Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.2

  FIRST CAMPAIGN

Once I left Ika behind, walking just slow enough that it wouldn’t look like I was running away, I arrived at the arena in the middle of the opening ceremony.

Mynavi company board members were in the middle of giving speeches and shaking hands with the participants, so I tried to sneak in as quietly as I could–––.

“Look?! Isn’t that the Ryuo?!”

“What’s the Ryuo doing in Tokyo?!”

“Hey! A flower! Someone get a flower for the Ryuo–––.”

The whole arena erupts at the unexpected arrival of one of the Shogi world’s top figures.

“My apprentices are here, so ……”

Explaining why I came only added fuel to fire.

“Did he say what I think he said?! The Ryuo’s apprentices?!”

“Wait, I think I read that somewhere ……”

“The Ryuo’s apprentices are here, now?!”

“Are they good?”

“Which ones?”

They’re begging me to introduce them in front of everyone, but I politely decline.

Unfortunately, the only way they’d leave me alone was by agreeing to do commentary for the Internet broadcast later on.

“…… Haaa, guess I’ve got no choice then. I wasn’t planning on working today, you know?”

I spot Ai Yashajin and start leading the group in her direction. However, all their staring didn’t bother the grade schooler at all, quite the opposite. She starts berating her Master, the Ryuo, in front of everyone.

“You’re late. Where were you? Twiddling your thumbs?”

“My bad. Got a bit lost.”

“My word, you are useless trash, kuzu.”

I keep the situation with Ika to myself. Bringing up that weird incident right before her first match would only be a distraction and I don’t want that. No matter what she says, I just have to take it ……

Where is everyone else? I glance around the arena and–––.

I spot Ai Hinatsuru, sitting in a chair and concentrating with her eyes closed.

“!? ……… Ai ……”

She’s so focused–––so in the zone that I’m not sure if it’s okay to get her attention or not.

It’s almost like she’s got this burning blue aura around her whole body …… I can tell she’s not here for the fun summer memories. She’s here to win, to win it all. Maybe it’s because she found out she can become a member of the Women’s League? She looks so much more motivated than during Practice League matches.

“…… Where’s Keika?”

Ai Yashajin jerks her chin toward the corner of the arena. There–––.

“……   7 Six Pawn   8 Four Pawn   6 Eight Silver   3 Four Pawn   7 Seven Silver   6 Two Silver   2 Six Pawn   4 Two Silver ……”

Keika is standing with her back to the arena, whispering to the wall like reciting a Buddhist chant as she traces out a standard yagura on it.

“…… There was a character like that in Hikaru no Go.”

“Stop making stupid jokes and do something about it.”

My second apprentice pushes me with her foot. Well, yeah, but what ……?

“K- …… Keika? Reviewing standards is great, but the first match is about to start–––.”

“   4 Eight Silver   8 Five Pawn   7 Eight Gold   3 Two Gold   5 Six Pawn   5 Four Pawn ……”

“M-Meeting! Everyone, over here!!”

I give Keika a bottle of hot tea and rub her back while calling everyone into the corner.

“Listen up, okay? Calm down and listen to me …… The challenge matches are sudden death, but you’ve still got the Second Chance Block even if you lose a match. So, don’t let the pressure get to you and lose concentration even if you don’t win.”

“Second …… Chance?”

Ai Hinatsuru tilts her head. So cute.

“So …… How many times should I win?”

“Four in a row. Don’t think about anything else.”

For both of my apprentices, this is their first tournament. Asking them to win four matches in a row against Women’s League players and strong amateurs might be a little much.

But I want them to experience as many things as possible. How to deal with pressure is on the list.

“The first round is set up so that the Women’s League players won’t go against each other. On the flip side, that means the amateurs will have to play against them first. I realize that means you’ll be challenged right out of the gate, but rather than backing down I’d like you to think of it as a way to test your skills–––.”

“Haaah? Why would I back down?”

Ai Yashajin doesn’t seem to understand the concept.

“The Women’s League players who didn’t get seeded are one thing, but they’re old ladies who get treated like amateurs in their own league, right? In that case, I’d much rather go against them than the younger, driven amateurs.”

“…… You really don’t need much attention as an apprentice ……”

Her sheer mental fortitude is a talent on its own.

Ai Hinatsuru is looking at her with sparkles in her eyes, saying, “You’re amazing, Ai!”

Meanwhile, Keika is staring at her in disbelief and muttering, “Is this girl really in elementary school ……?” It’s like she’s looking at an alien.

Fifteen minutes later.

