The time had finally come. Standing like a soldier on the battlefield, I solemnly gazed up at the enemy’s fortress. It was the Bakus mansion in Roscoff Village – Roger’s house.

The sky was clear and the weather was quite good. The wind was pleasantly cool, not cold. It was fortunate considering how Roger’s mood is slightly affected by the weather.

How many excuses had I come up with for today? In order to defeat Roger, I had prepared plans and appropriate responses to match the situations.

It was perfect. There was nothing to be afraid of now.

“Oh, Lize, you’re here? Roger has been waiting for you. Go on up.”

“Thank you, Duchess.”

I clenched my fists tightly and climbed the stairs.

* * *

“Does that make sense? Don’t tell me you’re already tired of it?”

Roger said in a very dissatisfied voice. I knew this would happen.

The root cause was my suggestion to reduce the violin lessons to one hour. I thought I had spoken quite logically, but as expected, it didn’t work.

I tried realizing the other plans as well, but not a single one of them worked on him.

Roger was indeed not an easy opponent.

“But… I want to play chess.”

“Even so, the practice is already insufficient. You’re saying you’ll practice less here? You said you’d play with me. It’s hard even if you learn for two full hours a day, how can it be done in one hour?”

“I’m not giving up. I’ll practice well. But… there’s something more important to me than the violin.”

“And that’s chess?”

I nodded at Roger’s cold gaze. He was silent. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he pursed his lips and frowned.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Roger’s feelings. It hadn’t even been a month since we started the violin lessons. I was just beginning to learn the techniques and hadn’t even mastered the basics yet, and Roger had been dedicating his time for me.

But if I suddenly say I want to do something else, even I would be dumbfounded. Especially for someone like Roger who is sensitive and pursues perfection.

He must be quite angry at the practice time suddenly being cut in half. But I was also desperate in my own way.

“You can just play chess with me.”

I couldn’t answer right away at his unexpected words. Roger put down the violin and took out the chessboard from under his desk.

“What?”

I stared blankly at the chessboard after putting down the violin.

It must be quite an old chessboard, as the corners were rounded and not sharply angled. When I approached and touched the chessboard, it felt rough as if it hadn’t been sanded for a long time.

“I’m pretty good at chess.”

“……”

“Seems unbelievable?”

No.

Although I hadn’t known Roger for long, he was someone who couldn’t exaggerate or embellish himself. In other words, that confident voice meant he was really good at chess.

Roger crossed his arms.

“Then let’s do this. Play chess with me right now. If you lose, you’ll have to give up on chess. Losing to me in the first place means that’s the extent of your talent.”

“Alright.”

* * *

There was no twist. The evidence was Roger’s face as he glared at the chessboard, fuming. He couldn’t believe he had lost to me so easily.

“As promised, violin will only be one hour from now on. You won’t go back on your word, right?”

“Wh- what is this?”

“I’m sorry, Roger. I totally understand why you’re angry. But I really had no choice.”

“Wh- why did I lose?”

Roger muttered to himself. That was the problem. He seemed to have already forgotten the promise and was wounded in his pride from his defeat.

I didn’t devise a grand strategy to beat Roger. I didn’t recklessly attack either. If I said it out loud, Roger might flare up, but I could see all his weaknesses. When I could see them all, how could I not attack?

That didn’t mean Roger’s chess skills were terrible. He played quite well.

“Maybe similar to Yurik’s…”

It meant he had skill. Roger lifted his head, as if he had heard my small voice.

“Yurik?”

“Ah. He’s the son of the person who teaches me chess. A boy around our age, and his name is Yurik.”

“Are you saying my skills are the same as that kid’s?”

“What? Yurik is exceptionally good at chess.”

Roger’s expression began to harden. Oh no. I belatedly realized I had misspoken. It was understandable for Roger to be upset at being compared to a boy whose face he didn’t even know.

Why did my words get so twisted only in front of Roger?

“Roger… Yurik is, well, handsome, tall, and a very cool boy. He’s excellent at chess and perfect! And you, you too-”

“……”

It’s no use. Roger’s face has hardened to the point of being sharp. I should stop talking about Yurik here and lower my tail again.

“Can’t you help me just this once? If you don’t spare some time for me, I can’t play chess.”

“…Do you like chess that much?”

“Yeah.”

“Even if Lady Marsen opposes it?”

Roger pointed it out. Had he noticed the relationship between me and Isabel? He started arranging the pieces on the chessboard one by one. It was an action of finally admitting his defeat.

“You’re trying to cut out violin time to play chess behind the lady’s back, right?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Mother and Lady Marsen are close. You know that too. If Mother opens her mouth, you’ll get caught right away, right?”

“I’ll talk to Duchess Bakus separately about that…”

“It’s no use even if you ask Mother. She’s terrible at lying. Lady Marsen will probably notice right away.”

Oh no. Just as I had overcome one obstacle, an even bigger one was waiting.

