Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 7 - Chapter 2.6

  PRACTICE SESSION IN SAKURANOMIYA

“Just what is Master trying to do?”

I hear Big Sis’s voice come out of the bathroom as I sprawl out on the bed.

We’re in a room at a certain hotel in Sakuranomiya.

Coming here after a practice session with Mr. Oishi has become our routine.

“Hey, Yaichi. Are you listening?”

“Hm?”

She sounds irritated that I didn’t answer her.

“Bragging about the outdated Sitting Bishop Left Mino like that …… It hurt just listening to him. Master used to be so strong, and now ……”

“…… Now we know how Amuro felt ……”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t you know? Amuro’s father was a brilliant engineer who built the first Gundam, but he got sick with oxygen poisoning in outer space. By the time he’d recovered and reunited with Amuro, he insisted on equipping the Gundam with outdated weaponry.”

“Never heard of it. What’s Gundam? A new variant of the ginga snow roof?”

She doesn’t know Gundam ……?

There’s seriously nothing else in her head besides Shogi, is there? At this level, I’m seriously concerned about how she can communicate with her friends at school.

“It’s the family sessions we should be talking about. Yaichi, are you going to go along with it?”

“If that’s what it takes to make Master happy, yes. I’ve been looking for a place for my own apprentices to practice anyway.”

“…… Hph.”

Her tone just dropped like a rock.

She must be as worried about Master as I am.

“I got to see Master’s schedule when he took out his calendar to set the date, but …… He doesn’t have any other practice sessions lined up whatsoever. He’ll be cut off from the latest research at this rate. If we don’t give him bare minimum info, no one else will.”

“But you know what he’s like. No matter what we teach him, he’ll be too stubborn to use it.”

“Well ……”

Master has too much pride to consider asking his apprentices for help to begin with. I’d bet he’d play a completely different strategy to avoid doing exactly what either of us tell him to do.

What’s worse, if he ever found out those strategies came from software ……

“…… It’s also true that we can’t just let him be the way he is now.”

“For sure.”

It’s true that Sitting Bishop Left Mino did show up in league matches only recently.

However–––people have been researching it behind the scenes for over a year.

It’s fairly simple to learn how to use it with software, so everyone’s figured out how to prevent it in the first place.

… Which is why it never showed up in league matches for over a year.

But higher ranking players who don’t use software and don’t interact with younger players didn’t know about it.

They’re defenseless against software’s instant death magic …… And get destroyed.

That’s what’s happening between the veteran and younger players right now.

An uprising where lowly C-2s are sniping the big names in A and B-1 left and right …… That’s the reason why the torch is being passed to the next generation so quickly.

“Once someone knows their opponent doesn’t use software, they can cast all the instant death magic they want. Fighting in the pros without using software right now is like walking naked through a minefield.”

“……”

Big Sis doesn't say anything.

Fear of instant death magic isn’t just for the pros. Far more intense research arms races are going on in the Sub League. No matter what strategy they use, they only get proven right if they win their way through the 3-dan division.

“…… Think he’ll be okay? Oishi-sensei, too ……”

“We gave him the bare minimum he’ll need to put up a fight, but …… Honestly, it’s a long shot. I never thought Mr. Okito was researching Ranging Rook as well.”

Crown Yo Okito is a master at researching with software. He was probably the first player to get good at it, too.

That gave him a huge advantage, even more than I thought it would. His tremendous stock of knowledge had to be a big part of getting through the King League, which is so competitive that people call it the Infernal King League. Now, he’s the challenger for the title.

“I want Mr. Oishi to last as long as he can so I can get an idea how deep Mr. Okito’s research goes. There’s a good chance he’ll show up in the Ryuo League next season.”

Defend one title and the battle for the next has already begun, that’s title matches in a nutshell. I can’t let my guard down for a single second.

“Do you think you’ll beat Okito-sensei in a big match, Yaichi?”

“That depends on how efficient my research is.”

