"You rigged the bracket, right?" Azuma whispered to Ivy subtly, standing in the corner of the room as he side-eyed the group of powerful devils still chatting in front of the chess table.
"Yes, Master," Ivy nodded in confirmation, "You and Sona are on separate sides of the bracket, so you will meet in the finals."
"Rig it again," Azuma said bluntly, causing Ivy to blink in surprise, "Make us meet in the semi-finals. Put Ajuka Beezlebub on the other side of the bracket - or, whatever name he signed up with."
Azuma gestured toward Ajuka, the Maou still chatting pleasantly with Serafall, Sona, Seekvaira, and Ravel.
"Make sure she's on the other side of the bracket too," Azuma nodded his head toward Seekvaira.
The original plan was for Azuma and Sona to meet in the finals of the chess tournament - there was no way either of them would lose to any of the other human entrants, and beating Sona in dramatic fashion in the finals would only make the girl like him more.
But, with the two incomers…
I don't know how good Seekvaira is, but she's the 'smart type.' I'll put her on the other side to be safe.
Azuma assumed Sona was probably still better than Seekvaira, but it was better to be safe than sorry. If either he or the Sitri Heiress ended up losing to her early, then it would infringe on Azuma's plans a lot.
He definitely needs to be on the other side.
Azuma glanced dryly at Ajuka, then quickly looked away as the powerful devil actually glanced back - able to feel his gaze even across the massive room.
While Azuma couldn't be sure if Seekvaira was better than him or Sona, he knew Ajuka was.
He's the smartest devil there is. Hell, he might be the smartest person in the whole supernatural world.
"On it, Master," Ivy nodded quickly, "It's a bit last second. Good thing I didn't put out the sheet yet…"
"Make it so me or Sona aren't against any other supernatural who signed up either," Azuma continued as Ivy glanced over the paper bracket in her hands, "Put all of them onto the other side of the bracket. Just put us against humans."
While Ajuka and Seekvaira were the main concerns, the tournament had brought a couple of other supernatural entrants. There were a couple of random devils, along with even a Youkai.
No need to risk any upsets. We just need to meet in the finals, having entertaining matches doesn't matter. It's a chess tournament, not a WWE cage match.
Azuma blinked as an idea hit him.
We should start holding those. I wonder if I could convince Serafall to wrestle as magical Levi-tan? She'd probably do it if she was wrestling Sona…
It seemed like the kind of insane thing the female Maou would randomly be up to in her free time, and the audience she would bring would be massive.
Her big tits flopping around in a magical girl costume? The stands will be packed.
Ivy scribbled on the paper in her hand, then waved over another dryad, who quickly took the paper and went to change the bracket matchups.
"Finished, Master," Ivy replied, "You will face Sona-sama in the semi-finals, and Ajuka-sama is on the opposite side."
"Good. Seekvaira?"
"Also on the opposite side, as requested. I've placed her against a gentleman using a rather… interesting pseudonym. I think he's probably the easiest first-round match…" Ivy glanced across the room distastefully.
Azuma blinked, following her gaze.
Is that… Issei?
Across the room, three teenagers were talking in a group. One had brown, messy hair, a plain looking face, and a rather weak looking body. He was wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform, which was fit with a red undershirt, white overshirt, and long black pants.
The other two managed to be even plainer - One had gray hair that so short he was practically bald, while the other had typical messy black hair. The short-haired one had a rather plain face with absurdly large and round ears - making him kind of look like a monkey - along with a plain body, while the black-haired man looked like a typical smart-nerd with big glasses and a thin frame. They were also in the standard Kuoh Academy uniform.
What the hell is the perverted trio doing at a chess tournament?
Azuma doubted any of the three boys even knew how to set up the board.
"What name did he enter with?" Azuma asked blandly, wanting to make sure he wasn't mistaking the boy.
"The middle one is 'Harem King," Ivy answered, looking at Issei, "The glasses's wearing one is 'Orgasm Dealer,' and the third one is 'Ass Lover.'"
…Yeah, about what I expected. It's kind of impressive, really, that they have the balls to sign up like that and stick around.
