Game
Thoughts
"Talking"
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"Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to meet with me, Naruto-sama," Sona said stiffly, the girl looking nervous as she sat in front of Naruto. He had finally convinced the girl to move onto a first-name basis, as he felt strange being referred to as 'Youkai-sama' after all the 'fun' they had during Rias's 'teaching.'
"No problem. I wasn't doing anything important anyway," Naruto hummed, leaning back in his chair. His 'busy' days were not so busy - they had never been very busy, as Yasaka utilized her control over the youkai population to ensure that Naruto never had to work.
She knows how much I hate working. She's the best.
In reality, Yasaka had only taken those measures to ensure Naruto had enough time to constantly 'fuck her brains out' - in her own words - every day.
"I called you here for something very important to me, Naruto-sama," Sona steeled her face, her back stiffening as she became deathly serious, "Please play a game of chess with me!"
"Nah," Naruto replied bluntly, causing the girl to face-fault from his instant denial.
"W-Why not?!" Sona sputtered out, looking at him confusedly.
"Serafall asked me not to," Naruto answered honestly. He still didn't know why the magical girl randomly asked him to 'never play chess,' but she looked rather scary and ominous as she did, so he was inclined to listen.
"O-Onee-chan did?" Sona asked, her face tightening, "She asked you not to play chess with me? I keep telling her not to interfere in my life - I can take care of myself!"
Naruto blinked, watching as Sona slammed her hands onto the table, looking more worked up and emotional than he had ever seen the girl.
"Not you specifically," Naruto clarified, calming Sona down slightly, "She just asked me not to play it in general. I guess she thinks I won't enjoy it - and she knows me pretty well, so she's probably right."
"You've never played before?" Sona asked curiously.
"Nope," Naruto replied bluntly, "Kunou explained the rules to me, but it seems like too much of a smart-person game for me. I like simple stuff."
"W-Well, you never know until you try it, right?" Sona reasoned, nodding to the chest board sitting on the table between them, "Please play at least one game with me!"
"Eh? I don't know, Serafall seemed pretty serious when she asked me," Naruto hummed, "She was all like…"
Naruto leaned forward, shadows covering his eyes as he did his best Serafall impression, "With our friendship on the line, you must promise that you will never play chess!"
The room was quiet for a moment, Sona not saying anything at his words. Finally, Naruto glanced up, confused as to why she was being silent. She was staring at him strangely, her cheeks red, and then glanced away as he looked at her.
The hell?
"A-Are you sure you can't? Not even just one game?" Sona tried again, and Naruto shook his head decisively.
"I made a promise. Sorry," He shrugged.
"T-Then, how about… devil chess! Let's play a game of devil chess!" Sona leaned forward excitedly, a small smile appearing as she found the loophole.
"Devil chess?" Naruto blinked, "That's a thing?"
"…yes," Sona nodded sagely, not meeting his eyes as she tried to keep her face composed.
"Did you just make that up?" Naruto deadpanned.
"O-Of course not! It's a very well-known and respectable game within the devil society!" Sona huffed, her cheeks turning a deeper red.
"...Right," Naruto answered dryly.
She's a really bad liar.
"Whether it's chess or devil chess, I've never played, so I think you'll beat me pretty easily," Naruto reasoned, "There's not really a point in playing. Just consider it your win."
"N-No! Even if I know I'm going to win, please play with me!" Sona abruptly shouted, standing up and slamming her hands on the table again, causing the chess pieces to slide around, "I just need confirmation! T-Then I can get these incessant thoughts out of my head, and move on with my life!"
The room was silent again as Naruto stared at Sona blankly. The Sitri heiress had the decency to blush, clearing her throat and sitting back down after her outburst.
"...Eh, fine," Naruto sighed, causing Sona's face to light up, "This seems pretty important to you, so I'll do it. One game."
"T-Thank you so much, Naruto-sama!" Sona nodded excitedly, the expression looking foreign on the normally composed woman's face. She reached forward, realigning the pieces that had moved from her outburst.
