Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.5

  MOTHER AND DAUGHTER CHAT

“…………… I’m …… back ……”

For some reason, I whisper I’m back as I walk in my apartment’s front door.

“…… I’m …… home. Ai ……? Are you …… here?”

This is my place, I should be able to walk in as I see fit.

Should, but …… Part of me feels guilty.

Look, I know exactly why, okay? I told her I’d be spending the night at a practice session but ended up spending it with the girl, so …… 

Is this how a cheating husband feels after coming home from a trip with his mistress ……? Could be. But if he gets this anxious, he’d be better off not cheating at all. The anxiety is killing me.

If Ai came back here from Master’s place before I did, then I need to be mentally prepared to talk to her.

I got rid of all traces of Big Sis when I left the hotel and my alibi is perfect, but Ai knows my tells. She’ll see through my lies. Ai is the last person I want to face like this.

–––I need to make sure she can’t get a read on me …… Just like before a match!

“Those are her shoes …… She’s here all right.” 

But there’s been no answer.

“…… Is she asleep in her room?”

If she went right to bed, that would work in my favor.

Walking as quietly as I can, I go look in the mirror above the sink. Now that I know for sure there’s no trace of Big Sis anywhere on me, it’s time to go where my apprentice probably is, in the living room–––.

“…… Yes ………… Yes. I know, mom.”

Voices are coming from the tatami room. That’s Ai. It sounds like she’s talking to someone.

Careful not to make a sound, I stay out of sight.

“Hm? Is that …… Ai’s mother?”

She seems to be using her tablet to talk with her mother over Skype.

“…… That’s new.”

Ai has lived with me for almost a year now, but I’ve never seen her do this.

I always encouraged her to stay in touch with her family, but Ai stuck to email and regular phone calls. She must’ve thought seeing her mother’s face would weaken her motivation to train.

But now, mother and daughter are speaking face-to-face.

–––Maybe she got homesick after visiting home ……?

My apprentice is homesick, and I left her feeling lonely. Another throb of pain tears through my chest.

Their conversation picks up as the guilt torments me.

“Ai. You have indeed stepped out in front of the rest. However, that makes you a noticeable target for them as well. Which, unfortunately, puts you at a disadvantage …… Now that you are one step ahead, bear in mind that you are in a more vulnerable position than before.”

“Yes …… That’s what I thought ……”

“Prepare yourself, Ai. Your enemies are strong …… Do not be content just because you have the advantage of living with him.”

The advantage of living with me?

Oh, I got it …… She can get one-on-one advice and training any time because she lives with me.

That must be what Ai’s mother is talking about.

Ai’s living situation is a better environment for studying compared to other Women’s League players. But that alone isn’t enough to get a Women’s Title ……!

“While Naniwa’s Snow White is a given, that large-breasted twenty-something has spent much more time as well. That’s an undeniable fact. You must accept it and commit yourself to finding a way to surpass it.”

Big Sis and Keika. Both have so much more Shogi experience than Ai.

The only way to defeat them is by trying harder than they do. Mrs. Hinatsuru, those words are solid gold.

“Of course, you will trip over your own feet if you always look up. Constantly be aware of the girls your own age.”

“I am …… They’re the ones I need to watch the most,” says Ai in a stern voice. She sounds almost sad.

Girls her age–––.

Of course, there’s Ai Yashajin, but I think Mio’s determination to join the Women’s League caught her attention as well.

Ai took serious damage in the Practice League one day last year because she beat Mio. That’s the sad truth about playing against friends.

–––But that kindness can be fatal.

She may be ahead right now, but the distance will close the moment she is satisfied with her position. It’s necessary to be prepared to sacrifice everything, even friendship, for Shogi.

–––Is this girl prepared to start thinking of her friends as enemies ……?!

For someone as kindhearted as Ai, that’s got to be rough.

But it was Ai’s next words that threw me for a loop.

“One of my friends is a cute little girl named Charlette. She’s Master’s favorite …… I think she could be my biggest rival.”

Charlette ……?!

“…… Well done, Ai,” I whisper under my breath with cold sweat rolling down my back.

Even I, her Master, never thought a girl as young as Ai is would be that cautious. 

I thought she’d get full of herself after joining the Women’s League, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

–––This girl’s a born competitor ……!

