“To Twenty-Year-Old Me”

Now that I’ve turned ten, I’m writing to myself ten years in the future.

What is twenty-year-old me like?

Am I married? Do I have kids already?

Does Master still play Shogi with the same energy he does now? Are we still living together?

Did I join the Women’s League?

Have I …… won a title, maybe?!

Ten-year-old me is having a hard time studying Shogi and it’s getting a little overwhelming.

Master is very strict and is always angry at me.

I don’t like being yelled at and it really hurts when I lose, so I always cry when it happens.

At times like that, I think about quitting Shogi altogether.

But I love Shogi.

I love a lot of things, but I love Shogi the most.

Now that I’m studying Shogi, I get to spend more time with Master. That makes me so happy.

That’s why I want to join the Women’s League.

My dream is to become a Women’s League player and work side-by-side with Master.

So … twenty-year-old me …

Did my dream come true?

“…… I lost.”

My first league match–––after turning pro–––ended in failure.

October. My last year in junior high.

Having advanced out of the Sub League to become only the fourth junior high school student professional Shogi player in history, I came to the Tokyo Shogi association in Sendagaya to make my pro debut.

“The first junior high pro in twenty-five years has arrived!”

The match was supposed to have taken place in Kansai against another person registered with that association. But since everyone was expecting the media to swarm in for the scoop, my match was moved to Tokyo instead.

Dressed in my school uniform and collar firmly clipped in place, I was enveloped in a flood of flashing lights once I entered the arena.

My opponent was in B League, 1st group, 7-dan.

A guy in his thirties. A veteran player with refined skills to match.

Normally someone in C-2 who just became a pro would be no match …… But then again, I was the first junior high pro in twenty-five years.

Everyone in the room was like “Maybe he can pull it off?”

And even I was thinking, “Maybe I can? And isn’t going up against a B League opponent a bit boring? I came all the way to Tokyo … why not put me up against someone in A?” Honestly, I was overconfident.

The match itself …… was a hard-fought battle right out of the gate.

However, I caught a break in the late game when my opponent messed up.

If I had just kept a cool head, I would’ve won. But with all the journalists around and the hype that went into my debut match going to my head, I made an even worse mistake. Not only did my chance to put him in checkmate slip through my fingers, but he finished me with his next move. Out of all the ways to lose, this hurts the worst.

Yes, instant death.

“Kuzuryu 4-dan. What are your thoughts on the match?!”

“Was the professional wall just too hard to break in today’s loss?!”

“……”

It hurt too much to say anything, and my opponent’s next words drove me even closer to the edge.

“What, what? You mean you didn’t see that checkmate? It was a rather simple sequence if you ask me.”

“……”

“Looks like prodigies can fall flat on their faces much harder than normal folks can ever dream of! Wheew, that was a prodigy overlooking a checkmate? Genius! Looks like Kansai prodigies are of a different feather! I didn’t think a face plant like that was even possible.”

I raced out of the Shogi association and passed Hatomori Shrine right next door at a breakneck speed, only stopping at the large Shibuya scramble intersection to wait for the light to change. The instant it did, I turned all of that built-up pain into energy, yelling from the bottom of my lungs and running forward as fast as my legs could carry me.

I thought about catching a train at Sendagaya Station, but the pain was so severe that I ran right by it and even the next one, Yoyogi Station, before I knew it and ended up running along the Odakyu-Odawara Line from Minami-Shinjuku all the way down.

“UWAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

I cried!

Tears and snot flying off my face. I cried and cried!

I ran!!

School backpack still strapped to my shoulders, my leather shoes pounded the asphalt as I ran like I’d never run before!!

“UWAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

It hurt so much!

It was so pitiful!

It was so embarrassing!

It wasn’t the loss that hurt. Going in so cocky was embarrassing. My weakness was pitiful. It was the only pro debut match I’ll ever have in my life and I didn’t play my best. That’s what hurt.

“UWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

It was dark before I came back to myself.

What’s more, a pitch-black ocean spread out in front my eyes.

I was dead set on jumping in and swimming all the way back to Osaka Port, but a guy who worked at a nearby surfing shop mistook me for being suicidal and stopped me.

I ended up running nonstop for eight hours after that match, going all the way from Sendagaya, Tokyo to Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. That’s 61.4 kilometers (I checked on Google Earth once I got home). My uniform was soaked with sweat and my leather shoes were in bad shape.

Chigasaki has warm water, so surfers hit the waves in winter quite a bit too. After I got there, I worked for the guy who saved me at the surfing shop, living there for a week. That’s when Big Sis came looking for me, but my spirit was still in pieces. I bartered.

“I’m done with Shogi! I’ll work here and become a surfer!!”

“Your head—on a pike.”

That was the end of it. I got dragged back to Osaka.

That’s how the curtain fell on the story of my pitifully painful pro debut loss, as well as my first time running away from home–––.

Afterward, all that pain and suffering became a springboard that launched me to victory in the Ryuo Title Match. And thus the youngest title holder in history—Yaichi Kuzuryu—came to be.

Now.

The reason I’m bringing up the past is–––

“Hm, hm, hehe♪ What fun. Playing against you, Yaichi, is just so much fun ……♪”

Because right now I’m sitting across the board from that very opponent.

Jin Natagiri 8-dan. Ranked fourth in A League.

He was in B-1 when I made my pro debut, but he rose all the way to A, 8-dan by throttling everyone he went up against in last year’s placement matches and now stands among the best of the best.

Being one of the Shogi world’s few truly devoted researchers, he fully comprehends a wide range of the latest strategies and sequences. He can play Static Rook, Ranging Rook, take the first move for the second, defend and attack …… A true All-Rounder.

He’s got a nickname too–––Switch Hitter.

“Sigh~ I’ve got butterflies! Will my narrow advance make it all the way through your defenses? Oh, the butterflies! Heheee ……!!”

Is this some kind of off-the-board strategy?

Mr. Natagiri’s bizarre ramblings are really throwing me off my game—it doesn’t help that he’s completely controlling the pace of our match. I hate to admit it, but it’s true.

Not only is he particularly good during the early game, he went first and drew me in with one of the latest strategies, resulting in a commanding lead early on.

We’re already in the late game, and he hasn’t let me go on attack even once. Seriously, he’s still advancing on to my side of the board while cutting off all my counterattacks before they happen. The Ryuo is down for the count.

“…… Ughhh ……”

I hold my head in my hands, groaning at my pitiful performance. All these bad memories are coming back.

The thing is, I didn’t just lose to him on my pro debut. I also lost to him in my first match after claiming the Ryuo title, the first of eleven straight losses. I still remember the article in the newspaper: Ryuo Beaten to a Pulp.

More painful memories come flooding in, squeezing my spirit almost to the breaking point …… But!

“…… Nn!!”

I’m going to hold out as long as I can and save every possible second of waiting time!

At this point, my only chance is to hope that my opponent messes up. It’s time to put the stubborn, muddy playing style Kansai players are known for to good use. If I can maintain even just a one-minute edge of waiting time once the final battle begins, I’ll have a chance to turn the tide ……!

Whether Mr. Natagiri knew what I was trying to do or not, he started leaning forward to get a better look at the board whenever his turn came around and would then speed up.

Now both of us are hovering over the board, leaning in.

I glace up for a moment and see Mr. Natagiri looking right at me.

Then, he whispers, “You know something? Matches …… are a lot like romance ……”

…… What the heck is this guy talking about right in the middle of a league match?

“Don’t you see? We spend the whole day so close to each other. Why … it’s almost like a date.”

“You …… have a point.”

Mr. Natagiri is way up in the Shogi world hierarchy, so a bottom feeder like me has no choice but to acknowledge him.

He continues, “I’ve been thinking about you …… all night long …”

Say what ……?

“Actually, no. Since long before then. Since the moment that this match was determined, every single day … Every hour, every minute, I’ve been thinking about you … Learning all about you ……”

Learn …… ing ……?

“What strategy might you use today? What sequence would you prepare just for me? What clothes will you wear? Whose fan will you use? Will we get to eat lunch together? While I think about you, are you thinking about me the same way ……?”

“???”

Is he trying to provoke me by saying this weird stuff?

It’s the late game, so is this his way of making me lose focus? To make me mess up?

“Then there’s the match itself. The way you take off your glasses when you’re deep in thought, and I get to look deep into your real eyes. Don’t you just get butterflies? Or do you not get them the way I do ……? Oh, I was just so nervous.”

Crap, crap, crap, crapcrapCRAP!!

Huh?! Hold up, hold up?!

His nickname: Switch Hitter …… Is that what it means?!

I’m one bad jolt away from a panic attack, and he starts whispering to me through hot breaths.

“Yaichi ……”

“Y-Yes?”

“Do you have … someone special?”

Switch Hitter asks something completely unrelated to Shogi but keeps up the feverish pace on the board. Haa …… Haa …… It’s like he’s gasping for breath over there. I look away out of reflex.

“Ah! That means you do have someone?! Could it be a girl? Or, just maybe–––.”

“!! ……!!”

I look over at the recorder in a desperate plea for help, but the Sub League member (♂) sitting there keeps his eyes firmly glued to the match record. Have a heart!

“…………!!”

I look back down at the board and put my hand on my cheek, acting like I’m thinking about something very hard when really I’m just making sure our eyes don’t meet.

I’m in no shape to think about Shogi right now, but I’m a pro player. Not only that, I hold one of only seven Ryuo titles. So, I put every ounce of concentration I have left to get the most out of every second and to focus on finding a way to come out victorious in the end. It’s time for muddy stubbornness to turn the tide!! Just when I’d finally flipped the switch …… I gotta take a leak ……!

An urge to race to the nearest restroom hit me like a tidal wave. I’ve still got a little bit of waiting time left, so I start to get to my feet to take care of business when–––

“Oh? Potty break? Want some company?”

Why are you trying to come with me?!

“……!!”

My waist hovering over my ankles, I put both hands down on the tatami mat and endure the growing pressure in a Crouching Style Shogi stance.

Mr. Natagiri mumbles, “Ah, so you’re not going,” and looks back down at the board. “Why don’t you go!!?”

There’s a restroom right outside each of the arenas in the Black Corridor, the fifth floor of the Kansai Shogi Association.

However, such a short distance has never felt so far away …!

At this point, the only way I’m going to get to go to the john is to finish this match. It’s too dangerous to go in there with the Switch Hitter. I cannot let that happen. Which means, I have no choice but to end this.

“…… I will win!”

Enough stalling. I’ve bet everything on a wing and a prayer.

I went in for the counteroffensive, which seemed to surprise Mr. Natagiri as well, but he charged out to greet me head-on. We trade blows back and forth using no time at all. There wasn’t even time to put the pieces firmly into place, each move making a loud snap! The pieces are barely inside the lines.

“…… Intense!”

An overexaggeration leaks from the recorder’s mouth. I’m the one trying not to leak!

Then–––

“Ah …… I lost!”

At the very end, when my last offensive had been completely cut off and I read that I’d come up one move short, I threw in the towel once my opponent moved in.

“…… So, Yaichi.”

Paying no attention to my current situation, the victorious Mr. Natagiri calls me by my first name and suggests out of the blue, “My hotel isn’t too far from here … Why don’t we go there and have our own private review session–––?”

“Sorry, no can do, goodbye!!” I yell, jump to my feet, and hold it in as I bolt out of the association.

Three minutes later.

“…… Ahhh~~~. That’s better ……”

I made it all the way back to my apartment without any leaks and, finally, relief.

If I hadn’t been able to hold it during the match, the Internet chat rooms would’ve roasted me alive. Thanks to a certain Master of mine peeing out of the association window, I’m already stuck with that image ……

“Whew …… I’m so glad I live this close to the association. And the second floor too. Suppose I owe Big Sis a thank you for that ……”

She invited herself along when I started looking at apartments and simply said, “Here.” Never mind that the room is in my name, she ignores everything I say and treats it like her own place.

She lets herself in to play Shogi whenever she wants, uses the kitchen whenever she wants, leaves her own shampoo and toothbrush here all the time, borrows my shirts and wears them around, etc., etc. It’s hard to tell who’s the real master of the house.

“The younger brother’s apprentice’s stuff belongs to his big sister too.” That’s her policy. Who is she: the queen?!

Then again, she doesn’t drop by anywhere near as much now that I have a live-in apprentice.

But, anyway–––.

“I hope I wasn’t rude. He’s one of the top players, after all. But, wait, the way he was acting during the match really didn’t seem like an act, so maybe he really is that way ……?”

Even now I’ve got chills. Shaking from head to toe ……

“If I remember right …… I’m scheduled to play him again in …… three weeks?”

Honestly, I don’t think I can win. Today marks my third loss in a row.

“I know it’s not good to dread going up against one person in particular … But it feels like focusing on him would be much worse … But seriously, which side is he, really? Ayumu might know something … Wait, he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would be interested in gossip, so maybe Ryou Tsukiyomizaka would be better–––.”

Thinking things through, I walk into the tatami room and see …

Her face flat on the mat and backpack still strapped to her shoulders, my apprentice doesn’t respond to my voice whatsoever.

“Ai! What’s wrong?! Ai!!”

I rush to her side and prop her up against my knee. It looks like her tiny chest is rising and falling. Thank goodness, she’s alive!

But she looks very weak.

Why in the world ……?!

After calling out to her over and over again, Ai’s eyes open ever so slightly and she reaches a trembling hand toward my face.

“M …… Master ………” Then, putting the last bit of her strength into forcing words out of her mouth, she says, “…… B ………”

“B?!”

“……… Big ……… bath …………”

…… Bath?

My apprentice’s melty voice echoes through the spacious bathing hall.

This public bathhouse just opened, so we have the place to ourselves. Heck, I’m the only one on the men’s side. It must be the same on the women’s side too because I recognize all of the voices.

“Ai, what do you think? Feeling any better?”

“Nyahhh!”

Relief passes through me as soon as I hear my apprentice’s energetically happy response come over the barrier wall.

I was worried when I found her collapsed on the floor, but I’m glad it was nothing serious.

“Let’s see, you came to Osaka two months ago …… Ai, you must’ve been really holding back. Everyone should relax and stretch their legs in a big tub every once in a while …… Especially you, growing up with a hot spring as part of the family business.”

This is an old bathhouse that’s just around the corner from Master Kiyotaki’s place.

Big Sis and I used to come here all the time with Master and Keika; my Shogi family has a lot of great memories here.

“But I never thought you were restraining yourself from going to a place like this the whole time ……”

Keika’s voice comes from over the wall. “You should’ve spoken up sooner. I feared the worst when Yaichi told me you were passed out on the floor.”

“S-Sorry ……”

A rather sharp voice cut in as if to drown out Ai’s apology: Big Sis. “This is too good for someone in training. A sponge and a sink is good enough for some grade school girl living with her Master.”

“That’s news to me. I seem to remember a young Ginko pleading to come to the bathhouse all the time.”

“……”

“You also cried whenever there wasn’t any ice cream after we were done, didn’t you?”

“…… Keika, please leave it at that …”

“Phh-ha-ha! You talk all grown up, but you’re really still just a kid, aren’t you?”

“Humph! You are the kid. Just a flat and smooth grade schooler.”

Oh boy, here come the fireworks.

Ai and Big Sis fight all the time. So much so, that recently it feels like something’s missing when they’re not at each other’s throats.

Go ahead, knock yourselves out––– But then.

My foot slipped, and I had to catch myself.

You’re smooth too, smooth too, too … The echoes came flying off the particularly acoustic bathhouse walls, emphasizing every single word.

B-Big Sis ……

Still …… doesn’t have any ……?

“Hey, Yaichi! Wipe that image out of your head, now?! You pervert!! Ero-Ryuo!!”

“Sto-! Ouch! B-Big Sis! Please, stop throwing things into the men’s bath!!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!! Fall, hit your head on the tile, and forget everything!!”

Buckets and plastic chairs come flying over the barrier wall like she’s got a rapid-fire catapult over there. Is she trying to kill me?!

“G-Ginko, calm down! Actually, that’s a plus considering Yaichi’s tastes of Loli …?!”

“I don’t want that plus?!”

Whatever Keika is doing over there, it must’ve worked because Big Sis’s blitzkrieg came to a sudden halt. Whew ……

I pick up all the buckets and bars of soap and start thinking over everything again …… No, not the “smooth” thing. Shogi. …… Seriously, okay?

The match I lost to Mr. Natagiri, the reason was–––.

“…… Research. That has to be it.”

He knew everything there was to know about me.

It’s a given that he’d know my best strategies, but he also knew when I like to switch between defense and offense and how I use my waiting time. With him knowing all of my habits, I was a sitting duck out there … Is it me, or did it get cold in here? A chill in a bathhouse ……?

Mr. Natagiri found my weakest points and hit them.

“I can’t win like this …… I have to find a way, something that will get me past his research ……”

I have an idea. I’ve been looking into it for a while.

But, it’s not something that I can just do willy-nilly. It’s a hard choice.

At the same time, doing it requires a certain sense. I can’t get that sense by researching on my own.

I have to practice against an opponent who already has it in order to steal it before I can use it as my own.

“In that case … I guess I have no choice but to ask him …”

Ask the man who has the deepest knowledge and feel for that style. Go to the player who has the exact sense that I want.

Learning from him directly would be the best option …… But there are issues.

How should I ask him? He doesn’t take apprentices, or participate in practice groups, or even do versus matches. He’s built his reputation on it …… Hmmmm ……

I stretch out in the tub, pondering my next move when I hear more voices coming from next door. The girls sure sound like they’re having a good time.

“Oh, wow …… You’ve got perfect proportions, Keika!”

“Thanks, Ai♪ So will you once you get a little older.”

“I will?!”

“Of course not. Keika, don’t get her hopes up. It’ll go to her head.”

“Smooth ……”

“Want your head on a pike?”

…… Only people at about the same ability level get into fights.

“Now, now, you two. That’s enough arguing. Let’s rinse each other like friends, okay?”

Ah––––––.

Rinse …… Each other?!

“Keika! Sit right there and I’ll rinse your back!”

“Why, thank you, Ai. … Owwh? That’s nice. You’re really good at this ……”

“E-he-he ♡I always helped out at my family’s hot spring, and I got really good at rinsing customers’ backs!”

R-Rinsing …… with Keika ……

Even I’ve only done that once, and that was right after I joined this Shogi family, when I was six … Damn, I’m jealous!

“No, you’re really good …… Mm! Ahhn?! There too ……?!”

“I’ll make sure everywhere is nice and squeaky clean!”

“A-Ai? That’s enough you don’t have to do any- …… Mmnnn!? Ah! Ahnn♡ Haa …… Haa …… ♡ Ahhh …… Ai, you’re amazing …… ♡”

“K-Keika?! Are you all right?!”

“Sora-sensei, now it’s your turn.”

“Huh? …… Wait, what are you–––.”

“I’ll make you smooth and shiny.”

“N-No ………… Sto- ………! Kh! D-Doesn’t feel …… good at all ……!!”

Damn it!! Why am I over here on the men’s side?!

Why–––why did I have to be born a man?!

I bite my lip in anguish, thoughts of the paradise on the other side of the barrier running through my head … To be blunt, this hurts worse than losing that Shogi match ……!!

So, I sprawled out completely.

“Ughh …… So dizzy …… I think I’m gonna be sick ……”

“Here Yaichi. Drink some cold water and put your legs up over here. I’ll cool them off with a damp towel.”

“…… I love you, Keikaaa ……”

“Sure, sure.”

Keika sets to work on my legs without a second thought and tossed my sincere confession of love to the side just as quickly.

