Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 1 - Chapter 1.5

☗ ENTRANCE TEST

“… Might you be … the one who gave me water?”

“Y-Yes! That was me!”

Nodding her head up and down frenetically, the little girl squeezes her fists just above her knees.

“Is that right?”

…… I don’t remember a thing.

Hmmm. Well, I remember talking with somebody, but as for who it was or what we talked about, I don’t have a clue.

“And? I promised to make you my apprentice?”

“Well … Um. …”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t … use those words exactly but …”

She’s beating around the bush.

Maybe she’s twisting my words to fit what she wanted to hear? Maybe what I really said was along the lines of a casual, “Hello, I’ll teach you how to play Shogi” type of promise.

“What were my words, exactly?”

“‘I’ll do whatever you want if I win the title.”’

Promised the world, didn’t I?

Did I really say that? Well, yeah, probably. Titles are the most important thing to pro Shogi players. We’d sell our souls to the devil just to get one. Granting some kid’s wish would be a piece of cake. Heck, if the Shogi gods came to me and said, “Eat poop and I’ll grant you a title,” I’d eat it. No question.

But … why would she want to be my apprentice of all things?

And I literally just made up my mind not to take apprentices just a moment ago.

“Okay. I’ll keep my promise.”

“Really?!”

“But, only after you take a test.”

“Test …?”

“Because I want to see what you can do,” I say and walk to the tatami room.

Being an apartment close to the Shogi Association headquarters where a young pro and his senior apprentice often play against each other and host practice sessions, the tatami room is the designated Shogi space.

“Please, come in. Sorry about the mess.”

“E … excuse the intrusion …”

I point my finger, directing her to one of the floor mats and she cautiously settles in.

Getting a good look at the petrified girl sitting on her ankles, I gotta say, she’s really cute.

Yes, she’s got a good face, but I can’t help but marvel at how polite she is.

Even now, her legs are tucked in nice and tight with her arms folded in her lap. Any Shogi player would be instantly taken with that perfect posture. That’s pretty rare among kids nowadays.

“But, how did you get inside? Wait, the door was unlocked, wasn’t it?”

“S-Sorry! I just …”

A young pro hangs around here; the door is usually unlocked so that anyone can drop in whenever they please. The only thing inside worth stealing would be my Shogi board. Trying to carry that thing out of here would stick out like a sore thumb too.

“And … I thought … Waiting outside might cause trouble for you …”

“Good point.”

Imagine what my neighbors would think if they saw some strange little girl standing outside my door. What a considerate girl! I already get warnings for “strange clicking sounds at all hours of the night” from neighbors …

“Anyway, must’ve been really hard, figuring out where I live?”

“Your address was written on the Thank You postcard you sent out to my family’s inn, Sensei.”

“Ahh, now that you mention it—.”

I remember sending cards to a lot of people after becoming Ryuo because Master told me to.

“Huh? In that case, your parents own that inn?”

“Yes! My name is Ai Hinatsuru, from the Hot Spring Inn: “Hinatsuru”! I’m in the third gra … ah, fourth grade this spring!”

“So … a third grader.”

“I’m nine! I’ll turn ten this year!”

Really, her age is surprising.

Manners like that and still only in single digits …

“That’s quite a trip, from your family’s Inn all the way here. You came by yourself?”

“Yes! I took the Thunderbird train.”

The Thunderbird, an express line that connects Osaka with the northern coast. If I remember right, it’s a straight shot from Hinatsuru to Osaka station. No need to change trains even once along the way.

Then it’s just one stop on the Kanjou Line from Osaka station to get here. Not that much of an adventurer … But still.

“You must have some really nice parents, letting you travel like this.”

“Y-Yes! They … are very … understanding …”

“They … what now?”

Suddenly, I get the feeling that she’s beating around the bush again…

Considering they lent out their facility for the title match, her parents must love Shogi. Maybe they really buy into that “Let your darling children travel” type of thinking.

“Yeah, but still. I would’ve liked a heads up that you are coming all this way. Nearly jumped out of my shoes when you showed up out of nowhere.”

“Um … I-I-I wrote a letter asking you to take me as an apprentice, but without any reply …”

“…”

I take a very awkward glance toward the mailbox on my front door. It’s practically bursting at the seams with envelopes and junk mail.

Emptying the thing out would be such a pain in the ass … The association always contacts me by email so …

“Y-you did? Sorry about that. Yeah.”

Well, in the end it doesn’t matter if this girl is lying or not.

I have no intention of making her my apprentice either way.

And I highly doubt that I, a teenager at heart, could properly raise one. I don’t have time to worry about anyone else. And I sure as hell don’t want to pee on the floor after losing to an apprentice.

I’ll find another way to keep my promise, but I have to get her to give up on this apprentice thing first.

“Now then.”

I take my Shogi board out from the closet and place it in front of Ai Hinatsuru.

“Th-this is a really nice board!”

“Be gentle with it, okay? I’m still paying off the loan.”

Together with the Shogi pieces, the whole thing cost about as much as a new car.

It’s about eight-and-a-half inches thick, plus the four legs holding it up, so it’s tall enough to hide almost half the grade school girl sitting on her ankles when put directly in front of her.

Now that Ai is physically intimidated, it’s about time to intimidate her mentally.

“I’m a professional Shogi player. Pros can only take on apprentices capable of becoming pros themselves one day.”

That’s not necessarily true, but she doesn’t need to know that now.

“So, I need to see if you have that much talent with my own eyes. Okay?”

That’s a pretense.

Sure, I may be only winning thirty percent of my matches and in the middle of an eleven-game skid, but I’d never lose to a grade schooler. It may be a little harsh, but I’ll beat her, making her cry and give up on the whole thing. That’s the plan.

“Since I need to know exactly what you can do, we’ll play without any handicap.”

“Sure! Ready when you are!!”

What’s this? I thought to myself.

Even under all this pressure, this girl sits up straight and replies with a beaming smile.

Her mettle and posture pass with flying colors.

The windows should be closed, but it feels like a soft breeze blew through the room just now.