"What you doing?" Naruto asked, not able to resist teasing the girl a little more.
"Huh? I am realigning the pieces," Sona answered, looking questioningly at Naruto.
"But… that's a normal chess board," Naruto pointed at the board, "I thought we were going to play devil chess?"
"A-Ah, right!" Sona nodded, her cheeks dusting red again as she quickly stood up, picking up the chess board and carefully walking toward the door of the Student Council Room as she balanced the pieces.
"I'll be right back," Sona explained, pushing through the door and leaving the room. As she genuinely left to get a devil chess board, Naruto started to doubt his own intuition.
Was she really not lying? Is devil chess a real thing?
However, he pushed away those thoughts as Sona returned not even ten seconds later, the same exact chess board in her hands. She walked back to the table, placing it down as she sat down. She didn't even acknowledge how quickly she had 'switched' the chess board, instead looking excited to start the game.
"...You found a devil chessboard that quickly?" Naruto deadpanned.
Sona blushed lightly, but kept her composure, "Yes, there was one quite close by."
"...in the hallway?" Naruto asked blandly, glancing at the door she had left out of - which led to a long school hallway.
"T-Tsubaki is outside," Sona explained, coming up with an excuse quickly.
"And she just happened to have a devil chessboard with her?" Naruto asked doubtfully.
"Yes, she loves ches- devil chess. She always keeps a board on her," Sona justified, staying completely composed.
She said that with a straight face. Impressive.
"But, I didn't see her when I came in," Naruto said, having walked through that very door just minutes earlier.
"She has been practicing stealth magic lately. She's become very good at it," Sona shot him down, the woman's composure not flickering in the slightest.
"Good to the point that even I didn't see her?" Naruto asked dryly, "I'll have to ask her to show me it sometime."
"Please don't. She's shy," Sona countered.
"Shy? She didn't seem shy the other day," Naruto deadpanned, referring to the 'teaching' Akeno had been giving Sona's Queen. Tsubaki had turned out to be one of the more 'vocal' women he had met.
She was anything but shy.
"T-That's different," Sona blushed, glancing away as he mentioned what had happened the other day.
"...so, you're sure this is a devil chessboard? It's not a normal one?" Naruto confirmed, looking at her doubtfully.
"Of course I'm sure, Naruto-sama. If it wasn't, then that meant I would've walked out the door, stood there for a few seconds in the empty hallway, and then come back with the same chessboard while lying about a fake game called devil chess," Sona pushed up her glasses as she explained exactly what she had done, "Do I look like someone who enjoys pranks, Naruto-sama?"
Naruto stared at her blankly for a second, then sighed.
"Whatever. Let's just play," He said, looking down at the chessboard, "Are there any other rules in 'devil chess?'"
"Of course, it has to have different rules, or else it would just be normal chess," Sona nodded, "All the rules are the same except… you have to play it with a devil, and the loser will do one thing that the winner wants them to!"
Naruto stared at her blankly.
Definitely not a real game.
But, he just shrugged, "Sure."
"Are you fine with me taking white, Naruto-sama?" Sona asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Does it matter?" Naruto responded bluntly, looking at the different colored pieces. Sona stared at him blankly.
"...You indeed have never played before," She sighed, "White makes the first move."
"Oh. You can go first," Naruto shrugged lazily. He didn't think he had a shot of winning anyway, so it didn't really matter. Even with his [Chess Mastery] skill, he doubted that he'd be able to beat the Sitri heiress.
Serafall's ranted to me about good Sona is. There's no way this Lamp guy I got the skill from is better than her.
In Naruto's opinion, no one named after a household appliance could be that smart.
Luckily for Naruto, he was very wrong.
Sona made the first move, sliding forward her pawn, and then it was Naruto's turn. As he grabbed one of the pawns, a notification appeared.
[Chess Mastery] activated!
