Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.3

  THE LINE

Shaaaaaaaa––––––––– ………… 

The sound of running water fades away, replaced by a hairdryer and then fabric soon after.

Finally, footsteps.

“……… I’m finished with the shower.”

“Ah, okay–––.” 

Sitting on the edge of the bed with my back to the glass-walled shower room, I turn to answer.

Big Sis, all traces of dried tears completely gone, is standing there.

Wearing a sailor-style school uniform.

“???”

I blank for a second.

She came here in street clothes. But, right now, she’s wearing a school uniform.

But …… Hold up.

That uniform …… There’s something different about it–––.

“Why in the world have you donned those clothes?!”

FYI. People use really polite words when they’re in shock.

“Because mine have stains.”

“W …… wasn’t there anything else ……?”

“No.”

She ends the conversation with a single word and flops down onto the bed with a creak.

People have called Big Sis Sailor Suited for Combat before but …… That one’d be horrible in a fight!

People would see all sorts of things if she showed up dressed in that! Like her stomach …… and a whole lot more!!

Regular hotels have bathrobes hanging up next to the tub, but this kind of hotel doesn’t ……?

Daaaaamn …… She’s cute.

Holy. Big Sis is just: wow. This isn’t the cute, innocent heartthrob level, but so, so much more.

“Ah, uh, um …… I’ll …… get a towel and sleep on the floor ……”

Rather than fight these desires, I give up before the battle even starts because there’s no chance in hell I’d win. I don’t trust myself to keep my hands off her if we slept in the same bed.

A wise man stays away from danger. As long as I keep my distance, I should make it through this.

So, I start to get up from the bed–––.

Pull!

“Huh?!”

Something tugs my shirt from behind. Much stronger than necessary.

Big Sis issues an order as I try to figure out what’s happening. Much stronger tone than necessary.

“Lay down.”

“Come again?”

“Lay on the bed. Straight.”

“L …… Like this?”

I do my best Egyptian mummy impression on the bed.

“But …… Why?”

“Because I want a pillow.”

“Pillow?”

“…… A body pillow.”

“Oh, ohh ……”

Big Sis wraps her dainty arms around me as I lie there and pulls in tight. Then, she whispers into my ear, “Pillows aren’t allowed to move.”

“Oh, ohh ……”

Breath tickling my ear, she forcefully adds, “Move one finger and I’m calling the police.”

“I want to sleep on the floor ……”

“You may not.”

Squeeze.

The selfish sailor pulls her body pillow, who she forbade to move, even closer and buries her face in his chest. The air around her is filled with that good girly smell.

Torture ……!

This is …… torture ……!!

“……… About earlier.”

“Yeh?”

“Do you … really think what Shumai-sensei said truly …… isn’t related to strength?”

“…… Yes. I don’t think there’s any connection at all.”

If anything, there might be a slight confidence boost. But having that experience shouldn’t have any effect on Shogi strength or skill.

“You haven’t done it either, Yaichi?”

“I, uhh ……………… Well, no, but ……”

“Even though you’re seventeen?”

“Enough, okay? It’s not like I have a partner.”

“The pipsqueak?”

“I’d never do that?! What do you take me for?!”

“……”

Hey, Ginko, why aren’t you saying anything?

“And besides, right now ……… I’m not interested in finding a partner like that.”

Driving that knife even deeper into my own aching chest, I put some thought into where this pain is coming from.

Could this be what people call a broken heart ……?

“…… I think about it every now and then. I’m pretty sure that even if I did have that kind of relationship with someone, I’d still put Shogi first. After all, nothing is more important than Shogi and Shogi is the only thing that’s ever stolen my heart. I’m sure you can relate, Big Sis.”

“……”

“I’m not exaggerating. Shogi really is what I love. I can’t imagine Shogi becoming a person. There are times when I want someone around to cheer me up, like when I lose but …… Shogi is the only thing I want to think about right now.”

“…………”

“I don’t think anyone else would believe me if I told them this …… But you’ve been with me longer than anyone, Big Sis, so I think if anyone would understand, it’d be you. So–––.”

“Then why can’t I win?!!”

Big Sis screams from out of nowhere. Her fingernails are digging into my skin.

That scream rang out from the bottom of her soul.

A painful scream, one that had been building up for a long time finally broke free.

“Why can’t I win like you do?! We’ve always been together, so why?! We did exactly the same things, didn’t we?! So why can’t I be like you?!”

Why?! Why?!

She keeps asking like she’s reverted back to being a little kid.

Those fingernails of hers dig deeper as she squeezes even harder and hides her tears by pushing her face into my chest …… Ginko keeps on screaming.

“Tell me why?! You know, right, Yaichi?! So, tell me?!”

“Well ……”

–––You don’t have talent.