"They're not even perving either," Azuma hummed, glancing at the gorgeous group of Serafall, Sona, Seekvaira, and Ravel - who the perverted trio were pointedly not looking toward.
I figured they signed up to oogle at female players, but they're keeping to themselves.
"When they entered, Sona threatened to expel them from Kuoh Academy if they looked at her or her sister," Ivy answered his unspoken question, "Then, the Agares Heiress threatened to chop their balls off when the bald one looked at her breasts."
"Yeah, that'll do it," Azuma nodded sagely.
I'll have to deal with them later. If we don't start soon, Ajuka or Serafall might leave.
Considering they took the time to come all the way to the human world, he doubted they would, but it would be better to start the tournament and keep them entertained. They were still Maou, even if Serafall didn't act like it - they had responsibilities and were likely constantly busy.
Azuma glanced towards the group of devils clustered near the chess tables, where Ravel was currently engaged in a conversation with Serafall, Ajuka, Sona, and Seekvaira. He put on his best smile, standing up and walking toward them.
"Now, let's get this show on the road. Ivy, you can handle the rest, right?"
"Yes, Master!"
Ivy stepped forward, her voice suddenly becoming higher pitched as she smiled beautifully. "Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to the first ever Dungeon Resort Chess Championship!"
Some light clapping following as Azuma approached the group of devils.
"The bracket has just been posted at the main desk, but please listen for your names! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Our first match at table one will be between… Thomas and Brenda!"
The two humans, looking nervous, shuffled to the chessboard as Ivy and another dryad started calling out names.
Azuma, meanwhile, grabbed Ravels hand in his own as he joined the group. The beautiful girl blushed at his movement.
"Ravel, are you already acquainted with them?" He asked professionally, nodding at Ajuka and Seekvaira, both who turned to look at him as he spoke.
Ravel smiled, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Yes, d-d-d-dear! I-I've known Agares-san for a while, and I've seen Beezlebub-sama at a few meetings. We were just discussing the nuances of the Sicilian Defense!"
"Ah, yes, the Sicilian," Azuma said, nodding sagely, though he had no idea what it was - just mere days ago he would've confused a pawn with a rook, "A classic."
The chess proficiency made Azuma good at chess - very good - but that didn't mean he understood all of it. The only openings he knew were the ones his hands automatically made during a game.
"Are you experienced in chess, Beezlebub-san?" Azuma asked casually, looking at Ajuka.
"Ah, just a bit," Ajuka smiled in a 'I'm being humble' type of way.
"He invented it!" Serafall cheered, and Azuma nearly facefaulted.
Of fucking course he did!
"No, no, Sera-chan," Ajuka shook his head, "I just invented the evil pieces. The actual game was invented by a good friend of mine many, many, years ago. I just helped a bit."
Oh, so he was only around for the invention of chess. That's sooooo much better!
"I was hoping the competition would be strong, but…" Seekvaira spoke up, glancing over at the perverted trio blandly.
"Just because he loves asses doesn't mean he's bad at chess, Seek-chan!" Serafall countered, nodding sagely as she alluded to the 'Ass Lover' pseudonym.
No, he's definitely bad at chess.
"I wouldn't write off the competition so early, Agares-san," Azuma grinned, "It was rather short notice, but there's still a big prize on the line, y'know? Enough money to drag in some big-shots."
True to Azuma's words, many human chess pros had come to play, but they were obviously going to be thoroughly trounced by the likes of Sona, Seekvaira, Azuma, and Ajuka.
Seekvaira gave him a cool, assessing look. "That's true, but I am always prepared, Kaito-san. Though, I confess, I am curious as to your own skill level. I have heard rumors."
"Rumors?" Azuma blinked at her blankly.
How the fuck has she heard of me?
"Just in small circles," Seekvaira explained at his look, "The Phenex Clan's only daughter dating a human mage is rather topical news. You're all the gossip amongst the young devils."
That's already gotten out?
