![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivalriesSeason: Spring, one year ago
---
Location: Checkmate Stage
Eichi: They jumped the gun. I only created the system—I never imposed it on them.
They truly believed that they were being strategic, yet they were only moving as I intended them to.
Foolish, really. I wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on them if they remained in such a gargantuan, nebulous group as Chess.
Yet they went and sliced themselves up into easily digestible pieces for me.
The delicate circuitry of Chess was already old and worn, and it crumbled to pieces at the smallest impact. Now, all that's left to be done is dispose of the wreckage.
Let us remove the rot and the filth, bit by bit, until Yumenosaki has been washed clean of it all.
Of course, this is nothing more than an appetizer—just a preliminary skirmish.
It is not yet fine's cue to appear. Instead, I'm having Tsukinaga-kun sweep up the fragments of Chess for me.
With permission from faculty, the student council has had full freedom to work on the DreamFes project.
The rules and cards in this game are all decided at our whim.
I threw Tsukinaga-kun in since he was already there at hand. If he ended up crushed in battle along the way, then well, that would be that...
But he's truly lived up his name as a genius—he's fought battle after battle, and won them all.
This is what's been driving the steady progress of Tsukinaga-kun's unit. It's my personal gift to the friend who helped me stave off my boredom while hospitalized.
I believe a prodigy's brilliance should be appreciated, not buried in obscurity. Enemies are better strong, and stepping stones better high.
If not, then my victory will be worth less when the time comes for me to slay them.
One must fatten one's livestock before the slaughter, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi: That's a bit graphic, isn't it? Makes you sound like an evil sorcerer in a fairy tale. Aren't you going to be the hero, Eichi-kun? I wouldn't exactly call these actions heroic.
Eichi: Depending on your perspective, the hero himself could look like the greatest evildoer of them all. Stories are told by the survivors—the ones who win.
So, I suggest we keep winning, so that we may survive and ensure we aren't remembered as villains.
Tsumugi: But... Is it really the right move to leave the purging of Yumenosaki's filth to Tsukinaga-kun?
If he continues to win DreamFes after DreamFes, his reputation and fame will grow without bounds.
He'll eventually spin beyond our control. In our bid to crush the smaller enemies, are we not just creating an unfathomably larger one?
Eichi: That would be interesting unto itself. Besides, he is a friend... I doubt he would stand in my way. Not to mention, he doesn't seem the type to enjoy wars or any sort of conflict.
Once he has grown to his full potential, I hope to bring him to my side and use him as my final weapon against the Five Eccentrics.
I've been setting things up for that very purpose.
How it will actually play out is beyond me, though. Tsukinaga-kun is somewhat difficult to read...
He's unpredictable, I should say. He hardly ever behaves how I expect him to.
I'd thought that his love for his allies—his affection for his vulgar, ignorant comrades in Chess would incapacitate him...
...That he would eventually grow unable to bear all these fights to the death with his former friends and companions.
Surely he would falter and break at some point, I believed. Then, I would only have to extend a merciful hand to his bloodied, exhausted soul...
That was my plan, you see, or at least my prediction.
And yet, even now he still fights with such vigor; his continued progress exceeds my expectations. What is it that drives him?
Tsumugi: Wouldn't that be Sena-kun? They seem close, and having even only one person to understand you can serve as a lifeline, you know?
I really hope I can be someone like that for you, Eichi-kun.
Eichi: Close enough, I suppose. I appreciate the sentiment, though, Tsumugi.
Hmm... But you do have a point. Sena-kun is likely one of Tsukinaga-kun's weak points. Perhaps that's where we should next aim to strike?
Sena-kun is the ordinary, hard-working sort you'd find anywhere—his inferiority complex serves as his main driving force. His discipline in honing himself does not change the fact that he is a common, unmarked blade.
Breaking him would be but a simple task. First, we shall strip Tsukinaga-kun of his weapon.
We shall throw him naked into the cold, so that eventually I may come by and swaddle him in the warmest winter clothes.
Tsumugi: Can't we all just try to get along, or is that not possible right now?
