Chapter 364: Chess

"Honestly, why do we have to keep the competition going?" Daishan Chunta sat in the audience, fanning the air rapidly with a hand‑folded fan made from discarded paper, "Even if it's the principal's order, how can we possibly continue?"

"But the students love to see it, and I think the queen selection is a fine event." Yuan Tian Sarina smiled, looking at the few people sparkling on stage.

She knew her Apostle had already been eliminated, so she could now look for a new target; before the previous one was destroyed they weren't allowed to hand the Star Disciple Switch to the next person, but now they could, and she was delighted.

"Yes, yes, the queen selection really is a great activity." Daishan Chunta laughed repeatedly, subtly shifting his wrist so the breeze could reach Yuan Tian Sarina; he believed that being kind to Teacher Yuan would surely be repaid.

At that moment the stage had been rearranged, most of the props replaced; on the smooth wooden platform three people wore intricately patterned gowns, applied delicate makeup, crowned with gem‑set crowns, dressed as true princesses, standing there.

Fengcheng Meiyu looked at the stage she once avoided; now she only wanted to defeat every opponent here and fulfill the promise she would never evade.

"Get down! Get down! You have no right to stand here." The crowd below grew agitated and began to drive her out.

She looked at Jiang Xia, who was seated in the audience, took a deep breath, and slowly began: "I really do dislike certain people; they say they're giving me gifts but never ask what I want, the letters they give me are a mess of characters, and if this had been two days ago I might have said you're only infatuated with supporting others, projecting your own wishes onto them."

Fengcheng Meiyu suddenly raised her voice, drowning out the entire venue, "But now, now I realize how absurdly wrong I was."

Everyone below fell silent, a spotlight fell on Fengcheng Meiyu, making the already beautiful girl look like an angel.

"Because I see that each of you has your own life, your own joys and sorrows; everyone is quietly shining. I cannot deny you by ignoring your light. The queen is the one you have chosen."

"Each of your gifts, each ticket, is a beam of your own light. When those lights converge, the radiant queen will appear. I didn't understand this before, so I now see I truly erred, absurdly so. Whatever the outcome today, I will from now on acknowledge each of you; that is my promise and my apology."

"Only by gathering everyone's light can we become stars shining in the night sky. Looks like this psychological counseling isn't bad at all." Jiang Xia smiled upon hearing Fengcheng Meiyu's words, stood up, and applauded.

Jiang Xia's applause triggered a chain reaction; the crowd below began cheering, dazzling—far too dazzling. Her brilliance stemmed from having received the tiny yet undying light each person present possessed.

"Thank you, everyone." Fengcheng Meiyu's eyes reddened; this time it wasn't from avoidance or fear of losing, but from being moved, from hope. Though she rarely cries in public, this time she couldn't hold back.

In that instant she felt truly recognized, something the two previous formulaic events could not compare to.

"Senior Meiyu, don't cry! We'll definitely support you." someone from below shouted.

"Me too, even if you toss my gift away it doesn't matter!"

"Yes, even if it's treated as trash, we'll still choose you!"

When those remarks came out, the whole support squad instantly became a chaotic mess.

Some suggested just sending heart‑shaped paper to experience the feeling of a torn heart, others proposed sending a CD broken into two pieces so Senior Meiyu wouldn't have to waste effort folding it, and some even asked whether sending a trash bag wouldn't be fine, since it can hold garbage.

"Thank you all. I'll keep any gifts you give me carefully; if I receive a letter, I'll certainly reply."

The previously moved Fengcheng Meiyu was now left both laughing and crying at their words.

If this isn't stopped, I'll end up being a garbage‑collecting recycler. I still hope the gifts I receive are ones ordinary girls would like, not overly absurd; if you truly don't like them, just explain why and return them.

"Then I look forward to your guidance from now on." Fengcheng Meiyu bowed with a smile, tears glistening on her lashes.

"Much obliged!" Except for a few teachers, almost every student instinctively bowed in response.

This was not only a response to the fans' affection, but also a self‑introduction as a member of the Kamen Rider Club.

"Senior Meiyu's popularity is absurdly overwhelming, almost a cliff‑like crushing force."