Azuma wanted to keep his and Ravel's 'dating' cover under wraps for as long as he could - he wasn't ready to take on the wrath of Lord Phenex yet. So far he had only told Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki - though, he also hadn't been secretive about knowing Ravel beyond that. There was a good chance another supernatural being had seen him and Ravel together in the resort and spread the news, or one of Rias or Sona's peerages could've leaked it.
Azuma glanced at Ravel out of the corner of his eye, and the girl gave him a slight shake of her head as she instantly caught onto what he was thinking.
How she's managing to keep me a secret to her parents when even the young devil heirs know is beyond me.
Ravel really was the perfect choice for an attendant.
"Good things at least, right?" Azuma glanced at Seekvaira questioningly.
"Mostly. I've heard you're charming, smart, powerful, and… a pervert," Seekvaira replied bluntly, her lips twitching upward at the end.
Fair enough. I'm not very private about that type of stuff.
He had literally ranted to Rias about how sexy she was in front of her, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki. On top of that, his resort was employed primarily by sexy scantily-clothed dryads.
"So, all good things," Azuma grinned, causing Ajuka to chuckle lightly.
Azuma's eyes glanced down Seekvaira, staring at her chest blatantly, "What do you think about perverts, Agares-san?"
Seekvaira stared back at him for a moment, then simply sighed as she didn't get angry at his gaze, "Honestly, we're devils - we're all perverts. The difference is strength. A weaklings is a perverted loser, while a strong man is a harem king. They're viewed in entirely different lights, and yet they're exactly the same."
That was… kind of profound, actually.
"But, that's just how life is, isn't it, Agares-san?" Azuma shot back, dragging his eyes up to lock with hers, "When I was weak, I barely had enough to get by. Now that I'm strong, I get to date a beautiful woman and own a resort worth trillions of yen. In a world like the one we live in, strength is everything."
Now, Miss Mecha Otaku, let's see if you recognize this.
"It's a shame, but," Azuma simply shrugged, grinning widely, "The real world isn't as kind as the one in pop songs, right?"
Seekvaira nodded at him, "Yes, I suppose you're corr-"
She stopped abruptly, her eyes going wide as she stared at him with a glint in her eyes.
"W-Was that a Devildam quote?"
Your Affection with [Seekvaira Agares] has advanced one stage!
[Neutral] -> [Liked]
Devils made Gundam here?
"H-Have you watched the show? Are you fan?" Seekvaira suddenly leaned forward at him, her eyes bursting with excitement.
"Of course. I love all things mecha," Azuma said as honestly as he could.
'Love' is a strong word. 'Watched a deviltube top-ten mecha quotes video the other day' would be more accurate.
Your Affection with [Seekvaira Argaes] has advanced one stage!
[Liked] -> [Strongly Liked]
Let it be known that Azuma Kaito might be lazy, but he was always prepared. He knew the day he met Seekvaira would come at some point, and he knew exactly what he needed to pry into her heart.
The girl loves mecha too much. Way too much.
"R-Really?!" Seekvaira's face flushed, and she took another step forward, being uncomfortably close to him as her large breasts almost pressed into his chest, "W-What's your favorite show?! Have you seen all the Gundams? What about Evangelion? Are you a fan of Code Geass? Oh! Have you heard of-"
"Souna Shitori and… Harem King!" A dryad shouted out, the woman pausing as she read Issei's pseudonym.
Seekvaira shut her mouth abruptly, blushing as she took a step back and composed herself - pulled out of her mecha-induced trance by Sona, who was also a blushing mess next to her as Serafall continued to point at various passing humans and tell them 'how much better my So-tan is,' being called for her first match.
"I'm against him?" Sona muttered, but she was overshadowed as Serafall pushed her toward the table with a cheer.
"Go, So-tan! It's your turn!" The two sisters walked away, leaving Azuma with Ravel, Seekvaira, and Ajuka.
"M-My apologies, I don't know what came over me," Seekvaira coughed, composing herself back into her usual cold self again.
"No problem," Azuma waved his hand lazily, "I'm surprised, who would've thought a hotty like you would be into mecha? I'm a huge fan myself, so I get it. I can just go on about it for hours sometimes, y'know?"
I'd fold instantly if you asked me for specifics.
