Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 17 - Chapter 5.08

  THE FUTURE I PLAY

The match began.

Sota, by advancing the Pawn in front of his Rook, and Mitsuru, by opening the Bishop Path. The reporters photographed these perfectly normal opening moves as if they were the scoop of the century.

Once the army of reporters crammed into the Onjyodan no Ma left after those opening moves finished, Mitsuru propped himself up with one knee on the upper seat. The A League player dropped the act and let his outlawesque aura shine through.

Meanwhile, his opponent gently tilted his handsome face down with the collar of his school uniform securely fastened.

Though the two had briefly encountered each other a few times in the Kansai Association building, the Worldly Maestro stood so far above the boy that the two never exchanged words.

———He certainly has an aura.

He once heard that this man was on good terms with Yaichi, but he had also seen older members of the Sub League like Hiuma Kagamizu correct their posture out of nerves alone when hearing that the Worldly Maestro was in the building.

As a former Ranging Rook party member, Mitsuru was something close to a god in Hiuma’s eyes and he had informed Sota about him on many occasions.

“No one can copy Oishi-sensei’s worldliness. Not even the Meijin. And, of course, software can’t even come close.”

“Just once, I’d love to play a match the way he does. Win on Shogi sense and instincts, the ideal Ranging Rook victory.”

Sota had looked at Hiuma with a cold stare.

———His rating isn’t all that impressive. None of his Shogi matches are, either.

It goes without saying that Sota had reviewed Mitsuru’s matches beforehand.

Was he strong? Yes.

That was particularly so in the mid-game. Sota calmly deduced that this man’s sheer reading power and acute mid-game instinct may very well exceed his own.

But that was based on the notion that Ranging Rook players were fighting with a self-imposed handicap from the beginning, and only applicable in certain situations.

———In layman’s terms, I just need to play in a way that prevents those situations from coming about.

What’s more, software had shown him exactly how to do it. For that reason, Sota didn’t feel any nerves despite the gravity of this match, nor did he shrink from the spotlight.

Mitsuru, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to get comfortable. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small, white box.

A pack of cigarettes.

“Sorry, but,” said Mitsuru to the rightfully surprised Sota as he pulled one out with an apologetic look in his eyes.

“I’ll be holding one as we play. Chalk it up to habit …… I won’t light it.”

“I think that’s cute, actually. Is it a good luck charm?”

“Funny, is it?”

“No.”

Sota shook his head from side to side and picked up the necktie that was set out on his side of the board.

“I also brought my good luck charm. It’s been with me every match since my professional debut.”

That answer got a smirk out of Mitsuru. The boy he thought had molded his brain into a computer suddenly had a bit more charm.

———This is my first big match against someone younger than Asuka, isn’t it?

The Worldly Maestro sat in bewilderment as he finally realized that his opponent today was a full six years younger than his daughter.

Yaichi Kuzuryu was Asuka’s age, and he had only ever played Ginko Sora in practice sessions. No league matches, yet.

“……”

Mitsuru pushed an edge Pawn forward one space and then took a sip of tea.

Sota promptly moved his own King.

It was a move that young players and Sub League members had set to researching with software after seeing it in Awaji’s match records. There would be no loss no matter what move the opponent played.

As if turning his back on the trend, Mitsuru set out to blaze his own path.

And advanced the edge Pawn yet another space forward.

“Claiming the edge so early on? Don’t tell me …… Are you playing Static Rook?” Sota said as he stole a glance at the Worldly Maestro.

Though the man was a genuine member of the Ranging Rook party, he had recently started playing Static Rook from time to time. Although he lost the title of King to Yo Okito, Mitsuru had emerged victorious in a Double Static Rook duel in the first match of the series.

———When will he slide? Or does he really intend to keep that rook in place ……?

Mitsuru once announced that he had renounced Ranging Rook.

He had since returned to playing the style, but …… not a single match using Ranging Rook had been included in the batch of Awaji’s records Yaichi had analyzed.

Now the Ranging Rook party was going extinct in the Shogi world.

“…… I’ve been playing Shogi with my daughter recently,” Mitsuru muttered right after Sota made his next move, almost as if he had been waiting just for that.

