It was inside the most lavish tatami room in the fanciest hotel in Osaka. The woman sitting in front of the tokonoma alcove wore a vibrant kimono. Known as the Thorn Princess, her beauty made her stand out from the surroundings that much more.

However, all those countless cameras lined up behind the Thorn Princess were not there for her.

They were pointed at the opposite side of a thick Shogi board––––––focused on the tiny little girl sitting there.

“Look this way, please!”

“What emotions are you feeling right now?!”

“Did you think you would win this series in a straight sweep?!”

In the face of an endless string of flashes, the little girl answered the endless string of questions one after another in as few words as possible.

Still just a little girl–––who only just started the sixth grade.

That little girl joined a Shogi tournament 10 months ago simply because she was bored.

She was the youngest in that tournament, and never lost a single match.

On that day with me, Master, Shogi association staff members and a small army of journalists watching, she won that tournament–––defeating the beautiful woman clad in a kimono who sat in the upper seat–––to become the new champion.

She was the same as she had been the day before.

The same person who lived with me in an old house in an old part of Osaka, the one who shared a bunk bed with me in the kids’ room on the second floor.

We shared everything equally: from food, to allowance, to our Master’s love and support. Someone closer to me than my actual brothers.

Being together was only natural, the two of us obviously being one and the same. The thought of it being any different never crossed my mind, almost like she was my other half.

I made my way through all the cameras and swarming adults to get a picture of her in her moment of triumph and called her name.

“●●●●● ! Look over here!”

“Watch your mouth,” one of the adults snapped at me. “You can’t call her that anymore.”

Why?

I stood there, stunned, and was told exactly why.

“Because she’s a title holder–––she’s the Queen now.”

It was as if I was some mutt that had wandered into a castle from the street, and all the adults were rushing in to protect the princess from me.

“Darn right.”

“Her status is well beyond a mere Sub League player like you.”

“Higher than your average pro, I’d say.”

“She’s the Shogi world’s treasure, a ray of hope on par with the Meijin himself–––.”

All those countless voices singing her praises easily sliced apart the two who had always been together like a hot knife through butter.

At the same time, I felt a new, budding pain sear its way through me.

I don’t know what to call the emotion that burned its way into my life that day either.

But there is one thing I know for sure.

That day, I gained a new reason to fight …… A new reason to get stronger, and that reason is still with me today.

Rain is coming down in buckets.

My shoulders square to my younger older sister in the kitchen of my cheap apartment, I’m holding a knife for some reason.

Big Sis is grasping the blade with her bare hands.

And–––she’s slowly guiding the tip from her heart up to her throat.

“Big …… Sis.”

Unable to do anything rash with the knife in my hand, I just repeat those words over and over.

The soaking wet and lifeless doll of a girl presses the tip of the blade against skin so pale you can almost see through it ……

“………… me.”

The muscles in her throat shift ever so slightly.

The rain drowned out most of what she said, but––––––I’m sure it was this.

I’ve heard her say things like, “Your head on a pike,” “You have a death wish?” and “Drop dead,” millions of times. Because, well, they were directed at me much more often than not.

But this is the first time I’ve ever heard her say, “Kill me” in that pleading voice.

Those ash-colored eyes of hers that always burned with conviction look like nothing more than pitch-black holes staring back at me.

Unwavering confidence that was as solid as ice has melted into this feeble, almost fleeting shadow of its former self ……

So, that’s why I–––.

“……!”

Emotion flashes through the doll’s eyes for a split second.

Watching that spark as closely as I can, I keep going.

“Can you guarantee a knife is enough to finish the job? You said you were going to slice off your hand to punish it for making a bad move on its own, but you know that’s not true, right Big Sis? The only reason you lost is because you’re weak.”

I keep taunting her, but on the inside I’m feeling cold as ice and sweating waterfalls.

With Big Sis’s bare hands wrapped around the knife blade, the slightest move will cut her fingers. That’ll damage the nerves in her fingertips and affect her Shogi.

–––Think ……!

I desperately scour my brain to find the answer with every second these cheap taunts can buy.

The 3-dan division is still going on. I absolutely can’t let her Shogi get weaker no matter what.

–––Find a way to get her to let go of the blade ……!

Even as I wrack my brain, part of me finds my priorities kind of funny.

This is a life-and-death situation, and still I think of Shogi first.

But it’s that important. Shogi is all we have. Our whole reason for living gets crushed whenever we lose a match and a life without going pro is the same as being dead.

Which is why I–––.

Laughing through my nose I say, “How were you planning to cut off your right hand in the first place? Don’t tell me you thought it would just slice right off if you just pushed the knife against your wrist? Life isn’t like manga. Right-handed people can’t use a knife with their left hand that well. Seriously, even Ai Hinatsuru knows that.”

“I-I can do it! That’s what I was doing!!”

The spiritless doll in the shape of Big Sis frowns as her cheeks flush red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

Eyes glistening with painful tears, she grabs at my right hand with both of hers to wrestle the knife away from me.

Letting go of the blade.

–––Now!!

Just as I had planned, I seize the opportunity to drop the knife to the floor and grab hold of both of Big Sis’s hands to keep her from getting it.

Me holding her back, and Big Sis struggling with all her might.

“Agh ……?!”

Thrashing about, the two of us fall to the floor. I land on top of her, pinning Big Sis down.

Even beneath me, she is still trying to reach the knife. You idiot!! I tighten my grip on that arm even more and put more weight on it.

“Let go of me!”

“You know I can’t! Please, calm down!!”

“Then …………… Just kill me ……”

Going limp, Big Sis’s skin has turned red from our scuffle. A single tear rolls down her cheek.

“You’re naïve, Big Sis,” I say as I kick the knife across the kitchen floor and under the table.

“That’s why you let checkmates slip away and lose. Trying to cut off your right hand, asking me to kill you just because you had your first losing streak in the 3-dan division? What do you have between your ears: tofu? I turned pro in junior high school, and even I couldn’t clear the 3-dan division in a single season. I’m more talented than you are, so please stop being so full of yourself.”

“……!!”

Creaaak! Big Sis clenches her jaw so hard that her molars scream, and she looks the other way.

Pulling her in close like a hug, I whisper into her ear, “Would you like to hear something one of my seniors told me the first day I entered the Sub League?”

“…………”

“You’ve been spoiled the whole time, so I don’t think they would’ve told you, but I was bullied and threatened like you wouldn’t imagine. I know quite a few horror stories and experienced my fair share.”

“…… Don’t talk to me like you know everything! Spoiled …… I haven’t been spoiled …… ever ……!”

“Do you know the reason why the Kansai Shogi Association has fewer windows than the one in Kanto?”

“…… I don’t. And I don’t care–––.”

“It was to prevent Sub League members from jumping out of them in despair during losing streaks …… like you right now, Big Sis.”

“……!”

“That’s why when they built the Kansai Association, they put in as few windows as possible. So that no one else would try to jump out of them.”

“Did they …… die?”

“Worse. He jumped but it didn’t kill him. He broke his leg but didn’t even pass out. He felt all that pain, wide awake …… The worst part was that he couldn’t completely give up on his remaining 3-dan division matches. But no one on earth could play respectable Shogi in that condition and he lost them all. Just added insult to injury.”

“Wh-What happened …… to him?”

“He’s alive, but he never turned pro. You know him very well, Big Sis.”

“Huh ……?”

Yes. The body doesn’t break so easily. Broken bones, given time, will come back stronger than they were before.

The same isn’t true for the heart.

Once the fighting spirit breaks and the heart gets wounded, there’s no telling if it will ever be the same again.

“………… I just… can’t take this …………… No more, not anymore ………… Let me die ………,” Big Sis, still lying on her back on the kitchen floor, says through tears. She doesn’t have the strength to stand up anymore.

The losing streak isn’t the only reason she’s plunged this far into despair.

There’s even more to it.

“…… My next match, it’s hopeless …………… I’ll lose, that’s a fact …… I’ll lose four in a row, and keep losing …… If I have to keep reliving this pain ………… I’d rather be dead …………”

“…… Big …… Sis …………”

I think back to the day the 3-dan division schedule was announced.

Just looking at that, I had a bad feeling that Big Sis’s fighting spirit might break halfway through the season.

She’s got nothing but painful battles from here on out.

The first opponent to beat her after promotion, an opponent that she beat but realized has more talent than she does, and an opponent she’s admired ever since she was a kid.

There’s no guarantee she’d win in peak condition, but she won’t even be able to put up a fight with her heart in shambles like this.

There’s no time to stand still. But …… She’s in no shape to move forward.

“In that case–––.”

With no clue what to do, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind in order to save my precious older sister apprentice.

“In that case, I’ll take you to a place where you can die for sure.”

“…………”

Big Sis silently nods.

We’ve arrived in front of her riverside apartment building that’s only a five-minute walk from the association. It’s brand new so it looks great, but it doesn’t look like anyone lives here. Kind of like how Big Sis is right now.

The rain is still coming down. The two of us walked here under one umbrella with me practically holding Big Sis up the whole way.

Using the spare key she gave me, I pass through the autolocking front door and take the elevator to the eighth floor.

Big Sis’s room–––801.

There’s no nameplate under the number. But I’m almost certain this is it.

“I’m going to open the door.”

“……”

I unlock it without waiting for her to answer.

This is my second time in her apartment. The two of us had one practice session here, but the timing never worked out since then.

Turning the lights on, the room is …… as empty as it was last time.

She doesn’t even have a table or chairs. This room is for Shogi research and Shogi research only.

“…… Hm?”

There’s something hanging on the wall that wasn’t there before.

“A poster? Or is that a calendar?”

It’s neither.

The thing is actually a sheet of cloth absolutely covered from corner to corner with hand-written messages from her classmates.

“Let’s go, Big Sis. You can’t be here now.”

“………… Where could we go?” Big Sis asks, still sopping wet and sitting on the floor in a heap. Small and fragile, she’s so cute that, if the situation were different, I’d be tempted to do something else right here and now.

I dry her hair with a towel that I brought from my apartment and try to sound as excited as I can.

“Didn’t I tell you? A place where you’ll die for sure, Japan’s number one spot for suicide. If you’re going to go out, it might as well be at the best spot for it.”

“…… But, where? Where is that?”

“That’s something to look forward to when we get there.”

“………”

“Now, we’re short on time. Hurry up and take a shower.”

“Huh ……?”

Big Sis looks up at me with a blank stare and I say, “You don’t want to be in Osaka, right? We won’t get there today, but we’ll get as far as we can and find a hotel for the night. So please, look presentable.”

“…… I’m fine like this. I’m dying anyway.”

“Um, Big Sis? Are you serious about this or not?”

I make an overly dramatic sigh and add.

“That can’t happen if you get arrested along the way.”

“…………”

That seemed to hit home because Big Sis doesn’t say another word and begrudgingly throws the towel to the floor as she gets to her feet.

Then, without warning, she starts taking off her clothes. Hey, hey, heeeeeey!!

“D-Don’t do that out here!”

“…… Hmph.”

Sounding triumphant, Big Sis leaves her clothes behind like a pile of shed skin and disappears into the bathroom with a sweet scent in her wake.

Whoa …… She seriously took everything off ……

…… There’s something kinda hot about wet bras and panties ……

I know we’re siblings, but this kind of thing is a bit much …… I really wish she’d have a little more modesty. It’s not like back when we could take a bath together ……

Wrapping her clothes in the discarded towel, I put the whole bundle in the corner of the room for now.

Okay …… I’d better talk to Keika while I have the chance.

I didn’t make Big Sis take a shower so that I could see her naked or get a whiff of her wet clothes. Not at all.

“Promise me, Yaichi.”

Not too long ago, Keika came to me at Master’s place with a request.

“If Ginko ever comes to you for help, promise me you will prioritize her. Promise me you’ll only focus on her.”

I’d never seen Keika plead like that before.

That’s why I promised her that, if the time came, I definitely would.

Though, I’ve got to say, it’s amazing how well Keika understands Big Sis.

She must have felt something was off about Big Sis even though she was riding a winning streak in the 3-dan division.

…… I’d better have her contact Big Sis’s parents, too. I don’t have their phone number and I doubt that Big Sis would want to talk to them herself right now ……

A player with fans all around the country like Naniwa’s Snow White going missing would be a huge scandal.

Oh, and I need to get Keika to look after Ai.

She’s in the middle of a pajama party with the Grade Schooler Practice Group at the Kiyotaki house right now. I can tell her to keep Ai right where she is.

There’s no telling when I’ll be back from this trip …… but there is a time limit.

The next 3-dan division matches are in two weeks, and I have my own league matches to worry about ……

Plus, it’s almost time for the Crown League Challenger Match.

I refuse to forfeit that match because I’m out of town. It might be possible to get the association to change the dates somewhat, but that would require me to explain the reason … so that’s not going to happen.

I feel horrible about pushing all this on Keika.

But …… Who else can I turn to?

Yeah, Keika’s the only one I can ask. I know I can trust her.

My mind set, I reach for my smartphone. Then.

Before I open it, the phone vibrates.

……?! An unknown caller …… Now of all times?

Nerves hit me so hard that I nearly drop my phone.

I could ignore it. Actually, it would be better to ignore it to keep Big Sis’s condition completely under wraps.

But my fingertips are telling me to answer it. That if I don’t, things will only get worse.

In the end, I put my faith in my pro Shogi player fingers and hit the answer button.

“…………… Hello?”

The person who called me is none other than––––––.

I know the voice coming through the speaker very well.

The same voice called me from out of the blue just about a year ago now.

From a different number than what I have registered in my phone.

I’m positive that voice belongs to––––––Shogi Association Chairman Seiichi Tsukimitsu 9-dan.

“Chairman? I’m surprised you would call me so late at–––.”

“Is Miss Ginko Sora there?”

That one slicing move cuts off my question and my mind goes blank.

He repeats himself.

“Is Miss Sora with you? We have been unable to ascertain her whereabouts since today’s 3-dan division matches concluded. Her cellular phone is still here in the locker at the association.”

“…………”

The fact that Big Sis left the association without her phone sends a fresh shockwave down my spine. She may have seriously meant to die ……

The Shogi association recently made an official rule that forbids players to bring electronic devices into matches.

Kansai players had been putting our phones and whatnot in a locker ourselves when we came in for matches before the rule went into effect, but now we give them to a staff member instead. That’s probably how the association figured out Big Sis was missing; she never came to get her phone.

–––What should I do? Tell him? Can I trust him ……?

There are a lot of risks that come with letting anyone else know Big Sis’s mental condition right now.

It’s not that I suspect the chairman …… But if any of her opponents find out how close to the brink she is, it’ll give them the option to attack her heart while it’s weak.

Not that I blame them.

That’s just what kind of place the 3-dan division is.

–––If Big Sis loses again …… she’ll break down entirely.

Just as I was debating back and forth, the chairman ramps up the pressure.

“Miss Sora lost both matches during today’s Regular Activities. There’s a chance it was a considerable shock to her system. Word came in that she was sighted leaving the association in the pouring rain without an umbrella after her matches concluded. Should we be unable to confirm her safety, we will be forced to contact the police–––.”

“She’s here. She’s in the shower right now so she can’t hear this phone call.”

Realizing there was no way I could keep this hidden, I tell him everything.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now, please listen closely to what I have to say.”

The chairman sounds genuinely relieved but then makes a request I never saw coming.

“The fact that you are together right now means you were originally intending to go somewhere, yes?”

“Y ………… es,” I say with an unintentional nod. “We were, but …… Why? Why would you wan–––.”

“There is a possibility that the Meijin will receive the Citizens Award tomorrow.”

“……!”