Just as I was getting excited about what the future holds for my apprentice, her mother keeps going.

“And one other, a woman with glasses. Keep an eye on her.”

“Glasses?”

“There was a journalist wearing a suit. That woman.”

“Are you talking about Kugui-sensei?”

“Something felt different about her to me …… Yes, she has a tenacity about her the other women did not. That is actually the most dangerous type to deal with.”

Yes. Mrs. Hinatsuru’s eyes have been sharpened by years of salesmanship.

Everyone knows that Yamashiro Ouka Machi Kugui is one of the premier Women’s League players, but her strength and skill on the board are so good that she earned the terrifying nickname Machi the Tormentor. A dangerous woman, for sure.

Her playing style is rock solid and brutal! With the exception of Big Sis, Machi is the worst kind of player for Ai to face among the current women’s title holders. If her opponent likes to go in with blades flashing like the Empress, Worldly Thunder Ika Sainokami, then there’d be a one in ten thousand chance for Ai to find a way to win. But Machi the Tormentor won’t even let her have a one in a million chance.

What’s worse, Machi is registered in Kansai. Those two will go head-to-head … a lot.

Machi is a wall that both Ai Hinatsuru and Ai Yashajin will have to face.

“…… But I never knew she was that perceptive. Spotting something that important without any Shogi knowledge is incredible ……”

People don’t call her the Legendary Okami for nothing. Standing at the top of the service industry like she does must’ve given her the ability to see every little detail. There’s so much I can learn from her …… 

“Ai. Do you know the most important aspect of relationships between men and women?”

“Umm …… Feelings? Maybe?”

“Wrong.”

Hm?

Just now …… Mrs. Hinatsuru said relationships between men and women, didn’t she? This is about Shogi …… right?

“Mom, please tell me! What’s the most important part?!”

Daughter egging her on, the legendary inn manager slowly opens her mouth.

“It’s form.”

“F …… orm?”

“Yes. Form is more important than anything.”

Form ……?

What’s she talking about? Seriously, I can’t tell.

“Feelings and good intentions come and go in strong waves …… There is no stopping them from changing. Think of them as melted chocolate. Simply being sweet is not enough. Only when it has a solid form does it take on any meaning. Do you understand?”

“I …… think I do ……”

“First, you must compose your form. Form is simultaneously the most basic aspect and the best-kept secret. That is true for Shogi as well, is it not?”

“Yep! Learning the standards and castle defenses are the basics!”

“Yes, everything begins and ends with form. Feelings can only grow with a solid form in place. …… However, Ai. You are still young. You must mature a while longer before your form takes shape.”

“How long do you think that will take?”

“Approximately six years.”

“Six whole years ……”

“Though you must wait until your sixteenth birthday …… That is far too long to sit idle. All the female wolves in your midst are watching closely for an opportune moment. If you sense it, you must make your move immediately. Every second is vital ……”

“W-What should I do?!” says Ai, almost clinging to the screen. 

Her mother simply whispers, “……… Irrefutable facts ……”

“Huh?”

Huh?

Why do I feel like I heard something terrifying ……?

“As your mother, I can say no more. It is your responsibility to ask others for advice and do your own research.”

“? Okay, I understand.”

Ai’s answer is less than convincing.

“This is a good stopping point for today …… I had been keeping our correspondence to a minimum because I was afraid thoughts of home would be a distraction. However, I want you to provide me with regular updates on the situation from now on. You can count on your mother for relevant advice as necessary.”

“I will! Thanks, mom!”

Ai waves her tiny hand and ends the Skype call.

She notices me just as soon as her mother disappears, and the screen goes dark.

“Ah! Master, welcome home!”

She says as she turns around and gives me a big, innocent smile.

“How long have you been here?”

“Hm? Just walked in.”

I lie without missing a beat.

Because …… I feel like I heard something I shouldn’t have …… 

“When’d you get home, Ai?”

“A little bit ago. I was talking with my mother on Skype!”

“Were you? That’s great.”

“She says she feels better when she can see my face, so ……”

“Sure. Oh, and Ai.”

“What is it?”

“What were the two of you talking about?”

“We talked all about Shogi.”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do overnight, Master?”

“An all-night practice session.”

“Yep.”

Neither of us questioning the other, we start getting breakfast ready.

Now things are back to normal like nothing ever happened.

…… Is what it felt like.