Suddenly, his hand seemed to have a mind of its own. He lifted up his arm, moving to grab a different pawn and slide it forward.
This is weird.
It wasn't like he suddenly got all the knowledge of a chess master, or that the skill was controlling him. Instead, he just felt an urge within him, almost like how his instincts worked during a fight.
Sona made her move, and then Naruto let his instincts take over again. Two more moves passed, and Sona stopped abruptly and looked at him strangely.
"...Have you truly never played before, Naruto-sama?" Sona asked doubtfully, looking at where he had moved his pieces.
"Never," Naruto confirmed, raising an eyebrow at her.
"...You just did an opening," Sona muttered, "Perhaps you are naturally talented at chess. That would make sense since you are a god…"
"An opening? Was it a good one?" Naruto asked, blinking as he looked down at the board.
Maybe this Lamp guy is actually pretty good?
"You did the bongcloud opening," Sona deadpanned, "It's one of the weakest openings - possibly the worst. It's usually only used to humiliate your opponent, as it's embarrassing to lose against it."
Never mind, he sucks.
The game continued, and Naruto was further pushed into the belief that Lelouch Lamperouge was terrible at chess. His pieces continued to disappear, making blunder after blunder as he barely got any of Sona's pieces in return.
"I was worried when you did an opening, but," Sona muttered to herself, looking relaxed, and slightly disappointed, as she easily dismantled Naruto in chess, "You definitely haven't played before."
All that work for a useless skill.
Naruto lamented, thinking back to all the 'games' he played with the various faction's leaders to not only get a very niche skill, but also one that sucked even in regard to that niche.
Eventually, Naruto tuned out of the game, letting his hand continue to move instinctively as his thoughts wandered. He was down to only a few pieces, and Sona still had nearly her whole array. It was surely over.
I could really go for some ramen after this.
However, as Naruto was lost in thought, he found himself lost in thought for a long time - an absurdly long time. Much longer than he expected, as Sona should've wrapped up the game easily.
Unbeknownst to him, across the table Sona was having an entirely different battle. A battle for her sanity.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sona Sitri POV
Sona moved her rook forward, a tinge of disappointment filling her as the game got close to it's conclusion.
I… kind of wish I had lost. But, he really is a beginner.
After the 'fun' Sona had during Rias's 'training,' her thoughts couldn't stop straying to the Youkai God. So, she needed to settle this once and for all.
She wouldn't marry a man who couldn't beat her in chess - if she could defeat Naruto, then she could stop being hung up on him and move on with her life.
Sona blinked abruptly as Naruto's hand moved, his sole remaining bishop coming seemingly out of nowhere and taking her rook.
I missed such a simple move? I shouldn't relax too much.
However, Sona wasn't worried. Her pieces were well laid out, and Naruto had nothing but a handful of pieces.
I still have my Queen as well. This game is over.
However, as she continued to try and corner Naruto's king and end the game early, her lips twitched downward.
He's… suddenly doing quite well.
Naruto's play seemed to have suddenly risen to an entirely new level, maneuvering his pieces around the board while barely even paying attention to the game itself.
Sona's lips twitched downward slightly, trying and failing to pin down any of Naruto's pieces.
How the hell is he doing this?
It wasn't as if Naruto was just defending his pieces well - if that were the case, then Sona could've simply traded her pieces for his own. Even if she lost every trade in overall value, she had so many more pieces that losing should've been impossible.
And yet, Naruto's pieces seemed to find the perfect place every time - perfectly evading turn after turn. Eventually, Sona couldn't keep up with his perfect play, and suddenly one of her rooks was gone.
Relax. If I just stay focused, I won't lose.
It was frustrating to be in such a huge lead but be unable to end the game. However, Sona tried to stay calm, maintaining her composure as her forehead wrinkled, her eyes squinting in focus.
There's nothing to worry about. He can play perfectly to extend the game, but he can't win this. If I never blunder, I'll never lose.
