Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 11 - Chapter 4.3

  SEALING MOVE

I could swear I heard my name.

“…… Hm? Big Sis, did you say something?”

I look back over my shoulder, but …… Big Sis has kept her promise to keep her eyes closed and is following me without any complaints.

Am I hearing things?

“Nothing really. Just wondering if we’re there yet.”

“Are you feeling tired? We’ve climbed a long way. But it’s just up ahead, so hang in there a little longer.”

After sympathizing with her, I prod just a little bit.

“Or …… are you scared?”

“…… Don’t be cheeky. You’re the younger brother, remember?”

Big Sis keeps her eyes closed but cocks her chin up as she snaps back at me like she’s putting on a show.

Just like a cheeky little kid. Adorable.

It seems that breaking the silence once made it scary to go back to because Big Sis keeps asking.

“…… Are we there yet?”

“Just a little bit more. Ah, this part is dangerous so please be careful.”

“I can’t see a thing, so how should I know?”

She sounds like a spoiled brat.

Is it because she has her eyes closed? Her acting like a little kid again is kind of cute.

“We’re here.”

“Can I open my eyes?”

“Wait just a second. The angle is important …… Ah, please turn toward my voice.”

“The angle ……?”

Now that everything is ready, I let go of her hand and say.

“All right. Open your eyes, Big Sis.”

“Whoa.”

The second her eyes open–––she freezes in place and a sound escapes her.

The only words she could get out to describe what she is seeing are …

“Two ………… Milky Ways …………?” 

The river of stars that make up the Milky Way galaxy are right over our heads.

And––––––spreading out over the land beneath our feet.

The stars on the horizon reach down the side of the mountain to make it look like two galactic rivers of stars twinkling right in front of us.

“Didn’t I tell you? There’s nothing out here, but the stars are pretty,” I say as I step up next to Big Sis. “I’m pretty sure an environmental agency rated this the best stargazing spot in Japan for two years in a row. It’s kind of embarrassing that it’s the only thing my hometown can brag about, but yeah.”

“…………”

“The Tanabata Star Festival is almost here. I’m sure you were expecting the stars in the sky to be beautiful, but did you ever think they would look this beautiful?”

“Those …… aren’t houses, are they? It’s all mountains around here and I don’t remember seeing that many buildings ……”

“They’re terraced rice paddies.”

“Terr- …… aced?”

“Rice paddies that are built at an angle like a staircase to match the mountainside.”

I doubt Big Sis ever saw these growing up in the city, but there are some very famous terraced rice paddies on the north coast.

“Rice paddies on flat ground are square, but terraced rice paddies are smaller and have to be all sorts of shapes and sizes to fit on the mountainside. That’s why big machinery can’t be used up here. Keeping his paddy profitable on pure elbow grease was my grandfather’s pride and joy.”

This area has become known as a unique stargazing spot only recently.

But granddad, he knew for decades.

That’s why he had all the confidence in the world when he told me: proposing to a lady here will never fail!

“Water in the terraced paddies reflects the stars in the sky, making it look like they’re shining from below, too.”

“It’s like … we’re on a different planet ……”

“Ha ha. A trip to outer space within walking distance from home.”

“Were you …… planning to show me this when we first left Osaka?”

“Yeah.”

“To cheer me up ……?”

“That was part of it.”

There’s another reason. Actually, it’s the main reason. Knowing the big moment is coming is making me nervous ……

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was raining cats and dogs when we were in Osaka, right? There was no way to know when the storm would clear …… And a lot of things have to line up to get to see this. Imagine how pathetic it would’ve been if I had said, Let’s go look at the stars! and we had come all the way out here only for it to be cloudy ……?”

Of course, I had no idea it would look this perfect when we left Osaka. It’s like seeing auroras, you only have a slight chance. Not that I’ve ever seen an aurora.

“But I was sure the skies would clear if you came with me, Big Sis.”

“Huh?”

“Because of your name. Sora, as in the sky, and gin, as in silver?”

“Seriously? Idiot ……”

Ginko Sora.

