THE ORACLE FROM 100 YEARS IN THE FUTURE
A girl stands up on top of that hill.
“Oh? Come to see me?”
The girl dressed in black must have heard my footsteps because she stands up to greet me before I have a chance to say hello.
This small hill overlooks the city of Kobe.
I’ve been here enough times to know that it’s always windy.
But right here and now …… The girl standing in front of the black gravestone seems different from the one I know ……
“…… I came to present the match record,” I say to the girl and the gravestone behind her.
That’s where her parents were put to rest.
“Since you were so insistent that I don’t watch your matches, I only had a look at all the match records after the series was over and was planning to show them to your parents. So I didn’t see any of your double title series match records until–––”
“After Ai Hinatsuru’s Shogi finished, yes?”
The girl hits the nail right on the head like she saw it herself.
But her tone makes it sound like it happened in some far off, distant place.
“And you abandoned her to come here as soon as you saw my Shogi. You dropped everything …… Right? Yaichi.”
“How ……?”
How are you always right about everything? I nearly ask but swallow my words.
Considering who she is, there’s no need to ask.
It’s not what she’s seeing or hasn’t seen …… She wouldn’t have any problem predicting exactly what’s going to happen next. That is, if my absurd theory is correct.
“……… Are you ………?”
I look that girl square in the eyes and ask.
“Are you really ………… Ai Yashajin ……?”
“Aha.”
Her face brightens with glee.
Then she clutches her ribs and erupts with laughter.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!”
She laughs so hard that tears are rolling.
“I knew you would, Master! I knew that you of all people would notice!”
“……”
“Everyone else makes assumptions based on my looks. But you, you only look at my Shogi. That’s why I knew …… Though, I do wish you would pay more attention to my appearance!”
“…… Does this have anything to do with the new company you used Akira to start?”
Sure of myself, I lead with my theory.
“Rather than running software on personal computers, you’re using servers designed for large enterprises to run Shogi software …… Isn’t that right?”
Ai wipes the tears out of the corners of her eyes before taking my hand.
“Come, Yaichi.”
She takes me by my wrist to the bottom of the hill.
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