An Unexpected Showdown
"I'm going to rest, so kill time however you want. She'll be back soon."
...How natural. She exuded the familiarity of someone lounging in her own home.
Considering she even had a key to the Counseling Room, did she frequent this place?
As if completely unbothered by my presence, she pulled out a book and flopped onto the bed. Was that a comic book? It seemed to be something kept here for the students who visited the Counseling Room.
She was merely reading something meant to be read, yet why did she look so uncouth? Was it because of her background?
I wanted to demand she show some manners, but I held back. After all, this place seemed to be her regular haunt.
From her perspective, I was probably no different from an intruder. If so, I could overlook her treating a princess like myself in this manner.
Besides, hadn't Teacher Ophelia mentioned it before? That she had seemed down after losing to me. If she still harbored those feelings, it was only natural for her to react this way...
"...?"
Wait. ...Why am I trying to understand her?
Something was off. There was absolutely no reason for me to rationalize her rudeness. Why was I even thinking like this?
I felt somehow different from my usual self. Something was definitely strange—
"What, nothing to do?"
"Hmm?"
"Perfect timing. I was getting sick of reading the same comic over and over anyway."
...Well, it was probably nothing. I had felt a profound sense of dissonance, but on second thought, it must have been my imagination.
As a princess, caring for the citizens was my duty, after all.
But perhaps because I had stood still for a moment, lost in that useless sense of dissonance, she assumed I was standing there blankly out of boredom. She tossed her comic book aside and approached me.
"The counselor told me that if anyone came by while she was out, I should treat them like a guest."
"...And?"
"The problem is... I've never treated anyone like a guest before, and I don't know how."
That much was obvious without her saying it. It was only natural, considering her background. There was no way someone who had always been shunned would know how to host a guest.
Even if her devil went berserk, someone of my caliber could easily escape without serious injury, so I didn't fear her... But most citizens weren't like me.
Indeed, incidents and accidents caused by the Devil Possession were so frequent that public opinion often questioned why they were even allowed to live.
"So, let's have a showdown."
"...A showdown? What, do you intend to fight me again? I don't mind it as a way to kill time, but you had best abandon any hope of winning."
I wondered what she was up to, and it turned out to be this. Did she want to duel me again?
I could praise her competitive spirit, but with her current skills, it was utterly impossible. Unless she went berserk, there was no way she could defeat me. It hadn't even been a month since our match; she couldn't have grown that much in such a short time...?
"What, you don't want to? Why are you just standing there?"
"...No. Fine. Let's do it. I should contact the old hag. We'll need to borrow an empty lot."
The sudden thought put me in a good mood. Praising her competitive spirit. It felt like I had just gained another source for my lacking praise quota.
Well, I suppose I could acknowledge someone like her. Considering most of the Devil Possessed die young around middle school age, the fact that she had survived to this age was proof enough of her competence.
Should I go easy on her this time? If I held back reasonably during the fight, then praised her a bit by saying she had grown, I could easily fill my daily praise quota.
...A perfect plan. This wasn't just a one-week deal. If I played my cards right and coaxed her along, I might be able to milk her for praise until our time at the Academy ended.
"An empty lot? ...Why?"
"Hmm? Are we not dueling? Surely you wouldn't want the Counseling Room to be destroyed."
"Fight? Me? Why?"
"?"
However, Orca's reaction was completely different from what I had anticipated. I was certain she wanted to fight. ...Was I wrong?
"What's with you? Did you seriously think I was going to challenge you?"
"Are you not?"
"I know my place. It's still impossible for me to force your knees to the ground, so I have no desire to fight you right now."
"...I suppose you aren't as reckless as I thought."
"If you charge in blindly, you die fast."
"..."
So she possessed enough intelligence not to pick a fight when she knew there was a vast gap in strength. And here I had thought she was completely brainless.
My evaluation of this girl, which I thought would never change, shifted slightly. She was a bit different from my expectations. It seemed I needed to reevaluate her.
"Then what exactly do you mean by a showdown?"
"This."
With an air of confidence, Orca thrust something before my eyes.
...It was a wooden object. Adorned with black and white tiles, it didn't look particularly expensive, to put it mildly. It appeared to have hinges, allowing it to open and close. Was the inside hollow? As Orca shoved it forward, something rattled inside.
