real game just leveled up."
Cut to:
A massive spiral tower near the Academy's center.
Inside, robed figures waited in a ring-shaped chamber—
each one representing an ancient House.
At the highest chair sat a woman with golden eyes and a mask shaped like a rook.
As Yuuji stepped in, every head turned.
No one smiled.
No one spoke.
Until the woman at the center finally said:
"So... you're the King shaking our board."
Yuuji stepped into the great, round chamber of the Academy Council.
Twelve robed figures sat in a circle on towering thrones—
each one bearing the crest of an ancient, powerful House.
At the center, raised above the rest, sat the High Arbiter:
a woman with a silver mask shaped like a rook and glowing golden eyes.
The room was silent, heavy, cold—
not from air, but from judgment.
Yuuji kept walking.
His footsteps echoed.
He stopped in the center of the ring and looked up.
A voice finally broke the silence—deep, male.
"So. You defeated Selene Vermillion."
Yuuji nodded once.
"Yes."
Another voice, sharp and female:
"You used a restricted zone-disruption spell.
Royal-level magic.
Without senior approval."
Yuuji smiled faintly.
"I improvise."
That drew a quiet stir.
A few narrowed eyes.
A few curious glances.
Then, the Arbiter spoke.
Her voice was soft, but undeniable.
"Yuuji Serizawa, King of House Checkmate...
You've disrupted the balance."
She raised a hand, and a glowing map of the Academy projected in the air.
"Your victory shifted the power structure.
Older Houses are uneasy.
New ones are watching."
Yuuji didn't flinch.
"I'm not here to play their game.
I'm here to win my own."
The council murmured again.
A heavy-set man with the House Ironcrest sigil leaned forward.
"You're reckless.
Unpredictable.
And dangerous."
Yuuji raised an eyebrow.
"Dangerous would be if I didn't talk first."
A few council members smirked.
One even chuckled.
But the Arbiter remained still.
"We summoned you for two reasons," she said.
"First: to warn you."
She waved her hand.
A glowing image appeared above the room—
the girl from last night.
Dark coat.
Black wide-brim hat.
Silver bishop emblem glowing faintly.
"This girl entered the campus during your match.
She bypassed security barriers and erased her magical trail."
Clara, watching through a one-way scrying mirror with Mira and Ayaka, muttered softly:
"Impressive cloaking. And dangerous."
Back in the chamber, a council elder added:
"She doesn't belong to any registered House.
But her aura suggests old magic... very old."
The Arbiter spoke again.
"We suspect she's connected to something we hoped we'd buried."
She looked directly at Yuuji.
"The Shadow Trials."
A low gasp echoed.
Yuuji frowned.
"What are they?"
A robed councilor answered:
"An underground dueling system.
Illegal matches, hidden games...
Many students vanished.
Officially, it doesn't exist."
Yuuji narrowed his eyes.
"But unofficially?"
The Arbiter's mask gleamed.
"You may already be part of it."
Silence.
Weight.
Tension.
Then—
"Second," the Arbiter said,
"we have an offer."
The glowing map disappeared.
The council leaned forward, listening.
"Join the Strategic Council as an unofficial representative of the new generation.
No vote.
No power.
But access.
Information.
Protection."
Yuuji crossed his arms.
"So you want to monitor me."
"We want to know you," she corrected.
"Before others get to you first."
A beat passed.
Then Yuuji nodded once.
"I'll consider it."
The Arbiter gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"You have until week's end."
Then, just as he turned to leave—
a voice behind him added coldly:
"And remember...
not every Queen you face will show mercy."
Yuuji paused.
Smiled without turning.
"That's fine.
I'm not here to beg for mercy."
He walked out.
Behind him, twelve pairs of eyes followed.
Some intrigued.
Some uneasy.
But no one could ignore him anymore.
Later that evening, back in the quiet of House Checkmate's lounge, Yuuji sat across from Mira, Clara, and Ayaka.
The fire crackled softly.
Tea steamed in ceramic cups.
Outside, the Academy was quiet—too quiet.
"So they want you on the Strategic Council?" Ayaka asked, biting into a protein bar.
Yuuji nodded slowly.
"Unofficially. No vote. Just influence and... surveillance."
Mira leaned forward.
"You're not actually considering it, right?"
Clara, ever calm, interjected:
"He should.
Access to Council intel could expose whoever that girl is.
And it puts us a step ahead."
Yuuji looked at them all.
"It's not about trust.
It's about playing the game before someone else plays me."
The group fell silent for a while.
Until—
A soft fluttering sound came from the window.
A black envelope.
Identical to the Council's... but unmarked.
No seal.
No signature.
Just his name:
Yuuji Serizawa
written in crimson ink.
Clara picked it up and examined it.
"The magic is... hidden.
Refined. Old."
Mira drew her sword halfway, instincts sharp.
Ayaka was already looking around for whoever delivered it.
Yuuji opened the envelope.
Inside was a single phrase, burned into the parchment:
"Your next move has been seen.
We await you in the shadows."
Clara's eyes narrowed.
"That's not from the Council."
Mira growled.
"It's them. Whoever's behind those 'Shadow Trials.'"
Yuuji stared at the words.
He folded the letter slowly.
And smiled.
"So... we're being invited to the real game now."