Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 13 - Chapter 2

BLACK CAT’S FAREWELL: THE LAST GRADE SCHOOLER PRACTICE GROUP SESSION PART 2

Mio says earnestly while we wait for a decision on the camellia oil, “That night was really bad.”

“Yes. The worst.” I answer her using no time. In fact, I respond before she finishes.

“Fwhee? Cha, Cha had wots of fun ……?”

“I’m sure you did, Charlette …… If Master treated me the same way he treated you, it would have been the best trip ever …… Darabuchi ……”

“A-Ai! You mustn’t make that face in the airport! Someone might mistake you for a dangerous person!”

“Ah ……! S-Sorry ……”

“Nice one, Ayano! Ai’s really scary when that killer instinct kicks in. I mean, even Mihane in our class had an accident when she saw it!”

Mio is exaggerating things, but I know I’m a little more …… competitive than most kids my age. I know that part of me exists.

I’ve got these Shogi boards in my head, and they start moving on their own once something triggers them. When they do, there’s nothing I can do to stop them ……

I take Ayano’s hand and thank her.

“Thanks, Ayano! You took a big step that night and got Master to like you ……”

“Now I’m in the line of fire?!”

Since the clerk comes back to the counter at that very moment, my friendship with Ayano manages to survive by a thread.

“Miss Mizukoshi. I apologize for the wait.”

“Oh, it’s alright. So …… What did they say?”

“I’m afraid that we cannot allow this oil to be taken onto the plane. You can either take it home or we’ll dispose of it.”

“Oh …… Now what?” 

How is she supposed to take it home when she’s about to get on a plane?

“Mio, if you’d like, I can take it back with me. Grandpa-sensei might figure out a way to ship it to you.”

“Ai …… Thanks! That’d be amazing! Even if there’s no way, Kiyotaki-sensei can use it in his classroom! That way it won’t go to waste!”

There aren’t any other problems, so the clerk takes Mio’s suitcase and gives her a boarding pass.

“You really saved me back there, Ai. Man, am I glad I’ve got you here! Otherwise, I might’ve ended up stuck in Japan.”

“Y-You’re just saying that. I’m sure you would’ve been fine without me ……”

Ayano can look up anything if you ask her, and I’m pretty sure Mio has enough determination to figure things out on her own.

“Now, all that’s left for me to do is the one thing that’ll let me leave Japan with no regrets!”

“The …… one thing?”

My heart skips a beat.

The last thing Mio wants to do in Japan. The most important thing to her.

Could it be …… one more Shogi match? 

The first person I ever played a real match with was Master.

The day after that, he took me to the Kansai Shogi Association where I played Shogi with a girl my own age for the first time.

That girl–––was Mio Mizukoshi.

I lost to Master despite having the handicap, but I beat Mio in an even match …… And that match showed me just how interesting Shogi is, gave me a boost of confidence and helped me make an important friend all at the same time.

So, I thought just maybe Mio wanted the last person she plays Shogi with in Japan to be me.

Back when she said she’d give me a present, when she said she didn’t have a thing for me, I was sure she was going to say, “Let’s play Shogi!” …… I think I was hoping she would, just a little bit.

Well, all her boards and pieces are behind the counter now.

Even still …… If she asked me to, I–––.

“On my last day here in Japan, I want to ……”

“Yes ……?”

Mio puts her hands on her tummy and opens her mouth wide.

“Eat ‘til I burst!!”

Aha-ha …… That’s just like her.

“Whoa! Look at that! There’s a TSUTAYA bookstore at the airport!!”

Once we take the elevator to where the domestic flights leave on the second floor, Mio happily squeals with her eyes open wide.

“There’s a convenience store, an ATM and …… is that a prayer house?! They’ve got everything here ……”

“There’s a souvenir shop located over there, that’s the Machiya Kouji food court with all those good places to eat. Starbucks, Sukiya, 551 …… They’ve got all your favorites, Mio!”

“Fwhee ……! So many showps!”

I point to the sign that shows all the shops and restaurants on the third floor.

“Everyone, look! There’s even more on the next floor!!”

