They didn't touch the chessboard after he left.
Not immediately.
The pieces sat there.
Silent.
Waiting.
Yue Ning spoke first.
"…He wasn't trying to scare us."
Lin Xia nodded slightly.
"He was warning us."
Mei Chen leaned back in her chair.
"…Same thing."
Silence settled again.
Then—
A faint sound.
Clap.
Clap.
Slow.
Mocking.
They turned.
A girl stood at the classroom door.
Leaning casually against the frame.
Her eyes glowed faint violet.
"Well," she said softly, smiling,
"the new players are interesting."
Something about her presence—
Felt wrong.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
But dangerous.
Mei Chen stood.
"…What do you want?"
The girl stepped inside.
Slow.
Confident.
"I've been watching you," she said.
Yue Ning's fingers tightened.
"…Why?"
The girl tilted her head.
"Because you didn't break."
She walked around them.
Like she was studying them.
"Most new players panic after their first match."
She glanced at Yue Ning.
"Some cry."
Then at Mei Chen.
"Some get angry."
Then at Lin Xia.
"…Some pretend to understand."
She smiled.
"But you three…"
She stopped.
Right in front of them.
"…you're dangerous."
Silence.
Lin Xia's voice was calm.
"…Say what you came to say."
The girl's smile widened.
"I challenge you."
The air shifted instantly.
A screen flickered into existence.
GAME REQUEST INITIATED
Yue Ning's heart dropped.
"…No."
Lin Xia stepped forward.
"We don't accept."
The girl didn't move.
"…You don't have a choice."
The screen glitched.
Violently.
For a split second—
The text distorted.
FORCED MATCH ENABLED
Lin Xia's eyes widened.
"…That's not a normal rule."
The girl's smile didn't change.
"No," she said softly.
"…it's a privilege."
The system confirmed:
GAME ACCEPTED
Yue Ning whispered:
"…No…"
Another screen appeared.
PUNISHMENT SELECTION
The girl spoke immediately.
"If you lose…"
She stepped closer.
"…one of you loses all your memories of the other two."
Silence.
That hit harder than anything physical.
Mei Chen's jaw tightened.
"…You're insane."
The girl smiled.
"…No."
"…I'm curious."
The system locked it in:
PUNISHMENT REGISTERED
Now it was their turn.
Lin Xia didn't hesitate.
"…If we win…"
She looked straight at her.
"…you tell us everything you know about this system."
A pause.
Then—
The girl laughed.
"…Deal."
PUNISHMENTS CONFIRMED
The room shifted.