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Epilogue

The long day drew to a close at St. Marguerite Academy.

The winter sun had long set, and a black veil of darkness shrouded the snow-covered campus of the academy. Clouds drifted in the wind. Moonlight cast a faint bluish glow on the gazebos, iron benches, frozen fountains. The day-long bustling atmosphere had quieted, and the students had vanished from sight.

A middle-aged janitor, dressed in gray work clothes, stood alone in the spacious garden fronting the silent school building.

He let out a sigh. “Damn brats… They sure made a mess.” He chuckled in amusement.

In the makeshift square, designed to resemble a giant chessboard, broken armor and helmets, snapped toy swords, a white veil, and a papier-mâché of a black horse head lay scattered everywhere, remnants of the fierce battles that had taken place earlier today. When the wind blew, the horse head rattled, swaying in the breeze. It was cold and quiet and melancholic as the hour after a celebration.

The janitor picked up the horse head, sword, and a boot. “I suppose it can wait until tomorrow morning. Let’s call it a night.”

Turning his back to the clearing, he made his way towards the staff dormitory. He hunched his shoulders and shivered.

As the janitor passed, treading upon the snowy path, in the shadow of the trees stood a large elderly gardener, holding a broken beech branch.

“Those kids!” he growled.

The meticulously tended shrubs, flowerbeds, and animal-shaped hedges had been damaged in various places, courtesy of the lively students.

“Kids sure are a handful,” he grumbled, but a smile tugged at his lips in delight.

A gust of wind whistled through the withered trees, whipping branches.

The moonlight grew brighter, casting a bluish-white glow upon the janitor’s and the gardener’s silhouette.

---

“Well, then.”

Through a window of the boys’ dormitory, right above the elderly gardener’s head, was a tidy student’s room, where a small boy, an international student from the East, sat at his desk with a very serious expression.

The room was furnished with a simple dresser and a bed, with textbooks and dictionaries neatly stacked upon the desk.

Clad in a navy blue kimono, the boy donned a handcrafted, pink cotton hanten, a loving gift from his sister sent all the way from home. Although it was slightly kinked in places, it carried the warmth of affection. He had been reading his textbook with utmost concentration. He stretched, seemingly done with today’s studies.

Resting his cheek in his hand, he yawned and stared into the darkness beyond the window. “What a strange day. Everyone was wearing peculiar attires, full of excitement.”

He yawned and rubbed his eyes, feeling the heaviness of sleep overtaking him. Then remembering something, he muttered, “That’s right, Ruri sent another letter.”

Opening a drawer, he searched for the letter, careful not to disturb the hanten that seemed as if it could fall apart at any moment. Once he found it, he opened it with a smile and began reading.

“Kazuya, how are you? How is your little friend? By the way, the other day, I went to see a moving picture with Mushanokouji-san. Anyway, his face is so big, so I asked why it was like that on the way home, and he got offended and went quiet. When I got home and told our brothers, I got an earful. I was upset. Lately, whenever I think of Mushanokouji-san, I feel irritated or get a stomachache. I don’t understand. What is this feeling?”

Kazuya read the letter with wide eyes, but soon a tinge of melancholy washed over him. “Mushanokouji-san, Mushanokouji-san… Oh, Ruri.” He scratched his nose. “I’m glad she’s doing well, but still a bummer. She will one day marry and have to leave.”

He smiled and returned his gaze to the letter.

“I’ve included some sweets for your little friend. Konpeito. Well then, au revoir! (I’ll also be a teacher starting from spring. I’ll be teaching English and French to lovely female students.)”

As Kazuya opened the envelope, a small white pouch containing sugar candies tumbled out. He smiled.

Carefully putting away the letter, Kazuya swiftly rose from his seat, clutching the pouch of sugar candies. He then fastened his coat and left his small dormitory room.

Outside the window, the wind blew, rustling skeletal branches.

---

In a corner room of the girls’ dormitory, Avril was in the middle of packing her belongings.

Winter break was starting tomorrow, so the front gate and village station would surely be crowded with people heading home. To ensure she wouldn’t oversleep, Avril meticulously prepared, cramming her possessions into a sturdy suitcase.

“So noisy, as always,” remarked her roommate, a girl with almond-shaped eyes and blonde hair tied in pigtails. She was perched on her extravagant suitcase, staring at Avril with an air of dignity. She had finished packing her things.

