Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 4 - Chapter 5.3

  TAMAYO ROKUROBA

The match between Ai Yashajin and Tamayo Rokuroba turned into a one-sided offensive onslaught by the elder player.

However–––Tamayo was starting to sense her own weakness.

“………… Damn this brat ……!”

Crick, crick!

Biting down so hard her opponent could hear her teeth grind, Tamayo glared at the nine-year-old girl.

After successfully goading her into a Double Wing Attack, she should be leading at this point.

“……… Should be, should be ……!”

Tamayo’s King was still sitting–––meaning she hadn’t spent a single turn on defense. However, her offensive typhoon had about as much effect on the nine-year-old sitting across from her as a mid-summer breeze.

Hardly even blinking in the face of a Women’s League player’s assault, one more than twice her age, Ai Yashajin evaded the barrage by the slimmest of margins and had yet to make a single mistake. She had plenty of opportunities to preemptively cut off the attacks but waited until the last possible move to do so, prolonging the sequences but defending each one.

Almost as if she were gauging Tamayo Rokuroba’s talent level ……

“………… Spoiled brat ……… I’ll squash you like a bug ……”

She could beat anyone if she tried hard enough.

There was a time when Tamayo was sure of it. It didn’t matter if her opponent was the Eternal Queen, Rina Shakando-Women’s Legend, she thought she could win as long as she didn’t make a mistake. That included going against spoiled brats.

That confidence was shaken for the first time–––four years ago.

It was right here, in the last round of the Mynavi Preliminary Matches when she lost to a girl in elementary school Tamayo Rokuroba realized–––she hadn’t been chosen by the Shogi gods.

That was her only match against the terrifyingly talented girl with silver hair. Earning a rematch would require her to challenge the girl for her title … Tamayo wasn’t strong enough to make it that far ……

“……… Solid ……”

The wall separating her from Ginko Sora and this elementary school girl felt impenetrable.

It wasn’t as simple as talent or momentum.

Tamayo Rokuroba had fought against many Women’s League players, but the girl in front of her now had a Shogi style she’d never seen before. Ai Yashajin’s Shogi itself felt thick.

To her, it was like punching a solid wall.

The wall wouldn’t budge no matter how many punches she threw. In fact, it was her fists that were breaking.

“…… Those defenses are pitiful, openings all over the place but ……!” Tamayo whispered, clearly irritated but even more impressed.

She couldn’t care less if her opponent heard her. For Tamayo Rokuroba, what happened on the board is all that mattered.

Because no one can lie on a Shogi board, nor would they want to.

“……… Solid ……!” Tamayo whispered again, every one of her attempts to break Ai Yashajin’s defensive formation falling short and watching in awe as they somehow got stronger at the same time.

Amount of research.

Reading ability.

But above all …… the amount of thought that went into Ai’s each and every move far outclassed her.

“…… What in the world could possibly … who could’ve …… taught a nine-year-old to play like this ……?”

The immense shadow cast by the research behind Ai Yashajin’s moves struck fear into Tamayo’s heart.

–––She thought she was one of Shogi’s chosen few.

Once Tamayo Rokuroba had become the Amateur Women’s Meijin during her first year of junior high school, her Master brought her into the Practice League and set her on the path to becoming a Women’s League player.

She achieved Women’s League 3-kyu in the following year and was promoted to 2-kyu only six months later.

Awards piled up like mountains.

Her picture appeared in newspapers and on the Internet, and she was hailed as a prodigy in her hometown.

But when she dove into the Women’s League …… she was nothing more than a rock.

A slightly attractive rock whose only purpose was to hold up the pyramid, barely a pebble.

–––Then don’t go in with the wrong idea!

She thought she was destined to be a star, but the Women’s Shogi world relegated her to a supporting role and kept her there.

Tamayo Rokuroba rebelled against that world.

“Everyone has their own role to play!”

“Let’s work together to make the Women’s Shogi world the best it can be!”

She was too much of a competitor to get roped in by those lofty ideals.

Her eyes were focused solely on the summit. Therefore, she never felt comfortable bonding with rivals.

Events were one thing, but Tamayo grew to hate seeing other Women’s League players her age chatting among themselves like friends before matches.

She gradually became isolated within the Women’s Shogi world.

