Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 9 - Chapter 2.2

  THE PIED PIPER

“O-Oh, wow! This is …… the very same title match staff break room that I’ve seen in my dreams ……!!” squeals Ayano, her glasses flashing along with her eyes. “The Shogi board fills the entire monitor screen! Awhhh! I’m in the lofty noble atmosphere I’ve only seen on Internet blogs. Right now, I’m standing on the same floor, breathing the same air ……! Haauuuu~!!”

The break room for association staff and media people is on the second floor of Tsutenkaku Tower.

Every member of the Grade Schooler Practice Group came in this morning to observe.

Of the four of them, Ayano’s excitement is off the charts. She usually acts so grown up, but even she’s still in grade school ……

By the way, the big board analysis is going to take place in the reception hall underground and the match itself is on the third floor of the tower.

The players might hear us if things get too loud in here. Ayano’s seemingly endless supply of energy has me worried, but Ai Hinatsuru comes up to me and says, “Th-Thank you, Master, for arranging for all of us to be allowed in the staff break room ……”

“It’s no big deal. They’re your usual practicing partners, plus Mio and Ayano are Practice League members who will most likely join the Women’s League themselves one day. I couldn’t ask for better guests to invite in here.”

I’m used to seeing Sub League members inside the staff break room during title matches to do research all the time.

Not to mention the fact that the staff waiting room has got to be the most boring place on earth in the morning. We’re more than happy to have guests. Now that there are kids here, my hungover and very groggy Master is doing his best to look dignified as well.

“Thank you so much! Thank you so very, very much!!”

Ayano is on her knees, bowing down to the floor and thanking me like a broken record.

“You …… you have made my dream come true, Kuzuryu-sensei ……! Not that being allowed to stay at your apartment overnight isn’t already a dream come true every time …… For you, Kuzuryu-sensei, I would do anything, anything at all! If you asked me to get naked and dance for you right now, I would be more than happy to do so!!”

“A-A-A-Ayano?! This room is full of media people and association staff, okay?! Journalists are here too, so be careful what you say, okay?! Okay?!”

I desperately try to stop Ayano from saying anything too outrageous. Seriously, all the adrenaline has gone to her head.

Unfortunately, it’s already too late.

“…… Just now, that little girl said she would do anything, didn’t she ……?”

“Just when I was wonderin’ what Mr. Kuzuryu was thinkin’ by bringin’ a big group of grade school girls in here first thing in the mornin’, he’s askin’ them to strip …… naked ……?”

“Word is he’s got little girls staying at his place every night …… Should’ve known he was a loli-con ……”

“Is that how he raised Kobe’s Cinderella, too ……?”

“Since there’s nothing going on yet this morning, might as well get an article going.”

But that info’s not right–––!!!

“Mast- …… No.”

Putting on fake glasses that I didn’t know she had, Ai points a voice recorder in my direction and says, “A-hem. Um …… Kuzuryu-sensei? What is your take on this match’s early game?”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Ai? You’re not acting like yourself.”

“I’m a Shogi journalist today. This is an official interview, so Mast …… Pardon me, Kuzuryu-sensei? What are your thoughts on the early game?”

Oh, now I get it.

“Whoa! Ai, you look like a real journalist!”

“The way you handle the voice recorder so adeptly …… I can hardly believe we are both in the same grade! Ai, you’re almost …… scary!!”

“Ehehe♡”

Journalist Hinatsuru looks satisfied with everyone’s reaction.

That voice recorder sticks out to me, too. She must’ve used it plenty of times before, which would mean …… Is everything I say being recorded …… Every day ……?

“I wanna try being a journalist, too! Kuzuryu-sensei, who do you think’ll win?!” Mio pipes up.

“Please, allow me to practice as well!” Now Ayano joins in.

“Cha, too! Cha wants to intewview Masta!”

Pulling a lollipop out of her pocket and pointing it at me like a microphone, even Charlette is getting into this journalist thing.

Surrounded by the Grade Schooler Practice Group for an interview. This is new.

“Well …… Miss Yashajin is following a Normal Bishop Exchange standard, which is unusual for her. The defender must find a way to go on offense at some point, so I think Miss Yashajin has a secret strategy up her sleeve. If it works, then she might be on even footing.”

“Why do you think she decided against using Move-Loss Bishop Exchange, her best strategy?”

“Probably because trying to use it now would be too difficult to pull off. I don’t want to get too technical, but with how far her Normal Bishop Exchange has come along, there’s no merit to using a Move-Loss strategy anymore.”

“Yes, I see ……! Thank you!!”

With Ai done, Ayano steps forward to ask me a question.

“What were your impressions of the players this morning?”

“Big …… Sora-Queen was just as calm as she always is. Today was the first time I’ve seen Challenger Yashajin in a kimono, and I thought it suited her well.”

“Yes, yes, yes! So then, which do you think looks cuter in a kimono?!”

“Huh? I-I can’t just ……”

Mio jumps in, her face beaming. I have no idea what to say.

Which one ……? Good question ……

“Come on, Kuzuryu-sensei. Just between us.”

