Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 12 - Chapter 5.92

  NECKTIE AND DICE

“Have you calmed down, Sota?”

“…………… Yes ……”

Sota, sitting on a bed inside one of the association’s overnight lodging rooms while sipping juice from paper cup, quietly nodded.

The boy had thrown a tantrum for ages the moment he found out Hiuma Kagamizu hadn’t promoted.

“Liars, cowards, weaklings should just die at the board to avoid the shame,” and other insults came pouring out of the child’s mouth as he thrashed about. But no one knew what to do about the young professional player and watched in stunned silence.

The panicking director delayed the press conference to buy time and entrusted Sota to Hiuma. After all, “This is your fault, Kagamizu, so you fix it.”

–––So this is my last job as a Sub League member, huh ……?

Thinking back, he had always watched out for the young ones.

Taking a seat next to the youngest 4-dan the world had ever known, the man about to be forced into retirement because of his age said sternly, “Yeesh. What’re you crying for? I’m the one who wants to cry.”

“You …… You lied to me. We made a promise to promote together.”

Tears started building up in Sota’s eyes as he angrily puffed out his cheeks.

“Whoa, whoa, there! I’m not blaming you–––.”

Hiuma knew he had to change the subject… and fast.

The problem was he couldn’t think of a new topic.

–––What’s popular among elementary school kids these days?! Pokémon?! Pokémon, maybe?!

Someone with Yaichi’s fondness for kids might be able to come up with something off the top of their head, but after spending 20 years cooped up in the Shogi world, Hiuma had become a modern equivalent of Rip van Winkle. No fun topics were coming to mind.

The only one that did–––was Shogi.

“I have a scrapbook.”

“…… Huh?”

“You know, the 4-dan Promotions articles? I’ve been collecting those for years and years …… I was hoping to get to write one myself, though.”

“Are you talking about the ones in the back of that magazine? I always skip over them.”

“Ha-ha. I’m not surprised.”

Hiuma smiled in spite of himself.

The right to write the one article he had wanted to write more than life itself had fallen to a child who barely knew that page existed.

But that was competition at its core.

Strength of desire played no part. Those with the strongest Shogi promote in the end.

That’s why everyone could accept the results, while the tear-jerking articles cruelly tugged at the heartstrings at the same time.

Hiuma mentally skimmed through the pages of the scrapbook that would never have his own article as he continued, “What I wanted to write changed a lot over time, but I knew exactly how I was going to end it. It was going to be my goal as a professional …… My dream, I guess you could call it.”

“Playing in a title match? Or did you want to be the Meijin?”

“If that’s all it was, I don’t think I could’ve stayed in the Sub League this long,” Hiuma answered with a smile.

He knew his own limits better than anyone else. Even if he had made it into the professional ranks, rising to the top as a 30-year-old from the basement of C-2 would have been a long road to hoe.

“What was it, then?” asked a frustrated Sota.

Though openly admitting it would be embarrassing ……

–––Meh, why not? Telling him couldn’t hurt.

For the first time ever, Hiuma put the idea that had been brewing in his heart into words.

“I want to always love Shogi.”

“…………!!”

Sota’s teary eyes went wide.

“No matter how hard things got, I wanted to get through it with my love for Shogi intact. Not just that, I wanted everyone to know just how much I love it. I wanted to be the kind of professional …… who could make people happy when they’d see my matches, the kind of professional that makes fans glad they became fans.”

All because he had suffered longer than everyone else.

Because he had been chewed up and spit out by the absurdities of the Shogi world, he thought he could have the power to convince anyone.

Even if he never claimed a title.

Even if he never became Meijin.

Even if he never knew the spotlight, he wanted to prove his love for Shogi was enough to make him a professional. Just as his Master had entrusted that dream to him ……

“But it turns out I didn’t have enough talent in the end. Fans would get bored watching a so-called professional who can’t even play a decent yagura.”

Talent was necessary to do whatever you will on the board.

Only a few select professionals, genuine prodigies, were able to produce match records that broke away from the standards. His match against Ginko had taught him that effort and desire alone would not allow him to reach that realm.

Their battle would surely live on in Sub League lore for generations to come.

–––But …… Ginko was on my level all along.

Thinking about her future prospects, Hiuma had a hard time congratulating her.

Promoting at the same time as a prodigy named Sota Kunugi meant she would be compared to him for the rest of her life.

Then there was the one she was chasing …… Yaichi Kuzuryu was even further out of reach.

“You’re absolutely right! Your Shogi is boring, Mr. Kagamizu. You’re evenly matched with Ginko!”

“Why do you have to pour salt on the wounds ……? I already said so, didn’t I?”

“You play Shogi that would entertain people? That’ll never happen! The messy hang on for dear life style of Shogi that you and Ginko play only works in the Sub League!”

“Yeah. Playing against you made it perfectly clear that I can’t get clean checkmates like the professionals do.”

“It did? Then–––.”

Sota took a deep breath.

“I’ll make sure your dream comes true for you.”

Now it was Hiuma’s turn to be shocked.

He sat there making direct eye contact with the youngest professional Shogi player in history.

This elementary school boy prodigy was free to do as he willed on the board.

“If I can’t promote with you, Mr. Kagamizu, the least I can do is take your dream with me.”

“My …… dream ……?”

“I’ll play matches that are more entertaining than any other pro players: more than Yaichi, more than any software. I’ll find a way to make people who don’t understand Shogi excited to watch it. Just wait, I’ll single-handedly start the biggest Shogi boom Japan has ever seen. So please, Mr. Kagamizu, keep loving Shogi. It might be hard right now …… But I’d like to play with you again.”

“…………”

“………… Does that mean no?”

“………… Nah ……”

Hiuma cast his gaze up at the ceiling… because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to hold the tears back. If he started crying, he was certain Sota would too ……

Hiuma Kagamizu was the first to ever talk to him.

The first to invite the little boy sitting in the back corner to play a game of Shogi.

But now their roles had been reversed …… It was that little boy inviting Hiuma to play a match.

“I’d be happy to. Thanks, Sota.”

Then he undid his tie.

After that he draped it around Sota’s small neck.

Like a ribbon, like a baton.

He didn’t have Kousuke Kiyotaki’s permission, but he was sure this was fine. He would never have an apprentice of his own, but …… A fellow player who would carry on that spirit was right here.

“Mr. Kagamizu, I ……”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad I chose Shogi!”

Smiling for the first time, Sota clutched the necktie in his hand.

It was much too big for an 11-year-old, but it would surely suit him one day. The prodigy was determined to hang onto it until then.

The dice weren’t necessary anymore.

The dream dwelling in his fingertips told him as much.