Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 12 - Chapter 5.7

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Yo Okito-Crown takes my sealing move 7 Six Pawn with a Silver right away.

He probably expected it.

–––That makes two of us.

Now that I finally have a turn on offense at the beginning of the second day of the Crown Title Match, I move without using any waiting time and deploy a Pawn right in front of one of his Golds. All right, now it’s my turn to take control!

But.

“Fssssshhhhhhhhhhhh ……––––––”

“?!”

That same soft whistling sound fills the arena.

The bald Crown’s eyes go wide as he leans so close to the board it makes me nervous that he’s going to bump into it and he pours a ton of waiting time into reading.

“Sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ………………” 

He’s reached a conclusion: to counterattack.

Now totally quiet, Mr. Okito slides a piece forward without making a sound.

By advancing the Pawn down the sixth file he forces me to advance my defense. Then he forcefully deploys a Pawn in the space I just left open!

“He’s abandoned his own defense?! Has he read all the way to the end ……?!” Ms. Mato says under her breath as she jots something down. She’s just as glued to her seat at the boardside table as she was yesterday.

Even an Eternal Women’s Title Holder thinks this attack is overly aggressive. Except the further he advances, the more the formations twist and bend to the point that anyone can see …… 

Ms. Mato puts it into words: “………………… Too strong ……”

Every move Mr. Okito makes is the absolute best move.

Including every turn I had yesterday as the defender, I’ve only had two moves on offense: my sealing move and the one right after it.

Just two moves.

The price for barely making a scratch in his formation is that my King is now sandwiched between a Promoted Pawn on the right and a Silver on the left.

I’m pincered in. It looks like there’s nowhere for me to run.

“He’s not human ……,” whispers the young pro working as the match recorder, as if he is both scared and repulsed at the same time. He is recording the match because the Sub League has their regular activities today, Saturday. Actually, it’s pretty normal for pros to record title matches.

“……………… Whew ……”

I look up from the board and out the window. It’s a bright, sunny blue sky out there. A hot, hot summer sky.

That’s right. The Sub League is meeting today.

–––Let’s see …… The second match should’ve started by now, I think to myself.

The final day of the 3-dan division …… Basically the last battle of the six-month war.

–––Two of the most important people to me are facing off here in Tokyo, under this same sky.

I have no idea what the situation is. Mr. Kagamizu might’ve won his first match and already turned pro while Big Sis has already missed out on her chance.

But, if Big Sis won her first match and Mr. Kagamizu lost his …… The two of them could be fighting for their lives right now.

One of them is guaranteed the short end of the stick. It’s that kind of match.

“Comprehension of your own talent reduces misfortune.” That’s what Mr. Okito said.

“Why can’t talent be a number?” That’s what Sota said.

They may have a point. That way, maybe no one would have to hurt someone important to them in a big match like that.

But those two are fighting right now all the same.

If I were in their shoes …… I wouldn’t know what to do. It be so painful I’d probably be cursing fate itself.

“Say there’s something that somebody else treasures and there’s only one of them in the world. Would you take it for yourself? Or would you give up on it?”

“………… That really is a hard question ……”

Memories of the night Ai Yashajin said she loves me replay in my head. That night I fell headfirst into a grade schooler’s ambush.

She really put me on the spot …… But I got butterflies, too.

Her heart used to have a thick shell, but she showed a ton of courage breaking through it.

“He-he …………… I wonder, could that be considered cheating?” I think out loud as I tap my fan against my lips.

Nah, it couldn’t be. She’s the one who made the move …… And I haven’t given her my answer yet. With the sealing move in place, I can’t.

Then again …… what if today’s the day?

When push comes to shove, there’s only one answer.

“………… Only victory. Don’t you think?”

There have been matches that I’ve wanted to win before.

I’ve psyched myself up knowing that I needed to win, too.

But there’s only victory for this Shogi.

Not to get the title.

I couldn’t care less about who wins the battle between people and software.

Just …… for the girl I love.

Only victory can make me look cool in her eyes.

The girl I love is fighting her heart out. If I lose when she wins her match, I really would be trash. Heck, I’d give trash a bad name. Tell her I love her after losing? No way.

