Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 11 - Chapter 3.6

  I WANT TO BE A GROWN-UP

“Wowwie! Top bwunk is so so high up!”

The girls won’t settle down enough to go to sleep.

In the end, Charlette and Mio claimed the top bunk while Ai and Ayano agreed to sleep on the bottom.

…… Mio will be leaving Japan this summer and Charlette will be going back to France at some point. The girls on the bottom bunk didn’t say that out loud, choosing to say: I’m scared of heights and I want to sleep where Master slept instead. They truly are kind.

“I wanna see some pictures! Keika, do you have any albums?”

That’s why I couldn’t stop myself when Mio asked.

“I sure do. I’ve got lots and lots right here.”

“Oh, wow! These are precious photos!”

“Haauuu! Master was cute when he was little♡”

“Sora-sensei is so tiny, too! And Keika, wow you were young!!”

“I-I’m still in my twenties. That’s pretty young, you know?” I tell a giddy Mio as she leans over the side of the top bunk …… But Ai flips through the albums, her head tilted to the side like she’s searching for something.

“…… Huh? That’s strange ……”

“Is something wrong, Ai?”

“I think an album is missing. There aren’t any pictures of Master from his second semester in fourth grade up until he started fifth ……”

She’s sharp.

“Really? That is strange. Maybe dad took that album into his room …… Or we might have lent that one out.”

“Went? Who to?”

“The association, TV producers, magazine editors. The list goes on, Charlette,” I explain as succinctly as possible to hide how rattled I am.

“Yaichi and Ginko became famous once they won titles, so we get requests for old pictures to go along with articles and things like that. Our Master always said, These two are gonna need pictures in the future, and put albums together all the time.”

“V-Very enlightening! I will remember that!!” says Ayano, who herself has writing aspirations, as she sits down on her ankles and adjusts her glasses. It’s almost like the album in front of her has become a treasure chest in her eyes.

The missing album, the one that Ai pointed out …

It’s in my room, put away somewhere safe.

Once the girls finally go to bed, I return to my room and take it out for the first time in a very long while.

The pictures in here–––are of Ginko in the hospital and the trips the rest of us made to visit her.

It was the day after Ginko collapsed in the middle of the Sub League Entrance Exam.

“……………!! I-I can’t believe …………”

Words failed me when I stepped inside that room.

There was Ginko …… Conscious but silent behind an oxygen mask, getting a blood transfusion and breathing so hard her shoulders nearly reached her ears.

Her eyes were cloudy and didn’t even acknowledge that I was in the room.

But, every so often, the fingertips on her right hand would twitch ever so slightly.

–––She’s …… still fighting the Entrance Exam ……

I couldn’t bear to see her in that state and left the room soon after going inside.

I was called into a different room …… where I had a chance to hear an explanation from Dr. Akashi, who had always overseen Ginko’s treatment. Just the two of us, one on one.

“Keika. I apologize for never telling you. Truly, I’m sorry.”

Kiyoshi Akashi Sub League 2-dan was once my father’s research partner.

My father drilled Shogi knowledge into my head from my first day of elementary school onward for several years. During that time, I saw Mr. Akashi at the house more than a few times having practice sessions with him.

A hardcore Static Rook party member, he was especially skilled with yagura strategies like my father.

No. Even as 2-dan, Mr. Akashi could overpower him.

Yet he simply disappeared at some point. I later found out that he decided to quit the Sub League the day after he was promoted to 3-dan.

“I want to save people, not trample them under my feet.”

Those words were all he left behind.

After that, he became a pediatrician …… But I didn’t know that he still had any connection to my father until Ginko came to live with us as a live-in apprentice.

“I remember you being this cute little girl, but here you are, 20 years old …… You’ve grown into a fine young woman.”

“Yes. I’ve grown up,” I retorted coldly. “So, I have the right to know. What does Ginko have?”

Getting treated like a child had always irritated me because I was the only one being left out of the loop.

But …… not knowing how to help Ginko when she was in so much pain hurt most of all.

Mr. Akashi probably intended to tell me everything when he called me into that room. He had a small mountain of paperwork ready and went through it as simply as he could.

“Ginko has been physically weak since birth. But her biggest issue …… is her heart.”

The name of the disease he gave me was so difficult to wrap my head around that I didn’t understand it.

For someone who barely studied at all in high school, all those medical words he used for the causes and symptoms went right over my head.

However, the last thing he said was very clear.

“Her chance of surviving five years is 50 percent.”

It took me time to comprehend what those words I wasn’t used to hearing actually meant.

I needed even longer to accept the reality.

“In five years …… one in two people die from it …… Is that, right ……?”

–––What about in 10 years?

I was too scared to ask that question.

“This condition Ginko has … There’s still a lot we don’t know about it. Actually, there is very little that lines up with things we do know, things we can point to and say, that’s it! So doctors have been coming up with names and leaving it there …… A diagnosis by exclusion, if you will. That’s what it comes down to. Doctors aren’t allowed to say I don’t know when we get asked what the disease is ……”

The cause, and even the symptoms, couldn’t be pinned down.

