LUNAR ECLIPSE
“What’s th …… A-Ai?! Are you all right?!”
Keika rushed out the door without her shoes when she saw Akira half-carrying Ai up to the house.
Taking the limp girl from her, Keika brought Ai inside the threshold and set her down against the wall before sliding her feet into the plastic sandals her father wore in Hawaii and went back outside.
She could see Ai Yashajin in the back of a taxi parked out front and the empty seat were Ai Hinatsuru had most likely been sitting. The back door was still open.
Akira was standing next to that open door like a well-trained guard dog.
“You came all the way out here from Shin-Osaka Station by taxi? I’ll get some money to cover–––.”
“No! The Lord of the Manor shall cover all travel expenses. Please do not concern yourself.”
“But ……”
“She’s saying we don’t need the money. People that don’t have any to start with should just nod and go along with it,” said a clearly agitated Ai Yashajin with her arms folded across her chest.
“My word! Getting completely destroyed at the Tokyo Association then crying all the way here …… I’ve never been so annoyed! Don’t play that way if you’re going to cry so hard when you lose! Everyone knows charging headfirst into a title holder won’t work ……!”
“There was nothing she could do. Her opponent was Ryou Tsukiyomizaka after all, and—– …”
“No matter who your opponent is or where your head is at, playing Shogi is pointless if you don’t win. Excuses won’t change anything.”
“……… You know what. Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
“?”
Ai fell silent, losing interest after Keika wholeheartedly agreed with her opinion.
A few moments later, “Humph.”
“Akira. We’re leaving.”
“Oh! Wait just a second!”
“…… What?”
“Congratulations on making it through the first round. And …… Thank you, for winning.”
“Huh? Why are you thanking me for that?”
“Because …… if both of his apprentices lost, Yaichi would never get back to his usual self. That’s why you won, isn’t it? Why you used all those off-the-board techniques–––.”
“……!”
Ai Yashajin broke off eye contact and looked down to hide her face.
“Ginko and I have been analyzing your matches inside for a while now. Ai’s Shogi was a little disappointing, but––– …” Dropping her voice down to make sure Ai Hinatsuru couldn’t hear her, Keika continued, “Yours was fantastic. Every move you made said I refuse to lose, even though you were going against someone from Kanto’s Sub League. I know maintaining a stronger defense than your opponent isn’t your style, but you did it anyway …… You sacrificed your pride to come away with the win. You have my respect.”
Ai Yashajin defeated Karen Noboryou in the match earlier that day.
Due to the fact that Kanto Sub League has more members than its Kansai counterpart, promoting is much more difficult.
Karen had yet to achieve a dan ranking, but her skills were on par with Ginko, a current 2-dan in Kansai. More than likely, she would’ve been able to hold her ground against a Women’s League title holder. Therefore, winning against Karen is a pretty big achievement.
“Keeping up a strong defense against a skilled opponent is actually more difficult than attacking. No matter how good you are at defending, the fear of getting overpowered first never goes away ……”
The best way to look away from that fear, the simplest solution …
That is–––to attack.
“Shogi is one-on-one, so your opponent will defend whenever you’re on the attack. That’s when you can ignore the fear …… But it comes at a price. You lose the moment your attack gets cut off. Just like what happened to Ai in her match today.”
“Not really …… I just thought winning would be easier with a strong defense. It’s better to have a tight formation to protect against any surprises when playing against an unfamiliar opponent. That’s just common sense.”
Ai had meticulously woven formations that allowed her to constantly be in a slightly better position than her opponent … in order to avoid getting tripped up by strategies she had yet to research.
Then, all she had to do was wait for the inpatient Karen’s fuse to run out.
Under normal circumstances, Karen would have identified Ai’s strategy early on and changed the battle into a war of attrition …… However, the fact that Ai’s taunts before the match hit home and that she never considered an elementary school girl to be any real threat sealed the unexpected loss.
After the match, Karen’s lips turned purple out of stunned disbelief. She curled into a ball in front of the board and was unable to stand on her own for quite some time.
Knowing that she had never once taken the lead from a Practice League Member in elementary school crushed her confidence, breaking her spine into pieces.
“You know what else? Ginko said some good things about you … about your Shogi skills today.”
“…………”
“’Her Shogi is still weak. But, she’s got a strong spirit.’”
“!!”
Ai Yashajin’s face flushed red as if a bomb had gone off under her skin.
Was it anger? Or perhaps–––.
“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! B-Bottom feeders shouldn’t talk about other people’s playing style like they know everything! I won for me! I wasn’t playing for anyone else, especially not that weak piece of trash I have to call Master! Make no mistake!!” She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Keika like a demon and added, “Tell Ginko Sora …… she’ll lose one of her titles if she doesn’t start learning what my Shogi can do.”
“Why not tell her yourself? She’s inside.”
“I refuse to get friendly with an opponent. Even one in the same Shogi family.”
Ginko stands at the top of the Mynavi Women’s Open as Queen.
Should Ai Yashajin keep winning, the two will collide in a five-round title match.
Remembering, Keika said, “Which reminds me, you now qualify to enter the Women’s League. Congratulations. Are you going to register right away?”
“…… As of now, I don’t plan on it.”
“The faster you do, the easier it is to get promoted.”
“I don’t care,” Ai said, almost brushing off the advice. Then, she continued with a small, devilish smile on her lips. “And, don’t you think it’s more interesting this way? Naniwa’s Snow White, flawless against Women’s League players, losing her crown to an amateur in grade school–––.”