“Let’s go, let’s go! I wanna see!!”

Mio cuts in front of us and jumps on the escalator.

“Wow! The second floor was pretty much a food court, but up here’s like a fancy shopping mall!”

Mio can’t contain her excitement looking at the restaurants that are built right into the walls.

But what gets me even more excited than that is–––.

“Whoooa!! There’s a drugstore, a 100-yen shop and even a Uniqlo! Lots of Master’s shirts are getting old, so maybe I’ll get some new ones for him.”

Maybe he’ll compliment me for having everything nice and ready for him when he comes back from Tokyo …… Ehe-he♡

Just when I’m starting to imagine it, Mio says with a forced smile, “Kujyuryu-sensei is all you think about, isn’t he ……? Wait, haven’t you been here before, Ai?”

“We thought we’d lost our passports last time, so there was a big rush …… We got here at the very last minute, so we had to go right to security ……”

Japanese food is easy to find in Hawaii, and we were only there for a few days for the Ryuo Title Match, so we didn’t need to have any before takeoff.

But who knows when Mio will be back in Japan.

Her mother will be with her over there, but there’s no telling if they can get the right ingredients ……

“Let’s see, there are udon and soba noodle places. Sushi, tonkatsu pork, pasta, Chinese, Italian, too. That place looks like a café …… Plenty of people probably want their last taste of Japan before they leave. We’re all thinking the same thing. Actually, I already miss those box lunches they give us when the Practice League meets.”

“Missing how the soy sauce is just a little too strong …… You must really like Japanese flavors ……,” Ayano mumbles with a shudder. Those lunches really dry out your throat, so a water bottle is a must in the Kansai Practice League. Many people don’t finish their lunches, either.

“So, tell me! If you were about to leave Japan, what would you want to eat last?”

“What about ramen? Your favorite restaurant, Doutonbori Kamakura, is on this floor, Mio.”

“They’ve got the best karaage fried chicken, don’t they?! What about you, Ai?”

“I think I’d want sushi. That’s usually what I have for lunch during matches.”

Japanese food is the king of Shogi lunches because it’s light and easy to eat. Master used to order it for us all the time during our practice sessions.

“Ramen or sushi, hmm. Both are classics! What about you, Charlette?”

“Umm ……… Ebewyting!!” says Charlette, her face pressed up against a glass display case. Then, she looks left and right before stumbling her way to the next restaurant like a little blonde bumblebee.

I go corral her and ask, “Charlette. What’s something here that you can’t eat in Europe?”

“Umm? Cha, Cha want dem aww?”

“Th-That’s not what I meant ……”

Looks like this girl is so hungry that words won’t get through to her ……

“Mio. What place would you like to go?”

“He! He! He! Actually I know exactly where I want to go! I’ve been planning this meal for two whole weeks!”

That long?!

“Miow? Wha yew wanna eat?”

“Glad you asked …… Chinese!!”

“Chinese food? For your last meal in Japan?” Ayano asks, clearly shocked that Mio would go to a regular Chinese chain restaurant rather than a place that specializes in ramen. 

Mio then says, “C’mon, the Chinese food here is basically Japanese food, anyway! And we can order a lunch and share at a Chinese place. That one right there has lots of tables open, so I’d like to spend my last few hours here having lunch with everybody! That’s my answer!”

“Ohhh!!”

I guess she did spend lots of time thinking about it because it’s the perfect choice!

“Alright, let’s go order a big lunch! …… Huh? What’s wrong, Mio? Aren’t you coming?”

Mio starts fidgeting out of the blue.

Just when I think she’s lost her wallet–––.

“Actually …… I need to run to the toilet! Sorry, really!! I-I’ve been holding it since the check-in counter, but now that everything’s okay, I guess I ……”

“There’s no need to apologize! You should’ve said something sooner …… Would you like me to look after your overstuffed backpack?” offers Ayano.

“No thanks, I got it! I might be a while, so go ahead and order anything!”

Mio zooms away to find the closest restroom.

So the three of us walk inside, but …… Mio spent all that time thinking, but the best move she came up with turns out to be the worst one.

