Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 12 - Chapter 5

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WATCHING FROM AFAR

“Coming to you live from the Shogi Association building! 3-dan division members, or at least people who look the part, are starting to arrive!”

The usual morning news show has a reporter outside of the Kanto Association.

It’s not the Kansai Association building that we’re used to, so seeing that brown, five-story brick building on every local channel feels …… well, strange.

I turn to my antsy Master sitting in front of the TV and ask him, “Father, would you like some iced barley tea? Or would hot green tea be better?”

“Mn …… Yah. Thanks, Keika.”

“I’m asking which one you would like.”

“Hmm …… I’ll ’ave that.”

This is going nowhere fast. He’s too absorbed in the TV to hear a word I say.

“Ai? Would you make some green tea, please?”

“Sure!”

Ai Hinatsuru stops doing dishes in the kitchen for a moment to answer with her usual pep. The three of us have just finished eating breakfast in our tatami room. I was in the middle of wiping down the table, but I got distracted by the TV.

Sorry, Ai! I promise I’ll help out once I see Ginko ……!

“That man going inside now is Hiuma Kagamizu 3-dan. Closer than anyone to promoting, he is the only player with only two losses and will face the elementary-aged prodigy Sota Kunugi in his first match today! Win, and he will officially become Kagamizu 4-dan!”

Hiuma has a pair of headphones on and has that don’t talk to me vibe turned on full blast. He ignores all the reporters and walks right into the building. He sure looks ready.

The camera zooms in on its next target.

“Look, with an escort from the association …… That’s Sota! Sota Kunugi!”

A polite-looking little boy.

Cameras swarm around the 11-year-old as the staff member jumps up to stop them. Sota scampers into the building, and I don’t blame him.

“Currently fourth in the standings, Sota would need to win both of his matches and have those ranked above him lose in order to be promoted! Will today go down in history as the first time an elementary school student joins the professional Shogi ranks?!”

The cameras follow players one by one as they arrive at the association.

“It’s almost like the longest day in the Shogi world, isn’t it?”

The final day in the A Division Placement Matches is called the longest day in the Shogi world. The best professionals put their pride on the line as they use every ounce of skill and determination they have in matches that always last late into the night.

Since other players’ matches determine their own ranking, those top professionals have to stay up and watch until everyone finishes.

“These are the most important matches of their lives. I was hoping they would have more peace and quiet.”

“…………”

Father stares at the screen without saying a word.

The reporters, equipped with cameras and microphones, but probably very little interest in Shogi, are chasing down the young men as if they were rare animals at the zoo.

–––It’s funny how they can tell who’s in the Sub League and who’s not.

But that’s the only thing that’s funny about this.

“Ah! A taxi is pulling up to the association! Is that Naniwa’s Snow White in the backseat?! There’s no mistaking that silver hair! Ginko Sora 3-dan has arrived!!”

“!!”

Father and I lean in close to the screen for a closer look at Ginko on camera.

“………… Gin …… ko …………,” father groans.

I …… can’t breathe, seeing her in this much pain.

–––So worn out …… How many years has it been since I’ve seen her suffering this much ……?

It was seven years ago, on the day she took the Sub League Entrance Exam for the first time.

Her face looks just like it did that day… when her heart failed …… And it’s making my chest ache.

Cameras close in the moment the taxi door opens.

But––––––the Ginko that steps out quiets the world.

“……………”

No one can get near her, like she has an invisible barrier pushing everyone away.

Then, Ginko boldly walks toward the building with her head held higher than any of the other Sub League members so far.

Skin so pure, you can almost see through her.

Her fighting spirit is burning so vigorously that she radiates a silver aura.

“……………… Stunning …………,” whispers a reporter who is known for her own good looks. No one else could say anything.

True beauty has a way of silencing meaningless banter.

Watching this …… I can hardly believe she’s human ……

–––There’s nothing to worry about! She’s recovered! Dr. Akashi said so himself!

Repeating that to myself helps keep the tears back.

I bite down on my lip and commit to memory every second of this girl walking toward the fight of her life as she goes up to the building and disappears inside.

“M-Moving on, Mr. Shoji Karako, the first person to rejoin the 3-dan division using their Admission Exam in 42 years, has graciously agreed to speak with us.”

