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Cover, opening artwork, and all illustrations

Shirabii

Out of all the titles that amateur Shogi players can receive, this is the most prestigious.

People who earn this crowning title receive all sorts of honors, but a match is the most valuable of all.

A chance to play against a god–––a commemorative match against the pro Meijin, the one who stands at the pinnacle of professional Shogi.

The Meijin plays without a Bishop, but of course, this isn’t just an ordinary game.

The commemorative match that year took place in Kansai.

The professional Meijin arrived at the Kansai Shogi Association’s holiest of arenas, the Onjyoudan no Ma, fully dressed in traditional Japanese clothes normally worn for title matches.

The amateur Meijin arrived at the professional arena one hour in advance and sat next to the Shogi board to adjust to his surroundings before the match got underway. It was all part of his plan. His opponent may have been a professional Shogi player, but losing with a Bishop handicap would be embarrassing beyond measure. The man’s desire to win radiated from his very being.

With a young member of the Sub League taking a seat next to the board to fulfill his duty as the recordkeeper, the same Professional League match procedures were followed as the match got underway.

The amateur Meijin was perfect in the early game. Using his one-piece advantage at every turn, he followed his research to the letter into the mid-game.

He even rode the waves of battle, maintaining his lead all the way into the late game. His well orchestrated all-out offensive was designed to end the match in a furious burst that wouldn’t allow the pro Meijin to unleash his full potential.

Then, the Meijin attacked with a Knight from a completely unexpected angle.

That one move turned the match on its head.

“It couldn’t be ……?”

The amateur Meijin groaned after mulling over the situation for exactly fifteen minutes.

The more he read the board, the more he came to realize that he had no chance to win the match despite having the upper hand until that very moment. He had been out read, plain and simple.

The man’s head, hovering over the board, fell with a deflated flop.

“…… There’s nothing left. I have lost.”

The man made a few moves to set the scene before surrendering. Knowing that he left a beautiful record behind made more of a lasting impression than the agony of defeat. Everyone who played against the Meijin felt the same way after a match.

“You nearly had me,” the pro Meijin said with a smile. While he admitted that the advance nearly reached him, he spoke with the brimming confidence that came from perfectly predicting the attack.

The two players conducted their own review session and exchanged ideas in the few minutes before reporters, cameramen and the like were allowed into the arena.

Early game, mid-game and the late game …… With each revealing how they read the board and comparing their strategies, the two were engrossed in their own world of discovery.

“Marvelous,” the pro Meijin said with admiration.

He emerged victorious, but the man’s reading skills were so precise he could hardly believe his opponent was an amateur. To the point that he felt it was a waste for him to stay that way ……

“I would be more than happy to take you as an apprentice should you ever consider testing into the Sub League.”

“Thank you so much for the offer. But my daughter is very young ……”

He had no intention of turning professional. The man said so himself.

He may be on top of the amateur world, but still lost to the top professional with the Bishop handicap. Even if he were to try to join the professional ranks, his limit was in plain sight. Reason being, he had been overwhelmed by the Meijin sitting in front of him even though he was more than a Bishop ahead ……

He couldn’t chase the elusive dream of professional Shogi because he had to support his wife and young daughter. And even if he succeeded, he could see just how far his talent could take him.

“But, should my daughter be interested in becoming a Shogi player when she gets older, then–––.”

“Ai. Are you ready ……?”

“Y-Yes!”

One book of Shogi puzzles is laying on the tatami mat.

The two of us are sitting side by side in front of it.

My grade school age apprentice is leaning forward with her hands on the mat in front of her, tiny body rocking back and forth as if psyching herself up for battle.

I pinch the corner of the book cover between my thumb and forefinger–––.

“Okay? Ready …… Go!!”

I flip the book open like a gunman whipping out a pistol.

The first puzzle looks like it came right out of a match. It’s a late-game scenario that could show up in any match.

I’d be embarrassed to call myself a pro if my apprentice solves this one first. It only took me a glance to figure it out.

“I got it! From 3 One Bishop to 2 Five Gold, fifteen moves to checkmate! Next!”

“Yes!!”

The first point is mine. I turn the page. The next puzzle is kyokuzume, where the Rook, King and Bishop are all in a diagonal line.

This situation would never happen in a match but–––.

“Oh, I know! From 5 Six Gold to 2 Two Rook. Nineteen moves to checkmate! I think!!”

“Gah …… Next!”

Competing with my apprentice like this is a recent development.

Ai was always looking over the other side whenever I tried solving a Shogi puzzle, muttering “Ah!” and “Owwh!” to herself the entire time. She obviously worked them out before I did. Looking at them upside down too.

So, I forget exactly when we started sitting next to each other and solving puzzles together, but it developed into a competition to see who could solve them first like right now.

You may be thinking: what’s the Ryuo, a person at the pinnacle of the Shogi world, doing competing against a fourth grader? But you have to remember, this elementary school girl is a miracle child, a god in human form. Judging her by mortal standards is pointless.

The two of us are neck and neck after solving ten puzzles.

“All right! Last one! Here we go!!”

“Yes!”

Turn the page and––– Whoa! What the heck is this?!

“It’s just a simple nyugyoku type, right? I’ve got a Rook, a Silver and a Promoted Pawn to attack with, and the Bishop and another Gold in the waiting area …… Looks like this will be over real quick. Hmm? That’s different ……”

“…… Here, here, here …… Herehereherehereherehere–––.”

Crap. Ai’s engine kicked into high gear. Got to hurry.

There aren’t too many options for the first move, so if I start with the least likely–––.

“I solved it! Move 3 Eight Silver, take it away and place Gold behind the King, and the Bishop in the ninth column to protect against the other Bishop, move the King to 2 Eight to take the Gold and 3 Eight Knight–––.”

“That’s uchifu.”

“Oh no?!”

“I got it! Rather than 3 Eight Knight, 4 Nine Knight to 2 Eight Knight. Twenty-three moves to checkmate!!”

The way my solution was going, I’d need to put the King in checkmate with the Pawn in my waiting area, a move known as uchifutsume.

But that would break the rules, just like having two Pawns in the same vertical column, called nifu.

“Haaa, I knew that the 4 Nine Silver would get in the way from the start, but to think the Pawn that blocked it would get in my way at the end …… Fell into that trap hook line and sinker ……”

“It’s amazing the author brought this scenario to life with only six pieces considering you need to block opposing pieces twice as well as how they resolve to sacrifice the Knight to make it all work. Haaaa …… Truly amazing. A masterpiece.”

I can only sigh and marvel at this point. Sure, losing to my apprentice hurts but it’s all thanks to her I found this wonderful Shogi puzzle at all. Thank you!

Ai looks just as happy, walking on cloud nine with that last one solved.

“I know what you mean.”

Shogi puzzles are an art form.

There’s so much more to them than regular puzzles. The first step is figuring out what the author had in mind (their intention), and then resolving the rest gives you the same rush and satisfaction as reading a good novel.

“But I can’t recommend making puzzles as part of your training.”

“Once you start making one, all the time in the world won’t be enough.”

They can be solved in a flash. But making them takes a long, long time.

It’s not all that strange for one to take about ten years to make, and some of them required thirty or some unbelievable number of years to complete. And making one won’t even net the author a single yen.

I’ve heard many stories about Shogi puzzle authors who spent so much time on it that they grew old, their wives divorced them, they lost custody of their children, bankrupted their businesses and ended up having their lives in checkmate rather than the opposing King in the puzzle. It just ain’t worth it.

“Plus, there doesn’t seem to be a connection between the ability to create Shogi puzzles and being good at playing actual Shogi.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Have you ever seen a match end as cleanly and poetically as a puzzle solution?”

“Umm …… Nope (>-<)”

The more moves required, the more artistic the puzzle is, the further from reality it gets. Kind of like a fantasy novel.

But that’s exactly why they’re so darn interesting.

“Just look at the nyugyoku puzzle we just did. If the King reaches the ninth row in a match––– the deepest row in enemy territory, it’s nearly impossible to put in checkmate. And I’ve heard that most of the famous Shogi puzzle authors are only about as good as amateur 1-dan players.”

“But they can make puzzles like that?!”

Solving puzzles and playing Shogi are completely different. There are many top pros that don’t include Shogi puzzles in their training regimen because “real checkmates aren’t that clean.”

In that case, what’s the best way to practice and how much? I have no clue.

Studying the ins and outs of Shogi more than anyone else doesn’t mean you’ll be better than everyone else.

The Shogi path is unforgiving. There’s so much we still don’t know.

“Listen Ai. It’s not about simply solving all the Shogi puzzles you can and playing as many practice games as time allows, but finding the right balance that’s most effective for you. Always keep that in mind.”

“Master, Master! This one is really interesting!”

“I told you to listen, didn’t I …… Ohh? A Defenseless King?”

It’s a type of puzzle where the King doesn’t have a single piece defending it.

Sure, it looks simple enough, but it’s already in enemy territory like the last puzzle. So it’s really difficult to force checkmate.

Let’s see …… First, place the Rook at 2 Eight–––.

“It’s fifty-nine moves until the Gold reaches 2 Four. The sequence starting on move thirty-six, moving the Pawn all the way to 2 Four Rook on thirty-nine, is particularly satisfying.”

“You’re amazing, Master! That took you what, two seconds?!”

“Tee-hehe♡”

Ai sticks her tongue out at me. Damn cute. Makes me want to give her a treat for no reason at all.

“I see this author’s name all the time …… How do you read those characters? Gekkou?”

“That’s the chairman.”

“Who?”

“The chairman. Seiichi Tsukimitsu.”

“…… Chairman?”

“Chairman of the Japan Shogi Association. He’s at the top of all pro Shogi players. You know, the 17th Meijin?”

“S-Sorry …… I, um, don’t know many pro players other than you, Master ……”

Ai started playing Shogi only four months ago.

And it was seeing my match that got her into it in the first place. She spent three months doing the Shogi puzzles and playing over the Internet after that, so she taught herself how to play. Her talent is astounding and her skills are on the rise, but she is still just a beginner. I’ve got a lot to teach her.

“So, Master, what’s the plan for today? A practice group? Or are you going to go out somewhere?”

“I’ve got work to do. And you’re coming with me, Ai.”

“Work? But it’s Saturday, a stay home day …… And I’m coming with you? What kind of work is it?”

I answer my apprentice’s question as I pull a suit out of my closet.

“A lesson.”

Kobe, San-nomiya.

Surprised by all the people once we got off the train, Ai looks up at me with twinkling eyes. She’s acting like a kid on a field trip.

“It’s so close to Osaka! The trip didn’t take any time at all!!”

“Because it’s just a twenty-minute ride on an express train from Osaka Station.”

Since the association headquarters and my apartment are just outside Fukushima Station, one stop away from Osaka on the Kanjou Line, the whole trip only takes about thirty minutes once you factor in the time it takes to change trains. The association’s location is fantastic.

“Ai. Your hand.”

“Y-Yes!!”

I take her hand once we’re through the turnstile. Ai only just moved here from the north coast. Getting separated would be bad.

“I know it’s a bit embarrassing, but deal with it, okay?”

“I promise I’ll never let go!!! Never, ever again!!!!”

“N-never ……?”

That would be a problem ……

“Look! Look, Master! There’s people and stores all over the place!”

“Kobe is always like this on weekends. There are a few European-style buildings a short walk from here, modern temples and Chinatown in Nankinmachi too.”

“European-style! Chinatown!”

This part of the city, Sannomiya, is particularly busy because there are so many popular tourist spots—meaning it’s really crowded. Doesn’t help that spring is peak tourist season.

Even among this throng of humanity, Ai stands out like a sore thumb.

She’s squeezing the daylights out of my hand with one of hers and holding up a shingen-bukuro (a small purse that matches traditional Japanese clothing, just big enough to hold a fan—Shogi players use them during title matches because they’re so convenient) with the other hand. People walking by us are rubbernecking for a closer look.

First off, she’s very cute. That’s all it takes to overwhelm other people.

Add in Ai’s innocent and naïve personality, and everything she does makes people want to shower her with affection like a puppy.

That slight lisp in her voice. Her expression changes in the blink of an eye. She’s cute no matter what she does.

“…… Crazy. This is so crazy …… I can’t resist ……”

“Huh? Master? What’s so crazy?”

“Uh, um ……”

Crap. I got so caught up in how damn cute my apprentice is that I forgot about work and took her sightseeing. We even stopped at a café that I hadn’t planned on while I was off in la la land, and now we’re eating cake ……

“Oh! It’s the cake, right?! It is crazy good!!”

“Yeah …… That’s exactly what I meant ……”

“Haa …… Being with you, drinking tea in Kobe. It’s like a dream! I’m so happy ……♡”

Also, the fact that she doesn’t realize just how cute she is makes it all the more difficult to defend against it. It’s the Defenseless King. Everything gets washed away by that cuteness. Nothing is more vulnerable than this.

“…… Ai. Can you listen for a second?”

“Oh! Master. You’ve got some frosting on your cheek.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Here!”

The fourth grader leans over the table, reaches out toward her Master and scoops the bit of whipped cream off his cheek before sticking it in her mouth.

“He-he♡”

She smiles like she’s having the time of her life. Is she trying to kill me?!

I will my weakening spine to wake the hell up and teach my apprentice a thing or two about city life.

“…… Are you listening, Ai? Bad people tend to gather in crowded places like this in Osaka and Kobe. Cute little girls like you, Ai, are easy targets. Never come to these places unless Keika or I are with you, okay?”

“Sorry, Master. I couldn’t really hear you. Can you say that again?”

“Like I said, cute girls like you are easy targets for bad people, so you need to keep your eyes open–––.”

“E-he♡ E-heh-heh♡.”

For some reason, my apprentice happily puffs out her cheeks as I’m trying to warn her. So damn cute.

“Listen you …… Something bad is going to happen if you don’t take me seriously. Cities are dangerous places, so you always need to be careful.”

“Oookay!”

At least I got that answer out of her, but she’s frolicking her way to my side of the table with that poufy smile of hers still on her face. Her cuteness is overflowing. For the love of all that’s sacred, make it stop!!

A lot of people that play Shogi aren’t interested in much else, my apprentice included. Actually, Shogi is about the only thing they’re interested in.

“Big Sis had quite a few problems herself–––.”

“!!”

A jolt ran down Ai’s body at the mere mention of Big Sis.

My elder “sister” apprentice, the two-title holder Ginko Sora, stands out of the crowd like you wouldn’t believe.

Not only do her silver hair and white skin turn her into a beacon in the sunlight, her perfectly balanced face makes her look like a fairy or something. More guys have hit on her than I can count and she’s had a few stalkers too. They always seem to mistake me for her boyfriend whenever that happens, causing me a lot of pain. But really, I don’t know how much of this I can take.

“…… Master.”

“Yeah?”

“Me and that girl …… Which one is higher?”

Higher?

As in which one of the two of you stands out more?

“That’d be Big Sis of course. Her looks make hearts skip a beat and her face is pretty much everywhere. Only natural: she’s Naniwa’s Snow White after all.”

“…… Master darabuchi.”

Ai’s piping mad. I don’t blame her, bringing up the opponent that has driven her to tears in Practice League matches. Must’ve been too much for her.

Having a higher-ranking rival in the same Master/apprentice line has triggered her competitive spirit. It happens even when not playing Shogi.

That competitive spirit …… That’s what I like to see!

But please, leave me out of your fights, okay!!

“So then, Master. You said we had work today? Was it to explore Kobe?”

“Of course not …… We have a lesson. A lesson, got that?”

I let out a long sigh, take a swig of coffee and explain what pro Shogi players do for work.

“We basically do two kinds of jobs, matches and promotion. Matches are playing Shogi. Promotion is meant to introduce people to the game, like being a judge at Shogi tournaments, giving instructional lessons at regional events and doing commentary on TV shows or signing autographs …… What I’m saying is that there’s a lot to do for promotion besides playing Shogi, but the most important one is instructional matches. To put it another way: teaching amateurs how to play.”

“And those are lessons?”

“Yeah. We’re here today to give someone that lives close by a lesson. Someone who’s helped me out a lot over the years requested one.”

I did not come here to give a grade schooler the Kobe grand tour.

“That’s big for Sub League members whose main sources of income are recording Shogi matches and giving lessons. Part-time jobs aren’t allowed, strictly speaking. It’s a great source of income for people from the middle of nowhere like me–––.”

“Money?”

Ai freezes like a statue.

“Um …… People pay money to learn how to play Shogi ……?”

“Of course. Professionals get money for doing a job. That’s what pro means.”

“……”

Clatter! The fork in Ai’s hand falls to the table.

Then, shaking, Ai says–––.

“I haven’t paid Master any money!!” Ai yells in the middle of the café, her face pale as a ghost. Right in the middle of all these tourists.

Everyone in here is looking at us with shock in their eyes.

And they seem really interested in the two of us …… Maybe suspicious would be a better word.

Crap. I’m sweating buckets.

“No …… Ai. Don’t worry about that. Money isn’t a problem.”

“B-But! Master has been teaching me everything there is to know! Like how to do this, and the way to do that ……”

People around us are whispering to each other.

“Everything there is to know?!”

“But she’s still so young ……”

“Shouldn’t somebody report this to the police?”

Crap, crap, crap!

“And me living with you costs money, doesn’t it?! I, I’m living in Master’s room! The two of us are living together!!”

“J-Just calm down, okay? Don’t be so loud, alright?”

They’ll call the police …… yeah?

“Ghaa?! B-But what can I do?! How, how can I make the money to pay you ……?”

“No, wait. Would you listen to me?”

“I, I guess …… I have to pay with …… my body ……!”

“That was on purpose?! You’re trying to give people the wrong idea, aren’t you?!”

I pull the trembling grade schooler, fumbling with the hem of her skirt, away from the table, pay the bill and take her outside.

Then I explained to her as calmly as possible.

“…… See here. Shogi players don’t take money from apprentices. Not usually, anyway.”

“They don’t?! W-Why not ……?”

