The day after his outing with Kaori and the encounter with Kaede, Hajime woke up feeling utterly unmotivated to go to school.

The more he contemplated it, the more certain he became that yesterday had been among the top five worst days of his life.

"(Let’s hope today goes better.)"

Just as he thought this, the young [mage] felt his phone vibrate. He had received a message.

"From Kohaku?............. [Keep your afternoon free, there’s news you need to know.] Fantastic, another ruined day; splendid!"

With immense effort, the adolescent began his day, not in the mood to converse with anyone. He left home before he could encounter Kaori, his mother, or Goto, opting to skip breakfast.

"(I wonder what news Kohaku was referring to? Perhaps the person who will be keeping an eye on us has arrived? Or maybe that jerk with the scythe has returned? Should I ask him at school?)"

"You seem deep in thought."

Startled by the voice from behind him, Hajime abruptly turned around and found a smiling Kohaku watching him with amusement.

"You jumped like a frightened rabbit! I’m not the big bad wolf here to eat you! Ehehehehehe!"

"Tsk! I’m not in the mood for this!"

The silver-haired teenager decided to pretend the last few minutes of his life had not happened and continued walking while the hacker kept pace beside him.

The two enjoyed a moment of silence before the boy recalled what had transpired the last time they had met.

"How are you doing after what happened?"

"Ah! You mean Yukihime-sama? Well.............. her words made me reflect a lot on what I have done and what I will do moving forward.......... I truly need to thank her the next time I see her."

"Thank her? She..."

"Showed me the truth, nothing more and nothing less. I assume she spoke with you after being dismissed."

"Yes............ let’s just say she tested me and then explained a few things. By the way, what’s the news?"

"We shouldn’t discuss it in detail out here.......... but I can tell you that I, Kuro, and Cloe-chan have a new legal 'guardian' living with us."

"(Just as I imagined.)"

As the two teenagers spoke, they eventually neared the school.

"We should part ways now."

"Huh!? Hajime, I didn’t think you hated me that much!  I knew you liked Cloe-chan more, but you’re still rude!"

"N-no, that's not what I meant............! *Sigh* There’s someone at school who works for Goto. I think it would be dangerous if they knew I was getting along with anyone from here."

Kohaku's amused smile was replaced by a more serious expression upon hearing this.

"Tell me who it is. It could be a problem if they submit periodic reports to the [Black Corps]."

"It’s the school nurse, Mark Watson. I presume his task is to ensure that I don’t have any serious injuries that could arouse Kaori-chan’s suspicions."

"Hmmmm............... you’re right. It's better to separate. Listen, wait for me at the entrance we used during the last mission, from there we’ll go to the base together. For now, let’s pretend to be strangers at school."

"Alright."

Hajime distanced himself from the hacker to avoid raising suspicions. They arrived at school simultaneously, but no one took notice.

*****

Several hours later, Hajime exited the school, taking a long and winding route to reach the entrance to the sewers.

"(At least no one disturbed me at school today.)"

After the last "altercation" that occurred in school, most of the student body had come to understand that he was not an "easy target," so the minor threats chose to steer clear of him, while the major players attempted to gauge him.

"You took your time, Hajime."

"I took a long route in case someone from school wanted to follow me."

"Ah, right. I’d forgotten you were the 'new arrival.' Although I believe that after your 'academic performance,' they won’t bother you for a while."

Having exchanged pleasantries, the two adolescents descended into the sewers towards Kohaku's and his friends' residence.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, the holder of the [Grimoire] was delighted to see Cloe safe and sound, enough to smile at her slightly. The young [mage] did not have the same reaction towards the person next to her.

"You took your time. I bet it was that idiot who slowed you down." (Kuro)

"It’s a pleasure to see you too, idiot! I see you’re back to your old self after the humiliating beatings you took."

"...Excuse me?!"

Kuro and Hajime began to bicker. Meanwhile, Kohaku observed the scene with keen interest, as if it were a delightful television series, while the poor Cloe sighed, unsure how to intervene in the squabble.

"I wouldn’t have been injured if I had a decent teammate!" (Kuro)

"Excuse me!? Who dragged your ungrateful butt here!? I did! So there’s nothing to thank me for!!!!"

"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have ended up in that situation!"

The two boys continued hurling insults at each other for nearly half an hour before someone interrupted them.

"What youthful vigor! You certainly don’t lack spirit!"

The person who interrupted the two was a thirty-year-old with black hair, slender, dressed elegantly, and possessing an intellectual gaze.

The most interesting characteristic of the man was his heterochromatic eyes. The right one was green while the other was black.

"(So it’s him?)"

"Hello, as you may have guessed, I am the new legal 'guardian' of these three, as well as the one tasked with taking care of all of you. I am Takeda Fumio; Yukihime-sama has told me much about you."

"Kamijo Hajime, nice to meet you."

Hajime felt at ease around Fumio; the man seemed accommodating but carried an air of authority, like a schoolteacher.

"Let’s get to know each other, Kamijo-san. I’ve already spoken with the others; you’re the only one left."

"Huh, o-ok."

