Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 10 - Chapter 3.4

  A FERRIS WHEEL DATE

“You have waited long enough.”

A 10-minute walk away from Kobe Station. The girl who arrives at the commerce center right on the ocean known as “Kobe Harbor Land” waaaaaay past the time she said she would be here strides up to me without a hint of an apology.

Ai Yashajin.

My second apprentice is only 10 years old but already ranks 2-dan in the Women’s League. She’s a prodigy who’s already challenged for a title.

“I’d say I just got here but …… It’s a bit hard to say that now.”

It would’ve been usable five hours ago. I’d really like to ask what took her so long, but–––.

“Still, I’m glad you came.”

I give her an honest thank you.

Ai may be my apprentice, but she is already claimed a lofty place in the Women’s League. I’m the one who asked for time out of her busy schedule, so I can’t complain about waiting.

Though, I’d been planning on doing this during lunch and it’s almost dinnertime. I’m starving.

“You’re alone? Where’s Akira?”

“You can find her over at the Anpanman Museum making bread.”

Anpanman is a children’s cartoon, so it would be mostly kids over there, but …… Meh, no big deal. I mean, she’s basically a six-year-old trapped in an adult body.

In addition to the Anpanman Museum, Harbor Land has a huge complex with a small amusement park, souvenir shops, and tons of places to eat. Since Ai said we should meet here when I messaged her saying “I’d like to ask you something face-to-face,” I figure she wanted to go to one of the shops.

“Where would you like to go? That place has an all-you-can-eat seafood bar. They’ve got crab, too.”

“That.”

“Come again ……?”

Ai isn’t pointing at a shop or restaurant …… but above them.

Looking up, I see–––.

“…… A Ferris wheel?”

“I don’t want anyone to overhear us talking about Shogi. That’s impossible on a Ferris wheel, isn’t it?”

“Ohhh …… Great idea!”

Ai wanted to keep our discussion a secret from the start, which is why she suggested this place with a Ferris wheel …… I don’t mean to brag about my own apprentice, but she’s pretty sharp.

So, the two of us set out for the Ferris wheel.

I walk up next to her and she snaps, “Back off!” and puts a little distance between us. Is it just me, or is she staying further away than she used to?

I don’t remember doing anything to upset her. She must be at a difficult age ……

“By the way, Ai. Why have you been looking down at your phone since you got here?”

“I’m searching through a match record database. This match is particularly long.”

“Ahh …… I see ……”

Hm? That’s strange.

The screen I caught a glimpse of earlier was more like–––.

“The Most Romantic Spots in Kobe! 7 Stops for the Perfect Date!”

Or something like that …… But, Ai would never look at that kind of page, so I must’ve been seeing things.

Buying tickets at the entrance, a staff member guides us onto the wheel.

“Whoa! It just keeps going up!”

“Of course, it does …… Spare me the commentary.”

Says the cool Lady Ai Yashajin as she crosses her legs across from me.

“So? What did you want to ask?”

“About the Player you faced in the Women’s Legend qualifier–––please tell me about Tsubasa Gakumeki.”

“…… Because she’s Ai Hinatsuru’s next opponent?”

“Everything you say here stays between us. I’m not that overprotective.”

“………….”

Her gaze is starting to get a bit icy, but I don’t let it get to me and keep going.

“I saw your parents’ Shogi come out from within you, so I decided against making you play my way. That’s just like how Ai Hinatsuru has a talent that’s all her own. I’ve been doing my best to help it grow, but …… I don’t know if my methods are really the right way to go.”

………. Like bringing up another woman in the middle of a date ……”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“I’m saying that remembering a loss makes me angry. Now, take responsibility and jump out the window.”

I’d die.

“And just when I’d finally gotten it out of my mind …… Fine. I can learn from these experiences. I just have to win in the end.”

“Yes, yes! That’s the spirit.”

“Die, would you?”

“Why?!”

She’s really rough today …… But, our conversation steadily picks up.

Ai wouldn’t be Ai any other way!

“So …… How was it?”

“…… Did you see the match record?”

“Of course. I go through all of your matches for your parents. But ……”

“You don’t have to say it. I know I was overconfident.”

She says flatly, waving me off as if she hated talking about it.

