A six-year-old girl stared blankly at the chess board in front of her, blinking, confused.

"What's this, auntie?"

"Something that you could do with that ridiculous brain of yours. I should have known something was strange about you the moment you were born...!"

The girl continued staring at the board.

"...What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Don't ask me! You're a child genius, aren't you? Your knowledge surpasses even that of college professors- and you're only six! Do you know how disgusting that is...?"

The woman stares down at the young girl, contempt shining clearly in her eyes. "I had to take care of you since your parents wrote it in their will, but honestly, I'd rather throw you out somewhere. Unfortunately, the law doesn't allow that. Why don't you try using this game to actually do something other than reading all the time, huh?"

With those words, she lets out a huff of air and turns, heading out the door and slamming it close.

And the six-year-old girl continues staring at the chess board in front of her, still blinking, still confused.

Rakuzan High, a high school for the elite. You had gotten in because your aunt had urged you to get into the prestigious high school after you moved- so she could brag about your accomplishments and how she had brought you up. You had full intentions to fail, but the exam ended up being a tad too simple- and as a result, you breezed through it so quickly you didn't even realize you had gotten every question right- much unlike your original forethought.

But now that you had gotten accepted into the high school, it was too late for regrets- you had to attend. But you aimed to appear 'stupid' or at least 'average' in the school. Geniuses were great, but they were the ones who were ostracized in society.

You most definitely did not want to be ostracized.

Thus, on the first day of class, you tried to appear as hyper and as loud as possible, to create the illusion that you were one of those funny little pompous girls who got in because of their parents' money. And if anyone asked, you would simply say that your parents were dead, and that your aunt saved their so called fortune for your schooling funds.

There was no way you were letting your classmates know you were a scholarship student.

Before school, the teacher led you down the hallway to the door of your classroom. You took a deep breath, fully prepared to begin your little act.

"Today we have a new transfer student," You heard the teacher say from behind the double doors of the classroom. "Please enter, (Last Name)."

You plaster a smile on your face and open the door, before closing it behind you and glancing around the classroom.

Putting it simply, it was grand. The tables were of fine mahogany, the chairs with cushions on them. The floor was covered with white tiles which shone when hit with sunlight. Computers- most likely belonging to each student- were placed on each desk, along with a couple of pencils and notebooks. At the front of the room, a small podium stood before the blackboard, which stretched from one side of the wall to the other.

Well, you would most definitely enjoy sitting in your desk.

"My name is (Last Name), (First Name)," You announce, grinning widely. "I'm a new student here, but I hope we can get along!"

'That should have been a convincing introduction,' you think to yourself. The teacher smiles.

"Why don't you sit over there, (Last Name)? The seat in front of Akashi is empty." He points in the direction of a male with crimson hair, and you nod at the teacher, before walking over and pulling out the chair, seating yourself in it. You turn around and smile at him.

"Hi! Akashi-san, is it? I hope we can get along-"

"The lessons are starting. Unless you want to miss some important information, you'd better turn around and pay attentions."

You blink a couple of times.

Oh.

He was one of those genius people like you. One look at his eyes told you everything. His reaction made it seem like you had fooled him, so you assumed your act was good enough. You turn around to look at the board as the teacher began the lessons.

After thirty minutes, you found yourself nodding off a bit. Under normal circumstances, you would have woken yourself up, but falling asleep seemed to fit the type of student you were going for, so you allowed yourself to doze off a little bit. Only, after a couple minutes, you were startled back to reality by a voice.

"(Last Name)? I was asking if you had learned this yet- if you have, could you please answer the question on the board?"

The teacher looked at you, slight disdain now showing in his eyes.

It was working.

You scanned over the problem on the board, still slightly sleepy.

"Note that lim f(x) = 0. Also, f(x) times a is less than or equal to f(x) times g(x) which is less than or equal to f(x) times b. So, f(x) times a is equal to 0 times-"

You stop, snapping back awake now that you realized that you were mumbling the answer half asleep. You laugh nervously, when you notice the classmates and teachers all staring at you, somewhat astonished.

Oh crap.

"J-just kidding! I think it's something like that so..."

The teacher blinked a couple of times, before clearing his throat.

"U-um, then, why don't we have Sakamoto answer the problem...?"

The boy named Sakamoto got up and walked over to the white board- which you quickly realized you should have done. Actually, you shouldn't have tried answering the problem at all. You cursed inwardly, and reminded yourself never to let your personality concentration slip again.

Class ended after another fifteen minutes, and you found yourself quickly surrounded by classmates.

"That was amazing, (Last Name)-san! You know how to solve those problems? You didn't even work it out..."

"Ahaha..." You smile nervously at the girl looking at you. "I've seen that same problem before so I happen to remember the answer-"

"That's not possible." A voice spoke from behind you, causing the students around you to all look. You turn to see Akashi staring at you intently.

"Unless you have photographic memory, it is not logical that a person would remember a single question."