Eichi: Once peace returns, we can. Right now, we are in the midst of a war we started.
We should have enough experimental data for the unit and DreamFes systems by now, so we ought to proceed with making adjustments and preparing for the main event.
I want to choose our timing carefully, as fine's lineup hasn't quite solidified yet. The Five Eccentrics are heavyweights; we can't afford to go in without careful planning.
Things will only get busier from here, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi: Hehe, I think that rather than the future, we should focus on what we're facing right now... You know, like Checkmate.
Of course, it doesn't feel nearly as dire since we're just here to help out.
Eichi: Yes, it won't matter if we win or lose here. I have it planned so that either result would yield returns for us.
If Tsukinaga-kun wins as intended, then that's fantastic news—we can move on to the next stage without a hitch.
But even if he loses, fine needs only vanquish Chess in his place.
Chess has lost any traces of the strength it once had in its heyday. It would be as simple as taking out the trash.
It does mean extra work, though, so I'd rather Tsukinaga-kun win.
Owing to Chess's considerable size, it's easy to misjudge them.
But its members are all worthless, talentless rabble. Sweeping them up will hardly be a challenge.
Even their former comrades who branched off early on to create their own units are still somewhat salvageable.
At the very least, that lot has motivation, ambition, and the will to improve their own lives.
However, those who chose to remain in Chess lack even such base desires.
They are a gaggle of imbeciles without any minds of their own; while their castle crumbles around them, they can only watch in a dazed stupor as the wreckage blocks their last few escape routes.
They are the dregs of the masses who insist on not rocking the boat.
They must be swept clean. Perhaps after a taste of massacre and tragedy, even they may finally turn over a new leaf?
But if even then, they stubbornly remain cowards who do nothing for themselves... why, then they truly have no worth in life.
They would be but living corpses, wasting their young and healthy bodies away.
Let us do them a favor and grind them into fertilizer, so that they may nourish the beautiful blossoms of the future.
---
< A Solitary Throne Chapter 2 || Masterlist || A Solitary Throne Chapter 4 >
---
Location: Checkmate Stage
Eichi: They jumped the gun. I only created the system—I never imposed it on them.
They truly believed that they were being strategic, yet they were only moving as I intended them to.
Foolish, really. I wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on them if they remained in such a gargantuan, nebulous group as Chess.
Yet they went and sliced themselves up into easily digestible pieces for me.
The delicate circuitry of Chess was already old and worn, and it crumbled to pieces at the smallest impact. Now, all that's left to be done is dispose of the wreckage.
Let us remove the rot and the filth, bit by bit, until Yumenosaki has been washed clean of it all.
Of course, this is nothing more than an appetizer—just a preliminary skirmish.
It is not yet fine's cue to appear. Instead, I'm having Tsukinaga-kun sweep up the fragments of Chess for me.
With permission from faculty, the student council has had full freedom to work on the DreamFes project.
The rules and cards in this game are all decided at our whim.
I threw Tsukinaga-kun in since he was already there at hand. If he ended up crushed in battle along the way, then well, that would be that...
But he's truly lived up his name as a genius—he's fought battle after battle, and won them all.
This is what's been driving the steady progress of Tsukinaga-kun's unit. It's my personal gift to the friend who helped me stave off my boredom while hospitalized.
I believe a prodigy's brilliance should be appreciated, not buried in obscurity. Enemies are better strong, and stepping stones better high.
If not, then my victory will be worth less when the time comes for me to slay them.
One must fatten one's livestock before the slaughter, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi: That's a bit graphic, isn't it? Makes you sound like an evil sorcerer in a fairy tale. Aren't you going to be the hero, Eichi-kun? I wouldn't exactly call these actions heroic.
Eichi: Depending on your perspective, the hero himself could look like the greatest evildoer of them all. Stories are told by the survivors—the ones who win.
So, I suggest we keep winning, so that we may survive and ensure we aren't remembered as villains.
Tsumugi: But... Is it really the right move to leave the purging of Yumenosaki's filth to Tsukinaga-kun?