All because of the last person we expected to see ……

“Oh no, I’m late …… Why did getting my bag checked have to take so long ……?!”

As soon as I know the other girls can’t see me, I slow down right away.

“………… Compact konbu magic, ham ham block castle, diary newspaper into the nosebleed, water flea pairs for everyone, follow the savannah dentist–––,” I recite as fast as I can. 

They’re magic words that only I know what they mean! Just like the ones I was going through back on the train platform. And when I was in the train’s toilet stall, too.

This is why I stayed in Japan by myself.

I wasn’t lying when I said it was so Mama and Papa could get a head start.

But, there was something much more important to me …… Something else.

Something in Japan that I still had to do. And to prepare to do it.

So I needed time.

I pushed the flight back, as far back as I could possibly get it to go …… And tried to picture what kind of day today would be. I thought about what would be happening in the Shogi world and made adjustments. I even planned out this moment right now.

“Ignoring nothingness, fancy fashion girl, um …… Rejection beam quality propane!”

The stalls are nice and big. Plus, no one else is in here! Sweet!

“Immortal powerless sheets, narrow heart, heart to chick, harsh summer …… thick cologne, unmarried bamboo! All set!”

I head into a stall and sit down on top of the toilet lid.

Then I fish my phone out of my backpack.

Next up, open my Shogi app. My opponent and I already agreed to play today.

Actually, I should’ve signed in a little bit earlier. I hope they’re still up for playing a match ……

“Yeees! There’s the invitation!”

I’m playing against–––Black Cat.

We played a long match with tons of waiting time last night, and they promised to do a quick match with me today before signing off. Black Cat started teaching me a whole lot before the King of Naniwa Tournament, but I’ve never beaten them. Not once.

That’s why …… I’m winning today no matter what!

“It’s on!!”

I’m in a rush, so I set the clock for three minutes of waiting time. Yes! I got the first move, just like I wanted!

The defender gets to choose how the formations will turn out, but Black Cat always goes along with whatever I start playing.

Because, well, they’re confident that they can handle anything someone my level can throw at them.

“But …… I’m not the usual Mio today!!”

I race through the early-game using my favorite sequence and keep up the pace in the mid-game, trusting that my fingers know what to do.

It’s the late-game that matters.

“I’ve got more time than them! I’m winning!!”

My clock says I’ve got about a minute. They’re down to 30 seconds.

The first one to hit zero loses, so this’ll be over in about a minute and a half.

“Haaaaaaaaa––– …… Mn!!”

I hold my breath.

>A minute and a half …… A race to the finish!!

“…………!”

If this were a 100-meter dash, I’ve got a 50-meter lead on them. I don’t even need to look at my own King at this point. Just stay focused on checkmating them and I’ll win. The goal tape is right in front of me …… I just need to go through it!

My heart is pounding up a storm. Even my fingers are shaking with every beat.

“But, just a little further …… I can do this! That’s checkmate!! Finally, I’m going to beat Black Cat!!”

I thought too soon.

They don’t try to outrace me to the finish …… But just, plop.

A pebble right at my feet.

A disposable Pawn gets tossed in my path like a tiny rock.

“Ah?!”

It distracts me for just a second, makes me take my eyes off the finish line for just a moment and I trip. Face plant …… And Black Cat makes it to the finish line before I can get up.

“Grrr! They got me ……”

They were down to one second of waiting time. But there was no panic whatsoever. They must’ve read all the way to the end.

But it was more like they messed me up than I messed up myself.

It almost feels like they were counting on me to get nervous once I realized I was about to win …… That wasn’t even a match with the real board, but my mind got read like a book. Whoa ……

They had me dancing in the palm of their hand ……

“Man ………… Black Cat is really, really strong! I would’ve never thought to throw away the Pawn like that …… Crafty.”

Yep, it wasn’t an accident. They set me up for it. That nasty little …… No, that’s called being strong in the late-game.

I know I made a good dent, though.

Sure, I tripped up at the very end, but that means–––.