The only option was to treat whatever symptoms pop up like an endless game of whack-a-mole.

“The only way to completely cure her would be a heart transplant. The problem is …… there aren’t many hearts suitable for children available. Each of us only has one and adult hearts are too big.”

He was trying to sound ambiguous, but even I could tell what he meant.

For Ginko to get a heart transplant …… that meant another child her age would have to not need theirs anymore.

Someone dies so another can survive.

It’s an extremely cruel concept. I remember thinking it was just like Shogi.

But Ginko’s battle was no game.

It was reality.

“Heart transplants are very expensive, but the chances that a child’s heart will be available at all are extraordinarily slim.”

“So what are we supposed to do? …… Just watch her wither away?!”

“No. This is the important part, Keika.”

With that, Mr. Akashi told me the unbelievable truth.

“There have been documented cases of children with Ginko’s condition recovering naturally as they grow older. As strange as it sounds, there’s a chance her heart might normalize as she grows up!”

“Recover? …… Naturally? Are you sure ……?”

“Yes … which is why she simply needs to stay alive as long as she can. That’s imperative. Rather than some miracle pill, the best medicine for Ginko is time. Daily routine is especially important for young children …… Basically, they need to be convinced to stay inside at an age when most want to go outside and play. That’s crucial.”

Things were starting to line up.

The reason why Mr. Akashi taught Ginko how to play Shogi in the first place …

“It’s hard to be strict with Ginko, making it hard to keep her on the same routine. What she needed was a coach, like in sports …… Someone who could create a well-structured environment that would simulate the bond shared by a parent and child. Does this sound familiar to you?”

“The Master-apprentice relationship ……”

“Exactly! Apprentices get the same loving support as a parent would give, but Masters don’t spoil their students. I made the decision that putting Ginko in that situation would be the best thing for her.”

The mystery of Ginko Sora was starting to come together like the jumbled-up pieces of a jigsaw puzzle fitting in place to form a picture.

It felt like the whole world around me was getting turned on its head.

“But …… wouldn’t someone else have been better? Why did you go to my father? He never had an apprentice before.”

“But he raised a wonderful daughter.”

“……!”

“That condition had to be met. It needed to be someone with parenting experience. Despite being a single father, I saw how well he raised you with my own eyes.”

“B-But! In that case …… Why not Oishi-sensei? You’re close friends, aren’t you? Wouldn’t it have been easier to go to him instead? Why my father ……?”

Instead of answering my question directly, he started telling me a story.

“There was something I never understood while doing practice sessions with Kiyotaki-sensei. Even if he was obviously going to lose, he always held out as long as he could.”

“……?”

“Seriously, these were practice session matches. I wanted to sharpen my early-game skills, but he would always try to salvage a failed strategy. As he was the veteran, I went along with it, but …… to be honest, I looked down on Kiyotaki-sensei in those days. I thought he was just a stubborn old man who couldn’t accept that he was beaten.”

However …… Mr. Akashi continued.

“After I’d examined a number of children unfortunate enough to be born with various diseases, I finally understood. There is value in holding on in the face of despair, in refusing to just give up.”

“The value of …… not giving up ……”

“That man always committed everything he had to win, even in practice sessions. It was because he knew that if he didn’t do it then, he’d never be able to hold out even longer when it counted. Actually, I’d bet your father wouldn’t throw a Shogi match, not in a million years … just as there isn’t a single life on earth that can be thrown away,” said an impassioned Dr. Kiyoshi Akashi.

It was almost as if he was trying to give himself a pep talk.

“It’s alright if the early-game doesn’t go perfectly. It’s the mid- and late-game that are important. Shogi and life are one and the same.”

Oh …… That was it.

So–––.

“That’s why I entrusted Ginko to Kiyotaki-sensei. I was sure of it …… Not the god, not Tsukimitsu-sensei, not even the Worldly Maestro, only Kiyotaki-sensei could give that girl what she really needed. What she needed wasn’t medicine or a heart transplant.”

It was–––.

“A mentality strong enough to never give up no matter what bleak reality she had to face.”

It was–––.

“The courage to stand up against any opponent without fear.”

It was––––––.

“The muddy, gritty, stubborn determination to keep moving forward …… no matter how much it hurt or how intense the pain.”

Akashi-sensei summed all of that up with this.

“What she needed was–––an unbreakable spirit.”

A year later, Ginko tried the Sub League Entrance Exam once again, this time as a third-grade elementary school student.

She passed. Her opponent didn’t know what hit him.

“Ginko!! You’re in!! Congratulations–––!!”

It was the day her acceptance certification arrived.

I pulled out all the stops, celebrating every way I knew how. I’d never let her see me sad again. Because, seriously, she’d already suffered more than her fair share during her life.

She didn’t need my pity because more than enough people already thought she was a poor girl.

So I decided that my smile would always be there to pick her up.

Ginko had adored me unconditionally right from the start.

I have no idea what made her latch onto me like that.

Our meeting was purely a coincidence, like how the Silver Gin, Knight Keima and Lance Kyousha all line up next to each other …… If that’s the case, then we should stay together, always.