“No parent would ever take money from their own kids, right? It’s the same way with apprentices. So, you don’t need to worry about money, Ai.”

Students that come to a Shogi classroom to learn how to play and apprentices that want to become professionals are treated very differently.

The entire Shogi world considers apprentices that commit themselves entirely to the game to be their own children.

That’s exactly why only children with enough skill get taken as apprentices.

“Also, your parents are sending me money every month. Your allowance comes right out of that.”

“…… It does?”

“It pays for any clothes and any whatnots you need too.”

It’s true that I’m getting money from Ai’s parents.

I told them not to worry about it, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. “At least let us pay for everyday expenses!” It would be rude to reject that kind of offer.

So, I did give in, but I’m putting all of it into a savings account for Ai.

She can use it to buy a really nice kimono to wear for her first title match in the Women’s League. A professional good enough to compete for multiple titles can never have enough kimonos.

And I will see to it that Ai becomes that kind of professional.

“Just make sure to say thank you over the phone next time you talk to your parents, okay?”

“I will!”

“Oh, man …… We’ve wasted so much time on this nonsense. Hurry up!”

“Right behind you, Master!!”

After taking her hand again so we don’t get separated, Ai and I took off at a sprint.

“He said he had one of the old European-style mansions near the port moved out here.”

Made from bricks, it sits on a hill overlooking the town, which is filled with unique Western buildings.

You can see all the way out over Kobe to the ocean from the front door. Can’t beat this view.

“That being said, he’s made quite a few changes. Installing a tatami room for Shogi matches is a given, but he also turned the roof into a beer garden.”

“Beer garden!!”

She sounds surprised, like she doesn’t completely understand …… But, growing up at an inn with a hot spring, I’m pretty sure she gets the gist.

“So, who lives in this place?”

“A novelist.”

“Really?! Master, I’ve never met an author before!”

“Is-Is that right ……?”

“What kind of books does he write?”

“…… Romance novels, I guess …… For adults ……”

“How wonderful!!”

“……”

I really don’t know how to describe the master of this house to my sparkly eyed apprentice.

His name is Dan Onizaka.

The romantic novels he writes …… are bestsellers in the sensual novel genre.

His most famous work is called Net and Meat.

As for the content, I’d like to avoid going into too much detail, but I think you’d understand what a book with a beautiful woman strung up like a slab of meat on the cover would be about.

To be blunt–––he’s a master S & M novelist.

“Well, he used to be a grade school teacher, but apparently he would turn his classes into a study hall so he could write ……”

“Wow!”

To think he was writing S & M. That little anecdote became legendary.

“But, Master. Why do you know an author who lives in a big mansion like this?”

“Onizaka-sensei is a Shogi enthusiast and, as I said before, he helped me out a lot when I was in the Sub League.”

We call people who are particularly fond of games like Shogi and Go enthusiasts. Once they find a favorite player, they take his or her lessons as a way to support them.

In sumo wrestling terms: tanimachi. They’re patrons. Apparently, Ai’s grandfather was like that as well.

“He’s been supporting me like a benefactor since I first started learning under Master Kiyotaki. He heard that I took an apprentice and said he’d be delighted to meet you.”

“Meet …… me?”

“Yeah. So, you’re the one taking center stage today, not me.”

“I am?!”

“Your first job.”

Gently teasing my surprised apprentice, we step through the front gate.

Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about bringing an elementary school girl inside this mansion owned by a man who writes scandalous novels …… Well, probably safer than someone who writes light novels. All those guys have Lolita complexes.

Onizaka-sensei prefers mature women, most of his heroines are widows and he comes off as a normal friendly geezer despite writing what he does, I reassure myself as I open the front door and …… Right there in the entrance way!!

“Master! Look at that wooden horsey!”

Ai immediately spots the triangular torture device with a horse’s head on the front and jumps for joy. I’m on the verge of panic.

“Oooh! There’s a whip on the wall over here! Oh, wow! It’s so thick! Hey, hey, Master. We can pretend we’re cowboys!”

“……Yes, we could.”

“Huh, what’s this, Master? It’s all bumpy. And there’s something weird sticking up at the bottom. What is this?”

“L-Let’s go to the back room! It’d be rude to keep Onizaka-sensei waiting! Okay?!”

“Oh-oh! M-Master! This thing dances when you press the button?!”

“Just get moving!!”

I take the dancing bumpy thing from Ai’s hand and chuck it far out of sight before the two of us follow a red carpet to a room at the back of the mansion.

Then I scream at the grinning geezer sitting in the corner, “Onizaka-sensei! What was all that?!”

“All that? How do you mean?”

“The wooden horse, the whip, that bumpy thing! Why did you put all of that in the front hallway?!”

“I did a little redecorating.”

“When?!”

“This morning.”

“You did that on purpose?!!”

Perverted geezer! Lining up all that stuff for an elementary schooler?!

“Master? Is there something wrong with putting the horsey in the front hallway?”

“You should never leave toys around!!”

“I thought a kiddo would get a kick out of them.”

Oh, she got a kick out of them all right! That’s the problem!

“Oh, okay, that’s enough chitchat. I’m itching for a game.”

“……”

Onizaka-sensei cheerfully starts setting up a Shogi board. I can’t stay mad at him, not after seeing his innocent side. I turn to face my patiently waiting apprentice to address her.

“…… Ai. You remember what I taught you, right?”

“Y-Yes!”

Once she takes a fan out of her purse, Ai sets it down in front of her knees and bows as low as she can with both hands on the tatami mat. Then, she introduces herself.

“I’m Ai Hinatsuru, a member of the Kansai Shogi Association and the Kuzuryu Shogi family tree. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

“So, you’re Ai, eh?”

Onizaka-sensei’s gaze falls tenderly on Ai as my apprentice introduces herself without stuttering. I swear, that’s the face of an old man about to give his granddaughter some money.

“All right then. Shall we start without a handicap?”

“Sure! Ready when you are!!”

“You got spunk, kiddo,” said Sensei, narrowing his eyes as he made his first move. Seriously, any kid would be happy to call him grandpa when he’s like this. How could anyone so warm and friendly write perverted novels? Weird.

By the way, Onizaki-sensei is amateur 4-dan …… At least on paper. I’d say he is actually closer to 2-dan.

This disparity is because of his services to the association–––he donates so much money to help promote the game that they decided to promote him as a thank you. Doing that for famous people is an important part of the association’s diplomacy.

On the other hand, Ai is a genuine amateur 4-dan.

She can hold her ground against 5-dan players now. People that hold amateur 5-dan are in a class strong enough to represent entire prefectures in tournaments. Since most of her experience has come from Shogi puzzles and playing against people on the Internet, Ai doesn’t know how to read between the lines during a match, let alone hold back.

That’s why she put Onizaka-sensei in checkmate with ease.

“Whew, you’re good! I don’t stand a chance without a handicap.”

Even after losing, Sensei chuckles and says, “One more! Can I ask you to take away your Bishop?”

“S-Sure! Ready when you are!!”

A new match was underway as soon as the pieces were set in place. However, Ai doesn’t have the Bishop in her ranks this time.

And not having a Bishop affects a lot more on the board than just being one big piece down.

“……?!”

Ai had to catch her breath as Onizaka-sensei advances much faster than before. A smirk crawls across his lips, curling deeper than I ever thought possible.

“Surprised, are you? I’m pretty good at playing with a handicap.”

Onizaka-sensei has been playing against pro players and Support League members for decades.

In other words, he’s played hundreds of matches as the shita-te, the lower player.

Therefore, he has far more experience playing with a handicap than in even matches, against the best and brightest of the Shogi world no less. No one is better at playing as a lower player than him. Every single pro and Women’s League player Onizaka-sensei has helped out over the years, including Big Sis and myself, have suffered at the hands of this hypocritical geezer in handicap matches.

I can’t remember who it was, but they gave him the perfect alias–––Uwate-Killing Demon.

“So, what’d you think? Can’t overlook my style, now can you?”

“Keh ……!”

“Then again, being good with a handicap is nothing to hang your hat on.”

This match turned into a heated battle mostly because Ai isn’t used to being the uwa-te or upper player. Her not wanting to lose in front of her master is only compounding the pressure, I’m sure.

Was this too much ……?

But she’ll be playing more matches as the upper player as she climbs up the Practice League ranks. It’d be better to have her go through baptism of fire here and now.

With those thoughts in my head and my eyes glued to the board, someone else comes into the room and takes a seat next to me.

“I will be observing for a while.”

“Ah, sure ……”

I nod without even thinking.

It’s a man about Onizaka-sensei’s age dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

While not very tall, he’s distinguished. Being this close, I can almost feel his presence on my skin. He’s got an air that only a man who’s been through many trials and tribulations could possess … There’s no doubt in my mind he’s spent most of his life competing. Strange people who don’t identify themselves pass through Onizaka-sensei’s mansion all the time. Maybe he plays Go? I doubt anyone that plays mahjong or chess would dress like that ……

I wanted to ask, but I restrained myself because it’s rude to start a conversation next to the board in the middle of a match.

“Now, now. With this many pieces on my side, that King should be as good as mine ……”

The late game has arrived and Onizaka-sensei is in the lead.

Ai’s defenses have been decimated, and now her only hope of victory is to advance her King into enemy territory. However, that’s going to be extremely difficult. One slightly wrong move and this match’ll be over on the spot–––.

“…… Here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehere …… Yes!!”

Ai confidently advances her King with a path in mind.

Once she safely advanced across the board, she promptly put the lower player’s King into checkmate.

“Woah …… You’re good! Really good!”

Onizaka-sensei tosses some of his captured pieces onto the board to signal his surrender. He’s got a smile on his face, but I’m sure losing in that fashion has him burning up inside.

“You’re a head above the rest once the pieces start clashing. Never thought I’d lose from that position. I’m stunned ……”

“…… You’re a nice kiddo, Ai.”

The elderly gentleman next to me and I watch them start a review session for a moment before he strikes up a conversation in a quiet voice.

“For one so young, a girl even, to defeat a grown man benefiting from a handicap …… Mr. Onizaka informed that me a talented child was coming today, but I had no idea she’d be this good.”

“That’s because she is talented.”

“Doesn’t having that talent at your mercy frighten you?”

“Very much so. Yes.”

My body leans in by itself as I agree with every word he says.

“I’m always worried that I might do something that slows down her progress or wastes her talent. I’m constantly wondering …… if there’s a better way to teach her.”

“However I do believe you possess the same talent as she. Why not raise her the same way you developed your own talent?”

I massage my forehand and reveal what’s been tormenting me. I could never say this stuff to someone in the Shogi world. After all, there are things you can only say to people you don’t know.

“There are many different ways to improve. There’s no guarantee that studying Shogi as much as you can will bear fruit.”

“But, you’ll never get better without studying. In that case, you’ve got to find the right amount of studying for you personally, but everyone is different. In the end, I think that only the players who figure out what works for them will rise to the top of the Shogi world. That’s what makes teaching so difficult. She might regress because of how I teach.”

“Is that so?”

“Your concern shows that you care.”

“But I have to produce results. It’s that kind of world.”

“Is it now ……?”

The elderly gentleman folds his arms across his chest and looks to the floor, deep in thought.

“……To consider such details while still so young …… Now I understand why that honorable man was so insistent ……”

“What?”

“I have witnessed something wonderful today. Now, I shall take my leave–––.”

With those few words, the elderly gentleman left the room.

His farewell was so smooth that I lost my chance to ask him his name.

“So, what did you think? How is Ai?”

“I think she’s got game sense. Maybe better than little miss Ginko.”

“Better than Big Sis?! D-Don’t you think that’s a little much ……?”

My elder “sister” apprentice, Ginko Sora holds two women’s titles, Queen and Women’s Throne, while holding a 2-dan ranking in the Sub League. She’s the best woman in the history of Shogi.

She herself may be a bit peeved that her flawless victory record earned her the alias Naniwa’s Snow White, but to think that Ai could be even more talented than her ……

“Yeah, but she’ll never overtake Miss Ginko at this rate.”

“Come again? …… Why is that?”

“Cause she doesn’t have a rival.”

Onizaka-sensei declares.

“That’s how it is everywhere. No one ever got good on their own. Shogi is a game for two after all. It’s that competition that drives people past their limits for the first time.”

–––Competition.

I couldn’t help but feel that he brought up something extremely important that I didn’t even notice.

“It’s important to have fun. You know what they say: ‘enjoyment is the best talent.’ But talent won’t make you good. It’s the desire to get stronger that brings out potential. And it’s that desire that makes you feel threatened when a rival might surpass you.”

“Feel threatened?”

“There aren’t any kiddos Ai’s age in Kanto or Kansai at the moment that can challenge her. But little Miss Ginko was lucky enough to have someone.”

“But, Big Sis has no rivals. Even her enemies in the Women’s League can’t–––.”

“Not a lady. You.”

“Me?”

“Very much so. Back when the two of you were runts …… You still are runts in my eyes, but that’s beside the point …… Back when you were Ai’s age, little Miss Ginko and yourself competed all the time and got better, no? I remember it like it was yesterday. The two of you sitting across the board from each other in this very house, driving each other to tears and fighting with everything you had. Those were the days.”

Sensei glances around the room as if taking a trip down memory lane.

“Little Miss Ginko has only ever had one goal, Ryuo Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

His face turns serious.

“Everything that she’s doing to become a pro isn’t because she wanted titles or to be the first in history. It’s to fight you on an even field. That’s why she’s chosen to follow the most difficult path.”

It’s true, I was the first to enter the purgatory known as the Sub League. Big Sis tested in a year later.

I pretty much followed a set path, entering the Sub League because I wanted to be like my Master, but Big Sis had the option of going into the Women’s League after the Practice League. All this time I thought that she joined the Sub League simply because Master recognized that she had enough talent to become a professional Shogi player.

Never once did it cross my mind that I might have influenced her decision ……

“But Ai though, she’s just a fledgling that idolizes you, toddling along in your footsteps. There’s no competition. That’s why she’ll never surpass little Miss Ginko the way things are now.”

“……”

“There’s nothing wrong with doting on an apprentice. Teaching all the ins and outs is how Masters show they care. But Masters also show their affection by throwing their apprentices into the fire.”

As someone who’s been involved in the Shogi world for so many years, Onizaka-sensei’s words carry a lot of weight.

I was very moved by his speech, but ……

“Master, Master! There was a broken necklace on the bathroom floor!”

That feeling instantly disappeared the moment I saw my apprentice come back holding a broken necklace with a golf ball–sized, white pendant in the middle. I snatch it out of her hands and hurl it straight at the perverted geezer.

“So how was it? Playing against Onizaka-sensei?”

“He’s really good with an advantage!”

By then it was long past time to go.

Later Ai’s competitive juices were still flowing, even after we left the mansion and made our way back to the train station. Her cheeks are still red from a match.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think she’s been that into a match since she came to Osaka.

But then again, it wasn’t anywhere near as intense as her match against Big Sis for the Practice League entrance test. Meanwhile, Onizaka-sensei’s words are stuck in my head like mud that just won’t go away.

However, I’m with my apprentice. I can’t let her see me worry, so I put some pep in my voice and say, “Got a nice chunk of change too. So why don’t we go to Chinatown and eat something good before heading home?”

“Chinese!!”

“Want anything specific?”

“Crab dumplings!!”

“Crab dumplings it is. Good, aren’t they?”

This girl loves crab. She also likes the kani kakoi crab formation strategy.

“Cra-bby! Crab, crab, crabby♪”

Watching her dance around, snapping her fingers in the air like scissors this way, part of me thinks I don’t need to be strict and send her to the Shogi wolves. She’ll get plenty strong growing up as a carefree, naïve spirit, and that might be the best thing for her–––.

My smartphone buzzes just as that thought crossed my mind.

“Master? Someone’s calling you. Shouldn’t you answer?”

“It’s fine. The number isn’t registered.”

Taking a quick look at the screen, I have no idea who is calling so I just put the phone back in my pocket.

“This happens all the time. Strange phone calls.”

“People you don’t know call you on your phone?”

“Yeah. While I have no idea how they get my number in the first place. Some people avoid the association and contact me directly to do TV spots without an appointment, sometimes it’s a prank call and others: it’s your regular Shogi fan. It’s pretty much always one of those. One guy asked me how to beat anaguma with a shiken bisha, Fourth File Rook, not too long ago.”

“You can say that again. That guy should’ve asked someone who plays Ranging Rook.”

“……”

I received a threatening call from one of Big Sis’s diehard fans saying, “Break up with Ginko! ‘Cause someone’s gonna die if you don’t! Me!!” a while back ……

I told him, “Somebody’d die if they were dating that! Me!!” and hung up right away. I wonder if that guy is still alive.

“Hmm …… This guy just doesn’t know when to quit.”

“He just keeps calling (>-<).”

The answering machine picks up each time I ignore it, but he dials again rather than leave a message. Haven’t dealt with anyone this insistent in a long time.

It’s gotta be some shady character with a few screws loose in the head. A Ranging Rook player for sure.

It’s getting on my nerves, so I decide to pick up. I answered in a way that would let them know I’m not happy.

“Yes?”

“Good afternoon. Am I correct in assuming this is Mr. Yaichi Kuzuryu’s cell phone?”

Hearing a calm male voice on the other end of the line douses my fire a bit, but I can’t let him walk all over me.

Since my own apprentice is right here (mouthing “Go get him, Master” and trying to strike an intimidating crab pose), I decide to be a good example on how to deal with annoying phone calls and speak as calmly as possible.

“And who might you be? Isn’t it common courtesy to introduce yourself first?”

“Why yes, how rude of me. My name is Tsukimitsu.”

“Tsukimitsu? Could you be more specific?”

“The Japan Shogi Association chairman, Seiichi Tsukimitsu.”

The phone falls from my hand.

“Master? You, um, dropped your phone.”

I stand there for a moment absolutely stunned as my apprentice looks at me in disbelief before I finally pick it up. My hands are shaking ……

Located on the third floor, it’s always filled with pro players, Women’s League players, Sub League members and journalists burning the midnight oil. It’s a place where members of the Kansai Shogi world come together to practice and encourage each other in practice groups.

