Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 12 - Chapter 2.4

  THE PLAYER’S ROOM

“…………… Huh? Just you, Sota?”

After the Crown Title Match meeting (the real one) ends, I stop by the Player’s Room on the third floor of the association for the first time in a long time.

It’s always lively around here, but it’s oddly silent today. Actually there’s just one person in here: Sota. He’s sitting by himself in the back corner of the long, rectangular room playing through match records. 

Without looking up, he says, “Yes, just me. There aren’t any league matches scheduled for today and having practice sessions or versus matches against people doesn’t seem to be very popular these days.”

“I see …… Well, it is that time of year.”

Summer vacation. Lots of pros are out at Shogi events and Sub League members are busy helping them.

Not to mention the 3-dan division is entering the final stretch.

Mr. Kagamizu pretty much rules the roost in here. Without him around, the younger guys rarely bother showing up.

“The Kiyotaki Classroom closed?”

“The kyu-ranking players seem to be going per usual. You haven’t seen Kiyotaki-sensei at all recently have you, Yaichi? Shouldn’t you tell him you became the Crown Challenger yourself?”

“Hm? Y-Yeah …… Been busy. Keika has been passing messages along for us, though.”

Honestly, I’ve been avoiding him because it’ll be awkward telling him about Big Sis.

O-Of course, I’ll have to say something once we’re officially going out, but …… There’s no guarantee Big Sis will promote to 4-dan, and he raised us like we really were brother and sister so he might be against it, which would lead to us eloping again–––.

“Yaichi? What are you making that face for?”

“What?! I-I was making a face?!”

“Yes. Blushing and kind of ogling …… Obscene.”

D-Did he just call me obscene?!

Just as I’m racking my brain, trying to figure out how a kid his age knows that word.

“…… Yaichi.”

“Yeah?”

“I ………… I still have talent, right?”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard this boy wonder’s voice shake before. He’s always overflowing with confidence.

“I heard you had a few mistakes against Big Sis and Mr. Karako, yeah?”

“…… It’s driving me crazy. This having six of the eight combined Golds and Silvers is an advantage thing. Deploying the Gold that should be the final blow in your own territory …… Tilling the board, over and over again! That’s not Shogi! That’s farming!”

People tend to see defensive playing styles as a sign of having no talent.

Talent really shines in the late-game.

The ability to cut straight through all the complicated sequences and checkmate the opponent like a bright beam of light: that’s what people see as talent.

That’s how Ai Hinatsuru and Chairman Tsukimitsu play. Sota …… is more like the Meijin, preferring to take the circular path more than a straight line.

It goes without saying that every style of Shogi takes talent to play, but ……

“That is not Shogi! I’m trying to become a pro because I wanted to play Shogi! I wanted to win every match, to go into the last day undefeated! Because then …… Then I ……”

Slam!! Sota hits the file folder in front of him with his fist, mouth clenched shut.

Taking a glance at the match record in that file …… I understand why he’s so upset and why he wanted to go into the final day without a loss so badly.

“What even is talent?”

“Sota ……”

“The Sub League is supposed to be a place to test it, right? In that case …… Why can’t talent be a number? If only it was–––.”

The boy who made it into the Sub League faster than anyone ever wails.

“If it was, we wouldn’t need to kill each other off like this.”