Inside the Jade Rabbit Cabin, Chengdao Youmu lay on the table, looking at the poster of three‑time queen Fengcheng Meiyu, and said:

"Our speech is completely useless."

Chengdao Youmu clenched her tiny fist and waved it twice in the air:

"It must have been the teacher doing it secretly; otherwise it couldn't be this absurd."

"Youmu, I'm just a simple psychology teacher; I don't have such abilities." Jiang Xia's voice followed like a shadow, startling the slacking Chengdao Youmu.

"Teacher, when did you come back, and why do you walk so silently?" Chengdao Youmu looked up and saw Jiang Xia bending over behind her, watching her.

"You're not the only one who's said that; I'm always appearing and disappearing like this. This skill is a required course for teachers, you know." Jiang Xia lightly tapped Chengdao Youmu's head as a reprimand.

"Alright, everyone gather up; I'll introduce our new member." Jiang Xia clapped, drawing everyone's attention back to herself.

"No way?" Ge Xing Xian Wu exclaimed.

"Fengcheng Meiyu, our new member." Jiang Xia stepped aside, revealing Fengcheng Meiyu now dressed in a sky‑blue school uniform.

"So this is the Kamen Rider Club, unexpectedly not bad." Fengcheng Meiyu laughed; she now appeared noticeably brighter and without any arrogance, like a gem stripped of its leaden sheen, dazzling.

But her next sentence reverted to the old self: "Let's be clear, I am the queen; you must obey my Commander."

"No, you're just a member; queens don't exist in the Kamen Rider Club." Chengdao Youmu's mouth curled high, certain the teacher would never agree.

"That was before; I already had it when I arrived. You're the lowest‑rank soldier." Fengcheng Meiyu pointed at Chengdao Youmu.

"Bishop (Elephant)." Fengcheng Meiyu pointed at Ge Xing Xian Wu.

"Knight (Horse)." She then pointed at Ruyue Xian Tairan.

"Of course I'm the queen (empress), that's obvious." Fengcheng Meiyu puffed out her chest, effortlessly assigning everyone's ranks.

"A foot‑soldier who wishes to be promoted to queen (empress) must first reach the baseline, for example winning the queen election three times will allow you to level up."

"It infuriates me; why am I a foot‑soldier? If you say it like that, then the teacher would be the king." Chengdao Youmu fumed.

"Obviously, the king and queen (empress) must be together." Fengcheng Meiyu looked at Chengdao Youmu with a 'you finally get it' expression.

How can such people exist, not even sparing their own teacher.

"I'm not a foot‑soldier; I'm a tank (chariot)." Chengdao Youmu retorted, not wanting to be queen (empress). "With your tiny frame, stop teasing me—you're clearly a foot‑soldier."

These two chaos‑loving guys realized they couldn't persuade each other, and the other two went off to test the new switch, so the two of them set their sights on the only one who could decide the rankings.

"Teacher, what do you think?" the two pressed forward to Jiang Xia at the same time.

"Rejected." Jiang Xia surveyed Fengcheng Meiyu from head to toe: "This is meaningless."

"Of course it has meaning; the queen (empress) must be with the king."

"First, you're a student; I'm a teacher. Second, my aesthetic is long straight black hair. Third… there is no third." Jiang Xia began.

He had just wanted to say he already has his own empress, but speaking it would surely spark gossip; the implanted identity info didn't include that, and Fengcheng Meiyu, who had just checked his current identity, was right there, so he kept quiet.

"Teacher, what about me?" Chengdao Youmu asked anxiously.

"You can be another Bishop. Chess isn't just a handful of pieces." Jiang Xia, in a child‑soothing tone, dismissed the two.

Day after day, this arrangement does have some logic: Bishops for auxiliary management, Knights for combat, the King for decision‑making, and two foot‑soldiers (the two girls) with little combat power.

Thinking of that, Jiang Xia chuckled; it's just a bored‑time little game, not an actual chess‑rule ordering.

The Twelve Constellations pitted against sixteen chess pieces, really just a game.

Time flowed like an unstoppable mountain stream, and in the blink of an eye it was evening; the students' club activities had also ended.

Although the Kamen Rider Club wasn't a big club, it still needed to have the rules it should have; and after everyone had left, Jiang Xia yawned lazily.