I’m back in the lobby, laying on the tatami mats with an electric fan pointed right at me.

Ai and Big Sis are a little distance away, playing Shogi on a fold-up Shogi board that’s seen better days. Maybe it’s because they were arguing in the bath, but each of them is snapping down their pieces with extra oomph.

The old-style bathhouses usually have Shogi boards on hand and I’m used to seeing people enjoying a match after a dip … The matches aren’t particularly good, but still.

“That’s Lil’ Ginko for ya!”

“And the wee lady ain’t so bad herself.”

“Oh really? She’s Yaichi’s apprentice, you say?”

“The little tyke’s grown up and taken his own apprentice …”

Growing up in this area, Big Sis and I are treated like the neighborhood kids.

They cheer us on when we play Shogi, but they don’t know the meaning of the word restraint. We could be in the middle of a game and they’ll start pointing things out or giving suggestions, very distracting. Then again, that’s part of the fun.

A group of customers have gathered around Ai and Big Sis to watch their match. Keika watches them with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes and says, “Well, this is unusual. You hardly ever get light-headed from a bath, Yaichi. Was today’s match on your mind?”

“…… Yeah. Pretty much ……”

What was I supposed to say? I was thinking about what was going on in the girl’s bath? Smooth …

“I know that feeling. Sometimes I stay inside a sauna until I’m light-headed after losing a match.”

“Ahh …… The urge to inflict as much pain on yourself as possible, yep. Can’t sleep at all either ……”

“And it’s so awkward at home.”

All true. Of course, losing a match hurts, but the hardest thing to do is to figure out how to talk with people after a loss.

That’s especially true for people you live with and close friends. Sure, they’re careful not to say the wrong thing, but everyone keeps their distance.

“In my case, my father is also my Master, and the two of us live together, yes? There’s no way for me avoid him … The only time that living alone sounds good to me is right after losing.”

“What’s Master like when that happens?”

“He doesn’t bring up the Practice League at all. But I can tell he knows what happened because he goes a little too far trying to act normal. He’s a professional as well, so I know he can’t help but say a few things.”

Exactly. At the end of the day, we have to get over our losses on our own.

That’s why we want to be alone when we lose. Painfully so.

Which is exactly why I moved out of Master’s house when I turned pro. I was certain I wouldn’t be able to survive the pro Shogi world if I didn’t have a change of scenery.

After losing to Mr. Natagiri in the worst way possible in my pro debut, I started looking at apartments the day I came back to Osaka and moved out as soon as I graduated from junior high.

Living with Master, Keika, and Big Sis …… it was just too warm in so many ways.

“…… We used to come here all the time,” said Keika, her voice warm and content after a nice bath.

Osaka is full of bathhouses. At least, I think it is.

Lots of families come to these places to relax and coming here was something that Big Sis and I always looked forward to the most.

…… But, the first time we came here, I got to go into the women’s side because it was too dangerous for me to be by myself! I was only six years old at the time. Keika was a full-fledged high school girl, and she washed me from head to toe ……!!

Which of course means that I’ve seen her naked …… As a result, I have a very real idea of what’s under her clothes even when she’s fully dressed–––.

“Do you remember the first time?”

Zing☆

“N …… no? Can’t say …… that I do.”

“Ah, yeah. It was more than ten years ago, so I guess you wouldn’t …”

Keika smiles, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“You and Ginko were too scared to go in by yourselves. So, Yaichi, you came in with us. Ginko clung to me like a cute little koala the whole time. She was so adorable.”

“R-Really? I guess I was too young, don’t remember a thing. Too bad.”

“Both of you have grown up so much … Meanwhile, I’m turning into an old lady.”

“What are you saying?! Keika, you’re only twenty-five!”

“Almost twenty-six.”

The strength and speed of her instantaneous response caught me off guard. I couldn’t say anything.

“In …… no time at all. I’ll be twenty-six ……”

Twenty-six years old. That’s–––a very important age for people in the Shogi world.

Forgetting I had just gotten out of the tub, I sat right up and said, “Hey, Keika! Why don’t we all go out for steak tonight?! Everyone: the whole family?! My treat?!”

“Sorry. I have plans.”

“Plans? Going to go out after taking a bath? …… Ah! It’s not a d-d-date, right?!”

“It’s not. Unfortunately.”

Forcing a smile, Keika gently wipes away a few beads of sweat from around her neck with a towel.

“It’s a reunion. A high school reunion …… for the all-girls school I went to.”

“Nights aren’t that cold anymore.”

“Nope.”

“The bars around here aren’t as empty as they used to be.”

“Nope.”

“…… Keika never gives me a chance.”

“Nope.”

“What am I doing wrong? I mean, I think I’m doing pretty well as a pro Shogi player, I’m not that bad looking, and we’ve known each other forever … Don’t you think it’s about time for love to be in the air?”

“You know what it might be, Master? Keika might only see you as little brother.”

“Ahh …… About that ……”

“Most women don’t consider younger men to be good options for a relationship. In general.”

“Is … is that right?”

“There are stagistics.”

“Statistics?”

“Yes.”

Ai uses her smartphone to pull up a PDF and shows it to me. Apparently, it’s government research.

“…… This is complicated stuff for grade schoolers.”

“It’s part of a group project we’re doing in social studies class right now. We’re learning about Japan’s declining birthrate, so my group is researching late marriages.”

“Late marriages? …… Oh, late as in getting married at an older age.”

Ai’s small fingers swipe across the screen as she magnifies a specific section for me.

“Look at this. Women choose to be with older men more often than younger men.”

“You’re right! And they seem to be okay with a pretty big age gap?!”

“Women don’t have a problem with dating men ten years older than they are. Actually, my father is eight years older than my mother. He was twenty-six and she was eighteen when they got married.”

“Your mom was pretty young.”

Ai’s father married into the family business, so his opinions don’t mean much. But her parents are a very nice couple. They seem like a great fit.

“That’s why it’s better for men to be older in a relationship. Older men are more mature and have more money, which is what women are looking for. Plus, men like younger women because they feel like the protector. As research and real-life experience shows, relationships between older men and younger women always work out well. Let’s see …… Seven years’ difference would be the best.”

“Seven years younger than me …… a nine-year-old? Hmm, I really can’t picture it.”

“……”

“But thinking about it from the other direction, now it makes sense why Keika treats me like a kid. It wouldn’t make sense to think of someone nine years younger in that way, would it ……?”

“That’s not true!!”

“Whoa?! W-Where’d that anger come from?”

“I’m not angry!! Master dara!!”

Or so she says, storming on ahead and leaving her Master behind.

“Yeesh, what’s gotten into–––?”

It clicked as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I figured out what she was trying to say.

…… Ai is encouraging me, I’m sure of it.

She’s scolding me for being a pitiful Master who got caught up in a simple age gap.

To think, she’d even support me in my quest to find love …… I have an amazing apprentice.

Statistics, hah! Government research, hah! If I were afraid to lose, I wouldn’t be playing Shogi, now would I?!!

“I got it, Ai! I’ll try even harder!”

“You will?!”

“You bet! I’ll find a way to get Keika to notice me!”

“Master dara! Darabuchi!!”

“Why?!”

The storm came back, and twice as angry as before. What went wrong? I can’t figure it out ……

But still, today was fun. I might’ve lost my match, but we went to the bathhouse for the first time in forever as a Shogi family, and it was nice to see how we’re all so close.

I was kind of worried about how things would change when I took an apprentice …… Big Sis and Ai aren’t exactly the best of friends but …… Thanks to Keika, it looks like things are going to work out. Ai Yashajin should come next time.

It’s almost like the stars in this early summer sky are lighting the way.

Sunday. I look at the overcast gray sky, the seemingly never-ending misty rain outside my window and lethargically sigh.

“Isn’t it almost the rainy season? Great, just great. The laundry’ll never dry …”

It wouldn’t be a problem if was just me, but my apprentice is here too.

She’s pretty small, but girls’ laundry baskets fill up pretty quick. The biggest problem is that everything will smell weird if I hang all the clothes up inside. I can’t make Ai wear those.

“Maybe I should get a dryer. But, where would I put one ……? Should I just move? Nah, saying I need a bigger room for my grade-school-aged apprentice just doesn’t sound right …”

Moving into a new home? Oh, they'll ask questions alright.

“How the heck would I explain Ai to a realtor or a landlord? I doubt they’d understand that she’s a live-in apprentice and she certainly doesn’t look like my little sister, so they’d think we were engaged and probably call the police on the spot …”

I look over at my tablet propped up on the table.

“What do you think, Ayumu?”

“Hah …… I couldn’t care less!”

Ayumu Kannabe, wearing a white cape, looked back at me from the other side of the split screen and sliced down my question like a well-timed Shogi strike.

“Alright then, how do you wash that bizarre wardrobe of yours?”

“Everything to the cleaners, what of it?”

“…… That’s got to cost an arm and a leg.”

Thinking about what I’d look like taking my apprentice’s panties and tiny clothes to the laundromat, I’m sure I’d lose something more valuable than money. That’s scary.

There’s a dryer at Master Kiyotaki’s place, so if worse comes to worse, I’ll ask Keika. I can always count on her in a jam.

“I’m as particular with my attire as I am with Shogi … Therefore, I refuse to do laundry at my abode. I admit, the charges were a real shock at first ……”

“You wearing that cape at home is more of a shock if you ask me.”

“I am the Knight of the Shogi world! No matter how familiar the training partner, greeting them in full armor in battle is part of my knightly honor code … Why not defend your own as a titleholder and dress for the occasion?!”

“…… I do dress appropriately when I’m sitting across from my opponent with a real board.”

I pull at my old T-shirt’s loose collar while giving this excuse.

Ayumu and I just finished playing a practice match over the Internet and started a review session over Skype … But it turned into me asking for advice. It used to be that whenever players from the east and west got together for practice matches, one or the other would have to physically go there. But now, it’s getting more common for people to play over the Internet.

“By the way, Ayumu. About the league match I just had–––.”

“Ah, yes. Your duel with Natagiri 8-dan. I remember it being recorded as a flawless victory for him.”

“Ugh ……! W-Well …… it ended up that way, but …”

“His research gave him a clear advantage from the start. Choosing a strategy that we here at the East Gate Legion have come to know puts the defender at a disadvantage and didn't help your cause. It’s common knowledge at this point. Diving headfirst into it is a glaring indication of your ignorance.”

“B-But I almost had him a couple of times?! There were a few reasons I couldn’t hold out as long as I wanted to, but there was a moment in the late game I nearly turned the tables–––!”

“Gentei aigoma. He knew the perfect way to block, and you still claim to have had a chance?”

“!A-About that ……”

“He knew exactly what you were going to do from the start and right up until the very last move …… Disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful, Dragkin! Is that all my eternal foe is capable of?!!”

“Aigoma” –––when you deploy a piece from your piece stand to protect your King when in check.

Usually, there are many options that’ll work out just fine in that situation, but there are some rare instances when there’s only one right answer. That’s gentei aigoma, or genteiai for short.

People who aren’t too familiar with Shogi probably won’t understand how truly amazing it is …… Think of aigoma as blocking a bullet with a shield, but genteiai is like slicing a bullet in half with a sword. It’s a technique only the best of the best can pull off.

I took a look at the match record for myself when I got home and learned that he really had seen the genteiai coming …… It felt like I’d lost a second time.

The difference between us was as clear as day. I felt even more defeated than the moment I threw in the towel.

“Well, yeah, um. Would you …… happen to know anything about Mr. Natagiri? As in, are there any rumors going around about him?”

“I have heard mention that he trains with The God.”

“Seriously?! With the Meijin?!”

The current Meijin is the best player in the Shogi world right now, without question. Many young players think of him as a deity, Ayumu and myself included.

“He …… he really is in a Practice Group with the Meijin? Mr. Natagiri? And that Meijin?”

“Yes, it is so.”

“I see …”

“I myself was invited to one of Natagiri 8-dan’s training sessions, so I am privy to this information.”

“Really …? … Come again?!”

“I remember it being in the early days of summer last year … The session was to take place at The God’s summer home. Natagiri 8-dan was gracious enough to extend an enthusiastic invitation along the lines of: Overnight trips are a blast when it’s just men.”

“……”

Yeah, about that ……

“The timing was not in my favor, so I had to decline.”

“Y-You did? That’s too bad.”

I don’t know why I feel relieved right now …… Please, always be Sir Ayumu: The Chaste, I’m begging you.

“If I may, Dragkin. Why are you so fixated on Natagiri 8-dan?”

“Nn?! W …… Well, I’ve lost three times in a row, and I’ve got another match against him coming up too.”

“So, you seek information, no matter how trivial. It’s not as though I can’t relate to that feeling but ……”

Ayumu doesn’t look all that convinced. He’s the type of player who firmly believes that people who play Shogi should only think about what happens on the board. You’d think by looking at him that he was an expert at psychological warfare, but he has no idea …

“Anyway. Ayumu, how about another match?”

“I decline.”

“Why? The Practice League is meeting today, so I’ve got nothing to do until my apprentice comes home. Come on, just one more.”

“I decline!” he says, without a moment’s hesitation, before putting on Chap stick and explaining why. “One of my favorite clothing designers is announcing their latest product tonight!”

“You’re going to buy even more of that weird stuff?!”

“Hah …… Your inquiry is pointless!”

Swish! Ayumu places his left hand over his face in one of his usual poses. It’s meaning is beyond me, but there must be some deeper purpose, like setting up a yagura fortress. Probably.

“I bid you good day, Dragkin!!”

Whoosh! His cape flashes in front of the screen, and Sir Ayumu, God Cauldron, cuts the connection as soon as the picture goes dark. He had it all timed out perfectly.

“…… I swear, I burn more calories just talking with the guy than I do playing Shogi with him ……”

I let out a long sigh and pick up my tablet to turn on the software. It’s time to review our match.

“He’s right. I’m falling behind early.”

Watching the pieces move across the electronic board, it’s pretty clear that Ayumu has done a lot more research than me. I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth.

“It always seems that the east is ahead of us when it comes to researching the latest trends. And it doesn’t look like Ayumu showed me everything he knows …”

He and I are almost the same age, same skill level, we’ve known each other for years and the two of us rarely play against each other with him being in Kanto and me in Kansai. There’s very little downside to practicing against each other for either one of us.

That’s why we’ve been doing matches over the Internet like this since our days in the Sub League.

Of course, we stop when we’re scheduled for a match against each other, but we start back up again once it’s over. We’re pretty easygoing about it.

That being said, this world is built on fierce competition. Neither of us is going to show all our cards.

Then–––.

“If my own research keeps falling behind his …… Ayumu won’t have a reason to do practice matches ……”

If that happens, these Internet sessions will disappear entirely.

If playing is worth the time, then someone will always be willing to do so. But if not, they’d never agree to play. That’s one of the unwritten rules of the Shogi world.

People who play with superficial knowledge get looked down on. Even having a title doesn't mean much.

Only being recognized as strong will do that.

“So, it comes down to strength, huh. Looks like I’ve got a wall to break through ……”

Since when? It’s been on my mind for a while now.

–––Have I gotten stronger?

I’ve achieved my childhood dream of becoming a pro Shogi player. I’m even at the top of the world: the Ryuo.

However …… I don’t feel like I’m any better than I used to be.

I may be better mentally thanks to meeting the Ais, but I don’t think I’ve improved at all when it comes to techniques and strategies. I mean, I’ve lost to the same guy three times in a row. There’s the proof.

“My wall …… Jin Natagiri. If I can’t beat him ……”

I want to be stronger, better. I know I do. I have to improve.

The problem is how.

“I can’t keep practicing the same way. Something has to change on a more basic level.”

Because if I don’t, I’ll never be able to surpass Mr. Natagiri’s research, let alone go beyond his study partner.

“Break the wall … Change something fundamental about myself, get stronger ……”

In order to do that, what I need to do now is–––

“Alright! To the bathhouse!!”

I turn off my tablet, stand up and start getting ready to go.

“The Practice League meeting should be over by now. In that case ……”

I take out my smartphone and give Keika a call.

It took a few moments to get through, but I start talking once I hear her pick up on the other end.

“Ah! Keika?! It’s Yaichi. Are you still at the association? If you are, could you bring Ai with you back to Master’s house? I was thinking it would be fun to go to a bathhouse with everyone like the other day. Oh, but I’ve got a different place in mind this time. I’ll head over to meet you two once I finish getting ready–––.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to see you. You, or Ai.”

Her voice has never sounded so cold. I scramble to get words out of my mouth as chills running down my spine.

“K-Keika?! Why–––?!”

But instead of an answer, even before I finish the question … She hung up on me.

“……… Why ……?”

I just stood there, holding my smartphone against my face with only the sound of the rain in my ears.

…… She doesn’t want to see me? Me, or Ai?

…… Why?

“…… Twenty-five,” I whisper while walking along the Doujima River to clear my head after a night of drinking.

My old high school classmates and I got together at this fancy little restaurant in Umeda. Everyone looked so happy: smiling and laughing.

We talked mostly about relationships, work and marriage. A few of my classmates brought babies with them.

Of course they did. That’s normal.

“…… Already twenty-five years old.”

Back in high school, I thought twenty-five was somewhere off in the distant future, a bona fide adult.

I thought I’d be married and working by the time I turned twenty-two, and I thought it was only natural that I would have children by twenty-five. So, naturally, all that would happen without having to prepare or even really try because, after all, that was normal.

However, I went against that normal.

“I’ll become a Women’s League Player.”

I made that decision when I was eighteen.

While it was obviously a late start, I didn’t feel any pressure at the time. My high school classmates were going off to college, getting jobs and going on with their lives. I felt like I was doing exactly the same thing when I entered the Practice League.

Even though we were pursuing different goals, getting together with them was fun.

Our coming-of-age ceremony when we turned twenty was one heck of a party in its own right, and, even after that, whenever we met up we’d shoot the breeze and just have a good time.

But about the time the ones who went to college graduated and started careers …… little by little it got harder to relate to them.

I’ve never been in a serious relationship, let alone a marriage, and never went through job hunting because I focused solely on Shogi. It took a while to notice, but I was left behind.

“What have you been up to, Keika?”

Always afraid someone would ask that question, I never said anything and always sat in the corner with a fake smile on my face. It was pitiful.

I was too embarrassed to be this old and still chasing dreams like some child.

Looking at everyone who had achieved the normal that I’d rejected made me jealous. And admitting I was jealous hurt. Talk about pathetic ……

The burning in my chest didn’t come from the spicy food or the strong cocktails.

The pins and needles were still there when I got home and weighed on me during the Practice League session on Sunday …… I lost every match.

“Master? We’re getting out here, right?”

“……”

“Master!”

“Ah! W-What’s up?”

“This is Kyoubashi.”

“Seriously?!”

I jumped to my feet. The doors were seconds away from closing.

“Oh crap! Let’s go, Ai!”

My bag, stuffed with my towel and a change of clothes, was clutched in my hand and we managed to get off the train at the last possible second.

My apprentice looked at me with a look of curious concern in her eyes once we stepped out onto the platform and she asked, “Did something happen, Master? You’ve been in your own little world since we got on the train ……”

“Have I? Nothing’s wrong …… I guess I’m just tired.”

“Okay then, it’s good we’re going to a bathhouse! You can get refreshed!”

Ai, having never been here before, has a bit of pep in her step as we go through the station. But …… that conversation I had over the phone with Keika has been replaying in my head this whole time. What happened to her? She won’t pick up her phone either ……

We go out the station’s north exit and take a right–––when Ai says with bubbly excitement, “Oh, wow ……!! W-What is this place?!”

