Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 2 - Chapter Pr

 PROLOGUE

Amateur Meijin.

Out of all the titles that amateur Shogi players can receive, this is the most prestigious.

People who earn this crowning title receive all sorts of honors, but a match is the most valuable of all.

A chance to play against a god–––a commemorative match against the pro Meijin, the one who stands at the pinnacle of professional Shogi.

The Meijin plays without a Bishop, but of course, this isn’t just an ordinary game.

The commemorative match that year took place in Kansai.

The professional Meijin arrived at the Kansai Shogi Association’s holiest of arenas, the Onjyoudan no Ma, fully dressed in traditional Japanese clothes normally worn for title matches.

The amateur Meijin arrived at the professional arena one hour in advance and sat next to the Shogi board to adjust to his surroundings before the match got underway. It was all part of his plan. His opponent may have been a professional Shogi player, but losing with a Bishop handicap would be embarrassing beyond measure. The man’s desire to win radiated from his very being.

With a young member of the Sub League taking a seat next to the board to fulfill his duty as the recordkeeper, the same Professional League match procedures were followed as the match got underway.

The amateur Meijin was perfect in the early game. Using his one-piece advantage at every turn, he followed his research to the letter into the mid-game.

He even rode the waves of battle, maintaining his lead all the way into the late game. His well orchestrated all-out offensive was designed to end the match in a furious burst that wouldn’t allow the pro Meijin to unleash his full potential.

Then, the Meijin attacked with a Knight from a completely unexpected angle.

That one move turned the match on its head.

“It couldn’t be ……?”

The amateur Meijin groaned after mulling over the situation for exactly fifteen minutes.

The more he read the board, the more he came to realize that he had no chance to win the match despite having the upper hand until that very moment. He had been out read, plain and simple.

The man’s head, hovering over the board, fell with a deflated flop.

“…… There’s nothing left. I have lost.”

The man made a few moves to set the scene before surrendering. Knowing that he left a beautiful record behind made more of a lasting impression than the agony of defeat. Everyone who played against the Meijin felt the same way after a match.

“You nearly had me,” the pro Meijin said with a smile. While he admitted that the advance nearly reached him, he spoke with the brimming confidence that came from perfectly predicting the attack.

The two players conducted their own review session and exchanged ideas in the few minutes before reporters, cameramen and the like were allowed into the arena.

Early game, mid-game and the late game …… With each revealing how they read the board and comparing their strategies, the two were engrossed in their own world of discovery.

“Marvelous,” the pro Meijin said with admiration.

He emerged victorious, but the man’s reading skills were so precise he could hardly believe his opponent was an amateur. To the point that he felt it was a waste for him to stay that way ……

“I would be more than happy to take you as an apprentice should you ever consider testing into the Sub League.”

“Thank you so much for the offer. But my daughter is very young ……”

He had no intention of turning professional. The man said so himself.

He may be on top of the amateur world, but still lost to the top professional with the Bishop handicap. Even if he were to try to join the professional ranks, his limit was in plain sight. Reason being, he had been overwhelmed by the Meijin sitting in front of him even though he was more than a Bishop ahead ……

He couldn’t chase the elusive dream of professional Shogi because he had to support his wife and young daughter. And even if he succeeded, he could see just how far his talent could take him.

“But, should my daughter be interested in becoming a Shogi player when she gets older, then–––.”