Your Affection with [Seekvaira Agares] has advanced one stage!
[Strongly Liked] -> [Attracted]
"Y-Yes! I do know!" Seekvaira leaned forward again excitedly...
"Seekvaira Agares and Quintainous!"
…but then quickly composed herself again as her name was called, "I-I mean, I do enjoy talking about it sometimes, I suppose. We'll have to finish this conversation another day, Katio-san."
"We will," Azuma nodded cooly, "Please, call me Azuma, Agares-san. I wouldn't want to be so informal with a fellow fan."
"Yes, and please call me Seekvaira!" Seekvaira nodded quickly - overly quickly - at his words.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, her cold face and demeanour returned as she headed to play her first match.
That went better than expected.
Sufficient to say, Seekvaira Agares really loves mecha.
"I hope we meet in this tournament, Kaito-san," Azuma blinked, turning to look at Ajuka, who was looking at him with a strange look, "You're quite interesting. It would be a shame if we didn't."
Despite his look, Ajuka was smiling, his face looking overly friendly in a way that made Azuma feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes, same here," Azuma nodded, his head moving a bit stiffer than he would've liked, "I think you'll be a good opponent, but it'll be a tough path for both of us to get to the finals and meet. I have to beat Sona, and you have to beat Seekvaira. So…"
Azuma grinned, his eyes staring back into Ajuka's as they met, "Would you like to make a bet, Beezlebub-san?"
Ravel glanced up at Azuma nervously from his side as a thick tension formed between Azuma and the Maou.
"A bet?" Ajuka's lips twitched up a tinge more, "I'll hear you out."
"Do you think I can beat Sona?" Azuma asked bluntly, though he already knew the answer.
"I don't," Ajuka replied evenly, his lips still in a smile.
"Then, that's what we'll bet on," Azuma continued, "If I beat Sona, then you'll owe me a favor. If I lose to her, then I'll owe you a favor."
"A favor from me is worth more than a favor from you," Ajuka said simply, his eyes looking slightly interested.
"Then, if I win, you'll owe me a small favor," Azuma grinned wider, "If I lose, I'll owe you a large favor."
A small favor from a literal Maou is still worth a lot more than a favor from a human mage, but that's why I started off asking for more.
It was a very basic negotiation tactic - request more than you truly want, and then work them down to your actual offer.
"And, when we meet in the finals," Azuma smirked slightly, "If I beat you, then we'll make that a normal-sized favor. If you beat me, I'll give you a permanent room at the resort - free of charge, fit with the best room service, the biggest room, and a personal assistant. If the underworld ever feels too stuffy, you can come do your work here."
Ajuka stared back at him, his face not changing at all, "This still feels one-sided, Kaito-san. You think what you can offer me at this resort is better than what I have in the underworld?"
"Of course not," Azuma answered honestly, "But, you'll still accept, won't you?"
Because you don't care about what you'll win, Ajuka. You'll agree for the fun of the bet.
"...You're very interesting indeed, Kaito-san," Ajuka grinned for the first time since Azuma had met him, his practiced fake smile turning into a genuine teeth-baring grin, "I'll accept."
Reputation Update!
Your Reputation with [Ajuka Beezlebub] has advanced one stage!
[Neutral] -> [Positively Viewed]
"Ajuka… B-Beezlebub-sama! And S-Samuel!" A dryad called for Ajuka, pausing slightly as she realized just who she was calling for.
"Then, I'll see you in the finals, Beezlebub-san," Azuma nodded.
"I hope you will, Kaito-san," Ajuka said, and they turned separate ways to begin their matches.
That was even more one-sided than you think, Ajuka!
Azuma was in a win-win situation - if he beat Sona, then he'd get a favor from a literal Maou. If he lost, then he just owed Ajuka a favor - a favor which he doubted the Maou would ever redeem, as there wasn't much Azuma could give him at the moment that he couldn't get on his own.
Beyond that, if he somehow beat Ajuka, then he'd get another even bigger favor from the Maou. And, if he lost? Then Ajuka would be incentivised to visit the resort more often, thus earning Azuma the hefty one hundred thousand points more often.
