Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 13 - Chapter 4

UNFINISHED LETTERS: THE LAST GRADE SCHOOLER PRACTICE GROUP SESSION PART 4

“How ’bout that! You pulled it out, eh, Ai? That’s not just a stroke a’ luck!”

Sensei listens to my story all the way to the end …… Uzu Tentsuji really does sound impressed.

But that doesn’t make me very happy.

“So, tell me. What happened to Yaichi? You girls obviously locked him up and experimented, yeah? Tell me every last detail.”

“U-Umm …… In the end, I just didn’t cook for Master, so ……”

“Bummer. If it’d been me, I’d have given him a full course, if you catch my drift. Lemme know next time, ’kay? You better! That’s a promise, got it?!”

Sensei is strangely insistent.

“But, I gotta tell you, Shogi catchin’ fire recently’s got me green with envy. Go’s got tons of players all over the world, but there’s a real shortage of c*cks playin’ here in Japan. Maybe I’ll host my own quiz show.”

“For Go?”

Mio doesn’t just tilt her head, but leans all the way to the side as she looks across the table at the drunken board master.

“Go, right? Huh? I think …… I’ve seen this lady somewhere, but I just can’t remember exactly where.”

“…… Probably on TV after Sunday morning Shogi or in the newspaper in the same column as Shogi news because that’s where they put Go news, too.”

“Um? Could you just tell me, Ai?”

Mio gives me a blank look.

I don’t blame her. It’s hard to make the connection ……

So, I say Tentsuji-sensei’s other name.

“She holds one of Go’s Grand Triad, the Honinbou title. In other words, she’s a professional Go player and a titleholder ………… Shumai Honinbou-sensei.”

“Sh-Shumai Honinbou?! For real?! She’s like … the top of the top in Go!! You’re saying this potty-mouthed drunk lady is SHUMAI HONINBOU?!”

“Bwah-ha-ha-ha! Sure am. I’m the first woman to ever hold the title, the one and only Shumai Honinbou. Address me as Shumai-sensei,” she says and takes a very satisfying gulp of beer. I see Ayano trying to stop her out of the corner of my eye, but she gives up halfway through.

Meanwhile, Charlette keeps saying, “Cha lubs chumai!” and gobbling down more of the dumplings that share the same name.

“So tell me, Mio, you got a trouser snake of your own?”

“Trou- ……?”

Ayano slides over to protect Mio from the woman so drunk she thinks everyone with a short haircut must be a boy.

“M-Mio is a girl! We came to see her off today because she’s moving overseas!”

“Bummer ……”

Shumai-sensei’s shoulders slump. Whether it’s because Mio is moving away or because she’s a girl, I have no idea …… And Mio looks like she still can’t believe the mistake happened at all.

“A snake ……?” 

Please, don’t ask!

“Oh, that reminds me. You know a lot about Shogi boards, right Shumai-sensei?”

“Sure do. There’s lots to know ’bout board sports, but when it comes to boards and c*cks, I’m the expert.”

“…… Okay!”

It seems like Mio chose to ignore that last one.

“You see, I was going to bring camellia oil with me to clean my Shogi boards when I get over there, but they said I can’t bring the oil on the plane. How am I supposed to keep the boards clean if I don’t have that oil?”

“Camellia oil??”

No one saw Shumai-sensei’s answer coming.

“Who needs that fancy-schmancy stuff? Olive oil’ll work fine.”

“Olive oil?!”

“If you don’t got that, use milk.”

“MILK?!”

“The important thing is to gently wipe it with somethin’ weak and oily. Too strong, and the lacquer’ll start peelin’ off. When that happens, you’ve got no choice but to resurface the whole thing.”

I couldn’t believe my ears at first, but …… Even though she’s drunk, Shumai-sensei’s explanation is logical and convincing at the same time.

She really did grow up in a family of board masters.

Just like how a player’s fingers instinctually know what the best moves are without thinking, I think the board masters’ instincts must be able to overcome tons of alcohol.

“Out of everything I’ve tried, the best stuff I found for cleaning boards is lube.”

“Lube ……? Like lotion? One of those skincare products?”

“Those’ve too much extra junk mixed in. Simple, slippery oil is what you want. Go snoop around your parent’s bedroom and you’ll see.”

“???”

What is she talking about?

“Haauuu ……” Ayano is blushing for some reason. Does she know?

“Ooh? Ayanyo? Yew’re aww wed?”

“I-I have no idea! I don’t have a single clue what she’s talking about!! That most certainly did not appear in one of the grown-up books that Big Sister Machi lent me!!!”

Denying without being asked? She knows …… And whatever it is, I bet it’s dirty ……

Mio doesn’t sound convinced.

“But, but. Then why did the book say to use camellia oil?”

“Shogi as we know it came about in the 1700s, and camellia oil was all they had to work with back in those days. Heck, Japan didn’t drink cow milk for another 100 years after that.”

“Oh, I gotcha!”

“Go and Shogi techniques and rules have evolved over the years, and so have boards and pieces. Aesthetic advances …… Bringin’ in more c*cks can only help in the long run.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. What an eye-opener!”

Mio nods a few times, so I guess that explanation makes sense to her. Then she leans over to whisper in my ear.

“…… I thought she wasn’t all there upstairs at first, but it turns out she really is who she says she is!”

“…… Yes. You wouldn’t believe how polite she is when she isn’t drunk, though.”

Her behavior is one thing, but even the way she speaks is much more refined.

The problem is that Shumai-sensei is only sober for a few days a year, but it’s not when she has Go matches. It’s when she performs tachimori ceremonies and uses a samurai sword to put lines on a board …… She wasn’t drunk when Ten-chan and I saw her, but she wasn’t dressed either ……

“So, Shumai-sensei, what are you doing at the airport today?”

“You don’t know either, Ai?!”

Mio looks at me in shock.

“I don’t …… Shumai-sensei was already drunk when we came inside. She saw me and yelled: join me fer’a round! ……”

“Because I heard about Shumai Honinbou from Big Sister Machi, I was excited for a chance to speak with her at first. She said Shumai-sensei was an amazing person and I had been wanting a chance to meet her,” Ayano tells her before forcing an empty smile with a “Heh” ……… However, I had no idea this is what she meant by …… amazing ……”

“Cha, Cha got ta eat Chwinese and habe fun!”

Charlette has eaten almost all the ridiculous amount of Chinese food on the table by herself.

“Truth is, one of the TV networks in Tokyo called me up,” Sensei answered after a loud burp.

TV?

“I’ve been shut up in my workshop outside Nara recently, so takin’ a plane’s much faster than hoppin’ on the bullet train. And here I am. They’re pickin’ up the transportation tab, too.”

“Are you going to do commentary for a match?”

“Nah. They’re gonna interview me about Ginko.”

There was no warning. Those words slice my unprepared heart like a knife.

“’Cuz she’s the first female Shogi pro! Sure, Go an’ Shogi aren’t the same thing, but what other player in the world could relate to Naniwa’s Snow White better than me, eh?”

Shumai-sensei looks around at us like she’s expecting us to agree.

Her eyes stop right on me.

“Oh, that’s right! As a girl in the same line as Ginko, I’m sure the network’d love a comment from you, Ai! So tell me, what do you think, hm? Gimme one o’ them raw, unfiltered quotes that only grade schoolers can!”

