Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 14 - Chapter 5.4

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“Yaaaichiii? I know you’re in there. YA-I-CHIII!”

Knock, knock! Knockknockknockknock!

“How long are you going to keep sulking alone in there? That does it, I’m coming in. I warned you!!”

Click.

The person who used a spare key to come inside is Keika.

Even if she hadn’t said anything, I would’ve known it was her. Only three people have a key to my apartment. One of them left theirs in the mail slot on the way out, and another has disappeared from society with the key along with her.

Therefore, Keika must be the one. It’s a simple three-step checkmate.

“………… Ai really did leave, didn’t she ……?” says Keika, looking at all the empty space in my apartment. Sounding lonely, too.

How shameless ……

“You knew, didn’t you? Not just about Ai, but Ginko, too …… Pulling strings behind my back while pretending to be my friend all this time. I thought you were on my side, Keika.”

“I am now and always have been on your side, Yaichi. We’re family.”

“Family? Hah!”

That’s the last word I want to hear right now.

“Ai …… Ai was family to me, too. We lived together for crying out loud. But she still just up and goes. All that’s left …… is one lousy pot of food on the stove!” I yell, pointing at the kitchen.

All the food that Ai made is still sitting in the freezer, untouched.

She made all my favorites, but I just can’t bring myself to eat them.

I mean, how could they taste good if I’m all by myself?

Knowing that this is what’s best for my apprentice isn’t helping at all.

Actually, it’s because I know …… Because she reached that answer on her own that I’m suffering so badly right now.

Because we’ve reached that point ……

Ai is already long gone–––.

“This is onishime.”

“…… Huh?”

Keika says something completely irrelevant while looking into the pot.

“Not just lousy food. It has a proper name, you know? Onishime.”

“What does that have to do with anything?! Knowing the name won’t change–––.”

“Yaichi. Do you know how onishime is made?” asks Keika with a hint of nostalgia, her eyes still glued to the pot. “We used to make it around New Year’s, remember? It was one of the few special dishes that both you and Ginko never finished, though.”

“…… It’s just a pot of boiled food. It’s not like you can only eat that on New Year’s. Besides, children don’t like boiled stuff much anyway.”

“That’s true. I didn’t understand what was so good about it back when …… my mother was still alive.”

She starts rummaging around in the cabinets for dishes.

“But after she passed away and Father and I moved into Grandma Noda’s house …… where we live right now, she taught me how to make it. Now onishime is one of my favorites.”

“Why ……?”

“Because the whole family goes into it.”

Fam …… ily?

That word …… is simultaneously the one I don’t want to hear and also the word that my cooled-off heart wants more than anything. Those syllables lining up both constrict and warm me from the inside.

Hot, slicing pain spreads from head to toe ……

“These scraggy potatoes are our Master. The carrot slices cut like flowers are me. The thin, white strips of burdock are Ginko. The fast-growing bamboo shoots are Ai. And you …… are these jiggly blocks of konjac maybe?”

She explains while scooping some of each into a small bowl and puts it on the table in front of me.

“Ah ……”

Finally seeing what was in that pot …… is like peering into a little treasure chest.

One look is all it takes to know how much time and love went into it. I think I know what Ai was feeling when she made it.

As proof …… there’s a little detail in here that only I would understand.

“Hmm?”

Keika notices too and says, a little confused, “This onishime has fried tofu in it. I’ve never seen that before ……”

“………… Because it’s konishime.”

“Ko …… nishime? What’s that?”

“I didn’t remember until you brought it up. It’s from my hometown …… a recipe from Fukui. I remember it showing up in school lunch in kindergarten sometimes and my parents made–––.”

Then it hits me.

Taking out my smartphone, I scroll through my message history to find one that I got about a month ago from my brother.

“Yaichi. You hanging in there? Sorry to bug you, but there’s something I’ve got to ask.”

It’s dated from right before the Third Crown Title Match.

Before Ai and I went to Kanazawa.

“The head chef asked me for our New Year’s konishime recipe. You know, the one Mom always made? It seems like Miss Hinatsuru wants to make it for you. Did you ask her to? Don’t put too much pressure on her, okay?”

–––…… Ai!!

A silent scream escapes my lips as I finally tried to put myself in her shoes.

