Sae could never see anyone, in his eyes they were nothing but mere game pieces. It made it difficult to remember who he was talking to, sure, but he managed. Even becoming one of the military’s key tacticians.

Being a military tactician came with great pay. A pay in which he had somehow found himself spending at a famous spot in the red-light district—the Verdigris house. They had a plentiful amount of fair courtesans available, and Sae was no more of a sucker than the rest of the men vying for one of the Verdigris’ beautiful women and men.

Out of the three top ranked courtesans, was you. Poised and blunt, you didn’t need to sell your body to gain value. Rather, you were known for your prowess in board games. You had never lost a single match against a client, until Sae appeared.

Sae blew hundreds of well earned dollars on you, and would spend his time drinking and playing games with you. Your ability to keep up with him was a rare trait, he found himself growing feelings for you.

The one day he had actually managed to win a match with you, he had finally seen something that shocked him to the core. Your face, no longer a shogi piece was revealed in all your grace. The first time ever he had seen someone’s face, or cared enough to reveal it.

After that, he noticed you yourself had been falling for him too. He’d spend more and more, and the damn greedy bawd would deliberately increase your prices to suck him dry of his hard earned cash. However, he continued to blow it all on you.

“That makes the score 5-2 to you, I really should step up my game huh?” He mumbled, staring at another loss by him. Taking a swig of his booze before his eyes went back to you. It had been a long match, and he could tell you were struggling to find ways to victory. However, you always seemed to find a way to best him.