Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 6 - Chapter 1.1

  BRAND NEW BOARD

“Ohh? So that’s the dream you had, Master.”

“A real nightmare ……”

Sitting at the low table in the tatami room, I tell Ai about the dream with a dejected look on my face.

Of course I left out the part about the Lolita complex exam and just told her, “The Grade School Practice Group was about to do surgery on me before I knew it was happening. It was terrifying.” That’s the gist of it.

Oh, and Ai had a kitchen knife in her hand.

She uses a smaller one because it’s easier for her to control with her tiny hands. But, it being so small is why I thought it was a scalpel at first.

Ai is sitting next to me wearing an apron with a cute cat’s face on the front. She looks worried about me and says, “I was halfway through making breakfast when I heard you yell …… That’s why I went to check on you. It must’ve been really scary.”

“Scary, yes but …… I wonder what that being my first dream this year means ……”

“What?! It’s already January 5th! You hadn’t had a dream until last night?”

“Hmm …… Well, I don’t dream that much anyway ……”

That’s the best excuse I could come up with.

Actually, I haven’t been able to sleep much at all. That’s why I went to see the doctor yesterday …… I guess those memories were still fresh. It could be why I had that dream. And the first dream you have each year is supposed to be a forecast for the rest of the year, too.

Great …… My mind’s going all over the place, so I can’t think at all …… 

“Hey, hey Master.”

“Hm?”

“Do you want to know what my …… first dream was?”

“Oh sure. What was it?”

“Try to guess!”

“All right …… Knowing you, Shogi puzzles?”

“Noooope! Try again.”

“Really? Can I have a hint?”

“A hint? A very, very happy dream!”

“Happy? A first dream that brings happiness …… Maybe … climbing Mount Fuji?”

“Not even close! Something even more happy than that!”

“More than that? Watching the sunrise from the top of Mount Fuji is supposed to be the happiest first dream there is, isn’t it?”

“You’ll never get it like this, Master. I’ll go ahead and tell you, okay?”

She can’t wait to say it, I can see it on her face. So, let’s see what this very happy first dream she had was.

“The dream I had was …… playing Shogi with you!”

Then she happily smiles with a “Uhee♡”

Sigh …… So cute …… 

It’s only been a week since I successfully defended my title against the Meijin in a full seven-match series. My spirit nearly broke many times during my battle against the best pro Shogi player in history.

But whenever that happened, it was Ai being here that kept me going.

–––This girl saved me …… 

Feeling that tidal wave of gratitude once again, the pit of my chest starts burning.

For the first time, I’m truly grateful that this girl and I had a good New Year’s Day together …… That I defended my title. Only now does it feel real.

I’m the Dragon King, the Ryuo, and Ai has joined the Women’s League …… 

So many things happened last year, but it was the most intense, rough …… and happiest year I’ve ever been alive.

So much so that I don’t think it’s possible for things to get any better than this …… 

“Ah! Ozoni, ozoni~.”

Ai jumps to her feet once bubbling sounds start coming from a pot in the kitchen.

She comes back with a bowl on a tray in her hands, thick steam rising from it.

“Master! I made this ozoni myself! I had my parents send the ingredients from home, so please try it!”

“Hm? Looks pretty ordinary to me.”

She holds out the Wajimanuri bowl that she brought from her parent’s place. It’s filled to the top with broth. Round mochi rice cakes and aona green leaves are floating inside. Along with the sleepless nights, I haven’t had much of an appetite recently either but …… 

One whiff of that broth makes my mouth water. I suppose taking a small sip wouldn’t hurt.

“?! …… W-What is this stuff?!”

Holy cow, this is good?!

Snatching a pair of chopsticks off the table, I down the whole bowl in no time flat.

“It’s just plain ozoni with mochi and leaves but …… This is hands down the best ozoni I’ve ever tasted!! It’s the broth, right?! That’s the secret, yeah?!”

“Eheehee♡ This is how it always tastes at home.”

“What broth is it? I know it’s made from fish, but beyond that ……”

“It’s ago.”

“…… Ago?”

“What you call flying fish.”

“Flying fish …… The ones that hop out of the water?”

“I put some dried ones in water last night and then used that water to make the broth.”

“Oh? …… I didn’t know flying fish were this good.”

My tongue had been on vacation since the Ryuo Title Match ended but came back to life with a savory explosion of flavor, the likes of which I’ve never tasted before. My head is clearing up for the first time in ages.

“Seconds!”

“Eheehee. Okay, how about a different flavor this time?”