His hand swayed back and forth over the board.

As if deciding between two possible paths ……

“I tried to stop her from joining the Practice League, but she wouldn’t listen to her father. Know what she said just the other day? She wants to join the Women’s League now.”

“Oh? How old is your daughter?”

“18.”

“She might have a difficult time getting in if she’s only now trying to join. I hope she has the talent to do it, though.”

“Talent ………… That’s something I couldn’t give her,” said the father in a self-deprecating tone as his hand continued to wander. “That’s why I didn’t want her anywhere near Shogi. There’s only one thing I can pass on to her …… And even that’s just a candle flickering in the wind.”

Sota barely registered Mitsuru’s mysterious words.

“Any idea what that is?”

“Beats me.”

Sota shrugged at the question. He honestly didn’t care and wanted to focus on the match before him. For the boy prodigy being pursued wherever he went in the country right now, league matches were the only time he could enjoy a match of Shogi without the threat of being interrupted.

“Money, perhaps? Or connections?”

“Heh!” Mitsuru snorted. “The only thing I, the World Maestro …… can pass on to my daughter as she tries to become a Shogi player.”

Mitsuru’s hand came to a sudden halt.

As if taking hold of what should be passed down to his daughter.

Which was———

“Ranging Rook. What else?”

The right hand that had been meandering from side to side finally grasped a piece.

The Rook.

“My Ranging Rook———is the future!!”

Fourth File Rook.

That was the formation Mitsuru chose.

“Normal Fourth File Rook, is it? Well, it’s true that Ranging Rook is over once the Bishop Path is open.”

A specific strategy came to Sota’s mind.

“Usui System.”

Created by the prodigal strategist Takeru Usui, it was the most beautifully elegant strategy in all of Shogi’s 1,400-year history.

Ika Sainokami’s strategy that took down Ginko Saro, Tomahawk, was also based on Usui System’s version of Third File Rook. Thus, it was just a System copycat.

Sota had heard through the grapevine that the original was played by Takeru Usui for the first time in many years just the other day. Though he hadn’t bothered to review the match record for himself because he was far too busy researching Awaji’s matches.

———A stationary King, Rook in the fourth column and a forward edge Pawn? All of that adds up to System, yes?

A hint of adrenaline passed through Sota’s veins as he waited for the next move. But it was more akin to what a little boy would feel seeing dinosaur fossils in a museum than nervous apprehension.

However, that excitement withered away the second he saw Mitsuru’s move.

“The King moved? So, it’s not System after all ……?”

A cigarette still pinned between his fingers, the Worldly Maestro shifted his King diagonally forward and to the right.

That meant Mitsuru Oishi’s strategy wasn’t System, but a plain and simple Fourth File Rook.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about that.

It had been played for centuries, until the advent of software rendered the strategy completely outdated.

However, in that moment …… for some reason that outdated strategy looked brand new in Sota’s eyes.

The reason———

“You built a defensive formation around your King …… at 7 Two? What is it ……?”

“There’s no name yet,” said Mitsuru bluntly.

The formation was so crude, the idea that anyone would try it in a real match was absurd.

A Silver meant for offense was parked directly in front of the King and the Knight used for defensive support had bound to the front line already.

It looked incomplete from every angle.

———Software would never build defenses like this.

Sota snuck a glance up at his opponent and could have sworn the man was smiling.

“You’re the second person to see it.”

“Who was the first?”

“Heh.”

Mitsuru, who had no intention of divulging that information, just laughed.

“Okay, sure. It’s not like you can beat me with that formation anyway.”

A computer would never, under any circumstances, select this arrangement. Mitsuru’s rating must have plummeted like a rock.

———Now, how should I break it?

Sota started thinking through sequences to target the King that was only somewhat protected. However, that somewhatness was what kept that King surprisingly far out of reach.

Then———

“Hm?”

Sota rubbed his eyes.

“Did it just ……?”

From Sota’s perspective, it was almost as though a beam of sunlight had reflected off Mitsuru’s King.