The thing I thought of when I heard her name for the first time was the starry skies over my hometown.

Just as wondrous …… And, just as pretty.

“I see ………… So this is where you’re from, Yaichi ……”

Big Sis stands in the middle of it all, her beautiful silver hair sparkling as if singing along with twinkling stars above and below.

I boast. “What a surprise, right?”

“No. This is about what I expected.”

“……?”

What she expected? Where the heck did she think I was from? …… Outer space?

“Hey. Let’s sit.”

“The grass is wet. I’ll put a sheet down, so–––.”

“I don’t care.”

Big Sis plops down on top of the dew-covered grass and tugs at my sleeve until I do the same.

Then we lay down, side by side, and stare up at the vast dome of stars overhead.

“Yaichi.”

“Hm?”

“Hand.”

“…… Okay.”

Our hands come together as if searching for each other in starlight.

Big Sis’s hand is much warmer than it was on the way up here. It’s like she’s just played a Shogi match.

Mine …… is probably warmer, too.

The silence starts getting to me, so I point up at the sky with my left hand and say, “Ummm …… That star there is Deneb in Cygnus, I’m pretty sure that one is Altair, and that’s Vega ……”

“Just be quiet.”

“Okay.”

I feel like my surprise opening worked like a charm but my second move fell totally flat ……

I obey her direct order and keep quiet, but this time it’s Big Sis who speaks up.

“Hey, Yaichi.”

“What is it, Big Sis?”

“Speaking of stars: do you remember when you called me in the middle of the night and demanded that I check if Shogi boards have stars on them?”

“Yes, I do remember that happening ……”

It was right after the Queen Title Match last year.

Machi Kugui had just bought her own car and invited me to go out and take in the night view. Ryou Tsukiyomizaka was there too ……

“But that was partly your fault, Big Sis. I mean, beating Ryou three times in a row during the title match series was bad enough, but you took all her pieces, too. That’s what set her off. She got into a heated argument with Machi, making some reckless bet that Shogi boards had stars on them–––.”

“Which view was prettier, this one or that one?”

She stares at me, never blinking as her ash gray eyes take on a blue tint.

A faint blue, just like the stars twinkling above in the night sky.

“Which is it?”

“…… Probably this one.”

The most beautiful girl I have ever seen smugly grins like she won a prize.

Then she looks back up at the stars.

But I’d rather keep looking at the side of her face …… Gorgeous.

“…… We used to hold hands just like this everywhere we went, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did ……”

A wave of nostalgia hits me.

I always thought that the worst thing for me to do as a younger brother apprentice was to hold my older sister apprentice back, even if she started just two weeks before I did. I was older and a boy, so it was my job to look out for her.

We were both so young and had wimpy little arms because Shogi was all we thought about.

The two of us were scaredy-cat crybabies who could do nothing by ourselves.

But …… together we could go anywhere.

Joining hands just like this gave us limitless confidence, a strange feeling that we could take on any opponent no matter how strong they were.

Our portable magnetic Shogi boards in one hand and each other’s hand in the other, we embarked on training pilgrimages to any classroom with a strong reputation, riding trains all over the country.

Back then, I thought of Big Sis as–––.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“That.”

“Huh?”

“That politeness. Why?”

“…… Why do you ask?”

Ba-thump.

My heart skips a beat for a completely different reason.

“Yaichi, you’ve been overly polite with me ever since I won the Queen title, haven’t you? You don’t even say my name …… I’ve always wondered why.”

“Well, I mean, come on, Big Sis …… You got angry at me for doing that–––.”

“That was because …… You were acting so formal before I said anything ……”

Big Sis scrunches up her lips.

“Besides, who told you to call me Big Sis in the first place? I doubt you came up with that yourself. Was it Master? Keika?”

“Machi Kugui. I was in charge of the pieces for the big board during the match where you became Queen and Machi was there to do the analysis. She told me: simply Big Sis would be best when I asked her for advice.”

