Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 2 - Chapter 2.5

  TELLS

“So …… What’s new? How’ve you been?”

Back at home, dinner time.

Everything that’s happened, Charlette the other day and with the other Ai at New World, has left me feeling like I haven’t spent enough time communicating with my apprentice. So I took the initiative and broke the ice myself.

Ai didn’t stop eating as she answered with a smile.

“I’ve been figuring out people’s tells recently!”

“… Oh?”

Not the response I was expecting, but Ai seems like her usual energetic self. Talk about a relief. I advance the conversation.

“What kind of tells?”

“Mio always makes sounds like “whaa” and “oof” whenever something catches her by surprise but suddenly becomes very quiet when her formations recover.”

“Ahh. Yes, yes.”

Making those sounds is a tell, an uncontrollable habit, that everyone picks up at some point while playing Shogi. Beginners usually keep it simple like “Ehh?” or “Oh yeah,” but more advanced players eventually start saying things like, “I see, I see to shining sea.” Mammoth!

“Ayano takes off her glasses, so she can’t look at me whenever she’s planning to do a surprise attack in the early game.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

A meticulous habit, sounds like something Ayano would do. Rather than worrying about her opponent seeing her expression, she’s making sure that she doesn’t get startled by seeing changes in their face. That’s adorable.

“Keika starts twirling her hair around her fingers whenever her defenses get weak.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, she does do that.”

Everyone has these nervous tics. Even high-level players with years of experience under their belt have them.

That includes titleholders. Some might fiddle with their long kimono collars when the opponent makes an unexpected move or their hands might start shaking, sometimes even start coughing uncontrollably when they see a path to victory. Even if they’re aware of their own tells, there’s just no stopping them.

That’s the thing about people when they concentrate as hard as they can, habits start popping up without even realizing it.

As a competitor, it’s important to keep a cool head and recognize these habits when they come up. As her Master, it makes me happy to see that Ai’s perception has expanded beyond the board.

“Anything else? Find anything interesting?”

“Yes, I have.”

She sets down her bowl and chopsticks to say, “Master rubs his pants with both hands whenever he’s hiding something.”

“Come again?”

My chopsticks clatter to the table. Ai didn’t even bother looking at them, instead she keeps her eyes trained on me, observing … Then, without blinking:

“Master …… what are you hiding?”

Holy crap, this is terrifying.

“Huh? Me? H-Hiding something?”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“No, no, no, no! Why would I?! W-What would I need to hide anyway?! Not that I could if I wanted to, living in this tiny room with you–––.”

“You’re rubbing your pants.”

“Yikes?!”

I was! I had no idea! No idea at all!!

“You are hiding something …… yes?”

“……”

My palms, they’re dripping with sweat … 

My palms tend to start leaking when I get nervous, to the point that I once dropped a piece in the middle of a match. Therefore, I always wipe my hands with something out of sight to prevent pieces from slipping, letting my opponent know my last move was horrible and my formation is weak or when I’m about to go on the offensive. It started out as a way to avoid those mistakes, but it’s become a habit of mine.

Only two people have ever figured that out, Big Sis and Sir Ayumu. What’s more, they only figured it out recently, and I’ve been playing against them for years. To think that Ai would recognize it in less than two months …

She’s …… horrifying!!

“Please be honest with me. It’s not too late.”

“Hm? You keep saying I’m hiding something, but it’s really not ringing any bells.”

I somehow manage to sit up straight and play innocent, averting my eyes from hers to avoid getting startled again. However, my apprentice doesn’t let up the pressure and moves in again. It’s like she always knows the best move to make. This is intense ……!

“That’s a lie. You’re hiding something.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because Master always looks up and to the right when he lies.”

“What?! I do?!”

“No.”

She was bluffing ……!!

“But …… you flinched, didn’t you?”

That I did. I most certainly did.

I had been looking over her right side and was just about to look left to throw her off, but I fell right into that trap.

W-When did she learn this technique?! Aren’t you growing up a little too fast, Ai?!

“…I’m not angry, so please tell me the truth.”

I swear, there’s a dark aura drifting in from behind her that’s threatening to overtake me like enemy cavalry. I can hear the horses twp twp twp … She looked angry from the start … 

“R-Really? You’re not mad?”

“No. I’m not mad.”

Then she says, smiling ear to ear.

“But I’m about to be.”

Several hours later–––.

After enduring every one of my apprentice’s secret techniques and being put in check more times than I can count, I managed to get through the evening without telling her about Ai Yashajin.

B-But …… I think it took a few years off my life …