“I was in the lead from the start all the way to the very, very end. If I hadn’t been playing Black Cat, who’s naturally just good at defense …… I would’ve won.”

Good mindset, fingers are moving and my instincts are on fire.

Even better than that …… The fact that I was in the lead against that early-game mastermind even for a second means that my research is working.

Now with a boatload of confidence, I finish my business in here. Whew ……

“I wonder what European toilets are like. Do they have heated seats and warm bidets, too? Or are they ……”

I’m a summer baby, so winters are rough for me. I’ve heard that some pros do better in certain seasons than others. Like, they can only win titles in the summer leagues, or do so well in winter that they get called the Winter Shogun.

“Then again, Sora-sensei said she’d die out in the sun, but she made it through the 3-dan division in the middle of a heatwave. Maybe that’s just a superstition?”

I give it more thought as I leave the restroom and head back to the Chinese place where the other girls are waiting for me.

That’s when I see her.

“Huh? No way ………… Huuuuuuuh?!”

She’s in a café just around the corner from the toilets.

Sitting in that fancy café sandwiched between a really expensive-looking clothing store and one of those general goods stores.

Swiping her fingers back and forth on a tablet at a table by the window is–––.

The craftiest girl I know …… with all the pride and grace of a pretty black kitty.

“Ten-chan?!”

“Well, what a surprise.”

Passing her tablet to the lady sitting next to her, Akira Ikeda, Ten-chan gets up without making a sound, just like a cat would.

Is this …… a coincidence?

“Grandfather is coming back from an overseas business trip,” Ten-chan answers before I can ask.

Yeah, that makes sense. She’s meeting her grandpa at the airport.

“Wow! What time does your grandpa’s plane get in?”

“Not until tomorrow.”

“Huh? Then what are you doing here?”

“Familiarizing myself with the terminal.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Why would you need to ……?”

Take an express train, and it only takes 30 minutes to get to the Kansai Airport from where Ten-chan lives in Kobe. Why can’t she just admit she came to see me off?

But …… I know there’s warm kindness beneath those cold pricklies, so I can’t help grinning at the look on Ten-chan’s face.

“So, where are you off to?”

“I’m moving to Europe. I’m sure I’ve told you lots of times by now. I also sent you tons of messages saying that today’s the day.”

“Is that so?”

Ten-chan is playing dumb, isn’t she? Anyway, she points over to the clothing store.

“In that case, I’ll give you a farewell present. Choose anything you like.”

“What?! I-I couldn’t …… I’d feel bad.”

“Huuh? So you’re refusing to accept my kindness? Who do you think you are?”

“Uhhhhh ……”

Part of me wants to say, look who’s talking, but I know this is Ten-chan’s way of being nice.

Well, I don’t want to be rude!

“Hmmm ………… Then, would you get this T-shirt for me?”

It’s about 1,000 yen and has the word Osakan printed on it. Wearing a shirt like that in Japan would be kinda embarrassing, but it’ll get a laugh out of foreigners for sure.

“Absolutely not! The air is dry and very cold over there. Choose something more appropriate.”

“B-Buuut!! I-I already checked in my suitcase–––.”

“Wear it on the plane and there won’t be a problem. Here, take this …… and this one, too. Akira, to the register.”

“At once, My Lady.”

Ten-chan grabs some things off the rack and lines them up with my shoulders. Next thing I know, Akira is paying for them at the counter. Eeep!

“Th-Th- …… Thanks. I’ll send you something once I get there.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“But, I want to! …… No?”

“…………… Well, I bought you something just because, so why would I stop you from doing the same thing?”

That’s Ten-chan’s way of saying, Thank you! I can’t wait to see what it is! I think.

But, what should I get for her? Sending her something that she already has would be a real bummer.

So I try to get her to narrow the field down for me.

“Have you ever been to a different country, Ten-chan?”

“Grandfather has many long-time connections in Russia, and I’ve accompanied him a few times.”

“Ten-chan in Russia ……”

She’d fit in so perfectly, it’s scary. The Russian tundra has to be about as cold as she is.

“This is a picture from her most recent trip.”