It’d be so easy to explain it like that. If Big Sis had talent like mine, she’d be just as strong as me. Since she’s not, that would mean she doesn’t have talent …… 

But there’s no way that’s true.

Big Sis only just turned fifteen. Being one win away from promoting to 3-dan as a third-year junior high school student would be extremely fast even for the boys in the Sub League.

Simply put, she has talent. She’s talented enough to turn pro.

Then, what’s missing?

I do have a theory.

“I think ……… you don’t have enough stamina.”

“…… Stamina?”

“Yeah.”

That answer must’ve been a surprise because Big Sis stops crying and asks, “But …… You know there’s less waiting time in the Sub League than in the Women’s League, right? I admit that Women’s League players aren’t as strong as Sub League members, but I’ve been in more league matches than anyone in the Sub League–––.”

“The Sub League plays two matches a day, yes? That’s the kind of stamina I’m talking about.”

“……”

“Members of the 3-dan division have to travel to Tokyo. That alone will take away your stamina, Big Sis. Even if you’re used to traveling for your Women’s Title Matches, you’ve always swept your opponents, which means you’ve only played six matches a year ……”

Big Sis currently holds the Women’s Titles Queen and Women’s Throne.

Each is decided by a best of five series, meaning the first to win three wins the title.

With the Women’s Throne Defense Matches in the fall, the Queen Defense Matches in the spring, they don’t take that much time at all and aren’t too demanding schedule-wise.

However, it doesn’t work like that in the 3-dan division.

“Eighteen league matches over six months. The cut-off line for promotion each year is around thirteen wins. Alternate wins and losses, and you’ll never make it. Winning consecutive matches is a must.”

In other words, you absolutely have to win two matches a day.

Taking a step further, it’s important to never lose two in a row.

Even if a loss or two can’t be helped, lose more than six and you’re gone. There’s no choice but to get back on your feet right away even if you lose the first match.

All of that is true in the Sub League as well, but–––.

“Players in the 3-dan division play with a noose around their necks. Lose that first match, and they have to play with that rope even tighter around their throats. What’s worse, that rope never lets up …… Not without turning pro, anyway.”

“……!”

I could feel Big Sis gulp through my chest.

It’s a death match carried out on the gallows. Only two will survive the ordeal.

That’s the 3-dan division.

All the fear and uncertainty make it nearly impossible for people pushed that close to the brink to think clearly.

That’s why the one who stays calm until the end wins.

Pros learn that Shogi isn’t just a contest of skill but of mental fortitude as well during their time in the Sub League.

Considering that Big Sis never knows when her physical stamina will run out, what does she need to win under those conditions?

Now I tell her what I’ve been leading up to.

“…… I think you should use Ranging Rook.”

“Ranging …… Rook ……?”

“Yes. It takes too much research to use Static Rook. There are too many options to narrow down when using Static against Static, and the early game turns into a battle of wits as each player tries to manipulate the formations to their advantage ……”

“……”

“What’s more, they have to study exactly how to counter each individual Ranging Rook strategy. All that preparation and the early mind games take a physical toll, and you’ll run out of endurance by the time it all comes down to one final battle in the late game …… That’s fatal in the 3-dan division. You get that, right?”

“…………”

“The Sub League has two late games.”

Holding out until the very end is so important in the Sub League that people say that all the time.

In fact, the phrase fight until the bitter end has been used to refer to the Sub League in the Shogi world for a long time.

“For that reason, playing Ranging Rook gives you a lot of freedom. Going against someone in the Ranging Rook party means the match will become a simple power struggle. Big Sis, you built up your skills in Kansai, so I think you could hold your own in that kind of match with no problem.”

By the same token, most Women’s League players use Ranging Rook, which means that Big Sis would have more experience going against it than other Sub League members.

Big Sis speaks up but doesn’t sound too sure.

“But …… Software says that moving the Rook is a bad move …… And, aren’t young pros changing to Static Rook all the time?”

“That’s exactly my point.”

This is the important part. I put a little extra power in my voice.

“It’s true that the pro Static Rook party is growing. But quite a few of the people who make it through the 3-dan division did so using Ranging Rook. People tend to think that switching to Static Rook will make them stronger like you, Big Sis. That makes Ranging Rook look weaker than it actually is.”

This.

The main reason I agreed to do practice sessions with Mr. Oishi was to increase my own Shogi skills.

But the second reason was because I wanted to create an opportunity for Big Sis to learn Ranging Rook from him.

“Specialists stick to their guns, which gives them a mental advantage during long league matches. If you’re going to go back and forth between strategies before a match gets started, it’s better to hone one strategy and stick with it.”

“… Wouldn’t that make it easier for the opponent to plan against them?”

“Static Rook party members are busy researching other Static Rook strategies. Ranging Rook gets put on the shelf. You did the same thing, right?”

“But, that won’t work in the pros–––.”