That’s how I’ll atone … how I’ll make up for treating her so badly when she first arrived. Whether or not that’ll ever be enough, I’m not sure.

“I used a whole bottle of your favorite sauce making dinner tonight! And guess what, it’s that famous one that’s always sold out!”

“Yay. I’ll put more on.”

“Go right ahead. You can use as much sauce as you like.”

Dote on her. Just make her as happy as possible.

“Let’s go buy you a present to celebrate! What would you like?”

“Um …… May I?”

After a little fidgeting, Ginko asked for what she wanted without a single stutter.

“I want that black hairband you used to wear ……”

“That?”

I wore it up until my high school days.

Back then, I thought it was childish, so I moved on.

“It’s still in my room and made to fit any size, so you’re welcome to it, but ……”

Was that old thing good enough?

Was she …… worried about my money because I still hadn’t become a Women’s League player?

“It’s really worn out. I’ll buy a new one for you, the same design and everything.”

“No! I want the one that you wore!!”

That was the loudest I’ve ever heard Ginko raise her voice. So we held hands all the way up to my room and I gave it to her.

Standing in front of the mirror, I slipped that hairband onto her head for her.

“Giggle. Teehee ……”

There she was, running her fingers up and down the hairband and smiling like a girl her age should.

“Um, Keika?”

“Yes, Ginko?”

“Will I …… grow up to become a nice person like you?”

Right then and there, I finally understood why this girl latched onto me.

“Of course, you will☆”

Smile! Never cry, never!!

Smile!! You’re already 20, aren’t you?!! Smile!!!

I forced my lips to curve up and bit down on my tongue to keep the tears back. I tasted blood.

–––A 50 percent chance to live five years.

Desperately trying to refute those words blaring like a warning siren in my head, I smiled at Ginko and gave her a big hug.

All so that she couldn’t see the tears I couldn’t stop from flowing.

“You sure will. I just know you will.”

That day was almost five years after we first met.

Ginko’s heart never showed any signs of a problem after that.

Fifteen years had passed since that condition seized her before her first birthday.

She’s been able to withstand the rigors that come from holding two Women’s Titles while being in the Practice League at the same time. Her condition is gone.

“She’s alright …… Everything’s alright. There’s nothing to worry about. Mr. Akashi said she’s made a complete recovery ……”

Pressing the closed photo album against my forehead, I repeat the words: it’s alright and she’s recovered like a broken record. Almost like a psalm.

After I learned what her condition was called, I did my own research in medical textbooks.

It was true that other children with Ginko’s condition recovered naturally but some experts cited different diseases that caused similar symptoms to Ginko’s. The cases were all mixed up, so who knows if the records can be trusted.

“………… But …”

Even if she really has recovered, that’s not the end of it.

In terms of treating the disease, Mr. Akashi’s methods were perfect.

Unfortunately, doctors aren’t gods.

Mr. Akashi had made one miscalculation.

If Ginko really does turn professional …… if she catches up to Yaichi and makes him notice her in that way, I’ll probably have to tell her everything.

An even harsher truth for both of them.

“Am I …… doing the wrong thing? But what would’ve been right? Should I have stopped Ginko from going to the wolves in the hellish 3-dan division all by herself? I ……”

I could never do that.

Because, for me, she goes beyond the realm of Master and apprentice relationships to actual family.

“…… Keika? Are you still awake?”

From out of nowhere, someone calls my name and I quickly wipe my eyes. I don’t turn around so she can’t see my face.

“Yes. I’ve been struggling with a formation and decided to do a little researching …… Did you need to use the restroom, Ai? Are you okay by yourself?”

“I’m on my way back. Ayano was scared to go alone, and I was awake, so I went with her.”

“That was nice of you. But you need to get some sleep,” I say as I finally turn around now that my face is presentable.

Ai nods, but stays right where she is.

“Um, Keika.”

“What is it, Ai?”

“Master, is he really ……?”

The girl mumbles, staring at her feet.

“Um, never mind! It’s nothing!”

She looks back up, smiling, and waves her tiny hand.

“Good night, Keika.”

“…… Sweet dreams, Ai.”

Ai closes the door behind her and goes back into the kid’s room.

A smart, good-natured and healthy little girl who is loved by everyone she meets. She’s already cute, but she’ll become drop-dead gorgeous once she grows up.

What’s more, her Shogi talent is right up there with Ginko, possibly even more.

Her very existence is as if the Shogi gods made their love for the game into a living person. Almost like Ginko was reincarnated into a healthy body ……

“……………… Huh?”

A sudden thought shoots to my brain with a snap.

A truly horrible thought.

Back when Ginko was taken in as a live-in apprentice, the reason for it was kept from me.

The way things are these days, live-in apprentices aren’t normal.

Whenever a Shogi player makes a move that isn’t normal, there’s always a deeper meaning behind it.

A hidden reason.

“Yaichi …… who was it that first told you to make Ai a live-in apprentice?”

Just like back when I first heard Mr. Akashi’s explanation, I feel my world start turning on its head.