A pathetic guy like that–––doesn’t deserve Naniwa’s Snow White!!

“Not the girl who beat Mr. Kagamizu …… and turned pro.”

That’s why I prepared a sequence for just this moment.

The biggest move I’ve ever made in my life.

Software takes all the information on the board and crunches the numbers to find the best move.

It takes everything it can see into account and finds the perfect way to defend any attack.

“In that case!!”

I’ll attack–––from where it can’t see: the opposite horizon!!

“Haaaa–––…………”

Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath.

All the while picturing a tiny angel.

“………………………………………… Here ……………………” 

Just like that little girl soaring freely over the board with two pristine white wings coming out of her back, I plant my fists onto the tatami mat and start swaying back and forth.

“Here ……………… Here …………… Here ………… Here ……… Here …… Here …… Here …… Here …… Here …… Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere––––––.”

“Th-That’s ……?! Hinatsu–––.”

Ms. Mato looks away in disbelief, as if she saw something that shouldn’t be here.

I reach for the board.

My Rook patiently waiting at the back of the 8th file.

I pick it up between my fingers–––and slide it all the way across the board!!

“Here!!”

Mr. Okito calmly deploys a Pawn to block.

I shift my Rook one space to the side the instant he lets go.

“Here!!”

He blocks that with another Pawn like it’s a walk in the park.

Anyone would have made the same move. Sub League members, pros and even software.

Here’s the part where I would pull back and the fight would continue.

…Because there shouldn’t be a checkmate.

Only Ms. Mato, who knew exactly what I had in mind, is the only one who figures out what I’m about to do.

“It couldn’t be …… He’s read it to the end?! In so little time?! H- …… He still has almost four hours of waiting time left ……!!”

No.

That’s not a short time.

Actually, I needed so much more—a measly four hours wasn’t nearly enough to read all the way to the end of the match from this point… to get past the inevitable defeat.

–––I can’t soar wherever I want like she can.

I read, read, read, readreadreadreadreadreadread, read to the point where my brain broke, and I finally got wings of my own.

It’s time …… to crash them down!!

“Khhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Picking up that Pawn and putting it on my piece stand, I flip my Rook over–––promoting it into the Dragon King and snap it down right where the Pawn used to be! Proof that that girl is with me.

“These!! These are my …… our wings!!”

–––7 Seven Promote Rook.

My newly promoted Dragon King gets taken by a Gold on the next turn. Basically, I exchanged a Rook for Pawn.

There’s only one thing that this normally unthinkable exchange could mean.

“The Rook ……………… So, he read far enough ahead to know that his King couldn’t be checkmated even if he lost his Rook. ………… That’s–––.”

The man closest to the machine—all of humanity whispers under his breath.

“Something only a human could read.”

Holding his hand over his piece stand, my opponent acknowledges his own limits.

“Huh?! S-Surrender?!” the match recorder stutters as he fumbles with the tablet to press the End Match button.

We’ve only played 15 moves since my sealing move. Talk about a quick late-game.

But I’ve been fighting this battle nonstop in my head since that sealing move …… It was a long, long, loooong battle ……

“…… It seems the two-day format will soon be unnecessary,” says Mr. Okito, completely calm despite the confusion around us.

“Yes. Being able to think for a whole night is too much of an advantage. If they’re going to keep the format, they’ll have to end at day one after the opening sequences ……”

But doing that would just make the second day a glorified practice session. The competitiveness would be gone.

The sealing move.

There’s no question that I won because I had time to read all the way to when each of our Kings would be checkmated after I made the sealing move.

If I had to compare it to anything …… yes, it’s like the way Ai Yashajin planned a match from the early game all the way to a confession of love kiss and checkmate.

Software only reads far enough to know that there are no issues and it cannot be checkmated to make its decisions.

One look at my formation, and anyone could see it would turn into tissue paper if I lost my Rook.

However, read much, much deeper into it, and–––.

“Software is way ahead of people in figuring out if there’s a checkmate or not. But ……” Gulping down all the water in my glass, I say, “People are still better than software at figuring out what sequences they need to seriously consider and which they can ignore.”