Big Sis and I are in here doing just that, playing practice Shogi.

“Say, Big Sis.”

“…… What?”

Each of us only has ten seconds to make a move, so the clicks come one after another as I look up at her face and try to make it seem like I’m striking up small talk.

“How often do you work with the Practice League these days?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No reason in particular.”

“Then don’t ask.”

Conversation over. But I can’t give up now.

I couldn’t get everything Onizaka-sensei said yesterday out of my head even after I got home.

Just how am I supposed to raise Ai?

Masters also show their affection by throwing their apprentices into the fire.

His words reminded me of something I heard about in the past.

There was a time when it was said that Shogi Masters only played against their apprentices twice.

The first was when they first took them as an apprentice. It was to measure their abilities firsthand.

The second was when they retired from the Sub League without going pro.

And it’s said that the Master let their apprentice win.

You may not become a professional, but you’ve improved so much since you started.

It was a confidence booster——all so they could make a fresh start in a new world.

Big Sis and I have each played thousands of matches against Master. It’s considered common practice for Masters to take a hands-on approach in teaching their apprentices these days.

But I love this story because it just hits you right in your feelings.

I understand this now that I’m a Master myself. Making an apprentice fend for themselves is much more difficult than giving them special treatment.

Unfortunately, pro Shogi players are extremely isolated. There’s no one that can help you in the middle of a match. No one can get better if they’re always protected.

Only those with self-driven strength to improve can become strong.

There’s this one …… huge obstacle in the way.

But she’s more than just cute.

Ai does housework. She’s not selfish. She always tries her best and is damn cute for it.

“Is there anything you’d like?”

When I asked her, she fidgeted a little bit before saying, “I want to play Shogi with you, Master ……”

How about that? Just what is this cute creature? She’s just too lovable! No matter how strict anyone tells me to be with her, it’s just not possible! How could you help but give her a treat?!

That’s why I’ll always instinctively hold back and never be able to push her to the edge, and I bet Ai will never get that I’ll win no matter what it takes! feeling playing against me. A Master can never be a rival.

That’s where Big Sis comes in.

Knowing her, she’d push Ai to tears without a second thought. Ai’s thirst for revenge after the Practice League test will bring out her best, for sure. A grudge match like that will become a duel to the death.

“Then again …… Big Sis might ……”

“…… Hold up. Huh? What are you blabbering about?”

There’s absolutely no way that Big Sis would help out with Ai’s training even if I asked her. There’s nothing in it for her.

Plus, she always tries to break her opponent’s spirit, practice match or not. There’s a very real risk that she’d destroy my precious apprentice.

That’s a problem. A big problem.

So, I decided I would try to figure out the secrets behind how she became this superwoman Shogi machine for the time being. That might give me some ideas.

“Big Sis, how’d you get so good at Shogi?”

“Playing Shogi.”

“Well, yes, I get that, but there’s something more, right? Doing Shogi puzzles, replaying Shogi records, a certain way that you studied?”

“Playing Shogi.”

“B …… But just doing matches all the time, don’t you hit a wall at some point? I’m trying to ask what to do at times like that ……”

“Play Shogi.”

“You’re right. Playing Shogi is the best answer. But, you know, what about those times when nothing seems to work no matter what you do? When that happens–––.”

“Play Shogi.”

“What if you’re in a slump–––?”

“Play Shogi.”

“I was stupid for even trying to ask ……”

“Wanna be laid out on the slab?”

Tempers flaring, our match became just as fiery. Stubbornly pressing forward, our hands are moving so fast they bump into each other over and over again as I squeak out a victory. How’d you like that, Ginko!

“Ryuo.”

“Yes?”

A voice came from behind me as if someone had been waiting for our match to finish.

As to the certain someone that called me out of the blue, it was–––.

“…… Ms. Oga?”

“One’s name is thus.”

Sasari Oga. A female association staff member, a secretary to be exact.

She used to be a Women’s League player, but had to retire as a 1-dan.

She’s in her early twenties if I remember right, but her bad win-loss record forced her out of the league. The same is true for the main leagues, but the world of women’s Shogi is fierce.

“Ryuo. I apologize for bothering you during practice but–––.”

“Oh, yes. It’s about that, right?”

I stand up from my chair and Big Sis glares at me.

“So, you’re just going to win and dash?”

“My apologies, twin title holder. The chairman summons.”

“Well, you heard her.”

“…… Drop dead.”

I turn my back on Big Sis’s curse and follow Ms. Oga out of the Player’s Room. Winning and dashing feels awesome.

“One’s name is thus.”

Not really sure how to ask, so I tried to get some information out of the woman who was walking in front of me.

“Well …… it’s, you know? I was just wondering if you could tell me anything before I speak to the chairman to, you know, put my mind at ease a little bit ……”

“One is not privy to that information.”

Shot down right then and there.

However, I know for a fact she’s lying.

“Don’t be like that. There’s nothing in this world you don’t know about, isn’t that right? You’ll tell me, won’t you?”

“……”

Ms. Oga stops walking.

Since her position as the chairman’s secretary sends her back and forth between the Kanto and Kansai branches of the Shogi Association, rumor has it she knows exactly what’s happening in the Shogi world at all times.

Also, her position allows her to review all documents that the chairman needs to see due to special circumstances.

The chairman has so much faith in this former Women’s League player, who knows everything from the public face to the inner workings of the Shogi world, that it’s rumored she does most of the job herself.

All this leads to her nickname—the Shadow Don.

“Then I propose an exchange of information.”

She said with a quick turn to face me. Exchange? What information?

“A survey that involves you, Ryuo, has been secretly making its way around the association staff and registered players.”

“About me? What kind of survey?”

“Predicting who will become your bride.”

“Come again?”

“There are three candidates: your Master’s daughter, your elder sister apprentice and your elementary school aged live-in apprentice. Here is the data thus far.”

Ms. Oga holds out her smartphone like it contains every secret in the world.

Keika Kiyotaki: 2 Votes

Ginko Sora: 17 Votes

Elementary School Girl: 163 Votes

“Huh? What the heck is this?! Just what kind of survey is it?! And why is the elementary school girl crushing the competition?!”

“It’s designed to find your best match: your relationship with the candidates, how the candidates treat you and what type of woman you find most attractive. Those elements were all considered to achieve these results. It is one’s assessment.”

“So that means everyone thinks I’ve got a Lolita complex?! The entire Shogi Association?!”

“I’m saying nothing of the sort, only that it’s possible to draw that conclusion from the collected data.”

“What other conclusions are there?!”

“So? In reality, who would you choose?”

Ms. Oga asks as she leans in close to me. I can feel her breath on my face.

“Heh-heh. So, one’s feminine wiles were too much for you ……?”

“No, it wasn’t that.”

“Now I see. So, it’s true you only show interest in elementary school girls.”

“Why’d you jump to that conclusion?! What grounds do you have?!”

“Keep your voice down. We’re in front of the chairman’s office.”

“……”

As the Shadow Don ignores me, I shut up and she knocks on the door before announcing our presence.

“This is Oga. I’ve brought the Ryuo.”

“Come in.”

A crisp voice comes from inside the office. Ms. Oga opens the door and I step into the chairman’s office.

And inside that room–––I stand before a legend.

“It’s been far too long. I don’t believe we’ve spoken since the Ryuo crowning ceremony.”

“Please relax. I haven’t called you here today to scold you.”

A living, breathing legend directs me to a sofa and says with a tint of humor in his voice, “And besides, you outrank me now, yes? Ryuo Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

Eternal Meijin–––only people that have held the title of Meijin, one of the Shogi world’s titles that ranks as high as Ryuo, for more than five consecutive seasons are allowed to keep their title when they retire.

There have only been seventeen of them since Soukei Oohashi in the early 1600s–––and the man in front of me is number seventeen.

Be that as it may, he is still very much a pro Shogi player with an A ranking.

He should be about the same age as my 50-something-year-old Master, Kousuke Kiyotaki 9-dan, but his lean frame makes him look barely a day over thirty. Simply put, they don’t look the same age at all …

Moonlight.

That’s how people describe the chairman’s playing style.

His beacon of light first appeared on the Shogi scene when he became the second junior high school pro Shogi player in history. He then proceeded to advance through C2, C1, B2, B1 and A rankings in all leagues without losing a match and was approved as the fastest and youngest Meijin ever.

Attacking like moonlight seeping through the cracks of a wall, he always found the fastest way to checkmate.

It’s said that pro players hoped for a quick death rather than to hold out against the chairman when he went on the attack.

That’s because it’ll leave behind a beautiful record.

But his sense of aesthetics goes far beyond other players. He’s even thrown in the towel, joking that he “let the fastest checkmate get away” before in a must-win match.

He introduced speed into a Shogi world that valued strong defense above all else, a genius that practically built the foundation of the modern Shogi scene by himself. None other than Seiichi Tsukimitsu 9-dan.

But the god that granted him this light also took light away from him at the same time.

Blind Shogi Prodigy.

What’s even more impressive and awe-inspiring when talking about Seiichi Tsukimitsu than becoming the youngest and fastest Meijin in history is the fact that despite being blinded by an illness in his twenties, he still maintains his position as a top Shogi player.

Even professionals who have a Shogi board in their mind struggle to defeat another pro without being able to see the board all …… It might be better to say damn near impossible. But he took on that impossibility with a crisp, calm face and continues to compete at the A level to this day. While the current Meijin has a considerable lead on him in terms of titles, there are many who still swear that Seiichi Tsukimitsu is the best to ever play the game.

What would a living legend like him want with me–––?

“I would like you to accept an apprentice.”

…… Did I hear that right?

“She’s the granddaughter of a man who has made many generous contributions to the Shogi world for many years. The girl is nine and in the fourth grade.”

“W-Wait just a minute please! Why me ……? Why would you ask me?!”

“You like them, right? Elementary school girls.”

“Wha-wha-wha-what are you talking about?! I’m not like that at all?!”

“I’m only joking. He made the request.”

Joking around with a stoic face like that’ll give me a heart attack. Please, no more …

“It seems the girl in question refuses to become an apprentice to anyone without a current A rank or title in their possession.”

There are only three people registered with the Kansai Association with titles right now: the man in front of me, Chairman Tsukimitsu, Worldly Maestro King Mitsuru Oishi, and me, the Ryuo.

Now if we were talking Women’s Titles, Big Sis has two of them and there’s Yamashiro Ouka and Machi Kugui, but they don’t even seem to be part of the equation. Well, Big Sis couldn’t take an apprentice anyway because she’s in the Sub League.

“My duties as chairman keep me very busy, so accepting an apprentice would be rather difficult. Mr. Oishi is currently on a ritual journey through Kyushu to prepare for his A rank league placement matches. He’s unreachable.”

“Oh … Is it that time of year again?”

Mr. Oishi has been going on these temple treks ever since his Sub League days and has become something like a seasonal clock for the Kansai Shogi world.

The league that determines who will challenge the current Meijin–––the placement matches start in June.

There aren’t many matches at all in April and May, so it’s a long spring break for pro Shogi players.

“That and Mr. Oishi isn’t the type to take an apprentice.”

“So, me?”

“I heard that you recently took an apprentice of your own. An elementary school girl at that.”

Ai is a great girl, a Shogi whiz kid that can cook and clean. Basically, she’s the super apprentice. But even still, she’s in elementary school girl, so I need to be very attentive. The fact that she is a live-in apprentice further complicates things.

Like a much younger sister … Nah, I’d say it’s more like I suddenly have a daughter.

Trying to imagine adding another one into the mix is making me dizzy. And there’s no doubt that everyone would think I’ve got a thing for little girls …… I deny it, but more girls keep showing up …… I can’t talk my way out of that one ……

“Please don’t think on this too hard.”

The chairman asks the impossible with a face as crisp as the moon in the night sky.

“A two-hour lesson once or twice a week at her residence in Kobe will suffice. Consider it an extra lesson on your schedule. That’s not much of the change, is it?”

“Just until the placement matches in June, or even until she takes the Practice League test in May. That is fine. She can be registered as my apprentice on paper.”

“……”

It’s practically unheard of for someone to take a live-in apprentice like Ai these days. A “dry” relationship between master and apprentice where the only connection is on paper and they never play against each other is actually pretty common. If I fit her into my lesson schedule, it won’t be that big of a deal.

“They’re offering a bonus for accepting the job. I will handle the public side of things, but would you be willing to meet the girl at the very least?”

“…… Understood. I’ll go have a look for myself.”

I can’t possibly say no to the chairman if he’s going to push this much. He’s cleverly cut off all my escape routes.

This conversation would turn out to have a great impact on my life as well as the Shogi world as a whole …… but I had no idea at the time. No one could’ve ever predicted what was about to happen.

Except for one person–––Seiichi Tsukimitsu.

“…… What even is that?”

Kobe, Nada Ward.

An exquisite manor stands in an expensive residential area at the base of Mt. Rokkou. Practically a fortress. A mountain in its own right.

“T …… this is Kobe? This whole thing is on one plot of land ……?”

“Oi.”

“?!”

A voice snaps like a whip behind me. I turn around and see a woman wearing a black suit and sunglasses standing at attention.

A young, beautiful woman with a good sense of style … However, she’s clearly not some friendly neighbor. This could be bad.

“Yaichi Kuzuryu-sensei …… Are you not?”

“He’s my twin brother.”

“Funny.”

The sunglass-wearing beauty grabs my shoulder and steers me through the front gate before I could squeal in a fright.

“Sensei has arrived!”

The other side of the gate may as well have been a different world …

A whole group of people in black suits and sunglasses are standing on either side of the gravel path that travels through the front lawn. Every single one of them is bowing, their hands on their knees, and saying, “Welcome, Sensei!!” at the same time.

I thought this kind of thing only happened in movies ……! It’s terrifying ……!

What’s more.

Boom! Boom! Thundering echoes that don’t belong in expensive residential areas ring out.

“T-Taiko drums?!”

–––It’s said that really fancy inns would greet players and customers with Taiko drums when they would “camp” overnight for title matches back in the old days of the Shogi world.

But never in a million years did I think I’d show up at some average guy’s place to give a lesson and hear Taiko drums instead of the doorbell. Then again, there’s no way this is just some average guy’s place!

“Sensei, the lord of the manor awaits. Please go inside.”

“I’m feeling a little queasy.”

“Go.”

“Okay ……”

I start to walk and am ushered forward from behind.

What was waiting for me on the other side of the tiger pelt laying on the floor as a doormat was–––.

“How wonderful to see you again, Kuzuryu-sensei.”

“?! You’re ……!”

“Kouten Yashajin, lord of this manor.”

It was the elderly gentleman I talked to at Onizaka-sensei’s mansion.

“I apologize for not introducing myself at Mr. Onizaka’s residence.”

In that moment, the real reason Onizaka-sensei contacted me clicked.

It wasn’t so that he could meet Ai. Well, I’m sure that was part of it but–––.

“…… You were watching me, rather than my apprentice, weren’t you?”

“Both Chairman Tsukimitsu and Mr. Onizaka spoke very highly of you.”

“They did ……?”

“Indeed. Both claimed that there could be no better instructor for my granddaughter. Please, if you’ll follow me–––.”

I follow Mr. Yashajin down a completely spotless hallway. I briefly considered making a run for it, but after noticing that the sun-glassed beauty was right behind me, I realized that was impossible.

Mr. Yashajin comes to a stop up ahead, right in front of a traditional sliding door that depicts an angel and a demon.

“Allow me to introduce you to her, my granddaughter, Ai.”

“Ai?”

He slides open the door to reveal–––.

A girl that’s about the same age and size as my apprentice Ai.

However, her personal aura couldn’t be any different–––a black Ai sitting there.

That was the first thing she–––the young girl dressed in black–––said to me.

“Make no mistake. You’re just a lesson professional grandfather is paying to teach me. I can’t stand the thought of a bottom-of-the-barrel Shogi player that happened to claim a title out of sheer luck considering himself to be my Master.”

“……”

Never would’ve thought such a cute girl would be so cheeky.

Then again, I’ve run into more sassy kids who are caught up in their own fantasy world than I can count. It happens to every kid with Shogi talent, their abilities go to their head. All the ones that grow up to become pros never let their ego get popped, instead they bludgeoned their opponents with it. I know how to deal with them.

Taking my glasses and fan out of my second bag, I turn to Mr. Yashajin for confirmation.

“I’m allowed to be strict with her, yes?”

“By all means.”

With her guardian’s permission granted, I test the floor cushion that was placed in front of the Shogi board.

Then, I take my big pieces, the Rook and the Bishop, off my side of the board and put them in the piece box.

“A two-piece handicap? That’s fine by me, but it won’t even be a challenge.”

“Ah, good point. A two-piece handicap wouldn’t be a challenge at all.”

I take both of my Lances off the corners of board and put them away in the box.

“Now then, show me what you’ve got.”

“?!”

Her face twitches for the first time, as if the anger boiling inside of her just set her whole body alight.

“D …… Don’t treat me as some child?! Do you seriously think you stand a chance with a four-piece handicap?!”

“Stop talking and come get me.”

Ignoring her, I make the first move.

“! …… Prepare to die.”

Whispering something scary under her breath, lady Ai vents her anger by sliding her first piece with authority.

Neither of us take much time to think as the match progresses. It’s all standard, completely by the book.

“…… I see. You’re well-versed on how to play handicap matches.”

“Of course I am. See? I’m already in victory position.”

“Are you? So, you think you’ve already won?”

“Don’t act tough just because you’re a pro. Just what do you think you can do?”

I take a moment to contemplate the Shogi records in my head.

The ones that come to mind are all from before I turned pro …… Records from my time in the Sub League.

For the most part, Practice League and Sub League match records aren’t made public. That’s because their non-pro records aren’t considered to be worth much.

However, there are diamonds hidden in the rough.

All you could ever need to know about how to play handicap matches against superior or inferior opponents are contained in Practice League and Sub League match records.