I close my eyes and mentally run through some simulations as I answer.

“I can leave the strategy research to software if worse comes to worst and just study the results. That wasn't an option before because everything would fall apart before I could pull it off in a live match. But, after the breakthrough I had against the Meijin–––.”

“Breakthrough? As in more reading ability? …… Yaichi, didn’t you say you were feeling off? Like you couldn’t control it?”

“I used software for that, too.”

“Huh?”

“I had the software analyze my play during matches. Where I spent waiting time to read the board, when my brain was firing on all cylinders or losing concentration and making mistakes, things like that.”

“………”

“It gives you all that information in numbers, so your precision during matches and research efficiency skyrockets. Human training partners will make mistakes, but machines never do. The best part is you can research with them anytime, anywhere you want.”

This discovery was a byproduct of the Ryuo Title Match.

From when I shut myself in my room and depended solely on software for research.

All I have to do after that is maintain my reading skills with all the Shogi puzzles I can get my hands on. Since I can do that with Ai, everything I’ll need is at home. Talk about a perfect setup.

“It may be efficient, but ……,” Big Sis says hesitantly, “…… going that far seems a bit much.”

“If I don’t do it, then someone else definitely will. For now, I’ve started the revolution and I think Shogi will keep changing just like this.”

The Modern Shogi system established by the Meijin’s generation wouldn't work without a great deal of cooperation between players having practice sessions and versus matches.

I’ll need an even more efficient and private way to acquire knowledge if I’m going to surpass them.

That’s my conclusion.

One or two new strategies won’t be enough to overthrow veterans like the Meijin. I need a weapon that will counter their best strategies in the blink of an eye, like what all those anime characters would do back in the day.

A world revolutionized by technology.

It’s time for the generation born into this technological age to use that advantage to overthrow the old generation. A full-fledged changing of the guard.

“…… Yaichi, um ……”

“Yeah?”

“Do you …… want to be a computer?”

Big Sis asks like she’s afraid to hear the answer, but I say exactly what’s on my mind.

“I’m not that stupid. People aren’t machines. There’s no way a person could use software strategies perfectly every single time. It’s just–––.”

“Just?”

“I just feel like my ability to calculate gives me an edge over all the other pros out there right now. At least, I think so.”

“!! …… That means ……”

Big Sis is at a loss for words.

Because, I’m basically saying I’m the best in the Shogi world right now.

Am I being arrogant?

Except that I beat the Meijin, defended my title and I’ve been taking victory stars one after another. My methods are producing visible results, so that proves I’m not wrong.

The Bishop Exchange <white> 6 Five Knight and Single Knight Jump are just the tip of the iceberg.

Start a revolution strong enough to overtake Modern Shogi and rise through the placement matches.

Then, I’ll be the next Meijin–––.

“Hey, Big Sis. Aren’t you finished yet?”

“………… I’m changed, but ……”

A ruffling sound comes from the other side of the door as Big Sis suddenly sounds shy.

“Then come on out, would you?”

“…… Sigh ……”

Big Sis and I started our own practice session after leaving one with Mr. Oishi.

This is Ginko’s Cosplay Practice Session.

Let me explain how we got here.

As people who live in a world of constant competition, players believe in jinxes and the power of a routine. When things are going well, we make sure not to change anything.

Building a personal routine is considered a valuable skill in the pros.

Big Sis and I coming to this hotel after practice sessions started as an accident, but I’ve been dominating my opponents since then and Big Sis became the first female member of the 3-dan division, too.

I want to keep riding this momentum through to promotion in the placement matches and Big Sis wants to join the 3-dan division with a full head of steam.

Both of us understand the benefits, so even though the air got a bit tense during the apprentice Asuka incident, neither of us thought about skipping this tonight.

Just to be clear, we haven’t crossed that line. After all, we’re here to play Shogi.

Which brings me to the cosplay part.

There was a sign inside the hotel entrance advertising a special deal: all customers get to wear any of the costumes for free. It’s their new marketing strategy.