“Interesting, wouldn’t you say? The station is literally part of a shopping district.”

This whole area looks like it got lost in time … Well, like a bunch of old bars did anyway.

“Uwhoa …… I’ve never been to such a dark and jumbled place before! It’s like a cave over here! This could be fun!”

“Ha-ha …… A cave, you say.”

It’s hard not to smile at a grade schooler’s blunt way of describing things.

New World is pretty much a tourist destination at this point, but Osaka’s old atmosphere is alive and well at Kyoubashi. It’s called Deep Osaka for a reason.

That being said, it’s a lot safer than it used to be, and there are a lot of really nice houses on the opposite side of the station now, so there are a lot of women and students out and about. There’s even an Animate store around here.

“Oh! Is that the bathhouse you were talking about, Master?!”

Advancing through this dungeon-esque shopping arcade, Ai points to one of the signs lit up by sparkling lights.

“Adult Relaxation Space ~Busty Bubbles~”

Not good.

“No …… that’s …… not really a bathhouse ……”

“It’s not? Okay, then what about Mistress Hot Spring ~Some Like It Hot~?”

“No, definitely not! T-There, that one over there!”

I grab my apprentice’s hand and lead her away from the questionable establishments.

“…… This one.”

Unlike the other places with their neon lights and sparkling signs, this old two-story wooden building looks rather plain.

Ai glances at the curtain hanging outside the front door and tries to read the characters written on it,

“Go-ki-gen-no-yu?”

“That’s right. The Gokigen Bathhouse. It means happy-go-lucky.”

Pulling back the curtain, someone I haven’t seen in a while comes into view.

“Evening, Asuka. Is Maestro upstairs?”

“………”

The girl standing at the attendant’s booth looks back at me in silence, her jaw hanging open.

Five seconds passed before there was any change. Her eyes, hidden behind her bangs, went wide.

“Y-Yai- ……?”

“Ah, yeah. I’m Yaichi. Yaichi Kuzuryu, the Shogi Player. Do you remember me?”

“……!! ……!!”

Her head jolts up and down like there’s a spring in her neck.

“So, is your father upstairs?”

“……!! ……!!”

Even more furious nodding. That’s going to hurt!? A neck sprain maybe!?

“Okay, one adult and one child, please.”

“…… s.”

I hand the money to Asuka over the counter. This bathhouse is more expensive than most, but there’s a reason for it.

“When did your father get back? At the beginning of the month?”

“…… s.”

“I see. Well, then I guess my timing’s perfect.”

“……”

Asuka’s face is the same color as freshly boiled lobster. All hopes of getting answers out of her just went out the window.

“We’ll head to the bath later. First, I’ve got a match to play upstairs.”

With that, I lead my apprentice up the stairwell.

“Master …… Do you know that girl?”

“Her father owns this place. I know her and she knows me, but she’s always so quiet. I don’t think I’ve really talked to her all that much.”

“…… She’s really cute.”

“You think so?”

“…… You know too many girls, Master.”

“Nah, that couldn’t be. You only remember the girls because you’re a girl yourself, Ai.”

“…… Darabuchi.”

She sounds a bit mad ……

But that anger didn’t last for long.

“Is that …… music?”

Someone’s playing the piano upstairs. That beautiful melody has Ai’s full attention.

Her eyes opened as wide as they could in surprise the moment we stepped onto the second floor.

“Is …… Is this a Shogi classroom?! But this is a bathhouse?! And music ……?”

Just as Ai said, the Gokigen Bathhouse’s second floor is a spacious Shogi classroom.

With live jazz piano filling the air and all the stylish decorations, it’s more like a fancy jazz bar.

And the owner of this unusual place is–––.

“Maestro.”

“…… Ah, Yaichi.”

The black-suited man playing piano in the corner of the classroom slowly turns around to face me.

“Worldly Maestro––––––King. Mitsuru Oishi.”

One of the best of the best, twelve seasons in the A League and six as a titleholder, it’s safe to say that not only the Kansai Shogi world, but half the Shogi fans worldwide revere him.

“It’s been a while, Maestro. Half a year, maybe?”

“The last time we spoke, you had yet to become Ryuo so …… That sounds about right.”

“You went on another pilgrimage through Kyushu, didn’t you? A rather troublesome job fell into my lap because you weren’t here.”

“That apprentice thing? There was a message on my machine from the chairman …… This little lady here is the one?”

“No, she’s another apprentice of mine actually ……”

Mr. Oishi hardly ever comes by the association unless he is scheduled for a match, and he doesn’t participate in any practice groups and doesn’t do versus matches with anyone. The Shogi world’s lone wolf; he tends to be out of the loop. I doubt he knows Ai Hinatsuru.

“Well, have a seat.”

The Worldly Maestro took his fingers away from the piano keys and got to his feet, directing me to an open board as he spoke.

“You came all this way. Why not join me for a slight adventure?”

Bolstered by my unexpected good luck, I open my Bishop’s Path.

“Only because I haven’t played in a blue moon …… And I’d like to know …”

“Know what?”

“To see if my edge has gotten rusty. And–––.”

Mr. Oishi took a cigarette out of a beat-up package and set it alight between his fingers as he added, “To see how strong the Ryuo is.”

Going second, he opens his own Bishop Path before advancing his fifth column Pawn forward and moves his Rook to the center of the board. He’s using his best strategy to see just how good I am.

It’s said that Ranging Rook is by and large a defensive strategy.

But Gokigen Central Rook is just the opposite. It charges forward in a blaze of glory to take down an opponent before they can build a defensive formation, what pretty much everyone instinctively tries to do when they play Shogi. That’s why Goki-Central has such a big following among half of all Shogi fans.

Half: in other words–––the Ranging Rook party.

When it comes to pros, the overwhelming majority, myself included, belong to the Static Rook party. Mr. Oishi is the one and only true Ranging Rook party member with a title, as well as the only one in the A League.

Sometimes called the Ranging Rook party president due to that impressive resume, his light-footed, yet beautiful, minute and perfectly timed playing style charms anyone who sees it.

He can take over a Shogi board with a simple swish of his Rook like a tactful conductor controls an orchestra … That’s where his nickname Maestro comes from: his playing style. Although Mr. Oishi prefers jazz to classical music.

“Ohh? You want to know what the Ryuo can do? …… Then I won’t hold anything back!”

Rising to his challenge, I set up to counter his Goki-Central with what we Static Rook players have determined to be the best strategy right now.

“Extreme Speed is it? (sigh …… ) Well, that could be a problem,” Mr. Oishi whispers while holding his cigarette in front of his face.

Extreme Speed is exactly what it sounds like–––getting a Silver out in front as quickly as possible to pin the Rook back and keep it there.

My goal is simple.

Just like a true Static Rook player, I build up my offensive forces on the right side of the board, in front of my own Rook, while moving defensive pieces into position in front of my King on the left. After that, all I have to do is crush the enemy between the two!

Everything was going according to plan, Mr. Oishi’s Rook was stuck in the center of the board. I was in a perfect position to win.

“…… How’s that for you?”

“It’s not over yet.”

“You’re going to hold out ……? What could you possibly do at this point?”

“…… You’ll find out soon enough.”

Mr. Oishi flashes a confident grin and reaches for his pinned Rook with his cigarette sandwiched between his fingers and whispers, “What the Worldly can do.”

The unbelievable happened a heartbeat later.

Everyone around us couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief.

“No way––––––”

“He sacrificed the Rook?!”

Yes, that happened.

Just as soon as I knew I had the Rook under control, Mr. Oishi throws it away like he saw it coming.

“Say what?! W-Why would ……?! …… Wait, don’t tell me–––!!”

I figured out what he was trying to do as soon as I saw that Rook charge headlong into my formation.

Every move I’ve made thus far has been to keep that Rook under control.

So: the entire formation becomes pointless and crumbles if the Rook isn’t there.

It makes perfect sense. Logically. Perfectly logical.

“But …… Who in their right mind would actually do that?!”

“Happy-go-lucky, wouldn’t you say?”

Everything that happened after that was like magic.

The Maestro sacrificed his Bishop along with his Rook, advancing on my King with only small pieces and taking the victory.

Looking back on it, I came to terms with the fact that the match turned into a horrible loss only a few turns after I thought it was in the bag.

I-It was ……!

Unbelievable, a Shogi style that works like magic–––

“That was …… Worldly ……!”

“Heh. It seems I haven’t lost my touch.”

The whole gallery gets on their feet and showers the Maestro with praise.

“Bravo!!”

“Encore!!”

Words that don’t belong in a Shogi classroom echo off the walls. My apprentice, who saw the match from a front row seat, is clapping her hands like mad, still captivated by what she saw. Easy now (grimace).

Then again …… As much it hurts to admit, I get it. I know how she feels.

Even Chairman Tsukimitsu has been overwhelmed by Mr. Oishi’s worldly style. Unable to do anything, it’s said that he simply groaned, saying, “My senses are broken.”

And I, more than anyone else …… the one who lost to this worldly poetry in motion was inspired by it.

I knew it.

I just knew that this man here–––!!

“…… Mr. Oishi!”

“Yeah?”

“I have a favor to ask you. I’ve been a Static Rook player since the day I was born. My Master, his Master and his Master before him were all part of the Static Rook party.”

Everyone in my Shogi family, including my apprentice, plays Static Rook. I used everything that style has to offer to become the youngest person in history to ever hold the title Ryuo. I have considered every Ranging Rook player to be my enemy.

I lower my head all the way down to the board in front of their best player and yell, “Please ………… Teach me how to play Ranging Rook!!”

The first one to respond to my request was Ai.

Her clapping hands hanging frozen in midair, she screamed until she was blue in the face.

“Y-You wouldn’t ……! You always call it Failing Rook! You always say that you never knew what would make someone want to use such a useless strategy!”

“PWFF?! H-Hold on a second, Ai–––.”

“That the Ranging Rook party is a wretched lot stuck in the past who play without a plan, depending on lucky fingers and a prayer?! You’ve said that to me so many times that I try my hardest every day to never lose to someone who plays Ranging Rook ……!”

“Ai! Shh! SHHHHHH––––––!!”

She’s not making this up. I’ve poked fun at the Ranging Rook playing style before but … Coming here to the Ranging Rook capital and saying those things would be like cheering for the Giants at a Tigers game at Koushien Stadium here in Osaka, like wearing a New York Yankees jersey at Fenway Park in Boston. I-I won’t make it out of here alive ……!

The Shogi fans here at the classroom (all Ranging Rook party members) menacingly glare at me, the Ryuo, and start whispering among themselves.

“…… Kuzuryu’s only ever been Static Rook since he was a kid, right?”

“Yeah. Won the elementary school Meijin Tournament with Static, and was that way in the Sub League if I remember right ……”

“Word is he’s into little girls, too ……”

“Yeah. Into them ……”

They’re right about the Shogi part. Only the Shogi part.

“…… I can’t deny I’ve always played Static Rook. I’ve played hundreds, if not thousands of matches against Ranging Rook players, thinking of them as the enemy … I’ve studied and researched as hard as I could to wipe them out completely.”

As I put my hand over my squirming apprentice’s mouth to keep her quiet, I explain the reason why I want to give Ranging Rook a try. “However! It didn’t matter how outnumbered they were or how much research we did, Static Rook players have failed to eliminate the Ranging Rook party! Therefore, there must be something to the strategy that Static Rook doesn’t have! I want to learn what it is and use it myself! To become worldly, like you, Maestro ……!!”

There’s a deep divide between the Static and Ranging Rook players.

Even Big Sis, back when she was four years old and meeting Mr. Oishi for the first time, walked right up to him and said, “So, you’re Mitsuru?” As if rudely calling him by his first name wasn’t enough, she followed that up with, “Stop picking on Master!! All Ranging Rook players should just go away and never come back!!”

Master was shocked, and the Maestro could only force a smile.

No matter how many times in a row our Master had gone against Mr. Oishi in league matches and lost, to actually go up and say it to his face like that … It was quite the shock, and I was only a six-year-old bystander back then. She’s been a terror since before kindergarten.

Despite getting off on the wrong foot, Mr. Oishi has always been kind to Big Sis and me. I think it’s probably because we’re about the same age as his daughter. Asuka and I were in the same year in school.

That’s why he might help me out.

At least, that’s what I was banking on when I asked, but–––.

“…… Alright. I get where you’re coming from.”

“! So, you’ll–––.”

“And? Why do I have to teach you how to play Ranging Rook?”

“W-Well … I’m not asking you to do it for free, more like a give-and-take. I’ll let you in on the latest strategies that Static Rook players are using …… as a study partner ……”

“Partner? Someone who was so easily overpowered by my worldly symphony—my partner?”

“Ugh ……!”

“Not to mention, Yaichi. I saw you lost to Natagiri yet again.”

“…… I did.”

“Which would mean you’ve never won a single match against him.”

“…… I haven’t.”

“Pitiful …… Natagiri was the bottom feeder of my generation, I’ll have you know.”

Mr. Natagiri is thirty-eight years old. So is Mr. Oishi.

They may be the same age, but the timing of their pro debuts and accomplishments was completely different. Mr. Oishi went pro, rose all the way to the A League and even claimed a title in his twenties, while Mr. Natagiri joined the A League only last year and has only appeared in one title match.

While I think that’s a more than decent resume, Mr. Oishi is pretty harsh on Mr. Natagiri. Maybe it’s the rivalry between Kansai and Kanto?

“The Ryuo, losing to that? Losing to that talentless wannabe …… I played against him all the time in the Sub League’s 3-dan division and never lost once.”

My apologies. I’ve already lost three times.

“Natagiri finally turned professional after I was gone. My happy-go-lucky Gokigen always had his number.”

“So, what’s your point?! Master is the Ryuo! He is the best there is!! He doesn’t need to learn how to play some Ranging strategy with a weird name! We’re the ones turning you down!!” Ai broke away from me, gasping for breath before jumping to her feet and unleashing that tirade. HEEEEEEY?!

“Listen, Ai …… I’m not the best player, and if I don’t learn Ranging Rook–––.”

“Why?! You’re the best just the way you are! Your aigakari is unbeatable! You don’t need to learn any kind of Ranging Rook!! Isn’t that right?!”

“Ai ……”

Seeing me use aigakari in the Ryuo title match is what inspired her to play Shogi in the first place.

That’s why her first move is always to advance the Pawn in front of her Rook …… Basically, she has a bias for Static Rook.

That’s because she idolizes my playing style and why she stubbornly claims that I’m the best.

Hearing her say that makes me really happy … But, that bias needs to go.

She won’t be able to keep winning in the Practice League if she doesn’t get rid of it.

“…… Ai, what’s your strategy if you go first?”

“Aigakari!!”

“And if you go second?”

“Aigakari!!!”

“So, let’s say that you perfect aigakari to the point that you always win with it if you go first.”

“Yay! No one could beat me on offense!!”

“But, you’d always lose on defense, yes?”

“……?”

Ai, in the middle of a happy dance, comes to a sudden stop.

“M-Master! There’s a problem! I’d have nothing to play on defense!!”

“Let’s take it a step further. Do you think you could successfully defend against a strategy that has been determined to be unbeatable?”

“Huh? Of course, I don’t think I could … Oh no?!”

“You see my point?”

“M-Master! There’s an even bigger problem!! I’d have nothing to play on offense!!”

“That’s right. The defensive player will always avoid playing against a style once that particular strategy is determined to be unbeatable on offense. Therefore that strategy never shows up on the board again. In other words, an unbeatable strategy is pointless.”

“The pro world is rough ……”

“Perfection is just a dream.”

Men, no matter who they are, want to have that one ultimate weapon: a strategy that guarantees victory.

But the moment they get it, it becomes moot in the pro Shogi world.

That man, who should’ve become the greatest of all time, has his one and only weapon taken away and falls back to the bottom.

“That’s why it’s too risky to specialize in one strategy or another. At the very least, very few of those players make it to the top.”

Shogi strategies come and go in a very short cycle.

Players who were dominating with a certain strategy in the spring just can’t seem to win once summer comes around.

“When I have the first move, I play aigakari. When I move second, Move-Loss Bishop Exchange is my strategy of choice. However, my opponents can easily avoid those patterns if they want to. That’s why I never get a chance to play them when I’m on a roll and get targeted when I’m on a losing streak. I need more variety to get good at several strategies.”

It’s just like baseball.

A pitcher might have a slider as sharp as a razor’s edge, but the batter’s eyes will adjust if that’s all that comes their way.

“There’s a chance that might work in a sudden-death tournament, but the league matches start soon …… And the placement matches too. In C-2, where I am, the competition is so fierce that I’ll have to win out to have any hope of advancing. I want as many cards up my sleeve as possible. Especially ones that my opponents won’t see coming.”

“And that’s why you want …… Ranging Rook?”

“Yes. It will be quite a surprise if someone who’s played only Static Rook like me were to use Ranging Rook, and–––.”

“Playing Ranging Rook is a great idea!”

Mr. Oishi had been quietly listening but suddenly jumped into the conversation.

“Static Rook only has three patterns: the yaguras, Bishop Exchanges and Aerial Battles,” Mr. Oishi explains while holding up three fingers.

On a side note, aigakari and Side Pawn Capture fall into the Aerial Battle category because big pieces like the Bishop and Rook fly around the board as if locked in a dogfight.

“But Ranging Rook is different! First, there’s the Central Rook strategies, Third-File Rook, Fourth-File Rook and Opposing Rook. That’s already more patterns than Static Rook!”

“Ooo?!”

Ai has sparkles in her eyes.

“But wait! Ranging Rook also has defensive formations like the mino gakoi and anaguma! Combine them with the other strategies, and that’s eight different patterns! More than double what Static Rook can do!!”

“OOOO!!”

“There’s more! Whether or not you execute, a Bishop Exchange plays a major role, so double those: sixteen different patterns! Not to mention the wild frontier known as Ai furibisha where both players use Ranging Rook strategies! That’s seventeen patterns altogether!! Six times the options compared to what Static Rook can do!!”

“Master! Ranging Rook is amazing! So many possibilities!!”

“Wait, wait, wait. Just hold on a second. That’s not how it is.”

I pull my very nearly brainwashed apprentice back down to earth. I’ve heard some weird logic before, but this was ridiculous ……

“If you follow that line of thinking, then Static Rook has five patterns: yagura, Bishop Exchange, Move-Loss Bishop Exchange, aigakari and Side Pawn Capture—not to mention the limitless defensive formations you can add it to each of them.”

“Oo …… Ooo?”

Ai looks up at me in confusion, head tilted as if there’s a big “?” floating over her. Adorable.

“So, in the end …… Static and Ranging: which one is better?”

Mr. Oishi and I speak at the same time, our voices drowning each other out.

“Static Rook, of course.”

“Ranging Rook, without question.”

“Cough.” I clear my throat as the two of us exchange cautionary glances before I give my apprentice a straight answer.

“…… It’s not about which one is better. It’s being able to use both that makes someone the best.”

“Both ……? But, can that–––?”

“It can be done,” I say with as much authority as I can muster. Finally, I have a strong image of what I want to become in my head.

“At the very least, players who can do both are in the best position.”

“The best? But, you’re the best, Master …… You’re the Ryuo, aren’t you?”

“I don’t even come close. It’s not just me. No Shogi player in history measures up to him.”

“And …… Who would that be?”

“The Meijin.”

Twenty-five years before I turned pro, he appeared on the scene as the third junior high school pro Shogi player in history … A genius who conquered the Shogi world in the blink of an eye.

