Sato loves playing chess, especially the popular Japanese game of "Shogi," and he gets really into it. He has several chess buddies, but the most frequent companion is Suzuki. Sato and Suzuki have known each other since middle school, and their relationship is quite complicated: Sato is overweight, while Suzuki is slender. Despite their differences in appearance, both are stubborn and competitive. At some point, they started seeing each other as rivals, always teasing each other whenever they met. Their competition in chess was particularly intense, with Sato studying the game tirelessly to not lose to Suzuki. Over the years, their skills were evenly matched, and they had been winning and losing against each other for quite some time.
One day, Sato's wife took their child out, leaving Sato alone at his desk. Just as he was about to start working, Suzuki showed up at his door. They exchanged a few pleasantries and, as usual, started playing chess.
The atmosphere of this game was eerie as the two of them had recently been at odds over something, and both were holding grudges while playing. Typically, they would banter playfully during their matches, but on this day, they remained silent, with a sense of hostility in the air. As the game progressed, Sato found himself in a precarious position and made a fatal mistake out of desperation. As soon as he made the move, Sato realized he was about to lose. Regretfully, he looked up to see Suzuki's smug smile and mocking remark, "Ha, your foolish plan backfired, didn't it?"
Enraged, Sato retorted, "The game isn't over yet, you know!"
"Give it up," Suzuki coldly replied. "You've always been inferior to me since our school days. It must have been tough for you all these years, trying to keep up with me."
Those words ignited a fire in Sato, and they started arguing, bringing up past grievances and recent conflicts. The argument escalated until Sato suddenly lunged at Suzuki. When he regained his senses, Sato realized he had pinned the frail Suzuki down, his right hand tightly around Suzuki's neck, rendering him motionless.
Dismayed, Sato stood up in a daze, realizing the severity of his actions. He needed to hide the body before his wife returned home. Luckily, their house was secluded with a spacious yard. Sato had recently dug a large hole in a corner of the yard to clean up fallen leaves. He carefully buried Suzuki's body in the hole under layers of leaves and soil. After tidying up the house, he waited for his wife to return. When she came back, Sato feigned a headache and retired to the bedroom without arousing suspicion.
From that night on, Sato suffered from insomnia. His gaze would always drift to the corner of the yard during the day, haunted by nightmares at night. After a few days, Suzuki's family inquired about his whereabouts, but Sato feigned ignorance. He read the newspapers diligently every morning but found no mention of Suzuki's disappearance.
On the fourth day, a chess friend visited Sato without noticing his strange demeanor. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Sato couldn't refuse the challenge for fear of arousing suspicion. However, during the game, Sato realized one of the chess pieces, "Kaku to Fu," was missing.
Sato froze, his face draining of color. He couldn't believe it—Kaku to Fu, the missing piece, it had been in Suzuki's hand that day! Panic-stricken, Sato stumbled out of the room, muttering about the missing piece. He collapsed in the bedroom. His wife rushed in, concerned, while the friend awkwardly excused himself.
After regaining consciousness, Sato blamed his condition on exhaustion. That night, unable to shake off his guilt, he sneaked out to retrieve the missing piece buried with Suzuki. However, upon uncovering the body, he discovered the piece was missing from Suzuki's hand. Frightened, he obscured the body again and returned inside, feeling drained.
When he woke up the next day, Sato was feverish and weak but decided to confront the mystery of the missing piece. To his surprise, the piece was back on the chessboard. Bewildered, Sato's biggest fear was his recent strange behavior being exposed by his friend and possibly leading to police involvement.
To allay his fears, Sato invited his friend over again, pretending to be cheerful and relaxed. During their game, the missing piece resurfaced, causing Sato to unravel. Upon confessing his crime to his friend, Sato was shocked to learn that the missing piece had merely been a prank by his friend. The friend had hidden it to see Sato's reaction, not anticipating the severity of the impact. The friend retrieved the piece from his grip and laid it on the board.
Stunned but relieved, Sato felt a weight lift off his shoulders. As he heard his wife sobbing in the other room, Sato contemplated his next steps.
