Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 16 - Chapter 4.6

  HALF NAKED HAVOC

Night falls upon the special arena, and he and I are nearly out of waiting time.

Natagiri 8-dan is absent from his seat while I reach my own conclusion.

"Ngh ……! Too far ………… The enemy king is too far out of range ……”

My advance had run his defenses clean through …… At least, it should have.

The jeweled blade forged by humanity known as the Yagura 4 Six Silver, 3 Seven Knight formation has enough power to lay waste to a defender’s feeble walls in a single strike. My Pawn has broken through enemy lines, promoted to the rank of Sub-Gold and is now on the King’s doorstep.

“Then, why?! Why can’t I claim victory?!”

No matter which sequence I read …… the enemy King slips through my grasp.

Even worse, my forces left behind within the ruins of his shattered walls become nothing but cannon fodder for his entertainment ……

There is no choice but to acknowledge the merit of his tactics.

At the same time, the boost in blood cells provided by the roasted Leviathan strips with a side of innards stew (grilled eel and liver soup) I consumed for sustenance earlier this evening has beset drowsiness upon me.

“…… Be calm. Time and options yet remain.”

Applying eyedrops and intaking caffeine from a cup of strong tea, I regain my composure.

My strength always wanes when the night comes.

I …… No, I mustn’t be vain in my heart. Those words still ring within my mind.

“The yagura is dead.”

Nearly a year has passed since Drakin uttered that phrase.

Just as he foretold, the Yagura Castle is on the brink of extinction within the Shogi world.

Double Wing Attack and Bishop Exchange strategies birthed from software have taken its place. They aim to control the entire board, leaving the King loosely defended while seizing enemy territory in a balanced approach.

“…… The thicker the King’s defenses, the lower the software rating becomes ……”

At first, the yagura faithful turned a blind eye to computers and their number generators. But once those numbers were reflected in victory stars, they abandoned the yagura one by one for greener pastures.

“No! I refuse!!”

I give myself a verbal slap on the wrists, take hold of the Bishop on my piece stand, and place it in position to take either the enemy Rook or a Silver.

“The yagura is immortal! I shall revive it with these very hands …… by claiming the Meijin title!!”

Over 100 moves have been played. Vision clouded, my body feels weighed down as if caked in mud.

A balanced style requires the enemy to split what resources remain between attack and defense in an incredibly strained state. All I must do is make him uncomfortably aware of that fact. Thus, proving the superiority of the yagura: this allows me to dedicate my focus entirely to attack.

–––I have faith! Humanity built the yagura over 1,400 years, and it will not disappoint!!

“A move has been made.”

“Thanks.♡”

Natagiri 8-dan has returned to the arena. He offers a swift gesture of gratitude to the match recorder for updating him on the situation before taking a seat across from me with featherlight grace.

His numerous whiskers are shaved smooth and his messy locks have been tamed. Chances are he had a short siesta in a room on the fifth floor …… Beholding his well-adjusted guise of experience in nocturnal battle, my own weakness once again threatens to break through my hardened visage.

“Oh-ho? Well, isn’t this a flashy move you have for me,” says last season’s Meijin challenger, patronizingly peering over at me. “Trying to rattle me by flinging one of your big pieces onto the board, hm? That’s cute.♡”

“…………”

“‘Advancing to the late-game means exchanging pieces for speed.’”

“Mngh?!”

“In this new game, which is completely different from the mid-game where numbers and efficiency are of the utmost importance, the value of each piece differs from the earlier stages. Those who understand that change are the ones who will conquer the late-game and Shogi itself. –––Kuzuryu’s Notebook, Chapter 7, Section 2!”

Reciting the memorized phrases with the zeal of the prophet, Natagiri 8-dan unleashes a move to make them come true on the board!

“Sacrificing …… the Rook?! Inconceivable!!”

My composure is lost once again. Why would he utterly ignore the Bishop I deployed to take his Rook?! It couldn’t be ……

“…… However! That move shall have no impact on–––”

“You can help yourself to more than just the Rook.”

“Gah–––”

This time, I truly question if I’m hallucinating at this very moment.

“The Bishop as well?! Are you so fixated on advancing your King that you will sacrifice all your big pieces to do so?! Th-This sequence …… How could it be viable ……?!”

“Surprised? This is Shogi’s future.”

Sporting a devilish grin, Natagiri 8-dan advances his King from the fourth row into the fifth.

“Can you keep up with the evolution? This overwhelming speed?”

“…… Enough!”

I put on a brave face. Then I take both his Rook and the Bishop for my own. Whether it is an enemy provocation matters little.

“Numbers shall never betray you.”

A teaching from my beloved Master.

One that has become part of my being. Severing it is no longer possible.

“A borrowed sword inspires no fear! To think, one bestowed with the name Switch Hitter would forget something so basic! Is this the power of the Meijin allure?!”