He claimed all seven titles, a few of which he still has, and became someone who everyone had to recognize as the best.

“It’s true that using both Static Rook and Ranging Rook is very difficult. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it … But only a handful of people actually can. I think you need to be as talented as the best Shogi players and need to train so much that Shogi gets engrained into your blood in order to pull it off. I don’t know if I have it in me. But–––.”

If that’s the path that leads to being the best.

If that’s how to break my wall. If that’s the way to improve.

The way to become a player who can perfectly execute Static Rook and Ranging Rook strategies–––.

To become someone everyone recognizes as the best, like him–––.

“I will become–––an All-Rounder!!!”

Mr. Oishi looks stunned. He’s not the only one. Everyone in the room looks at me with wide eyes after my declaration. Becoming an All-Rounder is a dream that’s hard to fulfill.

No amount of determination will guarantee things will work out the way you want. Making that kind of claim is bold, for sure.

But I’m the one who turns that determination into reality. It’s all on my shoulders.

That determination, that courage …… probably came from seeing my apprentice improve so quickly.

As for that apprentice, Ai looks at me and says, “M …… Master ……… That was so cool …… ♡”

Hands on her cheeks, she looks up at me after my All-Rounder declaration like she’s in a trance.

“D-Do you really think so? Is it?”

“You can do it! I’ll become an All-Rounder with you!!”

She follows behind me like an innocent little puppy, but suddenly looks concerned and says, “Ah, but …… How would you play Ranging Rook?”

“All you need to play Ranging Rook is a heart filled with burning passion,” interjects Mr. Oishi with confidence.

Crap, now Ranging Rook sounds cool ……

“Why not learn how to play Ranging Rook right here if you’re interested? I’ll even teach you myself.”

“Really?!”

The Maestro’s offer makes Ai’s eyes sparkle. Hey!

“Hey, hey, Mr. Oishi?! Didn’t you just refuse to teach me–––.”

“I just didn’t see any real benefit to you playing Ranging Rook, but a cute young lady like her? Ranging Rook will become more popular overnight, don’t you think? That’s what give and take is all about. So, tell me young lady, what’s your name?”

“Ai Hinatsuru, I’m in the fourth grade! D-1 in the Practice League!”

“Ai, meaning love …… A great name. Half the world is built on love ……”

“What about the other half?”

“Ranging Rook, what else would it be?”

So then, where’s Static Rook?

“She’s got a lot of spunk. Osakan?”

“No. She’s from Ishikawa Prefecture …… Wakura was it? Her family owns an inn with a hot spring there. That’s where last year’s Ryuo title match was held, and seeing that is what got her into Shogi in the first place–––.”

“Wakura hot spring ……? Hinatsuru?”

The cool as a cucumber look on Mr. Oishi’s face was gone in an instant.

“Hinatsuru! Are you talking about Hinatsuru?! As in the best hot spring inn in Japan?!”

“I believe so.”

“Slow down … How would a young lady with that kind of background end up as your apprentice ……?”

“Well, it’s hard to explain. Going with the flow? I guess?”

I’m not exactly sure how it came to this myself.

“And the Ryuo title match was last Christmas, yes? And she’s already in D-1? You’re pulling my leg, right?”

“No, that’s true. She finished Zukou three months after learning how to play. All by herself too.”

“Zukou …… Shogi Zukou, that book of Shogi puzzles? Yaichi, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable–––.”

“Ai.”

“Yeees?”

“King’s line, 8 One King, 9 One Lance, 8 Three Pawn, 7 Four Bishop, 9 Four Gold. Attacking line, 5 Two Rook, 5 Three Promoted Bishop. Silver on the piece stand.”

“5 Four Promoted Bishop, 6 Three Silver, 9 Two Silver, taken by the Lance, 6 Three Promoted Bishop, taken by the Bishop, 8 Two Silver to checkmate.”

“?! A-all that in her head in the blink of an eye … For real?”

Mr. Oishi wasn’t the only one gawking, everyone was looking at Ai with their mouths hanging open … I’m not sure when she came upstairs, but Asuka is in the crowd with the same shocked look on her face.

The problem I just gave Ai is called a High Road Shogi puzzle. Just to clear up any confusion, it’s one of the puzzles that stumps a lot of people. The sequence is pretty short, but it’s hard to figure out.

And this tiny little girl did it in no time flat …… Add in the fact that she did it all in her head, it’d be impossible not to be surprised.

“………”

Mr. Oishi looks like his brain is going a mile a minute as he lights another cigarette and takes several long drags.

“Hmm …… I see. Yes ……… Alright then.”

One quick glance at his daughter and a satisfied nod later, Mr. Oishi put out the cigarette and turned to face me and Ai.

“Yaichi.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve got a lot on my plate with A League placement matches right around the corner. A good sparring partner could be just what I need to get the competitive juices flowing, and I want a particularly skilled someone to help out around the bathhouse. To be blunt, I’d gave an arm and a leg for a young gun type player to join the Ranging Rook ranks. Therefore, I’d like to hire a part-timer.”

“Say what? …… A part-time worker?”

“Very much so. Someone to help run the bathhouse and work as a classroom assistant. If it’s alright with you, I’ll set the terms right now.”

“H-Hire a title holder as part-time help?!”

“No. I’m talking about Ai.”

“Huh?! Then what about me?!”

“You're part of Ai's deal, an extra perk.”

“Whaaat ……?”

What happened to me being her Master?

“No bellyaching. I’ll train both of you at once. Over the next two weeks, I’ll make you into perfect Ranging Rook players, so much so that you’ll feel like something’s missing if the Rook doesn’t travel side to side. Oh, and one more thing–––.”

“One more thing?”

The Worldly Maestro grins as Ai and I ask the same thing at the same time.

“You won’t need to be paid, right?”

Ai and I each take a big swig from bottles of milk at the same time.

“I tell you …… Nothing beats a bath after playing Shogi.”

Ai also had several practice matches with Mr. Oishi after our discussion and then both of us went down to the first-floor baths to get some well-needed rest and relaxation after a long day. We capped off our Master—apprentice evening with some nice cold milk. Good times.

“Master …… Can I ask you something?”

“What’s up?”

“Why is there a Shogi classroom on the second floor of this bathhouse?”

“I don’t know the details but …… Pretty much every bathhouse back in the 1700s and 1800s had a second floor and lots of people would play Shogi and Go there.”

“Is this place that old?!”

“I doubt it’s the same building … but yeah.”

What I do know for sure is that one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Shogi classroom above a bathhouse in the country is right here in Osaka.

“Mr. Oishi started playing Shogi against customers before he knew right from left right here in this bathhouse and just kept getting better and better. Most amateurs play Ranging Rook, so that was how he learned to play and he just kept using it. I can still hear him saying: What’s the point of pros playing in a way that amateurs don’t even try?”

Mr. Oishi strongly believes that pros only exist because of amateurs and often comes right out and says he puts on a show with Ranging Rook. That’s probably how he got his almost poetic timing and worldly sense.

Just watching him pursue his idea of beauty makes fans go nuts.

“So, what did you think, playing against Mr. Oishi’s Ranging Rook?”

“It was amazing! Everything happened like magic. I couldn’t read the board at all! Bishops and Rooks just came flying in from out of nowhere! Zoom! And the board changed before I knew it, too …… How did he do that?!”

“I think, maybe, you were looking at different things.”

“Whaa?”

“You try to avoid a battle until you’ve built up a perfect formation when playing Static Rook, but Ranging Rook requires a broader sense–––in other words, you charge right in and exchange as many pieces as you can early and often throughout the match. It makes the pieces warp around the board.”

“Warp?”

“You know how you can deploy a piece anywhere you want once you have it on your piece stand, yeah? Even pieces that would normally require many turns to get into position can go there right away. What’s more, it’s a piece that wasn’t on your side at first.”

“Ah! That would …… change the board top to bottom?!”

“Right. The match can look completely different after just a few turns.”

Exchanging pieces makes the board so much more complicated, like an explosion of variables all at once.

I don’t think it needs to be said, but that makes anticipating the next few moves a heck of a lot harder.

“It happens in the late game no matter how many pieces are exchanged …… but since Ranging Rook relies on more of a worldly sense, even the mid-game can turn on its head at any time. That’s why you have to visualize what’s going to happen after taking an opponent’s piece.”

“After ……?”

“But reading far ahead in the mid-game when there are so many options is impossible. Did you know that there are 11 trillion 600 billion possible combinations by the ninth move in a game of Shogi?”

“There are?! … 11 trillion?!”

“That goes up to 328 trillion on the tenth move. No one could possibly read that far ahead.”

It’s pretty common for there to be a scene in Shogi manga where a character says something cool like, “Hahaha …… Only ~~ moves until checkmate!” However, that could never happen in real life. The only one who says that kind of thing and actually means it is Ayumu.

“That’s why visualizing what’s going to happen two or three turns later is less of a prediction and more of a perception. You must rely on a sense that tells you: it’ll probably go like this. You have to feel it.”

“Per … cep …… tion?”

“Basically, a gut feeling. But it’s a gut feeling that’s been honed by countless matches and a lot of experience.”

It’s like the way a master craftsman can make something more precise than a machine by doing what feels right.

“Static Rook and Ranging Rook approach Shogi differently, so of course each looks for different things on the board. That’s why their perceptions are different. Since Ranging Rook has to deal with more variables than Static Rook, those players tend to have sharper game sense than solid logic. At least that’s how I see it.”

“But Ai, you need to master Ranging Rook asap. You won’t be able to keep winning in the Practice League if you don’t.”

“Huh?! Why ……?”

“You know how you play with handicaps when going against someone with a different rank? Up until now, you’ve benefited from having the extra piece … but you’ll be the upper player pretty soon. Usually, the left Lance gets dropped but–––.”

Ai has already played against opponents much weaker than herself without using her big pieces.

But when it’s another member of the Practice League …… Being down one piece when going against someone nearly at your level is a whole different story.

“Without the Lance, that side of the formation will never hold up. That’s why you have to find a way to cover for it, like moving the Rook to take its place, and still find a way to win.”

“Ah! I get it …… That’s Ranging Rook?!”

“Right. That’s why I want you to get a good Ranging Rook sense right now.”

And I want her to have the best teacher to learn that sense. That’s why I brought her here with me today.

Which reminds me. The Practice League–––.

“By the way, Ai. Did something … different … happen …… during Practice League today?”

“Different how?”

“Like, for instance …… Something happened to Keika–––.”

“……!!”

That seemed to ring a bell because her face, warm from the bath, just froze over.

Then it gets darker like clouds were moving in right before my eyes …… She forces out a few words.

“…… Keika …… got a B ……”

“Say what?!”

A B–––a demotion warning.

It happens if you go 2-8 or less within a ten-match span.

And if it happens again, going 2-8 in the next ten matches …… you get demoted.

The B gets removed if you go 3-3, but the rules prevent you from advancing a rank with it still on your record.

Which means Keika is one step away from a demotion, and with her so close to the age limit, getting a B now has to be more painful than I can imagine …

Now I understand why she doesn’t want to see us …… so much that it hurts.

“…… Keika looked so sad …… Do you think she’s okay?”

“Well …… pretty much every elite player has had a B at one time or another.”

“Even you, Master?”

“Of course. I had one back in the Sub League …… You don’t forget the pain like that.”

Even the memories still sting. I start reliving every painful detail of those days as they come flooding back into my head.

Sure, the losses hurt, but what hurt the most was feeling like I was getting weaker every day and that my confidence was going down the drain.

I thought I’d hit my limit, like I’d never progress any further my whole life …… There was a night it hurt so bad I cried myself to sleep with a Shogi board in my arms.

“It happened right when I was about your age, Ai. I couldn’t win as the upper player without my Lance …… It threw me into a slump ……”

“Master had a hard time with a handicap too?!”

“You bet I did. I’d always been in the Static Rook party. That’s why I don’t want you to go through the same pain I did without a Lance.”

I’m worried about Keika, for sure.

But as a Master, the well-being of my apprentice comes first.

And as a pro Shogi player, I can’t ignore my own need to improve.

But most of all …… If Keika can’t get through this on her own, even if she does make it into the Women’s League, I doubt she’ll be able to survive in the Shogi world.

I gulp down the last bit of milk, put my hand on my apprentice’s head and say, “Let’s give it all we’ve got, Ai.”

“Yes! Master!”

“It’s alright. You said you wanted to talk?”

Two days after I received the B, Ginko and I sit down for a chat in my home’s tatami room.

My father …… my Master is at the association for a match, so it’s just the two of us here now.

Rather than beating around the bush, I get right to the point.

“The other day at the Practice League …… I got a B.”

“…… Yes.”

She’s not surprised. I bet she already knew.

“I had been winning on and off since getting promoted to C-2, but nothing’s going right these days …… So, I wanted to talk to you about it. I don’t have much time left–––.”

I can stay in the Practice League to become a Women’s League player until my twenty-seventh birthday.

The end of the month: that’s my time limit.

Right now, I’m twenty-five years and seven months old, which means I have less than a year and a half.

The Practice League meets once every two weeks, four matches each time.

That’s 108 matches per year. So, I have about 160 in that year and a half.

Since I’ll get promoted if I win six matches in a row, it looks like I’ve got plenty of chances left.

But …… I’ve already been in the Practice League for seven years.

I had a chance to go up to C-1. Back when I was twenty-one.

I let that chance go away.

Because of my mistake, my opponent came from behind to win.

“Another chance will come up in no time!”

Back then, I was optimistic about the future.

“I can be in the Women’s League at twenty-two, when my classmates are graduating from university!”

I believed in that possibility.

But rather than looking for another chance, a slump, the likes of which I’ve never had, hit me like a ton of bricks.

I didn’t know how to pull myself back up after falling down. Although I managed to avoid demotion three times, the fourth finally got me.

From C-2 down to D-1–––.

“…… I, can’t do this anymore.”

Back then, I was twenty-four.

Long past when I thought I’d be a Women’s League player at twenty-two, the words age limit began to feel a lot more real.

At the same time, a little boy I’d once lived with became a Shogi professional in junior high school and a little girl I’d once lived with passed over the Women’s League altogether, claiming titles of her own and climbing toward becoming the first-ever female professional … getting closer every single day.

I couldn’t move forward no matter what I did. Meanwhile everyone else was leaving the nest, flying off into a bright world. Then my former classmates were all getting jobs, getting married and starting their lives in society.

“Should I quit? But …… what else would I do ……?”

By the time I knew what happened, it was too late to turn back.

It felt like I’d been abandoned on a deserted island. Looking up at the sky, I could see Yaichi flying away, bound for someplace off in the distance …… He stood at the top of the Shogi world.

I fought as hard as I could, but even with all that momentum behind me I turned twenty-five by the time I returned to C-2. I knew this was my last chance, so I put my nose to the grindstone and researched like my life depended on it.

Right along with the best professional Shogi players, I memorized books written on standard strategies and absorbed all the latest styles like a sponge. Every spare moment I had was spent at a Shogi classroom or online playing a match. I kept every single match record and used software to find my best and worst moves.

“I couldn’t possibly prepare any more than this! I’ve studied more Shogi now than I ever have in my life!!”

Yes, I could be proud of how much effort I put into it.

I worked and worked, worked so hard that my whole life revolved around Shogi.

And now–––rather than going up, I’m in danger of getting demoted yet again.

“Losing all the time is painful but …… not being able to progress, no matter how hard I try, is worse. I don’t even know what direction I’m going anymore …… And knowing that I’m not going anywhere makes it feel like what I’m doing is pointless, and I can’t focus on studying ……”

I spit out all the dark, negative thoughts that had built up inside me in one solid stream. Ginko just sat there silently, listening to every word.

But there’s something besides always losing that’s putting more pressure on me.

Ai.

A little girl who caught the Ryuo’s attention with her talent. Then she proceeded to go down a path, which took me seven years to travel, in no time at all.

Her being that way, her talent …… I’m clearly jealous, and that makes me angry.

“What do you think of my playing style? Why do you think I can’t win anymore? What do you ……?” I gulp down the air in my throat as I prepare to expose my darkest, ugliest feelings and say, “What do you think is the difference between Ai and me? I want you to tell me.”

“……”

Ginko didn’t answer. She just lowered her eyes a little.

That expression tells me a great deal about what she’s going to say.

But I’m not mentally strong enough. I need to hear it, loud and clear. Because if I don’t I’ll start thinking things like, “Do I even have talent after all?” I’d get wrapped up in baseless hope. That’s why–––.

“Tell me. Ginko.”

“Keika ……”

“Say it. And be honest.”

“……”

She looks like she’s about to cry.

But I think that she’s realized I’m not about to change my mind because she looks me straight in the eyes and says, “You’re clearly getting weaker.”

“……!”

“You already know that, don’t you? That your Shogi has no heart. That you play standard and follow the latest trends, but there’s nothing beneath the surface. Rather than thinking for yourself, you depend solely on memorizing what others tell you and fall apart as soon as the match veers away from the standard patterns. That’s why no one is scared to play against you at all. There’s nothing for you to build on, so you’re not improving. You weren’t as knowledgeable, but you were much stronger back when you were excited to play when you were twenty.”

“…………”

I thought I was prepared for that …… But now I’m the one on the verge of tears.

She nailed me right where it hurts the most. That’s what it felt like.

“That pip-squeak doesn’t know the first thing about standards. But that’s exactly why she thinks through everything herself. That’s why each move shines. Every single move she makes becomes experience and that experience builds into strength.”

“…… I know that.”

“Keika ……”

“I know. I know I’m just imitating other people when I play Shogi …… I know my playing style is basically just some dress-up doll ……”

That’s a lie.

I had a feeling, but I’ve kept looking away from the truth. Saying “I know” is a lie.

But if I don’t say it like this, my fragile pride would snap and my spirit will be as good as gone.

“In one year …… no …… in six months I won’t even be in Ai’s shadow anymore. I know.”

We may both be in the Practice League, but our talent levels are worlds apart.

I can tell by how others react. I can tell how much they expect from Ai Hinatsuru and Ai Yashajin. Even I, with no talent at all, can tell how incredible they both are by looking at their match records.

“But even still, I can win like this. If I can just get a lead in the early game and maintain it without making mistakes, then I can–––.”

“No, you can’t.”

“……!”

“The way you’re playing now, you can’t. Even if you get a lead early on, you’ll get passed by in the late game.”

“Have I gotten ……”

Have I gotten that weak?

Has Ai …… gotten that strong?

“So then …… my Shogi has …… decayed that far ……”

“……”

“Ginko. Can I ask you one more favor?”

“What is it?”

“I would like you to be my practice partner.”

Practice groups are not some club for friends.

They’re relationships between Shogi players built on give and take. If one side comes on too strong, that relationship gets distorted and turns sour. In a pure place like the Shogi world, that kind of relationship won’t last.

But even so, that’s what I’m after right now.

“Please, Ginko. No, Sora-sensei.”

I put my hands on the tatami mat and bow my head.

She’s always been like a little sister to me, so this is the first time I’ve ever called her Sensei.

“Just one month is fine. Please give me some of your time for just one month, Sora-sensei. If you agree, I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life finding a way to pay you back–––.”

“Stop!”

Ginko cuts me off with tears in her eyes.

“Please stop …… Why do you have to say it like that? You know I’d do anything for you, Keika! Why did you have to use those words to ask for something I’d do anyway?!”

“…… Thank you, Ginko. I’m sorry ……”

If I ask like this, there’s no way Ginko would refuse. The whole thing was a dirty trick, a calculated performance that I had planned out ahead of time.

