“Huh? Teach you chess?”

Sai was the last to enter the clubroom that afternoon, and as soon as she did, Pep hounded her just as I expected. The silver haired girl, usually so proud, shrank in the presence of the overwhelming energy of her pink compatriot.

“Yeah, I asked you yesterday, remember?!” Replied Pep, in a way that was as much shouting as it was questioning. After the taken-aback Sai looked to me for help, I figured I’d clear up the confusion.

“She did ask, during her tirade. Y’know, the one that started vaguely racist?”

“Ohhhhh, I see. I’m impressed you actually managed to take in what she said, I was rather overwhelmed.”

“You get used to her deranged rambling after a while.”

“What the fuck, guys?!” Pep seemed quite annoyed at our sudden united cause of making fun of her. Personally I thought she was being a tad overdramatic.

“Well, I have no problem teaching you, but wouldn’t you rather learn from Kaburi? Aren’t you two close?” Said Sai, completely sidestepping Pep’s prior reaction.

“You really didn’t listen at all…” Pep dramatically wiped her dry eyes as if she was crying. “Kabucchi is a terrible teacher, the last time he tried teaching me he just kept getting angry at me. He’s so cruel…”

That pout isn’t fooling anyone, you brat. Neither of us are dumb enough to believe such an obviously fake expression.

“You should know better, Kaburi. Chess isn’t an easy game to learn, elitists like you are the reason so many turn away from it.”

“You actually bought that?!” I said, incredulous that Sai was so gullible. “And you, Miss ‘chess is for nerds and losers,’ what made your tune change so fast?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious? There’s a pretty girl here now.” Pep replied without an ounce of shame.

“I sincerely wonder why I stay friends with you…”

“To keep your total friend count above 0?”

“...yeah, that’s probably it.”

“You’re not supposed to agree with that!” Pep put her hand to her face. It felt bad to be looked down upon by someone twice as thick and half as sharp as myself. “We’re getting off topics. Saichan, if I’m gonna be part of this club, I really wanna learn to play chess properly! I’ll be in your care from now on!”

“Huh- ah, yeah… I’ll… do my best…”

I was shocked. The previously outspoken and rude Sai seemed… nervous? Almost… flustered? I was utterly flabbergasted by the sudden change in her attitude, confused as to what could possibly have caused it.

Wait. Is she… getting all blushy because Pep called her pretty? Seriously? That’s all it takes to turn her into this?

I was almost disappointed. Someone I had thought to be on my intellectual level, brought to heel by a more compliment from a cute girl. To sink so low, how my expectations for her had been shattered.

“By the way, Kabucchi, I like the new hairstyle. The wolftail suits you!”

“Huh- ah- th-thanks, Pep…”

Perhaps I overestimated myself.

Since the club only had one chess board (which was already more than it had needed until this week), I simply sat and watched the two as Sai taught Pep the ropes of chess. Unlike when we were younger, Pep learned surprisingly fast, memorising the moments of the pieces quicker than most people do, and even starting to understand concepts like piece value. I was a tad annoyed that she hadn’t given me another chance to teach her myself, she clearly had a knack for it.

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“Since you moved your pawn two spaces, I can take it with my pawn on the sixth rank instead of the fifth.” Explained Sai, taking the f5 pawn on f6.

“Huh? But it’s not there, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s a special rule for double pawn movements. Look it up if you don’t believe me, it’s called en passant.”

“Holy hell, this game has so many rules! But man, it’s fun to learn. You’re a way better teacher than Kabucchi!”

“Dammit, Pep, we were five! How long are you gonna hold a grudge.”

“Until I beat you and prove you wrong for what you said back then. Hmph.”

She was, of course, referring to when I told her she’d never be as good as me at chess. In my defence, I beat my own dad when I was four. At five her most effective tactic was throwing a tantrum and telling me to let her win. It may have been a dick move but it was fair to say at the time.

“So, Peppi-san-”

“You don’t have to be so distant, Saichan. We’re friends! Just call me Peps or Pep like everyone else!”

“…so Peppi-san, how’d you end up in this school?” Asked Sai, completely ignoring Pep’s dejection at her ignoring the suggested nicknames. “Not to be presumptuous, but you don’t seem the sort of person I’d expect to be here. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and you don’t strike me as the delinquent type either. What could cause a normal girl like you to end up here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Pep noticeably stiffened up at the question, and her ever-present smile wavered for just a moment. As for myself, I felt a pit in my gut. It was the last question I wanted to hear asked today.