In handicap matches, the prodigies from all over Japan play a completely different game from those played by amateurs. So many strategies that never make it into standard practice come to life all the time there.

I found one of those hidden diamonds and tried my hand.

“I can do this.”

“……?!”

Ai’s face twitches, shocked by a change she’d never seen before.

I thought she was just a bratty kid, but that reaction tells me she’s trying really hard. That’s kinda cute.

“I can do this, too.”

“Huh? …… Huuuh?! That move …… is it allowed ……?”

I get a sadistic kick out of throwing the board into chaos. Ai’s fingers start trembling with every unexpected move I make.

“So? Having fun yet?”

“Ugh …… kh, gah ……”

It’s not just players in the Sub and Practice Leagues. Professional players play thousands, tens of thousands of handicap matches as the upper player.

I haven’t even been a pro for two years, but with all my time in the Sub League, I have quite a bit of experience with these matches. Pros have played with a handicap so much more than amateurs, there’s no comparison.

And there are ways to utterly destroy lower players.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted a challenge?”

“Ngh ……! N-Not yet!”

Biting her lip to bear the shame, Ai flicks her long black hair over her shoulder with those thin fingers before squeezing her fists together with a moan.

This pretty girl plays extremely pretty Shogi.

A straightforward playing style unbefitting her twisted personality. Simple, by the books Shogi. She must’ve been lucky enough to have a great teacher that drilled the standard formations into her head when she was younger.

But there’s a downside. Relying on the standard too much means that she’s defenseless once the standards no longer apply.

Her style is too pretty. I don’t feel any stubbornness, any willingness to be dragged through the mud and emerge victorious coming from her.

My apprentice makes loads of mistakes in the early and mid-games only to turn the match on its head in the late game. This girl is the exact opposite. She’s studious, but there’s no depth. In other words, she has no talent.

Now that I’ve got this Ai’s skill level figured out, I move in to end the match.

“!! There ……!”

She blocks my first attack, face tense with fright.

Standard strategy for handicap matches is all about attacking.

There’s nothing that tells you how to defend.

That’s why amateurs who rely on the standards start to fall apart as soon as the match veers away from what they know. Then, their spirit breaks once the counterattack hits.

“……”

I watch Ai’s head slump. She’s staring into her lap and I could swear I heard her spirit snap.

Seeing a bratty young lady fall off her high horse is a pitiful sight.

No matter how much she whined, how much trash she talked, one look at the board clearly showed how weak she is. I doubt that she’s ever felt more ashamed in her life.

–––But she’s suffered enough. Might as well put her out of her misery with a clean, swift end …

With that thought in mind, I started an all-out offensive. Ai’s defensive formation was soon riddled with holes after taking the full force of a pro’s attack.

She’s moving pieces into place to fill them with weak, trembling fingers, but that’s only delaying the inevitable.

I’ve delivered a fatal blow, and there’s no way to prevent that now.

“…… I ……”

So, she’s about to admit defeat.

I was sure she was going to throw in the towel. Her spirit broke long ago.

But.

“I’m …… not done yet!”

“Hm?”

She looks up from the board and locks eyes with me. Sharp eyes, glowing with demonic tenacity.

Those aren’t the eyes of someone who’s given up.

Ai’s spirit, which I thought was broken, was actually still in one piece.

That is to say–––.

“I …… can still fight!!”

It wasn’t long before I looked at what the board had become and gasped.

“?! When did ……?”

I have no idea how she did it, but her defensive formation recovered, despite being under siege this whole time.

It’s not a standard defense, not by a long shot.

Her Golds and Silvers that would protect the King were scattered all over the place by my bombardment, and yet Ai’s formation is strangely solid.

It’s crooked and looks paper-thin, but the pieces protecting the King are bound together by some mysterious force, as if symbolizing her strong will.

–––So she used my offensive to rebuild her defense?!

No, it’s more than that … She is setting up so she can cut off my attack and counter it!

This skill ……

“Defensive Shogi, huh?”

That was when I first realized I had completely misread Ai’s talent.

It’s not that she has good offense or has in-depth knowledge of standard strategy.

It’s just the opposite.

There are some Shogi players who can harness surprising strength when under attack.

Thanks to a certain manga, these people have recently become known as defenders, extraordinary players who can find ways to use their opponent’s attack strategy against them.

It’s all about skilled prediction and calculating as quickly and precisely as possible. A kind of sixth sense that allows them to deny their opponent’s plan, pulling the board into chaos with brute force.

All of these skills are necessary so one can emerge victorious when forced to defend.

However, the most important thing of all is–––having the ironclad mental fortitude to never give up even when the going gets tough.

Mental prowess, having the nerves to press on without fear of getting hurt even when staring down the face of the blade, being brave enough to walk through a hail of bullets. A spirit strong enough to take damage and still fight to the bitter end of an intense Shogi match.

In the end, that’s unbreakable spirit.

Pull back the plating known as standard and you’ll find something stronger, fiercer and that shines more beautifully than any plating–––a sparkling jewel.

“Sob ……!”

“I’ll buy that you know what you’re doing, but your skills have a long way to go.”

“……!!”

Cheeks glistening with tears, Ai slams a handful of pieces onto the board and glares at me like an angry demon.

Then I snapped my voice like a whip when she stood up to leave without saying a word.

“Manners!”

“Shut up!! I hate you!!”

Mr. Yashajin had watched the match without saying a word, but of course he couldn’t let that slide.

“Watch your mouth, Ai! Do as Sensei tells you.”

“…… How could you, grandfather?!!”

Now on her feet, Ai leaves the room with tears pouring down her face. The young woman in sunglasses takes off after her with a start, but Mr. Yashajin stays seated on his ankles and lets out a long sigh.

Once I put all the pieces back in the box, I lower my head to the elderly gentleman in hopes that I haven’t made a big mistake.

“No, that was acceptable,” he said in a clear voice. Then, “Haaa ……,” he sighed again as if he has a lot on his mind. “…… I wanted to ask a Women’s League player to teach her at first.”

“She didn’t go along with it, did she?”

“Not in the slightest. She claimed that Women’s League players were too weak ……”

A lot of people say that.

Specifically, many bratty kids like her and middle-of-the-pack amateurs have no problem with calling Women’s League players who are stronger than themselves “weak.” It all boils down to the odd idea that playing against one of them will make them weaker and they refuse to take lessons from any of the Women’s League players.

Those people will never become good and, even if they did, they have some serious issues as people. They’ll never get a date, that’s for sure. Probably play Ranging Rook …… Nah, playing style has got nothing to do with it.

“My presence seems to intimidate middle-level players, that’s what I found while instructing her, and more veteran players are too lenient with children Ai’s age … I believe that a young, strict teacher such as yourself will be the best thing for her.”

“Well, if you really think so ……”

“So, Sensei. As for becoming Ai’s instructor ……”

I think she has an interesting talent. I’d love to see how far it takes her.

But I need to focus on training my first apprentice, Ai. While this arrangement might just mean adding a few lessons a week, dealing with that kind of kid just isn’t possible.

I’ll turn it down.

But just as I was about to say so.

“…… She has dealt with more than her share of misfortune.”

Mr. Yashajin managed to squeeze the words out while staring at his knees.

“After both of her parents passed away in the same accident, I have taken it upon myself to look after and raise her as her grandfather …… but I have gotten soft in my old age, and I’m afraid I may have spoiled her.”

Learning that both Ai’s parents had passed away shakes me to the core.

“All she ever wants to do is play Shogi, and I have allowed it. Unfortunately, that resulted in her playing mostly by herself and hardly ever allowing anyone else to approach her.”

“By herself?”

Those words cause another tremor.

“She didn’t get that good by playing against someone else?”

“That’s correct. She is the only one at this residence who can play and I’ve been informed that she keeps to herself while at school, although I believe she has played over the Internet or against a computer a few times.”

“She came that far on her own ……?”

The fact that she acquired all those skills playing Shogi against herself, that’s the biggest shock of all.

It’s very rare that someone goes pro just by reading Shogi books and studying match records. It’s also true that that’s the only way for people out in rural areas to get stronger when they aren’t fortunate enough to have an opponent.

Those who do make it that way tend to distinguish themselves with unusual skills and senses.

Could that be what’s behind Ai’s talent ……?

“She has all but ceased listening to me and I, myself, am too afraid of being despised by my own granddaughter to take a stronger stand with her … While it shames me to admit it, the girl will only listen to those who can best her at Shogi at this point. From the moment she approached me to ask for a proper Shogi instructor, I immediately wanted to find a professional Shogi player to become Ai’s role model. Not just for Shogi, but to teach her how to be an adult.”

“…… Why is she so devoted to playing Shogi?”

“Because her parents taught her how to play.”

The one thing that her deceased father and mother left to her was Shogi. That’s what Mr. Yashajin tells me.

“Her parents met at a Shogi club in Tokyo while studying in university. The bond they forged while sitting across the board is what led to their marriage. They wasted no time in teaching their only daughter how to play and would often spend nights playing together as a family unit. Ai’s happiest memories were made playing Shogi on those nights. That and ……”

“And?”

“She may feel that people will eventually disappear from her life, but the Shogi board and pieces will always stay by her side.”

“……”

That’s an even sadder reason than I could’ve imagined.

Shogi is the best tool to bring people together. It’s possible for two people who understand the game well enough to have a conversation over the board. That’s why games like Shogi and Go have been nicknamed hand dialogue.

Let’s say I read some Shogi match records dating back to the 1600s.

Looking through them, I’d be able to tell what each player was thinking and what they were trying to accomplish without too much difficulty. Looking at where they used their waiting time would also give me a good idea as to what they were feeling during the match, internal wavering and so on.

Reading records like this makes it possible to converse with the dead.

But …… Playing Shogi as a way to maintain a connection with the dead, I think, will end up hurting Ai more in the end.

If strengthening her bond with her deceased parents is why she wants to get better at Shogi, is she being weighed down too much by her past?

Once that thought crossed my mind–––the only answer I could get was that I wanted a little more time to think about accepting a position as Ai’s instructor or not.

Mr. Yashajin called out to me as if clinging to the last ray of hope. He’s tearing up.

The elderly gentleman started groveling on the spot, putting his hands together and repeating “I beg of you” over and over.

What I saw kneeling before me wasn’t a rich or influential person, but a wizened old man who was only thinking about his granddaughter.

Then.

“Chairman!”

I called Mr. Tsukimitsu the instant I was clear of the manor.

“Just what the heck was that?! I don’t know how the family got that rich, but I don’t think I want to?!”

“I would prefer you not say things that could damage their reputation,” says the one worthy of the 17th Eternal Meijin title in a cool voice. “The Japan Shogi Association is a public organization. Under no circumstances would connections to elicit groups of any kind be allowed.”

“But! That was so obviously–––!”

“While I cannot deny that the elderly Mr. Yashajin once owned a well-known gambling institution in the Kobe area, he has long since retired. After submitting foreclosure documents to the police, his company now operates in several industries including construction, entertainment, security, as well as designing and producing new Pachinko machines. Several former police officers hold board member positions throughout the company. I would like to make that perfectly clear.”

“So then? Are you willing to make an addition to your lesson schedule?”

“…… I played against her just to see for myself.”

“Oh?”

“While I admit she’s very talented, the girl hates my guts. I made her cry.”

“I see. She seems to have taken a liking to you. I knew I could count on you.”

“Did you hear anything I just said?!”

“Out of all the professionals sent to their manor, you are the first to even speak with her.”

“……”

“I await your favorable reply, Ryuo.”

Getting home to my apartment a little after eight o’clock at night, I open the unlocked door and hold up some food I picked up on the way home as I call inside.

“Keika? Thanks for looking after the place while I was out. I picked up some good sushi so let’s chow wooooooooah!?”

What I saw in my own room was,

–––a clearly uncomfortable and grimacing Keika,

–––my apprentice with her head buried in a blanket, sobbing like mad,

–––and Big Sis sitting on her ankles next to the Shogi board in full battle mode.

All at once.

“Umm …… What’s going on here? Did someone open a portal to hell, because there’s something demonic about the air in here ……?”

“Hmm.”

Keika presses her finger against her lower lip, deep in thought, and tilts her head to the side before answering. “A girl’s night?”

“I don’t claim to know the first thing about girl’s nights, but I don’t think they involve my elementary school–aged apprentice shoving her head under a blanket with the waterworks going full blast, do they ……?”

“Hey, Big Sis.”

I ask the girl obviously behind this miasma of pain and suffering, Ginko Sora.

“Why are you in Osaka?”

“……”

Maintaining silence, Big Sis–––is dressed in a full kimono.

A very flashy one at that, with crimson sleeves and scarlet hakama pants. It only enhances her natural beauty, making her drop-dead gorgeous. Someone dressed like that clearly doesn’t belong in this cheap two-room apartment.

Kimonos like that are normally saved for special occasions like coming-of-age ceremonies, but Women’s League players will wear them for extremely important matches.

In other words, title matches.

Big Sis is currently in the middle of five matches to defend her Queen title. Or, at least, she should be.

“Didn’t you leave for Shizuoka yesterday? Shouldn’t you be staying at Fugetsurou Inn? And why are you still wearing that? Don’t tell me the match is already over?”

Big Sis couldn’t answer.

While Women’s League Title Matches end in one day, it’s almost unheard of for Big Sis to make it back to Osaka on the same day. Even moreso was the fact she came back without changing, making this freakishly unusual. What in the world happened ……?

“Yaichi. Here.”

“?”

I take a look at the article Keika has open on her smartphone, which she handed to me.

Oh, wow ……

Reading all the Shogi fans’ tweets gave me a pretty good idea as to what happened.

But there are still a few things I don’t understand.

1. Why did Big Sis come back wearing her kimono?

2. What’s the meaning behind using two minutes of waiting time?

I get out my own smartphone and pull up the Mynavi Women’s Open public access site and take a look at the match record. Since they post the men’s and women’s title match records for anyone to see for free, the best of the best are only a few clicks away. Why not have a look for yourself?

“Let’s see here …… Big Sis had the first move, and she went with–––.”

Snap!

I heard a piece hit the Shogi board and look in that direction. Big Sis just made the same move as the record on my phone.

“…… Is that an invitation?”

“……”

She didn’t say anything, but I can practically feel the burning energy from her fingertips, itching for a battle but nowhere to go.

So I sit across the board from her and make the second move–––just as the challenger had done.

“…… Now I see. Ryou led the match into yokofu dori: Side Pawn Capture. That means that a wrong move somewhere brought the match to an end.”

Side Pawn Capture is one of the Static Rook strategies that turns the early game into a brawl.

“Because Side Pawn matches tend to hinge on who has spent more time studying …… Ah! That’s the change she went with. Okay, so then ……”

Ryou’s twenty-fourth move was the cause.

This particular strategy was considered Defensive Advantage by the Pro Shogi Leagues two weeks ago, but the Kansai (West) Sub League determined it to be Offensive Advantage just last week. They turned the standard on its head.

Ryou, living in Kanto (East), didn’t know she was using an outdated standard. Big Sis’s understanding was one week ahead. That determined the match.

Apart from the 3-dan league where Sub League members with that rank go head-to-head, and the yearly trip for everyone with 2-dan and below, there’s almost no interaction between Kanto and Kansai.

And since that annual trip hasn’t happened for the past couple of years, any research done by 2-dan and below league members wouldn’t have crossed the barrier between east and west. In other words, everything stays under wraps.

So, the only way to get your hands on their latest research is to play against the Sub League members yourself. Ryou didn’t have the option because she is part of the Kanto Women’s League. She forged ahead using an old standard with no idea that a new counter strategy had been discovered in Kansai.

––– It’s not skill, but knowledge that wins in this era.

If you were to say that’s just the way Shogi is played nowadays, that would be the end of it. However, whether it’s okay to show that side of Shogi to the fans during a title match is a quandary all pros share …

“So that’s what the two minutes was for? Finish the match with the next move or draw it out into a hard-fought battle.”

“…… Big Sis didn’t say anything, but her silence tells me that I’m right; as well as the fact that she is still dealing with that quandary right now.

“Haaa ……” I let out a long sigh.

Putting on a serious face and fixing my posture, I tell her, “I think you made the right decision, Big Sis. As a professional, you should always use the latest information to your advantage. Even if it would bring a title match to an early end.”

“……”

“I would’ve made the same decision if I were in your shoes. Considering how much Side Pawn Capture strategies keep changing, Ryou was naïve if she thought what worked two weeks ago would still be valid.”

I’m sure she’s cursing that naïveté right now. Hopefully she doesn’t break anything …

Well, at least that explains what Big Sis is doing in my apartment. To be blunt–––.

“You didn’t get enough, did you?”

“……”

The match came to an end just as her competitive spirit was kicking in, but it had nowhere to go. That’s why she came back to Osaka right away: to play against me. She made a beeline for the bullet train, long sleeves swaying at her sides, to get to my apartment as soon as possible. Big Sis’s unworldly need for satisfaction is coming across loud and clear. It’s all because she considers me to be her personal punching bag. Ever since we were little kids.

But I had somewhere to be and wasn’t home, so she played against Ai in my place instead. I’m sure by that point she didn’t care who it was, she just had to play Shogi. Since the ones who were actually there aren’t saying anything, I turn to Keika and ask her, “So? What handicap did my apprentice have when she got crumpled up like this?”

“It was just the Rook at first.”

“…… At first?”

This had such an ominous ring to it, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Ai wanted to play an even match. But Ginko wouldn’t have it and insisted on a Rook handicap. They eventually agreed on te naori, with the original handicap being the Rook but–––.”

Te naori means that the handicap is adjusted according to the win-loss record. Big Sis would play without her Bishop if Ai won, but would take out both Lances if Ai lost.

However–––Ai had already lost at that point.

I got a good grasp of how the matches went from then on.

“How far did it drop? Four?”

“Six.”

“Six, huh …… That’s quite a shock.”