Though not as loud as Avril, the sounds of packing could be heard emanating from several rooms throughout the dormitory. Everyone felt weary after the conclusion of the human chess tournament, but they tackled the major task, rubbing their drowsy eyes.

Avril tossed all sorts of things into her suitcase, yawning. “Ugh, it never ends!”

“I’m heading to the room next door.”

“What? You’re helping your friend pack? How about helping me with mine?”

The girl snorted. “No. The girl next door seems to have had her heart broken today. She was sobbing earlier, so I’m going to comfort her.”

“What? Heart broken? Did the guy die, turn into a ghost, and then—”

“That’s not it. Good heavens, you’re so ridiculous.”

“Wh-What did you say?!”

“My aunt believes that first loves are beautiful but often don’t work out. People tend to start ordinary families with the second, third, or fourth person they fall in love with. Surprisingly, things turn out better that way.”

“What? Are you going to tell that to the girl?”

“Of course not!” The roommate tugged at the ends of her pigtails. “I’ll simply sit beside her in silence. We’re friends, after all.”

“Oh, I found cookies!”

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“Right, these cookies…”

Raising her shoulders, the roommate strutted out of the room. Avril blankly watched her go.

She carefully placed the postcard with the Penny Black stamp—a keepsake from her grandfather—into the suitcase, then glanced at the bag of cookies she had just found.

“They look delicious. Maybe I should give them to her,” she muttered, turning her gaze toward the window.

Beyond the chilling darkness, she faintly discerned St. Marguerite Academy’s library tower, looming like a menacing beast, ready to lunge on a vulnerable girl’s windpipe.

Avril draped a coat over her sweater, covered her head with a red scarf, and tightly tied it around her neck. She stepped out into the corridor. With a spring in her steps, she made her way through the bustling hallway of the girls’ dormitory.

“First loves often don’t work out, huh?” Avril mumbled to herself. “I can see why she’s earned the reputation of being the most cynical girl in her grade. But still…” Her red scarf swayed gently. “Maybe there are people who can make it work.”

She ran down the staircase. It was just as cold as the corridor, and her breaths turned white. The bottom of her coat flared softly.

---

Several empty bottles of wine lay scattered on the kitchen table next to the boys’ dormitory’s spacious dining hall. Bones of a whole roasted chicken sat on a large white plate. An empty soup bowl, a platter with a bit of pudding. It was the aftermath of a feast. Seated limply on opposite sides of the table were Ms. Cecile and Sophie the dorm mother. Their cheeks were as red as cherries.

Sophie slouched back in her chair and rubbed her stomach painfully. Ms. Cecile, like a deflated balloon, slumped forward onto the table.

“I can’t eat another bite,” Ms. Cecile said.

“I can’t even take another sip,” Sophie added.

“Ugh…”

“Cecile, you’ll die if you fall asleep! You probably don’t see it ‘cause you’re drunk, but the fire in the stove has already gone out. We might freeze to death before morning.”

“Guh…”

“You’re such a handful.”

Grumbling to herself, Sophie pushed herself up from the chair and roused Ms. Cecile. She then leaned Ms. Cecile against her back and dragged her along, one step at a time.

They made their way out of the kitchen, through the corridor of the boys’ dormitory, and stepped outside.

As they tottered toward the staff dormitory, Cecile suddenly let out a squeal.

“Quiet,” Sophie said.

“Joy to the world…”

“If you have the energy to sing, then walk on your own. It feels like we’re stranded on a snowy mountain. Oh, right, Miss Lafitte.” Sophie called her friend by a name she hadn’t used in a while. “Christmas is almost here.”

“Merry Christmas, very Christmas.”

“Come to think of it, I made a wish to Santa Claus way back to befriend the cute girl with round glasses and chubby cheeks. It was my first winter working at the academy; I was only thirteen at the time. I completely forgot about that.”

“You should be grateful. Mumble, mumble.”

“What to do… I’m having mixed feelings now,” Sophie grumbled, trudging onward.

Moonlight illuminated the swaying skeletal branches. A howl came from the distance. Their breaths came out in white puffs, cold as beads of ice.

Light footsteps echoed throughout the garden.

---

Avril bumped into Sophie and Ms. Cecile around the corner. She appeared momentarily puzzled by the sight of her teacher being carried by the boys’ dorm mother, but she didn’t dwell much on it. She gave a small bow and cheerfully continued on her way.

She walked alone along the snowy path. When she arrived at a corner of the garden, in front of a maze of flowerbeds, she came to a stop.