It was a bet where Azuma couldn't lose - because even losing meant he'd win overall.
And so, the tournament began.
The early matches were a predictable series of stomps. The human contestants were outmatched, their moves clumsy and childlike - even though many of them were chess grandmaster - against the otherwordly moves of the devils and supernatural beings.
Seekvaira dismantled her opponent with clinical efficiency, having the shortest match by far. Ajuka was next, winning easily, though he seemed to toy with his human opponent before he finished them off.
Issei, who had signed up despite his obvious lack of chess knowledge, was quickly and humiliatingly defeated by Sona.
As Issei lost early, the threat of Sona and Seekvaira's words seemed to fade a bit as him, Matsuda, and Motohama huddled at a corner spectator table while oogling openly - and not-so-subtly ranting about their lustful desires - at the females in the room.
Azuma, seeing an opportunity, snapped his fingers at one of the dryad workers in the room. She was a particularly attractive one - not in the same realm as someone like Rias, or even Ivy, but towards the top compared to most human women. She also had one noticeable, very noticeable, feature.
Her breasts were huge. Not Rias or Akeno level huge, but much bigger than a normal human woman - going as far to rival someone like Serafall in size and plumpness.
"Show them around the resort," Azuma ordered the woman, nodding his head at perverted trio, "They're huge perverts, so they'll be staring at your tits the whole time and should be easy to manage. Flirt with the brown-haired one a bit - his name is Issei. Just make sure he's wrapped around your finger. You're fine with that, right?"
"Of course, Master," The dyrad nodding easily, looking at him sightly sensually, "Shoud I take his virginity, Master? I can take all three at once if you'd like!"
Azuma blinked at her words.
Here I was worried that I'm sending this woman to be sexually harassed by three dudes all day like a shitty Dungeon Master.
"No," Azuma shot her down, and the dryad actually looked slightly disappointed, "Don't give him too much. Just 'accidentally' let him touch your tits a few times - fall into him, or bump into him, or whatever you gotta do. Just get him interested in you, alright?"
The dryad quickly nodded, and turned to follow his orders.
Azuma grinned as he watched Issei, along with Matsuda and Motohama, be led away by the dryad. All three boys were blushing heavily with lust, and Issei was blatantly staring at her huge breasts as his nose bled.
Perfect.
Azuma didn't have a plan laid out for Issei yet - he hadn't found a way to extract a sacred gear yet, and Raynare's group hadn't arrived in Kuoh yet. But, with Issei suddenly showing up in the middle of the resort, he could go a different route than killing him and extracting his sacred gear.
It was pretty simple - make the boy fall in love with a dryad. That wasn't hard, considering that Issei wanted to fuck anything with tits, and really wanted to fuck anything with big tits.
Then, use the dryad to control him. And, just like that, Azuma would have the Red Dragon Emperor under his control. Though, he might have to throw a couple more dryads at him if he didn't want to be a subordinate
I'll just make him my subordinate, and if he's too annoying to keep around then…
If Issei couldn't keep down his perverted desires and was overly-into Azuma's slowly growing harem, then the world would find itself with a new Red Dragon Emperor.
As for Azuma, he quickly dispatched any of the poor humans that were unfortunate enough to go against him and made it to the semi-finals easily.
The top four was exactly what he expected - on one side it was Azuma versus Sona, and on the other it was Seekvaira versus Ajuka.
"Sona-san," Azuma said, smiling as he took his seat across from the beautiful woman, "Let's have a good match."
Sona met his gaze, pressing up her glasses as she stared at him strangely, "Kaito-san… let us both give it our best, alright?"
Reverting back to my last name, huh?
It seemed that Sona was giving herself one last chance to not grow close to Azuma.
"Of course," Azuma replied, setting his pieces. "I will try my hardest."
Azuma wasn't lying either - even with his trained chess proficiency, he wasn't cerain he'd beat the Sitri Heiress. On top of that, with the chess tournament being set up so quickly, it was only a best of one - one game to decide the winner. And, as Sona had beaten her previous opponent in fewer moves than Azuma had, she got to be white.