“The first day of the final Meijin Title Match took place today in Tokyo. The Meijin had a clear advantage at the time of the sealing move. Should he emerge victorious tomorrow, the Meijin will achieve the momentous 100th title season as well as becoming the most winning player in Shogi history with 1,434 victories on the same day. Those alone more than qualify him for the award and it’s unlikely a more fitting occasion will occur in the future.”

The Meijin has come extremely close to winning the Citizens Award several times before.

The most recent one was when he was on the cusp of becoming the first Eternal Septuple, having Eternal status in all seven Shogi titles and completing 100 title seasons at the last Ryuo Title Match.

I’m the one who stopped that from happening.

“Already? Again?”

“As the government’s approval rating has fallen, those in office are adamant about bestowing the Citizens Award. The medal and certificate were bought and paid for when you fought against him during the last Ryuo Title Match, you see.”

“Adults trying to save face ……? I don’t think the Meijin would willingly accept it, though.”

“He is an adult as well,” the chairman says with a chuckle. “But, yes, he is not happy with it. I suppose that fits well with his character, however …… I plan to use any means necessary to convince him. Chances are he will go through with it.”

Okay, I’ve got an idea what’s going on here.

“Just hypothetically speaking …… If someone as popular as the Meijin—like Naniwa’s Snow White—were to go missing or attempt suicide while the Shogi world is in the spotlight … it would become the worst possible scandal, right?”

“Indeed, it would. Should a sport with as plain a reputation as Shogi have to deal with a scandal of that magnitude during one of the few instances when the nation is watching, the press would focus on that scandal rather than the Citizens Award.”

“But are you sure it’s okay to say she went on a trip with a guy?”

“Yes, because if it’s with the Ryuo, the story will be taken up by the tabloids instead. Damage will be limited to a grudge from Miss Sora’s fans. Please be prepared to receive a death threat or two.”

“………… You’re evil.”

“Why thank you. That’s much preferable to being incompetent.”

I can tell the chairman is thoroughly enjoying this.

“How is Miss Sora, if I may ask?”

“Honestly, her first losing streak in the 3-dan division hit her very hard. It’s three in a row, so her back is against the wall. Not to mention her next opponent is who he is ……”

“I see. If I were going against him, I would be tempted to run away myself.”

That’s the last thing I expected to hear the chairman say. So evil ……

“I’ve decided that the best thing for her right now is to spend some time away from Shogi to recover. She told me flat out that she doesn’t want to be in Osaka and we’re planning on leaving the city tonight. I was in the middle of getting ready when you called.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Where do you intend to go?”

I tell him the place I have in mind.

“…… I see. That destination would actually work very well.”

I was prepared for him to ask why, but he made a suggestion instead.

“There is a trustworthy hotel in the area. I will handle making reservations, so please spend the night there.”

“I appreciate it.”

“In the meantime, I will contact Kousuke as well as Miss Sora’s family to explain the situation. Not to be rude, but you contacting them may lead to unwanted misunderstandings.”

“I really appreciate that ……”

Honestly, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders.

If two teenagers like Big Sis and I stayed at a hotel by ourselves, people would think we were runaways. It doesn’t help that Big Sis sticks out even when she’s wearing a disguise. Tabloids these days would be all over a story like that.

Bing! My phone lets me know I have an email.

I’m willing to bet that it’s a hotel booking confirmation from Sasari Oga Women’s 1-dan, the chairman’s secretary who’s always at his side taking notes to assist her blind boss.

“…… Things may become rather noisy around the association over the coming weeks. Though I’m sure you have realized it yourself, Ryuo.”

“I could tell the association was trying to deal with something at the Player’s Meeting the other day …… Is that why the sudden rule change about electronic devices was made?”

Pro players and women’s players had only been forbidden to hold public matches against Shogi software up until now, but the regulations the association put in place the other day are close to overkill. It’s almost like they’re being forced to make something happen.

Instead of answering me directly, the chairman continues, “Ideally, we would like everything to be resolved without incident. But if the adversary takes an offensive stance then we have no choice but to fight. We are, after all, Shogi players.”

“Fight ……”

–––Is it a fight we can win?

It’s not like the association has people whose job is to sweep scandals under the rug like talent agencies do. Shogi players have always insisted that the association be run by Shogi players. That has resulted in an organization that always puts Shogi first, but never thinks about anything else.

When it comes to Shogi, they’re very strong.

But when it comes to things that don’t involve competition, they’re out of their element.

A Meijin who was revered and celebrated over his whole career had his legacy smeared overnight by a scandal in the past.

There was even a time when a Women’s Title Holder put in a request for an extended leave of absence but was turned into talk show fodder all because one magazine said she disappeared.

–––Would Big Sis be able to endure the same thing if that happened to her?

No. Definitely not.

The rest of the country and her opponents may see Big Sis as the soulless queen of ice, but …… I know she’s an average girl who gets hurt easier than anyone else.

–––She’s sensitive, kind …… and has always been physically fragile ……

Almost as if he could see right through my anxiety, the Chairman says.

“It is my role to protect the Shogi world. As the Eternal Meijin and the chairman of the Shogi association, I will see it through. Even by using questionable means if necessary. Therefore, I ask you to fulfill your own role.”

“My …… role?”

As a pro Shogi player?

As a title holder?

As a Master of two young apprentices?

Several come to mind, but the chairman wasn’t talking about any of them.

“Yaichi.”

Back before I joined the Sub League.

Just like when he called me by name for the first time.

In a gentle tone fit for explaining something to a kid, the man I’ve idolized my whole life, Tsukimitsu-Meijin says, “The only one who can protect Ginko is you.”

That voice instantly reminds me of the old days.

Because ……

Because that was the first role that was asked of me when I came to Osaka to take my first step down the Shogi path.

I speed up and pull Big Sis along by her wrist because I can’t count on her to keep up or walk straight the way she is right now.

The rain is still coming down hard and, at this rate, I don’t think it’ll ever stop. Osaka station is jam-packed with people, so it’s stiflingly humid and the floor is slippery.

–––Other people probably think we’re a couple, holding hands like this ……

Slightly early Tanabata holiday decorations are swaying in the air, glittering.

Ignoring them, I vent a little frustration.

“Jeeze! I haven’t had to put up with a sudden trip like this in a long time.”

“…… This isn’t a trip.”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s a journey to die.”

Then, what am I supposed to call it? A final destination?

Suddenly, I’m reminded of a book.

Midnight Express. Mr. Kagamizu lent it to me a while back.

I ended up returning it to him without reading much at all, but it was a thing for a bit when I was in the Sub League. The book is an old journal written by somebody traveling from Asia to Europe.

–––Now that I think about it …… Sota said he read it, too.

Sota Kunugi.

Rising through the Sub League like he was on a high-speed elevator, he’s made it all the way to the 3-dan division as a sixth grader and currently leads the standings without a single loss. Seriously, he’s a prodigy among prodigies.

–––Unlike Big Sis, he’s probably already started researching for the next match.

The undefeated Sota is the powerhouse in the division with Mr. Kagamizu and Mr. Karako right behind him with one loss a piece. I bet he can sit in front of a board without a second thought and still have all the confidence in the world.

Then again, maybe he is so zoned in on promoting to 4-dan that his focus might start slipping?

–––That’s an optimistic way to look at it ……

The pressure that comes with being at the top of the 3-dan division is immense.

But counting on it to crush an opponent for you would be a mistake.

Going on a trip now is the same as suicide. I know that. But Big Sis really might lose her mind if she stays in Osaka like this ……

Wait a sec, didn’t Mr. Kagamizu tell me something when he lent me that book?

“You can’t exactly travel abroad when you hole up in your room to play Shogi from dawn to dusk. That’s why I read this book to distract myself from the urge to get away. That, and–––.”

“And?”

“The name Midnight Express comes from fugitives making their escape. Perfect for Sub League members, don’t you think?”

Runaway fugitives.

That fits our situation perfectly.

It’s impossible to separate Shogi from our memories of Osaka. No matter where we go, we can never escape from it.

Shogi is a prison, a cage. At some point, the whole city became divided into an 81-space grid to us, just like a Shogi board. That’s why we’re running away, getting out of the city.

All so that we can play the Shogi we love as much as we want.

Yet, that’s the reason the two of us left our parents’ houses in the first place: to become children of the house that revolves around Shogi.

Since we managed to get the last two reserved seats that were side by side, I get Big Sis situated in the window seat before I put our luggage up on the rack and sit down in the aisle seat.

Then, I take out the drinks and snacks I bought at the station and offer them to her.

“Want something to eat?”

“…… No,” she answers flatly as she stares into the pitch blackness outside the window. It sounded like a strong refusal.

“I see. Let me know if you change your mind.”

Big Sis is the type of player who eats next to nothing during her matches.

Since the 3-dan division plays two matches during their Regular Activities, that means Big Sis probably hasn’t eaten anything at all. She might not even have had dinner last night.

–––Didn’t eating actually make her feel sick back when she was a kid ……?

Memories start coming.

Big Sis used to be so much weaker than she is now and was in and out of the hospital a lot. She’d also get fevers quite a bit after playing Shogi.

If she won, she’d be satisfied and that was that, but she’d get worked up if she lost and kept challenging me as many times as it took for her to win. The problem was that she could tell right away if Master or I were trying to lose and threw a temper tantrum. Talk about handful ……

“Yaichi.”

“Hm? Want a snack after all?”

“Hand.”

“Ahh …… Sure.”

I do as I’m told and take her hand again.

The first day that Master brought us to the Kansai Shogi Association, he gave us this very direct order.

To Big Sis, he said, “Make sure your younger brother apprentice doesn’t get lost.”

If he’d outright demanded that we hold hands, I’m sure the two of us would’ve let go the first chance we got.

Because of Master Kiyotaki’s approach, we got past normal kiddie reactions, got along surprisingly well and the two of us were able to keep holding hands no matter where we went.

It was that way for years and years.

Except one day we let go of the hand the way we were never supposed to.

And ever since that day, Big Sis and I have walked our own Shogi paths, alone.

The first one to let go was–––.

“Big Sis. At least drink some …… Huh?”

I pause in the middle of the sentence.

Because I feel something against my shoulder.

That, and I can hear light breathing.

“…… You’re always the first to fall asleep. Some big sister you are.”

Then, it finally hit me.

Just how tired I am.

“Wheew–––––– ………………… That was a long day ……”

It started bright and early with the King of Naniwa Tournament, and then I had a match against Ayumu. I’m exhausted ……

“Actually, I think I was more nervous about the girls’ matches than my own. Charlette, Ayano, Mio …… They’ve really come into their own ……”

Whoa. I’m tearing up just thinking about it ……

I quickly clamp down on those budding emotions. Now’s not the time to get teary-eyed.

“…… Today is not over yet. I better rest up while I can ……”

I set my phone alarm to go off five minutes before the train will arrive, close my eyes and lean my head against Big Sis’s head on my shoulder.

Could that be why?

For some reason–––a four-year-old with ash-colored eyes and silver hair shows up in my dreams.

“Keika? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh ………… Yes, just fine. Thanks, Ai.”

I smile at Ai Hinatsuru Women’s League 1-dan as she looks up at me with concern.

She may only be in elementary school, but she’s a true-blue prodigy who’s already made it into the premier league in Women’s Shogi, the Women’s Legend League. When it comes to Shogi puzzles, she’s a monster with enough talent to surpass plenty of male Shogi players ……

She fits in well with this room that raised two other giant monsters of its own.

“You’ve slept here plenty of times before, haven’t you, Ai?”

“Yep! Let me see …… When Master secretly took Ten-chan as an apprentice and when I was in the Mynavi Tournament and collapsed after losing to Tsukiyomizaka-sensei, I think. It was because Master kicked me out of the apartment then.”

“Sounds like Yaichi puts you in this room whenever he doesn’t know what to do.”

“Yep♪,” says Ai, jumping up and hanging on my arm.

Yaichi and Ginko used to do that all the time back when they were little. Well, this is a surprise. The corners of my eyes are getting hot. Have I really gotten to that age?

“So …… Master won’t be coming today after all?”

“He wanted to come, but there was nothing he could do. Sometimes work comes up out of nowhere and that’s what happened tonight.”

Smiling, I lie right to her face.

It’s not that I don’t feel bad about it, really I do.

Uncle Seiichi …… Chairman Tsukimitsu called and told me to tell the girls, “Yaichi has been called in to work on an urgent matter.”

I give the reason behind the lie some more thought.

When Ginko lost her first match in the 3-dan division …… No, long before then, I had a feeling something like this would happen.

That’s why I had Yaichi make me a promise.

That if Ginko ever came to him for help, that he would only focus on her.

That he would prioritize her above anyone else, at least until this 3-dan division season was over.

Right now Yaichi is keeping that promise.

Which means now it’s up to me to protect what Yaichi holds dear in his place.

“You know, Cha? Cha’s nebber swept in a bwunk bed!”

“Neither have I! It’s something that only children with no siblings like me can only fantasize about ……!”

Charlette Isoir and Ayano Sadatou are hopping around the room, their wide eyes sparkling with glee.

Both of them smiled when they first arrived at the house, but their eyes were red and puffy.

I could instantly tell that they had shed an incredible amount of tears during the tournament, so I ignored our age difference, joined the pajama party and brought them up to this room in hopes of lifting their spirits, even just a little.

–––But …… I never would’ve thought they would be this happy about a bunk bed.

Come to think of it, all of us in this room are only children. Perhaps it’s only natural to get excited about seeing one.

“Hehehe. Actually, I’ve secretly slept on the top bunk before.”

Telling the girls, they immediately ask me questions like “Really?” and “How was it?!”

“I was in high school at the time, so I remember it being a little cramped.”

“I fit just right! So, can I sleep here tonight? Pleeease?” the leader of the Grade Schooler Practice Group and King of Naniwa Champion, Mio Mizukoshi pleads as she starts ascending the ladder to the top bunk.

Even in her pajamas, she’s still wearing the medal she received at the podium. She must be over the moon right now. Seeing her happy like this reminds me so much of Yaichi and Ginko after they won the Elementary Meijin Tournament.

“Hey, hey, Keeka! Did Kujyuru-sensei and Sora-sensei use this bed?”

“They sure did. We bought it just for them.”

Of course, I can remember the day the bunk bed arrived at this house very clearly even now. That includes how overjoyed those two were to see it. And that they started playing Shogi right away ……

“Who slept on top?”

“We’d planned on Yaichi taking the top bunk. Ginko was still small and wasn’t very strong, so it wasn’t safe for her to climb up and down the ladder.”

“Planned ……?”

“Ginko insisted that as the older sister, the top bunk should be hers and wouldn’t take no for an answer. In the end, they agreed to play Shogi before bed and the winner would sleep on top.”

Until that point, they slept side by side on futons …… But I think it would be prudent not to say so in front of Ai.

“Those two would argue about every little detail. Playing Shogi became their way to settle things.”

Looking around the room, there are nicks and stains scattered about.

They’re leftover scars from Ginko and Yaichi’s fights. I say fights, but Yaichi never struck Ginko, not once. Though the opposite happened more times than I can remember.

This stain here, that stain there, they’re all from the liters upon liters of tears Ginko shed in here.

The nick in the support beam in the corner came from the day Yaichi missed his chance to promote in the Sub League and hit it to vent his frustration at how weak he was.

Lots of children have visited this room to play Shogi with those two, spent the night here and left their own nicks and stains after playing even more Shogi.

Of course, somewhere among the stains …… are the tears of this house’s actual daughter, shed after constantly losing to children much younger than herself: mine.

“This room here used to belong to my aunt. She passed away about one year before Ginko and Yaichi came to live with us, so it had been empty. That’s why we made it into a kids’ room.”

“Your aunt …… she died?” says a crestfallen Ayano. What a kind girl.