“Um ……… W-Well ………”

I have to say something, but …… The words are getting stuck in my throat.

I have to be friendly, but …… I’m freezing up.

How I feel about Sora-sensei, as a girl in the same Shogi family …… I have to smile and be happy for her, but I ……

“Excuse me, Sensei.” Ayano gives me an unexpected but very much appreciated helping hand. “I have a question to ask Ai about the first female professional as well.”

“Do you now? What’s on your mind, hard-up girl in specks?”

“H-Har-?! …… Sora-sensei spent many seasons at 2-dan in the Sub League, but passed through the 3-dan division during her first season. I, personally, feel that she has gotten much stronger since the start of this year. Is software behind her sudden drastic improvement? Has Kuzuryu-sensei had you practice using software for your own training as well, Ai?”

What a relief. I can talk about practicing techniques.

“Umm …… Master says it’s too early for me to use software. Right now he says solving Shogi puzzles, playing matches, and lining up match records from strong players is best.”

Master’s teaching style has always been the same.

Since I didn’t start playing Shogi until I was older, I need a better feel for the game. Playing against real people across the board is what’s best for me. Using software would just ruin my Shogi sense.

“But I don’t know what he’s been saying to Sora-sensei ……”

“Not to use software, obviously. Can’t you tell?” Shumai-sensei interrupts.

“But I would like to know what kind of progress software has made in Go research. You said that the techniques for making boards have evolved over the years, so why do you reject software advances, Shumai-sensei?”

“’Cuz it’s flimsier than a flaccid c*ck, that’s why.”

Shumai-sensei dismisses Ayano’s question without a second thought.

“To me, Go is alive. Playing the way a computer tells you is like going to a machine for life advice.”

“In that case, what do you think caused Sora-sensei’s sudden rise to 4-dan?”

“There’s only one thing that makes girls change that much. A guy” she says, plain and simple.

…… She didn’t say who, exactly, but ……

“That little push I gave her on New Year’s seemed to do the trick! She was twiddling her thumbs, so I had to pitch in. Yeah, I got banned from the Shogi Association ’cuz of it, but I’ve got no regrets.”

I didn’t see what happened with my own eyes.

It was during the First Move Ceremony at the beginning of this year. Shumai-sensei burst in completely drunk, just like she is now, but Master heard her coming. He had Keika take Ten-chan and I out of the room before things got out of hand.

…… But, loud as she is, I heard everything.

Ever since that day, Sora-sensei started acting differently around Master ……

That, and Master changed a little too.

It’s not that they’re closer now ………… More like they stopped being distant.

It’s almost like ……… Almost like …………!

“Physically, men are stronger than women. Worse, Ginko’s a particularly weak girl. Her heart needs to be stolen to have any chance at winnin’. Without that strong flame burnin’ inside, she’s toast. That’s why software wouldn’t do a thing for her. You can’t fall for a machine.”

…… That horrible twinge I’ve been trying so hard not to think about gets too big to ignore.

It’s making my heart twist and churn in my chest.

“Ginko’d never have popped her cherry without me givin’ her that tip! Yep, I told her to make the move, and now look at her! Regular o’ effort isn’t going to cut! You need to do more, give extreme effort! And the most important thing for that is to take a throbbin’ c–––.”

I don’t want to listen to this anymore. I just want to plug my ears and scream ……

It’s then.

That moment I hear a small voice next to me.

“…………… Now.”

“Mio? Did you say something?”

Mio ignores Ayano and keeps her eyes on me. But, something doesn’t seem right …… What could it be? What’s going on?

“Ah!”

That’s when I realize exactly what it is.

After all the thought that Mio put into choosing her last lunch in Japan–––she hasn’t eaten a single bite.

“Ai. I have one last favor to ask you.”

“Favor? …… From me? Right now?”

“I want you to play me without holding back. Now, before my plane leaves.”

“Huh?”

It’s so sudden that I have to make sure I understand.

“Play you without holding back ……? You mean Shogi? At the airport?”

“Yep. One last match, that’s all I want. Or do I have to pay to play you now that you’re in the Women’s League?”

Mio ……

Why …… did you have to put it like that?

“…… I’ll play against you. Of course, I’d be glad to. And no, I don’t need money.”

Actually, I’m grateful for any excuse not to talk about Sora-sensei. And I do want some way to vent all these feelings.

I glance at Shumai-sensei and ask, “But, right here?”

“I was thinking here. I chose this Chinese place because their tables are big enough.”

So, she was waiting all this time for the perfect moment?

Maybe she’d been planning to play Shogi last before leaving?

Actually, that’s what I was hoping for.

But I gave up on that once she checked her suitcase with all her boards and pieces in it ……

Mio isn’t the kind of person to ambush people like this, either–––.

“Oooh …… Interestin’.”

Shumai-sensei breaks the ice.

“Hey, well-hung hunk! Fetch me some ice water!” she says to the handsome waiter, and he brings her a cup filled to the top with cold ice water.

Then, she raises the cup and–––.

“Huh?!”

Rather than drink it, she flips it over on her head!

She soaked her own head in ice water?! Wh-Why?!

“Pwahhh! …………… Now I am quite sober,” she says, running her fingers through her soaked hair.

Then a piece of ice that was in Shumai-sensei’s head starts sliding down her face.

She catches it with her tongue, crunches it between her teeth a few times, and says, “I, Shumai Honinbou, shall oversee your bout. Have you any reason to refuse?”

“Here, you may focus on your bout without distractions, no?”

Shumai-sensei, now talking as elegantly as I remember back when she wasn’t drunk, leads us into a big room at the airport.

It’s one of the rental meeting rooms on the fourth floor.

“Airports have meeting rooms?!”

“While this is not equipped with tatami mats, this room is quite applicable. There have been times I have come here to study Go up until my flight is ready to depart …… But I often fall victim to the allure of alcohol before setting foot inside.”

Overall, this room feels a lot like the association’s multipurpose room where we had our quiz battle. This one is just a lot cleaner and fancier.

“Long desks and folding chairs are stored here, and they should be the right height for girls your age. Have both of you had any experience playing a match in chairs?”

“Yes, during the Mynavi Open.”

“Me, too, at the King of Naniwa Tournament.”

“Very well. Playing matches on a table with chairs is standard procedure for Go. Shogi still stubbornly clings to tatami despite Mr. Tsukimitsu’s repeated insistence that such thinking is what prevents Shogi from spreading abroad,” says Shumai-sensei as she checks the strength of the table we’re about to use.

“Mio, do you have a board on your person?”

“A plastic one, yes ……”

“Then please use this one.”

Sensei opens the bag she had with her. It looks like one of those moneybags you see robbers stealing from a bank in movies. But she pulls out a truly beautiful board instead.

“Fwheee! It’s a miwwow! Twinkle twinkle☆”

“I-I’ve never seen one like this!! It’s so gorgeous, I can see my own face looking back at me ……!”

Charlette and Ayano’s eyes light up.

“If I may ask, Sensei? Why do you have a Shogi board with you?”

“TV stations cannot be trusted to have a decent board on hand. I, Shumai Honinbou, will not allow the life and death struggles that took place in the Sub League to be reenacted on a board unfit for the honor.”

Then she opens a small box to show us painstakingly crafted pieces in a neat row.

“Use these pieces as well.”

