By Zephyria 
It was the question he had expected. And right now, Chrissy didn’t have the luxury of playing word games to hide his true intentions. Though, he did have to take a short, sharp breath to buy himself a moment before speaking.
“A detective I’m close with has gone missing.”
He continued in his usual businesslike tone.
“You’re the only person who might know something about it. That’s why I’m here.”
Nathaniel remained silent for a moment. Chrissy grew anxious, wondering what was going through the man’s mind, but he kept his mouth shut and waited in silence. When Nathaniel finally spoke, after slowly stroking his chin with one hand, there was a slight crease between his brows.
“Did you sleep with him?”
“What… no.”
Taken aback by the sudden question, Chrissy’s voice rose instinctively, but he quickly lowered it, denying it firmly.
“He and I aren’t that kind of relationship. It’s strictly professional. Where is this suddenly coming from…?”
The absurdity of the question made him ramble. Though Chrissy shut his mouth with a distorted expression, Nathaniel Miller still didn’t smooth out the frown between his brows. It almost looked as if he were judging whether the words were true or not, but there was surely another reason. Who Chrissy slept with was not a matter for this man to be concerned with.
As that thought crossed his mind, Chrissy suddenly realized. The last person he could be said to have had a relationship with was, in fact, this man. Once he realized that, a strange feeling washed over him—and it was absolutely not a pleasant one.
“So, what now? Didn’t you call me here because you intended to accept my proposal?”
Chrissy asked again, devoid of emotion. To avoid being swept away by this man, he had to maintain his rationality no matter what. This might be the last chance to save Simmons. At those words, Nathaniel, who had been staring at Chrissy with only his eyes, lowered the hand stroking his chin and curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Stunned, Chrissy let out a short, sharp sigh, but Nathaniel shifted the subject readily, a clear sneer on his face.
“So, Prosecutor, what do you intend to do from here on?”
Go on, entertain me.
That was what the man seemed to be saying. He didn’t ask who the detective was, why he was looking for him, or why he claimed there was a connection to him. But because of that, Chrissy became even more certain that this man knew exactly who Simmons was.
“It’s an old movie, have you seen it? There’s a famous scene where a killer and an FBI agent take turns asking questions to learn about each other.”
“…Aha.”
After a brief pause, Nathaniel let out an exclamation.
“So, in this case, the Prosecutor is the serial killer.”
“Haha!”
Chrissy let out a laugh with a face that wasn’t laughing at all. He was certainly in no mood to trade jokes. Looking down at him, Nathaniel spoke again in his characteristically relaxed, slow manner.
“I also found that movie very interesting. However, simply exchanging questions with you right now doesn’t seem particularly amusing.”
He then added with a peculiar smile,
“Unless you actually were a serial killer.”
This was likely true to some extent. Anyone who wanted to pique Nathaniel Miller’s interest would certainly not be satisfied with something ordinary.
But this man had responded to Chrissy’s proposal. Regardless, it was certain that Chrissy possessed something that could interest him. Chrissy had no choice but to bet on that possibility.
“Of course, movies and reality are different, so we can’t apply it exactly as is.”
Chrissy spoke, maintaining his businesslike and blunt demeanor. After confirming that Nathaniel was listening in silence, he finally got to the point.
“How about we play chess, and the winner gets to ask a question?”
Nathaniel showed no particular reaction this time either. He simply looked down at Chrissy with an unreadable expression. His pheromones continued to drift faintly through the air. As Chrissy waited patiently, Nathaniel tilted his head to one side and spoke, sounding unimpressed.
“If the chess match doesn’t end quickly, we won’t even get to ask a single question properly. Do you really think that will be fun?”
In truth, he probably meant the opposite. ‘I’ll finish you off in less than five minutes, so what’s the point?’ It was a natural assumption, given that this man had become a world chess champion in his teens. However, this too was within Chrissy’s expectations.
“We can make it so that a question is asked every time a piece is captured.”
He intentionally offered an easy condition. To that, he added a grand prize for the winner.
“How about the person who captures the King at the end gets whatever they want?”
Isn’t this a pretty good deal? Chrissy thought, but Nathaniel wasn’t so easily swayed.
“I assume your body is also included in that trophy.”
“Of course it is.”
There was no need to use a grand word like ‘also.’ The only prize Chrissy had to offer was his own body; therefore, the trophy was Chrissy himself. That was assuming it was perceived as having that much value, but would it work on this man?
“Hmm,” Nathaniel let out a short hum as if running a calculator, then gave a bitter smile. Just as Chrissy’s heart sank, the man spoke.
“How boring.”
It’s okay, I’ve thought of another way. Just as Chrissy was about to make another proposal, Nathaniel spoke first.
“How about this? If you capture my piece, I’ll answer a question. But if I capture your piece…”
Slowly and meaningfully, his purple eyes swept over Chrissy’s entire body. Stopping his gaze at the ankles hidden by the hem of the cheap suit trousers, Nathaniel murmured in a low voice.
“Take off your clothes.”
In an instant, Chrissy felt his fingertips go cold. This, too, was something he had prepared for. With the innocent Detective Simmons in danger because of him, was there anything he wouldn’t do?
Nevertheless, Chrissy spoke stiffly, unable to hide his repulsion.
“You’ve already seen enough of my naked body.”
“One always wants to keep looking at a masterpiece. And…”
Nathaniel Miller added with a silent laugh,
“I don’t want to waste time stripping you once I’ve already won.”
Having said that, he turned around as if the conversation were over and asked,
“Would you like something to drink? I haven’t offered you any refreshments.”
“Water is enough. Thank you.”
As he added the formal greeting, Nathaniel suddenly stopped and looked back. With a thin smile, he asked Chrissy, who was still standing there.
“I wonder what your next strategy would have been if I hadn’t made this proposal.”
He remembered that Chrissy had been about to say something before he spoke. Chrissy replied indifferently with a blank face.
“I was going to say I’d suck your cock every time I take one of your pieces.”
At those words, Nathaniel wore a surprised expression for the first time. It was as if he had never imagined Chrissy would go that far. Seeing that reaction, Chrissy felt a bit better.
“My, I should have been more careful during the negotiation.”
At the sigh that sounded genuinely regretful, Chrissy replied nonchalantly.
“The river that has flowed away does not return.”
“I see. I’ve missed a tremendous opportunity. I could have seen something truly wonderful.”
After saying that, Nathaniel pointed to one side, a smile still lingering on his face.
“Go to the game room. Go straight and it’s the last room on the right.”
Chrissy followed instructions and began to walk. After a few steps, he asked Nathaniel, pretending he had just remembered.
“May I use the restroom for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Nathaniel replied as he walked around the bar table to take a bottle from the cupboard.
“It’s right next to the game room. Take your time.”
The last part sounded like a tease. Chrissy gave a stiff thank you and headed in the direction he had pointed.
His heart began to race violently. He entered the restroom as calmly as possible, but once he was alone, the fear and tension he had been suppressing rushed over him all at once. Looking at his reflection in the sink, his eyes were wide, his face was pale, and his breath was coming in ragged gasps.
It was only natural. He had never played a game of chess in his life.