“……”

“But, yeah, no one calls an older sister apprentice Big Sis, do they? Even in the same Shogi family, younger members will just add Mister or Miss for their elders. It’s basic manners in the Shogi world.”

By usual standards, I’d probably be calling her Miss Sora.

“But no one seemed to get angry at me for it, so I got used to calling you Big Sis. It just kind of …… stuck …………”

“…… So that was it. Her getting back at me for preventing her from saying Yaichi …… Hmph. So she was behind it the whole time …… Heh-heh …… Heh-heh-heh-heh ……………… I’ll crush her.”

“……?”

Big Sis’s shoulders tumble as she mutters something under her breath …… But I’m pretty sure I heard tiny giggles make it through the mumbles a few times before she said: I’ll crush her loud and clear. Actually, that’s all I heard.

Seeing my chance, I ask Big Sis about something that’s been bugging me for a long time.

“Umm ………… Do you and Machi …… hate each other?”

“Could be worse.”

“How do you mean?”

“I haven’t physically hit her yet.”

Where’s the logic behind that?

Anyway–––.

“Are you asking the reason why I started calling you Big Sis …… in the first place?”

I tell her why.

“…… I was still a 1-dan in Sub League when you took your first title, Big Sis. You were in a title match, while it was my job to move pieces around the big board. Just a tiny part of staff, someone no one would even bother to ask their name ……”

A girl I had shared a room with for years and years, one who I thought was exactly like me.

But one day that girl turned out to be a princess who had come down from her own castle.

The most beautiful princess in the world …… Snow White.

“The crowd of media there that day was enormous, and there were so many influential people I’d only seen on TV around the arena. All of them were talking about the girl who lived in the same room with me. It was so jarring, and it hurt …… So I decided to act tough.”

That’s a lie.

What really happened was that someone on the association staff scolded me.

But that’s just too pathetic. That’s why I’ve kept this act going for so long. This tiny little act.

Because …… Well, yeah.

Who wouldn’t want to look as cool as possible when they tell a girl how they feel?

“I made up my mind that I would say your name in front of everyone the day that I became as great as Naniwa’s Snow White.”

“What …………?” 

“Getting stronger was the only way. Turning pro wasn’t enough. I needed results …… That’s the day I swore I would become a junior high school pro. Swore that I would become the youngest to claim a title … just like you, Big Sis.”

I thought that would make us equals.

“But I …… No matter what I do, I’ll always be kuzu, the trash Ryuo.”

Sure, I became the fourth junior high school pro ever, but my debut match was a disaster. I even ran away for a week in shame.

I became the youngest title holder in history, but I immediately followed it up with an 11-match losing streak. My reputation plummeted despite my title.

“I thought there was a chance I could get past all that by defeating the Meijin myself to defend my title as Ryuo. But facing him myself only showed me how great that man is …… Even the media framed the story as Meijin Misses Chance to Become the Eternal Septuple rather than Ryuo Holds Off the Challenger.”

Then again, of course they did.

“I came that close to breaking down. I hurt so many people close to me while the matches were going on and I barely held myself together after the fight was over. It took me six months to feel like myself again ……”

I know I hurt Big Sis really bad.

“But that man, the Meijin, he does fights like that several times a year and has been doing them consistently for nearly 30 years. That’s unbelievable. I thought I’d closed the gap, but …… Instead I only started to understand his greatness and saw everywhere I fell short. I know now I will never be able to call you Ginko again–––.”

“No, Yaichi! You’re great, so much greater than me ……!” Big Sis insists as she squeezes my hand.

“Do you know what Kanto professionals and Sub League members are calling you? Naniwa’s Snow White is a running joke in the Sub League, but not you. Everyone bowed down because your phantom was behind me …… It’s all thanks to you that I had that winning streak to start the season.”

She’s exaggerating.

The thing is that Big Sis won’t give me a chance to say so.

“You’re too strong …… Everyone is terrified of you because they know that if you get any stronger than you already are, no one will be able to catch you ……”

“You brought this up before, didn’t you? What am I called? It’s kind of hard to ask anyone myself so I’ve never been able to find out.”

