Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 2 - Chapter 1.7

  ANOTHER AI

“Just so you know, I’ll never call you Master.”

That was the first thing she–––the young girl dressed in black–––said to me.

“Make no mistake. You’re just a lesson professional grandfather is paying to teach me. I can’t stand the thought of a bottom-of-the-barrel Shogi player that happened to claim a title out of sheer luck considering himself to be my Master.”

“……”

Never would’ve thought such a cute girl would be so cheeky.

Then again, I’ve run into more sassy kids who are caught up in their own fantasy world than I can count. It happens to every kid with Shogi talent, their abilities go to their head. All the ones that grow up to become pros never let their ego get popped, instead they bludgeoned their opponents with it. I know how to deal with them.

Taking my glasses and fan out of my second bag, I turn to Mr. Yashajin for confirmation.

“I’m allowed to be strict with her, yes?”

“By all means.”

With her guardian’s permission granted, I test the floor cushion that was placed in front of the Shogi board.

Then, I take my big pieces, the Rook and the Bishop, off my side of the board and put them in the piece box.

“A two-piece handicap? That’s fine by me, but it won’t even be a challenge.”

“Ah, good point. A two-piece handicap wouldn’t be a challenge at all.”

I take both of my Lances off the corners of board and put them away in the box.

“Now then, show me what you’ve got.”

“?!”

Her face twitches for the first time, as if the anger boiling inside of her just set her whole body alight.

“D …… Don’t treat me as some child?! Do you seriously think you stand a chance with a four-piece handicap?!”

“Stop talking and come get me.”

Ignoring her, I make the first move.

“! …… Prepare to die.”

Whispering something scary under her breath, lady Ai vents her anger by sliding her first piece with authority.

Neither of us take much time to think as the match progresses. It’s all standard, completely by the book.

“…… I see. You’re well-versed on how to play handicap matches.”

“Of course I am. See? I’m already in victory position.”

“Are you? So, you think you’ve already won?”

“Don’t act tough just because you’re a pro. Just what do you think you can do?”

“Let’s see ……” 

I take a moment to contemplate the Shogi records in my head.

The ones that come to mind are all from before I turned pro …… Records from my time in the Sub League.

For the most part, Practice League and Sub League match records aren’t made public. That’s because their non-pro records aren’t considered to be worth much.

However, there are diamonds hidden in the rough.

All you could ever need to know about how to play handicap matches against superior or inferior opponents are contained in Practice League and Sub League match records.

In handicap matches, the prodigies from all over Japan play a completely different game from those played by amateurs. So many strategies that never make it into standard practice come to life all the time there.

I found one of those hidden diamonds and tried my hand.

“I can do this.”

“……?!”

Ai’s face twitches, shocked by a change she’d never seen before.

I thought she was just a bratty kid, but that reaction tells me she’s trying really hard. That’s kinda cute.

“I can do this, too.”

“Huh? …… Huuuh?! That move …… is it allowed ……?”

I get a sadistic kick out of throwing the board into chaos. Ai’s fingers start trembling with every unexpected move I make.

“So? Having fun yet?”

“Ugh …… kh, gah ……”

It’s not just players in the Sub and Practice Leagues. Professional players play thousands, tens of thousands of handicap matches as the upper player.

I haven’t even been a pro for two years, but with all my time in the Sub League, I have quite a bit of experience with these matches. Pros have played with a handicap so much more than amateurs, there’s no comparison.

And there are ways to utterly destroy lower players.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted a challenge?”

“Ngh ……! N-Not yet!”

Biting her lip to bear the shame, Ai flicks her long black hair over her shoulder with those thin fingers before squeezing her fists together with a moan.

This pretty girl plays extremely pretty Shogi.

A straightforward playing style unbefitting her twisted personality. Simple, by the books Shogi. She must’ve been lucky enough to have a great teacher that drilled the standard formations into her head when she was younger.

But there’s a downside. Relying on the standard too much means that she’s defenseless once the standards no longer apply.

Her style is too pretty. I don’t feel any stubbornness, any willingness to be dragged through the mud and emerge victorious coming from her.

My apprentice makes loads of mistakes in the early and mid-games only to turn the match on its head in the late game. This girl is the exact opposite. She’s studious, but there’s no depth. In other words, she has no talent.

–––That’s all she’s got …… 

Now that I’ve got this Ai’s skill level figured out, I move in to end the match.

“!! There ……!”

She blocks my first attack, face tense with fright.

Standard strategy for handicap matches is all about attacking.

There’s nothing that tells you how to defend.

That’s why amateurs who rely on the standards start to fall apart as soon as the match veers away from what they know. Then, their spirit breaks once the counterattack hits.

“……”

I watch Ai’s head slump. She’s staring into her lap and I could swear I heard her spirit snap.

Seeing a bratty young lady fall off her high horse is a pitiful sight.

No matter how much she whined, how much trash she talked, one look at the board clearly showed how weak she is. I doubt that she’s ever felt more ashamed in her life.

–––But she’s suffered enough. Might as well put her out of her misery with a clean, swift end …

With that thought in mind, I started an all-out offensive. Ai’s defensive formation was soon riddled with holes after taking the full force of a pro’s attack.

She’s moving pieces into place to fill them with weak, trembling fingers, but that’s only delaying the inevitable.

I’ve delivered a fatal blow, and there’s no way to prevent that now.

“…… I ……” 

So, she’s about to admit defeat.

I was sure she was going to throw in the towel. Her spirit broke long ago.

But.

“I’m …… not done yet!”

“Hm?”

She looks up from the board and locks eyes with me. Sharp eyes, glowing with demonic tenacity.

Those aren’t the eyes of someone who’s given up.

Ai’s spirit, which I thought was broken, was actually still in one piece.

That is to say–––.

“I …… can still fight!!”

Ai uses every single one of her captured pieces to keep my attack at bay.

It wasn’t long before I looked at what the board had become and gasped.

“?! When did ……?”

I have no idea how she did it, but her defensive formation recovered, despite being under siege this whole time.

It’s not a standard defense, not by a long shot.

Her Golds and Silvers that would protect the King were scattered all over the place by my bombardment, and yet Ai’s formation is strangely solid.

It’s crooked and looks paper-thin, but the pieces protecting the King are bound together by some mysterious force, as if symbolizing her strong will.

–––So she used my offensive to rebuild her defense?!

No, it’s more than that … She is setting up so she can cut off my attack and counter it!

This skill ……

“Defensive Shogi, huh?”

That was when I first realized I had completely misread Ai’s talent.

It’s not that she has good offense or has in-depth knowledge of standard strategy.

It’s just the opposite.

There are some Shogi players who can harness surprising strength when under attack.

Thanks to a certain manga, these people have recently become known as defenders, extraordinary players who can find ways to use their opponent’s attack strategy against them.

It’s all about skilled prediction and calculating as quickly and precisely as possible. A kind of sixth sense that allows them to deny their opponent’s plan, pulling the board into chaos with brute force.

All of these skills are necessary so one can emerge victorious when forced to defend.

However, the most important thing of all is–––having the ironclad mental fortitude to never give up even when the going gets tough.

Mental prowess, having the nerves to press on without fear of getting hurt even when staring down the face of the blade, being brave enough to walk through a hail of bullets. A spirit strong enough to take damage and still fight to the bitter end of an intense Shogi match.

In the end, that’s unbreakable spirit.

Ai Yashajin has an unbreakable spirit.

–––This girl …… is good!!

Pull back the plating known as standard and you’ll find something stronger, fiercer and that shines more beautifully than any plating–––a sparkling jewel.