“The calligraphy …… I’ve never seen this style! They are beautiful, but I feel like there’s more to it …… Were they modeled from a famous player’s handwriting?”

“Ha-ha, you are indeed sharp, Ayano,” answers Shumai-sensei, and then she pauses for a second to let us think before revealing whose. “They–––were written by Ginko Sora.”

“……!!”

“Inexperienced as I am, they are of my design. In essence, you are looking at Ginko Sora’s penmanship on pieces cut by Shumai Honinbou. What set could be more fitting for a bout between young women with the ambition to forge their own path?”

She pours them into a pile on the board, and the pieces sparkle like diamonds.

They’re so pretty …… Almost angelic.

“This is one of three total sets. One for Ginko, another I will keep for myself, and the third …… I’ll say it is intended as a gift and leave it at that.”

“……!”

It’s for Master. Now my heart really hurts.

I stare right at those pieces scattered across the board.

There’s a gin carved into nutmeg wood. The piece spelling out Silver sparkles just like Sora-sensei’s hair.

Master will take great care, really great care of these pieces. They’ll become his greatest treasure.

And whenever I picture him using these pieces …… my heart stings.

“Sure. I don’t see why not. Let’s use these.”

Mio sounds like she couldn’t care less about the pieces and starts listing off match details really fast.

“I don’t have too much time before my plane leaves, so let’s do 15 minutes on a stopwatch. One-minute Shogi once it runs out?”

“…… Okay!”

I look through the messy pile of pieces to find a King and put it in my territory.

These pieces, it’s like they hug my fingertips.

The grain is so straight and white, it’s almost transparent. Nobody’s eyes will ever get tired looking at these. They’re functional, high quality, extremely good pieces.

Except I keep my eyes off of them as much as I can and line up the pieces as quickly as possible.

Snap! Snap! Snap!!

Mio is putting her pieces in place much, much harder than she ever did during our group practice sessions. We’re ready to play in no time.

“Ai …… No, Hinatsuru-sensei has the upper seat.”

Ayano does the piece flip for us. Since I’m higher ranking, the face-up Pawns will be for me. She tosses them into the air–––and they clatter across the board.

“All five are face down.”

Mio goes first.

I’m at a disadvantage now, but …… I’m fine with that.

Because the first one to get hit can punch back twice as hard.

“Ready anytime!”

“………… Ready when you are!”

We exchange bows. Then I close my eyes to concentrate …… and avoid looking at those pieces for a few seconds.

When––––––Mio starts mumbling something to herself like a chant.

“…… Diary to the newspaper ……”

“Huh?”

“…… Departure nosebleed, flea in the pear for everyone ……”

Is this an off-the-board tactic? Does she even know she’s saying it out loud? What in the world does it mean ……?

“Alright! Let’s do this!!”

Once she slaps both cheeks, Mio plays her first move. She sticks out the Pawn in front of her Rook, 2 Four Pawn.

I do the same thing, advancing the Pawn in front of my own Rook.

We advance on each other in a straight line, like two boxers punching with their right arms at the same time.

“A Double Wing Attack ……!” says Ayano.

Shumai-sensei asks her, “Double Wing? What type of strategy is that?”

“Ai-tan, Ai-tan’s weawwy good at it!”

Even while Charlette is explaining, Mio and I race through our opening sequences.

The Double Wing Attack has a reputation for being a chaotic test of strength, but the opening is almost always the same.

Both players advance the Pawn in front of their Rook toward each other.

They raise the left Gold into position to defend.

After that, they move the right Silver across the board to attack. That’s the basics when it comes to the Double Wing Attack.

But Mio breaks from the standard surprisingly quickly with a bizarre move.

“!! …… 5 Two King and 3 Six Pawn? …… She kept the forward Pawn where it was and opened a space for the Knight ……?”

I think out loud, going over her sequence in more time.

It looks like Mio is playing moves that can be put off to save the offensive advantage she has for later. Like she’s stopping a punch in midair …… Does she want me to make the first push?

“…… In that case!”

I take her invitation and advance my forward Pawn into her territory to claim one of her Pawns. Now the weak spot in front of her Bishop is wide open.

She leaves it that way and very calmly moves her edge Pawn forward. Huuuuh?!

“She’s …… not blocking the Rook?!”

Ayano nearly squeals before covering her mouth with both hands.

I almost drop the Pawn I still have in my hand in surprise.

Because …… it’s as if her right fist is floating in midair, but her left cheek is completely unprotected!

Each part of Mio’s sequence exists as part of different strategies.

The 3 Seven Silver strategy, Twisting Rook …… The old men at the classroom use those strategies all the time. They’re old Double Wing standards. It looks like Mio has mixed them together to make something that doesn’t work the way any of them should …… But!

“……………… Deep ……”

The deeper I read into the board, the more I can see that Mio’s opening is flawless. It looked all over the place at first, but she’s read very, very far into it. Her formation is holding together by a thread.

Wait, is this …… a trap?!

“……!”

Keeping a close eye on exactly where Mio moves each of her pieces, I draw my Rook all the way into the back row to build up steam. The back of my neck is tingling. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Almost like …… Yes. I feel like I’m going against one of Ten-chan’s formations right now.

But, no! Maybe something even stronger than Ten-chan’s–––.

“Then ………… Here!!”

Using time when you don’t know what your opponent is up to is just as bad as a bad move. I go with something just as unusual.

Out of all Double Wing Attack matches, I don’t think anyone else’s 44th move looked like ours.

“Offense and defense …… The formations match!”

“Oooh? Indeed, they are reflections of one another.”

Yes. By copying an opponent’s moves, I can spring whatever trap they have right back at them.

It’s just …… I’ll always be one move behind Mio like this, meaning I’ll lose eventually. So-called mirroring is a passive strategy.

Mio tries to get me off balance by doing a Bishop Exchange. Her Promoted Bishop slides in and takes mine. And, of course, I take it with my Silver–––.

“What?! The Silver went that way?!”

I shifted my left Silver out to the edge in order to take her Bishop.

But, Mio shifts her left Silver to the middle of the board.

Oh no! Not only did she predict that I’d start mirroring her, she knew the perfect timing to break out of it ……!

“M-Mio is being extremely aggressive! Almost like …… almost like––––––.”

“Dat’s da way Ai-tan pways!”

Yes, I would force an attack just like this! Figuring out the target is easy but reading all the way to it is overwhelming.

But Mio’s next move goes way beyond anything I ever expected.

“Ai.”

Rather than reaching for her side of the board, she picks up the overstuffed backpack at her feet and lifts it up onto her lap.

Then she takes a familiar envelope out of the side pocket and hands it to me.

“Read it.”

“Huh? …… You want me to read it now?”

“Yep. Read it right now. You promised me I could be there when you did, remember?”

While still holding the letter out to me, she says.

“Don’t stop the clock, okay, Ayano?”

“……………”

I get the feeling she won’t let me say no, so I take the letter from her. If I can reduce her waiting time while reading it to myself, then why should I refuse?

Tearing the Shogi piece–shaped sticker holding it closed, I have a look.

The letter inside is–––.

“…………………!!”

So shocking that the paper slips out of my hand.

Ayano picks it up and looks, but she is just as stunned.

“Huuuh?! Th-This is––––––!!”

“Fwhee? How? How is dis Shogi aweady on da pwaper?” asks Charlette as she peeks over Ayano’s arm.