How did I turn out like this?

I thought about the sly, underhanded person I’ve become and lightly grimace at the distance that separates dreams from reality.

“Ryuo! Fetch me a half-and-half coffee!”

“Hurry up and teach me something, Ryuo!”

“Yes, on my way! I’d be glad to!”

I received the nickname (?) Ryuo from the get-go at the bathhouse and everyone used me as their own personal butler from then on.

All the customers are hardcore Ranging Rook party members, so being a title-holding member of the Static Rook party made me the object of their hate and contempt. They have the home-field advantage … completely.

Even the Meijin, as great as he is, wasn’t spared their wrath.

“The Demon King stands in the way of our Maestro’s Shogi world domination.”

“A Static Rooker stealin’ Ranging Rook’s latest strategies like some common thief.”

“A brute winning with Ranging Rook better than real Ranging Rook party members.”

They had all sorts of names for him. Kind of like the last boss in a videogame.

At the same time, each and every one of them has been trained by Mr. Oishi, so they’re Ranging Rook party members who I’d love to play against every chance I get. There’s more “worldliness” in this classroom than anywhere else on the planet.

Normally, titleholders wouldn’t be doing instructional lessons like this, but the owner is a titleholder himself and the customers here are diehard Shogi fans. So, playing game after game without any handicap didn’t bother me one bit.

Actually, several of them are good enough to make it to the national tournaments to represent the prefecture and are even better at using Central Rook Left anaguma than most pros because that strategy is all the rage among amateurs right now. I’m learning so much.

But above all else, I can tell that playing Ranging Rook really makes them happy, especially Central Rook. They practically glow with every move. They’re excited to play … and it shows. Happy-go-lucky.

Seeing things that I would never have thought of all the time gave me so many new ideas. Most were Ranging Rook, of course, but for some reason I started coming up with new twists on Static Rook strategies as well. I was in the classroom playing Shogi with customers every chance I got. Since I’ve lost a lot of matches recently, having full weeks off has become the usual and I can work any shifts I want (tear).

“Welcome! Oh, please take off your shoes and put them in the shelf over here.”

My post was the attendant’s counter on the first floor once the bathhouse was open for business.

Mr. Oishi looks after the boiler room, so he’s almost never at the front.

“I’m the only A League professional in the world with a boiler certification.”

He loves saying that. I don’t know why that matters, but it sounds cool.

But I tell you, the attendant’s counter is where it’s at.

“Attendant’s counter.” It’s …… a man’s dream come true!

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve only ever thought about becoming a pro Shogi player. Even still, in an essay back in elementary school called When I Grow Up I wrote: “I want to be a Shogi pro when I grow up. Then, I want to be the Meijin someday. But if I can’t, I want to work at the attendant’s counter in a bathhouse. That way, I can see naked women whenever I want.”

Master thought it was fantastic, but Big Sis wouldn’t talk to me.

“That dream …… at last ……!!”

I cried tears of joy my first day behind that counter. Tears that I didn’t even shed the day I turned pro ……

However, those tears of joy quickly became tears of sorrow.

“…… Master? Did I just see you thinking dirty things while looking at our customers?”

“!! No, not at all …… Nope.”

“…… I have my eyes on you, Master.”

… Because my apprentice is constantly watching me.

Ai comes over here as soon as school lets out and works like a machine all over the bathhouse. Then again, what else would I expect from someone who grew up at a hot spring? She’s thorough and flawless around the baths. She also helps out in Master Kiyotaki’s classroom, so she knows exactly what to do upstairs as well. All while constantly watching me. Scary.

Asuka gets home in the evening, usually wearing her school’s gym shirt and shorts, and always has the same sorry look on her face even though she lives here.

“Th-thank you …… I’ll, take over ……”

“Ah, sure. It’s all yours.”

“Um …… You and Ai can take a break …… I … made some food, so ……”

She takes care of household chores immediately when she gets back from high school, and then comes to work in the bathhouse once she’s done. Asuka is nothing like the party girls living it up in Umeda … a genuinely good girl.

“U-Um …… Sorry …… but this is all I can make ……”

I couldn’t help but jump for joy as soon as I saw what she put out on the table.

“Ah! That’s tonpeiyaki!”

“Ton-pei-yaki?”

Ai tilts her head. She’s probably never heard of that food before.

“Think of it like okonomiyaki’s cousin. Fried pork and veggies are all cooked together like a big omelette, but the flavor totally depends on the sauce or adding fish flakes.”

“That kind of food exists?! Osaka is amazing!”

“Tonpeiyaki …… isn’t …… all over Japan ……?!”

That news came as quite a shock to Asuka. She’s Osakan, through and through.

My apprentice and I dig into the piping hot tonpeiyaki and–––.

“Th-this …… is incredibly delicious?!”

That first-in-her-life flavor came as quite a surprise for Ai.

“It tastes a bit like okonomiyaki …… But the texture isn’t even close! The eggs are light and a little runny, but each bite is so filling …… This isn’t fair to other foods! It’s the best!”

“You got that right. It’s like an omelette, but there’s more punch to the flavor and it’s so much more satisfying.”

“Fullyful♪”

Well, Ai certainly seems to be a fan.

“Keika’s okonomiyaki is delicious, but your tonpeiyaki is very, very delicious!!”

“…… Yep.”

Keika’s okonomiyaki …… I could go for some right now ……

I haven’t spoken to her since that phone call.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten about her …… but considering the reason why she’s upset, having me or Ai try to cheer her up would just make her feel worse. There’s got to be something I can do for her, but what ……?

While I’m trying to figure things out on my own, Ai and Asuka seem to be getting along very well.

“Asuka, Asuka! Please teach me how to make tonpeiyaki!”

“S-Sure, but …… Ai, you can cook ……? In fourth grade ……?”

“Yep! I’ll make some Kanazawa curry for you next time!”

“That …… sounds delicious ……”

Good enough to die for (I speak from experience).

“A-Ai …… You’re incredible. You can cook, everything you do at the bathhouse …… And so good at Shogi ……”

“No, you’re the incredible one, Asuka! Because you can make delicious tonpeiyaki!”

“T-This ……? Anyone can make it ……”

Asuka mumbles quietly as she looks at the elementary school girl in front of her with envy in her eyes and says, “If I …… try really hard, do you think I could become something like you, Ai ……?”

“You’ve got it backwards! There’s so much I need to learn from you, Asuka.”

“M-Me ……? I’m nothing special …… at all ……”

“That’s not true. If you’re nothing special, then my Master, who can only look at customers with lusty eyes, is the really useless one.”

Come again? Is Ai angry?

This conversation is going in a very bad direction, so I jump in and change the topic.

“Oh, Asuka, aren’t you in any clubs? Don’t you want to go out with your friends every once in a while?”

“I, um, I …… I’m not ……… very good with that kind of thing ……”

Asuka’s face turns red the moment I ask as she looks down at the floor.

“W-What I …… want to do …… is ……”

“Want to do is?”

“U-Umm …… want to do is …… S-Sho …… Sh ……”

Sh?

“U, Um! ……………… It’s, nothing ……”

Asuka scratches her head with both hands, hiding her face behind her bangs.

“One at a time is such a hassle. Both of you, come at me at once.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Ai and I lower our heads and challenge Mr. Oishi with our still-budding Ranging Rook skills.

Being double-boarded as a pro is humiliating. Oh, I was pissed, and I was bound and determined to use every bit of Ranging Rook knowledge I’d built up to make him eat those words.

However, I was the one who ended up having to swallow my pride.

“N …… nothing worked ……”

“Of course not. I’m a Ranging Rook player with nothing to sell but a hot spring. I can’t go losing to some super bathhouse owner All-Rounder who plays Ranging Rook with his head in the clouds.”

Not sure what that meant, but it sounded cool.

It didn’t matter how much the two of us played against him, side-by-side, on separate boards, at the same time, because I never got any good hits in. He wiped the floor with me during the matches, and thoroughly cleaned my clock during the review sessions.

“Don’t depend on the standards! You’ve got to let the passion in your heart flow out over the board through your fingertips! Goki-Central Rook is all about feeling a jazz rhythm! Don’t think it through! Feel it!!”

No luck.

“Stop protecting your Bishop! The Bishop is nothing but dead weight with a target on its back that gets in the way with Ranging Rook! Just give it to your opponent right away!!”

No luck.

“Your attacks are too heavy! Lighter, worldly! So what if you lose pieces! They fall like flies and your formation goes all to hell, it’s all about finding a way to get to the other King in the meantime! That’s the epitome of worldliness!!”

No luck.

“No fire! Where’s your passion?! Your skin should tingle with Ranging Rook, play like it! Why’re you training at this bathhouse!!? Go wash up and try again!!”

But even then, no luck.

I’m a pro Shogi player. The man who has become the youngest title holder in history.

I know all the Ranging Rook standard strategies by heart.

But this worldly sense is the lifeblood of Ranging Rook and extremely difficult to grasp, so my days of muffled screams of rage kept going ……

Nothing changed on the way to the weekend, when I decided to spend my time living and working at the bathhouse.

“The most effective way to sharpen your worldly senses …… is by cleaning!”

“…… Give me a break.”

“None of that backtalk, Yaichi. This is how I got stronger. Mopping a tile floor has a lot in common with swiping a Rook across the board.”

I still think that’s pushing it …… But the fact remains that this is a valuable opportunity for me to talk with the Maestro.

With all the customers gone and the large tub drained, all of us are scrubbing every surface in sight. Meanwhile, Mr. Oishi and I are doing a boardless, verbal practice session.

We say our moves out loud back and forth for a while before Asuka, who’d been listening in the whole time and finds a break in our conversation to say, “U-Um …… That’s really …… impressive ……”

“Say what?”

“Um …… Doing Shogi, without seeing the pieces ……”

“Oh, having a mental Shogi board? It’s not all that special. Ai can do it too.”

“Yeees!”

Interjects Ai, while using a mop taller than she is, more efficiently than anyone, without missing a step. She’s in her element: like a fish returned to water.

Asuka looks at Ai with admiration and says, “Um ………… How, do you see it? The, um ……”

“The mental Shogi board? Well, it varies person to person. Sort of like dreams showing up in black and white or in color. What does yours look like, Mr. Oishi?”

“Pretty much like an actual board, with some other things in the background too. But parts are a bit blurry. Can’t see the whole thing at once. Yourself?”

“I see in colors too, but I don’t see the pieces. Just their names written in black. I can see the whole board at first, but I lose about forty percent once the battles start happening …… and back and forth from there.”

I’ve also asked Big Sis about this, so I know what kind of board appears inside Naniwa’s Snow White’s head.

“It’s a fuzzy black with all the pieces black and blurry, and everything moves around really fast.”

Or so she claims. Kind of scary.

“W-What about, you …… Ai?”

“Mine …… Hmm …… It’s the same as a Shogi puzzle. Just the lines and characters, all in black and white. Everything’s pretty clear too. It’s small, but I can see it all.”

“That makes sense since you learned how to play with Shogi puzzles.”

Mr. Oishi proposes a theory. “That being the case, it sounds like your mental image is whatever kind of board you’ve seen the most.”

So then, what’s the black, blurry thing that Big Sis has in her head ……?

“W-Well, it’s not like what you see in your head has any relation to your Shogi skills. Doesn’t matter if it cost an arm and a leg or it’s just lines on paper: a Shogi board is a Shogi board. Everyone has one board in their head that they can–––.”

“Just one? I see six.”

All three of us freeze and look at Ai in stunned amazement.

“The puzzle ones and Master’s eight-and-a-half-inch one we use for practice is there too. Also, two boards from the association’s classroom are side by side and the smartphone one in my pocket shows up too …… Ah! And my tablet one! So, altogether that would be ……” Ai counts on her fingers while saying, “Six in black and white, the tablet, the smartphone, Master’s big one, the two at the association …… So, eleven in all!”

“Elev …”

She’s got eleven in there?

“A …… and you see them all at once ……?”

Mr. Oishi’s stuttering voice sounds exactly like his daughter’s.

“All eleven at once is pretty hard. I have to move between them ……”

After a few more questions, we found out that for Ai–––the boards with color are in a separate room from the black and white ones, but she can go back and forth between the two rooms whenever she wants and the smartphone is always in her pocket, apparently.

How she has a pocket is beyond me ……

“But the black and white ones all show up together. Isn’t it like that for everybody?”

No. No it’s not.

Mr. Oishi, Asuka and I all silently take a dig at her. None of us was really sure if it was okay to say these things out loud.

“Alright …… Should we try an experiment?”

“S-Sounds good to me ……”

Mr. Oishi and I each line up three boards, put on blindfolds along with Ai to make her play six games at once.

The two of us only have one mental board to work with.

However, as long as we follow the standards we’ve memorized to the letter, it’s possible to play blind like this.

Then again, forcing the brain to remember what’s happening on two more boards at the same time is a lot of work. Probably the same as someone without a mental Shogi board trying to play blind.

Even so ……

“Okay, on board one 1 Two Lance, on the second …… 6 Eight Gold advances and on the third, 3 Six Rook …… Should be right, yes? I’m not violating any rules, am I?”

“For mine, um …… The first is 5 Five Pawn. T-The second …… 5 One Rook. Th-third …… how about 6 One Pawn for the third?!”

“For Master’s first, 6 Eight Silver, second 7 Three Silver and 4 Two Gold on the third. For Oishi-sensei, take it with the Pawn on the first take and promote the Rook on the second, but on the third …… I think your Pawn count is off. There are two Pawns in the same column.”

“……”

Here we are, two pro players tripping over ourselves through the mid and late games while Ai is easily tracking all six matches like it was a walk in the park. She doesn’t sound tired at all. It’s like she’s been looking at physical boards the whole time.

Floored by each and every turn, Mr. Oishi whispers into my ear, “…… Hey, Yaichi. Isn’t this young lady …… a bit scary?”

“…… I’m remembering just how much right now ……”

My apprentice …… might become far more than I ever thought possible.

So much more than I thought …… Much …… much more ……

“…………… So jealous ……”

Those words leaked out from somewhere and echo off the walls for what felt like an eternity.

“Yes. How do you see it, Keika?”

I close my eyes and really concentrate on it when Ginko asked me.

“…… It’s out of focus, but I can see the board. It gets a little foggy with every move though ……”

“That’s pretty much how it goes. Mine looks the same way.”

This is my home–––the kids’ room on the second floor of the Kiyotaki household.

The very room that Yaichi and Ginko once shared and where Ai sleeps when she spends the night. Now it’s Ginko’s again because she’s staying here to teach me.

“Your mental Shogi board clarity is a benchmark of how thoroughly you’ve read the board up to that point. It’s also a good indication of talent.”

“Really? I’ve heard that plenty of strong players’ mental boards are murky at best ……”

“Their skills may be equal, but their perception is on a different level. In sports terms, a player might score points left and right while their form and style make no sense. At the same time, another player is racking up points too, but their form is solid as a rock. The stats are similar, but you can tell one has so much more potential than the other, yes? The same thing happens in Shogi.”

Ginko unloads all of that once before … sigh …… and then continues.

“…… There are times I think men and women have a different perception even when evenly matched.”

“Perception?”

“It’s hard to explain but …… going against them, the way they move feels like they’re playing a different game. Like they saw this exact situation coming a long time ago, think here! Then they stop defensively biding their time and switch to a speedy, all-out offensive. Women’s League players don’t read all that far ahead and just play with their gut. That never happens in the Sub League.”

At this very moment, Ginko is one of only a handful of women in the Sub League.

She’s the only one with a dan ranking.

And she’s claiming that of the people at her level, men have a different perception.

In other words: talent.

“Sub League members at 2-dan and 3-dan probably aren’t seeing what we are.”

“They aren’t? What’s different?”

“They see how the pieces move.”

“I’m pretty sure anyone can ……”

“We look at where the pieces are and read the board to see what they can do. But the young men in the pros and upper ranks of the Sub League can do that without reading the board. They perceive what the pieces can do.”

“…… I’m sorry, Ginko. But, I can’t understand what you’re saying–––.”

“They’re all Shogi Martians.”

“???”

“We’re earthlings. We can only think through what we see with our eyes. But them, they see more than what’s on the board. They have a completely different sense. That’s why their reading speed and depth is so much different …… It might be better to say they’re not even reading. They know just by looking.”

“…………”

A chill runs down my spine.

I thought Ginko might need to lay down for a while at first. People in the Sub League play as if their lives depended on it, and that level of stress can take its toll. Many people drop out because of it.

But the more I thought about it, the more the things she said began to line up …… and a new kind of fear began to sink in.

If everything she said thus far is true, then ……?

Hypothetically, if it’s not a matter of skill and experience …

But a whole different species?

If so–––did I ever have a chance to catch up in the first place?

“Including myself, there are no female players who can see …… Rina Shakando attacks with finesse and advances with crushing counterattacks but I don’t feel any difference in her perception. Machi is the same type. Ryou Tsukiyomizaka brags about her speed, but speed will never beat me, so she doesn’t count.”

All those names she just dropped, it’s overwhelming. I’m speechless.

The Eternal Queen: Rina Shakando, Women’s Legend.

Machi the Tormentor: Machi Kugui, Yamashiro Ouka.

Aggressive Archangel: Ryou Tsukiyomizaka, Women’s King.

All three of them hold titles right now and each one could be considered in the discussion to determine the strongest Women’s League player ever.

The other thing they all have in common is that none of them has ever beaten Ginko, not once.

“But …… there’s something different about Ika Sainokami. She might be able to see. Then there’s ……”

“…… Ai. Am I right?”

“……”

She didn’t say a word. But that’s as good as a yes for Ginko.

Worldly Thunder Ika Sainokami also holds the Women’s Emperor title. She’s so good she defeated a pro player in a televised speed match. Although still in high school, word is she may be even more talented than Ginko.

She’s talented enough to be on par with that prodigy.

Does she really have much? Is Ai that gifted ……?

“Anyway, we’re not like the Shogi Martians. That’s why we shouldn’t try to copy their research and study methods,” Ginko says with a shrug.

“Their latest findings will end up hurting us. No matter how recent or advantageous that information is supposed to be, it’s no better than a bad move if you can’t pull it off in a match, yes?”

“…… For you too, Ginko?”

“Naturally. I’m not one of them.”

“Aren’t …… you being a little too modest? You’re only fourteen, but already a member of the Sub League with 2-dan. You should be just as talented as they are.”

“I’m an earthling raised by Shogi Martians. I can speak their language, but I don’t have what they were born with.”

“But, these …… Shogi Martians? You’ve beaten them before.”

“I share some tendencies with pro players and quite a few veterans. They like heavy offensives and strong counterattacks just like me …… And they use that strategy to defeat newer players. I use them as a reference.”

“So, you’re winning with experience?”

“That and research. Without research, winning is impossible.”

Huh? Didn’t she just say ……?

“I thought you said research was unusable?”

“Research that others do, yes. What I’m talking about is my own results. Rather than depending on what others have found, I research my opponents myself. It’s good training as well.”

“Researching opponents … yourself ……”

“Shogi Martians attack using their perception, but that makes them easier to set up for traps because they depend on their senses so much. They’re arrogant too. There’s the attack window.”

“So, get ahead in the early game and defend until they can be overwhelmed?”

“Close, but defending is dangerous …… Ideally, you never want to give them a chance to attack from the beginning. There’s a lot less pressure that way too.”

“I agree that if I could do it that way, that would be ideal but ……”

In other words, don’t let your opponent do anything. Crush them under an all-out attack. Am I capable of pulling that off?

“So? What should I do?”

