You Will Regret This Ichinose! [143]

The last rays of the sun slanted across the earth, casting long shadows as Uesugi Gen approached the library.

It was nearly closing time. Inside, the air was still and quiet, occasionally broken by the soft thud of books closing or the hurried footsteps of students making their way out.

He ascended the staircase and soon arrived at the same spot where he had last played chess with Sakayanagi Arisu.

Noticing his footsteps, Sakayanagi, who had been waiting, turned her head slightly and greeted him with a gentle smile.

“Good evening, Uesugi-kun.”

The fading twilight streamed through the windows, casting dappled light across her fair, delicate features, lending her an almost dreamlike aura.

“As promised, I’m here for our match. But…”

Uesugi glanced around. Most of the students had already left. The long shadows of bookshelves stretched under the dimming lights, and the closing announcement echoed overhead, urging students to leave.

“Are you sure about this? Staying in the library at this hour?”

Sakayanagi’s violet eyes narrowed slightly, as if savoring the moment, her lips curling into a faint smile.

“No need to worry. I’ve reserved the library for tonight, which means we can stay here for as long as we like.”

Uesugi’s mouth twitched.

“You never learn, do you? Weren’t you scared out of your wits last time?”

“It’s because you didn’t do anything to me last time that I chose this place.”

Unlike their previous encounters, where she had been flustered and frustrated by Uesugi’s antics, Sakayanagi Arisu now exuded a composed, almost omniscient confidence.

With a soft click, the surrounding lights were switched off one by one, plunging the vast library into darkness.

Only the light above Uesugi remained.

“No need for unnecessary chatter. Let’s begin.”

A spark of excitement flickered in Sakayanagi’s eyes. Taking a small step back, she lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and curtsied.

“Tonight, I’ll be in your care.”

Uesugi: “…”

This woman really likes to put on a show.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Sakayanagi extended her hand across the chessboard, her smile unwavering.

“Shall we?”

With a sigh, Uesugi reached out to shake her hand.

Her hand was small—so small that it fit completely within his palm. The moment they touched, he felt a warmth seep through her skin.

He turned his gaze toward Sakayanagi’s composed expression.

She’s not as calm as she pretends to be…

Their hands separated, and they both took their seats.

Turning off their phones, they placed them face-down on the table.

The game began.

White moved first.

Black followed.

The rhythmic sound of chess pieces being placed echoed softly in the silent library.

…

The sun had long since set.

The streetlights lining Advanced Nurturing High School’s pathways flickered on one by one.

Uesugi glanced out the window.

Same tree. Its shadow swayed gently with the wind…

Then he turned back.

Same girl. White beret. Silver hair. Small frame. Impeccable features…

Same seat. Same shadows. Same chessboard.

And—

The same result.

This time, Sakayanagi was playing with a level of intensity far beyond their last match. Every move was aggressive, each piece placed with pinpoint precision—the absolute best possible move for each given moment.

But it was meaningless.

In 1997, IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated the reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, proving that artificial intelligence had surpassed human strategic depth and innovation in chess.

When Uesugi was young, locked away in his home, his only sources of entertainment were games, anime, and movies. But most of all—

He had an AI to play with.

Chess was something he had first encountered in that lonely room.

Day One.
He barely understood the rules and got completely annihilated—his pieces wiped off the board before he even had a chance to move some of them.

Day Two.
He struggled harder this time, but was still effortlessly crushed. However, at least every piece had moved once.

Day Ten.
He managed to last a full thirty minutes. Progress!

Day Twenty-Nine.
He discovered that bluffing and reading his opponent’s reactions made the AI hesitate. That was when he started setting traps. Psychological warfare.

Day Forty-Seven.
For the first time, he played the AI to a draw.

Day Eighty-Three.
He emptied his mind, played purely on intuition, and developed a completely new playstyle—and won.

Day Eighty-Four.
The AI recalibrated, switched to a stronger processing mode, and completely crushed him.

Day Eighty-Five.
To hell with chess! I quit! I’m going back to playing video games!

And so—

Uesugi stared at the porcelain-doll-like girl sitting across from him.

Sakayanagi-san, you can’t win against me.

Even if every move you make is perfect, in thirty-seven moves, I’ll still checkmate you.

After a long pause, Sakayanagi finally made her move, advancing her pawn one square.

Uesugi immediately responded, mobilizing his knights to reinforce the central formation.

The atmosphere in the library grew heavier.

Neither of them spoke.

Silence settled over them, interrupted only by the sound of chess pieces clicking against the board and the occasional chirp of a bird outside.

The moon had risen high, its pale light draping over Sakayanagi Arisu like a silver veil.

And then—

She broke the silence.

“…Uesugi-kun, have you ever heard of the White Room?”

Uesugi narrowed his eyes.

“The White Room? That ridiculous artificial genius factory?”

“So you do know about it. Then tell me—what’s your opinion on it?”

“If the final product is someone like Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, then that place is a failure.”

“…You noticed him, then. I only realized during the sports festival that the White Room’s prodigy was among us.”

Sakayanagi’s voice carried a rare flicker of emotion. She turned to gaze at the moon outside.

“Years ago, I visited that place with my father. I saw him—Ayanokōji Kiyotaka—playing chess.”

An artificial genius.

A father’s suffering.

A daughter’s ideals.

All of these combined to form the girl sitting before him.

“From that day onward, I devoted myself to chess, studying relentlessly. I wanted to prove that genius isn’t something that can be artificially created in a sterile lab.

That I—Sakayanagi Arisu—could defeat Ayanokōji Kiyotaka and prove that the White Room was a complete failure!

So—”

She picked up her piece and captured Uesugi’s knight.

“I absolutely cannot lose to you before that happens!”

—

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!