Unlike in Sendagaya, that would be a truly rare occurrence here in the windowless Kansai Shogi Association building. For that matter, it was physically impossible for pieces to glow out of the blue.

———But it did glow …… I saw it ……

Almost as if he saw Sota waver ever so lightly, Mitsuru decided to sneak in a few words.

“It’s not quite a Mino Castle …… What’s the city next to Mino? Ah, Mikawa. How about calling it a Mikawa Fort?”

“Was that just a corny dad joke?!” Sota snapped back.

“In that case, I’ll form a Mino Castle. That way my defenses will be stronger.”

If there are no avenues of attack, defending is the best bet.

However, an anaguma would work against him because Mitsuru already had a strong edge position.

The offense building a Left Mino Castle would leave him far more constrained than the defender. But Sota determined that choosing thick over thin was the most logical decision after seeing Mitsuru’s formation.

In fact, the board shifted in his favor.

“You’re not half bad, whiz kid. To think you could use a Mino even better than me.”

“Software is quite fond of the Left Mino Castle. I’m not the strong one here.”

Sota wasn’t trying to be humble.

———Poor guy.

The boy truly felt sorry for Mitsuru. He and adults like him had been born so far away from Shogi’s true essence, had been given a weapon called Ranging Rook that impeded them more than it helped and their research had them digging in the wrong direction in pursuit of new standards. The real kicker was that computers had already proven they were closing in on a dead end.

Even the great Takeru Usui was defeated by a girl in grade school. It was clear as day that Ranging Rook was obsolete.

That fact would be further spurred should the only Ranging Rook player in A League be defeated by a 13-year-old boy today. The Ranging Rook party would never win again. The families of its members would go hungry. That thought was depressing.

———Even so ………… I’m allowed to win, right Mr. Kagamizu ……?

“I want to always love Shogi.”

The boy who inherited that dream along with the necktie shuddered.

Become a professional. Keep winning.

Despite achieving his goal of sparking a Shogi boom the likes of which had never been seen before, playing Shogi as a professional wasn’t as enjoyable as it was during his time in the Sub League for some reason.

However, his play became crisper the further he fell into depression.

“Nice move, kid.”

“Thanks.”

Even a compliment from a veteran of the Shogi world wasn’t enough to lift Sota’s spirits.

“Haaa …… Why do I have to waste my time like this? Yaichi is pulling further and further ahead while I’m stuck here ……”

“Think playing against a Ranging Rooker is a waste of time, huh?”

“Yes. It’s pointless,” said the child of modern Shogi without a second thought.

“God made two mistakes. The first was placing the fruit of knowledge so close to Adam and Eve and the second was allowing the Rook the freedom of moving from the starting formation. If it had to stay put like the Bishop, Ranging Rook would’ve never been born in the first place.”

“…………”

“Ranging Rook is destined to die. That conclusion for the game known as Shogi is already set in stone, and human beings can’t fight destiny.”

“Destiny …… eh?”

Not a single match of Ranging Rook could be found within the match records produced by deep learning software operating on a supercomputer. At least, none of the records released by Yaichi used that strategy.

That meant Ranging Rook would be gone 100 years from now.

The vast majority of young players interpreted it that way.

Takeru Usui used System but was defeated by Ai Hinatsuru. A prodigal strategist’s demise at the hands of a little girl is what convinced young professionals that Ranging Rook’s final days had arrived.

If.

Just if that was destiny———

“Then destiny, get out of my way!”

Strange as it was, Mitsuru echoed Ai Hinatsuru’s words and deployed the Bishop he had just claimed back onto the board diagonally behind Sota’s King.

A move that prevented the Knight at its side from jumping forward, 9 Seven Bishop!

“I’ve already read a layman move like that.”

Sota then proceeded to calmly, and perfectly, block the Worldly Maestro’s aggressive advance.

The offensive King had been driven all the way to 9 Nine, but the King’s prairie dog hillesque defenses were turning into a stout fortress right before his eyes.

However Mitsuru was also calm.

“Heh.”

Returning his focus to defense at the perfect moment, he covered the weak spots.

What emerged on the board was a bizarre hodgepodge of a formation.