She’s right. Mio’s letter is our match record.

And–––.

“Th-This sequence written on here …… it lines up perfectly with this match so far!! H-How is that possible ……?!”

Mio, the only one of us who isn’t freaking out, looks me right in the eyes and brags.

“Surprised? I spent a lot of time thinking about how you would play against me if I had the first move and wrote out my prediction before coming here today.”

I can’t believe anything my eyes are seeing right now. I don’t want to believe them.

The match record letter, Sora-sensei’s pieces …… Even Mio trying to beat me ……

“Just as I thought, you went along with a Double Wing Attack, Ai. I mean, you have no reason not to. You’re so good at it, you think your Double Wing can beat anyone anywhere, right?”

Being read like this is making my tummy hurt. I think I might be sick.

“B-But! The Double Wing Attack is a strength contest, so the standards aren’t long enough to go this far in–––.”

“The Double Wing isn’t about strength anymore. Computers have played more matches than people ever could, and they make paths where there weren’t any before.”

Software.

I know that standards developed by software programs have made an impact on professional players. Master has used some in his matches and gotten results.

But Master can only do that because he is one of the very tip-top professionals ……

That’s why he had me stay away from studying with software and taught me to think everything through in my head–––.

“I know your match records like the back of my hand, Ai. Put my knowledge together in a tag team with software that knows so much more than people ever will, and reading this far ahead is doable. You can deny it all you want, but that letter proves I did it.”

“…………!”

“Now, let’s play out the rest.”

Mio starts reaching for the board, but then she pulls her hand back, grins, and taps her temple a few times.

“…… Though, I already know exactly how I’m going to checkmate you.”

“N-No you don’t! That’s impossible! Maybe for a Bishop Exchange or a yagura, but reading a Double Wing Attack from start to finish isn’t–––.”

“Want to find out?”

Saying so, Mio advances her fifth file Pawn. That’s it! The signal to start again!

“…… !!”

I move my King out of the way.

Mio keeps her eyes fixed on the board the whole time as she takes a pencil case out of her backpack and hands it to Ayano.

“Ayano. Would you write out the rest?”

“Ah …… I-I would be glad to!!”

“Cha, Cha kweeps time!”

Ayano spreads out the match record in front of her and Charlette takes over on the stopwatch.

Since there is an observer too, this feels just like a league match.

“……………”

I know it was a coincidence we ran into Shumai-sensei, but …… What if everything is going exactly how Mio planned it? Has she really studied the Double Wing Attack so much she can read all the way to the end?

It’s time to find out. Switching into offensive gear, I advance into her territory.

“……………… Here!!”

The Knight can’t go back once it moves forward. The second Mio sees it–––.

“Just to let you know.”

Mio’s sneer echoes around the meeting room.

“I’m not a pushover, Ai Hinatsuru.”

Then, she doesn’t use any time at all to advance her Pawn, sacrificing it to stop me in my tracks.

“Ayano. How would you describe this match thus far?”

Carefully recording the moves following Mio’s pre-started match record, I tell Shumai-sensei what I’ve seen.

“Ai knows that Mio has been studying her match records, so it seems she’s attempting to deviate from them in order to confuse her. …… However, Mio must have anticipated it. There’s no hesitation in her hands …… Mio is gaining points one after another by countering Ai’s moves.”

I’m being extra careful to speak in large, vague terms and avoid being too specific, especially when it comes to pieces and locations.

The players can hear me, so I don’t have any other choice …… Not that anything I say would have any effect on these two, though.

“Ai moved her Rook to the center of the board to appear as though she would break through the center of Mio’s formation, but that was just a feint. Ai’s actual target was the right edge.”

“It appears she was successful, yes?”

“She was. As you can see, Ai promoted her Rook deep in Mio’s territory, turning it into a Dragon. However, she lost a Silver in the process and Mio used it to bolster her defensiveness. Mio is showing a refusal to lose.”

“Pardon me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t it have been wiser for Mio to use that piece offensively since she possessed the advantage of the first move?”

“I think she considered using that Silver to attack. The way that Mio normally plays, the probability she would deploy it to attack …… is quite high.”

To put it nicely, Mio makes bold moves.

To be blunter, she’s short tempered. That’s the flavor Mio’s Shogi carries.

“Mio was bold in the early-game, but she’s playing extra carefully in the mid-game today. She’s covering her own weaknesses by purposefully harnessing her strengths. Her fighting spirit is just as well-protected as her King is on the board. The constant I won’t lose no matter how long this match gets drawn out air she’s projecting has Ai in a rush …… I think that difference in mental fortitude will have far more impact on the match than their current formations.”

“…… Interesting. How very strong!”

“Yes. Both Ai and Mio are incredibly strong players. I, on the other hand–––.”

“Why, no. I was referring to you, Ayano.”

“…… Huh?”

“Grasping not only the situation on the board but each player’s state of mind at a glance, and then succinctly explaining the important points. Furthermore, you avoided pointless comparisons and delivered a living, breathing analysis …… That was a superb description of both player’s motivations and intentions. Doing so is far more difficult than simply analyzing and comparing two sequences.”

“………… I-I have been watching for a very long time … the two of them …… and their Shogi ……”

That’s why I’m so sure of myself.

Sure that I know exactly what is going through Ai and Mio’s minds.

They both have been extremely conscious of each another since this morning. Mio challenging Ai to a match didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

I wasn’t surprised …… but ……

“But ………… I have only watched. I’ve always been watching …… And, before I knew it, those two were so far ahead of me that I had no opportunity to close the gap.”

Ai defeated me in our very first match in the Practice League.

Mio defeated Maria Kannabe, the very same girl who won against me in the semifinals, to become the King of Naniwa Champion.

No matter how hard I tried.

And I’ve tried and tried and tried again.

But the gap that separates us never gets any smaller.

And now, Mio is about to move out of the country but all I can do is watch–––.

“…… There is something I wanted to ask if I ever had the honor of meeting you face-to-face, Shumai-sensei.”

“By all means.”

“What is the true meaning of extreme effort? Is it to work your fingers to the bone? Should I do what is hardest for me? Or is it–––?”

“That is an excellent question.”

She answers with no hesitation and a soft chuckle.

“And I always answer, Finding out for yourself is part of the effort.”

Ah ……

That is such a sound point that there is nothing else to say.

So, what it all comes down to is that I wasn’t committing enough effort?

“Make no mistake, I’m not criticizing you for posing the question. In fact, your willingness to ask should be commended. How earnestly you live your life and how much effort you put forth are clear as day to me, Ayano.”

Then …… what’s the difference between regular and extreme effort?

What is it that I lack?

“Simply doing what’s difficult is not enough. Facing what pains you is the very definition of regular effort. In fact, keeping up with those precious to you is also as painful.”

“……!!”

“Open your eyes. Take the time to process what you see.”

Shumai-sensei closely watches the pieces she created with her own hands being used in a match while imparting these words.

“The real answer is always there but can only be found with your eyes.”

I get into position to win so quickly it’s scary.

“…… Immortal powerless sheets, spirit in the narrow …… Future spirit chick, difficult summer …… Strong cologne, unmarried bamboo ……”

Chanting my way to victory, my hands never stop moving.

That’s Ai across from me. The super strong Ai, the Ai I never could beat, and now I’m just a few moves away from checkmating her.