“Hehe… we don’t have to talk about that now…” said Peppi. She tried to keep her usual upbeat tone, but there was an uncertainty to her voice that couldn’t be masked. It was evident immediately that she was just as uncomfortable with the topic as I was.

Sai seemed surprised at Pep’s sudden mood switch, but when she noticed Pep and I glance at each other before quickly looking away, she raised an eyebrow. Sai was sharp, so she almost certainly put the pieces together.

Pep and I both awkwardly deflected the same question, and instinctively looked at one another when it was brought up. Anyone with a brain in their head would understand what that meant.

We were here due to the same incident.

“Well, I suppose it’s not important, just making conversation. You just hung your queen, by the way.”

“Wh- argh! How was I supposed to see that! The horsey moves so weirdly!”

The two were quickly back to their chess game, and I silently thanked Sai for noticing the discomfort in the room and changing the subject.

Sorry, Sai. I don’t think we’re gonna be ready to talk about that for a good while.

***

“Gah, I just realised how late it is. I gotta go home and help my little brother with dinner. Thanks for all your help today, Saichan! I learned a lot!”

“No, no, it was fun, you’ve no need to thank me. I look forward to the next club meeting.”

“Me too! See you on Monday! You too, Kabucchi!”

With little further ado, Pep rushed out the door, leaving Sai and I alone in the clubroom. For some reason the atmosphere felt heavy again, just as it had in the closet before. But this time, Sai was the one shying away from speaking.

“I… think I owe you an apology too…” she said after a while.

“More than likely yes, but may I ask what for?”

“For… being so hostile when you dodged my question before.”

It took me a moment to figure out what she was talking about, but it hit me that she was thinking of our lab session where she asked me the same question she asked Pep.

“Oh, that? Water under the bridge. I shouldn’t have asked a question I wouldn't want to answer myself.”

“Still, I was unnecessarily judgemental. At the time I just assumed you were being stubborn, but after seeing Peppi-san react the same way, I realised there’s likely more to it than I originally considered. It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.”

I was momentarily taken aback by her genuine apology. I had thought she’d have too much pride for that. Then again, if I mustered up enough shame to apologise, anyone could.

“Look, I’m not mad about it or anything. Pep and I… the reason we’re here just isn’t a fun story to tell. But you couldn’t have known that. So, let’s just agree to forget it ever happened, okay?”

“I suppose that’s fine.” Silence fell again, before. “…Kaburi, what… are you and I?”

“Hmm? Eukaryota Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primate Haplorhini Similiformes Hominidae Hominina Hominini Homo Sapien Sapiens.”

“Did you jus- never mind. That’s not what I meant. Our relationship. What exactly is it?”

That was a question that truly shocked me. We didn’t add the romance tag when I wasn’t looking, did we?

No, of course not. That’s not what she meant at all. As someone who spoke fluent loner, I knew only too well what she truly meant.

“You’re asking if you and I are friends, right?”

“…yes, I suppose so.”

I took a moment to think before I answered. Friendship and human relationships weren’t concepts I was particularly an expert on. My experience with them was scant. And my perspective was perhaps a tad twisted. But the least I could do was answer in earnest.

“I… don’t truly believe human relationships need such rigid labels,” I started. “You and I share a club and a common interest. We don’t actively hate each other, but I can’t exactly say we like each other all that much either. We see each other out of obligation, not choice, but we don’t openly resent that time. Friends is perhaps a strong word. Acquaintances not strong enough. Is there a word for that awkward middle ground? Perhaps, though if there is I don’t know it. But it matters little. You and I are clubmates and lab partners. No further labels than that are needed.”

Those were my complete and honest thoughts. The human obsession with labelling everything with fundamentally meaningless terms was one I loathed. How does one define ‘friend?’ Simply a person with whom you enjoy spending time? In that case it couldn’t be said that Sai and I were friends. We had argued far more than we had agreed. And we certainly wouldn’t actively seek one another out. As such, to call us ‘friends’ would be premature at best. But I saw no issue with that. ‘Friend’ is just a word people use to make themselves feel better about their fragile personal bonds.

I had no such fears.

“I see…” said Sai, her tone still flat. “To be honest, I’m mostly unfamiliar with what it means to have ‘friends’ in the first place. I had none at my previous school, nor when I was a child. So when Peppi-san called me a ‘friend’ earlier, I was a tad taken aback. I wasn’t sure I truly got what she meant. But perhaps you’re right, and worrying about such meaningless labels is beneath me.”

“Well, I’m sorry to say but once Pep considers you a friend, there’s no escaping. So congratulations, you have your first friend.”

“Right… my first friend…”

She made an effort to seem unenthused, but she failed to hide the slight smile that crept onto her face.