The child prodigy’s hand came to a halt for the first time. This situation would never appear when only using software for research.

“…………?!”

———What?! Why in the world …… is the defending Rook glowing?!

Sota furiously rubs his eyes.

Mitsuru’s Rook hadn’t budged since shifting into the fourth column.

Yet Sota could feel a distinct pressure emanating from Shogi’s strongest piece at that very moment.

“A Dragon …… A glowing dragon is coming for me ……!!”

“That’s a nice name,” said Mitsuru with a pleased nod. “I dub this new strategy the Glowing Dragon Fourth File Rook from now on.”

In that instant, a new strategy was born unto this land.

Glowing Dragon Fourth File Rook.

A gem of a formation composed of human instinct, knowledge and courage created by Mitsuru Oishi without the aid of a computer.

That in itself was Ranging Rook.

“Tch! It’s a single space off of a Mino Castle! How can it be this impenetrable?!”

“School boy,” says Mitsuru as if testing Sota while tapping his cigarette against the board. “You’re hunching.”

“……?!”

Sota fixed his posture so swiftly that the fabric snapped.

Then he wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

“…… Pardon me.”

The boy took off his uniform jacket and folded it into a neat square before setting it down at his side. Then he explained why.

“I’m too hot.”

He then stopped to think for a long time.

Sota cared little for the precious seconds of waiting time that were melting away and kept thinking. It was almost as if the boy was about to declare an answer to Shogi itself.

———Don’t rush! It’s impossible for Ranging Rook to be stronger. I know I have the advantage with Static ……

Sota mumbled but almost sounded as if he were enjoying his position.

“…… That Fourth File Rook is really annoying, okay?! I’m busy enough as it is researching Static Rook formations. If only Ranging Rook could take the hint and just disappear already. Besides, you claim to be in the Ranging Rook party, but aren’t moving your Rook at all ……!”

The boy unleashed it.

A decisive move.

“Then———I’ll use mine instead!!”

Sota slid his Rook over to the second column before launching it all the way to the other side of the board to summon Shogi’s ultimate piece.

The Dragon King.

“The Dragon is closer than the regular Mino Castle! There has to be a way to attack!”

Placing a Dragon on the very back row was a move designed to pry open a weak point in Mitsuru’s formation.

But this was the moment the Worldly Maestro had been waiting for. He slapped a Lance down in his own territory to pin that Dragon in place.

“School boy.”

Then he quietly addressed the boy sitting across from him.

“That Dragon is crying.”

“Whaaat? How could a fragment of wood cry? Use some common sense when you speak, please. Common sense.”

“Heh.”

The man who had successfully destroyed common sense on the board flashed a meek smile before deftly disarming the prodigy’s carefully laid traps with his fingertips.

Creating a new strategy when most of the Shogi world believed that new strategies would never come into existence was a miracle on its own, but the Worldly Maestro had already mastered it. His fingers moved across the board as if he had been born to play this new creation.

Denying Sota’s every advance with a light flick of his wrist, Mitsuru thought to himself: ———My encounter with Ranging Rook and all the powerful opponents I’ve fought to get here today.

“If that isn’t destiny, then what is?”

Flutter, flutter.

Mitsuru elegantly disassembled the prodigy’s all-out attack as if leaving a trail of cherry blossom petals in his wake.

A worldly sequence that left software reeling as it searched for a rating.

However his opponent was also chosen by the Shogi gods.

“There!!”

Spinning pieces between his fingers, Sota put the defending King in check five turns in a row and made an absolute mess of Mitsuru’s formation in the process. Then he deployed a Silver directly in front of the Knight pressuring his own King.

Although it appeared to be a defensive shift …… it was actually a hidden weak spot in the defender’s position.

“Noticed, have you ……? But!”

Mitsuru maneuvered his Promoted Bishop, a Horse away, and could sense the match was nearing its conclusion.

“Not so fast!”

Sota thought the seventh column where the defending King sat would be the key, so he pulled back his Dragon to contest the Horse.

It was a curve driven by momentum built up over the longest winning streak in history. Sota played a dangerous dance where one wrong move would result in an instant checkmate and the end goal of his furious offensive was difficult to discern.