“There’s no denying I’ve borrowed some wisdom from Yaichi.”

Sliiiiip ……

Natagiri 8-dan inserts his right hand deep into the folds of his kimono. What could be the purpose …… of this unsettling movement?!

“But you know what? Wisdom isn’tall I borrowed.”

“?! What …… do you mean ……?”

“You know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks? For an old pup like me to play a new style of Shogi …… I need the best trainer around!”

With that, Natagiri 8-dan spreads his arms to thrust his bare torso out of the confines of the fabric!

“Stripped to the waist?!”

“I’ll teach you the Shogi I’ve beaten into my body.”

Then the Switch Hitter clinches both fists.

“Here–––”

After which he places them on the tatami, knuckles down.

“Here ………… Here ………… Here …… Here …… Here …… Here, here, here, here, here, herehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere!!”

“That’s ……! The spitting image of Drakin’s apprentice–––!!”

Even the aid of software does not necessarily improve late-game skill.

Reason being that the same formation never appears twice.

That is the same argument used against Shogi puzzles for late-game training. For it is merely a Shogi quiz utterly detached from the reality of an actual match.

However–––should Ai Hinatsuru come into play.

“Her late-game abilities exceed even Rank A players. Add in the fact that she all but co-wrote Kuzuryu’s Notebook, and then I receive an endless stream of practice puzzles whenever I so please! She is the goose who lays golden eggs!! Hereherehereherehereherehereherehere herehereherehereherehereherehere–––HERE!”

SNAAAAP!!

Echoes spread from the whip snap of his fingers putting the piece down. Sacrificing his big pieces allowed Natagiri 8-dan to seize offensive positioning. He unleashes hellfire upon my King!

“Here, here, here, here, HERE!!”

“Kgh ……?!”

“Hereherehereherehere!! HEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRREEEEEEEE!!”

“Arrrgh!!”

My gorgeously constructed wall gets torn down piece by piece with every flick of Natagiri 8-dan’s wrist.

The thick armor is showing cracks ……!

“Heh! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Build up a defense thicker than your opponent? That way of thinking is long gone! Balance is the name of the game now, where you don’t stiffen up right away!! Nudity is so freeing!!”

Natagiri 8-dan’s ultimate goal is to advance his King to my territory, nyugoku.

Paths for his King to escape open wider by destroying each piece of my defense. Of course, I can read the path he is building to my end of the board …… But halting the King’s advance is impossible.

“Yet you continue to insist on playing that heavy, hard yagura?! Oh, Future Meijin?!”

“I love what I love–––”

Though teetering on the edge of oblivion, I counter with a question.

Not a tactic or a taunt. I’m genuinely curious.

“What is wrong with that?”

“Those who holler those words on the board come in two types,” says Natagiri 8-dan at the top of his lungs while extending two fingers. “Those who hide behind the word love and have given up on ever reaching the top! And! The prodigies whose natural born talent allows them the freedom to do what they wish on the board! As I do not have that kind of talent, I have no choice but to become strong despite that disadvantage! Even if that means being ridiculed with monkey see, monkey do!!”

The Icarus who challenged the god by trying to overcome lack of talent with sheer effort pinches a piece between those two fingers and drives it onto the board directly in front of my King.

The aggressor’s forces have been obliterated …… and now the King is in check.

“If you think you are a prodigy, go ahead. Try to stop my King’s march.”

A prodigy? Myself?

I know that I am not far better than anyone else.

I began my journey further behind the starting line than any other. Had Master not taken me under her wing, the professional ranks would have remained but an unobtainable dream.

I am not a dexterous individual. I am incapable of dramatic aerial battles that the Aggressive Archangel can achieve. I do not have the talent to function as both a Shogi player and a journalist like Machi the Tormentor, nor do I have the ability to ignite a revolution like the Demon King of the West. Becoming an All-Rounder like the god of Meijin is out of the question ……

It is not that I only play yagura. Yagura is all that I can play.

Anxiety has hounded me from the moment my ascension to A League was decided. Nightmares of going winless and demoting after my first season occurred whenever I managed to fall asleep …… and robbed me of its sweet solace many nights.

Thus, I spent those late-night hours lining up match records.

Specifically, records left behind by the Eternal Meijins of each era. I built and rebuilt each of the Yagura Castles the gods built for themselves.

All of this was in hopes that strategies lost to time would reappear in the modern era.

If I were asked if I felt stronger due to these efforts, I would have no choice but to answer that I was unsure.

“I love the yagura.”

Even so, my sole option is to meet this new challenge head on. All so that I may become Meijin.

“That’s why–––I will defeat you, Jin Natagiri!!”

“Give me your best shot!”

The special arena is ablaze.