“She did. Which really made it surprising that back when Yaichi came in here for the first time …… He said something really weird …… Sh-Shocking actually ……”

“Huh? What …… did Master say?” Ai says, looking confused and curious.

I answer.

“That there was a ghost in here.”

The girls shriek so hard the house shudders.

“If yer that keen on playin’ Shogi with me, why not come to my place to play to yar hearts content?”

I couldn’t understand the chilly, “Huh ……?” that came from my father behind me.

The pro player I idolized had just extended an invitation, and six-year-old me was on top of the world. Without any idea what my response actually meant, I said with giddy excitement, “Yes! I want to play more Shogi with you, Sensei!”

That was how I became this pro Shogi player Kousuke Kiyotaki 8-dan’s live-in apprentice.

There I was, Yaichi Kuzuryu, playing against the adults in the A Rank Division and winning the whole thing just a few days after turning six.

“W-Whoa!”

“A kindergartner becomin’ the champion? That’s gotta be a first!!”

“A boy genius ……!”

“That one could very well become Fukui’s first-ever professional Shogi player!”

I’d been taking Shogi seriously for about a year at that point. I was the kind of player who could get in a groove and rack up wins one after another. Luckily for me, I managed to tap all my skills and more that day.

And it just so happened that Kousuke Kiyotaki 8-dan was the head judge for that tournament.

“Sensei! Would you please give this boy here an instructional match?!”

It was only natural that the adults there went to ask the pro after I won.

Kiyotaki 8-dan must’ve been interested in me, too, because he accepted right off the bat.

“Sure thin’! Okay, kiddo, how’s a two-piece handicap sound?”

Except …… Six-year-old Yaichi didn’t understand the concept of a pro player yet and opened his fan, sat down across from the geezer and said, “Handicaps are boring! I wanna play even Stephen!”

My father’s face turned pale next to me and he shouted, “Y-Yaichi! That was very rude!!”

“Dad, shut up! You couldn’t even win B Class!”

“Kgh ……!”

I was so full of myself in that moment that the very idea of losing never crossed my mind.

“Ha ha ha! Ya got spirit, kiddo. But–––.”

SNAP-AP-PP ………… ppp!

“?!”

The echo hit me so hard I thought the geezer broke that piece in half when he snapped it down onto the board.

It was like taking a bucket of ice water to the face. Suddenly, I was awake.

“That ain’t no way to talk to yar father, ya hear?”

Then Kiyotaki 8-dan finished lining up the pieces with a delicate refinement that was the complete opposite of that snap before taking the Bishop out of his own territory and putting it back in the piece box.

“How ’bout this. You beat me without a Bishop, then we’ll talk ’bout yar even Stephen.”

“………… Okay.”

I could tell something’s different …… after hearing that pro’s snap for the first time and accepted his proposal with a nod.

In amateur terms, playing against a former A-Ranking pro player without their Bishop is the same as playing against someone at the national level. In pro terms, probably about 6-dan.

Back then, I was maybe 2-dan. I was sure I could take on any grown-up and win, but I understood by the 20th move that my attacks would never work against the man sitting across from me. His Shogi was just built differently.

The only reason I was able to keep playing was–––.

“…… Hmm. I see, I see.”

Kiyotaki-sensei would leave little windows open in his defense, simultaneously inviting me to attack and giving my nearly broken fighting spirit an encouraging push. Without that, I would’ve thrown in the towel right then and there.

“Yeah. Goin’ there ………… Oh? Yar a strong one.”

I thought I was thoroughly dominated in that match from start to finish, but it ended with me being just a single move short of checkmate.

To everyone else, it probably looked like I had a pro on the ropes and almost won.

“He may have lost, but that kindergarten boy was one move away from beating a pro!”

“He’s some kid, I tell you!”

The grown-ups were saying nice things about me left and right, and the newspaper ran an article with a title like A Prodigy Putting Pros on Notice! Yaichi Kuzuryu.

But, only Kiyotaki-sensei and I knew what had actually happened. The true meaning behind that match.

Kiyotaki-sensei took out his own Shogi notebook and jotted down the entire match on the spot like it was a walk in the park. Then he tore out that page and gave it to me.

“From now on, record all yar Shogi matches like this. ’Cause if ya can go back and review yer matches, yar gonna get that much stronger.”

“Yes ……… Yes, I will!!”

Clutching that sheet of paper to my chest like a priceless treasure, I nodded so many times I got dizzy.

Not only did Kiyotaki-sensei bring out the best in me, but he also showed me how impressive pros were …… and how unfathomably deep the game of Shogi could go. It was a genuine instructional match, the way they’re meant to be.

–––Pros are amazing! Shogi is amazing!!

I followed Kiyotaki-sensei everywhere after that day.

If I heard that he was going to be judging a tournament, I begged and pleaded with my parents to take me there. Not so that I could play in the tournament. So that I could play a match against Kiyotaki-sensei.

Since summer vacation was just beginning, Kiyotaki-sensei was taking part in tons of Shogi festivals and tournaments, and I went to every single one. Of course, I had my Shogi notebook with me.

Other people at the tournaments couldn’t figure out what I was doing.

“Kiyotaki, as in the guy that only lasted a season in A, that Kiyotaki?”

“He’s never even challenged for a title, has he?”

“The one who plays the same boring old defensive yagura?”

Back then, Kiyotaki-sensei …… Nah, it’d be easier just to call him Master, wouldn’t it? Compared to his Shogi skills, Master’s reputation was pretty low.

The Meijin, who was a few years younger than him …… Actually, he’d lost the Meijin title at that point in time so he wasn’t really the Meijin, but it’ll get confusing if I call him anything else so I’ll just keep calling him the Meijin, okay? That Meijin’s generation had claimed almost all the titles and the younger generation under him were at the forefront of new strategies and research. So, with the exception of Chairman Tsukimitsu (he wasn’t the chairman yet either but, yeah), everyone was certain that the generation above the Meijin was over.

“Listen, son. Are you sure you want Kiyotaki-sensei? There’s Tsukimitsu-sensei and a bunch of strong, young professionals out there, too?”

“No, I want Kiyotaki-sensei!”

“I’m sorry to say that he’s busy right now. Being a judge is a lot of work. I don’t know when he’ll be able to get around to doing an instructional match ……”

“Okay …… Since he’s busy, I’ll play in the tournament until he’s done. Please tell me when Kiyotaki-sensei can give me an instructional match!”

Word soon spread that there was a little kid who came all the way down from the mountains to be at tournaments but didn’t want to be in them. What’s worse, he was a nuisance because he won these tournaments that he wasn’t planning on playing in.

But the one who was more surprised than everyone was the man being followed: Master.

“Ya again, kiddo ……? How are we playin’ today?”

“Two-piece handicap, please!”

I couldn’t quite break through Master’s formations, even with the two-piece handicap.

And Master never once took it easy on this kid who traveled so far just to play against him.

I’d travel hours and hours just to get to the arena and wait in the corner for hours and hours all to lose to him, sometimes in less than 30 minutes.

Whenever that happened, I’d reset the board and silently wait for him to say something.

“…… Wanna do one more?”

“Please!!”

Hearing those words was the happiest thing in the world …… And I got more and more hooked on Shogi every time I heard them.

Even when summer vacation ended and I was back at school, my parents came up with excuses to get me out of class and took me to wherever Master was doing a tournament that day.

After losing count of how many matches I’d played against him, I got the invitation that started it all.

…… Looking back on it now that I have apprentices of my own, Master was probably watching my parents just as closely as he was me. Testing them to see just how willing they were.

Seeing how much they loved their son …… And how willing they were to let him go.

My older brother played Shogi as a hobby but had no intention of turning pro whatsoever, and my little brother was a toddler at the time.

My parents probably thought they could let at least one of their sons walk his own path in life.

Even so, my mother apparently cried … a lot. Meanwhile, I was so ecstatic to be going to Master Kiyotaki’s house that I was smiling the whole way ……

“If you’re serious about letting him become a professional, living that far away will be an obstacle for him. Looking at the elementary school calendar, now would be the best timing for him to move to Osaka,” Master explained to my parents. And he also supposedly said this: “If you’re willing to put him in my care, so long as he is in Osaka, you have my word I will raise him as my own son. I cannot accept any payment for teaching or day-to-day expenses. No parent would ever take money from their child.”

My parents had said they could never accept that …… But it was this that finally convinced them.

“I have a daughter, but I have really always wanted a son. A son to teach Shogi …… Raise him to be a pro if he could, but a son to share a board with. After my wife passed away, I’d accepted the fact that that dream would never come true ……”

That’s when I showed up.

A boy who thought the world of him and wanted nothing more than to play Shogi.

We weren’t connected by blood, but …… Shogi families are bound in a different way.

“Yaichi falling in love with Shogi has made that dream come true. That kind of happy miracle doesn’t exist in this world …… I ask you to please let me live it. My dream of teaching my son how to play Shogi.”

Over the 10 years I was his live-in apprentice, Master never accepted a single yen from my parents.

They didn’t tell me about this until after I’d turned pro.

I couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Huh?”

The teenage girl standing at the front door to greet us froze with her jaw hanging open.

She was pretty, unbelievably gorgeous.

I-I get to live with a pretty girl like her? I zoomed past happy, all the way to nervous ……

“Yaichi Kuzuryu here came all the way from Fukui. I’m takin’ him as a live-in apprentice,”

Live-in apprentice. Hearing those words made me so happy I didn’t know what to do with myself.

The girl gave me a kind smile and bent down to my height.

“Hello there, Yaichi. My name is Keika Kiyotaki. I’m this old man’s daughter.”

“N-Nice to meet you! I’m Yaichi Kuzuryu! Thank you for having me!!” I blurted out, my face bright red as I looked away from Keika.

Wh-What else was I supposed to do ……?!

I mean …… I could see right down her shirt …… The cleavage!!

“How nice of you to introduce yourself! ………… Unlike that other one.”

“What?”

“Oh, and Dad? We need to talk, so would you please join me in the living room?”

Keika’s smile was still there, but the voice she used with Master was terrifying. The kind you can’t argue with.

“Hm? S-Sure …… In a minute. Before that, Yaichi’s parents were nice enough to give us a sack ’o delicious rice–––.”

“Now. Right now.”

“Oh ………… O-Okay ……”

Master was clearly powerless here, but he must not have wanted his newly taken apprentice to see him in such a pathetic state, so he stood tall and proud. On the verge of tears, though.

“Yaichi. Go on upstairs an’ play ’til I call for ya.”

“Yes, Master!”

Following Master’s instructions, I trotted my way up the stairs. I’d been so giddy when we got here, but suddenly I felt like a fish out of water without Master at my side.

There were two rooms on the second floor.

Both doors were open, so I decided to go into the one right in front of me first. There was a bed, a desk for studying, a bookshelf and a chest of drawers as well.

…… It smells like that girl in here!

I breathed in a lungful of that wonderful smell girls have.

When suddenly I caught a glimpse of a pile on the carpet that looked like it had just been accidentally dropped in there.

“? What’s this?”

Something she forgot? Because if she did, she might thank me for bringing it to her!

Convinced, I picked it up and––––––couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Huh?! Say …… whaaaaaat?!”

A bra. A huge one!!

–––The buildings in Osaka are big, but the bras are even bigger ……!

Thoroughly impressed and weak in the knees, a wave of fear overtook me at the same time.

From an objective point of view, I was just a horny brat who snuck into a girl’s room to find her underwear. Even at six years old, I understood that much.

I’ll get kicked out if I don’t behave! That girl wasn’t happy to see me either ……

“I just won’t say that I came in here ……”

The bra thing stays secret too, and no one can make me say it. I’ll just lock it away in my memories …… Especially the bra. Swearing to myself, I went into the other room.

Unlike Keika’s room, it didn’t look like anyone lived in here.

“…… Maybe it’s empty?”

A few steps into the vacant room and–––there she was.

“Huuuh ……?”

A little girl, maybe about four years old, was standing there looking at me.

Even in the dim light, her skin was starkly pale and her hair glinted silver. She had something clutched in her hands like it was the most valuable thing in the world.

“?! ……?!”

I rubbed my eyes three, four times. I just couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The fact that she had no presence at all was part of it, but–––.

She was just so white, almost translucent, like light was passing through her ……

“Ah ……… Huh? ……………… A person ……?”

I didn’t think something so pure could possibly be another human like me. I mean …… She was just too pretty ……

That’s why I asked her.

“Um, are you …………… a ghost ……?”

If I were in the same position now, I would’ve used a lighter word like fairy or spirit, but it was all six-year-old me could do to come up with the word ghost.

“……”

This pure white girl was looking up at me without saying a word.

“Um …… I’m Yaichi Kuzuryu. I’m going to be a live-in apprentice at this house starting today! Ah, do you know what a live-in apprentice is? Basically …… I’ll live here to practice Shogi!”

Heart racing, I rattled off an explanation in a few short breaths and–––.

The girl plopped down on the floor and opened up the thing she was holding.

“…… A foldable Shogi board?”

The moment I saw it, every little bit of unease I was feeling disappeared without a trace.

“So, you play Shogi, too?! Come on, let’s play!”

I sit down on my ankles across from her and start lining up the magnetic pieces.

We did rock paper scissors to decide who went first. Apparently, the ghost wasn’t very good at it because I got the first move.

“Okay …… I’m ready when you are!”

I bowed my head. The white girl had her head down, just looking at the board.

“Nooow …………! Here I come!!”

The formation I start creating was Master’s specialty, the yagura.

It was this world’s most beautiful formation, as beautiful as Shogi literature. I had made up my mind that I’d do a yagura for my first match in this house.

When she saw that, the girl–––made her moves using no time at all. It was like playing against a mirror.

“Double Yagura?”

Taking my eyes off the board, I looked at my opponent. The girl’s head was down, but her eyes were looking up at me.

That was the moment I felt a connection with the ghost.

–––This is fun!

Excited, I advanced my formation. But, that excitement vanished just as quickly.

Unlike my monkey see, monkey do yagura, this girl’s yagura was the real deal.

“…………”

The time had come for counterattack, every one of the pieces snapped eerily quiet when she moved.

It was over almost as soon as she reached my defenses. Advancing on my King with the precision and accuracy of a machine, I got destroyed in the blink of an eye.

“………… I lost ……”

Strong. Too strong.

Slumped over and staring at the checkmate, there was no doubt in my mind.

It was impossible for a little girl like this to play such flawless Shogi. What’s more, we’d just had an intense battle, but her face was as calm as an autumn breeze, like nothing happened at all ……

“Wow, you really are a Shogi ghost!!” I said to the little girl.

“Pro players have actual ghosts that can play Shogi living in their houses ……!”

Holy cow! Pros are amazing! I was through the roof. I just played Shogi with a ghost!

To me, this was just like Hikaru no Go.

It’s an old manga about a young boy who knew nothing about Go getting taught how to play by the spirit of an ancient Go player living inside his Go board and he became very good at it.

My brother had the whole series, and I read through them enough times to wear out the pages.

And now, I was going to get stronger playing Shogi with this ghost like Hikaru did …… Just as this story was playing out in my head.

“Hm.”

“Hm?”

“Hand.”

The little ghost on the other side of the board extended her hand.

“……?”

Slowly, very slowly, I reached out and touched it.

“! ……………… It’s hot ……”

Like, surprisingly hot. We’d only just met, but I’d already figured out that her body heats up whenever she takes a match seriously.

We lace our fingers together, almost as if making sure the other one was real. Very hot.

“Then …………… You’re, not …… a ghost?”

“Ginko.”

Gin? Like a Shogi Silver piece?

“There’s no such thing as ghosts. Stupid Yaichi.”

Such a pretty girl, but such a dirty mouth.

Just as I was about to snap back at her, Keika’s voice echoed up from downstairs.