“What should I do?”

“There’s only one way. Sneak out. There’s a door at the back of the mansion. If you go out there, no one will notice. Even the servants don’t know about that door.”

“Is it really okay?”

“We’ll figure it out somehow. I’ll tell Mother not to come in during violin practice. I’ll tell her you said goodbye and left.”

I knew how much resolve Roger was making. He loved his mother more than anyone else. That was evident just from seeing how he became shy or timid only in front of his mother, like a child his age. Crucially, he couldn’t lie to Duchess Bakus.

But he was going to do that for me.

“You’re my student, after all. As a teacher, I can’t stop my student’s dream.”

Roger’s words made my heart ache.

I think I’ve misunderstood you all this time, Roger. You were a bit sensitive, a bit prickly, and a bit strict, but you’re really a great guy.

“Rooger…”

“Instead.”

He leaned forward.

“Meet me tomorrow.”

“…What?”

“I’m going to the village of Hosha tomorrow to hang out.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Did you eat something wrong, Roger?

“If you tell Lady Marsen that you’re meeting me, she won’t let you out of the mansion? Then you can go play chess.”

“Why?”

I raised my voice without realizing it, taken aback.

“I’m curious. Where you’re learning chess.”

“…But they might not welcome you.”

“You said there’s a kid named Yurik. A boy the same age as me.”

“What about that?”

When I asked, Roger spoke as if I was asking the obvious.

“Wouldn’t they welcome a child of the same age and gender as their own child coming to play? Especially if that child is the heir to the Bakus family.”

What kind of strange logic is that? Those words nearly came out of my throat, but I swallowed them. If I misspoke again, an upset Roger might break the promise right away.

“Are you serious? Roger?”

“I don’t lie. You know I can’t.”

“You’ll have to shamelessly lie from now on, so how can you say that!”

“I’ll gradually improve. Maybe I have a talent for lying too. I’m overflowing with talent in everything.”

“……”

“So? You’ll meet me tomorrow, right?”

He pleaded, as if he had changed his tactics now.

I couldn’t fathom why Roger was acting this way. I felt uneasy for no reason. But I couldn’t refuse Roger’s request when he was sacrificing himself to grant my favor.

As Roger said, if I said I was playing with him, Isabel would welcome it with open arms, and I could use this opportunity to play chess. Maybe it was a good opportunity.

“Do as you wish.”

As soon as I gave my permission, a bright smile appeared on the face of the stubborn Roger.

* * *

“Playing with Roger Bakus? That’s nice, go and play with him.”

As expected, as soon as Roger’s name came up, Isabel let me out.

The meeting place with Roger was none other than the square with the fountain. Looking at the clock tower in the distance, there were still about thirty minutes left until the appointed time.

Since I had some time, I was wondering what to do when I spotted a familiar silhouette in front of the fountain. The boy staring blankly at the ground and tapping his foot was Roger.

I was surprised that Roger had come early, but I was even more surprised by his appearance. Roger usually paid attention to his attire. But wasn’t this a bit too much…?

‘Are you going on a blind date?’

An outer garment with large decorations and stylish shoes. His usually curly hair was even curlier. His bangs, which normally completely covered his forehead, were slightly parted on both sides. Anyone who saw him would think he was a child attending a close relative’s wedding.

“Oh, you’re here?”

He noticed me and casually remarked. Indifferently at that.

He glanced at my plain outfit and hesitated for a moment.

“…Same as usual.”

“We’re not attending a wedding, Roger.”

“Don’t you know first impressions are important? I need to let the people I’m meeting for the first time today know that my image is neat and calm.”

“But there’s a limit.”

“You also paid attention to your outfit when you first met me.”

He was referring to the dress Isabel had chosen for me. At that time, Isabel had a maid put makeup on my face as well. I remember tying my long hair neatly into one.

“That was…”

“Didn’t you dress like that to make a good impression on me too?”

“You were also dressed up at that time.”

Roger laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“What are you talking about? This is being dressed up, and that was my everyday attire then.”

He didn’t back down on a single word.

“Enough, let’s go now!”

If I kept arguing, I felt like I would only get frustrated and my insides would turn upside down. We need to get to the Penton mansion quickly, this won’t do.

As I headed towards the market, which was a shortcut, Roger followed closely behind me. Perhaps because there was no such large market in Roscoff Village, Roger kept looking around, fascinated by the bustling environment even during the daytime on a weekday.

Now he seemed a bit like a child.

“That signboard has a strange design. I don’t know who made it, but.”

“……”

“How do they manage the wood? It’s all covered in thorns and doesn’t look good.”

There was no innocence. No innocence at all.

Roger even pointed out a flyer that had flown in with the wind.

“Children’s camp participant recruitment? With this flyer design, there’s no way they’ll recruit for the camp.”

Endure it…

The opponent is just a ten-year-old boy.