The thing is that Osakans are weak around the word free. So, I did what anyone would do and suggested we try it out, to which Big Sis threatened to mount my head on a pike.

But I didn’t back down.

“Let’s let Shogi decide,” was my proposal.

I’ll wear something if I lose. Take all the pics you want, post them online, I don’t care.

Big Sis still wouldn't answer me, but once I started fanning myself and said, "Whew, this pressure’s getting to me," she jumped right in. Shogi? I won, of course. Three in a row. Hit her will a full serving of my secret software strategies!

And the finished product is–––.

“Gin-kitty, dangerous beast.”

Whoa …… Very dangerous ……!

“Is this …… How it’s supposed to be ……? Shouldn’t there be more fabric ……?!!”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be,” declares the Dragon King Ryuo with authority.

Big Sis spends most of her time wearing her sailor-style school uniform, but she wears kimono for title matches and dresses for Shakando-sensei, too. She’s worn all sorts of clothes before.

But this is her first move into the cosplay scene.

Not to mention those glasses! I've seen her wear glasses about as much as I’ve seen her open a match by advancing an edge Pawn, almost never.

“More fabric? No! With you wearing it, Big Sis, pushing it to the absolute limit should work ……!!”

So, I start a revolution.

Started, but …… There needs to be better balance, yeah?

This is cuteness overload.

“There needs to be less ……”

Can’t have too much of a good thing. Balance is key. That’s just as true for cosplay as it is for Shogi.

“If you do this here …… Oh and take that off–––.”

“Yeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssss!!”

Holy! Beyond adorable!!

And hot!! Ginko is h-h-h-hooooootttttttttttt!!

“Nghh! I’ll die …… This is too embarrassing ……!!”

“No! This is great! Absolutely perfect!!”

Big Sis turns bright red, her whole body shaking as I show her what poses to make.

“More like this! More …… yes! Now, curl your fingers like a cat!”

“L-Like this?”

“Mooooore!!”

“This?”

“Yeeees!! Thaaaaaaaat!! More, moooore!!”

“Like …… meow?”

I guess all the compliments went to her head because Big Sis gets down on all fours on the bed and starts doing tigress on the prowl poses.

The Dual Women’s Title Holder is really getting into it.

“Wow, that’s cute! Amazing! Gin-kitty is the best!!”

“I-I’m cute? Are the pictures cute, too?”

“They sure are! You’re the cutest in the world, Big Sis! The cutest ever!!”

“Really ……♡ E-he-he ♡”

Well, that was easy.

As I thought. I’ve had an idea that Big Sis could be convinced to go with the flow for a while now. She usually keeps a wall up between her and the rest of the world but hit that wall hard enough and it’ll come crashing down.

–––Will she do anything if you call her cute?

Now that I've learned the cute spell and know how to use it, it’s time to use it. Gin-kitty mode is on full blast. Big Sis is meowing every chance she has and, damn, this is the real instant death magic right here! All that hot cuteness is going to make my heart explode!!

And so, after about an hour-long photo shoot …… I mean practice session.

“Whew …… How about a break ……?”

“Good me-ahh …… idea.”

I’m out of MP, casting that spell so many times, and collapse onto the bed.

Calming down must have made Big Sis feel embarrassed because she wraps herself in a blanket before plopping down next to me.

“One other thing, about Master.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t think us giving the okay will give him any ideas about approaching young players and Sub League members in the Player’s Room, do you?”

“! Well ……”

Players can be brutal creatures.

They’ll hound you once they see you have something valuable.

If not, they’ll ignore you like thin air.

Players will hang out together as friends, but practice sessions are a whole different story. You have to have something they want or be ranked the same or higher to even be considered.

So, even if Master went into the Player’s Room and offered practice sessions with younger players, he’d be ……

“…… Sounds a lot like love,” Big Sis mumbles, but those words leave a sharp pain in my chest.