Shinta Uchiha had always thought of himself as a very smart person.
He believed that, just like Itachi Uchiha, he was one of the few truly wise members of the Uchiha clan.
So, just as he'd won countless victories in other areas, he would eventually defeat the evil Yuki Tsukishiro in this zombie game too.
"Ahem, let's go, class is about to start."
At the thought that he'd won again, Shinta Uchiha's mood lifted once more. The corner of his mouth lifted, and he quickly walked to his seat.
Probably because the bullies were exhausted, his shoes hadn't been tampered with this time, so he could focus on the lesson without any issues.
Yuki also sat down in the front row beside him, pulling out her textbook, and suddenly felt a strange sensation.
She felt that the seating arrangement between her and Shinta Uchiha was a little unreasonable.
Sitting in front of Shinta Uchiha was such a boring thing—basically no interaction possible, and Shinta Uchiha would never give her any interesting reactions.
If... she sat behind him, it would be a completely different story.
She could poke Shinta Uchiha's back with her finger, and when he turned around, pretend she didn't know anything and smile at him.
After doing this a few times, Uchiha-kun would probably show the same expression as Emma, like a little puppy being bullied.
That was one game she could play.
At the same time, Yuki believed that as a weirdo, Uchiha-kun wouldn't give up even in the front row. That eerie, persistent gaze fixed on her would definitely make him turn his head over and over, sneaking glances at her.
And she would pretend not to notice, putting on a look of attentively listening to the lesson while he secretly watched her.
Until Uchiha-kun let his guard down, thinking he wouldn't be caught. Then she'd suddenly lean forward, "unintentionally" locking eyes with him.
At that moment, Uchiha-kun might freeze up like a startled little animal, his face turning bright red as he whipped his head around with a whimper.
Then, flushing red, he'd scribble a note with some flimsy excuse, saying he wasn't staring at her and not to misunderstand.
At that time, the gentle, kind, and considerate great witch would, of course, choose to believe him.
But the story wouldn't end here—if she pushed too hard, she wouldn't get to see the second half.
A normal person, after being caught peeking, would probably stop.
But... Uchiha-kun was different. Even without magic guiding him, he'd never give up easily. After a little while, he'd muster up the courage to sneak another glance at her.
And she could lock eyes with him again, making him even more flustered, or just slowly savor Uchiha-kun's awkward, forced composure.
All of this was something she could experience only if Uchiha-kun sat in the front row.
If Uchiha-kun sat in the back row, it wouldn't work at all!
Even if she turned around and met his gaze, he could just brush it off by saying he was watching the teacher lecture.
In that case, she wouldn't be able to observe anything at all.
"..."
Thinking this, Yuki suddenly felt a little bored.
She turned her head slightly, wanting to confirm once and for all whether she should switch seats.
And then, the great witch saw Shinta Uchiha toying with the tip of his pen... that tiny bug he'd picked up while cleaning his shoes, only glancing in her direction occasionally.
What did that mean?
Where did this brattiness come from?
Yuki felt a sense of disappointment, because Shinta Uchiha wasn't watching her with the intense focus she'd expected—he was distracted by something trivial.
As expected...
She had to swap seats with Shinta Uchiha, moving from the front row to the back.
"Huh?"
Shinta Uchiha noticed Yuki's strange reaction, adjusted the bucket on his head, and tilted his head in confusion.
Wait, what was this inherently evil Otsutsuki doing staring at him for?
Could it be that something about him had aroused her suspicion?
No, he had to find a way to divert her attention.
So...
Thinking this, Shinta Uchiha quickly tore a piece of paper from his notebook, scribbled a few lines on it, and tossed it onto Yuki's desk.
"Hmm?"
Yuki turned her head, unfolded the paper.
At this moment, the paper had been divided into countless different regions by Shinta Uchiha's horizontal and vertical lines, with a black circle right in the center.
"...Is this a challenge to a game of Go?"
Yuki guessed that Shinta Uchiha was probably asking her to play this.
The great witch did have some understanding of Go; she knew it was a game created by humans that had been passed down for a very long time.
She was quite interested in accepting Shinta Uchiha's invitation.
But this opening move...
Yuki furrowed her brows. She knew that in Go, playing in the center of the board (tengen) was a very condescending move.
So... did Uchiha-kun unconsciously snub her again?
In that case, if she lost, would the triumphant Uchiha-kun point to his eyes and say, "Hate me? I have no fate for the Sharingan!"?
As Yuki thought this, she placed a stone in the corner, then folded the paper back up.
And after placing his stone, Shinta Uchiha quickly tossed the folded paper back.
"Your turn."
"..."
Two stones were now connected.
What did that mean?
Yuki couldn't understand Shinta Uchiha's thinking, but she said nothing. After thinking for a moment, she placed another stone.
Shinta Uchiha's reply speed was as fast as ever. This time, he connected three stones in a row.
No one had ever played Go like this.
Did Uchiha-kun think his skill was far superior to hers, and was just letting her win?
How... arrogant!
Yuki hesitated for a moment, her legs wrapped in white silk unconsciously pressing together, and placed a stone where she never would have otherwise.
Uchiha-kun's triumphant look was so fun.
Still, right now, she wanted to see more: what kind of expression would the proud Uchiha-kun make when he was beaten.
With a smile, hiding her true thoughts, that was what Yuki thought.
But immediately after, Shinta Uchiha sent back a paper with four stones connected in a line, no blocks on either side, along with a line of text.
——I win this time.
"?"