“It’s ………… No, I won’t say. I don’t like it. It doesn’t fit who you are at all.”

“…… Lolicon something or other?”

“No.”

R-Really ……? That’s kind of a relief but also a bit worrying ……

“Besides, the lolicon thing is true.”

“No, Big Sis, it’s not ……”

This is how the conversation always goes. Big Sis will always say I have more than a soft spot for little girls, I deny it flat out and then we go right back to usual.

But today will be different.

I have a new move prepared for just this sequence.

The biggest move I’ve ever made.

“Do you remember that night in Hawai’i?”

“Yes ……”

“Meeting you on the beach in the moonlight …… Holding hands, walking through town. Then we talked outside your hotel room door, right Big Sis? You told me that I needed to show you proof that I wasn’t a lolicon.”

“Yes, I said that. Your point?”

“I’ll prove it to you now.”

“Huh?”

“Stand up.”

Big Sis looks up at me from the ground, her eyes blank as I pull her up by her hand.

Keeping hold of her wrist, I look her square in the eyes and give her that proof.

Boldly, like a man should.

“Ginko Sora. From the time we first met, I have always–––.”

But Big Sis cuts me off before I can finish. Yelling, “W-Wait!”

“…… Wait? There are no mulligans for Shogi players.”

“That’s not what I mean! I mean …… Wait, okay?! Because …… Because … you’ve never once given me any hint at all that you feel ………… Huh? …… Huh?”

Big Sis, getting teary-eyed as her face turns bright red.

She’s flustered and so adorable. A few moments later, she cautiously asks, “………… Sympathy?”

“You’ll make me angry.”

I’m seriously getting close.

“I’ve never known when to say it. Bringing it up when you’re depressed doesn’t seem like something a real man would do. But if there’s a chance you really might die …… I’ll be kicking myself forever if I don’t tell you. So ……”

I felt something a bit like this once back in grade school.

It was the day Big Sis collapsed in the middle of her Sub League Entrance Exam.

But her nerves just got the better of her. I heard she was hyperventilating, or had an irregular heartbeat, or something like that.

She was kept in the hospital for observation, but Big Sis saw doctors all the time back in those days.

Dr. Akashi played Shogi with her, too, so I think Big Sis was happy to be in the hospital.

But, more than that …… I didn’t understand how I felt about Ginko at the time, or even what kind of person I would want in a relationship.

Things are different now.

“I didn’t know why you were so important to me, or how to express it …… Not until recently, anyway. There were times you felt like a rival, and other times like an older sister apprentice. But–––.”

“………… But?”

“It’s become plainly obvious to me that I’ll never feel the same way about anyone else. That’s why I know in my heart that I–––.”

“S-Stop!!”

Big Sis slaps my hand away and steps back like she won’t listen to a word I say.

–––Figures ………… No luck ……

Well, it’s official. I got shot down …… My gamble backfired, so all that’s left to do is man up and throw in the towel.

But Big Sis follows up with a move I never expected.

“The rest of that sentence. I, um ………… Seal it …………”

Those words send a shock down my spine. She’s not …… turning me down ……?

“Seal it? Like ………… on hold?”

“Not like that!” Big Sis grabs a fistful of shirt and says, “I know how I feel. But now’s not the time to say it …… I won’t be able to fight if I do ………… I’ll be too happy …………”

Come again?

Now it’s my turn to be flustered.

“Like how you, um …… are fighting to reclaim my name ………… I’ve been fighting so hard to catch up to you …… Hoping you would notice me ……”

Huh? …… Huuuh?!

“You were getting so strong! I only entered Mynavi so you wouldn’t leave me behind! I wanted you more than anyone else to be happy for me when I became Queen! Except you suddenly started acting so formal all the time–––.”

“H-Hold up a second!! You’re the one who never gave me any hints! You’re always calling me stupid or idiot or trash …… You even said you hated me that night in Sakuranomiya–––!”