“Get experience first. I think simulating Practice League conditions would be best. Ten-second Shogi is great for honing your senses. But you want to get in the habit of using your waiting time. That’s important.”

“That makes sense ……”

For the most part, I’ve focused mainly on playing as much as possible in a short amount of time with versus matches and playing on the Internet.

But that was all wrong.

“While it’s important to save some time for the late game, it’s even more important to practice using every second of it. If you’ve got nothing to think about to begin with, that time will be wasted anyway. Just get in the habit of thinking. It doesn’t matter when.”

“Think …… Okay. I understand.”

“Then, of course playing through your opponent’s match records would be good, but I think playing through higher ranking players who share your playing style would also help. It’ll give you some things to think about.”

“What about Shogi puzzles? If I solve the difficult ones like Ai does, then I’ll be stronger in the late game–––.”

“Solving puzzles is fine. However, longer puzzle patterns never show up in real matches, so just do the shorter ones over and over. Spending all that time on something you’ll never see in a match is a waste.”

“……”

“Do a few five-step checkmate Shogi puzzles at the very end, when your brain is tired after a day of researching. I think that’ll be enough practice for the late game.”

My practice methods were being shot down one after another.

Which means all the time that I’ve spent doing them was wasted, and pretty much negated everything I’ve done in my life thus far. What’s worse, everything she’s saying makes sense.

However–––.

“May I …… ask, just one thing?”

“What?”

“Both you and Yaichi started taking Shogi seriously at the same time and have had basically the same kind of training since then, yes? The two of you have been in the same environment and have played against each other more than anyone in the world …… Weren’t you better than him at the start?”

“That’s true.”

“So then, why ……?”

Why–––is there such a gap between you two? How did it happen?

There are some people who can work as hard as they can, work just as hard as anyone else, but never get rewarded for it. I wanted her to tell me why that happens.

And even if I’m one of the ones who never gets to reap what they sow, to never know the reason why …… That’s just too cruel.

“…… Yaichi was the fourth fastest person in history to turn pro. He was also the first junior high school student to participate in the current Sub League 3-dan division. Then he became the youngest ever to claim a title. To be Ryuo ……”

“……”

“Yaichi’s fingers are already woven into Shogi history. Without a doubt, he has that much talent. He’s the prince of planet Shogi. That’s Yaichi Kuzuryu-ryuo. My younger brother apprentice.”

Talent. In the end, that’s what it all comes down to.

She already figured that out? Knew that some get rewarded while others don’t?

“I might be the best female Shogi player. But, even if that were true …… I’m not even in the top 1,000 when men are considered. My talent doesn’t measure up.”

There was no modesty or exaggeration in her words. Ginko sounds absolutely sure of herself.

She’s still just a fourteen-year-old girl.

Normally …… believing that there’s a chance they could be a princess, or believing that they are extremely talented …… girls at that age still have those dreams.

At least when I was that age, I had so much baseless confidence and saw the future as a bright place of opportunity.

But this girl, after all the effort she’s put in, arrived at the conclusion that she had no talent. A truly depressing, hopeless answer, but she’s accepted it.

Accepted it, gone through that despair …… and is still fighting on.

How are you that strong? I was just about to ask. How did you get that strong?

“…… The planet that Shogi Martians call home is far away, and the air is toxic to earthlings. One of us would die if we went. But still–––.”

Ginko looks up at the stars twinkling outside the window and says just above a whisper, “I want to go there.”

“Why?”

“…… Because it’s irritating.”

–––Isn’t there actually another reason?

–––Don’t you actually want to be with a special someone, stand in the same place and see what they see?

I was about to say it out loud but swallowed my words.

Just seeing the look of longing on her face, in profile, the admiration in her eyes as she looked up at the stars in the night sky …… I didn’t have to ask.

Sunday morning. I spent the night here with my apprentice on our day off, working our fingers to the bone for a chance to have a practice session, so this came as a shock.

“W-Why not?! …… No! D-Don’t tell me …… It’s because you found out I’ve been secretly drinking milk on the job and taking the almost-used-up bars of soap home with me!?”

“Oh, have you now? I’ll be taking that out of your paycheck now by the way.”

I’m not getting paid.

“But really, why? Do you have some other plan? Visiting Asuka’s school or something like that?”

“A practice session, if you must know.”

“Come again? …… What? Seriously?! A practice session?!”

“Yeah. With a Sub Leaguer.”

“With someone in Sub League?!”

“You don’t need to act so surprised.”

“But, wait …… Mr. Oishi, you never do practice sessions ……”

“Sure, I said stuck-up things like that all the time when I was younger. What good could come from pros swapping information? A pro worthy of the name does his own research. Or something like that. Pff …… Ah, youth.”

“Hold up, hold up! If you’re open to that, let me have some practice sessions without all this extra work!”

“Those young’uns have such flexible imaginations. Makes for a nice jolt to my system.”

“…… So, you’re saying the Ryuo’s imagination doesn’t give you that jolt?”

The Maestro didn’t say anything, only chuckled through his nose. Damn ……

“The one I’m practicing with, they’re one heck of a researcher. Even I’m impressed and a little stunned.”

“T-That much ……?”

Is there anyone in the Kansai Sub League that Mr. Oishi would think so highly of? Since he’s taking his own time to do a practice session, could it be someone from Kanto ……?

Just like how the anti-Goki Central strategy Extreme Speed!    3 Seven Silver originally came out of the Sub League, times have changed to the point that pros are too scared to play Shogi without keeping tabs on the Sub League. Even the lone wolf of the Shogi world, the Worldly Maestro, has had to adapt ……

“So yeah, I’m not playing you today. We’ll be over at the main building, so the two of you have the bathhouse and the classroom all to yourselves. Sorry, but try to keep things running on your own.”

“We’re heeere!”

Four elementary school girls are standing in line just inside the doorway, holding their own bags.

The always energetic Mio Mizukoshi (4th grade).

The very ladylike Ayano Sadatou (4th grade).

My first apprentice, Ai Hinatsuru (4th grade).

And …… the blonde angel, Charlette Isoir (1st grade).

“Welcome, everyone. Want to go to the baths first? Or play Shogi?”

“Shogi!!”

The happy, bubbling voices greet me as I step out front. They love Shogi.

“You know ……? This is Cha’s fwirst big bath?!”

Little Charlette is so excited her cheeks are turning pink even before getting in the bath. That level of cuteness can make a guy’s head spin.

Ai starts explaining everything like a seasoned veteran as I take everyone up to the second floor.

“All of the customers here play Ranging Rook!”

“It’s true! And pretty much everyone uses Central Rook!”

Ayano’s big eyes are sparkling under her glasses. Ranging Rook party, through and through.

“Central Rook? Then Mio, let’s try out that Central Rook anaguma we’ve been practicing!”

The little All-Rounder Mio starts rolling up her sleeves.

She’s certainly her usual self but …… anaguma?

“You’ve been practicing anaguma, Mio? That’s new. I thought you and my apprentice liked not worrying about formations, hitting early and often.”

“Oh, I do. Attacking is so much fun, but I’m having a hard time in the Practice League right now …… I can’t always attack, so I thought it’d be a good idea to learn how to play defense!”

“Ahhh …… I hear that.”

A Practice League member and the Ryuo share the same problem. I hear that ……

“Changing up environments might be just what you need to try out a new strategy. Alright, let’s do this!”

I make a Match Card for all of them and set the girls loose in the classroom.

Except for Charlette, all of the grade schoolers are part of Kansai’s Practice League. The customers here are all pretty good, but they hold their own. Actually, they look like they’re having even more fun than the customers.

The one standing out the most is–––.

“I knew you’d do well today, Ayano. Those were some worldly moves right there, and great form.”

“T-That was nothing special! I’m not …… all that good ……”

“Give yourself more credit; that was impressive. You’ve got a better feel for it than I do.”

“Th …… Thanks … Thank you so much …… ♡”

She’s being modest, but the corners of her mouth are curling up. She’s failing to control it, but it’s so cute watching her try. My face relaxes too, without even realizing it.

“…… Darabuchi.”

My face snaps back into place once I hear my apprentice’s voice coming from somewhere.

“Alright, now! Who thinks they’ve got what it takes to take on my Central Rook anaguma?!”

Mio fires herself up, actively seeking out another opponent to try the latest trending strategy.

I swear, this girl is always a beaming ball of energy.

The four elementary school girls have very different personalities, but they all get along so well because Mio is at the center of their group. It’s also thanks to her that Ai adjusted to Osaka so quickly.

If she’s in a slump, I’d like to do what I can to help her out …… I should probably be more worried about myself first, though.

Mio is now going head-to-head with Charlette–––this level of cuteness shouldn’t be humanly possible.

The little blonde girl grabs the Rook with her tiny little hand and snaps it down in front of her King with an adorable grin on her face and says, “Centwal Wook.”

“No, it’s Central Rook.”

“Centwaaal Woook.”

Charlette is smiling and trying so hard, but her tongue just doesn’t want to work that way. Mio points at her own lips and blasts out the sounds, trying to teach her the correct pronunciation, “Not Wook, it’s Rook. Cen-tral R-oo-k!”

“Cwentwral …… Wock?

“CEN! TRAL! ROO! K!!”

“Centwal Wook.”

“Yep! That’ll work!”

“Wook♡”

I’m so at peace right now; it’s not even funny.

“Haaaa …… That was fun, wasn’t it!”

“I’ve had enough Central Rook for one day ……”

“All of you did great today. Tell you what, I’ll let you in the bath early!”

“Yay! Bath time!”

The grade schoolers jump for joy. The bathhouse isn’t open for business yet, so it’s all ours. For a little while, anyway.

Asuka, who was busy getting everything ready, turned bright red as she talked to the girls for the first time. She greeted them with open arms and led them inside.

“Now then …… I suppose I should take a dip now too.”

I go into the men’s changing room and start unbuttoning my shirt when–––.

Tap, tap, tap.

The cutest footsteps I’ve ever heard come in the room behind me.

“Masta♡”

“Hm? Is something wrong, Charlette? This is the men’s side. You need to go to the room on the opposite end.”

“You know, Cha ……?”

The angel pulls at my pant leg.

“Cha, wants to bwathe with Masta.”

……… Huh?

“Charlette, did you just say you want to bathe with me?”

“In the twub.”

“Um, yeah. That’s not okay.”

I smile and turn her down, but she really doesn’t seem to understand. It’s written all over her face.

“Why? Cha’s gonna be Masta’s bwide?”

“W-Well …… yeah, but there’s a bit more to it.”

Back when I refused to take her as my apprentice, I went into my bag of tricks and pulled out the I’ll make you my bride trick, so she wouldn’t get upset.

Of course, it was just a joke, but the pure and innocent Charlette must’ve taken me seriously. And now she’s …… How do I put it …… Wanting to act like a couple?

Well, now that I think about it …… I see young girls, like preschool age, go into the men’s side with their fathers all the time ……

“Hmmm …… A six-year-old …… Six …… First grader ……”

Thinking time.

“………… Right on the edge, yeah?”

While her age is what it is, she is smaller than most kids her age and it’d be dangerous for a little girl from France, unfamiliar with Japanese-style bathhouses like Charlette, to go in without proper supervision, so it’d be safer for her if she was with me–––.

“No, no, no! Absolutely not! It’s definitely not okay!!”

What the hell was that logic just now?! It doesn’t matter if she’s a six-year-old from France, there’s no way her going in with me would ever be allowed–––.

“Awhh, hey! Charlette, no fair!”

Mio, wearing just a T-shirt and panties, bursts into the men’s changing room before looking back over her shoulder and yelling toward the girls coming in after her.

“If you’re going in, then I want to go with Kujuryu-sensei too. Yeah, Ayano!”

“I, I, um ……… will go along with everyone else ……”

Ayano’s face goes completely red, quietly mumbling under her breath. Taking off her glasses, she looks down at the floor and starts stealing glances in my direction.

Looks kind of like something a grown-up would do if you ask me …… Hold it, Ryuo. Get a hold of yourself. She’s a fourth grader, an elementary school girl in the fourth grade ……

I grimace and try to laugh it off, but the girls keep upping the ante.

“Okay, let’s vote on it! All those who want to take a bath with Kujuryu-sensei, raise your hands! Meee!!”

“Cha, with Masta!”

“……… e too.”

“It-It’s the apprentice’s job to wash their Master’s back! I have to go; it’s my duty!!”

Charlette has both hands high in the air while Ayano is staring at the floor, blushing like mad and lifting her hand just a tiny little bit. Then there’s Ai, throwing her hand into the air as she spouts one reason or another with a very determined look on her face.

The vote was unanimous.

“Hold up, hold up! Just hang on a sec! You know it’s not allowed, right?!”

“Huuuh? Why?”

Mio snaps back, frustrated. The other girls are too, but that’s pure disappointment on her face.

“W-Why ……? All of you are already in elementary school ……”

Desperately searching for answers, I glance around the room and happen to catch a glimpse of Asuka at the attendant’s counter. That’s it, she can provide the defense I need!

More specifically, the law.

“A …… Asuka! Asuuukaaa!!”

I call out for help from the one who lays down the law. I need her to come to the rescue now while I can still think straight!

“Asuka! There’s a law that keeps elementary schoolers on their own side, right?! There’s an age limit?! A law that’s set in stone, yes?!”

“U … um ……… There isn’t ……”

“Come again?”

“There is no clause pertaining to an age limit in the public bathhouse regulations …… In general, bathhouses create and follow their own guidelines ……”

She’s still red as ever, but she’s speaking more fluidly than I’ve ever heard.

“The Regulations for Public Bathhouse Arrangement and Sanitation in Tokyo clearly state in Section 3, Part 11 that individuals over ten shall not bathe with the opposite gender. Kyoto sets the age limit at six, Shiga at seven, and other areas have their own rules …… but Osaka does not ……”

“What ……? There’s, no age limit? Really ……?”

“Y-Yes. There is no established rule for an age limit in Osaka ……”

Seriously?! Osaka, what is wrong with you?!

“B-But, there is one guideline …… The city’s Department of Health and Sanitation does advise that Persons over the age of ten should avoid bathing with the opposite gender ……”

“Then what’s the problem? Charlette is six, and the rest of us are still nine! Yaay!!”

“Yaaay!!”

The girls do a happy dance, hands waving in the air then start stripping. Hey, hey, hey, HEEEYYYY!!

“Wait, wait, stop! This isn’t right! You shouldn’t be getting naked in front of a man–––!”

It came to me just as the words were coming out of my mouth.

If I look away right now …… would that mean I see these elementary school girls in that way, like some kind of pervert? Wouldn’t the more mature, manly thing to do be not worry about being naked and just go along with it ……?

Hell no! That’d be even more illegal than jumping in the bath with adult women, for sure!!

“Asuka, are you sure there’s nothing?! I … I’m not going to be arrested, am I?!”

“I’m sure ……… And, um …… families, as a group may go in together …… at, um, family baths, smaller ones set aside from the main area, but ……”

“Say what?! Does that mean I could have gone in to one of those with Keika while we were still living in the same house?!”

“Y-Yes ……”

“Even now?! It’d be legal for me at sixteen and her at twenty-five?!”

“Y-Yes ……”

“Holy?!! Why did I ever move out of Master’s place?!!”

“To have me as your apprentice, right?” Ai says with a grin and a strong grip on my arm.

She’s smiling, but there’s something scary about it.

“Hey! Ai! Why are you hogging Kujuryu-sensei all to yourself?!”

“I-I’m not hogging!”

“I want to wash Kujuryu-sensei’s back! Ayano does too?! Scrub it nice and clean! As our way of saying thank you for everything he’s done!”

“I-I um …… I’d be willing to wash more, as long as it’s Kuzuryu-sensei ……”

Is it just me or is Ayano fretting a little bit?

While all that was going on, Charlette makes her way over to Asuka, lightly tugs at her shorts and says, “You know, you know? Cha’s his bwide, so no pwablem!”

“O-Oh …… but, there may be a problem …… with a six-year-old wife ……”

Charlette tilts her head to the side like Asuka just gave her a brainteaser.

…… When the dust settles, the law may say one thing but if rumors like The Ryuo gathers his apprentice and her friends at a bathhouse claiming it’s a practice session and bathes with them start spreading, the Shogi world will end. It’s the obvious conclusion, so I took my bath alone.

I dump a bucket of water over my head and take a seat on one of the plastic chairs in the men’s bath to wash myself.

Whenever I take a shower, I always start with the shampoo.

I do that because there’s so many nutrients in both shampoo and conditioner that my face will break out with zits if any of that stuff is left on my skin.

As a titleholder, I serve as the face of the Shogi world and must keep a clean appearance. I consider myself a detail-oriented Ryuo, so I have to think about these things too.

“But really …… that was almost life-and-death right there ……”

Everything that just happened replayed in my head while I gave my hair a thorough scrub.

Charlette never really accepted my reasoning while Mio and Ai stubbornly insisted on joining me on the men’s side and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

But Ayano was the icing on the cake.

“Our right to go into the men’s bath is protected by law!”

This girl who had no idea what she was talking about brought politics into it, and for a moment there, it really felt like I had no choice but to let them come in with me.

“I had no idea the always levelheaded Ayano could get that passionate …… I guess the bathhouse and playing Ranging Rook must’ve really stoked her fire ……”

“P …… Probably ……”

“But, yeah, there’s no way elementary school girls would be allowed on the men’s side, right? A fourth grader doing that would cause an uproar, and of course a first grader is out of the question.”

“Y-Yes ……… Elementary schoolers mature so quickly these days ……”

“Oh yeah they do.”

“S … Should I turn on the …… s-shower for you?”

“Ah, please.”

Just as the hot water was flowing through my soapy hair, it hit me. Why was it that I was having a conversation in the men’s bath when I should be the only one in here.

I slowly turn around.

There stands Asuka, wearing her gym shorts and holding the showerhead over me.

“Is …… is something wrong? Is the water …… too hot?”

“…… Come again? Nah, the water is perfect but …… A-Asuka? Huh? Why are you here?”

“U-Um …… I, uh ……”

“Replacing a showerhead?”

“N-No …… I’m not ……”

She denies my suggestion, then fills up the bucket beside her with hot water, dunks in a sponge and starts building up a lather with body soap.

“U-Um …… I’ll, wash …… your back for you …… Okay?”

“???”

Why would she do that for me?

“Asuka, why would you do that for me?”

I say the first words that popped into my head. Confusion has a way of making people be blunt.

“…………!”

Asuka wrings out the soapy sponge, looks down at the floor and says with a bright red face, “U-Umm …… Uh …… M-My mother ……”

“Your mother?”

“Told me that …… when asking …… men …… f-for something …… they’ll listen to whatever you say if …… you’re in a bath, t-t-together ……”

Lady, what the heck are you teaching your daughter?

“I …… Ryu, Ryu, Ryu ……”

“Ryu?”

“Ryu, Ryu, Ryuo …… Um, I, uhh ……”

She pauses for a moment. “Suuu ……… Haaa ……,” and takes a deep breath. “Ryu, Ryu, Ryu ……”

That didn’t help anything!

“Ryu …… Ryuo, I …… have …… a request.”

“Request?”

I ask, but …… I actually already knew.

The intense way she always looks at me.

She always had this look on her face like she wants to say something ever since the first time I came to this bathhouse.

It didn’t matter if I was at the attendant’s counter or giving an instructional lesson at the classroom, I always felt her eyes on me. All the while she thought that burning flame tugging at her heart strings was her little secret ……!

Hmmm, now what to do?