“An ability that software will soon possess.”

“That doesn’t mean people will be able to use it …… right?”

“Concur.”

People can come close to machines but can’t actually be them.

Even so, Mr. Okito strived to find out how close he could get while I chose to face machines as a human being.

Our conclusions are very different, but …… they need the same things.

First the courage to make the necessary decisions, and then the effort to push through once a decision is made.

Talent is necessary, sure. But courage and effort can overtake it. That belief is what has gotten me this far.

Neither of us will change our core beliefs. But they can clash on the board like this. That’s good enough for now.

The head journalist cautiously asks, “U-Um …… Pardon me, but as the match ended much sooner than expected, may I ask the two of you to provide match analysis at the big board downstairs ……?”

“Dissent,” Mr. Okito says right off the bat and rubs his head before the journalist can ask why. “Make a public appearance like this?”

“………………”

There’s not much anyone can say to that ……

The journalist looks to me for help, but all I can do is apologetically say, “It wouldn’t be right for the challenger to appear without the title holder ……”

Salvation for the journalist on the verge of a panic attack… comes from fellow players in the room.

“Master and myself shall go to the venue and provide analysis. As my sibling has been entrusted with management of big board pieces, I would much like to witness her performance firsthand!”

“Jin-Jin and I will go too♡ Be sure and thank us later!” say Ayumi and Ms. Rokuroba. Both are grinning for some reason.

Ms. Mato, still sitting at the boardside table, immediately asks, “Crown: even if analysis is not an option, may I still ask you questions in private? If possible, would you be willing to demonstrate your software research techniques on a computer in the waiting room?”

“Should conditions be met, concur.”

“Thank you so much! Ah, Ryuo, I will email you a few questions, so please respond when you have time.”

Um, hello? I won, remember?

“And there you have it.”

Ms. Rokuroba starts shooing me away.

“You’re free to go, Kuzuryu-sensei.”

“Indeed, your presence is unnecessary, young Dragon King …… In this location, that is.”

“Why, yes. Leave now and you might make it there in time,” Shakando-sensei and Mr. Natagiri add, like they’re trying to stop themselves from laughing.

Finally, I get why …… get the reason why Ayumu agreed to be the assistant observer and why everybody is in here right now.

“Well ……… But …………”

I’m still hesitating, but this time Okito-Crown adds, “Be on your way. I shall take care of the board. It is my duty as the title holder.”

Logical reasoning. Fitting, coming from him.

“Thus, your purpose here has come to an end.”

Those words are the last push I needed.

I can’t let all these people down.

I can’t …… betray my own feelings anymore!

“…… Thank you!!”

I jump to my feet, throw open the fusuma sliding door, and race down the hallway.

Flinging my kimono off the second I get to my room, I slip my suit on and leave just as quickly.

I’ll take care of that stuff when I get back.

Right now, I need to get over there ASAP!

“Taxi! Where can I get a taxi ……?”

Something very important hits me the moment I step outside the hotel to get a taxi, something that makes my blood run cold.

“Ah! I forgot to get my wallet and phone first!!”

The new rules require me to leave my phone with the observer and the head journalist made arrangements with the hotel to keep our valuables in a safe.

“Should I go to the front desk?! No, I should head back to my room first to …… Crap! M-My key is still in there! Okay, I’ll talk to the front desk first and then–––.”

I won’t need to…

…Because one big motorcycle pulls up in front of me, idling engine purring like a cat ready to pounce.

Sitting atop that metallic beast–––is an Archangel with flaming red hair for wings.

“Ryou?!”

“Hurry it up, trash! Why’d you need two days to beat Poindexter, huh?! Do it in one!”

Is she crazy?!

But she looks like a real angel to me right now.

Aggressive Archangel Ryou Tsukiyomizaka tosses me a helmet. I strap it on, take a seat behind her, and yell, “To Sendagaya!”

“Where else, idiot?”

She takes off into traffic, zooming forward at full throttle like a Lance charging across the board.

Heading for the association building in Sendagaya.

To where Ginko is right now.