“From what I can tell, she’s in her 20s and someone I’ve never heard of with a 2-kyu ranking. I’d only fought title holders and people in the same class up to that point, so I didn’t think anything of her.”

“You captured the lead perfectly in the early game, too.”

“I applied pressure in the mid-game and was in position to win by the 60th move. Normally, people give up at that point.”

“But, Ms. Gakumeki hunkered down and held out for nearly 300 moves …… Sure, you might’ve underestimated her, but that kind of will to live isn’t normal.”

“I know. I had her down to only her King. She kept dodging my attacks by the slimmest of margins and I told her that I’d ‘strangle and kill that King if it’s the last thing I do!’ What do you think her answer was?”

“You’re saying these things in the middle of a match ……?”

“I’m already dead. …… That’s what she said.”

“……………!!”

Already …… Dead?

“I didn’t get it when she said that to me, but the woman looks like a zombie. She isn’t so ‘solid’ that you hurt yourself by punching her like Ginko Sora. More like …… There’s no response at all.”

Says Ai as she looks down at her own clenched fists.

“It was like hitting a corpse. Looks so easy to knock down …… Then again, it would never get up to attack in the first place so there’d be no reason to take it down.”

“I get it. It’s not to defend so much as ‘wait.’”

“Yes. Which is why her defenses melted whenever I moved into attack. It was almost like she took them apart herself–––.”

“Nyugyoku, eh?”

The King crossing deep into enemy territory is called nyugyoku.

Since most Shogi pieces are designed to move forward, cornering an enemy that has gotten behind your formation is extremely difficult. The match will never end.

The “stalemate” rule was introduced for just that reason.

Simply put, the pieces in each of the Player’s possession have a certain point value attached to them. They’re used to determine who won or if it’s a tie.

That’s why nyugyoku Shogi is called “completely different game.”

“She turned the match into a battle of points …… And I surrendered before it came to that. There wasn’t any time and the pressure was getting to me …… My normal Shogi senses weren’t working anymore ……”

“Unless they change the rules, you’ll need a whole different set of senses to play that kind of Shogi. I’m not sure training would be very useful though ……”

“Exactly! Nyugyoku shows up in one out of every hundred Professional matches, if that! And I don’t want to get used to playing that way! I was in the middle of adjusting my play style to face Ginko Sora at the time, too!”

“Which was why you drove the memories out, huh?”

Being able to switch back and forth while important matches are going on is a very important technique.

This could have had a hand in Ai Yashajin making a mistake in the Queen Title Match early game …… Not that someone with as much pride as she has would ever admit it.

“I didn’t find out until later, but this Gakumeki woman …… She was in the Sub League, wasn’t she?”

“She was. Even though she grew up in Oita, Kyushu, she registered with the Kanto Sub League.”

Ms. Shakando told me so.

The dark course of the century, in the same class as title holders …… No, even higher.

“She was forced out due to the age limit and apparently joined the Women’s League at the very end of last year.”

“If only I’d known she was ex-Sub League …… Grr!! I won’t be letting my guard down next time!!”

Frustrated and angry at herself, Ai stomps on the carriage floor with all her might.

The shock makes the whole thing swing much harder than she thought.

“Eeek ……!”

Losing her balance, Ai makes an adorable little squeal before falling right into my chest.

W-W-Wow! S-So light ……

My apprentice that I caught out of reflex–––is about as heavy as a stuffed animal filled with down feathers, so not at all.

So soft, she fits perfectly in my arms.

Not to mention …… She smells really, really good ……

The smell of my fan calms me down in the middle of matches, but …… For a very brief second, I thought about bringing Ai with me to matches so her smell would keep me calm before realizing how stupid that is. What am I, a pervert?

“L-Let go of me …… Idiot ……”

“S- …… Sorry ……”

I pick her up as gently as I can and place her on the seat across from me.

Once again …… I’m reminded just how insanely cute Ai Yashajin is.

Especially today because her outfit and hairstyle are right in the middle of my strike zone ……

–––…… Dating a girl like her would be a dream come true.

Hold it! A-Ai acts all grown up, but she still 10!! And my apprentice!!

Careful not to let her know how rattled I am, I will my face not to budge and get back to our conversation.

“So, how would you fight her next time?”