Akira is right beside me with her phone held out. Wasn’t she at the register? When did she have time to take out her phone? I didn’t even know she had a phone on her. But this picture seems kind of tender ……

“Wow! That’s exactly what I had in mind! You look good in anything, Ten-chan.”

She’s got on a big, furry black coat and a black hat that’s just as puffy. Everything she has on just screams, “This is Russia!” If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was a real doll. Ten-chan looks like something out of an old anime in that outfit.

“Do you have more?! What other countries have you been to?!”

“The last one was Italy.”

“Italy!”

Mama Mia! Pasta! Pizza!

“Once the Queen Title Match concluded, grandp- …… My grandfather took me on a holiday cruise in the Mediterranean once he finished some business in the area. We visited many islands and dined with the locals wherever we went. Even without knowing the language, you can still become friends by sharing a meal.”

“This is a photo from that trip.”

Akira slides her phone back into my line of sight. Wow, she’s like a machine, pulling it up that fast. It’s like she does this all the time.

“Wooow! You’re so cute, Ten-chan♡.”

The Mediterranean sun is high overhead and she’s got a fancy white dress on with a huge hat that looks like wings over her head.

Really, it’s like she stepped out of a Miyazaki movie. She’s cute: no ifs, ands or buts about it.

But …… How can Akira pull out all these photos on cue? Does she always have them with her?

Another thing is bugging me, too.

“They’re pretty places, but …… Italy and Russia don’t have much in common, do they ……?”

Maybe I’m just stupid?

I’m the one who’s moving to Europe, but it’s embarrassing how clueless I am about the place. Well, it’s better to be embarrassed once by asking than to be embarrassed my whole life without a clue. Running away is shameful, but it helps.

So it’s time to find out!

“Hey, Ten-chan? What kind of business does your grandpa do?”

“What kind ……?”

Ten-chan blanks for a second and then turns around.

“Akira. What was the purpose of that trip?”

“Restocking.”

Bam! Akira hits us with that word and then dead silence.

So …… They bought something overseas?

Ten-chan scratches her chin and stares off into space like she’s trying to remember something.

“Now that I think about it, Grandpa and I were the only ones on the plane home. You came back on a boat with everyone else, didn’t you, Akira? We all flew out together …… Was whatever you bought that dangerously heavy?”

“O-Oh well, it doesn’t matter! I don’t need to know every little thing about your grandpa’s job! Silly me!”

The air takes a sudden, dark turn, so I jump in before Ten-chan can say anything else. Looking around, there are a surprising number of security guards with their eyes on us. Were they always that close ……?

We’re being watched?!

“Hey! W-Wanna go for a walk outside?! Let’s go watch the planes!”

“…… Huh?”

She gives me a blank look, but I grab her hand and pull her out of the airport.

“Look! There are so many planes! They’re huge, aren’t they?!”

Seeing everything from the end of the path outside the terminal is so exciting, but Ten-chan just says coldly, “There isn’t much to see. The building is in the way.”

“A-Aha-ha-ha ………… Well, this place is off the beaten track.”

I brought her to the spot that Ayano told us about, but it’s smaller than I thought. The runway is on the other side of the terminal building and it’s hard to see much of anything ……

But you can see the planes heading into the sky.

“…………”

The two of us just stand there and watch the planes for a bit.

Those gigantic machines take off and fly into the clouds so fast.

That’s …… how I’ll be leaving pretty soon.

I’m grateful that Akira is waiting for Ten-chan just far enough away that she can’t hear because it gives me a chance to talk with her, just us.

“This is our first time talking like this, isn’t it?”

“The first, and I pray that it’s the last.”

“Don’t be like that. Don’t come crying to me if you’re lonely after I’m gone. Besides, who’s going to invite you to the Grade Schooler Practice Group once I leave?”

“Hah! What a relief. This may be the perfect opportunity to break away entirely!”

“You can’t get rid of them that easily …… Like Shogi pieces.”

Besides, I know that’s not how Ten-chan really feels.

If she wanted to break away, there’s no way she would’ve come all the way out here with me right now.