"Relax, I won’t be like Yukihime-sama. Her methods are effective.......... but a bit too 'physical' at times."

The thirty-year-old and Goto's stepson made their way to the cafeteria, where a chess set awaited them.

"(Chess? Does it relate to his [magic]? Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if he is a [mage] or a [Esper]............... he certainly isn’t a normal human............ those eyes of his........... it’s as if he’s scanning me; could it be just my impression?)"

"Can you play, Kamijo-san?"

"A bit; my father taught me...but it’s been years since I last played."

"Alright, then let’s have a practice match first, just to get you back into the swing of things, if you’re up for it."

The silver-haired adolescent felt that the game would eventually lead to some conclusion, so he decided to go along with it.

"Sounds good."

The first game lasted only 15 minutes; Hajime managed to recall most of the rules and methods taught to him by his father before being defeated by Fumio.

"Good, now it gets serious. It's your move."

"Alright."

A pleasant silence fell between them as they played; the adolescent sincerely thought that the man would start speaking, but apparently, he was mistaken. Twenty minutes passed, and they were still there, playing without exchanging a word.

"So, why are we playing?"

"Because it’s easier for me to decipher people this way. But since I told you we were going to get to know each other, feel free to ask me questions if you wish—after all, we’ll be spending a lot of time together. I know you won’t trust me immediately, but I hope to be someone you can turn to for help if you ever need it."

The stepson of Goto discerned no lies on Fumio's accommodating face, although he wasn’t truly certain whether the man was sincere or just a skilled liar. For now, however, he would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"What are your orders?"

"Simple question: I must take care of all four of you in every possible way and take on missions that you are capable of completing."

"I understand............. I believe you’re not a normal human; so what is your power?"

"Correct observation. I am a [mage]; my right eye allows me to alter the type of vision I desire: I can use X-rays, see ultraviolet light, identify weak points, and enhance my natural ability to track moving objects, which is my kinetic vision. My left eye, on the other hand, nullifies the [magic] of anyone within my field of vision."

"Um, I didn’t expect that......."

"You wanted me to talk about all my powers? I can understand, but I feel better now that we both know quite a bit about each other's [magic]."

"So, she told you about my..........."

"[Grimoire]? Yes, and I would like you to know that I will help you master your power. I have already met people like you; certainly, your [magic] is quite unusual and has various branches, it seems............... but I believe with time, I can assist you. After all, two heads are better than one, wouldn’t you agree?"

Hajime remained still at those words. Part of him felt genuinely grateful that Yukihime had sent someone who wanted and could help him with his [Grimoire], while another part wondered why the loli had gone to such lengths for him—was there a specific reason behind it?

"Do you have any other questions, Kamijo-san?"

"Yes, we’re at the end of the match, and I’m losing; have you managed to decipher me?"

"Oh, certainly. For quite a while: you are a sharp person from the world you operate in—cautious but genuinely intelligent, almost at a prodigy level............ but you are also incapable of handling a certain degree of pressure; as soon as I put you under pressure, you started becoming more aggressive, which left you vulnerable to traps and deception."

"............"

The stepson of Goto widened his eyes. He truly hadn’t expected Fumio to deduce all of this from a game of chess with him. The most surprising part was that he was more or less correct.

"Did you do this with the others?"

"Only with Aomori-san. The Kusanagi brothers don’t know how to play........... so tell me, do you want to know what piece you are in the game?"

"Piece? In what sense?"

Fumio smiled at the boy in front of him before picking up several chess pieces in his hand (eliminated from the game by the two) and showing them to Hajime.

"I’ll tell you about the others first: Kuro-san is the knight, the piece that moves completely differently from the others and can leap forward, overcoming obstacles."

"Are you talking about his shadow power?"

"Yes."

The man placed the knight on the table.

"Then we have Cloe-san; she is the queen, the strongest piece of all, capable of moving in any direction, at least until she encounters another piece from her own side or, in her case, an obstacle."

"I understand; I’ve seen her power. But at a high cost."

"Exactly, Kamijo-san, the aftereffects of Cloe-san's power are a barrier she can’t surpass."

Fumio set the queen piece on the table.

"Aomori-san, she is the king, the leader, the most important piece, the mind, but.........."

"Also the most vulnerable piece. If something were to happen to her while we’re on a mission, we’d be in serious trouble."

"Exactly."

The thirty-year-old placed the king piece on the table.

"And finally, you. The pawn. The piece that cannot retreat once it begins to advance, and the only one that can be 'promoted' to another piece, taking on a different role."

It was strikingly accurate; the silver-haired adolescent could not retreat or change his mind now that he had chosen to become fully involved in this matter, which was undoubtedly larger than himself.

"Only if it reaches the end of the board."

"Don’t worry, Kamijo-san; I’m here to ensure you reach the end of the game."

Before the boy could respond, his phone rang. He had set an alarm to ensure he didn’t lose track of time while at the base.

"I have to go; otherwise my little sister and mother might become suspicious of my delay."

"I understand; it was a pleasure, see you next time. Ah, one last thing."

"Tell me."

"Checkmate."