What was going through her head? Why didn’t she tell me anything?

Why was she so giddy in Kanazawa?

–––Why couldn’t I ………… pick up on what she was struggling with ……?!!

“Yaichi. Do you know what the most important ingredient is for onishime?”

“…………?”

She realizes that I don’t have an answer, so she gives it to me.

An answer I never expected.

“The ingredient that gives onishime its flavor––– is time.”

“…… Time?”

“That’s right. Most dishes taste best when they’re hot out of the oven, don’t you think? But there are some like onishime that are more flavorful after they’ve had time to sit and cool off. The ingredients need to soak up all the broth …… That’s why its name means to boil to soak up.”

I look down at the cold dish in front of me while Keika continues.

“Ginko and Ai haven’t abandoned you. They just …… need time to step away and figure a few things out.”

Really? Is that kind of time really necessary?

Don’t love and affection go away once they’ve cooled off, like the best part of a fresh-cooked meal?

I give her a doubtful glance, but Keika looks like she’s doing everything she can to keep her own pain at bay.

Then she says, “Just like ………… how I needed time away from Shogi.”

“……! ………… Kei …… ka ……!”

“Ginko didn’t choose to take a leave of absence to run away from Shogi. People online and in the media are saying all sorts of things, criticizing her, calling her spineless and irresponsible …… But it’s just the opposite.”

The opposite? Opposite how–––?

“If she didn’t step away now, she’d be forced into doing placement matches. She’d have to forfeit the way she is now, end up getting demoted and be further away from her goal than ever ……”

Ginko’s goal as a pro.

Was it to win league matches?

Or was she trying to win a title?

Keika says the real answer is neither.

“The day she could play Yaichi Kuzuryu in a league match as a professional would never come.”

“……!!”

“After all the fanfare when she was promoted! After losing her debut match to a Women’s League Player! After just one professional match, she chose to step away! Surely you understand how painful that is, how much courage it takes!! Ginko willingly chose to feed herself to the wolves!”

Why?

Keika gives me that answer, too.

“All so that she could play against you!!!”

Ahh ………… So, that’s what it was all about ……

Ginko didn’t run away from Shogi or me.

She made the best move that would allow her to fight another day.

She really is …… a Shogi player to the bones ……

“On top of that …… she’s fighting an even more painful battle right now. It’s something that she has to overcome by herself ……”

–––Something even more painful?

What could ever be more painful for Ginko that not being able to play Shogi ……? I can’t fathom it.

“That’s as much as I can tell you. Look into it on your own if you want to know more. I won’t stop you. Though I think you have more important things to do.”

“But there’s so much I don’t understand …… Why does everyone just decide things without asking me?”

“Everyone loves you, Yaichi. Their feelings are too strong, so they overthink, which sometimes makes them make mistakes …… Just like in Shogi.”

That makes so much sense it hurts.

Because I’ve made so many bad moves myself.

“That bearded geezer of ours feels the same way. He seems to have a different way of going about it than I do, though ……”

“Master, too?”

Forbidding us to date out of nowhere like that.

Was there more to it? Was he reading deeper into this than I thought?

I had a feeling, but I simply refused to listen to him. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say about apprentices striking out on their own ……

“Everything will work out! Even I found my way, so those two will come back stronger than ever, I guarantee it!”

“…… Will they come back? I don’t deserve them ……”

“If you don’t have faith, Yaichi, who will? You are the Dragon King, aren’t you? Then it’s up to you to get so strong that they have a place to come back to!”

Strong enough …… to protect?

Shogi is not all about offense.

You have to be willing to bide time …… to let the opponents show their hand, to understand their intentions in order to become truly strong.

Time spent on defense is scary.

So much scarier than attacking.

Even so …… Even so, I–––.

“Both of them want to play Shogi against you,” says Keika in a quiet but firm voice, like trying to convince a child. “They’ve chosen the difficult path so they …… no, all so that they might have a chance to make it a reality. Then, it’s up to you to stay at the very top. You wouldn’t want them to lose their way …… would you?”

“……………… No ……”

It’s finally clear. I know what work must be done as the Ryuo, as a Dual Title.

Get stronger.