Participants drew numbers to determine their blocks and all three of them went to the boards.

Ai Hinatsuru walks up there with a mixture of fighting spirit and determination. Ai Yashajin looks like the star of the show.

And then there’s Keika, teetering back and forth like a prisoner on her way to the guillotine ……

“M-May I watch inside as well ……?”

“Of course. Please make yourself at home.”

I lead Akira, wearing her visitor’s pass like a necklace, to the chairs set up for the observers.

“Challenge matches aren’t open to the public, but as you can see, lots of kids participate. Parents and guardians can watch the matches.”

The participants are divided into five blocks.

Looking at the board with everyone’s names, I’m relieved to see that Ai Yashajin is in Block 2, Ai Hinatsuru is in Block 4 and Keika is in Block 5. No one will have to play each other. Talk about luck!

On the other hand, their matchups aren’t lucky at all. All three of them are facing Women’s League players.

“Ai is facing …… Ms. Shakushi.”

“Your Ai is? And, who is that?”

“Tomoe Shakushi Women’s 2-dan. From …… Kouchi Prefecture, I think? And, about thirty years old …… Maybe? Sounds about right ……”

“Your data is far too vague ……”

Can you blame me? She’s not in my generation …… And I don’t have much of a chance to go against Women’s League members, so it’s just a quick hello every now and then when I see one at the association ……

“It is now 10:00 a.m. Please begin.”

“When you’re ready!”

As soon as that announcement echoes through the arena, sixty of the seventy women who had gathered together for the tournament, the ones who didn’t get seeded, all bow at the same time.

Thirty chess clocks click to life as one. A wave of snaps fills the air as first moves are made.

Nostalgia hits me out of nowhere, memories of my days as an amateur in elementary school flash before my eyes–––.

“…… Nh!!”

Ai Hinatsuru sticks the Pawn out in front of her Rook at the very moment she finished her bow.

Ms. Shakushi leaves her Bishop Path closed and slides her Rook to the center of the board. That’s Primitive Central Rook. It’s turning into Static Rook vs. Ranging Rook, a power struggle. Ai is good at those.

“So far so good. As long as Ai can stay on pace ……”

“Oi! Enough about her. What is transpiring in My Lady’s match?!”

“Ggh! I can’t breathe! Akira, stop pulling my tie!!”

And I had it set up so nice too!

Akira forcefully pulls me over to look at Ai Yashajin’s board and tells me about her opponent.

“Midori Ubaguchi Women’s 3-dan. Thirty-four years old. Reportedly from Yamanashi Prefecture. Playing primarily Static Rook, she specializes in yagura, Bishop Exchange and Side Pawn to capture …… is what’s written in this book.”

The Mynavi Women’s Open is sponsored by a company called Mynavi. They’ve published a ton of books about Shogi as well.

All participants receive a book of their choice as a gift and there’s a small bookshop set up just outside the entrance, cash register and all. Akira must’ve bought one to look up some personal data on the Women’s League players.

“While she hasn’t had much success in the Mynavi Women’s Open, she appears to be doing quite well in the main Women’s League matches.”

“Oh? That’s pretty rare.”

“What is?”

“Most female players that age play Ranging Rook. There’s a lot to remember when using Static Rook, and especially for Bishop Exchange, you have to stay up-to-date on the latest strategies. Otherwise, you can’t keep up–––.”

Ai, on offense, uses her first move to open the Bishop’s Path while I was speaking.

Ubaguchi Women’s 3-dan thinks for a moment and opens her Bishop’s Path as well.

Seeing that, a surprised Ai Yashajin says, “My, my. Are you sure?”

“……?”

“Is it okay for a Women’s League member to open the Bishop’s Path like that?”

“!!”

Ms. Ubaguchi’s calm demeanor disappears in the blink of an eye. Ai’s taunt hit home.

Her expression didn’t change that much, but her ears turned bright red. I can almost see the anger in her eyes.

That reaction tells me two things.

First, that Ms. Ubaguchi thought Ai Yashajin was a pushover.

And the second is …… Ms. Ubaguchi isn’t all that good.

The thing about Bishop Exchange is that you can never leave yourself open. Getting angry enough to forget the situation puts you at a serious disadvantage right off the bat.

The board doesn’t show it, but Ai has already taken a considerable lead.

“…… Atta girl.”

“How do you mean?”

“She lost in the Practice League when Keika did this very thing to her. Ai has accepted that it happened and is now using that technique. She’s a born competitor.”