Asuka is a cute girl, but at the end of the day I’ve got Keika. What’s more, do I have time to be dating anyone when I’m in the middle of Shogi training? On top of that, I’ve got a live-in apprentice. It’s bad enough just being called the Loli King. It be a real pain if people started calling me the Playboy King, too. It’d be hard being a lady’s man. They have a lot on their minds. Do I really want to deal with that?

“P-Please teach me ……!!”

Teach what? Asking would be a bit rude though.

Because of course, she wants me to teach her the game of love!

Fully prepared for Asuka to ask me out on a date, I look up at her beet red face as she keeps squeezing the daylights out of that sponge and says more clearly than anything I’ve ever heard her say in my life, “Please ……… teach me how to play Shogi!!”

I truly hated Shogi for the first time in my life that day.

Sitting in a chair in front of a fan in the empty lobby, I stare at the floor with a towel draped over my head like a defeated boxer.

Asuka ran away immediately after that. She was probably embarrassed. Heck, I was embarrassed, too.

I would’ve given an arm and a leg to shrivel up into a pile of white ash right then and there …… Then …

“Master? Did something happen?”

My apprentice’s voice comes down from above like she’s leaning in over me. Whoa!!

“A-Ai?! It-It’s nothing?! Really, nothing happened?!”

“Uwhh? Nothing what?”

Ai curiously stares at me as I nearly jump out of my chair. This girl seems to have a sixth sense that tells her when I’m lying or trying to hide something, but since there really is nothing at all this time, that sense doesn’t seem to be working. Not sure if I should be happy or sad about it ……

“So …… Is everyone done?”

“Just me. I got out early just so I could play Shogi with you, Master!”

Her face is still pink from the bath; Ai probably felt like drying her hair would be a waste of time and starts carrying a Shogi board over to me. We always play a match after one of the grade schooler practice sessions. Seeing me play Shogi with other people makes her want to play against me even more. Adorable.

“…… Sure, a desire to play Shogi is important.”

“Hee-hee♡”

“But you’ve got to make sure your hair is dry. You might catch a cold … and dripping water onto your opponent is disrespectful.”

“Ah …… Y-Yes. I’m sorry ……”

“Hold on a second.”

I go grab a brush and hairdryer from beneath the attendant’s counter and put a chair down in front of where I was sitting. Patting the seat, I say, “Sit down. I’ll dry your hair for you.”

“Wha?! You’ll blow-dry my hair, M-Master?”

“Just something special for today. This is our secret, okay?”

If the other girls found out, they’d be saying Me too!! all afternoon. Mio’s hair is short, but everyone else’s would take a long, long time.

“I-I …… I’m not worthy of such an honor, but please go ahead!”

Saying something I never thought I’d hear a kid say, Ai sits down with her back toward me.

First, I get some of the water out with a towel, then turn on the hairdryer and set to work.

“Uwahh …… That feels nice♡”

“Ohh …… I see now. You’ve got fine hair that lays flat by itself. Just like a cat.”

“I’ve got kitty hair, meow♪”

My happily content apprentice swings her legs back and forth, meowing.

“Meow, meow, meow♡”

Ah …… So cute.

My apprentice is seriously adorable. It’s scary how cute she is.

“Master, you’re really good with a dryer.”

“I am?”

“You could open your own hair-drying salon!”

“Well, maybe I’ll open one when I retire from Shogi ……”

This pointless banter is doing wonders for my wounded heart, still hurting from the unluckiest misunderstanding ever.

“So, tell me, young lady, is your scalp itchy at all?”

“Not at all, meow! You’re amazing with a hair dryer, Master! Perfect!!”

“Really? I wouldn’t know myself, but I guess it’s because I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“…… For a long time?”

“Since I was a live-in apprentice. Drying Big Sis’s hair was my job.”

“…… Uh-huh.”

“She was a lot like you, saying things like If I have less time to dry my hair, I would like to play Shogi! and stuff like that. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of an immune system and would catch a cold right away if her hair was wet. Which is why Keika made it my job to dry it for her.”

“…… Uhh.”

“Wow, that takes me back …… Big Sis has cat-like hair too. And that color, yeah? It was the strangest thing to me back then. I asked her Are your nose hairs that color too? and she smacked me upside the head …… Big Sis used to go to Keika for anything and everything, but for some reason I was the one who had to dry her hair. Bet she thought it was a job fit for a slave.”

“…… Ah-huh.”

“Big Sis used to treat me so bad that Keika offered to dry my hair …… But I hated the idea. Looking back on it, I can’t believe I wasted such a great opportunity. Boys that age, see, they don’t like women having hands all over them. It’s embarrassing, yeah? I bet there are boys who pick on girls in your class, right Ai? That actually means they like them.”

“……”

“Still, I was just a kid back then. She was like an older sister, but too bright and dazzling ……”

“……”

“At the same time, Big Sis clung to Keika from the start. She had this magnetic Shogi set that she carried around with her and followed Keika wherever she went.”

I kept talking, running my fingers through my apprentice’s hair as sepia-filtered memories came flooding back.

“But, Keika–––.”

I thought he was joking when I heard father say that.

“…… Ginko. Ginko, Sora.”

This little four-year-old girl with silver hair, ash-colored eyes and no blood relation whatsoever said her name as if issuing a challenge.

Rather than a doll or stuffed animal, she carried a magnetic Shogi board around with her at all times. I hated her from the moment we first met.

My mother passed away when I was very young, so my memories of her were pretty dim when I was a first-year student in high school. It was also around the one-year anniversary of my grandmother’s death. She was my father’s mother and had lived with us, so it was just father and me living at home back then.

I’d finally gotten used to working at the Shogi classroom and doing chores around the house in addition to school club activities, and now here was this live-in apprentice that I had no say in whatsoever.

“This …… can’t actually be happening, right?”

Of course, I was dead set against it, but father insisted.

“Take care ’o her, ya hear?”

So, it became my job to look after her when they weren’t playing Shogi.

“Ginko. This here’s my daughter, Keika. Think of her like yar real big sister an’ play nice, a’right?”

“…… Keika?”

“Kei from keima, the Knight, and ka is the same character used for kyosha, the Lance. So, Keika.”

“…… Keika.”

The silver-haired girl looked up at me, my reflection in those ash-colored eyes trying to provoke me with a glare …… From that day on, she followed me around, everywhere, with that magnetic Shogi board in her hands.

…… Years later, I asked my father why he took Ginko in, and he laughed, “Thought ya were lonely ……”

I’m grateful he did take her in now, but back then, I hated Ginko with a passion. Annoyingly so.

“My name is Yaichi Kuzuryu! Nice to meet you!”

This time it was a six-year-old boy, but this one …… I didn’t have the same reaction to Yaichi that I did to Ginko.

Yaichi acted his age, so full of energy and always had something to talk about. Part of it could have been that communicating with him was so easy …… But I think my problem with Ginko might have been that she was a girl, and it felt like father had found my “replacement.”

I, a high schooler, could very well have been jealous of that four-year-old girl.

I mean, at four years old, she’s younger than I was when my father first taught me Shogi’s rules. I struggled just to remember how each piece moved, but this girl had already mastered the rules by the time she was two. She was holding her ground against adults as a four year old.

A prodigy.

Part of me realized that she was one. After all, my father is a Shogi prodigy as well.

And prodigies like them can never understand how average people feel.

Father said that to me on my first day of elementary school.

There was something different in his voice that day, something about his demeanor that told me I didn’t have the right to say no.

Most likely, father wanted to pass down a skill to help his daughter survive as quickly as possible now that my mother was no longer with us.

My father, being who he is, only had the skill of Shogi.

“Why can’t ya see such a simple move?! … I just taught ya that standard formation, don’ tell me ya already forgot?!”

His lessons were strict, and I didn’t improve the way he hoped I would.

The more he drilled into my head, the more I hated Shogi. And no amount of repetition will help when you hate what you’re doing. Lesson after lesson every day, and I came to hate Shogi even more with each one.

My feelings must’ve come across. One day, father sat me down and said, “If ya wanna quit, quit. Make yar own decision.”

I chose to quit. I was so, so happy that I never had to touch a Shogi board again.

That was for the simple reason that we ran a Shogi classroom out of our house, and I helped father do it. He was a single father, so I thought it was only natural for me to do things around the house, and I got an allowance as well.

I hated Shogi, but sometimes I would play casual matches against some of our customers. We never told them that father used to work with me one-on-one, and I pretended to be a novice who only understood the rules. Neither of us brought up my Shogi history. It was sort of our mutual understanding that didn’t need to be said.

“A young beaut’ around must do wonders for sales. Yer a lucky man, Kiyotaki-sensei.”

Young women are a rare sight in Shogi classrooms, or so I’m told. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t good at it and hated Shogi, the customers treated me like a star.

That is, until Ginko came.

That bizarre little girl instantly became the talk of my father’s Shogi classroom.

She didn’t know the first thing about how to treat customers and hardly ever said a word, but all of that was overlooked because she was good at Shogi. Then, they wouldn’t give me the time of day no matter how friendly I was.

“That Ginko’s got some real talent, she does.”

“This classroom has got a bright future as long as she’s here.”

“You should really take a page or two out of her book, Keika.”

I wanted to tell them exactly where they could shove all their advice, but I just smiled and turned the other cheek. This is a business, and customers are important.

All that built up anger got unloaded on one tiny little girl.

“Would you just stop already!”

It came to a head one day, a day that I yelled right in Ginko’s face.

“Seeing you makes me sick! Why … why do you always have to follow me around like this?!”

I, a high school student, vented all of my frustration onto a girl not even old enough for elementary school. I just couldn’t stop myself.

Ginko was the perfect daughter for my father and all the customers in his classroom. Me, I was just some failed prototype.

That feeling of inferiority, the loathing I had for Shogi and …… all the negative emotions I felt ever since Ginko came into my life boiled over. And I hit that girl with every single one of them.

“……”

However, Ginko didn’t budge in the face of all my raging fury.

Instead, she said something I never saw coming.

She didn’t cry, get angry at me or try to run away–––.

“…… The Silver.”

She held up that magnetic Shogi set she always carried with her and said this:

What Ginko, the gin in her name meaning silver, was referring to was Shogi’s opening formation. The Silver, Knight and Lance are all lined up in a row. No matter how intense the battle, they always return to that same spot once it’s done. As to why: because it’s where the Silver, Knight and Lance belong …… That’s Shogi, plain and simple.

Just like how Ginko didn’t need a reason to like Shogi, she didn’t need a reason to be close to me. That’s what she was saying.

All she had for me was affection. Far too pure, untainted affection.

“I’m so sorry, Ginko! Really …… I’m sorry ……!”

I was in tears before I knew it, my arms wrapped around the girl in front of me in a big hug. I lost count of how many times I apologized, but I kept going just the same.

Shogi was all this girl knew.

Shogi was her world, but she and I were part of it.

In that moment, I could feel my hatred for the game start to disappear.

It was a year after that day that I decided to set my sights on becoming a Women’s League player and registered for the Practice League.

I tie Ai’s hair into two ponytails and she turns around with a big smile on her face.

There was kind of an angry vibe coming from her about halfway through …… What set her off? Oh well, she’s in a good mood now, so no big deal.

“Now it’s my turn to dry your hair as a thank you, meow♡”

“That’s nice of you to offer, but my hair is already dry ……”

I run my fingers through my hair and roll my neck a few times.

Seeing that, a hint of worry passes over my apprentice’s face.

“Um …… Master? You’ve been doing that a lot these days. Are your shoulders tense?”

“Oh? Yeah …… It’s because I haven’t given this many instructional lessons in a long time. My shoulders, neck, back …… even my arms and legs aren’t used to being in that position so long, so pretty much everything is tight ……”

All this intense training and hard work around the bathhouse must be catching up with me. How out of shape am I ……?

Ai takes a seat on my knee and says with a glint in her eyes, “In that case, Master, I’ll give you a massage to say thank you!”

“…… A massage? You?”

“Yes! I think I can do it just as well as a masseuse! I grew up at a hot spring, remember!”

“That right?”

I …… might actually enjoy this. If her massaging skills are anywhere near what she can do in the kitchen, there’s a chance it’ll feel so good I’ll die right in the middle of it. Now I’m kinda scared.

“…… O-Okay then. I suppose I’ll take you up on it.”

“Sure!!”

Ai circles around behind me this time as her little hands go to work massaging my shoulders.

“Wow, sir …… you’re very tense.”

“Ah …… you think so?”

“What do you do for work?”

“Ahhh …… I play Shogi, professionally ……”

“Really? That’s got to be a hard job.”

Thump, thump. Rub, rub.

Ai pounds my shoulders with little fists and then starts working my muscles with those warm, squishy hands of hers. She claimed she could give a pro-level massage, and her technique is certainly close to what a masseuse can do. The area she’s working on is already loosening up. The fact that my apprentice cares for me enough to do this warms my heart …… but ……

“…… Hey, Ai. Sorry, but you’re just not strong enough.”

“T-Then, I’m not that good ……?”

“I didn’t say that. There’s nothing wrong with your massage, but Shogi players’ muscles just get too tight. Even the esteemed author Haruki Murakami once wrote that Shogi players’ shoulders get the tightest of all ……”

“Whaaat?! That award-winning novelist?!”

Haruki Murakami-sensei used to write books while running a jazz café in Sendagaya pretty close to the Kanto Shogi association. He probably had many opportunities to hear about pro players’ stiff shoulders, most likely while getting his own massages. Good grief. Everyone’s tired.

I don’t think it needs to be explained, but sitting on your ankles or cross-legged for upwards of ten hours or more at a time is hard on the body. There is no perfect posture. Just like how a perfect strategy doesn’t exist either.

“One of the reasons why pros retire is that their backs and shoulders just can’t take sitting like that anymore. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard one of the older Senseis say that sitting like that hurts.”

“O-Oh no! That’s Shogi-itis!”

“It’s becoming normal for Go players to sit in chairs during the matches, but it’s still standard for Shogi to be played on tatami mats, so …… once sitting on your ankles becomes too painful, you have no choice but to retire ……”

Compared to Go, which has a decent following worldwide, Shogi is a proud traditional Japanese mainstay. I don’t see anything happening to the standards for a long time.

Which makes it all the more important that I take care of my body while I’m young.

Letting myself get this out of whack is very unprofessional. I need to fix it, pronto.

“…… Alright. Ai.”

“Yes?”

“Walk on me.”

“……… What?”

“Walk on my neck and shoulders with your feet. And my lower back too. Walk all over them.”

“Huuh?! B-But …… You’re my Master, I couldn’t possibly ……”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You have my permission, so please.”

I spread a towel out over the floor and lie face down. “Please!” I say with authority to give my confused apprentice a little encouragement.

“W-Well, um …… Okay …… I …… will use my feet!”

“Good. No need to hold back.”

“H …… Here I go!!”

Step.

“Owhhh!!”

“Eeep?! M-Master, are you okay?! Did that hurt?!”

“Nope, just the opposite. That felt darn good …… ♡”

“It …… it did ……?”

Ai cautiously steps on my neck and shoulders again. Press, press.

She must be getting over her nerves, because each step has a bit more weight to it now. She’s even pinpointing spots.

“Yeah …… Just like that, Ai. …… Sooo good ……… ♡”

“Ehehe♡ I’m happy that you’re happy, Master♡ Meow!”

There’s that cat talk again from my apprentice with a head of catlike hair. She’s even kneading my back like a cat would do. Sooo cute.

Then came another voice.

“Hey! Ai! What are you doing?!”

“Giving Master a massage!”

“D-Don’t scare me like that ……”

Mio sounds surprised, while Ayano sounds genuinely scared. I don’t really blame them, walking in on an apprentice who is walking all over her Master as he makes happy sounds like Ahh …… ♡ and Ohh …… ♡ face down on the floor … I would be surprised too.

“Cha too! Cha wants to stewpy stwep!!”

She probably thinks it’s some kind of new game. Charlette runs right for me, jumping onto my back and digging her tiny feet right into me.

“Stwepy stewp♪ Masta, how’s Cha’s stwepy stwep?”

“Ahh …… Really good, Charlette …… Amazing ……”

“Alllllright! I’ll give it my all for Kujuryu-sensei!”

“I, I’ll …… try my best, too!”

Mio and Ayano each take a leg, massaging my calves and the bottom of my feet with gusto. A full body massage from elementary schoolers …… Out of this world ……!

“Master! How are you feeling?!”

“…… Like I was just crowned king of the world.”

All four grade schoolers express their gratitude for me by helping my whole body relax …… Thanks to that, not only are my muscles exhausted from battle, but even my heart is at ease.

You could try all the spas and massage parlors here in Kyoubashi and never find this level of satisfaction, I guarantee it!

That’s especially true for Charlette’s warm, squishy little feet. They’re pretty much an expensive massaging machine in their own right. Sooo relaxing ……

“Ahhh …… Sooo good …… Everyone, this is so good …… The best …… feeling ever …… ♡”

Now I get it …… This right here ……

“This is …… the weight of life ……!”

Press!

That weight suddenly came down hard in the back of my head, driving my face into the floor.

“Nmhh? Ai, not right there. Step lower, closer to my shoulders, okay?”

“And?”

That … wasn’t Ai …… That voice was cold, like ice.

Th …… that voice was …… It couldn’t be––––––.

“Big Sisssphf!!”

“Keep your head down.”

PRESS! Grind, grind, grind!!

Naniwa’s Snow White mercilessly drives her younger brother apprentice’s face into the floor with one black-nyloned foot, then says with a voice as icy as absolute zero, “I know you’re perverted, but would you act like an actual human and keep your head down? Perverts should act like perverts and be satisfied licking the floor the little girls were walking on, don’t you think? That should be good enough for you. Isn’t that right …… Loli King?”

Owowowowowow ……

Big Sis’s rage is coming through the bottom of her foot and right into the back of my head. I can’t do anything but just lay here, trembling.

“Ummmm ……”

The four girls are cowering in the corner of the lobby. Even Ai, who always stands up to Big Sis, is too overwhelmed to stand her ground. Terrifying.

“I wondered what you were up to when I heard you were doing high-level practice sessions at Oishi-sensei’s bathhouse …… Yes. Very high level. Of a Lolita complex.”

“No, no, no! It’s not like that! You got it all wrong, Big Sis!!”

“How do you think you’ll talk your way out of this situation? You just said that having multiple grade school girls walk all over you was the best feeling ever♡—Did you not, Yaichi? More like the grossest feeling ever.”

“Just listen!! I-I can explain …… Yes, a refresh! I’ve been practicing Shogi so hard that I needed to refresh myself!”

“With grade schoolers?”

“It’s not like that, okay?!!”

Stop getting hung up on one part! A lot more went into this! It’ll sound like I’m the scum of the human race if you only say that!! It sounds a bit like you’re thinking it already!!

“I didn’t choose them because they’re in elementary school! My apprentice and her friends just happen to be grade schoolers …… And they offered to massage me to show their gratitude?! What’s perverted about that?!”

“The one getting excited by a full body massage from elementary schoolers, you!”

“Then …… would the junior high schooler want to join in?”

“A! Pike! Right! Through! Your! Skull!!”

Stomp, stomp, stomp! Big Sis’s stockinged foot slams into the back of my head over and over. Please stop, I’m losing brain cells down here! I’ll get worse at Shogi, so stop, I’m begging you!

“W-What are you even doing here, Big Sis?!”

“For a practice session, what else?”

Huh?

“C-Couldn’t be …… The Sub League member practicing with Mr. Oishi is ……”

“That would be me.”