“Hello! I’ll be the one playing against little Miss Ginko in the first match, so I hate to break it to you, but she won’t be promoting today.”

I can’t believe my eyes as Mr. Karako’s lighthearted grin appears on the screen.

What are his nerves made of …… steel ……?

“To everyone out there in Japan, please root against me! Thinking of all the disappointment on your faces gives me the boost I need to play my best!”

“A-Are you sure you should be saying that?! This is live TV ……”

“Being the villain is fine by me. So long as I’m going to be hated anyway, I might as well embrace it. It’ll make my pro debut that much sweeter …ha-ha!” Mr. Karako says with that smile that belongs on a clown.

Does Ginko really have to face this man …… this man who treats Shogi like a joke? Will she be able to stay focused ……?

“Keeeika! Where are the fresh tea leaves?”

Ai’s voice from the kitchen saves me from my own thoughts.

Gathering myself in a flash, I call back to her, “They should be in the bottom drawer! Put them in the tea caddy!”

Ai has a good head on her shoulders. More than that …… She keeps a closer eye on Yaichi than anyone.

…Which is why I doubt she’ll come into this room while Ginko is on the screen.

I glance at my father.

“…………”

Still silently staring at the screen, just as I thought.

“The matches were scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. sharp, but it seems there may be a delay! While we unfortunately cannot provide live coverage inside the arena because our requests to set up cameras were rejected, professionals will be providing updates and analysis from the association’s second floor classroom. Keep it here for all the latest!”

“…… And whose fault is that delay, do you think?” I snap back at the reporter, beside myself, but I am relieved. If the media had tried to force cameras into the arena, I would be on my way up to Tokyo right now to stop them.

The 3-dan Division Exclusive Arena on the division’s final day of regular activities is the Shogi world’s hallowed ground.

It’s only natural, considering the weight of the results. Professionals are fighting for money and fame, but Sub League members are fighting for their very lives.

Meanwhile, there are so many reporters and cameramen stuffed into the Crown Title Match arena that they spill out into the hallway. I expected as much, though.

“Yaichi …… I hope it wasn’t too much of a shock ……”

It may sound bad, but they’re not there to see the match itself. Comparing how many reporters were there on day one is proof enough of that. The reason so many showed up for the second day is–––.

“Okito-sensei’s haircut …… is that an off-the-board tactic?”

“………… He never seemed the type to use ’em before ……”

Father doesn’t sound sure of himself.

Images of the long-haired Crown showing up for the match with a smooth head have been making the rounds on social media and sending people into a frenzy.

Between that and the 3-dan division, Shogi was the only thing everyone was talking about in Japan last night. Considering his apprentices were right in the middle of both big stories, I can hardly imagine what Father must be going through.

–––Worse, at the end of the first day, Yaichi already was ……

I couldn’t resist the temptation and used software to analyze the board when Yaichi did the sealing move.

“…… The program says the best move is 7 Six Pawn. But, even playing that ……”

It would result in offense being 200 points ahead, an almost even rating.

The scary thing is though …… that rating hasn’t gone down even once since the match started.

Every move Okito-sensei makes is the absolute best.

What’s more, I’ve been able to understand exactly why he went with each one. He’s not playing at a level beyond human comprehension like software usually does.

Yaichi has answered with nearly perfect counters each time. He’s holding strong, but ……

“Both players confirmed the seal is still intact. I will now break the seal.”

Natagiri-sensei, the observer, takes scissors to the envelope and pulls out the paper inside.

“The sealed move is …… 7 Six Pawn.”

Countless camera flashes light up the screen as Yaichi reaches for the board.

“7 Six Pawn ……”

Yaichi puts that piece down with authority, but that just makes my heart ache even more.

He’s chosen to counterattack.

It’s the best option. That’s what the software says.

But, it’s just …… he hasn’t been able to take a step beyond the software, either ……

“That King’s real far away ……,” father mumbles with his eyes on Okito-sensei’s half of the board.

That’s right. One look at that board, and no one would need a computer to tell them who has the advantage right now.

I ask him, “Playing 7 Six Pawn means that Yaichi is trying to win first, right? But, Okito-sensei’s next move is surely 4 Seven Pawn …… which gives him a staging point in the fourth file by promoting right next to Yaichi’s King.”

Even so, the software says to attack.

