Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 11 - Chapter 5.1

  THESE FINGERTIPS REMEMBER

Our match began with a bizarre twinge permeating the air.

Of course, the unique tension that comes with the 3-dan division is there, but …… this is something else.

“……?”

I feel several gazes move in once I finish my opening move, so I look up and notice that the players on either side of us are sneaking glances over here.

But not at me.

They want to know Sota’s first move.

“…………………”

Each 3-dan ranking member of the Sub League is in the middle of a match that could determine the rest of their lives, and yet they can’t focus on it.

That’s the effect an elementary school boy cruising to the top of the standings with 10 consecutive victories has on the rest of the players.

His overwhelming talent draws people in like a massive black hole–––and crushes them into nothingness.

“Oh? You went with 2 Six Pawn?”

After seeing me open by advancing the Pawn in front of my Rook, Sota happily mirrors my opening move by doing the same. He’s goading me.

I can already see how the formations will take shape because–––.

“This is one of Yaichi’s favorite strategies,” says Sota, looking up at me with a toothy grin. “Shall we find out …… Who knows Yaichi better?”

–––He’s on defense, but the look of absolute confidence on his face is saying there’s no way he could lose. Damn prodigy ……

The formation is–––Double Wing Attack.

Hearing that the first match the pipsqueak and Yaichi ever played was a Double Wing seriously touched a nerve but, strangely enough, I can understand why Yaichi would take her as an apprentice after seeing how she plays it.

The Double Wing is a simple test of strength.

If I were to compare it to cooking, I’d say …… fried eggs, perhaps?

It’s been around for eons and easy enough for children to do, yet flexible enough for the chef to show off their skills and creativity. Simply put, it pits talent against talent.

Still, the basic recipe is set in stone. Plunge the Pawn in front of the Rook in the enemy line–––like cracking an egg, and then slowly turn up the heat as you take over the board during a long mid-game–––is how it’s supposed to work.

“Huuuh?!” all four players sitting at the boards on either side of us say in unison.

“……………… Huh?”

As do I …… Though it took me a few moments to realize exactly where Sota deployed that piece.

Sota ignores the standard completely–––and deploys another Pawn: the one I just sacrificed that used to be in front of my Rook!

–––8 Seven Pawn?! What good would blatantly targeting my Bishop do ……?

Breaking off from the standard so quickly is like cracking the egg and then throwing the whole thing into the pan.

It’s such an unbalanced way to attack that if someone new to Shogi were to try it, they would be scolded and told to learn the standard.

–––If the defender gets an advantage like this …… it would rebuke all of Shogi history as we know it!

“What do you think, Ginko? Wouldn’t Yaichi love this move?” says Sota with the same tone as a child showing off a brand new toy.

“I was saving it to play against Yaichi when we meet in the pros, but …… I just couldn’t wait anymore!”

The elementary school boy goes against all the Shogi knowledge built up over 1,400 years and does it with a smile.

When a prodigy says it on the board, it’s very convincing …… However …

–––…… No. Shogi should be more complicated than that.

That’s what Yaichi would say. Which means the path I should take is the exact opposite –––a drawn out war of attrition!

–––I’ll cook up the egg as long as possible without breaking the shell!!

“Ohhhh? That’s an interesting idea.”

I use my Rook and a Knight in tandem to gain control over as much of the board as I can while still protecting my Bishop. Sota then leans in close the board, his eyes scanning back and forth as he spends a great deal of time dissecting what he sees.

Even his use of time goes against the standard.

It’s the early game, but he’s already delving into his stock of waiting time. In the Sub League, which it is said to have two late-games, everyone hangs onto every precious second for as long as possible ……

“I’ve got it! Looks like attacking is the best bet after all!”

Now confined to one-minute Shogi, Sota announces and promptly ignores my prediction.

Without caring that he basically threw all his waiting time in the gutter.

Seeing him ignore every theory in existence and cut through my carefully constructed offensive as if slicing through butter all while simply advancing across the board …… The difference between our talent levels is painfully obvious.