“…………”

Ai takes a long moment to think before slowly laying her out her thoughts.

“Sub League members have a special kind of st …… Obnoxiousness.”

She was about to say “strength,” but instead changed it to “obnoxiousness.” …… A sore loser, I see. But, as a master, I sure don’t hate that about her.

“Even taking the lead in the early game doesn’t help because taking the win is difficult either way. The late game turns into a race down a street filled with potholes, someone’s going to go flying. Turn the wheel ever so slightly in the wrong direction and you’ll end up in a ditch in the blink of an eye.”

Shogi is a lot like Jenga. 

Both players make mistakes that pile up, but it’s the person who makes the last mistake who loses.

“Get stuck in a pattern that favors the opponent, and there’s no way to win. So ……”

“So?”

“Obviously, take the lead in the early game …… After that, save as much time as possible for the late game and play …… more accurately than she does.”

“…………”

Even Ai Yashajin can’t figure out a more specific strategy than “take an early game lead.”

Then …… Logically, Ai Hinatsuru, who is leagues behind Ai Yashajin in early game strategy, doesn’t stand a chance.

“Now, I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Can Ginko Sora become a Professional?”

That question catches me so off guard that I have to catch my breath.

“Even if she gets forced out by the age limit, that’s still 10 years away. But, if there’s a chance she may someday be in the Women’s League …… I need to be ready for her.”

Well, I can tell she’s not asking just out of curiosity.

Quite the opposite, she’s ……

“Fighting her made it very clear. There’s a difference between Sub League members’ …… Ginko Sora’s Shogi and my own. If there is a chance that she and I will share the same arena, I must be prepared to change my Shogi on a fundamental level.”

Preparation and determination.

As to what that means …… Ai is just too darn smart, so the whole thing goes over my head.

“………… I don’t know.”

For now, I’ll answer the question she asked.

“From an age standpoint, getting to 3-dan at 15 makes going Pro look very promising.”

“Will she?”

“I honestly don’t know. Her chances are pretty high, but there are plenty of reasons she won’t make it. Big Sis has trouble staying healthy, so …… I think she’ll have a hard time just playing in all of the Division’s matches over the next six months.”

You can see how fragile she is in summer, especially, because she loses color by the day.

I wonder how she plans to get through the 3-dan Division, because that place physically and mentally drives you into a corner ……

“I met all sorts of people while I was in the Sub League, but in the end, I turned Pro before I knew exactly how scary the 3-dan Division is. Maybe I became Pro because I didn’t know would be a better way to put it.”

“…… Okay. You really don’t know.”

Ai sighs ever so slightly.

“Either way …… There’s no mistaking I’ll be facing her again at some point. I’ll begin my preparations today so that I can become the best 10 years from now.”

“You’re going to fight ……?”

“I am. You see, I’ve decided I’m not running away anymore.”

Ai Yashajin flips her long hair over her shoulder like a black wing as she stares me right in the eyes in front of the orangish early evening light …… and declares war.

“So, you had better be ready, Yaichi.”

That’s the first time this girl has ever called me by my name.

The sunlight casts her impish face in a red hue.

–––What is it that I have to be ready for ……?

But, our Ferris wheel carriage reaches the ground before I have a chance to ask.

“Thank you for today. You’ve been a great help.”

We only did one revolution around the Ferris wheel, but I got so much useful information from Ai.

“I’m also relieved to see that you’re doing so well. You didn’t come to our Shogi family meeting after all.”

“…… I don’t like to socialize.”

“Do you have plans for the rest the day? We could get something to eat before you go.”

“Thanks but no thanks. I have that to deal with.”

She points to a woman in a black suit wearing sunglasses walking this way.

Akira has a small mountain of freshly baked bread in her arms as she weaves her way through the crowd of kids around her. Any one of those loaves could fall out of the paper bag and any second …… and all have Anpanman’s face stamped on them.

Oh yeah! Speaking of kids–––.

“Mio and the other girls are going to be in a tournament.”

“A tournament?”

“King of Naniwa. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

Since it’s been forever since we’ve talked like this, I excitedly extend an invitation.

“Ai Hinatsuru and I have to be there for work, but why not come with us? You can cheer for the Grade Schooler Practice Group, too!”

“Not interested.”

Figures.