Its second recommendation was to focus on defense by taking Okito-sensei’s Promoted Pawn with his Lance at 1 Three.

The difference between the two was a few points, if that.

Personally, I think that Yaichi’s playing style is more suited for defense.

“If they do both attack, Okito-sensei has a Promoted Pawn at 2 Two. 5 Five Knight and 6 Four Pawn are both there, too. Even worse, Yaichi’s running way behind on waiting time …… He’s obviously between a rock and a hard place, yes?”

Okito-sensei has more than double the waiting time Yaichi does.

Time is a necessary commodity to keep the formation balanced when the King is vulnerable. Otherwise, the defenses come crashing down into an instant death.

As of now, their formations are equal. The thing is that Yaichi’s waiting time armor is showing some serious cracks, which puts him very far behind.

–––Has he figured that out, too? Is that why he chose to race to the finish?

Maybe he decided to force the issue while he still has waiting time rather than getting bled to death the way things are now.

“Yaichi is strong, but …… That strength comes from a sense o’ the big picture. He’s in his element when the board’s a mess, but the floor drops out when things are organized,” says the Master, talking about his apprentice’s weakness with a heavy heart. “Yo’s always been darn good winnin’ particular spots on the board. Fought him myself a few times in A, and I ain’t never seen a player close out matches the way he can. The man’s like the machine, bein’ that precise …… Which is probably why it was such a shock that software outdid him ……”

“Father ……”

The association kept the fact that Okito-sensei tried to commit suicide a closely guarded secret. There aren’t even that many people inside the association who know all the details.

But Father knows everything.

He does because he was scheduled to play against Okito-sensei in an A division placement match three days after the incident.

He won because Okito-sensei never arrived at the arena, but–––That did even more damage.

“Why’d it hafta …… Why’d ya go an’……”

I can still remember what Father looked like after getting that phone call from the association. He didn’t win a single placement match after that and ended up dropping out of the A division that season.

Okito-sensei was granted a leave of absence and maintained his spot in A.

However, the form he sent to the association wasn’t a leave of absence request, but a suicide note. After seeing how rashly he’d been dispatched to play against software, other professional players felt he had taken a bullet for them and thus never complained about Okito-sensei keeping his ranking ……

He somehow managed to return to the Shogi world after that, but I have no idea how he felt adopting software for his own research. I doubt anyone would understand what it’s like to be in his shoes.

The one thing I do know is ……

–––Yaichi has to play a step above software for any chance to win.

Except his sealing move was exactly what the software said was best.

…Which means that Yaichi is moving to the beat of software’s drum. Basically, he is putty in Okito-sensei’s hands.

“There ain’t no way to out-calculate a calculator when it comes to closin’ the distance.”

A calculator. That’s how Father describes Okito-sensei.

Seeing him now, calm as he is, I have to agree.

“Speaking of calculation speed, Ai–––.”

It strikes me that Yaichi’s apprentice, currently preparing tea in the kitchen, has the same kind of talent.

When it comes to late game strength, Ai Hinatsuru is head and shoulders above many professionals. There are times when I don’t think she’s human.

I fought against her back when she had been playing Shogi for less than a year. Even though I was in position to win by the early mid-game, I watched in horror as she turned the tables and destroyed everything by the late-game.

–––She showed that terrifying strength rather recently, too ……

It was during her match to qualify for the Women’s Legend League.

Former Sub League member Tsubasa Gakumeki had her in hisshi, one move away from unavoidable checkmate, but Ai still found a way to break out of it. That kind of ability is the stuff of nightmares.

–––Just thinking about it now …… I still get goosebumps ……

To think, Yaichi saw that talent in her and brought it out …… That’s even scarier. However he is raising her, it’s not for the faint of heart.

It’s a battle in itself.

“…… What would Ai say about this formation if she saw it?”

Shatter!

“?!”

Father and I look around to find where the sound of broken glass came from–––.

“………………… ere ………………”

Ai is standing there with an empty cup in her hand. She must’ve come in carrying tea.

What’s left of the pot is at her feet, hot green tea spilling out all over. Oh no! She dropped it?!

“A-Ai?! Are you okay?! You’re not burned, are you?! I’ve got a cloth right here–––!”

I grab it and move in, but she doesn’t seem to notice. Her eyes are glued to the TV, more specifically the real-time feed of the Crown Title Match.