“Yaiiichi! You can come down now.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. This bearded fossil didn’t tell me anything, so it was a little bit of a shock, but welcome to our home!”

Keika introduced herself more fully this time.

“I’m 16 and in my first year of high school. That means I’m exactly 10 years older than you, Yaichi. I take care of things around the house and help out in the Shogi classroom every once in a while. But, I’m a pushover, so go to the bearded fossil …… or the girl next to you when you want to play, okay?”

With that, Keika tells me who this girl sitting next to me like she belonged there really was.

Ginko Sora.

That was her name.

“Ginko …… Sora ……”

I mulled those words over in my mouth …… and they took hold in my heart as if I were casting a spell of some kind.

Silver hair and slightly cloudy eyes the color of ash.

My chest got tight for some reason, like a big squeeze.

“I say, that was a heck’va mix-up! Thinkin’ Ginko was a ghost, hah! I admit she’s got an otherworldly aura to her, but she’s got legs, ya see?”

Master was laughing, but he had red marks on his forehead that could only have come from pressing it against the tatami mat for quite a while. I knew immediately who was really in charge in this household.

–––I’d better stay on Keika’s good side ……

And then one more.

There was one other person in this house I absolutely couldn’t cross no matter what.

“’T was by only two weeks, but Ginko became my apprentice first. So, ’at makes ya the younger brother apprentice, Yaichi. Ginko is yer older sister apprentice.”

"Older …… sister?”

“…… Younger brother?”

It wasn’t a ghost living at the pro player’s house.

It was something much, much scarier than a ghost. I met the one I would one day call Big Sis.

I’d been Master’s live-in apprentice for a few days when I heard him say that.

“Ya can get whatever ya want at Twelve, the first-floor restaurant, for lunch.”

“Are you sure it’s okay, Master?!”

He smiled and nodded as I jumped for joy.

“Sure I’m sure. Once ya turn pro, ya can eat out as much as ya like.”

Wow! Pros are amazing! I was still in awe. Big Sis didn’t seem all that excited, but she beat Master and I to the front door and silently urged us to hurry up.

The Kansai Shogi Association building is in the Fukushima district of Osaka, just one stop on the Kanjou Line from Noda Station, the closest station to Master’s house.

Nowadays, I can walk that distance no sweat. But, for a four-year-old and a six-year-old, taking the train a single station down the line is a big adventure. Heck, just riding the train itself is an adventure.

That’s why back when I first became an apprentice, going to the association was a special event that didn’t happen very often.

“All right ya two. Hold hands and don’t let go, ya hear?”

I was fully intent on carrying out the first order Master ever gave me even as I looked down over the city through the train window as it traveled down the elevated track.

Stepping off the train at JR Fukushima Station, we passed right by all the shops built under the railroad track.

Then, we turned onto Naniwa Street, went over a crosswalk and saw–––.

“Here we are. It’s ’at brick buildin’ there.”

Even today, I can remember down to the last detail the moment Big Sis and I held hands with Master in front of the rustic red brick building.

I’m pretty sure I said, “Whoa …… There’s something written on the wall! What’s it say?”

“Shogi Kaikan.”

“Huuuh?! You can read that, Ginko?”

“Easily.”

Hmmph. Her face was blank but Big Sis sounded triumphant.

“This …… is the Kansai Shogi Association building ……”

I was so excited and nervous that my heart could’ve burst open. Big Sis’s hand in mine …… was burning up.

This place is special to us. It’s the place that’s given us the most joy … and also the most pain.

The place we’ve spent more time than at home or at school. It’s where we’ve learned how to live.

It’s also the place where we’ll spend the remainder of our lives fighting endless battles.

“Th-This place …… looks really fancy ……”

My first and biggest worry was money.

Master was already letting me live with him for free, so was it really okay for me to eat for free at a restaurant like this on top of that? All I had in my wallet was five 100 yen coins ……

Master must’ve understood what was bothering me because he said in a kind voice, “There’s a tradition in the Shogi world, ya see. Veterans keep the new players fed. Once ya turn pro and have an apprentice of yar own, make sure ya treat ’em to dinner, understood?”

“Y- …… Yes! Thank you so much, Master!!”

I swore to myself then that I absolutely would …… Though, that day came a lot sooner than I expected.

We sat down at a table and Master said as we opened the menu, “Ginko. No need to be holdin’ back. Ya can order anythin’ ya wanna eat.”

“……” (point)

Using no time, Big Sis chose cow tongue stew, the most expensive thing on the menu. That shocked me so much that I forgot what I ordered that day. It was probably the cheapest daily lunch set they had. I just didn’t know …… if Master’s wallet would survive ……

“Ngh …… I-I ain’t never tasted tongue stew ……”

“Delish.”

Big Sis ignored the envy in Master’s voice as she licked her lips and gave him a thumbs up. Master returned the gesture.

“Ginko. I’ll give ya some of my pork cutlet, so gimme some of ’at stew?”

“No.”

Shutting him down hard like denying a Bishop Exchange, Big Sis finished off the tongue stew by herself and even licked the bowl clean for good measure.

–––Why is Ginko so defiant?

Master’s reaction also had me confused.

Even at six years old, I could tell that Master was being a lot more lenient with her than necessary. It was to the point that he was taken by her Shogi talent couldn’t explain it.

“Mgh …… Food ain’t enough to get her to open up. Difficult child, this one ……”

I can still remember Master wincing as he opened his wallet at the cashier. I was sure that Big Sis was never going to bond with him back then, like the way a stray cat will never let you pet it no matter how much you feed it.

But it wouldn’t take long for Master and I to realize how wrong we were.

“Live-in apprentices? It has a nostalgic ring to it,” said the man who Big Sis and I would come to call the Principal, Mr. Mine, as he bent down to our height to give us some encouraging words. “Ginko, Yaichi, you’re so lucky to be learning from a great Master like Kiyotaki-sensei. I just know you’re going to be very strong one day!”

The news was a surprise to everyone, but they welcomed us with open arms. The only reason why Master didn’t get the lolicon treatment like I did back when I took Ai Hinatsuru here for the first time has to be because Master had a daughter. There’s no other explanation.

“Welp, long as we’re here, might as well drop by the Player’s Room.”

The Player’s Room is separated from the office by a single wall.

But that single wall …… was like a barrier separating two different worlds.

“Ever’body, got a minute?” Master called out to all the Sub League members playing practice matches and lining up match records in the room. “These two here are my apprentices. My first apprentice, Ginko Sora, and my second, Yaichi Kuzuryu. Raisin’ ’em both as live-in apprentices. Train ’em up good, ya hear?”

“Train them up ……? Those toddlers?”

“The classroom downstairs’ll be enough for them.”

The Player’s Room had just been remodeled, so everything was clean and new. However, the rough and gritty classic Kansai atmosphere was still alive and well.

“Seriously? You’re living with them? I didn’t know you liked kids so much, Kiyotaki-sensei.”

“Got that much time on your hands now ’cause you got demoted?”

Some veteran Sub League members were that blunt and didn’t even bother to stop their matches.

It was scary, sure …… But more of a shock, actually.

Pro players were treated like gods back in the mountains where I was from, but here they were the butt of jokes.

Even before I could ask why, I understood the answer.

It was all because a certain pro walked in.

“You took apprentices, Mr. Kiyotaki? They might be worth training up after all.”

“Ohhh …… Mr. Oishi. Strange seein’ ya here when ya don’t have a match.”

“My little girl said she wanted to come, so I brought her. She’s downstairs playing in the classroom, but …… That reminds me, Mr. Kiyotaki. Word is that he’s been in and out of yours recently–––.”

This person wearing a suit jacket, I knew his face very well because I’d seen it many times in magazines and on TV.

–––Th-The …… Worldly Maestro!!

For me, this was bigger than meeting a famous actor. My mind went blank.

Mitsuru Oishi 8-dan.

The atmosphere in the Player’s Room did a total 180 once the young leader of the Ranging Rook Party and Kansai ace showed up.

It was blatant, so blatant I could hardly believe it.

“Oishi-sensei! Can I ask you for a practice match?!”

“What’s your opinion on this formation?!”

The Worldly Maestro, who had just taken Master’s A placement, was only 30 years old at the time.

As the leading practitioner of the latest strategy, Gokigen Central Rook, everyone was in awe of the sheer beauty Mr. Oishi could create on a Shogi board. The number of Ranging Rook Party members in the Kansai Sub League skyrocketed because of him.

The next few years would be the peak of Ranging Rook popularity in the Shogi world as a whole.

Goki Central wasn’t the only new strategy. New, unique ideas appeared on the scene in quick succession and transformed this year into the only one that players on defense had a higher winning percentage.

Side Pawn Capture 8 Five Rook.

And Move-Loss Bishop Exchange.

This caused a Shogi revolution, wrenching control from the older generation of Static Rook Players, especially orthodox ones who played yagura strategies like Master.

The one exception was an all-rounder: the Meijin. He threw himself headfirst into the fray and worked closely with the younger generation to absorb their Shogi senses and made them his own.

The thing is, only gods can pull that off ……

I’m pretty sure that Master had lost 10 straight matches to Mr. Oishi at that point.

The victory star was pretty much the Maestro’s for the taking.

I was just a kid but …… I felt the difference in the Sub League members’ reactions when Master walked into the Player’s Room versus when Mr. Oishi came in.

That, and I was completely taken by the Worldly Maestro’s aura …… I knew he was cooler than Master the second I saw him ……

But not Ginko Sora.

Big Sis trotted her way up to the Worldly Maestro, a man several times taller than herself, and said without the slightest hint of respect, “You, Oishi?”

No sensei, no Mr.

It was like the whole room froze over. Even the practice matches stopped, the continuous snapping of pieces suddenly gone …… But Big Sis wasn’t done.

“Stop being mean to my Master!! Ranging Rook players should all just disappear!!”

“G-Ginko! What’re ya …… Watch yer mouth!!”

Master was so stunned he turned blue in the face.

The Maestro forced a grin. I had no idea what had just happened, so all I could do was watch Big Sis look as intimidating as a baby anteater standing on her hind legs as she stared down Mr. Oishi.

“Heh …… Loyal, aren’t you? That’s how live-in apprentices should be.”

Mr. Oishi put his knee to the floor so he could speak to Big Sis eye to eye.

“Ginko …… was it? Do you not like Ranging Rook?”

“Hate it.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s for cowards.”

“Ouch, that was a little harsh.”

For amateurs like Big Sis and I in those days, Ranging Rook was an outdated style that meant denying a Bishop Exchange and hiding your King behind as many pieces as possible. It was defensive Shogi that relied on counterattacks. Just tricks with ambushes.

But it was just the opposite in the pros.

Actually, it was Ranging Rook that opened their Bishop Path first at this time years ago because that’s how they kept the Static Rook anaguma strategy under control.

You could say that Goki Central and Ishida-style were at the forefront of Manly Ranging Rook.

I’m sure Mr. Oishi wanted to give her a piece of his mind that day, but he let it slide with a grin and turned to talk to me.

“So, kid, where are you from?”

“F-Fukui! I’m Yaichi Kuzuryu! I’m six years old!”

“That makes you in the same grade as my little girl.”

Mr. Oishi’s daughter Asuka is a quiet but capable girl who works at the public bath that their family owns and operates beneath their apartment. Her boobs are the stuff of dreams.

“You are new here in Osaka, right Yaichi? My girl’s shy, with a thick shell, you see. Why don’t you and Ginko drop by for a visit sometime? We’ve got huge baths.”

“Yes! I will!”

“That’s what I like to hear. You can ask her out on a date if you want.”

“Yes! I will!”

I was just so nervous at the time that I didn’t hear every word he said and just reflexively said “yes.” Next thing I knew, the whole room was roaring with laughter.

“Easy there, kid. Telling a father you’re going to date his daughter is fighting words.”

“Huh?! Ah …… S-Sorry ……?”

“Sure looks like Yaichi’ll be one heck of a skirt chaser when he grows up. You better keep a good eye on him, Ginko, or you’re in for some hard times.”

Finally, the tension disappeared from the Player’s Room.

We were on our way home from the association.

The air was chilly with an autumn breeze, but Master was still wiping sweat from his brow as he lectured Big Sis in a stern voice.

“Ya listen here, Ginko. Now that yer a live-in apprentice, ya gotta live by the Shogi world’s rules, ya hear? Bow yar head and say hello to other players and Shogi staff! Be polite! Players are to be called sensei! Call your Master and Shogi family line by name! ’At’s the bare minimum. I’ll kick ya out if ya don’t follow the rules.”

“Yes, Master! Understood.”

“A textbook response?! Ah, boy …… Can’t trust it ……”

Master’s shoulders slumped.

After seeing the major trouble Big Sis stirred up on her very first trip to the association, he might’ve lost confidence in his ability to raise her. I certainly couldn’t keep her under control ……

After a long sigh, Master said, “…… But thank ya. I swear I’ll get back into A …… and be the Meijin.”

I think he really was happy.

Happy that Big Sis took his side in the Player’s Room when no one else would.

But more than that …… He was happy that she called him Master for the first time.

That’s why he bought us treats on the way home.

Ice cream for Big Sis and chewing gum for me …… But I gave half of it to Big Sis to get her out of the bad mood she was in after meeting Mr. Oishi. Like a tribute.

Mountains of shiitake mushrooms.

“Yaichi. Do you have any favorite foods?”

“Curry!”

“Anything you don’t like?”

“Shiitake mushrooms ……”

“Okay. Thank you!”

Keika, still in her first year of high school and wearing an apron over her school’s blazer-style uniform, started humming to herself as she set to work in the kitchen.

She was always so nice to me from the moment we met: pretty, and the older sister that I, who only has brothers, had always dreamed of. And those huge boobs.

That’s why I thought she was going to take the shiitake mushrooms out for me, but …… I was very, very wrong.

“…………?!”

Words failed me as I looked out over the piles of mushrooms cooked up in every way possible for dinner that night.

Keika looked apologetic, but Master said very plainly, “Sorry about this. But, father said …… Competitors can’t succeed if they’re dealin’ with weaknesses. There is no need to start likin’ ’em, but we’re gonna eat mushrooms every day ’til ya can eat ’em without makin’ that face. Buckle up, kiddo.”

This wasn’t an original training strategy that Master came up with, but a traditional teaching method that pretty much every live-in apprentice in the Shogi world had to deal with.

The never run away mindset, even from food I didn’t like, was drilled into my head each and every day from the beginning.

As I plugged my nose and did my best to get the mushrooms past my tongue as quickly as possible, I couldn’t believe my eyes watching Big Sis slather sauce onto her mushrooms and eat them like it was no big deal.

“…… What food don’t ya like, Ginko?”

“None.”

Ginko Sora’s goal, first and foremost, was to defeat Kousuke Kiyotaki, the one who had given her a humiliating loss.

Now that the first stage of her plan for revenge, infiltrating the Kiyotaki household, was complete, her next move seemed to be reducing his fighting strength. She never complained about the food no matter what.

Though Big Sis did have a weakness–––.

“I spent all that time in the kitchen cooking for you, but you can’t even taste it through all that sauce, can you?”

“…………”

My very first day, I noticed that the only time Big Sis’s face ever showed any hint of emotion was when Keika lectured her like that.

Big Sis and Keika never seemed to get along in those days …… They needed about three years to grow closer than actual sisters.

“What do you think, dad? Would it be a good idea to have Yaichi go in with Ginko?”

“Yeah. Ah, but join ’em today, would ya, Keika? Somebody’s gotta teach him how to use the shower.”

“Yes, I think so, too.”

Huh? …… Say what?!

“Yaichi, I’ll be joining you today, all right?”

“?! S- ……… Sure!”