However, Mitsuru had already read to the end of this stanza.

The cigarette still pinned between his fingers, Mitsuru reached for his piece stand and grabbed———

“Already told you, didn’t I? Your Dragon is cryin’.”

And deployed it directly before Sota’s Dragon: a Pawn.

If left alone, Sota would lose his safety net of a Dragon on the next turn.

On the other hand, if he took that Pawn now …… the Dragon’s cover would disappear and leave his King open to checkmate!!

“…… !!”

———Tears?! My Dragon …… really is crying!!

Now that the boy prodigy realized this one Pawn had driven him all the way to the brink of defeat, a new level of reality dawned on him for the first time since becoming a professional Shogi player.

The reality that he was about to lose.

“You’d better remember this, school boy.”

Mitsuru addressed the boy who was shaken to his very core.

“No matter how deep you read into the board, no matter how detailed your research gets, no matter …… how strong you are, you’ll still lose some,” whispered the Worldly Maestro while slowly lifting a certain piece.

A piece which had been sitting at 4 Two for over 100 moves.

“That’s Shogi.”

The Rook.

A quick slide to the side, and that Rook took the only piece of value left in Sota’s arsenal: the Horse!

“……!!”

Sota felt his own rating crash like a guillotine through his neck.

The boy took that Rook as time closed in on him, but———

It wasn’t the beginning of a counterattack so much as a stunt to buy enough time to come to grips with the situation.

“Aaagh. Now I’ll have to do research on Ranging Rook, too …… It’ll be extinct in 100 years and I have to come up with pointless strategies to deal with it …… Thanks for nothing, old man,” Sota muttered as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his junior high school uniform’s jacket. Then he downed the last few gulps of water left in his glass and said the words.

Words he’d be saying for the first time as a professional.

“Whew ………… I lost!”

Members of the media exploded through the door as the Onjodan no Ma become overrun in the blink of an eye.

Their hurried footsteps made the building shake. Cheers and lamenting wails from the crowd outside came through at the same time.

“Kunugi 4-dan lost!”

“Ranging Rook is back!”

“The Worldly Maestro stopped the 29th win record with a new strategy!”

“What in the world was that formation?!”

Countless reporters armed with cameras and microphones descended on the players. A Practice League member could also be seen timidly flowing in behind them.

“Thank you for that excellent match. To begin, I’d like to ask today’s winner, Oishi 9-dan———”

Mitsuru kept his answers to the representative sent by Kansai Shogi Journalist Club as brief as possible. Victory was his, but he knew that he wasn’t the star of today’s match.

“You’ve now qualified for the three-match Challenger Match with today’s win. Who are you going to tell first?”

“Lemme think ……”

His kind gaze fell on Asuka, who was sitting on her ankles in the back corner. Then the man who protected Ranging Rook’s future said with a satisfied grin, “I’ll probably tell my troublemaker of a daughter she’s up waaay past her bedtime ……”

“……!!”

Asuka couldn’t keep the tears at bay any longer. Hot streaks rolled down her face before dripping off her chin and onto the tatami mat ……

“Thank you very much. Now, Kunugi 4-dan.”

“Yes?”

“Unfortunately, a new record of 29 consecutive wins couldn’t be realized today …… Could you comment on how you’re feeling right now?”

“I’m satisfied with my winning percentage.”

“Huh?”

“In other words, it was about time for me to lose and my opponent today wasn’t like anyone I’ve faced thus far.”

The reporters present weren’t sure how to comprehend this 13-year-old boy who claimed that he was satisfied with a loss.

“Everyone loses sometimes. My winning streak was luck, plain and simple.”

Sota interpreted his own statements.

“And I missed out on the Challenge Match series this time because I wasn’t strong enough. I’ll go back to the drawing board and try again when I’m much, much stronger.”

With that, Sota bowed for the cameras.

Flashes rained down on him like a typhoon as the arena was filled with the sound of clicking shutters.

No one could hear it because of the noise, but …… Sota made one more quiet statement with his head down.

“……… So please be patient a little while longer, Yaichi ……”