“See, I knew you had a kind heart.”
“Huuh?”
“You’re letting her join first. Your older sister apprentice, Ai.”
“……!!”
Ai Yashajin froze, the devilish smile still on her face.
“Hmm,” muttered Keika, pressing her forefinger to her lower lip and said as if searching her memory, “I don’t think you’ll have to wait too long. Today didn’t go her way, but Ai will get promoted to C-1 if she can keep up her winning streak in the Practice League. All that’s left is getting Yaichi–––.”
“Th! That’s not my problem!! Don’t say things you don’t understand!! You …… You presumptive hag!!” Ai flicked her hair over her shoulder like a long, dark wing and kicked the door all the way open in frustration. “Akira! Get in the car already!! I’ll have the driver leave without you?!”
“Y-Yes, my lady! Well then …… Keika, excuse us!”
Giving a deep bow, Akira hastily jumped into the passenger seat next to the driver.
Keika watched the taxi’s taillights disappear down on the street with a slight grimace.
“…… That girl. If only she were more honest with herself.”
Then, she went back inside to find Ai Hinatsuru still wearing her shoes and slouched against the wall. Keika looked down at her with a motherly smile.
“Ai. Go take a bath and I’ll get dinner ready. Then, please tell me about it once you settle down a bit …… about everything that happened since yesterday.”
Keika prepared a dish called nikusui for Ai.
The easiest way to explain this is it’s beef on udon noodles just without the noodles.
The broth-filled bowl Keika placed in front of her certainly looked like something out of a Kansai noodle shop.
But rather than noodles, it was chock full of extra meat with a half-cooked, runny egg on top.
“It only takes a few minutes to make, but it’s nice and hot and it really hits the spot! Perfect for when you’re exhausted. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“………”
“I always made it for Yaichi and Ginko whenever they came home, crying and listless after losing a Shogi match.”
“……………… Master …… did ……?”
“He sure did. I’d make it for him now, too, if he’d just come by ……”
Keika’s face lights up with a meek but warm smile as she takes a trip down memory lane.
“That’s the thing about those two. When they lose, they downright refuse to leave the board until they win. They don’t drink or eat anything, just keep playing with tears flowing. By the time they get home, they’re so weak that a small gust of wind could knock them over. Regular food just wouldn’t go down their throats. Isn’t that right, Ginko?”
“……”
Ginko was off in the corner by herself, looking at her smartphone acting like she couldn’t care less what the others were talking about.
While she had no intention of speaking with Ai directly, Ginko seemed interested in what the girl had to say.
Fighting back another grimace, Keika turned away from the stubborn girl and back to Ai.
“Once you get your appetite back, it’s really good with rice and an egg. Put a little special soy sauce on it, and it’s like magic! The best thing you’ve ever tasted!”
“………… I want to try.”
“Great! Wait right there!”
Keika shuffled back into the kitchen, her slippers smacking against the wooden floor. She then cracked an egg onto a bowl of rice like she’s done it millions of times and brought it back out to the table.
Then, she patiently waited for Ai to finish eating.
“So, Ai? Could you please tell me what happened? All Yaichi said was, Please take my apprentice until the Title Match is over.”
“…………… It’s ………… It’s, all my fault ……”
Tears started pouring from the girl’s eyes once again.
“I’ve done …… nothing but …… bother …… Master …… Even though he’s …… trying so hard …… I can’t …… do anything ……!”
“Ai …… You’re not bothering him. Far from it, Yaichi’s been winning a lot more since you came.”
“……… No …… As long as I’m there, Master …………”
Ai strung words together in spotty whispers.
Once the topic changed to Yaichi’s mental state–––.
“……! I had no idea ……”
Keika was at a loss for words. She couldn’t believe that pressure had pushed him that far.
“……”
Ginko’s ears perked up, her fingers completely still over her smartphone.
Once Ai had finished, Keika tried her best to lighten the mood.
“Anyway …… Let’s leave him be for a while. This is the kind of thing that he’ll have to get over on his own anyway. In the meantime, I’m so happy you’ll be staying here with us, Ai!”
“……… Thank … you ……”
“That’s okay, you don’t need to say thanks. But, you’ve got to be sleepy by now? My father is out doing Placement Matches, so he’ll be late. Actually, he’ll go out drinking somewhere once he’s done so there’s no telling when he’ll come home.”
With that, Keika led Ai up to the second floor.
The second-floor bedroom–––the room where Yaichi once slept. Keika tucked Ai into her Master’s old bed and walked toward the door. With her hand on the light switch, Keika asked, “Ai, do you need anything? Just name anything you want.”
“……… Okay, then–––.”
Keika’s eyes widened in surprise as she listed off a few things …… Then started tearing up.
She promised she’d get everything ready, and a weak smile appeared on Ai’s face for the first time that night.
So innocent and endearing, it was all Keika could do to keep the tears back.
Ai fell asleep moments after closing her eyes, the room silent but for her soft breathing.
Keika switched off the lights and quietly slid the door shut.
Then, just as she was coming down the stairs–––.
“Oh?”
She saw Ginko getting ready to go out the front door. And she thought the girl would be staying the night ……
“Ginko? Where are you going? It’s late.”
“I forgot something at the Association. I’ll go straight home to my apartment after that, so I won’t be coming back here tonight.”
“You can get it tomorrow?”
“I don’t want anyone taking my stuff.”
“I think you’ll just make things worse right now.”
“…… See you later.”
Ginko made a quick exit. Keika watched her go, forcing a smile as her shoulders slumped.
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