“Ha-ha-ha! That she is. Well, I was never worried about her in the first place!”

“……”

I’m not so sure about that.

Ms. Ubaguchi fell for Ai’s taunt and dove headfirst into a Bishop Exchange match, a Move-Loss Bishop Exchange match to be exact.

She probably wants to show this bratty grade schooler how scary pros can be. There’s a faint grin on her lips, kind of like she can’t wait to see the look on Ai’s face.

What she didn’t know is that she was sticking her hand right into the wolf’s mouth ……

Keika’s opponent is Kazumi Houroku Women’s 3-dan.

“People call her Ms. Ka-boom or Gunma’s Dynamite. Basically, she’s known for her ballistically aggressive playing style. Her attacks go off like bombs, sometimes blowing her opponent out of the water, but other times destroying her own defenses and she’ll lose everything at once ……”

“Does that mean she’s a strong player? Or does it mean she’s weak?”

“Oh, she’s strong. She’s even taken down an A League 8-dan player before.”

And this type of match favors her playing style. She’s right at home.

“Ka-boom!!”

Ms. Houroku says her trademark phrase and starts a massive advance.

It looks extremely forced …… Well, a full-on explosion–––.

“Khh ……!”

Keika grimaces as she focuses on building a defense.

“…… Practice Shogi matches are one thing, but everyone tenses up and tries to play it safe in league matches or on a big stage like the Mynavi Women’s Open … except Ms. Houroku, who looks like her usual self.”

“She’s self-destructing? Then, Keika will emerge victorious?”

“With the way Keika is right now, I doubt it ……”

Forced offensives don’t do very well in Shogi matches with plenty of waiting time, but they tend to overwhelm opponents when time is limited. Reason being, the defender has more chances to make mistakes.

And these challenge matches–––hardly have any waiting time at all.

Looking back at Ai Hinatsuru’s match, pieces clashing all over the board have turned it into a smoldering battlefield.

“Well now …… It sure seems like the Women’s League player called Shakushi has the upper hand. She’s made a series of split-second decisions these past few turns and is maintaining a great deal of waiting time.”

“…… Weak.”

“What?”

Akira looks confused, so I explain.

“The reason that Ms. Shakushi is playing so fast is because she’s going with her gut feeling rather than reading the board. She should be using her waiting time right now. Ai understands that, but Ms. Shakushi doesn’t. That’s why she’s weak.”

“……”

“To be blunt, there are usually three good moves you can make each turn. Keep shooting in the dark and you’re bound to hit one of them more often than not. But …… that won’t last forever.”

Then, Ms. Shakushi messes up.

Ai’s aura changed that instant, like she flipped a switch.

“…………… Here …………… Here …… Here …………”

“……?”

Ms. Shakushi doesn’t know how to react to the little girl jerking forward and backward and softly mumbling to herself across from her.

But Ai didn’t even notice. She’s delving deeper and deeper into the board.

“Here, here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere–––.”

Ai’s soft, fine hair starts to billow out. Her skin tends to heat up when her brain gets going and that makes her hair sway back and forth. It dries real quick if Ai plays Shogi right after a bath.

Then–––.

“–––Here!!”

“?!”

She reaches out in a long arc like a cat reaching for a fish and snap!! Ai makes her move with a high-pitched crack.

It was one-sided Shogi from there.

Ai makes her moves right away. On the other hand, Ms. Shakushi starts using her waiting time in bits and pieces …… Each move taking longer than the last.

Akira asks me in a concerned voice.

“S-Should she be playing at that pace?! I hardly believe she’s accurately reading the situation–––.”

“This is fine.”

“What?”

“Because she’s already read to the end.”

At almost the same time I said that …

“……… Agh?!”

Ms. Shakushi realizes her King is trapped.

She used her next few turns to set the scene–––then Tomoe Shakushi Women’s 2-dan threw in the towel.

“…… I lost.”

“Uwheh?”

Ai looks up, her face like she just woke up from a dream.

“Oh! Thank you very much!!”

She throws her head down in a panicked bow.

All the excitement and happiness from winning her first-ever tournament match have turned her cheeks red, like two apples on her face.

Her Master might just cry ……

“…… That was quite the advance. I never thought you would actually do it and got so surprised that I tried to escape in the wrong direction.”

After the last move.

Hiding the pain that comes from losing to an amateur still in grade school with a smile, Ms. Shakushi insinuates that she only lost because of her own mistake.

“Women’s League members don’t play that recklessly …… I hate to admit it, but I played a lot like you when I was an amateur, forcing things (haha).”