"Woo! Go So-tan! Go So-tan! Sorry, Azu-chan, but So-tan is gonna kick your butt!" Serafall cheered, waving her wand around in support of Sona as she instantly broke the dramatic tension.
The game began, and it quickly turned out to be… a blowout. Azuma's hands moved efficiently, his proficiency taking over as he made brilliant move after brilliant move. Sona's face squished, the girl trying her best to keep up, but she simply couldn't.
And so, without a close a match, or a dramatic climax, or a long-winded paragraph, Azuma thoroughly defeated Sona.
"You… win, Kaito-san," Sona muttered, staring in slight disbelief at the board. She hadn't been checkmated yet, but she could see that she had no chance, "It… it wasn't luck last time. You win. I forfeit."
Sona reached forward, tipping over her own king.
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Sona Sitri] has advanced two stages!
[Liked] -> [Strongly Liked] -> [Attracted]
Azuma barely resisted grinning at the update.
Got her.
"It was a good game, Sona-san," Azuma smiled comfortingly.
No, it really wasn't.
"No, it wasn't," Sona chuckled, unknowingly verbalizing Azuma's thoughts. She looked up at Azuma with impressed eyes, "But… thank you for playing against me, Azuma-chan."
First name, and straight from 'san' to 'chan'?
"Good try, So-tan! You'll get him next time!" Serafall started comforting Sona, though her eyes had shadows over them as she realized what Azuma beating her meant, "Azuma Kaito… he probably cheated or something! I'll turn him into a popsicle later!"
"D-Don't do that, Onee-chan! He won fair and square!" Sona protested.
"A big popsicle! Then, I'll feed him to a dragon, So-tan! You're Onee-chan will handle this!" Serafall pointed her wand dramatically at Azuma.
"S-Stop! Don't do anything to him, Onee-chan!" Sona grabbed the wand, staring to wrestle it out of Serafall's grasp.
She's… terrifying.
Azuma watched blandly as Sona was the only thing that saved him from becoming a massive popsicle.
"I-I don't want to go against Levithan-sama, but…" Ravel stiffened, standing a few feet behind Azuma as she looked cutely determined, "I'll protect you, Mas- ahem, h-h-h-h-ho-h-h-hon-h-hone-h-h-"
Ravel turned away with a blush as she couldn't finish the word 'honey,' literally crouching to hide her face - and notably not doing anything to stop Serafall as she continued to wrestle with Sona to turn Azuma into a popsicle.
That was almost really sweet.
"It would seem you won, Kaito-san," Azuma was pulled away from his possible impending doom as Ajuka stepped next to his table, smiling his same practiced smile, "You won the first part of our bet. I owe you one small favor."
"I assume you won as well?" Azuma asked, glancing behind him at Seekvaira, who looked a bit disgruntled as she sat at the table where she had been playing against Ajuka.
"I did," Ajuka replied simply, a small grin forming on his face again, "I look forward to our game, Kaito-san."
"Same here," Azuma grunted, not looking forward to the beatdown the Maou was going to give him in the final game of chess.
Azuma quickly grabbed Ravel as Ajuka left, pulling the girl to stand as he talked lowly, "You kept an eye on Ajuka and Seekvaira's game like I asked, right?"
"Oh! Yes, Master!" Ravel nodded hurriedly, composing herself, "It was… even quicker than your game."
"So, he won that easily?" Azuma muttered, glancing at Ajuka's back as he went to wait at the finals table.
"Indeed. Seekvaira had also won against her previous opponents, most of which were not human, event faster than you and Sona beat your human opponents," Ravel explained worriedly, her face squishing in concern, "But she forfeited after only fifteen moves. Even then, that was the longest any of his opponents lasted - even while toying with them."
Hah, I'm fucked, huh?
Azuma's chances of winning seemed to be out the window - but, he didn't need to.
If I lose, he's incentivised through the bet to visit the resort more. I just need to do good enough to keep him interested in me, and I'll be rolling in points. I'll at least do better than Seekvaira.
Azuma walked over to the table as Ivy made the announcement that the final game would be starting and sat across from Ajuka. The man didn't say anything, merely setting up his white pieces in silence as Azuma did the same to his pieces.