And that’s how I ended up bathing with Keika on my very first night!

I know I’ve brought it up several times now, but she had just started high school at that point.

It’s just that six-year-old me saw her as a genuine grown-up and, even thinking about it now, she was mature for her age. I mean, Big Sis has started her first year of high school and she’s still smooth down there ……

Anyway, seeing Keika that night was too much for me to handle.

Which is why I stayed in the corner of the tub with my eyes shut tight …… That is, until Keika was finished washing Big Sis and kindly said, “Come on over here, Yaichi. I’ll wash your hair.”

“U-Umm …… I-I can do that myself–––.”

“Don’t be shy. It’s all right …… See?”

I was a little kid, but it was still really embarrassing and part of me felt like I was about to cross a line that should never be crossed–––.

M-Master told me to! This isn’t my fault!

I convinced myself to go over there and ended up letting Keika wash me from head to toe. Of course, I had my eyes closed the whole time.

“There we are. Squeaky clean.”

“Th- …… thank … you ……”

“Now, Yaichi. It’s your turn to wash me, okay?”

“?!”

The one getting washed can keep their eyes closed, but the one doing the washing has to look.

She handed me a sudsy sponge …… And I cautiously opened my eyes.

“Umm …… Uhhmmmm ……”

I love boobs.

But …… Big, wet ones glistening with bubbly soap, I love even more!

“Well? Do you think you’ll be okay just you and Ginko starting tomorrow?”

“I-I ……………… I’m not too sure ……”

That was the first lie I ever told after joining the Kiyotaki Shogi family.

“You’re not? Okay, the three of us can bathe together tomorrow, too!”

Keika, being the nice person she is, bathed with us the next night as well.

I felt so guilty about it after a few days, though, I told her, “I’m fine on my own now!”

That being said, bedtime was 9 o’clock sharp.

“’Cause amateur and Sub League matches never last late into the night. Early to bed, early to rise for Shogi. Live by those words. There’ll be plenty ’o chances to stay up late when yer a pro.”

Everything in this household revolved around Shogi. There was a reason for every part of our daily routine, and it was all for one goal: get stronger at Shogi.

Except, falling asleep was really hard after a night of hard-fought matches.

Especially on the days I lost.

On those days, Big Sis would come over to my futon and read her favorite picture books and fairy tales to me.

“I’ll read you a story.”

For a four-year-old, Big Sis could read tons of Chinese characters.

I never heard all the details, but apparently Big Sis was such a weak kid that she’d spent most of her life in the hospital and always had her nose in a book when she was there.

Six-year-old me, on the other hand, only knew the Chinese characters written on Shogi pieces, numbers that show up in match records and the ones I needed to write my name. If you take away all the characters in my name that aren’t connected with Shogi—Ya ichi Ku zu ryu—you’re only left with zu meaning head. It was my one and only character outside of Shogi.

Big Sis and I often read a book called Elmer and the Dragon.

It’s a story about a boy named Elmer who rescues a baby dragon and they go on adventures together. The dragon still can’t fly very well.

It’s part of a series called My Father’s Dragon, but Ginko seemed to like this one the most and read it a lot.

“You see Elmer? He likes oranges. But the Dragon doesn’t like oranges.”

“Huh? Then what does he eat?”

“Orange peels.”

“The peel ……”

This story taught me many things like the beauty of friendship that spans species, the importance of supporting one another and how to go with your gut ……

Those magazines were just stacks of paper to me because I could barely remember the hiragana and katakana alphabets used along with the Chinese characters to write Japanese. To Big Sis, however, they were treasure troves.

“I’m trying a Bishop Exchange strategy I read about, so you’re going second all day today, Yaichi.”

“Whaaa ……?”

“Close the Bishop Path and I’ll cut off your head.”

It’s only human to want to use a strategy you just read about in a book. The same way a martial artist wants to try out a new secret technique they just learned ……

Master saw what was happening and said, “That’s human experimentin’ right there.”

And he was right. I was a test subject.

Just a pitiful guinea pig. I had no rights. Because, well, I was an animal.

Big Sis tested standards and sequences she learned from books on me the same way the neighborhood bully would test out wrestling techniques he saw on TV on an unlucky kid. There were times she made me start playing from a certain formation. I couldn’t refuse. Because, well (see above).

Of course, I lost more times than I can count.

Just loss after loss after loss, followed by another loss. I couldn’t win at all.

I’d been treated like a boy prodigy in my hometown, so not being able to win a single match against a girl two years younger than me was more of an identity crisis than actual pain.

Simply put, what ended up happening was–––.

“Ginko is the prodigy. We’re totally different.”

I figured that out early on. I was losing, so it was obvious.

But Shogi wasn’t the only thing. Not only did she read so much more than I could despite being two years younger, the fact that she had this pristine beauty about her played a big part as well.

Basically, I started revering her like someone from a higher plane.

As a country boy from Fukui, that perfectness blew my mind.

I wanted to be something special to Ginko Sora, even if it was just as her pet.

I don’t need you anymore.

The thought of hearing those words scared me more than anything.

Which is why I, in desperation, committed myself solely to being useful to Big Sis.

I took every single one of the strategies she tried on me head on, desperate to come up with a counterstrategy that wasn’t in any of the books she’d read.

I wasn’t allowed to avoid the strategy altogether. But I also wasn’t allowed to lose the way the book said it would happen.

I have to be more useful to her than the books or magazines!

I had to become Big Sis’s Dragon.

These early childhood experiences were a huge factor in my power-based playing style that mixes in an unorthodox “bend but don’t break” style of defense.

Off-the-board tactics.

Some were innocent enough, like holding taken pieces in her hand so I couldn’t see them or humming songs to distract me, but others–––.

Quietly knock the right Lance to the piece stand and use it later.

While reaching across the board to deploy a piece in the opponent’s territory, move a piece in your own territory while your arm is blocking their view.

There are tons of cheats like those.

It may sound childish like this, but even adults get fooled by them when they’re done at lightning speed.

You would get found out right away using them in league matches because it would be obvious on the match record, but anything goes if there’s no evidence. Shogi’s first rule is to let the opponent admit defeat. The proof disappears as soon as the pieces are put away.

On a side note, Ai Yashajin lost the first Queen Title Match against Big Sis after accidentally knocking her Lance onto her piece stand with the sleeve of her kimono. Big Sis has done this same thing many times on purpose, so of course she recognized it and set Ai up to deploy the piece and break the rule. To her, it was like taking candy from a baby.

At first, Big Sis secretly refined her cheating craft against the old geezers who often dropped by Master’s classroom.

Then, in matches where something was on the line ––– usually chores or snacks ––– she used them against me.

“Ah! Ginko …… That last match, you cheated, didn’t you?!”

“Hm? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Daaang it! If that’s how you’re going to do it, two can play at that game!!”

I wasn’t about to just take it lying down, so I thought of all sorts of things. Then, Big Sis would come up with new ways to cheat that outdid mine.

I don’t mean to brag, but our sleight-of-hand skills got faster and faster every day. Even now, at the pro level, I’ve never seen anyone pull off a cheat as quickly as we could back then.

Master saw all this happening, but never said a word.

When it comes to Shogi techniques and perfecting new skills, you have no choice but to do it yourself.

If Master taught us all the ins and outs, we might have gotten stronger at the time, but it would’ve held us back in the long run.

You can never be the strongest if you’re always learning from someone else.

That’s why Master held back what he wanted to say and watched as we found our own ways to get stronger, even if they were cheats and off-the-board tactics.

However, there is a limit to everything. Big Sis and I became way too proficient in our cheating techniques.

Master had seen enough, so he brought Big Sis and I to a workshop that made boards deep in the mountains of Nara and told us about the Shogi gods.

“Gods?”

“’At’s right. If the Shogi gods got somethin’ against ya, ya ain’t never gonna turn pro. Certainly never be the Meijin.”

The smell of trees permeated the air and there were logs, thicker than I could believe even existed, piled up in well-organized stacks. It was a tranquil, almost mystic place.

Hearing about the Shogi gods in those majestic surroundings, I believed in them straightaway.

Even though the strange girl swinging around a plastic toy sword while yelling wiener and tally whacker at the top of her lungs ruined the mood ……

“The gods hate cheatin’ and off-the-board tactics. ’At’s why it’s better not to use ’em.”

“No. It’s your fault if you get tricked,” I believed, but Big Sis stubbornly refused.

“If there are gods, why don’t cheaters get punished?”

“The fight lasts forever. Can ya keep cheatin’ forever? Yer better off buildin’ up yar skills the ol’ fashioned way. It’d be faster, too.”

“Just do both. Get stronger at Shogi and better at cheats.”

“That ain’t possible.”

“Why?”

“Ginko. Wanna play me right here? Then ya’ll know why.”

“……?”

“I won’t use pieces. Ya can play however ya want, Ginko. Cheat if ya wish, or play fair ’n square if ya wanna.”

–––That’s right! No cheats will work on a mental Shogi board ……

While Master’s revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, I didn’t think he’d be able to play at full strength while playing blind.

Big Sis had her foldable Shogi board with her, as always, and they lined up the pieces. Master took away his Rook and Bishop to give her a two-piece handicap.

Big Sis lost. It wasn’t even close.

“Wh-Why ……? I won before ……!”

“Ya don’t get any stronger when ya cheat ’cause ya get so focused on what’s happenin’ off the board ’at ya can’t focus ’n what’s happenin’ on it. Not readin’ the board makes yar Shogi skill level drop. Obvious, no?”

“Ah ……”

“A match ’r ten won’t make much difference. But after 100, after 1,000 matches, anybody could see the difference.”

I thought he hit the nail right on the head.

Even I could tell that my Shogi felt a little strange once I started using off-the-board tactics. It didn’t matter how much I won because I wasn’t getting any stronger ……

“If it’s just this one match that ya gotta win, anythin’ goes. Cheatin’ is logical if it guarantees ya’ll get the win. But, ya know? We pros spend our whole lives fightin’. In that kinda world, stayin’ still’s the same as goin’ backward,” Master said as he put his hands on our heads.

It almost sounded like he was saying it more to himself.

“That man who’s stronger than anyone else fights fair and square against unfamiliar opponents so that the Shogi gods’ll love him more than anyone else. It’s heroes like him ’at become champions.”

“………… There are no gods.”

Big Sis didn’t believe in the gods all the way to the end, but …… Master’s words must’ve reached her heart because she stopped cheating after that.

She and I were starting to figure out that Shogi wasn’t just a simple board game.

It wasn’t just fun, but went much, much deeper.

My eyes snap open with the sound of Big Sis’s voice in my ear.

“Hm ……?”

“Your alarm.”

“Ahh …… Sorry. It’s almost time to get off.”

I take out my smartphone and turn off the alarm.

We’ve arrived at a town in Fukui Prefecture known for having lots of hot springs.

The train stations in this area are literally named after one hot spring or another because that’s all that’s out here. We’re at one of them now.

It’s so late at night that we’re practically the only ones getting off the train.

Someone calls out to us just a few steps through the turnstile at the gate.

“I’ve come to meet you at Mr. Tsukimitsu’s request. Please, have a seat.”

The man gestures toward a rather expensive-looking car. Big Sis and I get in the back seat and the man takes us on a 15-minute drive to a specific hot spring inn.

Rather than turning in the main driveway, the car instead takes a small road around the back of the facility.

“I’m taking you to a private wing of our inn. It’s not connected to the main building, so you need not worry about having to interact with any other guests.”

“So …… We’re isolated?”

“Yes. Feel free to use the room for as long as you like, just the two of you.”

We’re planning on leaving first thing in the morning but hearing that does take some of the pressure off. I’m worried about Big Sis’s health, so it’s nice to know we can take it slow.

“Will you be dining tonight?”

“Umm …… Big Sis?”

“No.”

Instantaneous. Well, now’s not the time ……

“Then, no thank you.”

“Understood, sir. Simple dishes and snacks can be prepared at any time, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.”

Leading us inside the building and to the room where we’ll be staying, there are already futons laid out on the floor.

Side by side, in the same room.

“You see the problem with this, right?!”

I point at the futons and protest.

“Wh-Wh-Why in the world are there two futons?!”

“My apologies, sir. Would one futon have been more appropriate?”

“Just the opposite! I don’t know what you’ve been told, but this person and I, um …… Please put us in separate rooms! I’m fine with sleeping in the hallway!!”

Our guide drops his voice low enough so that only I can hear his explanation.

“Mr. Tsukimitsu was very insistent that the both of you stay in the same room. He was particularly adamant that your guest never be left by herself.”

“…… Can’t argue with that.”

Yeah. He’s right.

It’s too dangerous for Big Sis to be alone right now. That’s what’s going on. But, isn’t it also dangerous for me to be sleeping in the same room?

“…………”

Big Sis certainly doesn’t seem to mind, because the second I glance over at her she’s already plopped down on a futon.

Rather than her usual sharp but emotionless expression, her face looks so feeble that she’d collapse with a single touch …… Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh.

“I shall excuse myself. Please enjoy yourselves.”

Leaving behind words that could be taken more than one way, our guide exits the room. Hang on a sec, don’t these people normally say, “Enjoy your stay”? And did he really have to turn the lights down to set the mood when he left?

Anyway, it’s just us in the room now.

“…………”

Oh, boy.

Being left alone with Big Sis when she’s this close to the edge is downright scary.

It has happened once before, but she still had a sense of who she was back then …… There’s something scary about Big Sis as she is now. Vulnerable and cute. Now that’s terrifying in a different way.

Being careful to make sure that the air in here doesn’t get awkward, I do everything I can to keep my eyes off her and look out the window. “I wonder what’s outside ……,” I muse to myself when ……, “………… Huh? Haven’t we been here before?”

This room …… No, it’s the garden I remember from somewhere.

It wasn’t one of my title matches.

Long before that …… A memory from my time as a live-in apprentice.

“During Master’s first Meijin Title Match …… The fourth match was here! That sure takes me back!”

Master was a challenger for the Meijin title two years in a row.

His opponent then was–––.

“It was when Chairman Tsukimitsu was the Meijin! So, that’s why ……”

“Hmm. If you say so, Yaichi.”

“You don’t remember?!”

“Not really. I was five, wasn’t I?”

“It was right before you turned six …… and before my eighth birthday. It ended that quickly because Master got swept in four straight losses.”

Master reclaimed his A ranking the same year that we became his apprentices, and he rode that momentum the next season to eight wins with only one loss. That punched his ticket to the Meijin Title Match, which he’d always dreamed of playing in.

The Kiyotaki household was a zoo.

Mountains of congratulatory letters and presents for Master arrived almost every day and his Shogi classroom was suddenly overrun with students.

What will happen if he becomes the Meijin?!

As a kid, I remember thinking something big is going on and trembling with excitement. If Master became the Meijin, that would make us the Meijin’s apprentices.

But …… the excitement didn’t last long.

That Meijin Title Match series began in April but was over before the end of May.

The fifth match was scheduled to be in Osaka, so all of us were planning to go watch the match together. Unfortunately, Master had pretty much already lost at the time of the sealing move on day one of the fourth match. I was really looking forward to seeing Master play in Osaka, so I can still remember how disappointed I was when I saw it happen on TV.

I was sad to know that Master was about to lose, but …… He had promised to bring us to the Player’s Room where we could analyze the match with the pros and let us come inside the arena for a few minutes. Knowing that that wouldn’t happen anymore was a very hard pill to swallow. On the other hand, this was all part of competition so there was nothing I could do about it and, as a live-in apprentice, I felt it was my duty to believe Master could win until the very end. That believing in and waiting for him was my job.

But Big Sis didn’t.

“Yaichi. Let’s go.”

“Huh? Going where?”

“The arena. Master promised to let us in.”

