Chapter 3
The Chessboard of Fate

In the Hommachi district of Ōsaka, where skyscrapers stand like modern sentinels beside centuries-old temples, Jun leads a muted existence. In a company where the soul fades behind the figures, he drifts on an ocean of monotony. His professional relationships, polite but distant, and his attempts at love, frequent though they are, never manage to fill the void that resounds in him like an endless echo.

Utsubo Park has become his refuge, an oasis of tranquillity in the heart of the urban tumult. Among the carefully tended rose bushes, Jun finds a semblance of peace. He knows every corner of this green haven, every time-worn bench, every winding path. Beside the pond, where the sun plays with the water in a waltz of golden reflections, he draws a silent comfort, a truce in a life otherwise devoid of colour.

One particularly stifling summer afternoon, Jun seeks coolness near the park's fountain. The murmur of the water and the shade of the pines create a bubble of serenity, a moment suspended in time.

It is then that his eye is caught by an anomaly in this familiar landscape. On a flat stone whose outline suggests a natural chessboard rests an ōgi set. The pieces, burnished by the years, bear carvings of remarkable delicacy—intertwined dragons and flowers that stir a distant echo in him, like the memory of a half-forgotten dream.

Strange... he murmurs, reaching for a piece. The moment his fingers brush the polished wood, an indefinable sensation runs through him, as if this simple contact were building a bridge between two worlds.

The atmosphere changes subtly. An unexpected breeze sets the rose petals dancing, while the surface of the pond takes on unusual glints. Jun, fascinated, cannot take his eyes off the set, his heart beating to a new rhythm, as if he sensed the importance of this moment.

Are you lost? A melodious voice breaks the silence, as soft as the distant song of the cicadas.

Turning round, Jun discovers an apparition that takes his breath away. A woman of striking beauty emerges from the shade of the trees, dressed in a midnight-blue kimono. Her presence seems to transform the very air around her, creating an atmosphere in which reality and dream merge. Her black hair cascades over her shoulders with natural grace, and her face, exquisitely fine, is lit by blood-red lips and a gaze of disturbing depth.

I... I'm not sure, Jun replies, his voice betraying his confusion.

The woman approaches with feline elegance, each of her movements seemingly choreographed by a mysterious force. What are you really looking for, Jun? Is it this game that intrigues you, or something deeper?

Staring at the piece he is still holding, Jun takes a measured breath before answering: I didn't know I was looking for you... until now.

A crystalline laugh escapes the stranger's lips, mingling sweetness and mystery. And now that you have found me, what do you intend to do? she asks, her smile wavering between seduction and enigma.

Feeling the light caress of her fingers on his hand, Jun looks at her with a new intensity. I would like to invite you to play with me.

The surprise that crosses her gaze reveals an unexpected vulnerability. No one has ever invited me like that, she murmurs, a melancholy sigh escaping her lips. That is bold, Jun. Her smile grows softer, almost shy, while a mischievous gleam in her eyes suggests that this moment may be only a new facet of a larger game.