The first to exhaust his waiting time, Natagiri 8-dan bears the burden of finding the correct move within the span of one minute. A single mistake will result in his instant demise. Yet I cannot help but admire my adversary’s physical endurance and intense concentration even as the clock continues to advance deeper into the twilight hours.

Those finely toned, interlocking muscles make it all too easy to envision the harsh grind that Natagiri 8-dan undergoes on a daily basis. The fruit of his labor shines through in his physique, much like a flawless yagura?

However–––I cannot afford to lose!

“Burning ……!” Our voices echo in unison!

I shed layer after layer of clothing in an effort to stave off the fatigue and drowsiness attempting to bog me down. Only when I reach to dispose of yet another layer do I realize that I too have become naked from the waist up.

Natagiri 8-dan pays homage.

“What a sharp build you have! Even your inner shirt accentuates your allure …… Very well! I acknowledge that you have the bare minimum requirements to fight in A League!”

“A true knight strives for beauty even where it goes unseen! That is my Master’s teaching!”

My white suits and capes are all in homage to my beloved Master.

Her circumstances demanded that she adorn particular clothing, but in my case, they are intended to lift my spirits and to hide my flaws. But of course, others would see them as antics.

“Kannabe-sensei, one-minute Shogi begins now ……”

The match recorder, looking as out of place as someone who wore a business suit to the poolside get-together, cautiously informs me with an awkward stare.

“Acknowledged!!”

My defenses, my clothing and even my waiting time.

With all the protection I have been afforded nothing more than a memory, I have no choice but to find a way to stop the enemy King’s advance.

If there is but the glint of hope remaining, it’s ……!!

“Behold my steed–––”

Mere seconds remain as I reach for my Promoted Bishop.

“Upon it’s back rides ………… Death!!”

Sliding it diagonally, I initiate a check path from behind the enemy King!

“Discarding your Horse? Ha-ha! The pressure is getting to be a little too much for you, isn’t it?!”

Natagiri 8-dan slays my Horse with a Gold. Unfazed, I continue my assault on his King.

Six checks in instantaneous succession.

“I already told you once that speed is what’s important now! All your attack from the rear is doing is boosting my speed! Didn’t your Master teach you the true meaning of Cut off the King’s escape? You have to knock it back!!”

She did, naturally. Hearing that phrase again is rather nostalgic.

Memories erupt at a blazing speed all while under the pressure of one-minute Shogi. One of the utmost importance comes to the forefront.

Why it was that I began playing Yagura Castles in the first place ……

Because playing yagura brought joy to the one I love.

“You played wonderful Shogi.”

Because I saw her smile with those words. Beholding it was even sweeter than victory in the Sub League and League Matches.

I believed that those who play strong yagura hold the key to her heart.

Just as Kiyotaki-sensei did in a bygone era.

Once I shared the board with him in a League Match, once I suffered a humiliating defeat, I realized that I was missing something vitally important when it came to playing yagura.

Which was–––a strong heart.

A cool head and a strong heart that blazed with confidence were invaluable when it came to surviving long, drawn-out matches.

Thus, I sought to strengthen my heart.

It was no easy challenge. Even within this dystopia where artificial ratings have seized control over humanity, software could never calculate the strength of the heart.

Only one possible method to test my progress came to mind.

Of all the players I know, I had to face the one with the strongest heart.

If I could defeat him in battle using a yagura–––!!

“I’m all the way in. ♡”

It has penetrated the very back of my territory, Natagiri 8-dan’s King.

And, for the sixth consecutive time, my check has been broken.

“…… Strong!” I mutter through clenched teeth.

Because this person has just pulled off a miracle akin to safely running from one edge of a battlefield crisscrossed with bullets and dotted with landmines to the other while in the nude.

Not to mention that he did it so soon after four consecutive losses to the Meijin, when anyone’s heart would be in shambles!

“Now! All that’s left is for me to put you in checkmate.”

Just as I had put him through a rush of checks moments prior, Natagiri 8-dan returns the gesture by unleashing a rush of his own.

All while in nyugoku, the safest possible location for his King on the board.

He intends to deliver the final blow to my vulnerable King now that my defenses are in ruins.

“Come ……!!”

I parry and evade the onslaught that started with a Knight by the slimmest of margins.

First the Knight, then a Pawn, a Gold and then a Silver each brandish their blades at my King’s throat, yet I still press forward. That is where my last hope for victory lies.

“Ah-ah-ah! I won’t let you escape out the top.”

Natagiri 8-dan puts the advance for checkmate on hold and returns his focus to his own territory.

“He-he, no need to sweat it at home, is there? I can concentrate on ending this. Pinning down that King of yours is all that matters now ……”

Venomous snakes do not feel pressure.

Rather than forcing the kill, he has elected to tear out my remaining strength on the board by the roots.

Which means, of course, he is most concerned about my King reaching deep into his territory for a double nyugoku.