But, as the turns stretched on, the same process as before repeated. Naruto played perfect move after perfect move, doing things that Sona couldn't even comprehend. Slowly, piece after piece disappeared from Sona's side of the board, and she became more and more frantic.
How… how is he doing this?! This shouldn't even be possible… it isn't possible…
In a way, Chess is a solved game. Top-level players can see many turns ahead, often forfeiting before they've truly lost because they're in an unwinnable position. In Naruto's poor position, Sona would've needed to blunder immensely for Naruto to win - her position was one that was guaranteed to win even if she didn't play perfectly.
And yet, it was being stripped away from her. She was far above even the best human chess players in the world, and yet she felt like nothing more than a child in front of Naruto. As if she had never played a game of Chess - as if she didn't even know the rules, and Naruto was the undisputed world champion.
It… doesn't make sense…
She made perfect move after perfect move, but it was like she had always been in the losing position. As if she was the one desperately trying to extend the game, not the one who was ahead by a mile.
It was as if they were playing two different games - Naruto's moves seemed to go against reality itself, breaking through the very logic that Chess was built upon. Sona was ahead - she was far ahead, and she played perfectly. She played as optimally as any person could, and yet she was slowly being dismantled.
I'm going to lose.
Sona stared at the chessboard, the world around her seeming to break. Her hundreds of hours of practice - her confidence as one of the best chess players in the entire supernatural world being shattered.
She had expected to lose one day - she was damn near a perfect chess player, but she wasn't perfect. But, she had expected it to be to someone like Ajuka Beezlebub - someone who was practically a human computer. Even then, she thought the game would be close.
She didn't think it'd be like this - she was being toyed with. Sona had believed she was one of the best players alive, and yet she was being humiliated.
Naruto wasn't just beating her - he had willingly put himself in a terrible position. He had brought himself to as close to losing as he could while still having a path to victory. He had given Sona the biggest lead he could, and now was tearing her back down.
How is he doing this? How can he be so much better than me?
Sona slumped, her hands stopped as she stared at the board. Naruto hadn't lost a piece in over a hundred turns, and she was now sitting with just her king and pawn. It was over.
Slowly, she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide, and Naruto seemed to almost shine in her eyes.
Hah. I never stood a chance. I was never going to win.
She knew Naruto was known as the Youkai God for a reason - he was truly a powerhouse in the supernatural world, being adored by many and practically worshiped by the Youkai. She had always thought that such admiration was silly, but now that opinion had shifted.
He really is a god. Not just a god, he's…
In the end, Sona found herself feeling happy, rather than sad, at her humiliating loss. After all, her future husband was…
Perfect.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reputation Update:
+5,000 Affection with Sona Sitri (Obesseivly Loved)
+5,000 Obedience with Sona Sitri (Worshiped Figure)
Naruto blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts as an alert appeared in his vision.
Huh? What the hell happened?
As he finally glanced up at Sona again, he jerked his head back at her look. The normally composed and stoic girl was staring at him with wide, sparkling eyes.
Why is she looking at me like that?
"I understand now, Naruto-sama," Sona breathed out, a grin forming on her face, "I get it."
"...You do?" Naruto raising an eyebrow, not understanding what she was 'getting.'
"You gave me a chance. You tried so hard to avoid playing me to give me a chance," Sona nodded appreciatively, "But, i was foolish and overconfident. Thank you for showing me that, Naruto-sama."
Naruto stared at her blankly.
Is she mocking me because she beat me so easily? I didn't take her as a sore loser.
Naruto glanced down at the bored, taking in the sight.
Wait… am I winning? The hell?
Naruto stared at the board with a confused look.
Maybe the Lamp guy is pretty good at chess.
"I will try my best to be a good wife, Naruto-sama," Sona nodded, bowing her head slightly at him.
"Eh?" Naruto asked dumbly, "Wife?"
Sona merely nodded, not elaborating, so Naruto had to push more to figure out what was going on.