Actually, her being at the airport at all shows how kind Ten-chan is.

She’s done a whole bunch more things for me, too–––.

“You know, Ten-chan?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been jealous of you for a long, long time.”

“Because of my Shogi skill?”

“That’s part of it, but ……”

Yes. That’s part of it.

But that’s not all of it.

“It’s your position I’m jealous of, I guess …… Your standing? Maybe?”

“My position?”

“You’re like … a lone wolf.”

“……?”

It looks like she doesn’t get what I’m saying at all.

Sure, from her point of view, I’m always with someone else. She must think I like being the center of the group.

“I make friends right away, don’t I? But you don’t have any.”

“Are you trying to start a fight?”

“I was complimenting you.”

Okay, maybe I was taunting her a bit, too.

Her angry face is just so cute. It brings out who she is.

I want to burn that face into my memory.

That way, the next time my fighting spirit is close to breaking, I can see her getting angry at me.

“You …… You’ve changed.”

“Oh?”

“Is this who you actually are deep down?”

“Aha-ha! Nope! This is me trying too hard.”

I take Ten-chan’s hand and put it up against my heart.

“I’m trying to find the line you won’t let me cross right now. I think I found it, but I just stepped over it a little. See ……? You can feel that right? My heart pounding.”

“Hmph …… you overplayed.”

Ten-chan spurns me in Shogi terms. Then she takes her hand away just gently enough not to be rough.

So, I got too aggressive and my formation crumbled, maybe?

But you have to play that way sometimes to get stronger, don’t you?

“I think people like me when they meet me. No, that’s not it …… I’m afraid of them hating me. It’s so, so scary ……”

“Everyone is afraid of that. It’s perfectly normal.”

“But you’re not afraid, Ten-chan.”

“………… I would love for people to take to me like they take to you.”

“What? Sorry, that airplane engine was too loud.”

“I said I would love to be an airhead who can laugh things off like you.”

“Meanie!!”

It’s being able to just say things like that whenever she wants that makes me jealous.

“Okay then, Ten-chan. What do you think of me? Would you tell me since it’s my last chance to know?”

“As a Shogi player?”

“Um ………… Yes. If you would.”

I’m a bit scared.

But I wanna know!

What was Ten-chan thinking when we played against each other?

“To be blunt–––.” Ten-chan lets one of her vampirish teeth poke out and then says, “Your Shogi is too inconsistent.”

A fastball, right into the strike zone! Man, that ripped through my heart.

“…… So, you’re saying my good moves are good, but my bad moves are really, really bad?”

“Exactly.”

“Then, I make good moves?!”

“Decent ones, yes.”

Harsh. Ten-chan is seriously harsh.

“Your decision making throughout one match is extremely inconsistent. You’ll play an extremely good move and then follow it up with the worst one possible. Additionally, you’ll be in a position to win only to trip up at the last moment. Your heart waivers and it gets reflected in your Shogi. That’s why your winning percentage doesn’t reflect your ability. Shogi is a sport where the last one to make a mistake loses, no matter how much of a lead they have built.”

“Ungh …… Taking that to heart ……”

She put all my mistakes on parade almost like doing a review session of the match I just played. My spirit is this close to snapping ……

“A King of Naniwa champion should have no issue reaching B rank in the Practice League. In fact, someone with that level of skill not qualifying for the Women’s League is outrageous.”

“M-Me?! In the Women’s League?! Oh, no, no, no!!”

“Yes, you can, and you should.”

Ten-chan puts her hand to her own heart.

“Mio Mizukoshi, you have the talent necessary to play in the Women’s League. I guarantee it,” she says, loud and clear.

“!! ……… Ten …… chan …………!” 

What she just said. Those words she said to me just now.

After hearing them, I feel like no matter where I go, no matter who I face.

I can take them on without fear, just like Ai Yashajin does.

“…… Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Ask as many as you like. This is your last chance, after all.”

Wow, that was blunt. But that’s her way of announcing that she’ll answer anything. I knew Ten-chan is nice!

And since she’s so nice …… here I go.

One deep breath and I ask away.