“Whaaat?! B-But, that was for the fifth match!! We can’t just show up!”

“Master is going to lose like this. There won’t be a match in Osaka.”

“How can you be so mean?!”

“Are you coming or not?”

“Ummm ………… I’ll go!”

That was how Big Sis and my first big adventure started.

The second day of the match was a weekday, so we pretended that we were going to school but instead got on a train for Fukui.

I honestly don’t remember how we got through all those train changes and arrived safely, but I think my being from there and having basic knowledge of the trains was vital. Seriously, it was nothing short of a miracle now that I think back on it.

It was already evening when we got to the arena.

Though this was our first time ever at a title match and we could’ve been kicked out if any of the staff found us.

“…… Now what do we do, Ginko?”

“Find Master. He promised.”

Big Sis avoided the main entrance and circled around the grounds and found a way into the garden.

That’s right.

Amazingly, we stumbled upon the arena window, of all things, after wandering into the garden …… And we crawled in through that window as if the Shogi board in the middle of the room was drawing us in like a magnet!

“Yaichi. There’s a Shogi board in there.”

“You’re right! …… But there’s nobody around.”

“The window …… It’s unlocked.”

“Say what?! You’re not going inside, are you?! You can’t do that, Ginko! That’s breaking and entering!”

“You want to see the board, don’t you?”

“……………… Yeah.”

Why do we play Shogi? Because there’s a board. Seeing a Shogi puzzle makes us want to solve it, and we get an urge to analyze formations we’ve never seen before. That’s what makes us Shogi players.

It was the evening of the second day in the Meijin Title Match. Players and staff were having a short break for an evening snack.

That’s exactly when we happened to sneak into the empty room, sit down on our ankles on the players’ floor cushions and peer over the board–––.

“…… It was this room that we snuck into. Do you really not remember? Did you forget what happened next? The brain isn’t built to just forget things like that.”

“There was no Internet coverage back then, so no one would have seen us anyway. What’s the big deal?”

“Yes, yes. There wasn’t any Internet coverage.” I nod a few times before saying, “But there was national satellite coverage, remember?!”

In those days, the second day of Meijin Title Matches was still broadcast during the early evening hours on live TV. It was extremely popular, and many people tuned in because there was a good chance they would see the deciding move.

While cameras were allowed inside the arena, having technicians or cameramen in there during the match wasn’t permitted because it might distract players. The solution was to put the cameras on a timer so they would turn on automatically at the start of a broadcast.

The image that camera captured and sent up to a satellite and then beamed to every corner of Japan that night wasn’t of the players contemplating their next move, but of two kids leaning over the Shogi board.

It was an incident captured on live television. A major incident.

“Who the hell are those kids?!”

“Did hotel guests wander into the arena?!”

“WHAT?! They’re Kiyotaki’s apprentices?!”

The breakroom was in an uproar. People were saying things like, “The challenger sent in his apprentices to alter the board so he wouldn’t lose,” among other things, which meant Master would forfeit due to rule violations, but just then …

The one who silenced the commotion with only a few words …… was the other player.

The blind Shogi prodigy simply said with a slight grin, “I didn’t see anything, but did something happen?”

Seiichi Tsukimitsu-Meijin saying that made everything else irrelevant.

The association treated it as if Big Sis and I were never there and the Shogi world avoided a scandal altogether. The truly lucky thing about it is that neither of us were in the Sub League or Practice League at the time.

But–––.

“………… He realized it was us after all. Tsukimitsu-Meijin.”

I say his name with the same mixture of awe and respect that I had that day.

The current Meijin is the best player who ever lived, so Chairman Tsukimitsu’s brilliance gets overshadowed. I have no idea how great the people who receive the Citizen’s Award are.

But for me, Tsukimitsu-sensei is just as great.

He’s the Meijin who Master challenged for the title and the player I’ve idolized my whole life ……

Only thing was that Master was furious at us.

“’At’s it. We’re done. Ya both ’r gone! Outta the family!!”

Even though the formation we saw on the board was just Master setting the scene for an honorable defeat and had no impact on the outcome whatsoever, that didn’t change the fact that we entered the arena without permission during the Meijin Title Match.

It was Master’s first ever title match, and for the title that he’d always wanted and finally had a chance to take after decades of hard work. Now that it had slipped through his fingers, he was so angry and depressed that he ended up with a fever and stayed an extra night to recover.

Big Sis and I, on the other hand, were forcefully sent back to Osaka.

A Sub League 3-dan who was in charge of moving the pieces for big board analysis during the match took us …… Big Sis and I tore into each other in front of him the whole time.

“Master got mad at us because you said we should go to the arena, Ginko.”

“No. We only got caught because you were so slow, Yaichi.”

“This is your fault!”

“No, it’s yours!”

We were still fighting all the way onto the train, but that 3-dan found a way to calm us down.

“Easy there. How about analyzing yesterday’s match with me?”

Big Sis got out the magnetic Shogi board she always had with her, and he was nice enough to explain exactly what happened from the first move.

Listening to his analysis …… Big Sis and I stayed quiet, holding onto his every word as our minds got absorbed into the board.

That tiny portable Shogi board suddenly felt huge, like we were staring at a place as deep and vast as outer space.

–––One Shogi match has this many possibilities ……?!

The train ride up felt like ages, but the way home was over in the blink of an eye.

Once we got to Osaka station, it was the 3-dan’s turn to be surprised when he saw Big Sis and I hold hands coming off the train.

“…… You can hold hands after a big fight like that?”

We really would be kicked out this time if we didn’t hold hands.

I explained that to him, but he still looked confused and told us, “Hmm. You two should just get married.”

“No, we won’t!!” we yelled back at him at the same time, still holding hands.

He laughed at us.

Just before saying goodbye, I worked up the courage to ask, “Would you …… teach us Shogi again?”

“Of course I will! Come find me in the Player’s Room any time.”

It was thanks to him that our presence in the scary Player’s Room was accepted by other players. He taught us so much and became the guiding light who opened our eyes to more of the world of Shogi than we knew existed.

I didn’t know that that Sub League member’s name was Hiuma Kagamizu 3-dan until after Master felt well enough to make the trip back to Osaka.

I’ve overtaken that tall, gentle person and turned pro before him.

And Big Sis is set to face him as an opponent.

If knowing that Mr. Kagamizu will be forced out of the Sub League if he doesn’t make it through the 3-dan division this season is what’s pushing Big Sis so close to the brink ……

Maybe it would’ve been better not to have met him at all?

No matter how much my exhausted brain mulls it over, I don’t have a clue.

“Big Sis.”

“What?”

“Take a bath and let’s get some sleep.”

I slip off my yukata robe and slide right into the bath, from the tip of my right big toe up to my neck all at once, without testing the temperature.

“Ngaahh …………!”

The water is so hot it almost hurts, making me wince. Seems like Yaichi didn’t adjust the temperature at all when he was in here before me …… He likes it really hot for some reason, and we used to argue about it a lot back when we would bathe together, didn’t we ……?

–––But, it’s fine.

I already took a shower at my research room, so this bath isn’t to cleanse my body.

It’s to vent all the pain.

Everyone has their own way of clearing their mind after a loss, and mine is usually getting in the bath and slamming my fists into the water until I’ve had enough.

When I was a little girl I punched a wall in frustration once and hurt my right hand. Ever since then, I’ve made sure to punch things that don’t hurt me no matter how hard I hit them.

And …… tears get washed away in here.

“………… I hate this ……”

Letting the words come, I hit the water with all my might.

“This pain … I hate it! I hate it!”

Splash! Splash splash!

Sweat starts pouring down my cheeks. It’s almost like the pain is leaking out of me. Every drop that leaves my body takes a bit of weight off my shoulders. Just a tiny bit.

The moment I lost–––the moment I played a bad move at the very last possible second to lose my third match in a row, I seriously wanted to cut off my hand.

That must be what people call having blood drain from your body. My right hand wouldn’t stop trembling and I had to surrender rather than play the next move.

Once I did …… the first thing I noticed was how other people around me reacted.

“Well, Ginko Sora’s out of the running now, too.”

“She can hold out, but she always ends up choking in the end.”

“You get a bonus chance playing against her, even after you’ve lost.”

Of course, no one actually said these things to me.

I just simply would have made those judgments if I were in their shoes …… The pain and humiliation were tearing me apart.

I refused to do a review session, left the association straightaway without taking an umbrella and went right into Yaichi’s apartment …… Then I grabbed hold of a knife as if my muscles were convulsing.

–––I meant to die right then and there.

That’s not a lie. Just thinking about the moment I lost makes me want to stick as many knives into my body as I can fit.

But, now that some time has passed, that intense urge has faded.

I’m left with–––.

“……………… How embarrassing ……!”

This time, I kick with my legs as hard as I can.

Now, for a whole different reason …… I want to die ……!

“Just where is Yaichi taking me anyway?! And he got the chairman to reserve this place for us? That’ll just get even more people involved! How am I supposed to go back to Osaka now?! A single night is one thing, but people will start making assumptions if it gets out that the two of us spent multiple nights together …… What excuse is he going to come up with?!”

I sink into the water until it’s just under my mouth while yelling at the top of my lungs.

My shouts send bubbles across the surface of the water.

…… I’m aware of what I did.

I realize that my selfish demands put my younger brother apprentice between a rock and a hard place.

Back when Yaichi lost three straight matches during his title defense against the Meijin, he holed up in his room. But our reactions are completely different.

Yaichi tried to sever all other relationships so he could focus solely on Shogi.

I, however, ran away from it …… and clung to Yaichi instead.

Going for that knife was an obvious cry for attention. I knew that he was busy with work and taking care of his apprentices along with having his own matches to prepare for, but I still went straight for his apartment ……

“If I keep doing this ………… I’ll become the kind of woman everyone hates ……”

Asking which is more important: me or Shogi?! That kind of woman.

I swore to myself that I would never, under any circumstances, become that person … and yet here I am.

“I’m striving to get where I’ve always wanted be, but …… the harder I try, the further away it gets ……”

It didn’t used to be like this.

It’s truly pathetic for me, only 15 years old, to be harking back to my glory days, but I used to be stronger. Back then, I never thought I’d lose to Yaichi, let alone think that I would ever fall this far behind him.

But …… there is one thing I thought was even less likely.

That I would ever feel this much for him–––.

“………… I think I’ll take another shower ……”

I step out of the bath, wash myself much more thoroughly than before and then put the robe I left lying on the floor back on.

Then, loosening the sash just a bit …… a tiny little bit, I go back into the room.

Yaichi is out like a light. Sleeping like normal.

“………… Asleep already, stupid Yaichi ………… You have to keep an eye on me, remember? Idiot ……”

Angry at myself for being the only one getting my hopes up, and embarrassed about my fluttering heart …… I reach out and pinch the idiot’s nose closed.

“Fungh?! Oh …… Gah …… Agh? ………… Zzz.”

“………… Tsk.”

Dead to the world.

Feeling empty, I drift away from the futon and over to the window to let the cool air wash over my burning cheeks.

I glance out over the garden from there.

The garden Yaichi said we snuck into when we were little.

“………… Of course, I remember. Obviously ……”

Does that mean that Yaichi remembers everything? Like the day we met, too?

I had only just turned four so, honestly, I’ve forgotten quite a bit.

However, the first match of Shogi we ever played …… and my opinion of him, I remember like it was yesterday.

From the first moment, Yaichi was–––.

That was my impression of him on first sight, and nothing more.

After playing against him myself, I was certain of it. I dominated the whole match. Strangely, he seemed happy that he lost. And he kept calling me a ghost.

“Pretty weak in the head, too.”

I thought he was a poor kid.

My body was weak, and I had been called a poor girl my whole life. That’s why I hated being called poor.

I only stopped being called a poor girl …… after I happened to be introduced to a certain game.

I say apparently …… because I don’t remember much from that far back.

However I do remember exactly who taught me how to play.

“Ginko. Let’s play a new game today.”

Dr. Akashi had always been in charge of taking care of me.

Born with a frail body, I’d spent almost all my life in the hospital. But I never felt lonely. Dr. Akashi was always so kind and other children were with me in the hospital every single day.

We were strictly forbidden from doing anything strenuous.

So we spent our days doing one of two things: reading books by ourselves or playing a game with someone.

Except games got boring very quickly. The first few times were fun, but I lost interest after figuring out that luck had a big part in determining the winner.

Then, around the time when I was only reading books on my own, Dr. Akashi brought that game to me.

“This game here is called Shogi.”

“Shogi?”

“That’s right. It’s a game for two people. So let’s play.”

He took a portable magnetic Shogi board out of the pocket of his white lab coat and unfolded it on my bed. Then Dr. Akashi showed me each of the small pieces and explained what they did.

“This one here is the King. Lose it, and you lose the game. This piece is called the Rook and that one is the Bishop. This is a Gold and that one’s a–––.”

“Silver?”

“Oh! Yes, that’s right. I’m impressed, Ginko.”

It had the same Chinese character as my name written on it: gin.

I liked Shogi right away.

Because, after all, no other game had a piece with my name in it.

I became taken with it. The rules were so simple, and yet I could never figure it out completely no matter how hard I tried. There was almost no luck involved. I’d never seen a game like that before.

“Mommy. Buy me a Shogi book.”

My mother went to the bookstore and bought what she said was their bestseller. The man on the cover had glasses and a permanent case of bed head.

It was too complicated for me to understand at the time, but seeing me read it seemed to send Dr. Akashi on a trip down memory lane.

“Oh! That’s a good book you have there, Ginko. It was written by a god.”

“A god?”

“That’s right. For people who play Shogi, like me, that man is a god among men.”

Dr. Akashi was too busy to play with me very often, but he always let me win when we did and he taught me new strategies.

“Ranging …… Rook?”

“That’s right. The Rook ranges around the board, sliding left and right. That’s why it’s called Ranging Rook,” he said, sliding his Rook back and forth and sounding like he was enjoying himself.

“My best friend is extremely good at using Ranging Rook. His worldliness on a Shogi board is beautiful. Each move is so vivid, you can’t even tell that your defenses are falling apart ……”

“Worldliness?”

“How can I explain it? …… He wins before you know it, almost like casting a magic spell. I can’t do half the things he does, but I can show you what it looks like.”

That day Dr. Akashi played differently than he usually did, and it was the first time he didn’t let me win.

From that day on, I hated Ranging Rook with a passion.

I’d become the strongest in the hospital.

Part of it was that I’d gotten stronger, but …… all the poor kids who were stronger than me weren’t at the hospital anymore.

Even so, I was never bored. Opponents were easy to find over the Internet.

Then one day a man came to the hospital.

“Ohh …… This kiddo here?”

“Yes, Sensei. While she is already extremely intelligent compared to other children her age, I’m certain that she’s a prodigy when it comes to Shogi. She could probably hold her own in the Women’s League as it is now and surpass it soon enough.”

The person who Dr. Akashi referred to as sensei was the one who would soon become my Master.

Though, honestly, I thought he looked like a pathetic old man.

“Ginko. This man here is a Shogi sensei, a very high-ranking one, too. He’s much, much stronger than I am.”

“I wouldn’t say ’at, Mr. Akashi. I lost more than half the matches at our practice sessions, yeah?”

“That was back when you were 4-dan or 5-dan, Sensei. I wouldn’t stand a chance against an A-ranking professional.”

“Got demoted after the one season, though ……,” the pathetic old man said with sorrow in his eyes.

Totally pathetic. Probably weak.

“What’ll it be? 6-piece handicap for her?”

“No. Just take out your Rook.”

“Rook?! That ain’t fair to her, no matter how ya look at it! Ain’t she four?”

“It’s fine. Please, don’t take it easy on her.”

The pathetic old man seemed conflicted as he took the Rook off his side of the board.