"Right… I totally get what we're understanding, but you should say it anyway," Naruto said dryly, "Just to make sure that we're both understanding the same understanding, y'know?"
I don't even understand what the hell I just said.
Luckily, the system had his back this time.
Persuasion Check
[Rolling…]
[God's Luck] has added +20 to your roll!
[Ladies's Man] has added +5 to your roll!
25!
Check success!
"Of course," Sona nodded, "You knew that I was attracted to you, but that there would be problems with us getting married since Onee-chan is so protective of me. You also knew that I would only marry someone who could beat me at chess, which is why I challenged you."
Naruto stared at her blankly.
…I knew any of that?
"Then, in order to show me how foolish my thinking was, you humiliated me!" Sona continued, leaning forward with a flushed face as she looked near-psychotic, "You let me get so far ahead, only to rip away the win so effortlessly! You did that to show me that just how far above me you are! That even devils are like ants beneath your feet!"
Naruto leaned back slightly as the insane girl invaded his personal space.
"I didn't do any of that," He said bluntly, trying to fix the situation.
Persuasion Check
[Rolling…]
[God's Luck] has added [ERROR]
Your [LEGENDARY] Debuff - [Bad Timing] has deactivated your [God's Luck] Perk!
1!
Check failed!
Damn it, system!
Naruto had just unintentionally created a yandere.
"Thank you for confirming that I was right, Naruto-sama," Sona breathed out, leaning forward even closer, "And thank you for showing me this! For showing me that even someone like Onee-chan is nothing but an insect below your feet! For showing me that I don't need to be worried about her - that we can get married and she can't do anything about it!"
This is going too far.
"I think you've misunderstood this," Naruto sighed, gesturing to the chessboard, "I didn't know anything about the whole 'not marrying someone who can't beat you in chess' thing. I didn't do this so we could get married."
Persuasion Check
[Rolling…]
[God's Luck] has added [ERROR]
Your [LEGENDARY] Debuff - [Bad Timing] has deactivated your [God's Luck] Perk!
1!
Check failed!
You can never help me out, damn system?!
Sona opened her mouth again to continue her psychotic rant, but Naruto cut her off as he continued.
"Here, look," Naruto lashed out his hand, knocking over the remaining chess pieces on the board, "I forfeit. You win."
Persuasion Check
[Rolling…]
[God's Luck] has added +20 to your roll!
[Ladies's Man] has added +5 to your roll!
25!
Check success!
Naruto blinked in surprise.
Did the system actually just listen to me? It's actually helping me?
"I'm glad that you're forfeiting this attempt to convince me that I misunderstood you, Naruto-sama!" Sona smiled brightly, "I need to go tell my peerage and parents about our engagement! Please tell Onee-chan for me!"
What kind of bullshit logic is that?!
Naruto opened his mouth again to refute her, but Sona snapped her fingers and a blue magic circle appeared below her. In an instant, Sona disappeared, leaving Naruto sitting alone and confused in the Student Council room.
What the hell just happened?
Naruto stared off into space blankly.
…
…
…
"Did the President leave already?" Naruto blinked, looking over the door as it opened and Tsubaki stepped through. In her hands was an already set-up chessboard.
"I need to get my devil chessboard back from her," Tsubaki frowned, "I've been waiting in the hallway this whole time…"
She wasn't lying?!
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto Uzumaki:
[Youkai God]
Lvl: 505
STR: 762
DEX: 725
CON: 540
INT: 215
WIS: 750
CHA: 999
LUK: 0
Skills: [Chess Mastery]
Perks: [Martial Arts], [You're a Wizard, Naruto], [Ladies Man], [God's Luck]
Debuffs: [Confusion], [Bad Timing]
Naruto Uzumaki is a Hero from another world, who has been reborn with the power of the Gamer system!
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out in a few days!
You can also read the next 10 chapters right now on Patreon.com/Koyon !