“Who would ever invite someone they hated into a hotel like that?! You idiot! I-I …… stuck my neck out over and over, but you never noticed …… That’s what I hate!! Stupid, stupid, stupid Yaichi!!”

“O- …… Only stupid people call people stupid!”

“Lolicon! Playboy! Why do you always have to please every girl you meet?! And… little girls like you too much!!”

“I get death threats from your fans! Don’t you think that’s further off the deep end?!”

“Your fans aren’t angels either! They bash me online for playing the Ryuo’s girlfriend all the time!”

“You get bashed? I get roasted every darned day!! I get dragged through the mud all because you took on this idol persona!”

“No! It’s because you became Elementary Meijin! You have no idea how hard I worked before–––.”

“Hm? Worked hard? …… What were you doing?”

“N-No, I ………… Y-You were the first one to move out of Master’s house, Yaichi!”

“How could I stay there when I was losing all the time as a pro?! And …… how was I supposed to focus on Shogi living in the same room with you?! I couldn’t get you out of my head!!”

“Huuh?! Agh ……… Haauuu!!”

Making the cutest little noises as she pulls her hair with both hands, Big Sis steps away from the argument.

Both of us need to catch our breath after that.

Crap …… My stomach suddenly filled with butterflies. I can’t look Big Sis in the face, not now.

I mean …… What I said just now, that was–––.

“………… My answer is set in stone and has been for years. Years and years and years and years. But I can’t play that move right now. So, these feelings …… I’m using a sealing move,” says Big Sis in a voice so quiet I have to lean in to hear her.

“I want you to wait until I’m a professional. Then tell me exactly how you feel. I’ll answer everything then ……”

Until she’s a pro ……?

I take in a deep breath, smile, and say, “Understood. I’ll wait.”

“…… Are you sure?”

“Yes. Because I’m certain you will be a pro, Big Sis.”

Just as I’ve sealed away the name Ginko, it seems that Big Sis has also sealed away her own feelings.

All so that she can focus on the battle ahead.

I know that that childish stubbornness leads to becoming strong at Shogi … better than anyone.

She’s back to her usual self.

And she’s gearing up for the fight once again.

–––That’s enough for now.

More than enough ………… Yeah, after working up what little courage I have, setting up this once-in-a-lifetime miracle of a romantic situation only to come up empty …… I can’t be a burden on Big Sis …… Wheeew ……

Just as I convince myself.

“Umm …… Hey?”

Big Sis tries to say something as she takes hold of the hem of my shirt. For whatever reason, she’s looking away.

“What is it?”

“Women’s Shogi doesn’t have sealing moves.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t.”

They’re only used in matches with a two-day format.

Since all women’s matches are designed to end in one sitting, sealing moves don’t exist.

Only four of the seven pro titles use the two-day format, so only a handful of pro players have ever experienced one either.

But …… why is Big Sis bringing this up out of the blue?

“You’ve done them before, right Yaichi? Ryuo Title matches last for two days.”

“Yes. Personally, I think the one who makes the sealing move has an advantage, so I always try to be the one to make it.”

Talking about Shogi is so much easier.

Heck, I can keep talking about things she never asks about. I’m picky when it comes to sealing moves.

“Some types of players like being on the receiving end, while others prefer to leave it up to their opponent. I don’t believe in all that … which reminds me, we practiced sealing moves right before my first match as the challenger, didn’t we? Wow, that takes me back.”

“I’ve never done it for real, so teach me.”

“Hm? But we practiced, remember?”

“I forgot.”

“One time I could understand, but we must’ve gone through it–––.”

“I forgot, okay?!”

How is she this adorable ……? Seriously, I could just die right now ……

Thinking back on my own experience, I explain exactly how a sealing move is done.

“Well, the player who does the seal announces: I will seal. Then they take the match record up to that point from the recorder and write in their next move with an arrow or something before putting the record in an envelope and sealing the mouth with glue.”

“The envelope’s …… mouth ……”

“Yes. After that, the players write their names in red ink–––.”

“About that.”

“Yes?”

“How do you seal words?”

“…………… Come again?”

I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about, not at first.