You almost frown.

Almost.

"Well, Akashi-san, I happen to have looked at that problem last night when looking at some textbooks at the library to see what we would be studying at school."

The redhead raises his eyebrows.

"You go to the library? I did not get that vibe from you."

You nearly curse aloud at what you had let slip. Genius or not, concocting a fake personality and keeping it up was difficult.

"My niece dragged me there so she could get an encyclopedia for her college assignment."

'Which was partially true," you think to yourself. What was this boy's problem? He seemed to be trying to decode you like some kind of puzzle. You two lock eyes for a minute, glaring at each other, before he speaks slowly.

"You need to learn," he begins, his eyes narrowing, "that only those who serve me can look me in the eye."

A shudder runs down your spine as he says this, and he gets up, before stalking out of the classroom. You sigh, before turning back around.

"Uwaa! You talked to Akashi-kun!" one of girls squealed, excitement shining in her eyes.

"...Is he actually popular among the girls? You've got to be kidding me."

"Of course he is! He's super hot, you know! At Rakuzan, we prioritize studies- but that doesn't mean the girls won't fawn over any cool guys. As it happens, Akashi is one of the most-wanted boys at this school!"

"I see."

For that stoic boy to be popular was not as startling as you had expected. You had noticed that he was quite handsome- his heterochromatic eyes made him look...'exotic'. That was apparently a big hit nowadays. You force a smile, before getting up.

"I'm going to go take a look around the school."

"Oh. Do you want us to come with you?"

You look at the girls, who were looking at you expectantly, and smile as happily as you manage.

"No thanks. I think I'll be okay. See you guys later!"

With that, you turn at head quickly out of the room before any of them could follow you.

Shogi. That was the only thing on your mind right now. After a day of stressful acting, you really needed a way to relax. You weren't really looking forward to going home, since your aunt probably invited the neighbors over to chat. A sigh escapes your parted lips as you open the door to the classroom and step inside.

A ray of sunlight falls on a desk in the front of the room by the window, catching your eye. The flicker of light shines upon a familiar wooden surface, and you find yourself heading towards it.

A chessboard sat on the mahogany desk, the pieces all in starting position. You look around the classroom, curious to see if anyone had left the chessboard. When no one enters the classroom, you slowly eased yourself into a seat, and draw in a deep breath, before breathing out slowly.

Your hands brush the top of the board, moving over the individual pieces, your eyes closed.

King. Rook. Bishop. Generals.

You drew in another deep breath, and breath out again.

Knights. Lances. Pawns.

Your eyes open slightly, and you feel in sync with the chessboard. Whoever it belonged to had clearly taken good care of their equipment. The board was clean and smooth, the pieces pristine as if they had just come out of the package.

Shogi was your favorite past time. In the game, you could actually use your knowledge by playing against yourself, and forget about the stupor of classes, the attitude of your aunt. While it was ironic you disliked your aunt but liked the game she had given you, Shogi had a pull that you simply couldn't resist. As far as you knew, you couldn't go three days without touching the board and pieces at least one time.

You brush your hand over a pawn, and move it forward. With that simple action, you find yourself playing the game, hands moving fluidly over the board, eyes darting around, theories and tactics spiraling through your head.

After a good thirty minutes, you had put the white king into check. You take a deep breath, leaning backwards in your chair, contemplating the king's next move.

"That looks interesting."

A sudden voice startles you from your thoughts, and you turn to find yourself face to face with Akashi.

"The King is being checked by a Knight and a Pawn... You broke through the Yagura castle..." The redhead stares at the board, seemingly contemplating the situation for a couple of minutes.

"In this situation, it would be the best if the King moved..." Akashi moves his hand and shifts the King.

"Here."

He meets your eyes, and you stare back, appalled.

"...You play Shogi?" You breathed out, excitement dancing in your eyes.

"..."

The heterochromatic boy sits himself down on the other side of you, before inclining his head slightly. He evaluates the board.

"Impressive."

You flush suddenly at his unexpected compliment.

"I'm assuming you are not an inexperienced player, yes?"

You nod, and Akashi begins moving the pieces back to their starting positions. He picks up a King piece, before looking you in the eye, a small smile now present on his face.

"Care for a match?"

You stared at the board, furrowing your eyebrows. You were just one move away from checkmating him- and he had somehow gotten to you first. You sigh, before leaning back.

"You got me."

Akashi smirks at the half-astonished look on your face.

"I always win."

You glare at him, before muttering under your breath.

"Damn cocky bastard."

The redhead narrows his eyes.

"Oh? So you think you can do better? Why don't you try again?"

You suddenly leap forward, excitement shining in your eyes.

"Y-you mean we can play again?"

Akashi begins moving the pieces back into place.

"You are not bad at all, so yes, we can play again. It's been a while since I've met someone who has nearly checkmated me."

He taps the lance which was a couple squares away from his king, and you smile.

Maybe in this school, you wouldn't be too alone.