Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 3 - Chapter 4.1

  ALL-ROUNDER

Then, Monday. Today’s the day I play against Mr. Natagiri.

My apprentice and I left the apartment at the same time this morning: she left for school and I went to the association for my match. Ai has been acting all bubbly and energetic but …… I can tell she’s still hurting inside.

Just as I was using a crosswalk on the streets of Naniwa, “Morning!”

I was greeted by a smooth hello and a smooth smile from today’s opponent.

“G-Good morning …… Mr. Natagiri.”

“Let’s have fun today, alright?”

Most opponents give each other a nod of acknowledgement and call it good right before the match, but this guy went straight for the full-blown meet and greet. Not sure if his personal preferences are as straight, but …… 

As awkward as it was, I couldn’t tell him to Please go away, and ended up walking all the way to the association with him.

I tried to break off the timing by stopping to buy some tea at the first-floor vending machine, but he very politely held the elevator for me. What a nice guy. Please, go on ahead …… 

“Wow. Today must be my lucky day.”

“H-How so?”

Now alone with him in the elevator, Mr. Natagiri stands just a little closer than he has to and says with that same smooth smile, “To be 100 percent frank with you, I overslept this morning. It was really late when I arrived in Osaka last night ……”

“Were you busy?”

I was thinking he would smile that smooth smile of his and say, I was partying in Shinjuku’s alternative red light district! but …… his actual response was even more shocking in a way.

“The Meijin and I had a practice session yesterday. Since it was the day before our match, Yaichi, I wanted to focus on you, but he’s a very busy man and doesn’t have much time …… And, oh yes, he said he was looking forward to our match.”

“! The Meijin …… He’ll watch this match?”

“He certainly will. Not just this one, he’s been reviewing all your matches, Ryuo.”

“……”

The Meijin …… my matches? All of them?

At first, it was an honor. I was genuinely happy.

Happy that someone as busy as he is would take the time to check my match records, because that means something about me is worth checking–––meaning he thinks I’m good enough to look into.

However, that honor disappeared after a few minutes …… with intense pressure taking its place.

The Meijin is watching me …… Great, now I can’t afford even one bad move.

But worse than that …… the fact that he’s reading through my match records and he’s already dissecting my playing style means he’s preparing for our inevitable match.

The best Shogi player in history has his eyes on my title …… My knees start shaking as a realization that should have been obvious—the Meijin wants what I have—hit me harder than ever before.

Yes. I’m afraid.

Like a rabbit that knows a lion is looking at him …… 

Almost as if he saw right through me, Mr. Natagiri whispers into my ear, “Looks like neither of us can do anything too crazy today.”

“……!”

He got me, I thought to myself.

He got me to think about something other than the match right before it starts.

It’s difficult to shake off Meijin pressure once it sets in. It’ll probably creep back into my head if I’m not careful during the match.

This might be an off-the-board ploy of some kind but …… I’d better make sure my Shogi doesn’t freeze up …… 

We step out of the elevator on the fourth floor and the two of us go into the arena side by side.

Today’s match is a preliminary placement match for the Ken-ou League.

The Ken-ou League isn’t connected to any of the seven Shogi titles, but it’s special in that the matches are broadcast over the Internet and rank determines the preliminary matches.

Whereas I’d normally be called by my title, Ryuo, here I’m just Kuzuryu 8-dan.

The match will take place in a room called Minase on the fourth floor because of all the equipment needed for the broadcast. Players usually use this room to eat lunch during their break, so there’s a microwave right outside the door.

“Good morning.” Several people greet us as Mr. Natagiri and I walk into the room together.

The match recorder and journalist are already sitting at their table next to the board. The only thing left is for us to get the match underway.

“Kuzuryu and Natagiri enter the arena in friendly fashion, and got it,” says Ms. Mato, the Shogi journalist as she scribbles something down on the paper in front of her. Please no.

“I will conduct a piece flip,” the match recorder says as he stands on his feet. Now we find out who will go first.

The Ken-ou League allows one hour of waiting time. It’ll be one-minute Shogi after that.

Preparation becomes even more important for matches with so little waiting time.