“But don’t go thinking you’d have a chance even if your King happens to make it all the way over to my territory!”

Natagiri 8-dan eyes my piece stand.

“You’ve lost all your big pieces trying to put me in check! See for yourself! All you have are Golds, Silvers and Knights! They’re not nearly enough–––”

That tongue clicking away like a well-oiled machine comes to a sudden stop.

“………… Golds and Slivers? On the piece stand …………… D-Don’t tell me ……?!”

“I didn’t read Kuzuryu’s Notebook.”

I didn’t think it was necessary.

“Reason being that my muscles also learned that Shogi.”

That Shogi fascinated me since the day we first met.

The Elementary Meijin Tournament, the encounter that changed my life.

There was an odd strength within him. Two years my junior, his Shogi shown brighter than anyone.

Now I understand the origin of that shine.

It’s the same that I now bring to bear on the board–––the shine known as courage!

“Haaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Check!

Check! Check! Check! Check!

Check!! Check!! Check!! Check!! Check!! Check!!

“A-Are you trying to checkmate my King when it’s already reached the back row of your territory?! Is that why you threw away your big pieces …… in favor of stocking new pieces?!”

With unsteady hands, Natagiri 8-dan finally realizes my end-game while his King twists and bends for its very life.

“I-Is this …… The Future Meijin’s Shogi?!”

“That is not my name.”

At the end of a 13-check sequence.

I bring it to bear! My silver blade!!

“Master has bestowed me with the name––––––Silver Chevalier God Cauldron!!”

Raising the final piece on my stand, a Silver on high, I slap it down to the echoes of a victory fanfare.

A 27-move checkmate.

The defending King, that had arrived at the deepest row of offensive territory, was escorted all the way back to starting position and finally impaled by that 27th sword.

“……………………”

With nowhere left to run, Natagiri 8-dan observes his nude, completely exposed King until five seconds remain on the clock.

“That’s ……… Checkmate.”

Mere whispers, but the white flag of surrender.

It was a battle to the very, very end. This is proof of how this person committed every fiber of his being to today’s Shogi.

His voice shaking in anguish, last season’s Meijin challenger poses a question.

“………… When, did you notice it? This victory sequence ……”

“When I withdrew my steed to initiate the check path.”

“Ah ……!!”

The truth dawns on Natagiri 8-dan with those words.

“Now I see. You tossed your big pieces to speed me up, didn’t you? You wanted my King to arrive ……!”

Halting the nyugoku was impossible.

However, pressuring it from behind to alter its path and speed was not.

This sequence …… was not of my own design.

I saw it once before, against the Meijin in the Ryuo League Challenger Match.

After the match was reset following a Repetition Draw, I employed a new version of the Snow Roof formation created by a computer. It was hence destroyed by the Meijin’s hand with this very method, from a yagura.

“…… I had not read the sequence to the very end, however.”

“But your gut told you where your fingers needed to go. That …… sure sounds like a difference in talent to me.”

“…………”

“Can I trouble you for one more answer?”

Natagiri 8-dan’s visage rises from the remainder of our battlefield to make eye contact.

“If, for whatever reason, you realize that you could never become Meijin playing yagura …… Would you still persist ……?”

“I had doubts. Up until the middle of this match, I wavered ……”

Putting on airs at this point serves no meaning, so I admit to my own weakness.

“Those doubts were silenced just now.”

When the pressures of one-minute Shogi mounted, and I slid my steed into action.

My mind was filled with her smile.

It was an epiphany. I play yagura not to claim the Meijin title, but–––

“………… You have my gratitude.”

“Oh?”

I lower my head to Natagiri 8-dan as he looks on in confusion.

“My Master informed me. At the Player’s Meeting in which the topic of bestowing Women’s League players full membership status was on the docket, it was you who spoke–––”

In an era when Natagiri 8-dan was still a greenhorn.

As many veteran players glared at my Master with vile loathing, it was this man who stood up with a suave a smile and said: “Miss Shakando is a stronger player than half of us here, including me. Does her having a male apprentice make things, shall we say, too inconvenient for you?”

This is why I wished to face this man in battle.

Many a player has displayed a strong heart on the board.

However, those who have done so off the board are incredibly scarce.

“You were the one and only player to acknowledge my Master within Kanto from the very beginning.”

“…… Refuting that would also mean refuting myself. After all, I’ve lost all three of my matches against Ms. Shakando.”

He has become accustomed to losing.

However, he is not so weak as to deny those losses.

“That being said, I am regretting speaking up right now. If I kept my seat back then, I’d be on the fast track to challenge the Meijin again this season!” remarks Natagiri 8-dan with a grin.

Teetering on the brink of exhaustion, fumbling for the last strands of consciousness …… I thought I heard a voice.

“You played wonderful Shogi.”

So saying, a gentle hand strokes my hair.