This is how champions play Shogi, with absolute confidence that their late-game prowess will win the day.

How does someone win against a Martian who can see things with a sensory organ the rest of humanity doesn’t have?

“…… I only analyzed one Shogi match leading up to today’s regular activities,” I whisper to him as I sacrifice a Pawn, offering it up as bait to outmaneuver Sota’s advance. “The match against you where I promoted to 3-dan.”

“Analyze it all you want, but you won’t find a way to beat me in a match you won by chance.”

“Yes. It was by chance.”

Realizing that is exactly why the thought of facing Sota again pushed me so far into despair.

“But, don’t you find it a little strange? The difference in our ability is clear. Even so, I emerged victorious at the very end …… I wanted to solve that mystery. To find out exactly why I won.”

“…………?”

“And, I figured it out. It’s precisely because you can see things that can’t be seen …… Because you were born with so much strength that there’s something you lack!!”

“Sora advanced?!”

The timing of my attack is so peculiar that the Sub League members on either side of me can’t contain their surprise.

After seeing me gear up for a long war of attrition, I can’t blame them.

–––But now is the time! Now is the only time!

Thinking back, hints were scattered throughout every comment Sota has made.

Arrogant and always optimistic.

He has become so taken with Yaichi’s brilliance that a talentless player like me is nothing more than a bump in the road, which is why he took a strong offensive position in the early game. That’s also why he didn’t bother saving time. To him, the board is a playground to be enjoyed.

I can fully understand how that could happen. Sota is a member of the 3-dan division, but still in elementary school. A prodigy, but also a child who lets all the talk about him becoming the first elementary school-aged professional go to his head. He has no fear or respect for anyone, let alone belief in the Shogi gods.

Yes––––––exactly how I once was.

“You are who I would be if I hadn’t met Yaichi ……”

I sacrifice a Knight and sling my Bishop across the board to claim a Gold and a Silver from Sota’s defenses.

Chipping away at the prodigy’s mask piece by piece.

“You are the poor child who spent their life in a hospital bed instead of developing what’s important to be human. You are what I once was.”

“Poor child? Are you talking about me?”

Sota sounds vaguely surprised as he nonchalantly shifts his King over to dodge my attack by a hair. There is no fear in those fingers whatsoever.

Onlookers had been watching with baited breath, but suddenly lose interest.

“…… Nope, that didn’t work. He read her attack perfectly …… And here comes the defender’s counter, ouch ……”

“Who cares how many Golds or Silvers you get if you have to sacrifice your best weapons ……?”

My attack thwarted, I only have the Gold and Silver I just claimed and a single Pawn on my piece stand. Including the pieces in my territory, I have six of the eight total Golds and Silvers. Sota has an extra Bishop and Knight.

And his counterattack comes right away, gracefully leaping forward with the feather-light steps of an angel.

An angel of death–––softly lands before my Pawn.

He’s throwing away that Knight for free ……?!!

“Well? Can you still call me poor?”

He’s executing a direct assault on the area in front of my King, an all-out blitz.

If that weren’t enough, he has a Bishop in the first column with its sights set on my King like a laser beam.

Fear takes hold of my mind as this two-headed attack closes in.

I grab hold of my right knee, squeezing with all my might and desperately search for the right words to say.

“I admit, I’m scared …… Even sitting down like this, my knees won’t stop shaking …… But!”

“But? But what?”

“This is the important thing that you lack–––fear.”

“Fear? Who needs a twisted emotion like that in a competition?”

“You’re wrong.”

Shaking my head no, I let go of my knee.

Instead, I reach for my piece stand and use my trembling fingers pick one up.

“You go barreling down the wrong path headfirst because you don’t know fear. Your exponentially superior late-game skills pair nicely with aggressive attacks, but …… Not knowing what it’s like to be afraid–––has warped your ability to see the big picture!”

I deploy it.