“All right, Ginko. First move’s mine, ’kay?”

Huh? We’re starting, just like this?

I’d never played in a handicapped match before. Dr. Akashi taught me how to play on an even field and matches over the Internet are always even. I thought I could beat any adult I played against and never questioned it.

But I lost. Horribly.

“…… I-I don’ believe it ……”

That pathetic old man won, but he didn’t look happy at all. If I had to call the look on his face anything, I’d call it shock.

“This girl, she’s been livin’ here in the hospital her whole life, yeah? Ya may’ve been teachin’ her, Mr. Akashi, but gettin’ this strong with these surroundin’s is just ……”

“I believe she has an extraordinary talent, the kind that only appears once in a generation. What’s more, her body has shown steady progress since she started playing Shogi. I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Shogi is making her stronger, that’s the only way I can explain what’s happening.”

“Yeah …… There’s an air ’bout her that most kids ain’t got. Her concentration durin’ a match, it’s incredible. I was plannin’ on lettin’ her win, but ended up gettin’ serious ……”

The two adults were excitedly chatting between themselves, but I was too angry to listen.

I couldn’t believe I’d lost. I couldn’t accept it.

The first time I walked outside by myself, the first time I bought a ticket and rode a train, the first time I asked someone for directions and the first time I went to the pathetic old man’s: Kousuke Kiyotaki 8-dan’s classroom, the Noda Shogi Center, all on my own.

Master was so stunned to see me walk in, I thought his jaw was dislocated.

“G-Ginko?! What’re ya doin’ here?!”

“I looked on the Internet … and, came on my own.”

“That’s not what I …… Mr. Akashi ain’t with ya? Huuuh? Yer seriously here all by yar lonesome?!”

“To get revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Shogi. This time, I will win.”

“Ah! Don’t tell me …… Ya want revenge for the other day?! Now ’at’s tenacity right there ……”

It became a big incident.

I heard that by the time Dr. Akashi and a nurse got there by ambulance, I was playing against Master while standing on my knees in a chair. I was focused on the match, so I couldn’t care less about insignificant details and don’t remember any of them. But I remember how the match played out.

I got yelled at and told to never leave the hospital on my own again, but I didn’t listen and went back.

Losing at Shogi without getting a rematch was worse than getting yelled at.

“Ginko. You’re well enough to leave the hospital. Would you like to go home?”

I wasn’t happy at all when Dr. Akashi said that.

Home was boring.

What’s worse, my parents always looked at me like a poor girl and said things like sorry and always seemed sad ……

“Not home. I want to stay here.”

“Not your parent’s house, Ginko. From now on, you’ll get to live at a place you love. Where you can play Shogi all you want … that house.”

There? Then, yes! I’ll go! I haven’t had my revenge yet.

That’s how I, like the other children, left the hospital. Dr. Akashi gave me the magnetic board he always carried in his pocket as a present.

I would never be called a poor kid again.

“Ginko, this boy here is yar little brother apprentice, Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

Little brother?

“Age don’ matter in the Shogi world. First apprentice is older. Was only by two weeks, but Ginko came to the house first, meanin’ Ginko is the older sister and Yaichi the younger brother.”

Even with Master’s explanation, I couldn’t accept it. Besides, when did I become his apprentice? We’re enemies.

And, this little brother of mine seemed to come from deep in the mountains.

“My grandpa grew this rice on a mountain close to home!”

“Mountain? …… You can grow rice on mountains?”

“You sure can, Keika. My house is surrounded by mountains …… What was it called again? Grandpa grew this rice on something-something field, but ……”

The first time the four of us ate together, we had rice that he brought from his hometown. Master never accepted money from his parents, so they often sent us boxes of food …… And the first rice I ever ate from one those boxes was in a world of its own.

On a side note, all the food I had outside the hospital was delicious beyond words.

Hospital food is bland. The fact that I could use as much sauce I wanted made me so happy, though it made Keika angry at me …… But, even now, I can’t stop myself from slathering it on.

“My father works in an office and my big brother says, no way am I becoming a farmer! all the time, so grandpa wants me to be a farmer if I’m not a Shogi pro. He told me to work the fields if I don’t turn pro.”

“In ’at case, ya can just do both. Placement matches and plantin’ season don’t overlap, and when it’s time to harvest …… Now ’at I think ’bout it, ya never told me what ya wanna do after high school, Keika. How ’bout helpin’ Yaichi?”

“Interesting. If I get to eat rice this delicious every day, then being Yaichi’s bride doesn’t sound too bad.”

Keika kindly played along with Master’s stupid joke.

“Yaichi. Would you marry me when you grow up?”

“Sure!! I want to get married with you, Keika! And you know!? Guess what!! Grandpa’s rice paddy doesn’t just make good rice! What’s even more amazing–––.”

Loose pieces of rice flinging from his mouth, he was so happy that he didn’t realize Keika wasn’t being serious. That struck a nerve.

“Grandpa says it all the time: Propose at this paddy and she’ll never say no! So I’ll take you to grandpa’s rice paddy and make you my bride!”

Huh? Proposing in a muddy rice field?

That would never work. She’d drop dead on the spot.

“He’s …… an idiot. A weak idiot.”

After living with him for a few days, I was sure of it.

He only ever acted serious when looking at Keika’s breasts. Otherwise, he was off in his own little world. And had runny noses sometimes.

On top of that, he couldn’t read despite being two years older than me. That’s why I could tear through him like tissue paper on the board whenever I tried a new strategy I read about in a book.

Rather than get sad when he lost, he’d act like nothing happened and just line up the pieces again. I would beat him again and again, winning until I was too tired to play. The idiot didn’t know when to give up.

I hate idiots with a passion. I hate stubbornness, too.

As annoying as it was, I was apparently physically weaker than most people … which was why I had to make the most out of every moment my limited stamina would hold out.

Normally, I wouldn’t waste time with idiots.

But, strangely …… Being with him didn’t bother me that much.

Maybe it was because he was the first person I met who was below me.

Someone weaker at Shogi and lower on the social hierarchy. Someone weaker than myself. A kid poorer than I.

That’s why I felt like: I have to toughen him up! It’s up to me to protect him!

Surprisingly enough …… I rather enjoyed it.

In the early months, Master would often take me to the hospital for checkups and Dr. Akashi would play Shogi with me. Some days, Dr. Akashi would come to see me at Master’s house, but those visits grew few and far between.

The air became much brighter in the house once Keika and I grew close, and we would all play Shogi with each other once she became my little sister apprentice after joining the Practice League.

Thinking back on it now, that was the most peaceful time at the Kiyotaki house.

The world the four of us had built was comforting …… and I thought it would never end.

That was almost three years after becoming an apprentice.

For Yaichi, who was planning to join the Sub League, becoming the Elementary Meijin would give him a distinct advantage. So I did what I could to train him.

Then he became the champion the first time he entered the tournament.

For me he was still the same wet-behind-the-ears little brother he had always been though. I had a chance to watch his matches from the semifinals onward because they were done at a TV studio in Tokyo, but he played at a higher level at home against me.

What truly shocked me was how the outside world viewed him after he won.

“There’s a Shogi wizkid in Osaka!”

“The future Meijin: Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

“The first eight-year-old Elementary Meijin in history! Training to become a professional in junior high!”

The TV news and the newspapers all talked about him just like that. And the school had a big ceremony for him. Until that point, he’d been referred to as an unlucky kid who was his older sister apprentice’s punching bag. However, the narrative transformed into: he was a prodigy all along, and everyone was jumping on the bandwagon.

But the one who changed the most …… was Yaichi himself.

Winning went to his head.

“Ginko! Ginko! I came up with how I’m going to write my autograph, so I’ll give you the first one!”

“Why? I don’t want it.”

“Are you suuure? I won’t give you one when it’s worth a lot of money.”

Want your head on a pike?

The incident that really got under my skin happened right before his Sub League Entrance Exam …… on a hot summer day just before summer vacation started.

“Whoa. What’s that potted plant you have there, Ginko?”

“A morning glory.”

“You grew it at school? Oh, that’s right. Today was the closing ceremony …… I’ve been in the Sub League for so long that my sense of seasons is starting to slip.”

I set down the morning glory that had grown longer than I was tall in the corner along with my backpack and started playing 10-second Shogi with Mr. Kagamizu right away.

I tended to miss a lot of days, but I enjoyed going to elementary school when I was there.

Yaichi and I went to the same one, so we would hold hands on the way there and play Shogi during recess. Plenty of rumors spread once other kids found out we lived together despite having different last names, but I couldn’t have cared less.

But we went home at different times, so it became my routine to come to the Player’s Room at the association on my own and play 10-second Shogi against the Sub League members.

Once Yaichi and Keika arrived, the three of us would go down to the classroom to play Shogi before going home together.

That particular day was just like that …… or at least it should have been.

“…………… He’s late.”

The whole school had early dismissal because of the semester-ending ceremony, but Yaichi still hadn’t shown up at the association.

“Maybe he’s downstairs playing against somebody in the classroom? Think about it, he’s famous now that he’s the Elementary Meijin. Someone came from far away to play against him just the other day …… And he said something about friends coming over during summer vacation.”

“…… That’s news to me.”

“Hm?! I-I see …… Maybe he wanted to surprise you?”

Mr. Kagamizu’s half-hearted attempt to distract me was suspicious, so I put the pieces away and went down to the second floor.

Looking around the classroom …… I found him.

An idiot sitting between a redhead and a black-haired girl with a dumb smile on his face.

“Heh! Just as good as I thought you were …… That defense you got there is pretty screwy, like usual! What kind of training makes you come up with those weird moves that actually work?”

Red had her arm wrapped around Yaichi’s shoulder, goofing around like boys usually do.

Red talked like a boy and had a chest to match, but I could tell she was a girl. Upon closer inspection, she was blushing. Her red hair made her stand out, sure, but her cheeks and the nape of her neck were nearly the same shade. Seriously, what the heck? Focus on Shogi.

The other girl was being even more brazen.

“Ahh, Yaichi, your Shogi is such a marvel to behold♡ I just love watching your Shogi, Yaichi♡♡♡”

Black was making far more contact with Yaichi than necessary as she spoke. If you’re playing Shogi, all you need to touch is the pieces, not the people around you. It was beyond me. Impure. Unsanitary. Unpleasant.

Yaichi must not have been used to being sandwiched between two girls talking him up and suddenly got out of his chair.

“I-I’m …… gonna hit the john!”

What a chicken. If you’re going to lose your nerve, don’t bother flirting with girls in the first place.

What’s worse, he called the restroom a john. Trying out a bad-boy persona ……?

I tracked him down outside the classroom to get answers.

“Yaichi.”

“Ah, Ginko. When did you get here?”

“Those two. Who are they?”

“J-Just friends I made in Tokyo during the Elementary Meijin Tournament ……”

“I thought you went there to play serious matches, but you were picking up girls? Do I have to impale your head?”

“It’s not like that! The girl with black hair is Machi Kugui from Kyoto and the one with red hair is Ryou Tsukiyomizaka. He …… no, she came all the way down from Tokyo today. School up there finished yesterday, so Ryou is staying at Machi’s and they’re going to play at classrooms all over Kansai. They invited me to join them, but–––.”

“Going out with girls right before your Sub League Entrance Exam? You sure are confident.”

“W-We’re not going out! They came this far just to play against me and …… They’re both very strong, so it’s good practice! Why don’t you try playing against them?”

“Huh? Why would I?”

I immediately rejected the idea.

“More importantly, do you have time to be playing around with girls?”

“I didn’t think Ryou was a girl, okay ……? She had jeans on last time ……”

“…………”

Yaichi… muttering excuse after excuse. It was quite a shock to me.

–––Yaichi was never a back talking little brother before ……

It seemed like those two wenches tricked him into thinking he’s a bad boy. It was my job as his older sister to set him straight. Now, how to do it?

I devised a plan.

“I almost forgot, Keika said she wanted to talk with you. It sounded like something important. She might want to ask you out ……”

“Huh?! For real?!”

“I’ll let those two know, so why don’t you go home before you miss your chance?”

“I will! Thanks, Ginko!”

The idiot left.

I took Yaichi’s place in the classroom and set the plan in motion.

“Hey. Want to play Shogi?”

Sitting across from Red and Black, I made my demands loud and clear.

“Never come here again if I win.”

“Aghhh?”

Rudely sitting on the table, Red looked over her shoulder, glared at me and said to Black, “Get a load of her, Machi. What’s small fry’s problem? And what’s with that hair? A wig? Some kinda cosplay?”

“Ginko Sora …… are you not?”

Black seemed to know who I was, and I watched her eyes become serious as she grinned ever so slightly.

Red looked back and forth between us a few times and asked, “You know her?”

“Only witnessed her several times in classrooms around Kansai, this one included. We have never played, though I do not know if that was fortunate or not …… By the by, she also happens to be Kiyotaki-sensei’s live-in apprentice, the elder sister apprentice of Yaichi.”

“Hmph. But she’s a puny runt.” Peering down at me as threateningly as possible, Red said, “You. What year are you? Still in kindy?”

“First grade.”

“Pwfff! First grade? But you’re Yaichi’s older sister apprentice? Ghahahahahahaha! That’s hilarious! The guy is full of surprises!”

Red laughs with her mouth wide open, calling him the guy and Yaichi as if they’d known each other forever. She was almost acting like they were a special item.

That angered me beyond words.

–––I’ll end her.

My mind was set. That was the moment Ryuo Tsukiyomizaka was carved into my Beyond Forgiveness List and she’s still there. Probably will be until one of us dies. On a side note, the first name on that list was Kousuke Kiyotaki, and still is.

“Word has it this poor girl suffers from a weak constitution,” said Black with pity in her eyes.

Completely unaware she had violated the taboo.

“Her tournament appearances are few and far between, and even the ones where she became champion, she ultimately handed the advancement ticket to the player she defeated in the finals. Standard procedure for her, as I understand.”

“So that’s why I’ve never heard of her. Meh ……”

“Rumors say that she plays with the boys upstairs without accepting handicaps.”

“That’s not a rumor. It’s true,” I told her, since there was no reason to deny it.

“Hah! I don’t know if you’re trying to pull something or to get me to feel sorry for you, but that ain’t gonna work on me.”

Red snorts through her nose.

“Getting to play here in Kansai is my big chance. I want to find opponents who’ll give me a challenge, got it? I’m not gonna play patty-cake with some first grader.”

“There is …… one other rumor.”

“Oh? And what would that be, Machi?”

“Are you familiar with g@yb?”

“Isn’t that ……?!”

“An account name from the Shogi Club 24 competitive scene, one well known for speed and strength. With inhuman reflexes and early-game skill worthy of professionals, that account has toppled highly decorated amateurs and Sub League members alike …… There are many who claim it belongs to a certain Meijin, but their typing style in chat, their habit of logging out as soon as the match ends and only playing during daylight hours has led many to believe the account could belong to a child.”

“So, you’re saying …… it’s hers?”

Red’s expression shifts to one I hadn’t seen thus far, something resembling a demon.

“…… But … can you prove it?”

“The keyboard input style. Should the board be switched to kana mode, what do you think the keys g, @, y, and b would spell out?”

Red sat silently as she tried to figure it out, but Black gave the answer first.

“Ginko … as it were.”

“……………………”

More silence.

Then Red pulled out a chair, got off the table and properly sat down to face me.

“Fine by me. Who plays first?”

“You’re both weaker than Yaichi, correct?”

I reached out wide to grab the two nearest piece boxes and flipped them over onto the boards.

Pinching both Kings between my fingers, I said, “I’ll play you both at the same time. I’ll even let you play me without a handicap.”

