Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 2 - Chapter 2.2

  PERFECT SHOGI

In the end, Panther ended up beating Ai to a pulp five times in a row before she came back to us with the empty cigarette box tightly clenched in her fist. She stomped the ground in frustration the moment we left the Shogi parlor.

“How?! Everyone playing at the front were total pushovers ……!”

“Of course they were. They’re meant to draw in customers.”

“… How do you mean?”

“Places right on the road like this have weaker players sit at the front on purpose.”

“Why do that?! It just makes the place look bad!”

“What is the best moment in all of Shogi?”

“Huh? When you win, isn’t that obvious?”

Ai’s answer makes me grin.

I don’t know what I would’ve done if she said, “When locked in a close battle” or something studious like that just now. Probably just stared at her in disbelief. The two of us might have more in common than I thought.

“The best moment in Shogi is when you completely destroy your opponent. That’s true for the strongest pro all the way down to the weakest amateur. There’s nothing better than saying, ‘You could’ve had me here!’ during a review session after wiping the floor with some weakling. It’s the best feeling ever. That’s why everyone wants to feel that way. And that’s also why Shogi parlors like this one want lots of weak players to come.”

I point to a sign at the Shogi parlor’s entrance.

“It’s written right there in black and white: Unranked pay half price for service.”

“……”

“Seriously. It triples their profits.”

It’s the same thing my Master does it his own classroom: lose the first game against new customers on purpose to give them confidence. He even made it so that he only lost by one move.

The only one he completely flattened in their first match was Big Sis, and that was only because her talent caught him off guard. Apparently he once said, “I thought she was goin’ for the kill. Thought I had to end it before she got me.”

He was an A ranking 8-dan at the time, but a four-year-old girl spooked him. Ginko Sora was that girl. What a monster.

“In a place like New World where lots of shinken players gather to beat up on weak players for pocket change, Shogi parlors employ lots of strategies to draw in the weaker ones that become their meal ticket.”

“… So, you’re saying I got suckered into it? Fooled by these …… people that hang around in this dirty place ……!”

Considering how much pride Lady Ai has, I’m sure it hurts, but five consecutive losses make her own weakness impossible to ignore.

She may be a bit cynical about it, but Ai is genuinely trying to learn from her failure.

The losses aren’t breaking her spirit, but rather lighting it on fire. That’s good. It means this girl is a competitor after all.

“Your Shogi knowledge is outstanding.”

Taking off my baseball cap disguise, I start talking to Ai while she shakes with anger.

“Very fluid, pristine Shogi. The way you learned how to play must’ve been effective. I can see those teachings in every move you make.”

“F-flattering me now will do nothing–––.”

“But that’s exactly why you fall into so many traps. You’re easy to trick. Go just a little off the beaten path and you’re not sure what to do next. Plus, you’re easily distracted by an opponent’s grumbling, provocations and empty threats off the board. Shogi skill isn’t the problem, it’s all in your head.”

“……!!”

She probably didn’t expect me to say that. Her shocked eyes are looking up at me.

“I’m not telling you to learn any ploys because they won’t work in the pro Shogi world. Falling for them once is fine, just as long as you learn from your mistakes and never fall for them again.”

The thing about ploys is that you get a huge advantage if they work, but get completely stonewalled if they don’t. They are an all-or-nothing kind of strategy. Basically, strategies that only work if your opponent makes a mistake. And those mistakes crack their spirit.

Ai’s talent is defensive.

Being able to absorb the opponent’s assault, bring it to an end and come back to win is considered by many Shogi pros to be the ideal playing style.

You must be perfect to win as a defensive player.

“That’s why I’m going to demand perfection from you, Ai. Perfect Shogi.”

“Perfect …… Shogi …” 

“I have nothing to teach you about the basics. You can learn the standards on your own … But competitive tactics aren’t written in any book or match record. You can only learn them by playing against other people. That’s what I want you to get out of playing in the underground Shogi world.”

Wherever there’s light, there’s shadow. Wherever there is a public face, a world behind the scenes must exist.

Perfection can only be achieved by knowing both inside and out.

I’m going to show this young girl the dark side of society and Shogi. Rather than have her shine a theoretical beam of light on the board and search for truth in the game like with my apprentice, I’ll teach her the psychological side: the anxiety, worry and surprises that come with a live opponent.

I’ll teach her how to manipulate someone’s spirit with Shogi.

“If you do that–––no one will ever stand a chance against you.”