“Well …… I’m used to seeing Big Sis in a kimono. I’d never seen Ai wearing one before, so in the sense of something new, I’d say the challenger …… wins?”

“Ten-chan’s the wiiiiinner!!”

“Kuzuryu-sensei declares the defender is in position to win!!”

“Oh …… So, Master does prefer newer things …… Newer …… In other words, younger ……”

Is it just me, or did the topic take a strange turn?

“No doubt about it, the Ryuo’s a loli-con ……” 

“Sora-Queen is only 15, but he’s moved on from her already ……” 

“The guy changes little girls like upgrading to the latest smartphone, that’s Yaichi Kuzuryu ……” 

“There’s no news going on, might as well get an article written.”

Mass media is making a move?!

“Hey …… Please stop joking around! People will think it’s true if that stuff shows up in an article! I’m not like that–––.”

“Hey, hey.”

“Hm? What is it, Charlette?”

She tugs my arm until I lean down to her eye level, where she was waiting with the worst possible question at the worst possible time.

“So, Masta? When are you gonna mawwy Cha?”

Chatter ……!

The air in here just took a major turn. A turn for the much, much worse.

“Ch-Charlette? Now’s not the best time to talk about that ……”

“Masta, you pwomised to take Cha as your bwide. When will you? When?”

Journalists start moving en masse, racing for their equipment as if a player were about to throw in the towel.

All to write an article detailing my Lolita complex.

“Just when I thought he’d moved on from Sora-Queen to Miss Yashajin, who would’ve thought he was already engaged to that little tyke!”

“She’s just a li’l thing!”

“Ryuo, Engaged to Blonde Loli …… Now, that’s a scoop!”

“This is breaking news! We’re printing extras!!”

Delete them aaaaaaaaaall! Rewrite eveeeeeeeerything!!

“Truly amazing! This is it, the genuine break room atmosphere …… So intense!!”

Ayano, this is no time to be impressed!

“O-Oh, that’s right, everyone! I’m not the one you should be getting information about right now! Focus on Tsutenkaku Tower and New World!! I-I’ll fund you! Here!!”

I take money out of my own wallet and give it to the Grade Schooler Practice Group members while making my suggestion. This probably looks pretty bad from the journalists’ standpoint, but I can’t worry about that right now.

“Why not have lunch while you’re out? You need to mention the food, too!”

“Huh?! Do I need to talk about food and buildings when I’m supposed to be writing about Shogi?”

Ai looks surprised, so I explain it to her.

“Shogi journalists need to set the scene, and that includes the area around the arena. It’s especially true for title matches.”

“Uwhee? Why …… is that?”

“I’m sure you’ve seen all the preparation that goes into hosting a title match because your family owns a Japanese-style inn. The reason they go through all the effort is so that Shogi fans might become future customers. Of course, the love of Shogi is the most important part though.”

Which is exactly why the Shogi world must rise to meet their passion and commitment.

“The quality of the match is also important, but fans are interested in more than just the match itself. That’s where the journalists and Internet blogs come in to follow up.”

Mio points her finger and shouts.

“Now I get it! That’s why the writers always jam the name of the building into their articles, right?!”

“Yes. The written word lasts forever. It’s through that repetition that the names of tons of inns and hotels around the country have become linked with memorable matches.”

Kanagawa Prefecture’s Jinya, Tendou’s Taki no Yu, Niigata Prefecture’s Ryugon, Yamanashi Prefecture’s Tokiwa Hotel, Aichi Prefecture’s Ginpasou which is where Mr. Kagamizu is working as a match recorder right now …… The list goes on and on.

Title matches can only happen because those places work so hard to prepare the perfect arenas.

It’s up to the journalists to pick up that information.

“It’s not every day that Tsutenkaku Tower hosts a match, so fans who’ve been following Shogi for a long time will feel a real blast from the past. Trust me, you need to get as much info about the area around the arena as you can.”

“But …… The match ……”

Ai’s line of sight jumps back and forth between me and the monitor showing the board upstairs.

She was doing the same thing even while interviewing me earlier. I bet she’s afraid to miss anything.

“Ya got nothin’ to worry ’bout, young lass,” says Zaou-sensei from behind the sports section of the newspaper he’s reading in the middle of the room. There’s an analysis board in front of him but the pieces aren’t even lined up yet.

“The thing ’bout the first title match is yer more figurin’ out how to use time rather ’an how to play. This Shogi’s gotta long way to go. Ain’t ’at right, Kousuke?” 

“Very true …… I remember my first title match, it felt more like a dream. Had eight hours o’ waitin’ time but ended up usin’ seven of them to calm myself down. The only thought in my head was tryin’ not to mess up too bad on day one ……,” says Master Kiyotaki, reminiscing about the first time he was the Meijin Challenger in a two-day style format.

It feels like such a long time ago, but it hasn’t even been 10 years.

“Yes, it was the same for me. I couldn’t play fast at all during the first match in the Ryuo Title match. Actually, now is about the only time you will be able to get info about the area. You’ll need to be ready to go to the arena at any time once it gets into the late game.”

“…… Okay! I’ll be back in a little while!”

The situation finally making sense to her, Ai leads the other girls out to explore Tsutenkaku and New World.