Sure, I had to use a few tricks, but …… I worked really, really hard.

Software is amazing. It keeps coming up with strong sequences that nobody’s ever seen before. Three cheers for computers!

The problem is that it gives too much info.

Which means it comes down to a memorization contest.

I mean, you know how they say the standard sequence for Bishop Exchange Reclining Silver is yo ni Ina-san? Ina-san is of the world …… Cool, right?

Well, it’s actually the opening sequence for the offense, all Pawns starting with the fourth file, second file, first file, seventh file, and finally the third. The phrase is just a way to remember it.

At first, I thought there’s no way you can win five Pawns behind! but in the pros it actually puts the offensive player ahead! That’s the first time a sequence ever made me go wow.

So I thought I’d make up my own sentences to help me remember.

Like the early-game of a Double Wing.

Software showed me this sequence between advancing the King and jumping the Knight forward. The order in numbers looks like this:

   5 Eight King,   5 Two King,   3 Six Pawn,   8 Six Pawn,   8 Six Pawn,   8 Six Rook,   9 Six Pawn,   3 Four Pawn,   2 Four Pawn,   2 Four Pawn,   2 Four Rook   8 Four Rook   8 Seven Pawn   2 Three Pawn,   2 Five Rook,   7 Four Pawn,   3 Seven Knight.

Turn it into words, and it goes something like this.

Hive achin', to achin' to the thrix pond. Octagon v octagon, and ate six books. Nixed the pond, the 34th street pond with two forks gone. Two forks gone, took a look. Hate those four books, and ate seven prawns to sleep onto the five book. Set the forth upon, free the seventh night.

That’s the trick.

Use an app, and it only takes a second to come up with a story that’s easy to remember.

So, long sequences aren’t that hard to memorize. Three cheers for computers!

Back when I was getting ready for the King of Naniwa Tournament, Kuzuryu-sensei told me I should cram as much into my memory as I could.

Then, what Ai taught me during our quiz battle came in handy. She said that the pattern for the yukata robes was different for each room. It’s so much more efficient remembering numbers with words than trying to stuff them all into your head as they are, right?!

Since this changes the name of the game for the Double Wing, I looked into pretty much every sequence all the way to checkmate. I’ve even got the point ratings memorized.

Deploying a Gold on the board now gives me a pincer attack. It also gives my formation 1163 points.

Ai’s only choice is to block by playing a Rook. Now I’ve got 1548 points on my side.

“…………………”

Ai might be a Shogi puzzle goddess, but there’s nothing she can do if her hands are tied. Speaking of those hands, they’re slogging around like lifeless zombies.

I whisper to myself, just loud enough so I can hear it, and nod again and again.

“Ai only has one Pawn for defense ………… I’ve got a total of five Golds and Silvers on my side. The point difference is too big to flip ………… I can do this ……!!”

Then, the second I’m sure I’ve won.

A move that neither the software nor I ever considered comes up. Defending with a Bishop behind the King, 5 One Bishop!

“Huuuh? Why would you put it …………… Aghhh–––?!!”

Deploying the Bishop there doesn’t do much of anything.

But deploying another Bishop at 5 Four–––she can take both my offensive Gold and my defensive Silver!!

“A-And taking that Silver puts me in check?! How could deploying two Bishops …… change so much ……?!!”

Ai sits down on her ankles on the chair and starts slowly swaying back and forth.

“…………………………………… Here ……”

That’s not a zombie. Zombies aren’t anywhere near this scary.

It’s more like a Shogi puzzle deity is possessing one of their shine maidens–––.

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

“Your engine finally kicked in, huh ………? BUT!!”

Sure, those Bishops coming out of nowhere surprised me a bit, but …… Even if we get off the checkmate sequence that the software taught me, this match should still be mine!!

Take on the challenge that is scariest for you.

Those words give me an extra push and the whole sequence I memorized slips my mind. I don’t need the chant anymore.

From here on, it’s not the software that’s going to win–––something else will!

Don’t run away from a fork in the road! As they say!!

And I’m not running! Instead, I boost my attack by deploying the Rook I took and push Ai further against the ropes!

“…… Here!!”

Ai takes my defensive Silver and puts me in check.

It feels like instant death is right around the corner. My knees are so close to shaking right now …… But!

That won’t work! I’m winning this Shogi!!

Once I get my King to safety, I throw a curveball by taking her Bishop with my Gold.

There! Now I’ve got her in a reverse check path! It should be!!

“Here!!”

Still, Ai doesn’t look scared at all and shifts into an all-out attack with her other Bishop without missing a beat! But I’m not going to sit back and let her, so I slam my big pieces into hers.

Five moves. Five worldly moves and we exchange all our big pieces!

Big salvos going off, brave sacrifices in the heat of battle! Man, this late-game is like one of those spaceship battles straight out of a movie!

“Ngh! It all comes down to this ……!!”

“Here, here, here, here, hereherehereherehere–––––.”

The pressure Ai gives off once she flips that switch, I can’t explain it.

It’s like something else takes over her mind when she smells a checkmate, and it guides her right to it.

The nice Ai that I know isn’t in control anymore. This Ai is someone else entirely.

She’s the Ai that lives inside Ai’s head.

And I …… hated that Ai. She’s so scary.

But.

“Hating the other guy, running away, that doesn’t fix anything, right? That’s why I’ve tried my absolute best to learn to like the people I hate!”

At school, at the Shogi Association, it doesn’t matter. I always try the best I can.

“That’s how ………… I’ve kept the one I hate the closest to me! That’s you, Ai!”

She’s totally absorbed in the board.

It doesn’t matter what I say because she won’t hear me. Words are useless now. The only way to get through to her is a good wallop on the board!

I should be able to do that! After all–––!!

“You’re here––––––there’s a piece of you inside me, too!!”

Remember that feeling when I beat Maria Kannabe by instant death! Remember what it felt like to read all out, sit on my ankles and just go crazy like Ai does!

Think back!

Remember …… that burning fire inside!! Remember how my heart was thumping so hard it coulda blown up?!!

““Here, here, here, here ………… Herehereherehere hereherehere hereherehere!!””

––––––I see it.

As long as I don’t give her a Bishop, I will win. It’s Bishop zero.

It was part of those invulnerable formations Kuzuryu-sensei made me memorize, and it saved this match for me.

“There’s a you inside me, Ai. But …… it looks like there’s someone else inside you.”

Their face pops into my head for just a second, along with the warmth of his handshake the first time we met.

“–––Here!!!”

Ai deploys a Knight, putting me in check and setting herself up to take my Promoted Bishop, too. Gasp!

But that just means my King has a way out.

Then … just when Ai takes the Bishop just like I wanted her to.

Instead of giving her my Bishop, I put her in check and start a 23-move sequence that ends in my checkmating her King.

“…………………… I lost.”

Those words in Ai’s voice–––it’s the first time I’ve ever heard them.

“We have a winner, yes?”

Shumai-sensei stands up as soon as she sees me surrender.

“Mio.”

“Y- …… Yes?!!”

“That was a superb bout. Using software as a study tool is starting to become more commonplace within the Go community. I have staunchly resisted this trend until now because I felt as though software was a crutch that would supersede my own efforts,” the only woman to ever win a title says with an inspired look in her eyes. “However, after witnessing you play firsthand, I believe my views may have been in error. It seems that software is a separate facet into which one can channel their efforts.”