Not just normal strong, not just normal intensity, but more like the Meiji …… No, I have to outshine him as a Shogi player from an even higher plateau.

I can’t stay as I am now. …… I have to change from the challenger to the one who rises to meet them.

“I will reach the summit.”

I swear to myself in my chilly apartment. Swear to never let this small flame in my heart ever go out.

As long as I’m standing above everyone else–––those two will never lose sight of me.

Three days have passed since Ginko Sora 4-dan announced her leave of absence. The Shogi association hosted a press conference in which Chairman Seiichi Tsukimitsu offered further details in the absent Sora 4-dan’s place. Here is a brief recap:

–––What is her reason for taking a leave of absence?

“For her health. The association has received the necessary documentation from medical professionals.”

–––Why did she make this decision?

“While missing a scheduled match results in a defeat, that is not the case for a player on a leave of absence. The largest factor was avoiding a demotion point in the Placement League that starts in June, however …… I’m certain that she wanted to participate nonetheless.”

–––Is retirement a possibility?

“Absolutely not.”

–––What of the two Women’s Titles in her possession?

“Sora 4-dan has expressed her desire to renounce both the Queen and Women’s Throne titles. Discussions are underway with the sponsors. In the event an agreement is reached, both titles will be granted to the winner of the Challenge Match of the respective leagues. However, the Challenge Match will be extended to five matches.”

–––Where is Sora 4-dan being treated right now?

“I am not at liberty to answer that, but rest assured that she is in good hands. Please allow her the time she needs to recover and await her return.”

Sora 4-dan released the following statement.

“Allow me to begin by offering my most sincere apologies to my supporters and everyone who has assisted me through the years within the Shogi world for deciding to take a leave of absence at this time.

“I have been experiencing acute fatigue and high fevers during matches dating back to the middle of the 3-dan division last season. It became apparent that I would be unable to produce match records worthy of professional Shogi in my condition. Therefore, I decided to seek treatment.

“I am truly sorry for the timing of this announcement right after my debut match.

“You have my word that I will commit myself to returning even one day earlier in order to fulfill my duty as a professional Shogi player.”

Sora 4-dan’s younger brother apprentice, Ryuo Yaichi Kuzuryu, was asked about her situation at a press conference the day before the Third Ryuo Title Match.

“I wasn’t involved in the decision at all. I still haven’t heard anything from her. If this is a choice she made as a pro, then it’s not my place to object …… Not to mention we’re both pro players. We convey ourselves better through Shogi rather than words.”

Keeping his word, Kuzuryu-Ryuo went on to play like a man possessed to widen his series lead to 2 to 1.

During the review session, Kuzuryu-Ryuo was spotted gently caressing a Silver piece on his piece stand more often than usual.

(Mato)

On the night after losing her debut match to Ika Sainokami, Ginko penned a leave of absence notice and prepared a statement for the press in her small room on the fifth floor of the Kanto Shogi Association. The intense heat within her body left over from the match had yet to subside and hindered her at every turn as she shifted her focus to writing one last message.

What she had already written was for the whole world to see.

This message …… was for only one person.

“I’m sorry for doing this without telling you first. I’m sorry for not telling you what is wrong with me, too. I didn’t want you to worry ………… If only those excuses were enough. Meanwhile, I’m cursing this body of mine to no end.

“Your marriage proposal made me so happy. Happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I honestly thought I was dreaming. I wanted to hear you say it again and again, which is why I couldn’t say yes right away.

“The future that you laid out for us sounded so wonderful that I started growing my hair out. All so that you would love me even more ……

“The reason I didn’t say anything is because I didn’t want to give up on that future. I wanted to keep on dreaming. If I opened up and told you everything, you would have given up that future, too …… I made this decision on my own to keep that from happening. I’m sorry. Not that you would understand with me telling you about it like this.

“Shogi is all I know …… How to say these things, what words to use, I don’t even know where to start. I’m not sure if I have the right to say this, but here it goes–––.

“I love you. You and only you. I can’t imagine myself with anyone else but you.

“So please wait for me. Wait until I can play Shogi again …… Once I’m active, I’ll say it loud and clear then.

“That I became a professional to play against Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

Ginko poured her heart and soul into the message but was unable to send it.

To this day …… it still remains sealed in her heart.