Skipping the chess match, as i lost all motivation for it. sorry.
With black as homura and white as nezu, this was the match I was gonna use.
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Nf3 Be7
5. Bf4 O-O
6. e3 c5
7. dxc5 Bxc5
8. a3 Nc6
9. Qc2 Qa5
10. Rd1 dxc4
11. Bxc4 b5
12. Be2 b4
13. axb4 Bxb4
14. O-O Bb7
15. Ra1 Qc5
16. Rfd1 Rfd8
17. Rxd8+ Rxd8
18. h3 h6
19. Bc7 Rd7
20. Bg3 Bxc3
21. Qxc3 Qxc3
22. bxc3 Ne4
23. Ne5 Nxe5
24. Bxe5 Rd2
25. Bf3 Bd5
26. Rxa7 Rxf2
27. c4 Bxc4
28. Ra8+ Kh7
29. Bxe4+ f5
30. Kxf2 fxe4
31. Ra7 Kg6
32. Rxg7+ Kh5
33. Bf6 Be2
34. g4+ Bxg4
35. hxg4#
But at move 10, I had already lost every ounce of motivation. Sorry, when I am motivated or wanna do it, I will write the scene. sorry
---
The board was nearly bare now, only a handful of pieces scattered like survivors of a long battle.
Homura's king stood at h5, cornered but not yet fallen.
Nezu moved his bishop to f6, the piece gliding into position.
Homura stared at the board. She already knew. From here, it was a forced mate. No route of escape. So, Homura sighed and played on.
She reached for her bishop, sliding it to e2. A delaying move - but she knew it was just a formality.
Nezu didn't miss a beat, his expression mild and pleasant as ever. He nudged a pawn forward.
Pawn to g4.
Homura's lips pressed into a thin line, though her gaze stayed steady, impassive. "Tch. Forced," she muttered quietly, and without hesitation, reached forward and captured.
Bishop takes g4.
Nezu's smile sharpened, and with the last, simple push, moved his pawn.
Pawn takes g4. Checkmate.
The room went still. Homura's eyes stayed on the board, studying the final shape of defeat. She let out a faint breath through her nose, expression unreadable.
"Checkmate," Nezu said, his voice carrying no arrogance, only quiet satisfaction.
He leaned back in his chair, lacing his small paws together. "You play well, Akemi-san. Better than I expected."
Homura's eyes narrowed, a faint scowl tugging at her lips - though beneath it, a flicker of begrudging respect lingered in her gaze. "Not well enough."
And yet… throughout the match, she'd noticed it. Little things. Sprinkles of subtle, calculated blunders. At first, she chalked it up to a momentary lapse. The second time, it was questionable. But by the third, it was undeniable.
He was holding back.
Moves slightly below what she could tell he was capable of. Moves meant for her to notice.
Her expression must've given something away at one point, because she was certain Nezu noticed her noticing. The way his eyes gleamed, just for a second, confirmed it.
A display of dominance? A test? Maybe he genuinely did just want a match for amusement. She couldn't quite tell.
But… what she couldn't deny - however much she might want to - was that she'd enjoyed it.
Of course she did. It was a game. A proper game. An aspect of life she'd long discarded. The last time she let herself indulge like this was… years ago. Quiet afternoons with Madoka, Sayaka, or the occasional attempt to bait Kyouko into something competitive. And even then, it was never fun. Not really. Not like this.
(except with Madoka because homu-sexual, heh get it?)
The last time she'd played something purely for the sake of play was near the beginning of her loops, back before the world turned so stagnant and predictable.
But now, this match with the beady-eyed rodent, even with the veiled manipulation, had been… fun.
The scowl eased from her face, lips twitching into the barest hint of a smile before settling back into neutrality.
Nezu chuckled quietly, as if he'd noticed. "Perhaps next time," he said lightly. "I enjoyed this match."
He stood, gathering the folder and tucking it under his arm. "Now then, I did promise I'd get out of your hair after a match, so I'll be heading off. I'll drop by tomorrow to check in on you. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be happy to oblige."
He reached the door, then glanced back, a sly grin on his face. "And if you're willing… perhaps we'll have another match."
Without waiting for an answer, Nezu tipped an invisible hat and slipped out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Homura let out a soft sigh, her gaze drifting back down to the chessboard. The final position still lingered there, her defeated king cornered, the scattered pieces a quiet reminder of what just happened.
After a moment, she noticed the set itself. Tilting her head slightly, she glanced around the room. Was this whole thing a test? She wondered. Thinking back to the whole bizarre interaction that came about from this chessboard.
"Maybe", she mumbled to herself. but still, before homura was about to leave, something irked her.
Leaving it out in plain view felt wrong. So, Homura quietly gathered the pieces, slotting each one carefully back into its place. The clean click of each piece settling into the board's felt-lined hollows was oddly satisfying. When she finished, she stared at the closed set, tapping her finger against the lid.
"Where should I put this…" she muttered, scanning the room. "There isn't really a spot whe-"
And then it struck her.
A small, smug grin tugged at her lips as she moved over to the couch, knelt down, and carefully slid the chess set right back under it, in the exact same spot Nezu had pulled it from.
She dusted her hands off, satisfied.
"Obviously," she said with joy's
(She was then shot 57 ti-)
A/N sorry for the short chapter, but i think my motivation was killed again, so i'll probably disapear again for a bit. sorry. hopefully i'll find it, but i got not much ideas to continue with, but i really don't want to hope straight into her being at UA. so, see ya for now.