That means that Ai lost to a four-piece handicap–––Big Sis played without her Rook, Bishop and both Lances. The way my apprentice is now, she should have no trouble contending with Big Sis when she’s two pieces down.

So why, why is it that Ai got steamrolled?

According to te naori rules, Ai had to win three times to force an even match with that starting point. But she was so focused on having to win three in a row that she lost her cool at that point. I bet she couldn’t concentrate on the current match and lost without putting up much of a fight. Once that happened, a little voice inside her head kept saying “I’ve got to get that one back!” and she stopped thinking straight, which resulted in her ultimate demise.

Keeping a cool head is far more difficult than mastering Shogi techniques. It’s rare for any pro to lose their skills with age, but plenty lose their mental edge.

Ai was driven back into a corner and faced with a four-piece handicap match that she absolutely had to win, only to have her confidence and pride shattered when she lost ……

“So then, she’s embarrassed to look her master in the face after such a pitiful showing?”

“That may be part of it, but I don’t think it’s the main reason.”

Keika reaches down to take a King from the Shogi board. Looking closely, there’s a small nick on the surface.

“Ai was so angry at herself that she bit it in despair–––.”

“Oh, and left a bite mark on it? She thinks I’d be angry–––.”

“Her tooth came out.”

“Come again?”

“And here it is.”

Whoa.

A cute little white tooth falls out of a handkerchief into Keika’s hand and she shows it to me.

“It’s a baby tooth and it made a clean break, so I think she’ll be fine but …”

“Well …… she’s a girl after all.”

She doesn’t want me to see her with a hole in her teeth. But isn’t it pretty rare for a nine-year-old to still have baby teeth ……? Should I put it under her pillow tonight ……?

“But Ai fought really hard. She got right back up no matter how many times she lost–––.”

“That was just reckless. No one gets better by having their confidence destroyed. Ai, are you listening?”

Since my apprentice was hiding her head in the blanket, I had no choice but to talk to her motionless bottom.

“Don’t let all those victories in the Practice League go to your head. If you don’t figure out how to win with a handicap on your side, higher ranking players will wipe the floor with you and you won’t be able to do anything about it. You get that now?”

Ai’s talent is like a vast plot of land that has more potential than anyone else has.

But as of now, there’s only a rickety little house standing on that land. One strong gust of wind, and it’ll collapse. She needs a strong Shogi foundation before her talent can come into play.

Now that I’ve lectured my raw apprentice, I lighten my tone and offer her a treat.

“Now, you must be hungry after all those matches? I brought home some sushi, so eat up. I even got some of your favorite crab ones? The crab rolls with miso?”

“……”

A thin little arm shot out from under the blanket. I placed one of the crab rolls on an open hand and it disappeared under the blanket just as quickly. She apparently still has no intention of letting me see her without that tooth.

“……! ……!!”

“Ah, sorry. The wasabi might burn a little.”

Thump! Thump! My apprentice’s legs vigorously pound the floor. Well, she seems like herself. That’s a relief.

“…… There’s no rush, Ai. You can improve little by little, that’s fine.”

I gently stroke the lump in the blanket that (I’m pretty sure) is her head.

“Oh, and Big Sis. I realize you still have energy to burn after the match ended so quickly, but would you please not use my apprentice as a punching bag?”

Big Sis said nothing. Just keeps munching on sushi.

“Seriously! What am I supposed to say to her parents if their precious daughter, whose future they entrusted me with, were to get crushed by someone in the same Shogi family no less ……? My apprentice isn’t your toy, Big Sis ……!”

“There’d be no point if her spirit broke before she started getting really good at Shogi,” said Keika, as if taking a walk down memory lane. “Speaking of that, Yaichi. Do you remember any of the girls you made friends with at the Shogi Association’s classroom or at the house and then they never came back again?”

“Now that I think about it …… yeah? A few.”

“They stopped coming because Ginko destroyed each of them.”

Now what was that for?

“Ginko always jumped in after your games ended and beat all of them and used no waiting time. Normal kids would get frustrated by the gap in talent and quit Shogi right then and there.”

Big Sis and I are two years apart. I’m older, but Big Sis became Master Kiyotaki’s apprentice two weeks before I did, making her Shogi history longer than mine. Hence, the “big” sister. I’m pretty sure I lost the first time we played.

But people outside our Shogi family don’t know that, and kids about my age had their confidence blown to smithereens after losing to Big Sis despite being older than she was.

“As for why Ginko did what she did–––.”

“I already know. It was her way of saying: ‘You’re not old enough to play with girls,’ right?”

“…… So that’s how you took it.”

“Huh? I don’t think there’s any other way to take it, is there?”

Keika lets out a small sigh as if to say, “good grief” and pops another piece of sushi into her mouth, enjoying the flavor for a moment before continuing.

“People like me who knew the extent of their talent going in can put up with that. But pretty much every kid plays Shogi thinking they’re the best in the world, don’t you agree?”

“Well, yeah.”

Pros are exactly the same. We’re just really big kids, all of us.

“But then there’s ‘losing to a girl.’ That hurts just a little bit more, doesn’t it?”

“Even for girls?”

“Lose to a boy and it’s an oh well, couldn’t be helped kind of feeling. That’s just how it is. I don’t think that’s a good thing though ……”

There’s a gap in Shogi skill between men and women of the same age.

There shouldn’t be one because it’s a game that takes place between the ears … But it would be difficult to deny that it’s there. That’s the truth, although there are anomalies like Big Sis that turn up every once in a while.

“That’s especially true for girls who are trying to get into the Women’s League. They’ll always be competing against other girls, so they always think, ‘I can keep going!’ even after a loss. But losing to a younger girl? All the excuses disappear.”

“……”

“That’s why they pull out all the stops and fight tooth and nail to win. But it hurts so much after a loss that they can’t recover when losing against girls. They’re rivals. I think that’s why Miss Tsukiyomizaka was in so much pain, so she couldn’t do a review session.”

Moistening her throat with a sip of tea, Keika makes a face I’ve never seen on her before and whispers.

“A woman’s enemy is always other women.”

Keika was the first to leave, saying, “It’s getting warm at night,” followed by the still silent Big Sis, long kimono sleeves swinging at her sides as she went to the door. Ai didn’t come to see her off. I could only see her little bottom sticking out from under the blanket from here in the doorway. Adorable.

Big Sis slipped on her wooden pokkuri sandals and stepped outside before she said a single word,

“Yaichi.”

“Yes?”

“She’s getting worse. That one.”

Her silver hair sparkling in the streetlights along with those words hit me like a curse, impaling my eyes and heart like needles.

I stood in the doorway as her sandals’ wooden clops faded away.

Then I had an idea. Something that’s been making me worry.

Ai came to Osaka to learn how to play Shogi from me.

It’s the perfect learning environment …… but that’s exactly why I started thinking maybe the environment is a little too perfect.

Maybe she’s too used to always having friends to play against, her Master to always teach her and having fun every day. Maybe she’s getting complacent, thinking things are fine the way they are.

And getting complacent is a competitor’s first step to failure.

Those who can’t push themselves harder and harder every day will fall from grace before they know it. No matter how bright someone’s talent shines, it’ll fade away without the constant drive to improve.

Onizaka-sensei’s words pop into my head.

A rival.

That’s what Ai doesn’t have. That’s why she can’t get better.

“In that case–––.”

Ai Yashajin arrived in Osaka the following Saturday. Clothed in a black outfit like what she had on when we first met, a woman in a black suit is with her.

I asked them to meet me in front of Tennouji Zoo. With good view of Tsutenkaku Tower: it’s one of Osaka’s signature landmarks.

Dressed in casual jeans and a T-shirt, I smirk and say, “I thought a trip to the zoo might help us get to know each other better!”

“Akira. Notify the police.”

“At once.”

The woman behind her–––the same woman in black who talked to me when I first went to Ai’s manor, pulls out her smartphone and starts dialing without a second thought.

“K-Kidding! Just joking! We’re going to play Shogi, what else?”

“I’d prefer it if the only joke you made was your face.”

“You know how players usually open the Bishop Path in the first few turns? Let’s open the path to our hearts.”

“Gross.”

“……”

A few harsh words and my spirit is close to breaking.

I’m so used to being around friendly grade schoolers like my apprentice and her friends these days that dealing with a cold, prickly one like her really hurts.

Then again, I’m used to Big Sis walking all over me. This is nothing new.

“Well? Are we supposed to play Shogi at the zoo? Are we going to use the animals as pieces?”

“We’re not here for the zoo … But we’ll probably see some very unusual creatures.”

“Meaning?”

I turn my back on Ai’s irritated, sharp-tongued question while putting on sunglasses and a baseball cap. “Follow me,” I say and start walking.

“Where are we going? The zoo entrance is over there.”

“Forget about the zoo and keep up.”

Facing away from the zoo, I walk toward Tsutenkaku Tower.

The woman in a black suit (named Akira, I think) must’ve figured out where we’re heading because she anxiously says, “Oi, Sensei. Don’t tell me ……”

“We’re here.”

It’s a long tunnel beneath elevated train tracks. I come to a stop right in front of the dim arcade’s entrance.

“Jyan Jyan Alley.” I’m pretty sure it has an actual name but I don’t know what it is.

“… Huh? What is this dirty street?”

“This area is known as New World. Think of it as Osaka’s deepest underground.”

With Tsutenkaku Tower standing right overhead, this used to be Osaka’s greatest Shogi hotspot.

“Up until about ten years ago, Kansai’s …… no, western Japan’s largest Shogi classroom was beneath the tower. The best unregistered players from all over the country came here every day to sharpen their skills.”

“In this tiny little dump?”

“It’s smaller than it was, but the name is still here. Follow me.”

We head into the alleyway. It’s pretty dark, even in the afternoon. Ai hesitates for a moment but eventually comes inside with Akira protecting her every step of the way.

Although the area is trying to change its vulgar image to something a bit more tourist friendly, there are plenty of drunk people mixed in with the visitors even on Saturday afternoon. Most of the establishments around here are bars. There are kebab places and restaurants where you can grill meat right at the table too. And right next to a shady-looking place with live softshell turtles, in a street-side aquarium, is what we came here for.

“…… This place’ll work.”

I stop outside of a Shogi parlor called Twin Kings Club. Since the outer wall is all glass, you can watch the matches from outside the building. There are a surprising number of people inside.

Ai looks a little uncomfortable, but I wave her up to the glass.

“Take a look. This is a lot more fun than a zoo, right?”

“It’s all just old people …”

She stands on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the matches on the other side of the glass. Seeing her focus so hard, her forehead and the tip of her nose pressing up against it, makes me smile. She may act all grown up, but she is still in elementary school.

“So? Think you can take them?”

“…… Humph!”

Watching the level of play on the other side of the glass, Ai flicks her hair over her shoulder and says with all the confidence in the world, “They’re all pushovers. You had me come all the way to Osaka for this? Well, I might as well beat a few of them before going home.”

“That’s the spirit.”

But I was smirking on the inside.

Careful not to let her in on that, there’s something I need to confirm before we go inside.

“Hey, you have any money on you?”

“An untraceable Black Card, yes.”

Actually using that would scare the crap out of me.

“…… Akira, was it? Do you have any paper bills?”

“Several have been prepared. The lord of the manor has instructed me not to be frugal with money. It’s at your disposal.”

“All right then. Please pay the entrance fee. That, and can I have a few 1,000-yen bills? Also, any old receipts would be great too.”

“The bills are no problem …… But, what are the receipts for?”

Rather than giving a direct answer, I pull some scotch tape and an empty cigarette box out of my pocket. Ai doesn’t hide a suspicious frown.

“You smoke? You’re underage.”

“Nah. We need it for this.”

I roll one of the bills I got from Akira into a thin cylinder and wrap it with a receipt, text on the inside, tape it all in place and it looks like an ordinary cigarette. I roll up four more and put all five into the empty box.

“That should do it. Take this.”

“I don’t get the point …… What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re going to issue shinken.”

“Shin …… ken?”

“Basically, you’ll be betting on Shogi matches. 1,000 yen is the buy-in. Lose and that’s what you pay. The strongest players around here won’t even sit down unless there’s money on the table.”

That’s the reason all these Shogi parlors started popping up in Jyan Jyan Alley.

Shinken players in the underground scene all over the country came here looking for money and a good battle.

Laws have really clamped down on betting in recent years, but there was a time when these shinken players made more money than pros. Heck, it’s said that millions of yen could change hands in a single match. 1,000 yen would seem like time-killing pocket change to the people back then.

But now making a sizable bet would get the police involved and they’d shut down the whole establishment. That’s why they jump through these hoops to disguise the money.

“Show the cigarette box to issue a shinken match. Win and you’ll get a roll. Lose, and you give one to your opponent. Keep playing until that box is empty.”

“And what if it gets full?”

“Then I have nothing to teach you. I’ll sign you up to take the Practice League test tonight.”

“Ohhh? Then you’ll be out of work in a few hours.”

Ai snatches the cigarette box from my hand and follows Akira inside.

I squeeze the brim of my baseball hat and put it down over my eyes to hide my face before joining them.

“… This is worse than middle-of-nowhere Mahjong parlors,” Akira says under her breath.

I’ve never been that far into the outskirts, but I bet she’s right. This is pretty bad, even for Shogi parlors.

Dirty words are flying back and forth inside and the staff really doesn’t care that people spill ramen or their cheap sake over the boards. Or when thoughtless people put out their cigarettes on the piece stands.

Akira handed a crisp bill to the old man sitting behind the counter.

“Sir. One child and two adults, please.”

“……”

The old man took the entrance fee, but didn’t smile back, let alone say “thank you.” The look in his eye makes it crystal clear that he thinks women and children just get in the way.

“…… What do I do now?”

“Normally, you’d get a Match Card about now, but ……”

People here assigned themselves a rank. With no Match Cards to speak of, it looks like the system here is completely up to the customers.

This Shogi parlor caters exclusively to shinken players.

“Well, not much of a problem, is it? Since this place is full of pushovers, you can beat everyone here, right?”

“Akira and I will pretend to play Shogi over there while we keep an eye on you. Go find someone that looks bored toward the back and challenge them to a shinken match.”

“… Fine.”

Looking like she’s about to take her first steps into a haunted house, Ai does as she was told and walks to the back of the Shogi parlor.

Plenty of people are in the middle of a match, but there was one person without an opponent and looking very bored.

Leopard pattern clothes. A head of hair like broccoli. And eyes twinkling behind golden-framed colorfully-tinted sunglasses that sparkle like a wild animal. A leopard, in the flesh. No, a panther. What path in life would lead someone to turn out like that?

However, there was something bothering me a heck of a lot more–––.

“Oi, Sensei. Is that …… an old lady? Or perhaps …… an old man?”

“…… A little of both, probably.”

Those are women’s clothes. The famous Osakan leopard print dress. But this is Osaka, and the possibility it’s a man wearing a leopard-skin dress with permed hair can’t be ignored. This is New World. Seeing people from all walks of life isn’t unusual down here.

“There’s a possibility it’s a creature that escaped from the Tennouji Zoo …… But it’s highly unlikely that an elderly woman would come to a Shogi parlor. I say it’s a male.”

“But don’t forget, old ladies tend to go inside men’s restrooms quite a bit in Osaka.”

While she and I were having one of the most pointless conversations ever, Ai holds up the cigarette box right at Panther’s eye level.

“Care to play without a handicap?”

“… Have a seat.” A voice that is husky from beer and cigarettes. The gender is still a mystery. After a rougher-than-necessary Pawn flip, Panther is on offense. The battle began as soon as Ai pressed the switch on the chess clock.

Then, Panther makes a surprising move right off the bat.

As soon as both of them opened their Bishop path, “Gah, oopsy.”

Panther did it.

The practically unbelievable–––8 Six Pawn!

“?! …… Ummm?”

Ai’s eyes go wide as her face gets drawn into the board like a magnet.

I don’t blame her.

Advancing the Pawn in front of the Bishop is one of the worst moves you can make. For someone that’s learned the “correct” way like Ai, this probably doesn’t feel like Shogi anymore.

I, however, have seen this before.

“Kakutou fu, huh ……”

“And what is that?”

I couldn’t help but grin as Akira took off her sunglasses to give me an inquisitive glare.

Quickly wiping it off my face, I lower my voice and give her some details.

“It’s a Ranging Rook style sneak attack. The full name is kakutou fu senpo, Bishop-head Pawn Strategy.”

“Tofu?”

“Like I said, Bishop-head – Pawn. Panther moved the Pawn in front of the Bishop forward, yes? It’s a move people normally wouldn’t think to make.”

Bishops have a round head–––basically, it’s that Pawn’s job to protect the Bishop since it can’t move straight forward. Moving it out of place for no reason exposes that weakness to the opponent.

If this happened over the Internet, the other player would think it was a miss click. That’s how bad it is.

“My, my …… That was stupid. Guess there’s nothing to do now but exchange Bishops before it’s too late.”

Panther sticks a finger through that overgrown broccoli head of hair, scratching while bemoaning the mistake and sends the Bishop forward.

“……”

Ai looks suspicious but takes said Bishop to complete the exchange.

Akira turns to me with a worried look in her eyes and asks, “What’s happening? Is my lady in a favorable position?”

“She is. In a regular match, anyway.”

“Meaning?”

“This is where kakutou fu gets interesting.”

Ai keeps going like normal. In other words, I don’t think she realizes what her opponent’s miss click means.

All the while, Panther keeps saying things like, “Oh my, young’en, have you no mercy?” and “Not again! All these little mistakes are piling up like hot peppers,” and moving pieces around as if running away from Ai’s advances.

But that led to a strange shift on the board.

I’m not exactly sure when, but Panther is suddenly on the offensive after opening with a bad move and constantly defending for so long.

The tides have turned.

“Huh ……?”

The board was already favoring Panther by the time Ai noticed something wasn’t right.

“?! What, why?! What’s going on here ……?!”

If she can steady herself, hunker down and focus on the battle, there’s still a chance she could come back.

But Panther didn’t give her that chance. –––Panther is good!