She paced around like a hesitant bear, unsure whether to enter or not.

As she paused, tilting her head in contemplation, Kazuya arrived, walking with a straight back. Donning a pink hanten, he stopped when he spotted Avril.

“Oh hey, Avril. What are you doing out here? Do you have business with Victorique?”

“Ah, yeah. Well, um…”

Avril nodded and then shook her head slightly. She glanced back at the depths of the maze. She thought about the countless times she entered and got lost without reaching her destination.

“I’m going on vacation starting tomorrow,” Avril said timidly.

“Did you come to say goodbye? Let’s go together, then.”

“Hmm, nah, it’s okay. If you’re going to see her, kindly give her this.”

She pressed a bag of delicious-looking cookies into Kazuya’s hand.

“Ah, yeah… Got it.”

“I gotta go. I’m still not done packing. Bye, Kujou!” she said brightly.

Avril took off along the snowy path. Blushing in embarrassment, she swiftly dashed through the slippery frozen pathway without stumbling.

“See you next semester, Avril!”

“Yeah!” Her lively voice drifted in from afar.

Nodding to himself, Kazuya watched Avril for a while before stepping into the flowerbed maze.

---

“Kujou, you did well to wake me up.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I thought for sure I’d get hit or kicked or receive a barrage of insults for disturbing your sleep.”

“I was at the Underground Chocolate Bonbon Bar…”

“What?”

Inside the flowerbed maze, in a small and colorful residence resembling a candy house, Victorique, who had been napping in a lovely easy chair, rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up.

Kazuya, peeking in from outside, had received Victorique’s permission, so he entered through the front door. He then started stacking up scattered books and gathering candies into one place.

Pursing her glossy, cherry lips, Victorique said, “In that world, there’s a law banning chocolate bonbons. An abuse of power by the Parliament, if you will. So, one night, you took me to an illegal bar deep in the basement of a bookstore. You pressed a hidden button and a bookshelf opened to the left and right, revealing a secret staircase. But even that last paradise was ultimately exposed.”

“What a weird dream,” Kazuya remarked. “Come on, change into your nightwear and get some proper rest. You might catch a cold.”

“What a terrifying world! No chocolate bonbons! Imagine that!”

“Well, it’s not exactly bonbons, but I brought some sugar candies called konpeito. Ruri sent them, for you. Also I bumped into Avril outside and she asked me to give you these cookies. She’s heading home tomorrow, so we won’t see each other again until next semester.”

“…Ah, I see.” Victorique fell silent and stared intently at Kazuya.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’ll be in the academy during Christmas and New Year’s. Looks like it’s another long break with just the two of us. Everyone’s leaving tomorrow.”

“I suppose…” Victorique let out a soft groan and turned to Kazuya.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Just go to sleep already. Come on, move to the bedroom. Come on, come on.”

“You’re so annoying. By the way, what’s with that peculiar coat you’re wearing?”

“You mean this hanten? We wear it during winter in my country. My sister made it herself.”

Standing next to Victorique, Kazuya wore a perplexed look. Victorique still wasn’t changing into her nightgown.

The bright flames in the fireplace provided warmth to the candy house. A winter breeze gusted outside the window. Stark branches cast sinister shadows everywhere.

When he noticed the mess on the table, Kazuya picked up the scattered black and white chess pieces and wiped each one with a handkerchief. He then neatly placed them back in a lovely box made of oak and closed the lid.

He stretched. “Today was quite a long day, huh?”

“Was it?”

“Yeah. And now it’s finally over.”

He picked up the crumbs of sweets scattered on the chessboard and wiped it clean with a handkerchief.

“We’ll have plenty of time to relax starting tomorrow,” he said. “I can come here or to the library, right? There won’t be anyone left in the academy besides staff.”

“Sure.”

“Well then, it’s time for bed. See you tomorrow, Victorique. Don’t worry about getting hungry in the middle of the night. Avril’s cookies and Ruri’s konpeito are right there on the dresser. Keep warm. Come on, come on!”

“You’re really annoying, you know that?”

“Ahaha.”

“Hmph.”

Their voices faded away.

A cold wind blew outside the window.

---

Snow started falling, blanketing the campus in a pure-white canvass, covering the swords, armor, helmets, and horse heads scattered in the clearing until they eventually disappeared.

Flames crackled in the fireplace.

It was a quiet night.

The end of a long, winter day.

The day of the human chess tournament was finally coming to an end.