“…………”

Mio doesn’t say anything. She just bows her head as deep as she can.

“Ai.”

“………… Yes?”

“My flight will be leaving shortly, so I must excuse myself. Use this room as long as you like. Your remaining time with Mio is limited …… Be sure to leave with no regrets.” Saying so, Shumai-sensei packs up the board and pieces and then leaves the room.

P-TMP.

The door closes and the air gets heavy.

Master taught me that the loser needs to be the first one to speak up at times like this. Making it so the winner doesn’t feel awkward is proper manners.

It’s just …… I don’t know what to say.

“………………”

Pathetic.

How could I let this …… my last match with Mio, end so easily?

“…… Looks like ………… We don’t need a review session, right?” I manage to say with what I’m pretty sure looks like a mean smile on my face as I stare at my lap.

“We don’t have the board anymore …… And you’ve got your plane to catch. So –––.”

“Ai,” Mio says softly with her eyes on me. “Does it hurt?”

“Huh ……?”

“Does it hurt?”

“……………… Very much, yes ……”

Losing hurts, a lot.

But being so disappointed in myself …… hurts a whole lot more.

“You said you didn’t need to do a review session for this Shogi, didn’t you? Can we talk about a different one?”

“A different …… match?”

“The handicapped one that I lost to you in the Practice League.”

“……! That one ……?”

I remember that Shogi like it happened yesterday.

It was back when I was learning about Ranging Rook from Oishi-sensei with Master. I was playing with my handicap and beat Mio …… It was the first time she ever cried in front of me. She cried so hard, we couldn’t do a review session.

I had just hurt my best friend. Trembling from the shock of it all, Master told me, “If you’re a person who’s afraid to win, there’s no need to keep suffering like this. I’ll release you right here and now. Pack up your things and go back to where you came from!!”

It was the first time Master had ever yelled at me like that. How could I forget?

“After that day’s Regular Activities, I went to talk with Kuruno-sensei. I told him, I’m quitting Shogi.”

That …… happened ……?

I was so caught up in what I was going through that day that I never thought about what kind of pain Mio was in or what she thought about me after that match ……

“I meant it, too. I knew you were really good, Ai, but …… I thought I understood you were different, but … still, losing when I had the advantage like that, it stung harder than I ever imagined.”

“…………… Then …… Why did you keep playing?”

“It was because of what Kuruno-sensei told me. It’s a waste to quit when it hurts.”

“It’s …… a waste?”

Things that hurt and things going to waste.

I just don’t see how those are connected …… But Mio tells me.

“I’d always thought that I could be the best at whatever I tried the hardest to do. I thought there wasn’t a point if I couldn’t be number one,” she says, looking up at the ceiling as if looking back on all her memories in Japan. “So I tried a whole bunch of things just to see. I liked Shogi and I never lost to a girl my age, so I signed up for the Practice League. Joining the Women’s League also sounded like fun …… At least it did until you came, Ai.”

“…………”

“I could tell you were different the moment I sat down across from you the first day. I mean, the first girl my age I lose to in an even match only started learning Shogi half a year before then and she’s the Ryuo’s live-in apprentice …… I’d never been so jealous in my life.”

Jealous.

Mio, my best friend in both Shogi and school with that blindingly bright smile, was jealous of me ……? I’m shocked.

“Then, only two months after that … just two months! Getting destroyed so easily even with the handicap was the final blow, and I was going to quit. The gap between us was just going to keep getting bigger. With you around, Ai, there was no point in playing Shogi …… Ten-chan, another prodigy, showing up just made things worse.”

There’s no point in not being number one.

I can relate so much to that. Master told me, too. He said second place is just the last one to lose.

And I …… want to be number one.

Because, after all, I refuse to be anything but number one.

So, when I realize I can’t be …… I might end up throwing everything away like Mio almost did …… I think to myself, but Mio says the strangest thing.

“But, you know? That just made me want to try even harder! I decided to give it one more shot with everything I had because I couldn’t be number one, because losing stung so bad!”

“But …… you still can’t be number one ……”

“Think about it. What’s the point of trying if you know for a fact you’re already the best?”

“……!!”

“Yeah, losing hurts. But losing made me realize something. I’d be wasting so much if I quit Shogi now! Don’cha think?” she says, smiling her bright smile at the same time. “Not knowing makes me want to find out. Not knowing makes me like it. I try so hard because …… I can’t be number one. So I stick close to the strongest one.”

Ah! Someone gasps.

“That’s …… extreme effort,” whispers Ayano and Mio nods at her.

“Not seeing results after a long time really eats away at motivation, but … compared to everyone fighting their hearts out in the Sub League, I haven’t even tried hard enough to get my foot in the door, have I? The way I see it, it’s too early for me to make decisions like that.”

No effort goes unrewarded.

That’s what Keika said when she was interviewed the day she got into the Women’s League.

She cried during the interview, but …… for some reason, I can see her face in Mio’s smile.

“When I went to the office to quit the Practice League because I’m moving to another country, Kuruno-sensei gave the okay right off the bat. He said he was sad to see me go, but …… Can you guess what else he said?”

“What …… did he say?”

“Hm. You’re not quitting this time, you’re graduating. Isn’t that cool!”

Mio does her best impression of Kuruno-sensei, the player in charge of overseeing the Practice League.

It’s good, too! I can’t help but giggle a little.

Bu …… I see. Graduation. Mio didn’t get the qualification, but she’s officially a Shogi player now.

That has to be why the look on her face reminds me of Keika.

“Besides, there might not have been anything in the world that I could be number one in to start with, you know? Still–––.”

“Still?”

“I found something where I can burn the brightest. That alone is pretty lucky, yeah?!”

“Burn …… the brightest ……”

“Could you feel it, Ai? My heat.”

Yes, I could.

A full blast of it straight from your heart that I couldn’t hold back.

I keep my eyes away from that blinding intensity and tell her, “…… Thank you, Mio. Thank you for choosing to play your last match with me ……”

“I was just paying you back for what you did for me.”

“Being the bad guy …… right?” I ask her, thinking back to our training sessions before the King of Naniwa Tournament.

That day I was playing handicap matches against Mio, Ayano and Charlette, but I told them it was more like I was doing instructional matches rather than training with them ……

I had to be mean. I didn’t know any other way to light a fire in Mio’s heart.

“Ahaha. I guess it wasn’t much of a distraction if you figured that out.”

My mental fortitude is weak. If someone knows how to press my buttons, I fall apart in a snap.

Well, not quite. I’ve always been–––.

“Your Shogi only goes into a slump when you’ve got something else on your mind, Ai. That’s why I waited for the right time to challenge you and gave you my letter during the match. It was all to knock you off your game.”

“Mio ……”

“I noticed all the way back at the summer festival in the shopping arcade: you haven’t been yourself.”

“………… You’re right ……”

That day during the festival.

Everyone moved inside my school to get out of the rain. That’s when Sora-sensei told me this, Sorry to break it to you, but I’m not backing down. I’m number one.

Then Sora-sensei became a professional player. She was even number one in the 3-dan division.

Looking at all of her amazing accomplishments, I couldn’t help but think: I might not be able to win.

I might never be number one ……

“If you’re hurting even a little bit right now, Ai, then my payback worked! It was the one thing I wanted to do before leaving Japan!”