“Can’t tell if it’s an old man or woman by looking, but that playing style is reckless. Like a wild animal really ……!”

“What, what even is that?! What has …… that freak done to my lady?!”

“It’s a ploy.”

“Ploy …… meaning?”

“To be blunt, pulling a fast one on your opponent.”

“Does that violate the rules? If so, I know the perfect place to mount a panther head.”

“It’s not, it’s not! Ploys don’t violate any rules whatsoever!”

I start to panic as Akira reaches for something at her waist and move to stop her. As for what’s hidden beneath her suit, I don’t know and I don’t want to know.

“… In that case, aren’t there better names for this technique than a ploy?”

“You have a very good point there. But then again, they didn’t get that name because of the user’s intent—more so how the victim feels when they fall for it … Well, they don’t work on pros. If they did, that person has no right to call themselves a pro.”

And Ai Yashajin still isn’t a pro.

“How?! Everyone playing at the front were total pushovers ……!”

“Of course they were. They’re meant to draw in customers.”

“… How do you mean?”

“Places right on the road like this have weaker players sit at the front on purpose.”

“Why do that?! It just makes the place look bad!”

“What is the best moment in all of Shogi?”

“Huh? When you win, isn’t that obvious?”

Ai’s answer makes me grin.

I don’t know what I would’ve done if she said, “When locked in a close battle” or something studious like that just now. Probably just stared at her in disbelief. The two of us might have more in common than I thought.

“The best moment in Shogi is when you completely destroy your opponent. That’s true for the strongest pro all the way down to the weakest amateur. There’s nothing better than saying, ‘You could’ve had me here!’ during a review session after wiping the floor with some weakling. It’s the best feeling ever. That’s why everyone wants to feel that way. And that’s also why Shogi parlors like this one want lots of weak players to come.”

I point to a sign at the Shogi parlor’s entrance.

“It’s written right there in black and white: Unranked pay half price for service.”

“……”

“Seriously. It triples their profits.”

It’s the same thing my Master does it his own classroom: lose the first game against new customers on purpose to give them confidence. He even made it so that he only lost by one move.

The only one he completely flattened in their first match was Big Sis, and that was only because her talent caught him off guard. Apparently he once said, “I thought she was goin’ for the kill. Thought I had to end it before she got me.”

He was an A ranking 8-dan at the time, but a four-year-old girl spooked him. Ginko Sora was that girl. What a monster.

“In a place like New World where lots of shinken players gather to beat up on weak players for pocket change, Shogi parlors employ lots of strategies to draw in the weaker ones that become their meal ticket.”

“… So, you’re saying I got suckered into it? Fooled by these …… people that hang around in this dirty place ……!”

Considering how much pride Lady Ai has, I’m sure it hurts, but five consecutive losses make her own weakness impossible to ignore.

She may be a bit cynical about it, but Ai is genuinely trying to learn from her failure.

The losses aren’t breaking her spirit, but rather lighting it on fire. That’s good. It means this girl is a competitor after all.

“Your Shogi knowledge is outstanding.”

Taking off my baseball cap disguise, I start talking to Ai while she shakes with anger.

“Very fluid, pristine Shogi. The way you learned how to play must’ve been effective. I can see those teachings in every move you make.”

“F-flattering me now will do nothing–––.”

“But that’s exactly why you fall into so many traps. You’re easy to trick. Go just a little off the beaten path and you’re not sure what to do next. Plus, you’re easily distracted by an opponent’s grumbling, provocations and empty threats off the board. Shogi skill isn’t the problem, it’s all in your head.”

“……!!”

She probably didn’t expect me to say that. Her shocked eyes are looking up at me.

“I’m not telling you to learn any ploys because they won’t work in the pro Shogi world. Falling for them once is fine, just as long as you learn from your mistakes and never fall for them again.”

The thing about ploys is that you get a huge advantage if they work, but get completely stonewalled if they don’t. They are an all-or-nothing kind of strategy. Basically, strategies that only work if your opponent makes a mistake. And those mistakes crack their spirit.

Ai’s talent is defensive.

Being able to absorb the opponent’s assault, bring it to an end and come back to win is considered by many Shogi pros to be the ideal playing style.

You must be perfect to win as a defensive player.

“That’s why I’m going to demand perfection from you, Ai. Perfect Shogi.”

“I have nothing to teach you about the basics. You can learn the standards on your own … But competitive tactics aren’t written in any book or match record. You can only learn them by playing against other people. That’s what I want you to get out of playing in the underground Shogi world.”

Wherever there’s light, there’s shadow. Wherever there is a public face, a world behind the scenes must exist.

Perfection can only be achieved by knowing both inside and out.

I’m going to show this young girl the dark side of society and Shogi. Rather than have her shine a theoretical beam of light on the board and search for truth in the game like with my apprentice, I’ll teach her the psychological side: the anxiety, worry and surprises that come with a live opponent.

I’ll teach her how to manipulate someone’s spirit with Shogi.

“If you do that–––no one will ever stand a chance against you.”

I stopped by one of New World’s fried kebab places to pick up some food before going home. I was greeted by the excited voices of a few elementary school girls coming from the back of my apartment.

Mio’s head pops out of the tatami room as she calls out, “Ah! Kujuryu-sensei is back!”

The acting leader of their practice group, Mio Mizukoshi is in the fourth grade, like Ai. Also she’s my apprentice’s first Shogi friend: she’s a little ball of energy.

What’s more, the two are in the same class at school. It’s all thanks to Mio that Ai’s move from the north coast was so stress free, and she’s adjusted to Osaka so quickly. Such a good girl. Still she can’t correctly pronounce my name though.

“Grade Schooler Practice Group.”

It’s a practice group made up of Ai and her three closest Shogi friends.

It’s a simple gathering where the four of them come to this apartment to play Shogi two or three times a month. Unfortunately, neighbors started giving me strange looks and people say I have a Lolita complex (it’s worse on Internet chat rooms) because of these sessions. It hurts.

But I’m fine with it! I don’t care what they call me as long as my apprentice is improving!

The main thing is that all the girls here know that I’m not like that ……!

“Keeping your eyes on the board, everyone? I brought back a ton of kebabs, so dig in when you find a good stopping point–––.”

“Masta!”

Ahh, an angel♡

A golden, fluffy blur flies toward my legs as I lift the bag of kebabs out of the way.

Charlette Isoir, six years old now.

She’s a mind-blowingly cute little girl who goes to a school for French kids in Kyoto as well as a Shogi classroom over there.

She may be a little behind everyone else in terms of Shogi skill, but she’s a doll, tries really hard and is just so darn cute.

“Masta. Cha has a reqwest for Masta. Okay?”

“Ah! Charlette–––.”

“Wait, wait! We’re not done talking about it yet!”

Ai and Charlette’s guardian of sorts, Ayano Sadatou, comes barreling out of the room to chase down the angel.

Charlette is being surprisingly forward today. “Unf, ummf,” and making cute little noises as she tries to climb up my legs. Just what does she want to ask? She’s so cute I kinda want to grant her wish, no matter what it is.

Ai is trying to say something, but it looks like she can’t put it into words. The look on her face is really strange. Besides being puzzled, there are some shades of anger and irritation in there too.

I set the bag of kebabs on top of the shelf by the door and pick Charlette up, holding her so I can look at the golden-haired angel right in the eyes and ask.

“What is it, Charlette?”

“Um, you see? You see?”

She seems embarrassed yet excited at the same time, like she’s about to tell me a big secret. Then, she finally says it.

“You see, Cha? Can Cha …… be Masta’s apwentice?”

Say what?!

“Charlette …… you want to be my apprentice?”

“Yep!”

“And, you want to live with me?”

“Yep!!”

She nods really hard in my arms. That smile of hers is so cute I swear it could melt right off her face. Such a little angel ……

I want nothing more than to give her a big hug, yell, “I’ll make you the happiest girl on earth!!” and take her as my apprentice right here on the spot. However, I come to my senses in the nick of time. Whew, that was close ……

Both she and Ayano go to Kayaoku 7-dan’s classroom over in Kyoto.

It would make a lot more sense for her to be her apprentice instead–––.

“Ayano. What about Kayaoku-sensei ……?”

“For the most part, Master Kayaoku lets students do what they want.”

Like a machine, Ayano answers my question right away. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.

“She told us that she’d be happy to be our Master, but she’ll put in a good word for us if there’s a different professional we’d like to ask.”

“Well, that’s nice of her.”

“Very much so! I love my Master,” Ayano proudly declares with a look of love and admiration in her eyes. Just from that, I can tell Kayaoku-sensei is a very good teacher.

She’s also connected to my Shogi family tree, four generations to be exact. Currently a member of the Women’s League and the titleholder, she’s one of the best in Kyoto, and that’s saying something because many titleholders live there. She’s the leader of the pack, if you will. Then again, we have a women’s titleholder among us too (grimace).

But that’s not important.

“I …… can’t take you as my apprentice.”

“Wha?”

I guess she didn’t think I’d say no. Her whole body flinches and her eyes fly open in shock as if I had just slapped her across the face. And I could swear that a bit of relief passed across Ai’s worried eyes as she watched.

“Cha …… can’t to be Masta’s apwentice?”

“…… No. It’s not possible.”

“Why?! Why not?!”

She wraps her arms around my neck, clinging to me and asking “Why?!” again and again like a broken record. Those big blue eyes of hers are tearing up.

Her pure-hearted disappointment feels like a knife in my chest.

“You said yes to Ai, but why no to Cha?!”

“Charlette ……”

Ai heard everything, but the tiny voice that came out of her mouth sounded like she did something wrong.

Here’s the reason why Ai got a yes, but Charlette got a no.

Simply put: discrimination—the distinct difference in talent between them.

Charlette is still only six years old, but that’s not the issue. I mean, I was six when I moved in with Master to become his apprentice and Big Sis was four when she got accepted. Youth is often treated like potential in this world. It’s certainly a positive.

So, what doesn’t she have?

As of now: skill, the will to train and–––talent.

I came to the decision that Charlette doesn’t have enough.

It’s said that skill is everything in the Shogi world. Without skill, you can never succeed. I can’t drag someone down this path knowing they won’t have a chance to succeed and be happy.

Of course, everyone has a shot. I might just be blind to her true ability.

If I started training her now, she could go on to be a big success in the Women’s League. I can’t completely rule that out.

But that’s where I’m not good enough. Someone with Ai’s level of talent and determination might be able to improve just by being around me, but ……

No.

Even with Ai’s talent and determination, I’m still …… the truth is, I can’t help her improve on my own.

“She’s getting worse.” Big Sis’s words that night killed my confidence.

“…… I just can’t take you as an apprentice, Charlette.”

I repeat myself.

But if I leave Charlette like this, that innocent spirit of hers will be forever scarred. And it won’t just be Charlette, Ai’ll be cut pretty deep too. Who knows what effect that’ll have on her.

–––I’ve got to find a way to avoid that at the very least.

I need to turn Charlette’s request down and yet have her leave happy–––is there even a way to pull that off?!

I read the situation for just a few seconds worth of waiting time and come up with a move that just might work …

“I can’t take you as an apprentice. But–––.”

“Bwut ……?”

Charlette looks up at me with big, watery blue eyes that could burst at any moment as I set up to hit this problem right out of the park!

Meanwhile, Charlette blinks those big eyes a few times and tilts her head.

“…… Bwide?”

“Yep. Bride. My bride.”

“Cha, can be Masta’s bride?”

“That you can!”

“Wha♡”

She’d been on the verge of tears just a second ago, but now she’s happily rubbing her cheek against my chest.

“You see? Bwide is much better than awpentice for Cha!”

“Isn’t it?! So much better?!”

“Pwomiss kiss! Mwahh♡”

“Hahaha! Such a precious bride I have. But remember, not till after you graduate high school, okay?”

I joke around with Charlette, responding in kind when I suddenly feel my apprentice’s eyes looking right at me as if to say, “What the hell does that mean?!”

Hey, I’m good at dealing with spoiled kids.

Have a look for yourself! Now bask in the Dragon King’s resourcefulness and all its glory!

“Master darabuchi! Lolita complex!! Loli King!!”

Huh? This is a disaster.

“Offering to marry a little girl that just started elementary school, what are you thinking?! Pervert!!”

“J-Just calm down, Ai!” She’s right! Spitting at the heavens will just get spit in your eye!!

Mio and Ayano rush in to restrain my first apprentice. How did it end up like this?

Then again …… since I was so quick to turn down Charlette, it’s going to be a lot harder to bring up Ai Yashajin.

What’s worse, judging by my apprentice’s reaction to this whole thing, she wouldn’t be open to the idea of me taking another apprentice at all …… Actually she might outright refuse (me taking a bride even more so).

It’s true that apart from being my apprentice, Ai lives with me. She’s in a position where any decision I make about the living situation also affects her. Thinking about it like that, taking an apprentice or a bride without getting her permission beforehand might be out of bounds, maybe even dangerous.

Well, it’s not like I’m taking Ai Yashajin as an apprentice anyway. She’s just a short-term student, so that’s fine …… right? Right?!

“Looks like that Panther …… hasn’t come in yet.”

We’re at the same place as last time, Twin Kings Club. The wild animal of a human being that beat Ai to a pulp using kakutou fu, wearing a leopard skin dress last time, isn’t around, and I tell you, this whole place feels different. Even in New World, you don’t come across someone with that kind of presence every day.

“So, what now? Should I play against you?”

Ai asks, but I shake my head no.

“Go issue a shinken match to someone that looks like they know what they’re doing. Someone in the back, you hear? Also, call me Sensei, got it? Sen-sei.”

Only newbies are up at the front of the Shogi parlor. Chances are that people sitting at the back without an opponent are so strong that no one wants to play them shinken style.

“Humph!” Ai mutters in distaste, but she does what she’s told and goes to find an opponent. After what happened last time, I’m sure she’s painfully aware of how good the people here really are.

Ai eventually found an old guy sitting in front of a Shogi board and reading a copy of Shogi Weekly Magazine.

She pulls out the empty chair and says, “Hey …… hey, mister?” Flipping her hair back over her shoulder, she leans in close to his ear and whispers, “Would you play with me?”

Wow, she could have worded that a little better …

“……”

The old guy peaks over the top of his magazine, slack jawed by the elementary school girl’s invitation. But once he saw the cigarette box next to the piece box and Ai lining up the pieces, he figured out it was a shinken invitation. He then folds up his magazine, plops it on the seat next to him and says with a smirk, “Should I leave out my Rook?”

“You must be joking.”

Not only did Ai immediately reject the old guy’s offer of a handicap, she picked up five of her own Pawns to do the Shogi equivalent of a coin flip to see who goes first.

“……!”

The old guy glares at her.

Flipping the Pawns is the upper player’s job. Basically, Ai just countered his I’m stronger than you taunt with the taunt of her own. An elementary school girl with guts like that? That’s talent in and of itself.

Once the pieces came down, Ai got the first move.

“When you’re ready.”

Ai didn’t give her opponent a chance to breathe before making the first move, confidently lifting her chin at the same time. She went with the Orthodox, opening the Bishop Path.

Now it’s the old guy’s turn.

“No crying when you lose now …… heh.”

His move was–––4 Four Pawn!

“?!”

Ai does a double-triple take and is unable to believe that he would do such a thing. Maybe she thinks that was a mistake?

The old guy grins.

“Here you go, have a freebie. Come and get it.”

“……”

Ai freezes on the spot and tries to get a read on what her opponent is trying to do.

–––Was this a handicap he was putting on himself after she rejected the proposal?

–––Or was it …… a ploy?

I had to stop myself from whistling, seeing him make that move while I pretend to play Shogi with Akira.

“Haven’t seen that in ages. It’s Pac-Man.”

“Pac-Man?”

Akira adjusts her sunglasses, clearly surprised to hear a very un-Shogi like word.

“Isn’t that …… a videogame?”

“I think that’s where the name comes from, but it’s a kind of sneak attack.”

It’s where the defensive player appears to offer up a Pawn to their opponent, a strange strategy that makes it seem like they’re at a disadvantage no matter how you look at it.

But it’s a ploy that goes much deeper than that.

I use the board in front of me to show what can happen with Pac-Man.

“Should the offensive player take the bait like a Pac-Man chomp, the whole board gets thrown into chaos like this. Formations change at the drop of a hat, so the one who has spent more time studying has a tremendous advantage.”

However, pros can overcome whatever changes come their way. It’s safe to say that anyone who can adjust to this strategy on the spot has what it takes to join the professional ranks.

“Just out of curiosity …… what happens when the offensive player doesn’t take the bait?”

“The game returns to standard protocol. While that is an option–––.”

I reset the pieces on the board and speak with hopeful expectation.

“As for me, I’d rather take it and go for chaos.”

I don’t know whether my excitement came across or not.

But Ai took the Pawn, snapping her Bishop down with authority. The old guy’s lips curled into an even deeper smile.

“Aw-ah, there it goes … All right!”

Here comes the chaos.

In a battle where all the big pieces throw their weight around, one wrong move and the tides of battle can go roaring in the other direction and ultimately lead to defeat.

“Kh ……!”

Ai presses her palm against her eye, biting her lip as she makes a painful face and bears it.

But the old guy looks as cool as a cucumber. It’s because he’s already done his homework. He thinks all he needs to do now is follow the same pattern he’s been studying without thinking too much. That’s the advantage of this strategy.

Unfortunately for him, that look of comfort steadily disappeared with each passing move.

It was because this little girl that fell into his trap refused to accept her fate and he kept falling into the traps she set for him. The old guy wasn’t just surprised: he’s in shock.

A fluke–––no, it’s not. Ai saw everything coming.

“………”

Ai kept her hand over one eye, but looked up at her flabbergasted opponent with the other in a paralyzing glare.

She must be getting information not only from the board, but from her opponent’s reactions as well. She’s the exact opposite of my apprentice who goes into her own little world in front of the Shogi board. Interesting.

Then.

“How about–––this!”

Ai moves a piece with a high-pitched click.