Sona, Serafall, Seekvaira, and Ravel, along with numerous other players who had been defeated in earlier rounds, gathered around to watch the game.
And so, the chess game against the supergenius Maou began.
Ajuka made the first move, simply sliding one of his pawns one square forward. Azuma moved one of his as well, merely letting his proficiency take over as he didn't even try to mentally match Ajuka.
The game played out, and Azuma's goal of matching Seekvaira came and went quickly. Fifteen turns came and went, and seemingly barely any progress was made as both men were down a pawn each.
It's… even?
Azuma wasn't mentally adept enough in the sphere of chess to know if it was truly even or if Ajuka was just setting up a win condition, or perhaps toying with him, but it looked relatively even. Both sides had a similar number of pieces, and there was no positioning advantage on Ajuka's end.
"...Who taught you how to play?" Ajuka asked abruptly, and Azuma blinked as he looked up from the board for the first time. He nearly flinched as he did.
Ajuka was staring at him with eyes he hadn't seen yet - they were full on interest, narrowed slightly and his lips twitched upward. His fake smile was gone, replaced with a genuine grin. A genuine grin that was devilish and slightly creepy.
"Self-taught," Azuma said simply. He wasn't technically lying - he had taught himself. Said 'teaching' was simply moving a chess piece back and forth while his system did the rest, but it was teaching, nonetheless.
"You learned by yourself?" Ajuka muttered, his eyes widening slightly. Suddenly, his pupils glowed with a light green hue, which disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.
"You're not lying," Ajuka muttered again, making his next move as his grin twitched upward even more, the man looking slightly excited, "You are truly interesting, Azuma Kaito."
"...Thanks?" Azuma replied blandly, not sure what to make of the mans sudden shift in demeanor.
Am I doing that well? Is he impressed?
The game continued, and Azuma's brain couldn't even process the moves anymore. Everything seemed random - he watched in confusion as Ajuka seemingly left his bishop hanging, and yet his hand refused to take it. It didn't just refuse - as Azuma tried to make the move himself, his hand fought against him, physically demanding that he make a different move. As a result, his own rook was left hanging, and yet Ajuka didn't take it either.
Fuck. I thought I was smart, then I see this shit and I feel like a dumbass.
It wasn't Azumas fault - there was no mind, human or supernatural, that could hope to keep up with Ajuka's play. The seemingly random moves, where even unprotected pieces were left untouched, was something a human mind couldn't comprehend.
Ajuka's play was perfect - not in the sense that he was overwhelmingly dominant, aiming to win the game with as big of a lead as possible. No, the Maou had realized from Azuma's second move that playing in such a manner would lead to his loss.
Instead, he was playing literally perfect - from a theoretical, algorithmic sense. A perfect sequence of moves that adapted to every move Azuma made - a play style that guaranteed his win. He was playing white - meaning he started first, and as a result, he couldn't lose. As he played the theoretical perfect game of chess out in front of him, his chance of losing was 0%.
So, for Ajuka Beezlebub, this wasn't a game to see if Azuma could beat him. No, it was a game to see how long Azuma could hang on. In a game where it was impossible to lose, the only joy that could be found was in seeing how long his opponent could survive.
Because, no matter what move Azuma made - no matter what strategy he utilized - he was destined to lose just from starting with the black pieces. Even if he played perfectly, after over 8000 turns Ajuka would win, sitting victorious with a knight and a king. It was set in stone.
Of course, Azuma didn't know this - and he had no way of knowing it. There was no way for the human mind to see nearly ten thousand moves into the future in the way Ajuka did.
But, luckily for Azuma, he wasn't using his human mind. His hand merely moved, sliding piece after piece as he was at the mercy of his system. A system that was not designed by human hands.
Also luckily for Azuma, he was also playing a game he couldn't lose. In his bet with Ajuka, the odds of him leaving this game with nothing gained was 0%.
And so, as the game stretched on and passed the hour mark, their hands started moving quicker. Pieces shuffled, moving across the board seemingly at random as any imperfect move would set off a chain reaction that ended in one side's loss.