Even though she was only trying to improve, other women ridiculed her for husband hunting when she arranged Practice Sessions with strong male professional players. It wasn’t long before rumors spread, making her Practice Sessions awkward before they disappeared entirely.

She didn’t give up and started pursuing Practice Sessions with anyone and everyone in her quest to get stronger. However, the rumors became so widespread that it was too late to save her reputation.

The same was true for her appearances on Nico Live.

She committed herself to developing her skills as a Shogi commentator, learning the latest fashion trends and even taking courses on public speaking and analytical techniques.

But in the Shogi world, where a particular code of ethics reigns supreme, her efforts resulted in constant criticism.

No one understood her diligence.

No players were there to defend the proudly independent young woman.

She had a following of fans for support, but they were in the minority. How about cleaning up your Shogi before dolling up your face? She’d heard it all. It didn’t matter that they would call her an ugly hag without a second thought if her makeup wasn’t just right ……

–––Then prove them wrong with results.

Yes. Results were the only way.

In this world that revolved around image, the Shogi board was the one thing that wouldn’t lie. The Shogi board couldn’t lie.

That’s why–––.

“………… Intense ……!!”

Burning with determination, Tamayo snapped a piece down onto the board.

She’d built, refined and perfected her plan until her skin flushed red. Forged over and over again to eliminate all impurities, she devised a move clad in the finest steel armor.

One look at that move.

“Haaaa–––––– ………”

The nine-year-old girl sitting in front of her exhaled a long, deep breath and set to reading the board.

Then, responded with a move that never occurred to Tamayo.

“……… Agh?!”

Tamayo Rokuroba groaned beside herself at what appeared on the board.

That shining move turned her fully armored, all-or-nothing last gasp of an attack into little more than stardust blowing in the wind ……

“………”

Tamayo, who had maintained a constant offensive throughout the match, moved her King for the first time. It was equivalent to raising the white flag.

A few turns later, Tamayo Rokuroba placed her hand on her piece stand and lowered her head.

“I’ve lost.”

“Thank you for the match.”

Their review session began immediately with Tamayo asking her about the move she made in the moment of truth.

Ai said that she “gave it a little thought” and continued by saying frankly, “But I knew I could win as long as I didn’t make any mistakes.”

Usually, victorious Women’s League players show restraint during review sessions.

That is especially true when younger or lower ranking players win because they’ll be subjected to intense backlash for not trying to console the loser. Having a live audience only makes matters worse.

However, Ai Yashajin refused to adhere to the norms and said exactly what she was thinking. Tamayo Rokuroba lost the match and was destroyed in the review session.

For some reason, that made Tamayo happy.

There was pain.

Of course, a feeling of powerlessness that made her want to cry was there as well.

But for whatever reason …… a refreshing sentiment won out.

–––How about that? We could end up as friends.

She felt as though she had unearthed an undiscoverable treasure in the Shogi world.

However, she would rather die than openly ask, Would you be my friend?

Because for her, Shogi wasn’t about making friends–––only rivals.

“…… I’m probably not even a blip on your radar,” Tamayo said to Ai as she put the pieces away. “You’re well on your way to a place I can’t reach, just like Ginko Sora. To the top of the Women’s Shogi world ……”

The girl in front of her wasn’t the least bit perturbed by those words.

She has that in common with Ginko Sora too, she thought.

“Do you remember last time, when you told me I should quit?”

“I do.”

“I’ve thought about just that so many times without being told. If I’m going to lose to children like you …… There’s no point continuing if I can’t be number one no matter how hard I try.”

She was determined to work harder than anyone, but now she had given up on pushing herself to the next level.

The more popular she became in the Women’s League, the further her goals seemed to drift away.

There were times when clinging to this position seemed meaningless–––.

“But you know? I’m not quitting.” Not some fake grin, but with a genuine smile growing on her lips, Tamayo said, “Someday years down the road, when time has worn you down, we’ll play again. And I’ll be stronger. I don’t care if it’s thirty, forty years from now …… Might even be longer, but I’ll be right here waiting with my feet stuck in the ground.”

“Humph.”

For a girl still as young as nine, forty years may as well be a thousand years in the future.

But Ai Yashajin thought about that future and gave a rather honest answer.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Only then did Tamayo Rokuroba realize the fans in the audience were applauding louder now than ever before.