Another day of slacking off; it looks like there's nothing major today for me to worry about.

At that moment, Jiang Xia once again looked toward the door of the Jade Rabbit Cabin, and the door was opened again.

He looked at her returning again and asked, "Did you drop something? Or do you have another question you want to ask?"

"Well, I forgot to confirm something." Fengcheng Meiyu said, looking at Jiang Xia sitting in the chair.

"Then go ahead and ask; answering questions and clearing doubts is a teacher's duty." Jiang Xia looked at the small bag in his hand, and standing before him, Fengcheng Meiyu spoke.

"Um... I want to ask, when you stood before my poster and wrote down your vote, who is the name that was covered underneath?" Fengcheng Meiyu asked nervously.

"You're that curious?"

"Yeah, because I looked through the ballot box, but I never saw your ballot."

That night after the competition ended, she went through all the contestants' ballots and recorded the names of all the classmates willing to support her.

But she never saw the ballot belonging to Jiang Xia, and she wanted to know who he had actually voted for.

Although she had won the competition and smoothly entered the Kamen Rider Club, she still wanted an answer; that ballot she hadn't managed to cast was very important to her.

Looking at Fengcheng Meiyu's earnest face, Jiang Xia let out a slow sigh: "Since you insist, I'll tell you."

Jiang Xia slowly reached into his coat pocket, took out the ballot that had been left in his hand and not placed in the box, and just as he was about to open it, Fengcheng Meiyu suddenly called out: "Wait, I want to open it myself, can I? Teacher."

"Sure." Jiang Xia without hesitation handed the ballot in his hand to Fengcheng Meiyu.

"Thank you, teacher. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, but remember to lock the door the next time you come in last; although hardly anyone knows about this place, you should still be careful." Jiang Xia reminded her, watching Fengcheng Meiyu's retreating back.

"Got it, teacher." Fengcheng Meiyu's voice trailed off long, like a drifting wind, unpredictable.

"Really knowing is best."

By the time Jiang Xia left through the portal, it was already dark; he strolled across the dimmed campus, his steps light, his heart filled with the joy after school.

He knew he would spend another long and enjoyable evening tonight, just like staying up late, and could squander his own time without restraint.

He walked along the wide cobblestone path between the colleges, the crimson sunlight about to fade, as night slowly enveloped the once bustling campus.

As he was about to finish the path, the surroundings seemed to enter some beast's 'territory'; the midsummer cicadas' chirping ceased abruptly, as silent as a piercing winter, with no insect sounds, no students' laughter and roughhousing—everything around seemed to have been killed.

Jiang Xia's expression remained unchanged, and even his mood didn't shift much; the insects' sense of danger made them choose silence.

He felt the pressure spreading through the air, a force that could suffocate life to death, but to him it was like a gentle breeze on his face, spring warm and flowers blooming.

The massive shadow standing at the end of the path was shifting and expanding; he felt this trembling shadow, like a scorpion holding its stinger high.

As one of the twelve zodiac signs, Scorpio, I don't know what matter is causing it to block people at this time.

Want to fight? That should end quickly anyway. Jiang Xia approached it.

This Scorpio, clad in a golden robe, with its mouthparts open on its face and its head covered as if by a face-hugging worm, clearly froze for a moment when it saw Jiang Xia's face showing no fear, even anticipation; anyone facing this sight would show fear, but he felt none—truly the one chosen by it.

"Do you want to gain power? Want to rule the world, defeat all enemies?" Scorpio said in an extremely low voice.

"Of course I do, so what can you give me?" Jiang Xia got straight to the point; we both know each other's backgrounds, so we can simplify the process—no need for nonsense.

"Then, make a wish to the stars." Scorpio handed over the most primitive Constellation Switch; unlike the secondhand ones smashed apart, it has no built-in constellations, but instead shapes illusions guided by one's own traits.

"Constellation apostle, I also want to know what constellation I've obtained; it shouldn't be calculated by birth month, or else I'd lose big." (Jiang Xia, Aquarius)

"Then let me see the limits of this little thing." Jiang Xia looked at the Constellation Switch in his hand, and at that moment the conduit of cosmic power was opened.

(End of chapter)