If he continues to win DreamFes after DreamFes, his reputation and fame will grow without bounds.
He'll eventually spin beyond our control. In our bid to crush the smaller enemies, are we not just creating an unfathomably larger one?
Eichi: That would be interesting unto itself. Besides, he is a friend... I doubt he would stand in my way. Not to mention, he doesn't seem the type to enjoy wars or any sort of conflict.
Once he has grown to his full potential, I hope to bring him to my side and use him as my final weapon against the Five Eccentrics.
I've been setting things up for that very purpose.
How it will actually play out is beyond me, though. Tsukinaga-kun is somewhat difficult to read...
He's unpredictable, I should say. He hardly ever behaves how I expect him to.
I'd thought that his love for his allies—his affection for his vulgar, ignorant comrades in Chess would incapacitate him...
...That he would eventually grow unable to bear all these fights to the death with his former friends and companions.
Surely he would falter and break at some point, I believed. Then, I would only have to extend a merciful hand to his bloodied, exhausted soul...
That was my plan, you see, or at least my prediction.
And yet, even now he still fights with such vigor; his continued progress exceeds my expectations. What is it that drives him?
Tsumugi: Wouldn't that be Sena-kun? They seem close, and having even only one person to understand you can serve as a lifeline, you know?
I really hope I can be someone like that for you, Eichi-kun.
Eichi: Close enough, I suppose. I appreciate the sentiment, though, Tsumugi.
Hmm... But you do have a point. Sena-kun is likely one of Tsukinaga-kun's weak points. Perhaps that's where we should next aim to strike?
Sena-kun is the ordinary, hard-working sort you'd find anywhere—his inferiority complex serves as his main driving force. His discipline in honing himself does not change the fact that he is a common, unmarked blade.
Breaking him would be but a simple task. First, we shall strip Tsukinaga-kun of his weapon.
We shall throw him naked into the cold, so that eventually I may come by and swaddle him in the warmest winter clothes.
Tsumugi: Can't we all just try to get along, or is that not possible right now?
Eichi: Once peace returns, we can. Right now, we are in the midst of a war we started.
We should have enough experimental data for the unit and DreamFes systems by now, so we ought to proceed with making adjustments and preparing for the main event.
I want to choose our timing carefully, as fine's lineup hasn't quite solidified yet. The Five Eccentrics are heavyweights; we can't afford to go in without careful planning.
Things will only get busier from here, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi: Hehe, I think that rather than the future, we should focus on what we're facing right now... You know, like Checkmate.
Of course, it doesn't feel nearly as dire since we're just here to help out.
Eichi: Yes, it won't matter if we win or lose here. I have it planned so that either result would yield returns for us.
If Tsukinaga-kun wins as intended, then that's fantastic news—we can move on to the next stage without a hitch.
But even if he loses, fine needs only vanquish Chess in his place.
Chess has lost any traces of the strength it once had in its heyday. It would be as simple as taking out the trash.
It does mean extra work, though, so I'd rather Tsukinaga-kun win.
Owing to Chess's considerable size, it's easy to misjudge them.
But its members are all worthless, talentless rabble. Sweeping them up will hardly be a challenge.
Even their former comrades who branched off early on to create their own units are still somewhat salvageable.
At the very least, that lot has motivation, ambition, and the will to improve their own lives.
However, those who chose to remain in Chess lack even such base desires.
They are a gaggle of imbeciles without any minds of their own; while their castle crumbles around them, they can only watch in a dazed stupor as the wreckage blocks their last few escape routes.
They are the dregs of the masses who insist on not rocking the boat.
They must be swept clean. Perhaps after a taste of massacre and tragedy, even they may finally turn over a new leaf?
But if even then, they stubbornly remain cowards who do nothing for themselves... why, then they truly have no worth in life.
They would be but living corpses, wasting their young and healthy bodies away.
Let us do them a favor and grind them into fertilizer, so that they may nourish the beautiful blossoms of the future.
---
< A Solitary Throne Chapter 2 || Masterlist || A Solitary Throne Chapter 4 >