“Please only think about getting through the 3-dan division.”

“……!”

She gulps down another mouthful of air and I press even further.

“Worrying about what happens in the pros leaves you mentally open to attack. Go into the 3-dan division that way and you’ll never make it through. I’m sure you realize that, Big Sis.”

“……”

“Don’t forget there are plenty of pros who switched to Static Rook and went on to reach the top ranks. There’s plenty of time to think about what you do when you turn pro after turning pro. Yeah?”

“……”

Big Sis’s muscles have been straining this whole time, but now they finally let up a bit as she quietly murmurs.

“……… I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll work with you every step of the way, and I’m sure Mr. Oishi will help out, too. Making the switch right away might be impossible, but please start preparing to change your form to fight in the 3-dan division.”

“……”

While she didn’t respond directly, she did whisper under her breath, “……… I need to, build up stamina ……”

“Yeeeah, that would help.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Hmm. How about swimming?”

“…… No sunlight to worry about in an indoor pool.”

“A swimming cap would hide your hair, and goggles would keep your face hidden. You stand out in a crowd and many people know your face, so going to an aerobics class at a gym would be a bit ……”

Plus, your body is so streamlined you’d probably be a great swimmer.

She’d kill me if I said it out loud.

“I’ll join you if you don’t want to go alone. I’ve been wanting to find a way to get some exercise recently myself.”

Maybe coming home dead tired would help me get some sleep.

It was all just a suggestion, but Big Sis seems to have taken it a completely different way.

“Perv.”

“Huh? I didn’t mean it like–––.”

“Sick. Nasty.”

I’m the one being held like a body pillow and somehow I’m getting called perverted and sick. How am I supposed to take that?

“…… Yaichi, are you not sleeping?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“The bags under your eyes.”

“Ohh …… I have some?”

“And a funny face.”

Enough already.

“Since my title matches against the Meijin …… well, the fourth one to be exact … my mental Shogi board has never gone away. I’m not even sure if I’m awake right now ……”

“………… That must be nice.”

“Huh?”

“…… My board, the pieces, they’re all dark and blurry …… So that must be nice.”

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s actually been more of a pain.”

“Stupid Yaichi.”

“Look, I’d get rid of it if I could, all right?”

“Idiot. That’s a luxury.”

“Luxury?”

“………… It’s always like this with you Shogi Martians ……”

Shogi Martians? What in the world is she talking about?

“Do you think I’ve got it good because I’ve got a mental Shogi board? Ai Hinatsuru’s got eleven of them.”

“………………”

“She said she can keep track of six of them at the same time, which makes her a Shogi puzzle monster. Back when she played blind against Mr. Oishi and I using six boards at once, she pointed out my Double Pawn–––.”

Chomp!

“Gahhhhhhhhh–––!! S-Stop biting! Ow-ow-ow-ouch! Fingers are off-limits, remember! My Shogi will get worse!!”

I’m not going to let this totally uncalled-for barbaric attack slide. Pulling my finger out from between her teeth, I protested with everything I’ve got.

“Seriously, Big Sis?! We had a rule, no fingers?! It’s been that way since we were kids!! My Shogi will suffer if you hurt my fingers or my brain, so would you please leave them alone?!”

“That’s not my problem, idiot. Get worse.”

“Yeesh …… Awh-ahh, just look at all those bite marks ……”

“…… Get weaker, Yaichi. Lots and lots weaker.”

Damn it. Why is she so angry? There wasn’t anything in that conversation that could’ve pissed her off, was there?

Big Sis then says something while I’m trying to figure it out.

“…… I’m quitting school.”

“You can’t quit junior high ……”

“I won’t go to high school. I’ll find an apartment close to the association.”

“Why would ……? Please don’t make decisions like that by yourself. You need to talk with your parents before–––.”

“You did.”

“Ugh ……”

There’s nothing I can say to that.

I gently stroke this spoiled brat’s head, trying to get her to relax now that she’s tensed up again, and say, “At least talk with Master and Keika. Personally, I’d feel a lot better with you living at Master’s place ……”

“……………”

Rather than responding, Big Sis buries her face deep into my chest.

Is she …… agreeing with me or protesting ……?

“Big Sis? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I ask after a few quiet moments.

“………………… Zzz ……………… Zzz ………”

She’s out like a light …… 

“Siiiiiiiiiigh ……… And she has no idea how I feel ……”

I let out the longest sigh of the day as I peek at Big Sis’s face. She’s sound asleep in my arms, as comfy as can be. I swear, she looks like an innocent little baby when she sleeps …… 

“…… Ginko has always been like this. Putting me through hell and back and then conking out like nothing ever happened in the end ……”

In the grasp of this four-year-old whose body has outgrown her brain, I close my eyes.

I’m not sure if it’s because I was just that tired, but I slept surprisingly well that night.