… Which is why Big Sis explains it so that even an idiot like me could understand.

All in one breath.

“Seal the place where words come out, to keep the feelings in my heart from leaking.”

The place where words come out ………… Mouth ………… Seal …………

“Huh ?! ………… Say whaaaaat?!”

I forget myself in shock.

Even in the starlight, I can tell Big Sis is blushing bright red. I-Is she serious ……?

“H-Here? Now?! From me?!!”

“You’re the type of player who prefers to seal, right?”

“I’ve never done it that way before!!”

Crap. Talk about pressure.

I’d only planned on telling her how I feel, and hopefully getting the response I wanted.

But I had no idea moves would advance this far all at once.

Okay, close to panicking now. What are the standards again ……? Wait, I’ve never done this sealing move before, so I don’t know the correct sequence anyway.

–––Wh-What’s the opening move?! Put my hand on her shoulder?!

The best follow-up is putting my other hand around her waist, right?!

I didn’t come anywhere near this close to a heart attack making my first moves in title matches.

But–––––––––no man would let this chance slip between his fingers.

Steadying my breath and heart rate, I say loud and clear.

“All right ………… I will seal.”

“………… Okay ……,” answers Big Sis, trembling.

With both sides of the agreement, the hallowed ceremony can begin.

Big Sis closes her eyes and waits for the big moment as I lean in. Her breath is warm on my face.

Then …… I reach out.

I put my finger under her chin and lift ever so slightly.

Strands of her silver hair slide down her pink cheeks like shooting stars across the sky.

“Beautiful ……”

“Idiot ……”

Tense lips soften and split apart.

Then the ceremony was conducted. …………… Well done or not, I don’t know.

Touching her freshly sealed lips, Big Sis whispers through shallow breaths, “Hot ……”

Yes. That was intense for sure.

I’m surprised the parts that made contact aren’t melting.

“Well? Is that seal strong enough?”

“………… How should I know? Idiot ……”

“You’re so cute, I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.”

Why are there more butterflies in my stomach after the sealing move than before?

So many feelings are surging through my heart right now. I can’t possibly hold them all in.

I have to seal them away? Really?

Is that even possible?

Heck no ……

“I’d like to do another one.”

“No ………… I’ll fall apart if that seal is broken ……”

“Please, Ginko.”

“N-No fair, Yaichi ………… Saying my name at a time like this ……”

It feels like I ran headfirst into a wall of her fiery will. Words are powerless.

One more push.

“Ah!”

“Wh-What?”

“I forgot something very important.”

I apologize to her, sounding as remorseful as possible.

“Two copies are made for sealing moves …… I apologize for not explaining that.”

“O-Oh? If that’s how the rules work, then there’s no choice ……”

“Yes. It’s proper etiquette.”

Now with Big Sis’s permission, I start preparing the second sealing move. This girl is far too trusting. She’ll definitely fall for some bad guy’s scheme, so it’s up to me to protect her!

“…………………”

Bound and determined, this time I wrapped my arm around Big Sis’s waist.

Our lips draw closer and closer one more time–––––––––Unfortunately.

“Yaiiichiii! Ginko-o-o!”

“?!”

Big Sis shoves me away with both hands so hard that I stumble backwards and nearly fall into the rice paddy.

You’ve got to be kidding ……

“There is a big Shogi thing on TV right now! Shouldn’t you be watching?”

“………… Mom ……”

Why do bad moves and moms always show up at the worst possible time ……?

Big Sis has already backed away from me and made a face that says: we were just looking at the stars. So much for my chance of a lifetime ……

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Kuzuryu?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Ginko. I don’t know much about Shogi at all but–––.”

Her next words pull us down from the romantic clouds and back into reality.

“Have you heard it’s the Shogi Meijin’s 100th title season? And … something about the most wins ever? Anyway, he did it and got to the Citizens Award. The press conference is about to start!”

The shock hit Big Sis and I so hard that it was like the starry sky fell to the ground.

Because the god of the Shogi world had just pulled off another miracle.