“Sora-sensei became the first girl in the pros yesterday, right? Would you tell me what you think about that?”

“Why?”

“No reason, really.”

I lie.

It rolls off my tongue a lot smoother than even I was expecting.

“I just …… want to know what you think about it.”

“……………”

The first time, Ten-chan thinks to herself.

One plane …… two planes go by.

Then, just as I’m watching the third plane leave the ground, Ten-chan finally starts talking.

“It feels like a loss, somewhat. But–––.”

“Yeah?”

“The Sub League is a bizarre place. Once every two weeks, the results are announced without any match records accompanying them. So …… how can I put this? I guess I don’t see a connection between strength and winning percentage ……”

She spins on her heel and starts waving her arms in the air like conducting a band. But to me it feels like she’s giving the feelings in her heart the wings they need to fly into the sky.

“I faced Ginko Sora in a series of matches and was swept. I did manage to force her into a repetition draw while on defense, but I couldn’t win when the first move was mine. That’s the same as being overpowered at every turn. So, I think the difference in our ability level is as clear as day ………… to people watching from the outside.”

“……! Ten-chan ……”

Chills run down my spine.

I’ve got goosebumps.

There’s fire in my veins.

…… Hot.

“I don’t care if I get called a sore loser. But I don’t consider Ginko Sora to be out of my reach. After that title match ………… I know I’m right. Her becoming a professional changes nothing.”

“Then–––.”

Working up the guts, I ask her.

“Then you wanna go pro too? You know …… join the Sub League?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t have aspirations of joining the professional leagues. Though I will reconsider it if the Women’s League player system is eliminated now that a female has become a true professional.”

“You think you can get stronger …… as a Women’s League player?”

“I do. There’s more than one way to improve. That is evident by watching the professionals.”

“Like using computers?”

“I think that’s one way, yes. It’s also effective. But it’s not the only way.”

Ten-chan sounds so sure of herself.

There’s fire in her unblinking eyes. I can tell she’s picturing Sora-sensei right now.

“We’re different types, Ginko Sora and I. She can get stronger the old-fashioned way, by committing years’ worth of effort toward achieving her goal. On the other hand, I’ve decided that I learn better when I’m on a big stage under the lights. The Sub League isn’t for me.”

“…… Man, you keep an eye on everything. Even yourself ……”

“No matter how well you know your enemy, there’s no telling if you win or lose if you don’t know yourself. However, know yourself and your enemy like the back of your hand, and you’ll never lose. That’s one of the basic principles written about war a long time ago. It’s nothing new.”

“A long time ago …… How far back?”

“2,500 years, I think.”

“WOW!!”

That’s even before Shogi was invented!!

“You really are amazing, Ten-chan! I wish I could’ve learned lots more from you!”

“Really? I see you more as the chatterbox type.”

“That’s because you ignore me so much ……”

But Ten-chan catches every little detail.

She’s even picked up on things about me that I hadn’t noticed.

“Hey, do you remember Sora-sensei’s birthday party last year? We ended up going with your idea in the end.”

“Ah, yes ………… That day.”

She scowls.

“To tell the truth, that certain someone also secretly gave a present I had no part in that day.”

“Ohh? I’ve got a feeling I know who it was.”

“Is that right? But, I doubt you could ever guess what the present was in a million years.”

Mnnngh?!

Now, I have to get it right!

“Since we went with that present, I think you gave them …… cash!”

“Wrong. Are you brain-dead?”

“Ummm …… Flowers!”

“Wrong.”

“Then …… pork dumplings from 551!”

“Wrong. You’re just listing things that you want for yourself.”

How rude!

“I’ll give you a hint. It’s something you wear.”

“Huh?! Could it be ………… a ring?!”

“Wrong again. This is going to take forever.”

“Okay, I don’t have to guess, but tell me, Ten-chan! This’ll bug me so much I won’t able to get on the plane!”

“Understandable. And I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing you were late for your flight because of me, so I’ll tell you. Though, there are a few details I’d rather not remember ……”

So Ten-chan hops on the memory plane and tells me what happened that day.

We had that party on September 9th last year.