“Yep, your payback hurt, but you’ve also opened my eyes. What I really need to have is friends, right?”

“Nope.”

“Huh?”

“I was never trying to be your friend, Ai.”

“Mi- …… o ……?”

“What I really wanted was–––to be your rival!”

“……!!”

“Ai, you’ve always been chasing people up until now, right? But now you know what being overtaken feels like. It hurts so much more than just losing …… Doesn’t it?”

“………… Yes.”

I grab fistfuls of my skirt with both hands and squeeze very, very hard.

“It hurts, Mio. Not just in my heart, but lower ………… In the pit of my stomach, this heat ………… hurts.”

Burning heat.

It’s not like my whole body is going to go up in flames. Just one piece, deep, deep down, that’s hurting …… Burning.

I’ve never felt heat like this before, ever.

If there’s a way to describe this emotion …… I don’t know the word yet.

“That’s what I really wanted to give you, Ai. I want you to carry it to remember me by.”

This time, Mio puts her hand on her heart.

“I don’t care if you forget all of our fun memories together, that day at the beach, Sora-sensei’s birthday party, our quiz battle, all of them! I want you to burn this Shogi match into your memory forever!! Because–––.”

She puts her other hand on top of it and squeezes her chest as if trying to hold on to a precious memory and yells as loud as she can.

“Because …… I DON’T WANT YOU TO FORGET ME ……!!!” 

A single tear sparkles like a jewel on its way down Mio’s cheek.

“If you’re in a pinch and think all is lost, I want you to think back to when you lost today and feel this pain. The rest of the match is my present for you, Ai.”

“………… I won’t forget, I won’t, I won’t ……, I told her while trying to keep the tears back. “How could I ever forget you, Mio ……?!”

No fair, Mio …… Winning and running away like this …… Leaving me behind, no fair ……

Mio then holds out her hand to Ayano.

“Ayano, may I have the letter back? Did you finish it?”

“…………”

“Ayano?”

“Which letter?”

“Huh? What do you mean which–––?”

“You prepared countless letters, Mio.”

Huh?!

What does …… she mean?

“The letter that you gave to Ai on the train came from the front pocket of your backpack, and you put it back in the same place. However, the letter you gave Ai this time came from a side pocket.”

“Oh, c’mon, Ayano! Giving that away just ruined everything I said!”

Mio smacks Ayano on her shoulder a few times before accepting that the cat was out of the bag and opens all her backpack’s pockets.

Then she flips it over and dumps all the letters out onto the table like a big waterfall. They pile up like a big mountain right before my eyes.

Charlette looks up at all of them with really big eyes.

“Fwhee! So many wedders!!”

“Y- ………… You did ………… all this research ……?”

Analyzing my match records with software?

All to beat me today?

“How was I supposed to know how the match would go?! The Double Wing is your go-to strat, but playing offense and defense is so different. Then there’s all the deviations …… And you play tons of different ways, did you know that?! Even Ranging Rook for crying out loud! I had to work really, really hard …… Man, am I glad one was right ……”

Mio starts sorting through the mountain of letters on the table.

It looks like the Shogi sticker she used to seal each one is a little different.

“This one here was for a yagura. That’s a Bishop Exchange. Here’s another one, another Bishop Exchange, and another …… I think there’s about 20 Double Wings where I go first in here. I prepped the same number for Side Pawn Capture, offense and defense too. I’m just glad I didn’t have to worry about Double Ranging Rook strats!”

“…… There’s more here for Side Pawn Capture on defense than Double Wing Attacks. Why?”

“Because your defensive Double Wing is terrifying! I was hoping I could spring a few traps with Side Pawn Capture, but nope.”

“What if I didn’t take the bait?”

“Probably would’ve goaded you into taking it. Losing to an opponent who didn’t take the side pawn? Better apologize to your ancestors! or something like that!”

“He-he …… That’s silly.”

I can’t help but giggle.

“But, the Double Wing is your main strat after all. I tell you, if all my research didn’t match up today, I’d have bawled my eyes out! Seriously, Ayano, thanks for giving me the first move!”

“…… I think I still would’ve lost if I went first.”

Mio was so focused today, it was unbelievable.

The late game is where I’m at my best, but she still beat me to the finish line.

It doesn’t matter that she initiated the late game with a lead. Even with all that research she did in secret, I still had plenty of chances.

I couldn’t take advantage of those chances because …… I’m weak.

Chances always pass right through my fingers.

It’s because …… my heart isn’t strong enough.

Solving Shogi puzzles or having a good memory have nothing to do with it.

I’m starting to understand what it is that I don’t have as a competitor.

And I think I know what I need to do to get it–––.

“Of course, you would have lost, Ai.”

“Ayano ……?”

“You don’t understand the first thing about Mio. You don’t even try to understand her.”

It almost sounds like Ayano is scoffing at me.

“Even the reason why Mio delayed her departure all the way to today …… Whether Sora-sensei became a professional or not, it would be jarring for you ………… She was worried you were going to quit Shogi altogether and stayed behind so that you wouldn’t ……”

Huh ……?

Mio stayed in Japan until second semester began …… for me ……?

“I understand Mio through and through. After all, I’ve known her much, much longer than you have, Ai!”

Her tone gets sharper with every word.

Thud! Ayano stomps and yells. Her attack is just getting started.

“How on earth do you not understand?! Why is it that she, why is it that Mio chose you?! Why did she want you to be her last match?! I wanted Mio to research my Shogi, not yours! If I …… I were ………… stronger ………!!”

Ayano …… is crying.

She completely ignores the fact that Charlette is tugging on her skirt with worry, bites her lip and clenches her fists. She’s trembling very hard.

I’ve never seen Ayano hurting like this before ……

“Sorry, Ayano.”

Mio gently wraps her hands around Ayano’s trembling fists and lowers her head in a little bow.

“I’m sorry. But, I–––.”

“………… You don’t have to apologize. I already understand ……,” says Ayano, her voice shaking as she lets up a little bit on her lip. But she’s still looking at her feet.

“Ai ………… I’m sorry ……”

“No, no! I’m sorry, too! Really sorry ……!!”

Ranting doesn’t make anger go away.

I know that because I’ve gone through what Ayano is feeling right now before.

It was when Ten-chan played against Sora-sensei in the Queen Title Match.

Watching that final match from the boardside table, I kept thinking to myself that this should have been my Shogi, my story.

That feeling …… I’ll never forget it as long as I live.

But after everything that’s happened recently, it’s faded quite a bit ……

The meeting room goes quiet again.

I softly whisper, “………… I have a lot on my mind.”

“Mn-hm.”

Mio nods, but doesn’t pry any further.

I guess she knows what I’m talking about.

So, instead of words …… She gives me a passport to start my own journey.

“Here you go! My present for you, Ai!”

There’re so many letters, I can’t possibly hold them all at once.

It’s a ton, overwhelmingly so.

“So many ……”

“And I lined them all up. They’re all your matches, Ai. I racked my brain and wrote out our first match at the association’s classroom. But there’s more than just me and you. I asked around the Player’s Room to see if anyone could tell me anything and went to Kuruno-sensei to see if he remembered any of your matches in the Practice League. I even checked your Shogi account online …… I bet you anything I know you better than you know yourself right now, Ai,” Mio says confidently. “Computers can teach Shogi techniques. Even someone with my level of talent can play like a totally different person if they learn early-game sequences from software. As long as you’ve got the motivation, you can pull off what I just did.”

