Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 1 - Chapter 5.2

☖ THE LAST NIGHT

“…… All right. That should be enough,” I say to my pajama-clad apprentice and start cleaning up, but Ai reaches across the board to stop me, clinging.

“Master! Just one more——.”

“No.”

“But ……”

“All pros rest up before official matches. It’s an important technique, you know,” I tell her while patting her head to calm her down. “You have thirty-five minutes of waiting time for each of the three games tomorrow, one-minute Shogi after that. Then there’s the pressure of having to win all three. It’ll really wear you out.”

“………… Okay.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. Play the way you normally do, and you’ve got this. It’s in the bag.”

She played Shogi all morning, reviewed standard strategy with me after saying goodbye to her parents, and I lost count of how many two-piece handicap matches we played after she took a bath earlier tonight.

Ai is already at a level where she can take games off me with that two-piece handicap. I’m pretty sure she could face Practice League members without a handicap and win three times in a row.

What worries me …… is whether Ai can handle the pressure or not.

Since she’s never been in a tournament, the only match she’s ever played that had something on the line was that first match she played to become my apprentice.

That’s why I’m afraid the pressure might overwhelm her.

But experience is the only way to overcome it. If there were some magic medicine that eased the pressure, I’d love to give her some ……

“…… Master.”

“Yeah?”

I thought she’d long since gone to bed, but she’s here, face half hidden by the pillow in her arms and looking right at me.

Plus, she’s blushing bright red and kind of fidgety.

Red face and fidgety …… Oh.

“Use the bathroom before going to bed, okay?”

“I don’t need to!”

Ai, face flushing red like a bomb went off, grows even more antsy and mumbles, “Umm …… ughhh ……” until she gives the pillow a big squeeze, works up her courage, and practically yells, “Uh, um …… Can I have something to feel you with, Master?!”

“……”

…… Feel me?

“S-Something like a handkerchief or a pen, something you use …… Anything is okay! I want …… a good luck charm for tomorrow’s matches ……”

“Ahh …… Got you. A good luck charm.”

Yes, yes. Yep. That’s what she meant.

Of course, I knew the whole time.

“…… Sure. I’ll have something ready for you in the morning.”

“Th …… Thank you so much!”

“Now, get some sleep.”

“Okay! I bid you good night!!”

After making a picture-perfect bow with her hands on the tatami mat, Ai spins around so fast that the hem of her pajama skirt, kitten face and all, swishes around her knees. Then she hopped all the way back to her room.

Ker-chak. Once I heard her door close, “Hmm …… That should work.”

I go to my closet to take out my calligraphy set and a white fan.

I wrote my own fan three times just like this: one after becoming 4-dan, one when I decided to pursue the Ryuo title, and one after I won the title—Fresh Start, Resolute and Keep Growing. Looks like I’ve got a motivational speech lined up on the floor …

But I’ll write something else this time.

While I don’t have any magic medicine——.

I decided to impart something, something that she’ll need for every match, the most important thing of all, by pouring my heart and soul into each stroke of my pen.

Courage——.

The next morning, when my apprentice awoke to find a fan handwritten by her Master next to her pillow, “ME——OOOW!!” Her cat-like squeal of happiness woke me up.