“U-Um …… Yes. I knew it was a little risky but ……,” Ai starts saying, cautiously at first before speaking out loud and clear.

“I saw the checkmate.”

“……?!”

Ms. Shakushi’s eyes fly open. She responds, sounding a bit peeved.

“B-But! If I’d done this, wouldn’t it be too soon to know for sure?”

“Moving here would stop it.”

“……?! Th-Then, should I have tried to escape this way?”

“? That’s a checkmate too.”

“Agh ……!”

Ai looks so confused wondering why her opponent would ask something so obvious as she demonstrates a long sequence by quickly moving pieces around the board as if she were playing connect-the-dots.

She didn’t read all of those checkmates so much as she saw them.

It’s to the point that she can’t believe other people can’t see it too.

“……………”

I could see Ms. Shakushi’s fighting spirit drain from her body.

The longer their review session went, the more possible sequences she brought up, the more she realized that Ai’s reading skills were far beyond her own ……

The pain of this second loss during the review session, and losing to an amateur grade schooler participating in her first tournament, was so great that Shakushi Women’s 2-dan left the challenge matches without a single victory.

Meanwhile, Ai Yashajin and her opponent were still in the early game and in the middle of building their formations.

It’s the early game–––but the match has already been decided.

“Ah …… aghhh ……”

For Ubaguchi Women’s 3-dan, falling for Ai’s taunt and moving forward with Move-Loss Bishop Exchange have already put this much out of reach.

“B-But, how …………? Where did ……?”

Turning pale, Ms. Ubaguchi starts thinking back through each move to figure out if she’d made a mistake. Anyone doing that during a match knows they already lost.

Ms. Ubaguchi, every second of her waiting time used up, feels the pressure and makes a less than perfect move.

Ai moves to take advantage of it in no time.

Her form and placement were graceful …… But there was a hint of aggravation in that snap when the piece hit the board.

You’re still trying? You know this is over, right? How can you not understand that?

She’s grilling her opponent with those snaps.

SNAP! Ms. Ubaguchi shivers as she reaches for the board but stops halfway before pulling her hand back and setting it down on her knee. Her fists are clenched, shaking.

Then, with all the effort she could muster, she says, “…… I’m out of options ……”

“Thank you.”

There was no review session.

“I see …… I knew both of you were good ……”

The first round is over.

Keika was the only one of the three to lose. She’s slumped over a chair, staring at the ceiling …… Probably so we can’t see her cry ……

Ms. Houroku’s explosion hit dead center and blew Keika to smithereens. She did her best to hold out but had to surrender in a miserable state.

And now Keika …… is broken.

“I’m so sorry. Sorry that I was the only one to lose. Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade ……”

“K-Keika ……”

“……”

Unsure what to say, Ai Hinatsuru is teetering back and forth while even Ai Yashajin’s usually sharp tongue is staying put.

Well, I can’t blame them. What are you supposed to say at times like this ……?

Keika came all the way from Osaka for a chance to finally realize her dream of joining the Women’s League only to have that dream crushed after just one match. Of course this would happen to her …… The fact that these two grade schoolers beat Women’s League players sure doesn’t help.

But it was the arena announcer who really poured salt on the wound.

“First round winners, please start making preparations for the second round matches! Would those who unfortunately lost in the first round please wait while the Second Chance Block is being organized! Losers, please wait!”

I’m begging you, announcer, don’t say losers!!

“A- …… All right, you two. Your matches are about to start …… Let me handle this and get going.”

“O-Okay ……”

“Humph ……”

Ai Hinatsuru backs away with an apologetic look on her face while the awkwardness seems to be getting to Ai Yashajin. Both make their way to the arena for the second round.

Keika groans as she limply slides down the chair.

“Old soldiers never die …… They simply fade away ……”

“You’re not disappearing any time soon! Don’t forget about the Second Chance Block!”

“T-That’s right, Keika! The match is already over if you’ve given up!!”

Akira and I desperately try to motivate Keika and somehow convince her to head to the next match. “I shall go die a beautiful death,” she says, not saying anything remotely positive on her way out.

The first campaign over, the victorious Ai’s are headed to their Second Block matches while the defeated Keika makes her way through the back alleys of the arena to participate in the Second Chance Block.

No matter how hard people tried to cheer her up, everyone thought that Keika’s chances of advancing past the challenge matches were bleak at best. That’s just how she was …… She was mentally weak and flimsy ……

But who would’ve ever thought?

That one loss–––was going to change Keika’s life forever.