"One," Ajuka muttered at random, and Azuma ignored him. His hand continued to move, the onlookers around them slowly dwindling as they watched the strange game in dissatisfaction.
"Why doesn't he take the horsey?" Serafall whispered to Sona, who looked equally as lost as Azuma's knight sat unprotected in view of Ajuka's bishop, and yet the Maou didn't take it.
"Two," Ajuka hummed, his smile growing even wider. The game continued.
Five minutes later, Ajuka whispered, "Three."
Ajuka continued to count at seemingly random positions as he kept track of his 'checkpoints' - or, turning points in the game in which his opponent had to find an unlikely situation to escape defeat. In Ajuka's mind, passing said checkpoint indicated how many moves ahead his opponent could see - as with each passing moment, the narrow thread to escape his perfect formula became more and more thin.
Finally, after over two hours of gameplay - resulting in the chess hall being nearly completely cleared out as Serafall napped while flopped onto Sona - Ajuka nodded.
"Twelve," Ajuka whispered with a slight sense of awe, "Twelve checkpoints. Two thousand five hundred and fifty-five moves ahead."
Reputation Update!
Your Reputation with [Ajuka Beezlebub] has advanced two stages!
[Positively Viewed] -> [Liked] -> [Strongly Liked]
"A draw," He said simply, holding his out toward Azuma. Azuma blinked, pulled out of his dozing off.
Oh shit, did I lose? I stopped paying attention…
After the first hundred moves, Azuma had spaced out, unable to keep up with the insane looking gameplay.
Azuma glanced down at the board, frowning as he noticed there were still a lot of pieces.
It doesn't look like I lost, but…
Azuma shrugged, reaching out to take Ajuka's hand as he accepted the draw. He figured the man knew better than he did.
"You… you noticed your mistake instantly?" Ajuka grinned even wider, his teeth fully showing as wide, predator-like eyes stared down Azuma.
Reputation Update!
Your Reputation with [Ajuka Beezlebub] has advanced one stage!
[Strongly Liked] -> [Fondly Viewed]
Why's he looking at me like that?
"I thought you'd want to keep playing, but no… you realized. Your move makes it look as if you'll gain a game-winning advantage in 498 moves, but in reality, you're guaranteed to be checkmated in 1,789," Ajuka grinned, his hand tightening as he gripped Azuma's.
Fuck!
Azuma winced from the force, his hand crumpling slightly under the force of Ajuka's grip.
"You… you're so interesting, Azuma Kaito…" Ajuka continued to grip excitedly, then abruptly let go of Azuma's hand and stood up. He snapped his fingers, and a magic circle appeared under him - the man uncaring about the few humans who were still in the room and staring in shock.
"I'll be taking my end of the bet, Azuma-chan," Ajuka grinned.
'Azuma-chan?!' When did we get so close?
"I'll be moving into your resort. Have a room ready for me!" Ajuka didn't say anymore, merely disappearing into the circle.
Azuma stared blankly at where the man had been.
"I'll wipe their memories," Sona said, walking towards the shocked humans.
"Oh, wow! I've never seen Aju-chan so interested in someone!" Serafall cheered, slamming into Azuma from behind as she seemingly forgot her previous intent to turn him into a popsicle. She wrapped him in a hug, her huge breasts wrapping around his head.
"Not since that Youkai he blew up at least!" Serafall cheered again, hugging Azuma tightly.
He blew up a Youkai?!
Azuma stared blankly at the chessboard, wondering how the days seemingly simple plan had gone astray.
Are the points really worth having a Maou trying to dissect me all the time?
…
Fuck yeah they are! It's a hundred bands!
And so, Azuma gained a new level of wealth - and a new neighbor in the form of an insane Maou.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"If Aju-chan can move to the human world, then I can too! Let's live here together, So-tan!"
"W-What?! Onee-chan, you can't just move here!"
"I so can, So-tan! Get it? So-can, So-tan?!"
"W-What?"
And so, Azuma gained a new level of wealth - and two new neighbors in the form of two insane Maous.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out the day after tomorrow!
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