If you come with an hour’s worth of plans ready to roll, and everything goes the way you want, you can actually end up with close to two hours of waiting time. So, preparation is huge.

As long as you can throw your opponent off their game and force them to play your way, you can build a big lead early on with waiting time alone. That advantage comes in handy when the match is on the line.

“Natagiri-sensei, please make the first move.”

 …… Yesss!

I mentally pump my fist. Of course, I make a face like Rats, I’m on defense! and try to look disappointed.

“…… Drawing the second move, Kuzuryu appears distraught. Perhaps he preferred to be on offense …… and got it.”

Even the board-side journalist fell for it. I’m on a roll.

“It is now 10 o’clock. Please begin the match.”

“When you’re ready,” we both say.

Mr. Natagiri leans over the board to make his move and opens his Bishop Path with gusto. I follow suit, opening my own Bishop Path. This opening is as orthodox as orthodox gets.

Then he wastes no time in advancing the Pawn in front of his Rook.

“…… Natagiri swiftly moves his   2 Six Pawn forward. As the defender, Kuzuryu now has complete control over how this match will unfold …… and got it.”

Ms. Mato is right. The match is at a crossroads, and my next move will be the deciding factor.

“Heehee! What kind of Shogi are you going to show me today?”

Mr. Natagiri is giddy.

That’s something that only an All-Rounder with the nickname Switch Hitter can say. He’s absolutely sure that no matter what strategy his opponent chooses, his research is better than theirs. Therefore, he can let them choose anything they want.

My Shogi has no weaknesses: that’s what he’s saying to me here on the third move of our match.

“……”

I close my eyes and squeeze my right knee.

I already know my next move. All the training I’ve done was for this moment.

But it still takes a lot of courage to actually do it … So many emotions are clashing in my chest.

I’d planned on five minutes to go through with it.

Five more minutes to get my head on straight.

After using ten minutes of my hour waiting time to get my thoughts in order, I make that move.

“Huh?”

“Huuuh?!”

There was a small time lag between the match recorder and journalist the moment it was done, but they made the same sound.

I’d be willing to bet the people watching this match over the Internet are typing out their disbelief in big, bold letters. Of course they are. The Ryuo, a staunch member of the Static Rook party, just did a Ranging Rook opening, so how could they not?

My move–––advancing the middle Pawn, 5 Four Pawn!

“Gokigen Central Rook …… Is it? Well, color me surprised. Quite a shock ……”

Mr. Natagiri blinks several times and leans over the board for a better look. He pulls his bangs out of his eyes once he looks up and then sighs from the bottom of his lungs.

Players react several different ways whenever an opponent does something unexpected.

Some maintain a perfect poker face, while others let their surprise show. There are also some who go a little overboard with their reaction to give their opponent a false sense of security.

–––Now, which one is he ……?

Keeping my eyes glued to the board, I focus on trying to pick up his air.

Not words or expressions, but a kind of energy that players have during a match …… Sensing it is a skill that we have as Shogi players, and only players around the board can read it.

“I went through every single one of your league matches …… Even the ones from your time in the Sub League, but there wasn’t a single one where you played Ranging Rook in an even match. All for me …… You built up the courage to play your first Ranging Rook game all for me?”

“……”

“Heehee! I got your first, Yaichi♡”

There are far too many ways to take what he just said, but it’s just some off-the-board ploy to distract me. Please, let that be it. Because if it’s not …… 

“…… Natagiri rejoices in receiving Kuzuryu’s first …… and got it.”

The journalist looks a little too excited as her pen dances across the paper. Stop!

 …… Anyway, it looks like I succeeded in catching him off guard.

As long as he wasn’t making up that story about practicing with the Meijin last night, that means he couldn’t spend as much time as he wanted to research me specifically. It’s my fourth time going against him, and I finally managed to get a lead in the early game–––.

In the exact moment I came to that conclusion, he says, “Well, this is unfortunate. I wanted to face you at your best ……”

“……?”

“This would have been a fair match, had it taken place the day before yesterday …… It truly is unfortunate. I’m sure the Meijin would agree with me. This match, you see, has already been decided ……”

Mr. Natagiri seriously looks disappointed as he slowly picks up a piece and tells me, “That strategy: he and I completely solved it last night.”