Arc 4, Act I, Chapter 13: A Little More About You

'Realistically, I should be going for her pieces rather than a checkmate if I want to ask more questions… And I can't really be playing sacrificially with mine.' Jotou hid a frown, "Well?"

Hotaru's ears flickered as she pouted her lips to the side, "Hm… What was your school life like? Friends—studies."

Jotou paused from examining the board to glance at the redhead. 'School life…' "I was, pretty good at school as a kid.

I was even allowed to skip a year. It put a lot of weight on me and I wanted nothing more than to show it off.

I had plenty of people I could call friends that later became distant enough not to be. I did great in studies, especially science and math.

But, my grades only worsened every year and that led to a lot of… other problems. Eventually, I was just burnt out and didn't realize it.

I ran on fumes for years, studying without another thought. When I slowly began to mature to the world around me, I became more aware of who I was and who I was becoming.