Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 1 - Chapter 3.1

☖ NEW APPRENTICE REGISTRATION

Up to the second floor.

Ai starts pulling at my sleeve. The second letters spelling out Shogi Doujo come into view.

“!! !!”

Ai’s looking at me with a burgeoning expectation.

I force a smile and say, “We’ve got to get you registered for the test in the upstairs office first. I want to introduce you to the staff too.”

“But——!”

“You’ll be playing before you know it.”

She starts mumbling to herself as if the anticipation is killing her while I steer her away from the door with my hand on her back.

I was the same way back then … I bask in nostalgia as we arrive on the third floor.

This is where the association’s office is, and it’s full of staff members.

“Ex-cuse us.”

“Oh, Yaichi … I mean Kuzuryu-sensei. Good morning.”

One of the guys I know pretty well—then again, I’ve been coming here for ten years so I know everybody, but one of the veterans of the group comes forward to help us.

He used to scold me a lot back when I was a kid, sort of like a teacher at school. So it feels a little weird for him to address me as Sensei since I became a pro.

The staff is hard at work making the association run smoothly. They’re even more important than pro Shogi players in a way.

No one would really notice if five or ten of us weren’t here, but matches couldn’t even get started if even one of them were gone.

I smile as wide as my lips will go and introduce Ai.

“I’m here today to set everything up for this girl here … Has any word come in?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard, I’ve heard.”

His line of sight locks in on Ai, hiding at my side, and says, “Sora-sensei just informed us: a pervert holding an elementary school girl captive at home is on his way here and she told us to contact the police on sight.”

Damn it Ginko …

“N-not Big Sis too! Me, kidnap a grade schooler? You know I’d never do that, right?”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Of course I wouldn’t.”

Ha-ha-ha. We share a good laugh right away.

“Well then, who is this cute young lady?”

“I’m his live-in apprentice!” says Ai bubbling over with pride before I can answer. My brain feels like it’s going to explode.

“HUH?!”

Every staff member on the floor raises their voice in unison.

Everyone who was pretending not to listen heard every word … Hey, hey, why is she reaching for the phone? What’s with their reaction? This some kind of gag?

“A, um … live-in apprentice, Kuzuryu-sensei? In this day and age? A grade school girl?”

“No, what? Ah, umm …”

There’s no choice but to power through at this point. So I make a calm, composed, “Yes she is. Is that a problem?” kind of face and nod. “Yes. Per my Master’s instruction.”

“O-Oh, I see … The Kiyotaki line …”

The fact that Master took Big Sis and I as live-in apprentices when we were really young is pretty well known. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, as someone in his line, I would take on a young live-in apprentice of my own. Nothing strange or unnatural about it at all!

“And look here, I’ve got a letter from my Master as well.”

“That you do …”

“And she’s only staying with me until the Practice League test is over.”

I explain that Ai is from the north coast, that she wants to enter the Practice League in hopes of one day joining the Women’s League, and that my Master has spoken with her parents, one after the other, while confirming the test date.

“And you know, it’s spring break right now, yes? It’d be better for her to focus on studying here in Osaka. Then she’ll commute from her home on the north coast once she’s passed the test.”

“Oh, if that’s how it is then——.”

Just then I saw a glimmer of recognition pass across his face in that moment.

“What?! I want to live with you from now on, Master!”

Whispers! Another uneasy aura sweeps through the office. Me, I’m panicking.

“Wait, Ai. Miss Ai. Listen …”

“I’ll do anything you ask! I’ll do the cooking! Cleaning and laundry too! A-and other things … if that’s what Master wants …”

Whisper, whisper, whisper …

“Heeeeeeey! Do you want everyone to get the wrong idea?! Never once have I said anything like that?! Right?!”

“B-But … What about the try out a little girl …?”

“Kuzuryu-sensei …”

“No, no, not at all! That was Big Sis trying to embarrass me!!”

I desperately try to explain, as if my life depended on it. I didn’t take on a grade schooler as a live-in apprentice because I wanted to!! That’s the truth!!

“Look, I like older women like Keika! I’ve no interest in younger girls whatsoever! You know that, right?! How long have we known each other?!”

“………… All right. I trust you, Sensei.”

It looks like he finally understands the situation. Trust built up over a decade has won the day. After all, the most important thing to pro Shogi players is trust.

The two of us were smiling right after that, catching up on recent news while getting the apprentice registration and Practice League test application squared away. I worked really hard on the paperwork but couldn’t shake the feeling that he was doing his best not to look me in the eye behind that glued-on smile he wore from start to finish.

Once everything was done and we were just about to leave the office, he gave me a serious look, a look more serious than I’ve ever seen in the ten-plus years I’ve known him. “Kuzuryu-sensei,” he said.

“Yes?”

“…… Everything is on the level, right?”

He doesn’t trust me at all.