"...Chess."
"Yeah. Let's settle today's score with this. Perfect since we're both bored. I'm going to crush you."
Did she actually have any knowledge of chess? She didn't seem the type at all. I gave her a surprised look before nodding.
Well, it was a decent enough pastime. Though the fact that the chessboard looked mass-produced was a bit of a flaw... But expecting anything more in a place like the Counseling Room would be a luxury.
"Very well. Let us see what you can do."
I decided to humor her until Teacher Ophelia returned.
"Sigh..."
I let out a long breath as I closed the door to the Headmaster's office. Had I let my emotions get the better of me?
I couldn't help but think that if the Headmaster had been the type to care even a little about authority, I might have had to get her drunk and use Hypnosis on her again.
No matter how much it was for the students' sake, I needed to be more careful in the future.
Hypnosis wasn't an all-powerful cure-all. Even if the conditions were relatively simple, it still required specific circumstances to work, so relying on it too heavily was unwise. I needed to reflect on this.
Sighing, I quickened my pace toward the Counseling Room. It had taken much longer than expected. Although Orca had been quiet lately, she might be getting bored. I needed to be there for her...
"...Oh? Leo?"
"Ah, Teacher. Hello."
"What are you doing out here instead of going in? Was the door locked?"
Perhaps because I had walked so fast, I had arrived earlier than expected, only to find Leo lingering in front of the Counseling Room door. ...What was going on? Was it locked?
"No, the door isn't locked. It's just..."
"Just?"
"I felt a bit awkward about going in..."
"?"
Awkward about going in? If the door was unlocked, Orca should be inside.
Leo and Orca had known each other for quite some time now, so Leo must be well aware of that. There was no reason for him to feel awkward...
"Would you like to see for yourself?"
"What in the world..."
I wondered what on earth was happening inside to elicit such a reaction. Driven by curiosity, I peeked through the crack of the slightly ajar door, only to freeze in surprise.
"A-Again... Let's play again...!"
"No, I've had enough. Let's stop here."
"Why?! Why?!"
"Are you asking because you genuinely don't know? You are dreadfully terrible at chess. A complete scrub."
What on earth had transpired while I was away? I couldn't comprehend the sight before my eyes. ...Why were those two playing chess together?
"They looked like they were having so much fun, so I felt bad interrupting."
"..."
If that was the case, he could have just come back later. Had he really been pacing in front of the door all this time, hoping they would notice him or waiting for their game to end? The sight of Leo smiling so brightly made me feel a bit sorry for him...
"Grrr...! T-This can't be...! I studied so hard, too...!"
"That wasn't studying; that was just learning the basics. At your level... you might barely manage to beat someone who knows absolutely nothing about chess."
"B-But I even beat the counselor recently!"
"Are you sure she didn't just let you win?"
"..."
I felt a pang of pity for Orca, who was struck dumb. Since she had taken an interest in chess lately, I had been intentionally letting her win to boost her confidence.
Who would have thought she would challenge Stella to a game of chess the moment she gained a bit of confidence... No matter how you looked at it, there was no way a complete novice could defeat a princess. Even ordinary nobles learned chess as part of their basic etiquette.
...Besides, Stella was a character themed around chess. Most of her skill names were chess-related, and her in-game minigames were almost entirely chess. Even her character illustration depicted her wearing mismatched black and white cotton gloves and thigh-high socks. Naturally, her character settings dictated that she was exceptionally skilled at chess.
...And yet, Orca had gone up against her. I had worked so hard to build her confidence, only for her to get crushed by the same person again. I worried she might fall into despair. Just as I was about to step into the room to separate them—
Orca, who had been hanging her head, spoke up.
"...Let's play again."
"And why should I..."
"It's not like you have anything else to do anyway. Since we're already at it, you might as well teach me a few things while we play."
"I must commend your sheer audacity. Very well. You may make the first move."
I stared blankly into the Counseling Room. The sight of them bickering while playing chess... It looked incredibly peaceful, like normal children their age.
"...I'm sorry, Leo. Your legs must be tired, but could you... could you wait just a little longer?"
"Please don't worry about me."
I watched the scene inside the Counseling Room for a while longer. Until the two of them finally noticed I was watching.