“Maestrooooooo!! Tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Why leave it at a researcher and a passionate Sub Leaguer and not tell me who you’re actually playing against?! That was on purpose, wasn’t it?!

That particular researcher and passionate Sub League member starts talking with a very icy tone.

“…… I thought I would get your opinion on Keika’s situation but …… That’s right. There’s no way your people would understand the feelings of earthlings like Keika and I, now is there ……”

E-Earthlings? What’s she talking about?

Wait! The important part was–––.

“Um …… Big Sis? Keika’s situation? How is she doing–––?”

“Fine. I understand. It’s peeerfectly clear. You just go on playing your little game. But I’m going to prove to all of you that we can still compete on your level if we fight as hard as we can. So–––.”

Big Sis kicks my head like a soccer ball and yells, “Drop dead! All of you Shogi Martians!!”

Leaving those bizarre words behind, she left the building. I don’t get it, what’s that supposed to mean ……?

“Ohh, why not die then?”

I explain what’s been happening to Ai Yashajin during our review session, but she looks at me like she couldn’t care less and says so with more than a hint of dry humor.

We’re in the association’s second-floor classroom.

Ai’s bodyguard Akira Ikeda is a few seats away, arms folded and playing against an elementary school kid. She seems really fired up.

“…… Do you think Akira will keep playing Shogi?”

“She’s even more devoted than I am. It’s always My Lady, we must get to the classroom as soon as possible! or My Lady, I can’t win in Shogi wars! Please, teach me the best strategy! with her these days …… It’s gotten quite annoying.”

Sure, her words make it sound like she’s hating this turn of events, but her voice sounds almost happy.

Getting back to what we were talking about before, I bow my head yet again.

“Sorry …… I told you all that to say I can’t take you to my Master’s house yet. I know it would be better to introduce you to him as soon as possible but ……”

Ai is officially my apprentice, but she hasn’t had a proper meeting with Master Kiyotaki.

Of course, I told him how the whole process went down, and I know that Ai’s guardian/grandfather made a phone call to formally introduce himself.

That’s why I originally planned to take her to Master’s place after our lesson in the association classroom today.

I even told her my plan ahead of time but …… with what Keika is going through and this thing with Big Sis, I decided it would be better to wait a couple of days. Big Sis getting the wrong idea and now could be fatal.

“I will find a good time to introduce you–––.”

“I don’t really care either way. I never planned on getting close to your Shogi family anyway.”

“Again, with the spitefulness …… Don’t worry. We’ll throw you one heck of a party.”

“Strange. That wasn’t spite, but how I actually feel,” Ai claims before flipping her black hair with her small hand and says, “Honestly, what I’d like to know is how you can be so clingy with your opponents.”

“C-Clingy? Watch your–––.”

“Kansai’s Shogi Association has so few members that the chances that you’ll play them in placement matches are very high, no? Doesn’t being so friendly with them make it hurt more for the both of you? Just like now.”

“About that ……”

Kanto Shogi players say that kind of thing all the time.

Everyone gets invited to events and parties in the Kansai Association, but Kanto players only invite their closest friends.

“B-But, I mean, we’re pros. We can draw a line between being friends and playing matches.”

“Aren’t you having trouble now because you can’t do that?”

“Uh ……”

“My word! You’re a useless Master. It’s not like I want to make friends, but you could at least follow through on your word!”

Ai looks down at me, her chin high in the air. I’m getting lectured.

It’s hard to tell who’s the Master and who’s the apprentice anymore.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe your words were: become a member of my Shogi family and I’ll give you a good life. I seem to remember that was your way to convince me.”

“Shh! SHHHHH!! Not, not so loud!!”

Panicking, I tell her to quiet down, but it was already too late.

“Ah-ah, there’s the Ryuo, talking elementary schoolers into things again ……”

“Didn’t the Ryuo say something similar with his first apprentice? Prostrating himself in front of Ai’s parents, yelling: Please give me your daughter! ……?”

“He did what?! So, not just into little girls …… but has multiple wives ……?!”

Other people in the classroom glance at us out of the corners of their eyes, whispering to each other.

Unable to stop the damage from spreading, I just bite my lip and stare at my lap. The title …… Ryuo’s prestige ……

“S …… So I hear you’re undefeated so far in the Practice League. While it’s great to keep advancing like this, it might be a good idea to start practicing handicaps as the upper player–––.”

“You needn’t worry about that, Sensei. I’m getting plenty of experience in the city.”

“…… The quiet self-motivated apprentice, I see.”

“You can’t take amateur practice sessions and Internet matches lightly. There are plenty of people good enough to be professionals, and they use plenty of early game strategies that professionals have never seen.”

“Yes. I think you have a good point.”

Strategies like Bishop Exchange Fourth File Rook and Central Rook Left anaguma that are making waves in the pro scene right now were originally developed and perfected by amateurs.

There’s almost no waiting time permitted in amateur tournaments, and it’s all sudden-death matches. Therefore, they come up with all sorts of techniques to deal with those conditions that pros would never think of.

Then there’s the fact that those techniques can be easily adapted to the Practice League and Women’s League.

“So, I’m fine by myself. I’ve made it this far always being alone.”

“……”

“As long as …… I have Shogi, that’s enough.”

Watching my apprentice move the pieces across the board with a lonesome air about her, I became painfully aware of my own powerlessness.

When she became a member of my Shogi family …… I’d promised to help her find happiness with Shogi. In reality, I can’t do anything for her.

Do something for her, heck, the way everything is messed up right now, I’ve probably disappointed her …… Lost in my own anguish, Ai looks up at me with an angry red face and continues, “Sh-Shogi and ……… a dim-witted Master is with me ……”

“Huh? What was that?”

Her voice faded out so much in the middle there I couldn’t tell what she said.

I lean in close to make sure I hear her response when suddenly, “MY LAAAAADYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!”

Akira comes flying up to Ai like a toddler crying for her mother.

“You have to listen, My Lady!! That grade school punk, he’s a dirty cheat! He doesn’t play fair!! He’s breaking rulesssss!!”

“B-Breaking rules? Like holding his taken pieces so you can’t see them?”

“Doing extra moves while you’re away from your chair?”

Ai and I try to figure out what happened, but Akira moans with tears in her eyes, saying, “Not that! Something even more cruel!!”

At last, she tells us the stunning truth.

“He keeps his King in the very corner of the board and makes his defensive walls extremely thick! That’s against the rules! It has to be!!”

That’s a plain anaguma.

“He’s not breaking any rules.”

“A perfectly legal move ……”

“It’s not, I tell you! There’s a rule against it!!”

All that pain and frustration. Akira is stomping the floor like a spoiled kid. There are plenty of those.

But still, I can relate to wanting anaguma to be against the rules. Even in the pro Shogi world, I think so. On the other hand, it’s a very effective strategy to play ……

“Please, My Lady! That boy, make him suffer!!”

“Haaa …… I suppose it must be done. Which one?”

Ai stands up, a little annoyed, but she’s got the eyes of someone going to avenge her fallen friend. How nice of her.

“You’re going? Seriously, someone at his level isn’t worth your time.”

“…… Not worth my time, you say? Hah!”

Ai flicks her long black hair over her shoulder like a black wing as soon as I said that.

Her next words were so serious, they caught me off guard.

“Don’t hold back, no matter who you’re playing, and win. That’s all.”

That’s who she is in a nutshell. Ai Yashajin: damn cool.

“Yessah!”

I pump my fist in triumph the instant Mr. Oishi threw in the towel.

“That …… took forever ……!! Now I’m finally an All-Rounder ……!!”

“…… Don’t throw yourself a parade just for winning one match. You’re the Ryuo, yeah?”

The bathhouse isn’t open yet. Mr. Oishi, who used a bit of his spare time to work through some Shogi strategies with me in the first-floor lobby, forces a smile and continues.

“But you have gotten a little worldlier. The same is true for Ai. For the two of you to pick up so much so quickly really makes it feel like teaching was worth it.”

“Oh yeah. You saying teaching reminded me–––.”

It’s Sunday. The Practice League is meeting today.

With both Ai and Asuka out of the building, I finally have a chance to tell Mr. Oishi about what happened the other day …… Of course, leaving out the fact that his daughter rinsed my back in the men’s bath.

“Asuka wants to learn how to play Shogi?”

“Yes. She brought it up out of nowhere …… Did you notice?”

“Well, I had an inkling. She gets a look in her eyes when there’s a match going on.”

Picking up the plastic pieces from on top of the vinyl Shogi board, Mr. Oishi didn’t look particularly surprised to hear that.

“…… Asuka, she has watched me and other customers play Shogi since she was a little tyke. At first, I think she just wanted attention though …… Must’ve been about Ai’s age. That’s when she started reading.”

“She was interested in the game itself?”

“She was. So, I took it on myself to show her the ropes but–––.”

“But?”

“She didn’t have talent,” the Maestro said bluntly. “I’m a parent like any other. I’d always dreamed that any child of mine would have a knack for Shogi, long before Asuka was born …… Thought it would be fun to play and work as a family like that.”

“Mr. Oishi ……”

“To tell the truth, I was going to name her Hisha rather than Asuka.”

Her name would’ve literally been Rook?! Flying bird is so much better. What’s going on in this guy’s head?

“But the Mrs., she flat out refused to go along with it and we settled on Asuka …… Thanks to that, she still brings it up whenever we argue. Happened just the other day actually, we nearly tore into each other. She’s back at her parent’s place right now.”

“So that’s why I never saw your wife around ……”

I thought it was strange she wasn’t here.

“Thinking back on it now, Asuka was the right decision. That girl, she doesn’t have a speck of talent in her. Even as her father, I have to admit it.”

“So …… you stopped teaching her?”

“I did. Told her to give it up cold turkey. It’s better to shut these things down early before they get too far along.”

Mr. Oishi’s tone strengthens, pretty unusual for him.

“You’ve seen it yourself, right? How painful it is to try to survive in the Shogi world without talent.”

“…… Yes.”

Some people swear to never touch a Shogi board again.

Others …… suffer.

Shogi, something they’d always loved with all their hearts, becomes their worst enemy at the drop of a hat. Even people who once thought I could never live without Shogi, want nothing more than to see it burn.

That’s the Sub League and the Practice League for Women’s League players.

“The Sub League’s age limit is twenty-six, twenty-seven for the ladies. People who have only known Shogi their whole lives up to that point get thrown out into the real world if they couldn’t turn pro …… That happened to so many people in my generation. While I know they’re not pushing up the daisies …… A lot have fallen off the map to the point where I can’t reach them. As a father, I couldn’t bear to see my daughter go through that much pain.”

I don’t have any kids of my own, but I can relate to what he’s saying, painfully so.

If Ai Hinatsuru or Ai Yashajin went through that …… Just thinking about it makes my heart cringe.

“I thought I didn’t have any talent myself for a while after I went pro. Pretty certain of it actually. After all, there’s a talent that transcends eras in my generation.”

I knew immediately who he was talking about: The Meijin.

“But, you’re the one that beat him to take that title, are you not? And you did it twice ……”

“That second one he took right back.”

Mr. Oishi dryly laughs.

“Even so, I thought that everything I’d achieved was because I worked harder than anyone else. It was because I worked harder than anyone else that I became a professional, that I claimed titles. But–––.”

“But?”

“I learned something while teaching my daughter how to play and playing against customers in this classroom. You can teach students exactly the same way, but some will grow while others don’t. Even if they’re all trying their damnedest, some get rewarded while others don’t. Why do you think that is?”

“Is it …… talent?”

“That it is. That’s why I changed my mind. It wasn’t that I tried harder than anyone else in the Sub League, I just happened to be born with more talent that they were. That’s what made me into a pro.”

“……”

“The Sub League is a living hell. Everyone is playing with their lives on the line. Doesn’t it sound a bit arrogant to say that I tried harder than anyone else in that kind of environment?”

When I was asked if I had talent, I said, “No.”

However, if I were asked if talent existed in the Shogi world, I would probably say, “Yes.”

Effort makes dreams come true.

That’s the truth. No matter how talented someone is, they won’t achieve anything without effort.

Unfortunately, there are some things that effort alone cannot achieve. Effort alone ……

“So …… What should I do? About Asuka ……”

“Personally, I’d like you to put her daydreams to bed, permanently.”

“To be the executioner? Well, that’s a downer ……”

Whoever ends up playing against someone in danger of getting knocked out of the Sub League or dropping out of being a pro gets dubbed the executioner. We call it that because it’s their job to end a Shogi life.

“I’m not asking you to do it, per se.”

“……?”

Not me?

Then who would …… Wait?!

“Mr. Oishi? You couldn’t mean …… The whole reason you decided to teach me and Ai how to play Ranging Rook was ……”

“…… Talent isn’t the only problem. Asuka isn’t cut out for competition. That girl–––.”

Mr. Oishi got that far when he suddenly stopped in midsentence.

It was because we heard the front door open.

“I’m terribly sorry. But we’re not open–––,” I say as I turn toward the front door, but stop cold.

“……………”

Ai glances up at me as if she’s just noticed I’m in the room.

She looks like a ghost, no energy at all. What’s worse, everything from her head down to her fingernails is dripping wet. Something is definitely wrong with her. She’s shaking a little bit too.

“…… Master ……”

Ai, clearly not completely with it, stands just inside the doorway and mumbles under her breath in short, choppy bits.

“…… Um, the rain …… It started, right after the Practice League, when I left …… I, then …… But, being wet doesn’t matter …… because I …… I …… did something horrible …… to Mio ……”

Mio? What could’ve happened between the two of them?

“Did you let a match get away?” Mr. Oishi asks in a kind voice.

But Ai doesn’t even look up when she responds. It was almost like she was trying to use grit to make her way through pain.

“…… The match …… I won ……”

My sopping wet apprentice sniffles really loud, but the dam broke. Tears start pouring out of her eyes.

Cold droplets of water falling off her hair and clothes were joined by hot tears dripping from her cheeks, all plopping on the floor at her feet.

“…… I won but …… I, I! …… I won, but ……!”

Ai grabs hold of her chest with her trembling right hand and screams at the top of her lungs.

That’s what the drenched and bawling Ai managed to say between sobs.

“…… Mio, she was acting strange before the match too …… and I’ve never played without my Lance before, and was confused but …… Mio, couldn’t keep up ……”

In the end, she said Mio lost because she shot herself in the foot too many times.

“Right after she said, I lost ……, Mio started crying her eyes out sitting in front of the board …… She’s never done that, I, I didn’t know what to do ……”

Mio held a higher rank in the Practice League when Ai joined. She also helped my apprentice get her bearings, feeling it was her duty as the experienced one.

Since she’d lost to Ai in an even match before, she probably knew that Ai was better than her.

Even still …… I doubt she expected to lose with a handicap on her side.

She must’ve figured it out. She had to know Ai was special. That her talent was on another level.

But losing to a girl her own age, one who started playing Shogi long after she did—like Ai—hurts like nothing else. Getting overtaken by her in the Practice League, then losing with a handicap …… I bet that’s so painful, she doesn’t want to play another round of Shogi. I can relate to that pain. I’ve felt it before.

No matter how strong your opponent is, losing hurts every time. That’s Shogi.

I don’t consider myself to be anywhere near the top Shogi players in terms of skill. I’m just a lucky guy who got hot at the right time and claimed a title. My skills are still at the bottom of the pro barrel … I’m well aware.

Even so. Even though I know.

Say I play against an absolute overlord like the Meijin, say I put up an epic fight: I’d still cry out in pain if I lost. That’s what Shogi is, so everyone fights with everything they’ve got. No matter what we do, we play to win every time.

Losing hurts, okay? It hurts really bad! It’s the single most painful, saddest feeling in the world!!

But right now, the one who just won the match, Ai …… is crying harder than she ever has after a loss, her face dark and dreary.

“I, I …… didn’t know that winning could hurt like this ……”

“Ai ……”

Here stands my soaking wet, sobbing nine-year-old apprentice.

A fourth-grade girl so kindhearted she regrets hurting her precious friend’s heart, and feels so much pain in her own it made her cry.

To that young girl, I say, “Would you lose for her?”

“Huh ……?”

“Would you throw the game for her when you have a handicap? Would you be satisfied losing on purpose, acting sad and upset just so that Mio would be happy?”

“N-No ……! I, I could never ……”

I’m sure she was expecting me to comfort her.

She expected that I, her Master, would be able to do something about the searing pain that won’t go away. She dragged her broken heart all the way to me, believing that I could fix it.

I wanted to give her a big hug.

I wanted to tell her to take a hot bath, wanted to say all the nice things I could, tell her: It’s not your fault, and wipe away her tears. It’d make me feel better too.

However, I kept her standing, soaking wet in the chilly doorway and said the harshest words I have ever said to her.

Because I believe that’s what I have to do as her Master.

“There’s nothing wrong with sympathy. People who don’t feel sympathy for the loser break down when they become one themselves.”

“……”

“But, Ai. There’s only one thing you should think about when you sit in front of a Shogi board. That’s squeezing every last bit of strength and skill you possess into every move: and win. Everything else is just a distraction. As your Master, I won’t allow you to think about anything else in front of a board.”

Back when I was feeling the same pain, Master said those exact words to me.

Now I say them in the exact same tone, the exact same way to Ai.

“If you’re a person who’s afraid to win, there’s no need to keep suffering like this. I’ll release you right here and now. Pack up your things and go back to where you came from!!”

“……!”

My words were so sharp that a fresh wave of tears started building in her eyes.

This isn’t some scare tactic. I’m serious.

“…… I knew someone just like you, back in the Sub League,” Mr. Oishi said gently after quietly waiting for me to finish.

“He had talent, talent like you wouldn’t believe. He and I were in the same year in school, and rivals as far back as I can remember. He had double … triple the talent I did, and everyone believed that he would turn professional just as strongly as that the sun would rise in the east tomorrow morning …… But, on the same day he became 3-dan, he quit the Sub League.”

“Why ……? He was so close–––.”

“This is what he told me: I love Shogi. But I hate using it to hurt people, to make them feel horrible. …… He studied like mad after that day and became a doctor, a pediatrician.”

Everyone knows this story in the Kansai Shogi world. That doctor took care of me and Big Sis whenever we got sick. He played Shogi with us too …… and always lost for us.

That’s one way to live your life.

Actually, that’s the more respectable way to live your life.

Shogi is nothing more than a game. It can’t do anything to help people. It does nothing to advance society. Quite the opposite, it wastes precious energy and produces nothing in return: worse than pointless.

But for us, Shogi is everything.

“To us, a life without Shogi isn’t worth living. There’s no point to it if we can’t play. And if Shogi is taken away from us, there’s nothing left. Shogi is all we need.”

With that in our hearts, we throw everything else away and fight.

Doesn’t matter if it’s the pros, Sub League, the Practice League or amateurs.

The people who believe that with all their hearts are true Shogi players.

“We can’t lose. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Then there’s no need to think about anything else. Am I right?”

“…… Yes!” Ai nods.

Trying to never shed another tear in front of her Master, to never cry out in pain again …… She clenches her little fists and bites down hard on her lip, eyes focused … all while trembling like a wet puppy.

Ai is determined to stay with me, to not give me a reason to throw her out. Her mind is set on winning.

But that does nothing to heal her bleeding heart.

We inflict wounds on each other’s hearts to get stronger. Our hearts get covered with scabs, but they’ll come back with thicker skin than ever before once they heal. Just like broken bones heal stronger than they were before the break, wounded hearts come back stronger than they used to be.

On the other hand, if a wounded heart takes another hit before it can heal …… it will shatter into pieces and their fighting spirit will never come back.