Perfect.

Ai, perfectly absorbed, deflected: a strategy she’d never used before. Calm, collected, reading, acute senses and a strong will to win above all else made it possible.

“… Nice!”

I couldn’t help but pump my fist in triumph under the table.

Perfectly absorbing an attack by itself can break an opponent’s spirit. Think of it like when an enemy you can’t inflict a single point of damage on shows up in an RPG: a role-playing game. Don’t you want to throw down the controller? It’s the same feeling.

“Tsk! …… Looks like this is as far as I go.”

The old guy tossed a piece in defeat the moment Ai went on the offensive.

His defensive formation hasn’t even been touched. In fact, you could say that the real battle was just about to start. But Shogi is a game where you lose the instant you think you can’t win.

“… You’re quite good, young lady.”

“Thanks. I know.”

Ai accepted the compliment with a resolute smile on her face. Once a brief review session came to a close, the old guy said, “Go buy yourself some juice,” as she elegantly took the rolled-up one-thousand-yen bill and placed it into her cigarette box.

Akira looks at me as if she were the one that just pulled off the victory.

“He-he-he. Now that’s what I call skill! My lady would never lose to any of the scum in this trash heap without getting startled by some outrageous outfit!!”

“I agree that her talent is on a different level. Yes.”

There was never any question about that.

“However, it’s necessary for Ai to toughen up mentally so that she won’t get rattled, no matter what strategy her opponent tries or how bizarre their clothes.”

There was once a Meijin Title Match where the challenger shaved his head as a way to psych himself up in what would become known as the Cue Ball Match.

The Meijin at that time was so stunned by his opponent’s shiny head that he lost the first match. However, he came to his senses as the man’s hair began to grow back and eventually defended his title.

“That Meijin admitted after the match that if his opponent had continued to shave his head, he might’ve been in trouble. That should prove that mental toughness plays a large part in Shogi matches.”

“Actually, I would like to ask if opponents shaving their heads is really that shocking?”

I admit that it also proves that many players in the Shogi world are that sensitive.

“But, then again, it doesn’t really matter what your opponent looks like once the match gets under …… way ……?”

I realized what I was saying was a lie as the words came out of my mouth. It was because I couldn’t concentrate on Shogi for the moment—I caught a glimpse of the beast walking through the front door.

The Panther–––had become the Pink Panther!

Ai spoke, more afraid than surprised.

“W …… Why is it a pink leopard pattern?!”

“… To get attention?”

The desire to become fancier and even more glamorous is in every Osakan’s DNA. The Panther must have evolved …

“Anybody up fer a round? Made a killin’ at the horse races today, so I’ll take on anyone and their mother.”

“… I …… I will face you!”

Ai sits across a Shogi board from the Pink Panther. Her opponent gladly accepts and starts lining up pieces. Going right into battle, huh … That grade schooler has nerves of steel.

But yeah, that pink leopard pattern dress … Even those glasses have pink frames …

“That’s not good. I’m too concerned about its gender to focus on the match …”

“W-Well …… This …… this is training!!”

Akira’s voice is trembling, but nothing rattles her. This is one opponent not to be taken lightly.

“I’m gonna flip ‘em, ‘k?”

After thoroughly trouncing Ai last time, the Panther flips the pieces and claims the first move with an amazing stroke of luck.

Once again, Panther goes for kakutou fu.

Keeping her guard up this time, Ai doesn’t do the Bishop exchange, but it goes without saying that Panther was ready for that.

“Yeesh, cheeky li’l one. Comin’ with power, eh?!”

Since Ai didn’t go for the Bishop exchange, Panther advances the Bishop before strengthening the offensive advantage with the left-side Knight.

“Ugh ……!”

Closing the Bishop Path not only cut off her Bishop, but Ai also couldn’t deploy her left-side Knight. It’s like trying to fight with your left hand tied behind your back. That’s just what her opponent wanted.

But Ai won’t break that easily.

Quite the opposite. Being forced into this formation stoked her defensive talent into a burning flame. With all those matches against tricky opponents under her belt, she’s leveling up right before my eyes ……!

“……”

People start gathering around them. Their match is at such a high level that the onlookers don’t say a word, only marvel at the jewel in front of them.

Despite having the first move and an early game advantage, Panther’s attack got cut off. That husky, tobacco-laced, genderless growl of a voice complimented Ai.

“Perfectly absorbin’,” said the woman once called New World’s Leopard. “My all-out offensive is no small feat!!”

Panther is an old lady!

Ai was so stunned by the revelation that her next move was horrible and lost soon after. Can’t blame her though.

Back at home, dinner time.

Everything that’s happened, Charlette the other day and with the other Ai at New World, has left me feeling like I haven’t spent enough time communicating with my apprentice. So I took the initiative and broke the ice myself.

Ai didn’t stop eating as she answered with a smile.

“I’ve been figuring out people’s tells recently!”

“… Oh?”

Not the response I was expecting, but Ai seems like her usual energetic self. Talk about a relief. I advance the conversation.

“What kind of tells?”

“Mio always makes sounds like “whaa” and “oof” whenever something catches her by surprise but suddenly becomes very quiet when her formations recover.”

“Ahh. Yes, yes.”

Making those sounds is a tell, an uncontrollable habit, that everyone picks up at some point while playing Shogi. Beginners usually keep it simple like “Ehh?” or “Oh yeah,” but more advanced players eventually start saying things like, “I see, I see to shining sea.” Mammoth!

“Ayano takes off her glasses, so she can’t look at me whenever she’s planning to do a surprise attack in the early game.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

A meticulous habit, sounds like something Ayano would do. Rather than worrying about her opponent seeing her expression, she’s making sure that she doesn’t get startled by seeing changes in their face. That’s adorable.

“Keika starts twirling her hair around her fingers whenever her defenses get weak.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, she does do that.”

Everyone has these nervous tics. Even high-level players with years of experience under their belt have them.

That includes titleholders. Some might fiddle with their long kimono collars when the opponent makes an unexpected move or their hands might start shaking, sometimes even start coughing uncontrollably when they see a path to victory. Even if they’re aware of their own tells, there’s just no stopping them.

That’s the thing about people when they concentrate as hard as they can, habits start popping up without even realizing it.

As a competitor, it’s important to keep a cool head and recognize these habits when they come up. As her Master, it makes me happy to see that Ai’s perception has expanded beyond the board.

“Anything else? Find anything interesting?”

“Yes, I have.”

She sets down her bowl and chopsticks to say, “Master rubs his pants with both hands whenever he’s hiding something.”

“Come again?”

My chopsticks clatter to the table. Ai didn’t even bother looking at them, instead she keeps her eyes trained on me, observing … Then, without blinking:

Holy crap, this is terrifying.

“Huh? Me? H-Hiding something?”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“No, no, no, no! Why would I?! W-What would I need to hide anyway?! Not that I could if I wanted to, living in this tiny room with you–––.”

“You’re rubbing your pants.”

“Yikes?!”

I was! I had no idea! No idea at all!!

“You are hiding something …… yes?”

“……”

My palms tend to start leaking when I get nervous, to the point that I once dropped a piece in the middle of a match. Therefore, I always wipe my hands with something out of sight to prevent pieces from slipping, letting my opponent know my last move was horrible and my formation is weak or when I’m about to go on the offensive. It started out as a way to avoid those mistakes, but it’s become a habit of mine.

Only two people have ever figured that out, Big Sis and Sir Ayumu. What’s more, they only figured it out recently, and I’ve been playing against them for years. To think that Ai would recognize it in less than two months …

She’s …… horrifying!!

“Please be honest with me. It’s not too late.”

“Hm? You keep saying I’m hiding something, but it’s really not ringing any bells.”

I somehow manage to sit up straight and play innocent, averting my eyes from hers to avoid getting startled again. However, my apprentice doesn’t let up the pressure and moves in again. It’s like she always knows the best move to make. This is intense ……!

“That’s a lie. You’re hiding something.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because Master always looks up and to the right when he lies.”

“What?! I do?!”

“No.”

She was bluffing ……!!

“But …… you flinched, didn’t you?”

That I did. I most certainly did.

I had been looking over her right side and was just about to look left to throw her off, but I fell right into that trap.

W-When did she learn this technique?! Aren’t you growing up a little too fast, Ai?!

“…I’m not angry, so please tell me the truth.”

I swear, there’s a dark aura drifting in from behind her that’s threatening to overtake me like enemy cavalry. I can hear the horses twp twp twp … She looked angry from the start …

“R-Really? You’re not mad?”

“No. I’m not mad.”

Then she says, smiling ear to ear.

“But I’m about to be.”

Several hours later–––.

After enduring every one of my apprentice’s secret techniques and being put in check more times than I can count, I managed to get through the evening without telling her about Ai Yashajin.

B-But …… I think it took a few years off my life …

“…… I can’t …… take anymore …… too much to explain …… just can’t ……”

“Huh?”

“That’s not important, now go play! Take down the Panther today no matter what, got that?! I have my own life-threatening battles to worry about?!”

Although a bit taken aback by my outburst, she spits out the words, “And I’m going to win, you don’t have to tell me!” before going to challenge New World’s Leopard.

Once their match gets underway, Akira and I are left on our own as always.

“………”

“………”

“………”

“… Um.”

“Yes?”

“We paid to get in too, so why not play? The two of us.”

“By play, you mean?”

“Shogi, of course.”

What else is there?

“But …… I don’t know much of the game.”

“I’ll teach you if you’d like. First, this is how you line up the pieces–––.”

“That much, I know.”

Sounding a little peeved, Akira starts snapping the plastic pieces onto the board.

“Humph …… See? Perfect, like I said,” she says to me once she finished with a look of accomplishment on her face.

“Your Rook and Bishop are switched.”

“………”

The usual response at times like this is, “Ah! My mistake,” or, “Oh, so they are.”

Akira, however, said this while slowly removing her sunglasses: “Don’t you get to choose which side they’re on?”

Holy ……

Freely choose where the Rook and Bishop line up?! Where did she come up with that?! New age or something ……?!

“Umm …… no, you’re not free to choose. The Rook goes on the right and the Bishop goes on the left.”

“Set in your ways, aren’t you?”

Akira voices her discontent but switches the Rook and Bishop to the correct spots.

“All right, let’s get started …… Akira, do you know how the pieces move?”

“Don’t take me for a fool. How long do you think I’ve looked after the young lady? I’ve mastered them all perfectly.”

Our match started like that, but broke down almost right away.

“The Silver can’t move to the side.”

“… But I want it to.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“………”

“Trying to hide it from me won’t work either! Put it back and think of another move.”

“It’s defective. The rules are in the way. The Gold and Silver are too hard to tell apart.”

That’s a hurdle that all beginners must clear. The second one would be differentiating how the Promoted Rook and Promoted Bishop move.

“Remembering the difference is impossible, so they should all be one or the other.”

“Please take that up with the association directly.”

“You are the Ryuo, yes? That makes you one of the association’s bigwigs, does it not?”

“I have no power whatsoever. Think of me more like a decoration.”

A titleholder’s authority is completely different from the power wielded by the association. I’m just one of many professional Shogi players and my lineage is just a tiny branch of the Kansai Association, which is overpowered by the one in Kanto. Having fewer people means less influence, and the icing on the cake was my Master relieving himself from the association window, which made whatever clout I had disappear like the morning fog.

“Please, don’t get hung up on it. Everyone makes that mistake at first …… and, just between us, pros mix those pieces up sometimes too. (ha-ha)”

“And they still call themselves professionals? (grimace)”

“Work with me here, will you?!”

Just to be clear, pros don’t mix up how Golds and Silvers move, except when deploying one or the other from their captured pieces back onto the board. Always double-check.

“Just remember how the pieces move, okay! Silvers can’t move left, right or straight back! Golds can’t go diagonally backward in either direction!”

“I can’t be expected to remember so much new information! I’m doing the best I can!”

Oops. I gotta be more careful.

Kids soak this stuff up like sponges, but remembering how pieces move is a big hurdle for adults. We’ll never get off the ground if she gets frustrated now.

It’s an especially big hurdle for women …… However, there is a way to get her interested.

“…… Oh? But you see, Akira.”

I take a deep breath, put a smile on my face and say in a lighter tone.

“The Silver is actually an elephant.”

“Have you suffered head trauma?”

“It’s just a metaphor! An example to show you how it moves!!”

I point out the directions a Silver can move on the board.

“Take a closer look! See? Like this!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Its trunk and front legs stick out into the spaces!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Now, doesn’t that look like an elephant?”

“… Are you sure you haven’t suffered a blow to the head?”

“Just admit it, will you! That’s obviously an elephant?!”

I’ve had it with this woman! This conversation is going nowhere!!

“You’re the one that started talking about elephants for no reason. Bringing up animals in the middle of a Shogi game confused me.”

“I’m not the one that came up with that explanation. Actually, the Silver moving like an elephant has an important role in explaining Shogi’s roots.”

“Oh?”

“No chess piece moves like a Silver. There are however pieces in India’s Chaturanga and Thailand’s Makruk that do. There are ‘elephant’ pieces in Chinese Chess, Xiangqi, and Korean Chess, Changi, but they move differently. That’s why it’s theorized that Shogi originated in India and most likely came to Japan via Southeast Asia.”

There are other theories, but I like this one because the Silver’s movements are easier to explain this way.

“People trained the elephants in India and Thailand to fight alongside them in war. Since Shogi is a game based on war strategy, it makes sense that they would be included.”

“There are elephants in Africa as well.”

“Ha-ha, that there are. Then, Shogi could have originated in Africa, but the Silver still moves like an elephant. Don’t forget, el-e-phant!”

“You’re quite vocal …… like an elephant.”

It took everything I had to get her to remember that the Silver can’t move side to side or straight back to get the match back up again. But we couldn’t finish because she face-planted on the third hurdle for beginners: “Only the Knight can jump over other pieces.”

Oh, and Ai got thoroughly destroyed by Panther five times in a row again today.

“… And it was going so well too …”

Or at least she claims it was, so she’s probably figured something out.

“My lady, we must leave now or else we’ll break curfew. Let’s be on our way!”

Akira ushers Ai along with a bit sharper tone than usual. I bet she’s frustrated with Shogi at the moment, so I ask a question to get her to realize how much progress she’s made today.

“Just one last question about how the Silver moves to review. What animal is it modeled after?”

“… A hippopotamus?”

Her face has “honest mistake” written all over it. We’ve got a long way to go.

I really should pick up something for my apprentice waiting at home …… But always bringing back the same kebabs would be suspicious. Heck, she’s already suspicious.

“… Could swing through Nanba.”

I usually go through Doubutsu-en Mae Station, but I decide to go in the opposite direction tonight. Nanba has got all kinds of things, and I can just go to Umeda if nothing looks all that good.

“But, yeah. What would make a grade schooler happy anyway?”

I haven’t got a clue, so I decided to consult with someone comparatively closer to a grade school girl, a girl in junior high.

I take out my smartphone.

Since there was a message waiting for me, I open it up to have a look. It’s from Sir Ayumu in Kanto, a picture with the heading: “Your thoughts on this garment?”

It looks like he took this picture of himself in a dressing room somewhere, posing for the camera. There’s a feathered robe around his shoulders. First a cape, now feathers ……

Personally, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that thing, but seeing someone else wear it is pretty funny. So, I typed an off-handed response: “Nice! Wear it to our next match (^_^)” and called it good. Then, I went into my phone history and tapped on Big Sis’s number.

“Yes?”

“Ah, hello? It’s me.”

“What?”

“You like sweets, right Big Sis?”

“… I don’t hate them.”

She sounds a bit cautious, but I press forward with another question.

“Are there any good sweet shops around?”

“Where are you?”

“Nanba. I’ll take the train to Umeda later.”

“Well …… let me think.”

She pauses for a moment, like she’s thinking back on something, before an avalanche of words comes through the speaker.

“There’s a place in Umeda, Shu Hatakeyama. Their ‘Fruit Overload☆Milk Crêpe’ is apparently making waves. The magaz …… the rumors say that the shop itself is perfect for a couple’s night out. Also, it’s pretty late but the Hilton should be serving their ‘Afternoon Tea Set.’ They’re pretty hard on the wallet but apparently their portions are big enough to have for dinner. If you’re around Dojima, Itodanidou’s roll cake is where it’s at. They have a few baked pastries that are good for a couple of days, but you can sit and look at the river and eat at the restaurant too. If you’re thinking around the association, there’s a place near the intersection in front of Shin Fukushima Station that serves cake with all you can drink coffee. It’s great because you can get on the train right away and they’re open until late. It’s not like I know so much because I want to go there and looked it up myself, it’s all these girly girls in my class that keep talking my ears off.”

“… But you know your stuff?”

“Hardly,” says Big Sis, as if she couldn’t be bothered to talk about cakes and pastries. “So? What’s this about? I just finished up preparing for my second match with the Women’s King for the day after tomorrow, so I could go for some sweets if you’re paying. I travel tomorrow so can’t do anything then, but I could keep you company right now–––.”

“Nah, today’s lesson went a little long, so thinking of buying something for Ai.”

“Drop dead, Kuzu!!”

The conversation ended with an angry beep. No need to get all boiled up. What could I possibly have said just now that would make her tell me to go to hell?

All right, the closest one to here would be …… Itodanidou’s roll cake?

I get directions from my phone and set off to pick up a surprise for my apprentice.

Buying two might be a good idea.

There’s a certain princess who might need a peace offering.

“Uh-huh ……”

Kita-Fukushima Elementary School, in Osaka’s Fukushima Ward.

The school is in the same shopping district where Ai lives with her Master.

And in the fourth year, class two classroom, young Ai Hinatsuru approached her classmate Mio with a downcast look on her face in hopes of getting advice.

“How so?”

“… He started to do new lessons recently … But I think he’s hiding something.”

Ai spoke as if the dam that keeps her worry at bay had broken. She unloaded everything at once.

