Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 1 - Chapter 1.6

☖ AIGAKARI (DOUBLE WING ATTACK)

We pull the amber brown pieces out of the box and start setting them up on the board one by one.

Just by looking at how fluid her movements are, it’s pretty easy to guess about how much experience the girl has playing Shogi.

The little girl sitting here: Ai Hinatsuru’s dexterity is, “This there … And that one there!” … in a word, hapless.

With no sense of the proper etiquette, she’s just setting them as fast as she can. It’s probably just nerves, but she’s having trouble keeping the pieces inside the lines on the board. This match is in the bag.

Pieces in place, I say, “You may have the first move.”

“Okay! R-ready to start when you are!!”

“As am I.”

The match begins as we both lower our heads.

Now then, how does she play?

“Heep, haaa ………………………………… aa!”

Ai takes a deep breath and puckers her lips, concentrating with all her might and moves the fu (Pawn) in front of her hisha (Rook) one space forward.

“Ohh? A static style?”

There are two main styles of Shogi, the “Static Rook” and “Ranging Rook.”

In layman’s terms, the “static” style is for people who like to plan everything logically, step by step. The blood type “A” personality if you will. “Ranging” is for people who like to rely on their gut feelings, a type “B.” Sis and I are static, by the way. Our Master is too, so that’s probably why he’s pretty particular about it, much more so than his choice of restrooms.

So I respond by mirroring her move, moving the Pawn in front of my Rook one space forward.

Third move. In no time at all, Ai presses her finger onto the same piece, moving it another space forward with authority.

This is——.

“… Double Wing Attack?”

During the seventh Ryuo title match, the one played at Ai’s family’s inn, I played the same style.

Both players lead with the Pawn in front of their Rook, the simplest and most aggressive pattern there is but furthest from standard strategy. It’s like both players are sitting ducks, throwing axes at each other.

That’s a Double Wing Attack.

So this elementary school girl is challenging the Ryuo to a contest of strength … Okay.

“How weak does she think I am …?”

The words come tumbling out of my mouth before I realize it as I move my own pawn another space forward.

Shogi is dialogue.

There’s a saying like that.

Shogi players aren’t just pushing pieces around. Once they reach a certain level, having a conversation over the board becomes second nature.

“I’m confident my strength is enough! Please don’t hold anything back!”

“Know your place, cheeky kid … All right then. I’ll play along. Bring it!”

Our past four moves went a little like that.

There is no standard strategy for Double Wing Attack, we’re already in uncharted territory.

As expected, I took a big lead in the early stages. Using subtle movements and a pro’s insight, I tear her front line to shreds and start advancing on her King.

“Ah … ugh …”

Ai, pinned down and groaning, is on the verge of tears.

Completely skipping over the middle stages, I move to finish this as quickly as possible. Happens all the time in Double Wing Attacks.

“That’s it.”

Getting a good handle on what my opponent is capable of, I try to think of the fastest way to put the nail in the coffin and position my pieces to go in a no-holds-barred overkill style. I drive her King all the way back to the last row with my heavy hitting pieces just to make sure victory is mine. Then, I hit the gin (Silver).

And of course, Ai raises her defenses against such an onslaught. She should.

But—.

“…………… Here ……… Here ………………… Here ……”

“Huh?”

“… Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here ………”

As soon as she saw my move, the girl about to cry suddenly had fire in her eyes.

“Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere———.”

We’d been keeping a pretty good tempo until her hand froze in midair, nose floating just above the pieces on the board, her whole body ticking back and forth like a metronome and she starts whispering to herself.

——Stop now of all times? No way …

Did she figure out my attack was coming in too strong? Then again, I highly doubt this girl has the skill to hold off a professional’s advance. This match is as good as over.

“Hereherehereherehereherehereherehere …………… Uh-huh!!”

Sitting up and more determined than ever, the tiny girl leans over the large Shogi board, reaches all the way out with her hand, and moves a piece into place. A sharp snap of wood on wood fills the room, echoing higher and higher.

“Huh?”

Sound dribbles out of my mouth the moment I see the move Ai chose to make. It wasn’t to shore up her defense.

Instead—she moved to attack.

That move sends a shockwave across the board that shatters my false sense of security and nearly blew the skin off my cheeks.

“…?!”

It looked like a horrible move at first glance.

Answer an attack with an attack? That should blow up in her face.

It’s like she knew that my attack would come up just short, a slash that sent a chill down my spine.

“?! … That can’t be right!”

The more I read what’s on the board, the attack I thought would “never happen” felt more and more like a dagger aimed at my throat.

“Sacrificing the Knight to take the Silver and put me in check, eh? But if I retreat the King to 6-1 position, the Rook at 4-7 will take the Silver at 6-2 … That’s checkmate if the King is there?! And if the Gold goes in, she’d move the Bishop to 8-3 will take it and then put me in check at the same time?! W-what is this girl?”

How far ahead did she plan this out?!

I look up without even thinking and behold the girl seated across from me.

She doesn’t notice my staring eyes. Instead, she’s bent over like a sprinter in mid-race with her eyes glued to the board, body still ticking back and forth.

“……… Hereherehereherehereherehereherehere ……………”

Eyes racing back and forth over the board and no words, only sounds coming out of her mouth, I can tell that she’s playing out a vast number of scenarios and sequences in her mind at an incredible speed.

She’s transcended the board itself.

Thoughts like strengthening her defense and trying to win my favor haven’t even crossed her mind.

“This girl is!”

Ai Hinatsuru is trying to kill me!!

That thought sends a shiver down my spine.

I’m not scared of the idea that an elementary school girl might beat me. Just the opposite. It’s the joy a Shogi player who has spent years researching the true way to play feels when confronted with something completely new on a Shogi board.

And it’s the happiness a competitor feels when presented with a worthy challenge.

“So you know what you’re doing after all.”

I lick my lips, slip on my special match glasses, and go on the attack with everything I’ve got.

There’s no going back. I can’t go back.

Ai’s not going to retreat. A passion, an enthusiasm I didn’t think a cute girl like this was capable of forced my verbal jab in one ear and out the other.

“… Here, here, herehereherehereherehere——Uh-huh!!”

The little assassin sits up and reaches out with her eyes open wide, firing her Bishop at my King like a cannonball. Of course, I return fire. It’s kill or be killed. It will be over the instant someone even thinks about defending.

A no-guard slugfest.

The wooden clicks get louder, each of us predicting faster and faster as we trade blows in a blood-soaked brawl.

I forgot that the person in front of me was a little girl in grade school at some point and crushed her heart with everything I had.