“I can play …… that well?”

Could I, as terrible as I am in the early-game, actually be that precise?

“I’m sure you could do better than that, Ai. You don’t have to remember the sequences with words like I had to. All you need is determination.”

“Determination ……”

I’ve always been the good girl.

I learned everything exactly how it was taught to me.

Because I’d get stronger that way.

Because …… I’d be more likable that way. Being Master’s best apprentice was my goal.

Up until now, both of those things overlapped, but ……

“I’m leaving the country, but I’m still gonna play Shogi over there. I don’t care if there’s no Practice League or if I can’t join the Women’s League. What about you, Ai? Are you happy the way things are? Or–––?”

“………… I ……”

What do I want to do? What do I want to be? I ask myself.

…… I could keep going the way things are now.

Keep learning what Master wants to teach me and be the ideal live-in apprentice for him.

That way, he’ll treat me well and teach me anything I want to know …… as an apprentice.

But that will turn out just like this Shogi did. For sure.

I’ll just keep rolling with the punches, without thinking or choosing anything myself, and walk toward an easily predictable future … until the moment that inescapable reality comes anyway.

Am I really okay with that? Why do I play Shogi?

I–––.

“…… I will get stronger.”

I could think about this for years and not know what the right answer is.

But the hot blood pouring out of the wound that Mio just carved into my heart is screaming.

“I want …… to be stronger!!”

“Great!”

Mio holds out her right pinky finger and nods.

“And I’ll come back even stronger than I am now! I’ll prove to everyone that getting stronger has nothing to do with where you are! So–––.”

–––So, let’s play again.

We promise each other.

We pinky swear to sit across a Shogi board from each other again.

And I’ll be much, much stronger that day. I’m the one who has to overtake Mio now.

Mio left that day.

Left Japan. Left the Grade Schooler Practice Group. Left the Practice League.

And on that very same day–––I think that’s when I started my own journey.

“Ah! Is that it?!” I yell and point to the airplane that’s just leaving the ground on the other side of the terminal building.

The big and slightly older–looking plane roars up into the sky.

“Yes, that has to be the one! It has the name of that company painted on the side …… I still have no idea how to pronounce it, so there’s no mistake! OOOVER HEEERE!!”

Ayano waves her arms high over her head and screams. She’s always so quiet, so I never imagined she could yell this loud.

Charlette and I wave our hearts out at the plane.

Hoping that, somehow, Mio might see us.

“Heeey! Miooo!! H––––––EEEEY!!”

“Mio-taaan! MIIIOOO-T––––––AAAN!!”

We yell ourselves hoarse so she can hear us over the engines.

“MI––––––––––––OOO!!”

We got drowned out at first, but little by little, we get loud enough to overpower them.

But just as we do …… the plane is already out of sight.

“Mio-tan went bye bye,” Charlette says quietly in the same bright voice as always.

Ayano and I are still looking up at the clouds. Because, well …… The tears built up in our eyes will fall if we don’t.

When Charlette suddenly curls up in a ball.

“Charlette? What’s–––?”

“……………… Ugh ………… Sniff ………… Hiccup ………”

Her tiny back trembles just a little bit.

Then she cries out–––way louder than a jet engine.

“WAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! DWON’T …… DWON’T GO, MIO-TAAAAN! MIO-TAAAN! MIO-TAAAAAAN!!”

Mio-tan ……

Mio-tan ……

She keeps yelling Mio’s name from her spot on the ground.

Almost like she thinks Mio will come running back with that bright smile of hers if she yells enough times.

Except all her yells just echo off the building ……

“She’s already on her way to her new home, Charlette,” Ayano gently whispers as she kneels down next to her and puts a comforting hand on her back.

“You fought hard, Charlette. You held up very well, too.”

Ahh ………… I really am blind ……

I was so focused on my own problems that I never bothered to look at Charlette, not once.

Now I get it. I understand why Charlette acted like her usual self the whole time.

It was her way of showing Mio how much she had grown.

And Mio noticed.

That’s why she chose to give Charlette her old water bottle.

Because the boxed lunches there have really strong soy sauce–––.

“…………… Cha, Cha’s going to da Pwatice Weague,” she says, hugging her knees in close.

She then looks up at Ayano with her eyes and nose running like faucets and squeezes her hand.

“Ayanyo.”

“Yes …… Charlette?”

“Wet’s get stwong, together.”

“……………… Yes, let’s ……!”

Ayano puts her other hand on top of Charlette’s and they both look up at the spot in the sky where Mio’s plane disappeared.

“I’ve had enough of using talent as an excuse to run away. I know what I want to become and I’m in the right place to make it happen. All that’s left is effort,” says Ayano in a dignified voice.

“Regular effort won’t be enough, so I just need to try harder. To commit extreme …… effort.”

Charlette and Ayano fall asleep on the train ride home from crying so much.

The gentle swaying of the carriage must have been the perfect lullaby. Holding hands, Charlette is using Ayano’s shoulder as a pillow while Ayano is leaning on her head.

I feel a little bit left out sitting across from them, so I start opening the huge bundle of letters that Mio gave me instead.

“……………… Amazing …………… So’s this one, and this one too …………!”

Most of the match records stop at different places in the early- and mid-games, some go all the way to checkmate …… But they all have one thing in common: quality.

On to the next, on to the next. I tear open the seal and dive right in.

“Each of these is amazing ……!! I didn’t know grade school students like us could research so thoroughly ……!”

I know she used software, but these are just as good as professional match records …… No! Actually they are even better when it comes to creativity because there aren’t any biases.

Her bold ideas keep catching me by surprise. But they’re so precise.

Of course, I’d get a lot stronger in the early-game by mastering these openings.

But! What’s really stoking the fire in my heart is–––.

“This Shogi …… all of them would be so much fun to play!!”

Right?! Aren’t they exciting?! I told you I know exactly what you like, Ai!

I can just see Mio puffing out her chest with pride.

“…… Huh?”

It’s the last envelope, but it is the biggest surprise yet.

“She …… scrapped this one? Did she forget to throw it away and put it in her bag by mistake?”

It’s a match record, but there’s a big X drawn on it.

Reading through it, it’s a match where both players counter each other’s strengths. This Shogi goes back and forth so many times, if someone told me it was from professionals or Sub League, I’d believe them ……

If Mio had opened like this during our match today, I think she would have won even more easily than she did.

“……Why did she cross it out?”

I spot Mio’s handwriting on the margin. It explains her reasoning in big, bold letters.

“Ai would never, ever run away.”

“……! Mio …………!”

I hug as many letters as I can and cry right here in my seat.

All of my memories with her come flooding back as warm tears roll down my cheeks. They won’t stop.

The match record that Mio crossed out …… has become my greatest treasure.

“………… No fair …… No fair at all …………”

Always smile.

Get along with anyone and everyone. Keep facing forward.

Happiness is meant to be shared, not taken for yourself. That way, you can play Shogi with so many different people. That way, you can get even stronger.

And–––stay cheerful and bright no matter what happens!

That’s not easy, but I’ll be fine.

Because I have the best letter in the world.

“…… Right, Mio ……?”

I look up and see a plane passing by in front of the clouds outside the window.

Puffy white ones, just as bold as Mio.