A mighty–––4 Seven Gold!!

“…… Defending with a Gold? Really? His Knight will promote a 5 Seven on the next move, right?”

“A run-of-the-mill move like that ……? She knows she’s facing Kunugi, doesn’t she?”

Other Sub League members start voicing their doubts.

However, words have failed only one of them after seeing my move.

“?! Huh …… What?! It can’t be!!”

Only Sota Kunugi picks up on the effect my move had on the board.

A basic move turned what he thought was going to be an easy win into a rock-solid wall!

“Make light of me all you want. I’m well aware that I don’t have the strength to convince you otherwise.”

“………………”

“But you know something, little boy? Don’t you think making light of Shogi itself is going too far?”

“……!”

Sota bites down on his lip.

Compared to a prodigy who seems destined to make his mark on Shogi history, I’m just a nameless player.

However, standards built up and perfected by untold legions of nameless players can defeat one prodigy.

One more thing.

I’ll teach him the theory that gave me fits when I was young, but is now my savior.

“Having six of the Golds and Silvers is an advantage …… That’s common sense in the Kansai Sub League. Don’t you forget it.”

“Wh-What could some meaningless theory possibly–––.”

Debating the merits of the theory does him no good now because he’s already playing one-minute Shogi.

“…… Grr!!”

Sota deploys another Knight to bolster his forces, but his formation is still gridlocked thanks to my golden wall.

“He didn’t promote his Knight at 5 Seven?! But, why ……? It would be so easy to get to the King from there ……”

“But if Kunugi thinks this is right …… Then maybe it’s the way to go?”

The other 3-dans aren’t sure what to make of it.

What is correct and what is a mistake?

Looking at them out of the corners of my eyes, I say to Sota, “You said you wanted to find out which one of us knows Yaichi better, did you not?”

“…………”

“Yaichi surpassed me. I play exactly how the books I’ve read tell me, but Yaichi has built up his own Shogi from square one. Despite our playing the same number of moves, he has envisioned more sequences and outcomes than I can fathom ……”

There’s no doubt that Sota has as well.

While humans gain knowledge that way, Shogi Martians become strong. Strength that combines with their natural born talent.

“But!!”

The time has come for me to put it all on the line.

I commit the remainder of my waiting time to finding a move that will lead to victory.

“I have played more matches against Yaichi Kuzuryu than anyone in the world! Even with minuscule talent! Without reading nearly as deep! Not being a Shogi Martian!! These fingertips remember everything!!”

The me who met Yaichi and the me who didn’t.

Would I have been happier without ever knowing him?

Would I have become stronger had our paths never crossed?

–––No!! Absolutely not!!

It’s because I met him …… Because I have feelings for him that I became this strong.

That pure crystal in my heart breathed life into me.

No one can refute that. No one, not even me.

I know that for a fact because fighting is the only way I know how to find out–––!!

“I can’t lose to the likes of you! I …… I have to catch up with Yaichi!!”

I thought that I would catch up to him by taking titles.

I believed that winning solved everything.

However, no amount of glory forged by others, other player’s research, or winning by coincidence gave me the kind of strength I wanted.

Was I mistaken? I’ve gone back and forth on that and regretted my decisions, afraid the path I chose was a dead-end …… I couldn’t keep pressing forward.

“There is no right or wrong on a path that has never been taken.”

In saying so, a god gave me a push.

I’ve done so much to draw the ire of the Shogi gods over the years: talking back to Master, ignoring his teachings, denying the gods’ very existence ……

The gods saw all that.

And still taught me a valuable lesson.

There’s only one thing I need to do to receive their love.

“Fortune smiles on the brave.”

Then I need to build up the courage to fight my way forward.

I need to look at the monstrous prodigy sitting before me with a grin and stand my ground.

Even I, who was born without talent––––––can have courage.

“It’s about time for the real battle to begin.”

Now … to play Shogi.

To take the path without any right or wrong.

These fingertips remember what to do.