Ai disappears back into the kitchen and brings out another bowl a few minutes later.

It’s just that there are different things inside it this time.

“Isn’t that …… iwanori seaweed?”

“Yes! It’s a must-have for Noto-style ozoni! Everyone calls it botanori where I’m from!”

“Interesting!”

Ai is from the Wakura area, a small town full of hot springs off the Noto Sea coastline. The iwanori seaweed sprinkled on top of the ozoni, a staple food for Japanese people on New Year’s, makes quite an impact. It’s a regional tradition over there. This regional ozoni just turned everything I thought I knew about regular ozoni upside down.

But …… That rough shoreline aroma really makes the flying fish broth soar off the tongue!

“This is amazing! Another bowl!”

“Sure♡ Two mochi is enough, right?”

Ai goes back to the kitchen, the adorable pitter-patter of her feet echoing behind her.

Watching her go, I bring up something pretty nostalgic.

“Now that I think about it, you boiled seaweed in a frying pan when you first came here.”

“You remember that?!”

“Of course I do. I couldn’t get over the fact that a grade school girl could make it.”

It was ten months ago, the first morning Ai was here with me.

I remember every detail about that morning like it was yesterday–––.

“It’d be so nice to eat like this every day for the rest of my life—that was the first thing I thought.”

“……!!”

Ai was halfway back into the room with a bowl of ozoni on the tray in her arms when she suddenly freezes and turns bright red.

“T-That, sounded like …… a proposal …… ♡”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Nope! I’m just really happy you like it …… ♡” says Ai, still red as a tomato.

“I …… want you to eat my cooking, Master. You took me as your apprentice and doing things around the house is the only way I can thank you ……”

“Thanks. You are a real lifesaver.”

“Eheehee♡”

Her whole face melts into a smile.

“A-And …… I want you to get used to what my family’s food tastes like as quickly as possible …… ♡♡♡”

“Huh?”

“Nothing!” she mumbles, hiding her face behind the tray.

I’ve got no clue what she said, but that’s adorable. Haaa, this is nice~.

“Oh, speaking of nice things ……”

I slide out from under the heated kotatsu table and crawl to the corner of the room to pick up a legged Shogi board. Cradling it in my arms, I rub my cheek against the playing surface.

A brand new 7-sun, 8.35 inch, Shogi board that just arrived yesterday.

“He-he-he. So nice …… Nothing beats a fresh Shogi board ……♡ Ahhhh♡♡♡”

“You sure seem to like it a lot, Master.”

“A hyuga torreya tree made in Ayacho, Miyazaki Prefecture, and a tenchimasa 7-sun to boot. It’s not easy to get boards like this nowadays. I picked it out as soon as the maker said they had one.”

“Aya? Tenchi …… masa?”

“It means it’s extremely rare and has the best wood grain out there.”

“Now I get it. You bought a treat for yourself after the Ryuo Title Match!”

“Well, it is a treat.”

I look down at the wood’s reddish tinge and follow the grain around the board with my eyes and nod.

Just thinking about the sound the pieces will make on this beauty makes my heart skip a beat …… 

“It certainly wasn’t cheap, but it’s a necessary investment for any player. Whenever the top players back in the day were asked, What can I do to get better at Shogi? Their advice would always be, Acquire a high-quality board and pieces.”

“Really?! Do the board and pieces really matter that much?!”

“Once you get a really good board and expensive pieces, you wouldn’t want to waste them by skipping out on practice, now would you?”

“Oh, so that’s what they meant.”

I thought I’d get more of her reaction than that. Then again, Ai practices every single day with or without a nice board and pieces. So maybe she thinks it doesn’t apply to her.

“But Master? How could you get any stronger than you already are? You beat the Meijin, best player around.”

“There’s no limit to how good you can get.”

It’s true that I’ve been on a winning streak since the fourth match of the Ryuo Title Match and I feel like I’ve improved, but that doesn’t mean I think I’m the best Shogi player in the world. Under no uncertain terms do I consider myself to be better than the Meijin.

What’s more.

People aren’t the only opponents I have to deal with in modern Shogi–––.

“Whoa! That late already …… Ai, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your appointment at the salon?”

“Yes. I should, but …… Are you sure it’s okay to be splurging like this ……?”

“Of course! Reporters and journalists will be all over the place today, so not going the extra mile would be worse. You have to look your cutest today to help promote the Kansai Shogi world!”

Today is January 5th.

It’s the first day of work on the Shogi calendar …… And it all starts with an important ceremony.