“You see? Master says that it’s all old men where he goes to teach. But, you know? When I washed his clothes the other day …… they smelled like women’s perfume. And you know what else? He doesn’t wear a suit when he goes there, just regular clothes. And they’re fancier clothes than when we go out together. He comes home later every time he goes and he got scared when I asked him if he was hiding something ……See, Mio? What do you think it could be?”

“A woman.”

That extremely confident declaration didn’t come from Mio, but the girl the top of the class’s social pyramid, Mihane.

“That happens all the time in comics and movies, and it’s always another woman. He’s cheating, cheating for sure.”

Mihane’s opinion held sway over every girl in the class. Her word was final. The other girls standing around them started nodding, saying “For sure,” and agreeing with everything Mihane said.

“T-That couldn’t be! Kujuryu-sensei could never get a girlfriend!”

Mio offered a counter argument to Mihane’s opinion.

Keeping an eye on Ai as the girl slipped even further into depression, Mio put power behind every syllable as she declared, “He’s not exactly the cutest boy, not even close! His fashion sense is horrible! And he doesn’t care about anything other than Shogi!!”

“………”

“Ah! I-I didn’t mean it like that, Ai! I don’t think Kujuryu-sensei is uncool or ugly or anything like that?! But in general–––.”

“That’s exactly my point. Men that can’t resist women fall for the weird ones so fast it’s not even funny!”

“………”

“C-Calm down, Ai! You look like you’re about to kill someone?!”

“Huh?!”

Only then did Ai notice that her intimidating aura was making most of the girls around her cry.

Class 4-2 was on the brink of pandemonium for a brief moment.

“S-Sorry …… was I that scary?”

“Your eyes, they looked like they belonged to an assassin …”

Ai had spent many hours in battles of life and death against adult men over a Shogi board. Normal elementary school girls can’t take that kind of intensity and end up crying.

Having been around Shogi players competing at the highest level, her aura was overwhelming. Mio, a full-fledged fourth-grade girl, nearly had an accident when she took it head on.

“… I’m really sorry, everyone. But, I’m fine ……”

“Really? Ai, are you really sure you’re okay?”

“Yep! Oh, and Mio?”

“Yeah?”

“Doesn’t your father work with medicine and stuff like that?”

“Yeah. Papa works for a pharmacy.”

“Do you know how to buy a truth serum?”

“… What?”

“Think my allowance will be enough?”

“Uh …… Umm? Ai ……?”

She was serious. Her eyes were burning.

Mio was utterly shocked.

Ai would surely drug Kuzuryu-sensei’s food at this rate. Should the current Ryuo’s blind passion result in an elementary school girl poisoning him, the Shogi world would come to an end. The tabloids would have a field day speculating about what had actually happened. The association’s darkest hour was upon them.

I-I must do something! I have to find a way to get her mind off this, because if I don’t …

Mio thought about it as hard as she could and came up with an idea.

“Oh, I know! Why don’t we go to a different Shogi classroom today rather than the association?”

“In the city ……?”

“Yep! It will be fun to go someplace different! Have you been anywhere else, Ai?”

“I’ve been to Master’s Master …… my Grand Master’s classroom, the Noda Shogi Center—but nowhere else.”

“There are Shogi classrooms all over Osaka! I’ll take you to the one where I started playing! We can invite Ayano and Charlette too! Let’s play until the sun goes down!”

“Uh …… Uh-huh.”

Ai couldn’t help but nod along with Mio’s infectious energy.

Master said that Osaka is dangerous …… That I shouldn’t play anywhere other than the association or Grand Master’s place without getting his permission first, but …

Ai hesitated for a moment, unsure. However, she quickly realized that she didn’t have to be.

Because–––.

Master is going places without telling me!

“Sh!”

I scold Ai Yashajin as she looks around the Shogi classroom, spewing complaints left and right.

She’s not wrong …… It’s just there’s no one here.

“We’re in the business district. Most of the clientele are office workers, so no one’s here yet.”

“Okay …”

Careful not to make eye contact with the person at the front desk, I pay the entrance fee and get everything set up as quickly as possible. Maybe it’s because of my disguise, but no one recognized me this time either. I don’t want to think it’s because I’m just not that popular.

New World was closed today, so we decided to go to a Shogi classroom in Higashi Umeda for today’s lesson but–––.

“I’ve heard that lots of skilled amateurs who are good enough to appear on the national stage come to this place, but I should’ve known it would be mostly empty now on weekdays …”

It’s bright in here and everything is clean, completely different from our usual place …… But there’s no point in coming to a classroom if no one is there.

“So, what now?”

“What the heck. Let’s play.”

“What? Then what are we doing here?”

“For the atmosphere.”

I guide the rather perturbed Ai to a seat and start lining up plastic pieces on a heavily used Shogi board with all sorts of scratches and blemishes on the surface.

“I want to see how far you’ve come. No need for handicap.”

“! …… I’m ready.”

She made the first move and guided the match into a Bishop Exchange, making all sorts of intricate moves far beyond the average grade schooler one after another.

I take my time, thoroughly analyzing each move before going on the offensive and crushing her to a pulp.

“Kh ……! T-There aren’t any moves left ……”

“Nope. Good game.”

Once Ai forces those words out and admits defeat, I’m once again struck by how talented she is.

“But yes …… You’ve gotten better. I thought you would, but I didn’t think you’d improve this much so fast.”

“… What’s that supposed to mean? Saying that after winning by so much. Sarcasm?”

“Far from it.”

I force a smile and say, “It only feels like a lot because you’re reading the board the same way I was. Let me tell you, elementary schoolers that can read the board like a pro are hard to find. Harder still, an elementary schooler who is good at defense–––.”

That’s when it hit me, how strange those words were.

Yes. Children that can defend are unique.

Just like my apprentice, Ai, most children want to attack. It’s just how they are … So it’s hard for me to believe that a kid who almost never played against another person would naturally become a defensive player.

Talent–––. This quandary is too big to solve with just one word, but she most definitely has it.

“Ai, you …… Did you learn how to play Shogi from your parents?”

“… I did.”

“What were they like? Were they really good at the game, perhaps?”

“……”

“I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen your style of Shogi somewhere. Strong defense …… but it’s not like the King is protected by a fortress. It’s pretty rare for amateurs to pull that off while playing Static Rook …… And I hardly ever see an elementary school girl do a Bishop Exchange, even in Practice League. Typically, that’s what a pro would–––.”

That’s when I noticed that Ai was looking down into her lap, as if trying to endure something during my rambling.

“Ah! S-Sorry. If you don’t want to think about it, you don’t have to say anything …… I’m sorry.”

“…… It’s not that, I can’t talk about them ……”

Her voice is heavy, eyes still glued to her lap.

Now I’ve done it …… How could I be so careless?

Asking that kind of question is no different from driving a stake into Ai’s heart.

She’s a little girl, still in elementary school, and I asked her about her dead parents ……

“…… My mother, she was all right but not that strong ……,” said Ai, barely above a whisper. “But my father was the amateur Meijin.”

“H-He was? Then he must’ve been amazing ……”

Still in shock at how badly I messed up, it took all I had to get those words out.

…… If he was an amateur Meijin, then there should be a record of his matches somewhere. I should check the old match records and Shogi magazine articles next time I’m at the association. I might find some answers.

Yashajin …… amateur Meijin …… While I know I’ve heard that name somewhere before, I couldn’t bring myself to press Ai for any more answers and silently started a review session for the game we’d just played. That’s all I could do, just move pieces around with her. Even without words, we can communicate our feelings as long as we have Shogi pieces.

Snap.

Snap.

Intermittent echoes bounced around our private Shogi classroom.

Our silent review session continued for a while, but once we ran out of places to review, Ai said under her breath, “… She’s late. Akira.”

“Probably having trouble finding a parking spot. And the streets around here make no sense ……”

“Maybe ……”

Then, Ai suddenly asks with vigor, “So, can you teach me how to move the pieces?”

“? That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Not that way. I’m asking how to make that clean snap, Kuzu.”

“Watch it. I’m your instructor, call me Sensei.”

“Fine, fine, Kuzu-sensei.”

Ai can be such a brat, but I can tell she is making an effort. Doesn’t act like it …… But, she’s a good girl.

“Like this, see? Hold the piece like this and …… like this.”

Snap! A rich echo shoots through the air. Even a worn-out plastic piece like this can make that sound in the hands of the pro. Armatures sound completely different.

“Like this?”

Clink. That sound was adorable.

“At least try, would you?”

“I am trying!” Ai angrily snaps at me, her face bright red. “I’m trying …… but I can’t press down because of the pieces that are in the way …”

“Just put it down on the piece behind it.”

“Huh!? Is that allowed ……?”

“Pros do it all the time. Haven’t you heard sn-snap! while watching a match or during a replay before?”

“… It sounds like that?”

“Yes, it does. It’s because the player puts the piece on top of the one behind it and slides it into position. That’s why there are two snaps.”

“Okay then. Like this?”

C-clink. I don’t know how, but that was even more adorable than before.

“You are …… surprisingly clumsy.”

“I have a name you know.”

“Well, what should I call you? My lady?”

“………”

She looks off to the side, mumbling under her breath, “… You can call me Ai.”

“Ah, that’s a no can do.”

“Huh?! I’m giving you permission to call me by my first name?! Who do you think you are, refusing an honor like that?! Trash! Kuzu trash kuzu!!”

“That’s my apprentice’s name! Your name, age and gender are the same!!”

“………!”

Ai puckers her tiny lips and suddenly falls silent.

Then she asked me a question as she carefully searched for the right words.

“The Ryuo’s apprentice, I see. And what series of events led the Ryuo to come and take such an apprentice?”

“It wasn’t a series of events, more like a straight line. We first met at the title match, but I completely forgot about it. Then she showed up at my place out of the blue, and now we live together–––.”

“You what?! L-live together?! Your apprentice is a girl, yes?!”

“A girl, but she’s still in elementary school. And yes, live-in apprentices are rare these days but ……”

“Heh, humph …… What do I care. I really don’t care at all!”

Ai made absolutely sure I knew she “didn’t care” before flicking her long black hair back and saying, “So? She’s good?”

“Very.”

“………!”

“But, you’re better in terms of early game knowledge.”

For now––– I managed to swallow those words before they came out.

I’ve seen Ai Yashajin’s playing style up close and personal for a while now …… Her talent is on par with my apprentice.

Ai Hinatsuru plays offensive Shogi.

With an ability to read the board that borders on abuse, she charges her opponent and ruthlessly strikes them down in the blink of an eye. What’s more is that her amazing memory allows her to recall any pattern she’s seen before, even if it’s just once. Combining that memory with her reading skills, she can read faster and deeper into the match every time she plays.

On the other hand, Ai Yashajin plays defensively.

With sophisticated early game strategy and the ability to analyze the entire board in minute detail, she can steadily build herself up to a point as if it were second nature.

Plus, now that she’s polished her courage and gamesmanship by going to Shogi classrooms and parlors around the city, she can keep a cool head no matter what ploys or tricky strategies come her way. To be more precise, she’s learning how to use an opponent’s own moves against them. In other words, a counterpunch. Now that’s powerful.

If Ai Hinatsuru is the ultimate blade, Ai Yashajin is the ultimate shield.

Who’ll come out on top when these opposites in terms of playing style and personality collide? I can’t wait to find out.

I can’t wait, but …

“… How am I going to explain this ……?”

“Huh,” I hear Ai say in a slightly apprehensive voice as I put my head in my hands and suddenly lean over the board.

Why did I lie like that back at the beginning ……? But my apprentice changes whenever I say another girl’s name, becomes ice cold …… and she won’t make any curry for me ……

“What if I tried like this?” Kr-link. “Hmm ……” Clack. “Huh? That’s strange ……” Click.

“What?! You cut that out! I’m trying to think here, so would you please be quiet?!!”

“What’s the problem with practicing Shogi in a Shogi classroom?!”

I snap at her, and she snaps right back at me. There’s no one else here, so the guy behind the counter doesn’t say anything.

“How many times are you going to have to make those weak clicks to figure it out?! It’s like this!!”

I stand up and circle around behind her–––.

“Grab the piece with your fingers like this.”

“?!”

Standing right behind her, I wrap my right hand around hers. Shudder! Her shoulders jump.

Then, it hits me.

Her hand …… is tiny.

I always forget because she talks like an adult and plays a great game of Shogi, but Ai is still in elementary school.

One who’s lost both her parents and only has her grandfather left. A very sad girl ……

“What …… should I do with my hand ……?”

“Oh. Yeah, like I was saying …… like this, okay? Just like this ……”

Snap!

It sounded like a kernel of popcorn just popped the board.

“… Got it?”

“Y-Yes ……”

I can’t see her face since I’m standing behind her. Can’t see her ears or neck either because her long black hair is in the way but …… her hand feels surprisingly warm under mine.

“I got it …… But one more time, just to make sure–––.”

“Hi there!!”

Then.

An energetic kid’s voice shattered the tranquil atmosphere in the classroom, echoing back and forth.

“Mister, I brought some friends from school today! Are there two open tables?!”

“Open, heck, only one is taken ……”

“Yay! We’ve got the place to ourselves! Come on everyone, let’s go♪”

“Thank you, sir.”

“H-Hello ……”

“Thank you.”

Even more high-pitched voices followed the energetic one.

All of them girls’ voices.

And pretty young at that, tiny––– yes, elementary school girl voices.

I hear them coming in from behind me, chatting amongst themselves as they come inside. Zing! The floodgates open, releasing a river of sweat down my back.

“It looked rather small from the outside, but it’s bigger than I thought in here.”

“You’re right. And it’s so clean too ……”

“Let’s pway lots of Shogi!”

Every single one of the voices sounds familiar. Actually I knew who they belonged to right away.

I knew …… but I didn’t want it to be true.

My body, however, reacted immediately. In addition to never-ending chills and a deluge of sweat, my knees start shaking.

“Is something wrong? Your hand is very sweaty.”

She looks up at me, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

I look like I’m going to cry, probably. She flinches the moment our eyes meet.

That’s when …

“Huh? Isn’t that guy–––?” one of the girls says in a curious voice.

Then …… I felt their gazes hit me like a truck.

I slowly look over my shoulder, neck creaking like a machine that ran out of oil, and see–––.

“… Master?”

My apprentice was looking right at me.

Those were the first words to shoot out of my mouth.

My apprentice is looking at me, standing in the doorway of the classroom and slumping like a string-less puppet, all light gone from her eyes.

Her pupils are huge. Holy crap, that’s terrifying.

“T-This is …… work! Work that the chairman himself asked me to do, so I had no choice but to give this girl lessons. I had to take this job–––.”

“Had to …… had to hold her hand?”

“I-I’m not!!”

I shove Ai’s hand out from under mine.

So here I am, my hands in the air like a bank teller during a holdup, facing my apprentice and unable to think out of pure shock. But I have to keep talking. I don’t think I’ve ever been under this much pressure, not even when forced to react to a move I didn’t see coming with only seconds to read the situation.

“I, I-I-I-I wasn’t holding her hand! She asked me to teach her how to snap the pieces down onto the board so I did what I had to do …… It was part of the lesson! I only touched her hand because the lesson called for it!!”

“Lesson?”

My apprentice said in a flat, monotone voice with her insanely dilated pupils locked onto me. She didn’t blink, not once.

“Master …… You said that your new student was a bald old man, didn’t you? I don’t see any bald people. And your student doesn’t look like an old man. That’s a girl, right? That’s a girl about my age, yes? And a cute one too, yes? Is holding hands with cute girls part of your lessons, Master? Is that the kind of work the Ryuo does?”

“No, yes. Would you listen?”

“Why did you lie? You know that people only tell lies when they feel guilty, don’t you? It means they know they’re doing something wrong, so they lie, yes? Master lied when I said that I wouldn’t get angry so tell me what you’re doing with that girl, which means that Master definitely did something to make you lie to me about doing things like holding hands and being too friendly with another girl you liar, liar, liar, liarliarliarliarlairliar.”

“R-Really, we’ve only been playing Shogi! What do I have to do to get you to believe me?!”

“I will torture you.”

My apprentice’s declaration harkened back to the Middle Ages.

“Since Master won’t be honest anymore, I will get answers with pain and fear. It’s not something I want to do, but Master lies, so I don’t have a choice, do I? As much as I hate to do it, I’ll ask Auntie for help–––.”

She’s going to tell Big Sis about this?! Don’t even joke about that!!

“H-Hey, Ai! Would you please say something! Tell her that this is just a Shogi lesson, as you have no intention of becoming my apprentice and–––.”

“Ohhh? So, this ordinary, airheaded girl with a tooth missing is your apprentice, Sensei?”

“?!”

Ai Yashajin then steps right into my chest, more than likely on purpose, with a devilish smile on her face and starts stoking the fire.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Ai Yashajin. As you have seen, Yaichi-sensei has been teaching me all sorts of ins and outs. Isn’t, that right? Sensei♡”

“Ai …… Yashajin. Ai ……?”

“That’s right. So, we both have the same name. Is that a coincidence? Or is it perhaps …… He got bored of the first Ai? What a cruel teacher you have!”

No-no-no NOOOOOOO! What the hell is this little brat saying?!

“H-He’s not bored of me! I’m Master’s whole world!!”

“Ohhh?”

The Ai standing against me runs her small hand down my cheek and says, “He seems to be head over heels for me now? He just said I’m better than you a moment ago.”

“Hey?! That didn’t mean–––.”

“That’s not true! Master always says the food I made for him is delicious, and he said that I’m cute today!”

“Lip service, to be sure. He’s just making you do chores.”

“He cleaned out my ears last night after my bath! My head was in his lap!”

“It’s dangerous for children to do that on their own. He’s treating you like a child, that’s all.”

“Grrrrrhhh~~~~!!”

“Ummmm, uh …… I-I shook his hand at the association’s classroom!”

“Why are you butting in?”

“I, I just want everyone to calm down, you know ……?”

Thank you, Mio. I appreciate you trying to come to my defense, but it’s doing just the opposite. If looks could kill, Ai’s eyes right now would be lethal ……