“………… You thinkin’ you can do an instructional match with me and Machi at the same time ……? We placed at the Elementary Meijin Tournament, you know ……! A runt like you thinkin’ she can school a girl headed through the Practice League on her way to becoming a Women’s League player like me ……?”

“Yes. Oh, and you can have the first move, too.”

“Listen, brat. Keep this up …… and you’re gonna get crushed.”

Red flashed her jagged teeth and I said, “I’ll put your head on a pike.”

Our battle began.

On my right was Ryou Tsukiyomizaka, breathing fire as her offensive barreled toward me.

On my left was Machi Kugui, meticulously building up her formation against an opponent four years her junior.

–––Black will be a pain. In which case ……

The trick to playing multiple matches at once is, though counterintuitive, not to play multiple matches at once.

Basically, take down one opponent at a time.

Trying to do both at the same time will make your readings shallow no matter what, and you are bound to overlook the simplest things when you’re trying to keep track of more than one board.

Which is why I went for a strategy called Yagura 9 One formation, which requires a long sequence to set up against Black’s defensive opening.

If it’s just following the standard sequence, I could do it with my eyes closed. A change could happen along the way, but I planned on buying time until that happened.

That allowed me to focus on Red, against whom I used the high-speed Shogi I’d been practicing on the third floor just a little bit ago.

“Hah! Making no-time moves against the great Ryou Tsukiyomizaka? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that!!”

Just as I thought, a simple taunt was enough to get her to play just as fast.

But, compared to the 10-second Shogi I was used to playing against Sub League members, an elementary schooler’s quick attack was full of holes.

I shut down her offensive before it got to me and forced her onto defense. Piece of cake.

“That’s one down.”

“Brat ……!! H-How could a brat …… stop my attack … mine ……?!” said Red in disbelief as she stared at the board with her eyes wide. “I …… I went easy on you ’cuz you’re a puny brat! I’m gonna be in the Women’s League in no time, so why would I even try against an amateur girl like you?! Th-That wasn’t even half of what I can do, and I don’t care about that stupid trash or this crummy shack called the Kansai Association! You couldn’t pay me to come back here, so don’t even try, stupid moron!”

Red messes up the board, swiping away the formations with snot and tears pouring off her face. After slamming a piece she had in her hand down onto the board for good measure, Red then stormed out of the classroom. I won.

“…… Good grief. Is she intending to forfeit future matches that happen to be scheduled in Kansai?”

Black grins to herself as she watches Red go out the door.

I had no intention of forcing her to keep that promise.

Hurt them bad enough, and even wild dogs will be too scared to come back for a while. I just did the same thing.

“Now it’s your turn. Just as you wanted, I’ll use my full strength to crush you.”

I shifted my chair over a little bit to face Black from directly across the board.

“Double yagura only happens when both players want it to happen. I know you wanted to face me one-on-one.”

“9 One formation favors the offense. I had no reason to refuse.”

From her voice, expression and playing style, it was impossible to tell what she was really thinking.

There was a bewitching timbre to her voice …… So, I ignored everything but the sensation in my fingertips once the battle got underway.

Yet, just before I could, Black pried her way into my head.

“May I make a request before the battle begins in earnest?”

“…… What?”

“As my practice groups convene here at the Kansai Association, I cannot jeopardize my ability to come and go as necessary. Therefore, I would like for you to amend the penalty should I lose our match.”

“No. Too late.”

“Please, I beg of you. Oh, yes! If an acceptable substitute does not come to mind, you may decide once the match is over.”

It was as if she were allowing me to play rock-paper-scissors on a delay.

I liked that condition. That was the trap.

“…………… In that case …”

“Then it’s settled. Now–––.”

The snap of a piece that bordered on an explosion was our opening bell.

Rather than finish the Yagura 9 One formation standard sequence, Black added a bizarre twist at the very end.

“?! Why change there ……?!”

Black was absolutely right about the established theory of offense having an advantage in the 9 One formation. That theory would later be overturned by software, but …… humanity didn’t know that yet.

Startled, I made a mistake on my next move.

–––Rats! I got distracted coming up with the new punishment after I won and messed up ……

No one can win a match if they’re thinking about what will happen when it’s over.

No matter how much I cursed my naivety, it was too late now.

“Te-he-he.”

Displaying the competitive skill of being able to throw off an opponent by simply playing a move that she herself didn’t know was good or bad, Black strung together a series of extremely strong moves.

–––Heavy ……!

Machi Kugui’s piece snaps were high-pitched and very deliberate.

There was a great deal of intention behind every single move she made.

Fighting spirit. Intimidating aura.

No …… There was more to it than that.

This was devotion.

Tenacity. Begrudging. Passionate. Behind her aloofness, there was a terrifying unknown to Machi Kugui’s Shogi. It was the first time I had ever been truly frightened of an opponent.

And this was the day I learned fear could interfere with fingertips.

–––I couldn’t reach for the pieces! Why ……?!

It was as if the fear was slowly taking hold of my neck, strangling me little by little. I glanced up at her …… Black was glaring down at me as she whispered, “Your torment is at hand.”

As if her sleek black hair were closing in on me from all directions, Machi Kugui slowly but surely cornered my King.

–––Play normally and I’ll be overpowered ……

In that case …!!

I stopped playing by the rules.

Unleashing the off-the-board tactics that I had kept sealed away, I used eye contact and piece snaps to make Black see ghosts.

I timed the piece snaps to interfere with her breathing, making her brain work twice as hard on less oxygen. It’s a technique that even makes 3-dan ranking members of the Sub League panic.

“Kg-ahh ……! Ha …… Haahaa! C-Can’t bre- ……?!”

Black … gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, I was setting a trap for her on the board. A one-move, instantaneous kill trap.

–––Drop dead!! I mentally screamed with all my might as I placed a major piece in a spot where it could be taken for free.

She takes it, she dies.

If she doesn’t take it, then she’ll win.

So long as she doesn’t trust my ability, she’ll take it. At that point, it was more a game of wits than a Shogi match. I’d gotten a good idea about her personality through our match thus far and from her way of speaking, so I primed my trap.

And Black fell right into it.

Realizing what she had done with the piece still pinched between her fingers above the board, Black began to tremble to the point where I thought she would drop it.

“!! …………… Haaaa––––––––……”

She leaned back, taking a deep breath as she stared at the ceiling. Then, after only hearing my next move, she bowed so low that her forehead almost hit the board and she surrendered.

“Unfortunately, I have no moves remaining.”

…… Even thinking back on it now, I’ve always felt threatened by her. I hate her, too.

From a rich family, friendly, highly intelligent, has a way with words, highly cultured, large bust, loved by everyone …… Extremely endowed bust. As far as I’m concerned, all large-breasted women except for Keika can just drop dead …… Die …… Go extinct ……

“You are remarkably strong, Ginko! O-Ryou and I could match up against you for a lifetime and never hold our own. Why, you may be even stronger than the Tsubasa Gakumeki who is already in the Sub League.”

Her black hair was now stuck to her forehead with sweat. Machi Kugui pulled it back behind her ear with her left hand and smiled once again.

Complimenting an opponent after being defeated by a one-move instant kill trap … I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Aren’t …… you sad?”

“I dream of one day becoming a journalist! Please, allow me to cover your exploits, Ginko♪”

“Journalist ……?”

It was bizarre for someone who joined the Practice League and trained as hard as they could to even think of becoming something other than a Shogi player.

“What about you, Ginko? If you never become part of the Practice League or the Sub League, what would you do with your future?”

“Me?”

I was blindsided.

What would I become?

I thought things would always stay the way they were. I wanted it that way.

“I ………… want to become strong.”

That was the answer I came up with.

“Gender has nothing to do with it. I never want to lose to anyone, older or younger than me. Since Yaichi is the Elementary Meijin and he’s weaker than me, that makes me the strongest elementary school student in the world.”

“I wonder. For I know of at least one elementary school student stronger than yourself, Ginko.”

“Who?”

“Yaichi Kuzuryu.”

“Huh? Weren’t you listening? I just told you that I’m stronger than–––.”

“In the early game, yes. However, as far as the mid- and late-game are concerned, Yaichi is far stronger.”

“……!”

I felt guilty about resorting to the off-the-board tactics I’d sworn off, but what Black said made it impossible for me to mount a logical counterargument.

“I am a type of player similar to yourself, Ginko, so I understand all too well. Filling your mind with early-game knowledge is akin to starting a 100-meter dash from the 50-meter mark. You may win, but you won’t grow stronger that way.”

“…………”

“On the other hand, Yaichi begins 50 meters behind the starting line and has a unique stride. His growth borders on diabolical. In an era dominated by Yagura 9 One formations, he may be unable to tap his full potential. However, should a new Shogi era dawn, a generational prodigy like Yaichi will surely be the one to set it in motion. Seeing that with my own eyes, following every step Yaichi’s Shogi takes is my–––.”

“…… Hey.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I got this unpleasant girl’s attention as she blabbered away as if she were enjoying the sound of her own voice and made my declaration. I issued her punishment.

“Never call him Yaichi again.”

Especially Machi Kugui, who happened to be in the Practice League for one year alongside Keika (though she passed her up in no time at all to become a Women’s League member), and they apparently had practice sessions at Master’s classroom because I saw her every now and then …… Though I never allowed her into the main house.

There were also a surprising number of girls who flocked to Yaichi just because he was the Elementary Meijin, but that idiot was so stupid that all I had to say was Keika is calling you and he’d go.

I thoroughly convinced all those girls after that. Not with words, but with Shogi.

Now is a very important stage in Yaichi’s training. He doesn’t have the time to be fooling around with the likes of you …… It’s the older sister apprentice’s duty to make sure her younger brother apprentice has the right environment to grow in.

However, none of them were a big deal.

It was a different, overwhelming entity that threatened to destroy the world that I had come to know.

The existence of Shogi Martians.

“Ah, welcome! C’mon inside an’ make yerself at home!”

“No, I shall decline. Standing up again requires more energy than it’s worth once I sit down.”

The woman Master was talking to at the front door was the most vibrantly dressed Shogi player I had ever seen.

Rina Shakando—Women’s Quadruple Title.

The undisputed ruler of Women’s Shogi, she held all four women’s titles, excluding the newly introduced Queen. She was on her way to Kyushu to defend her Women’s King title and had stopped off in Osaka.

With a young boy at her side.

“Never thought ol’ Rina’d take an apprentice.”

“Likewise, Kousuke. It was quite a shock, learning that you had taken not one, but two live-in apprentices at once. Many in Kanto believe you have lost your mind.”

“Didn’ they always say I had a screw loose?”

“He-he. Indeed, they did ……”

I watched the three of them by myself from the top of the stairs. Keika and Yaichi were out shopping, if I remember correctly.

“Sure was a bold move, takin’ a boy as yar apprentice right off the bat. People here in Kansai would call it interestin’ and leave it at that, but didn’ the stone-headed ol’ guard in Kanto give ya trouble?”

“It came down to my Master’s will before he passed. His last desire was for one of the Ashigara Shogi family line to possess the title of Meijin …… However, I was the sole descendent to make a lasting mark on the world. I used what little influence I wield as a Women’s Shogi player to take a male apprentice. Even went as far as having regulations be rewritten.”

“I remember Ashigara-sensei in his final years takin’ any kid he thought looked promisin’ …… But, not one of ‘em turned pro. He was so desperate to find good ones ’at he forgot to raise the ones he had. So much talent got squandered ’cause of him ……”

“He was a benevolent teacher. He took me as a live-in apprentice simply because my disabled leg would make transportation a burden and raised me alongside his own daughters. There was only one way I could possibly repay his kindness.”

“I’d say yer already doin’ ’at, bein’ the player ya are today, Rina! What made him so fixed on gettin’ Meijin?”

“It could not be helped. For those of that generation, the mantle of Meijin was worth sacrificing the careers of all others to obtain. If they could not do it themselves, it was up to their apprentice. If not their apprentice, then the apprentices thereafter. Even from beyond, their conviction has been passed down to the living, binding generations of Masters and apprentices throughout the Shogi world to this day.”

“’At may be true, but ……”

“At any rate, that is why I have struck off on my own in Kanto to start my own family line. Circumstances being as they are, getting sibling apprentices for this child will prove difficult …… I would like for him to bond with yours.”

“That’d be great! My Yaichi could use the extra push ’at comes from havin’ a rival in his own generation, even if they ain’t in Kansai. Come over fer trainin’ whenever ya like.”

Master thumped his chest and greeted the apparent Sub League member with a hearty smile.

The boy listened to the adults’ conversation without saying a word, though he stood tall as he could in the doorway in front of Ms. Shakando, as if he were protecting the woman who used a cane to stand.

–––Almost like a knight would do for his Queen in a picture book.

I’ve held that image of those two for a very long time. Not because of how they dress or act, but because that’s who they are at heart.

“I must be off, or else miss the inspection.”

“Oh, before ya go, Rina! My daughter …… Would ya be willin’ to meet Keika? Ya did one instructional match for her back when she was a young’un. Ya remember her?”

“But of course. Has she remained in the Shogi world?”

“Left it for a while, but now she’s back. Joined the Kansai Practice League after graduatin’ high school. Says she wants to join the Women’s League. I’m thinkin’ an instructional match from ya’d be the kind of spark she needs to really get goin’.”

“…… I decline.”

“Rina …… Ya may be thinkin’ my daughter ain’t takin’ it seriously, but she’s working so very hard––– .”

“No. It is not her commitment.”

Ms. Shakando shook her head from side to side and explained her reasoning.

“Yet another women’s title shall be introduced in the near future. This Women’s Throne League is set to follow the same format as the Queen, in that all women, including those in the Sub League, may participate.”

“Even Sub League members ……”

“As a title holder, I have devoted myself to expanding Women’s Shogi and getting more women involved. At the same time, however, I have begun to feel that one who can surpass me at this juncture will not appear …… History’s first female professional Shogi player to be precise.”

It was the first time I remember specifically hearing that.

“Female …… professional player ……?”

Before I knew it, I was rolling those words around my mouth.

I knew that women could join the Sub League. But none of them had ever made it into the professional ranks. That’s why, strange as it was, I never thought of a woman as being part of professional Shogi.

Therefore, I’d never thought of trying to become a professional Shogi player myself because it was simply unrealistic. My reasoning, along with the rest of the Shogi world, was that women weren’t talented enough to make it through the Sub League.

… With the exception of one person–––Rina Shakando.

“Plenty of children want to become Women’s League players out of admiration for me, and here I believe the Women’s League system itself need not exist …… I simply cannot endure that paradox.”

“…………”

Master couldn’t say anything else after that.

Back from her shopping trip, Keika was ecstatic to see Ms. Shakando’s apprentice now alone with Master and I at the house.

The boy nervously answered her.

“I’m …… Ayumu Kannabe.”

It may be hard to believe nowadays, but Ayumu …… Kannabe-sensei wore normal clothes back then.

In other words, he was an average handsome boy.

“Thank you for having me. My mother made this fried tofu for you.”

“Thank you! What an angel you are!! You can stay here as long as you like, okay? You could even join our Shogi family if you want, Ayumu. Oh, I’ll join you in the bath to make sure you know how to use it.”

…… I think Keika has a soft spot for handsome young boys.

“We’ll be keepin’ Ayumu here until Shakando-Quadruple Title’s defense match in Miyazaki finishes up. ’Til then, we treat him just like a live-in apprentice, ya hear?”

“In that case, should we find out his favorite and least-favorite foods?”

Ayumu: on the brink of undergoing the Kiyotaki household’s baptism of fire.

That’s when Yaichi showed up, bouncing off the walls like an excited puppy.

“Ayumu, Ayumu! C’mon! Let’s play Shogi already!”

“Haven’t we been playing online every day?”

“Yeah, but, isn’t the real thing so much better? It’ll be just like we got matched up in the 3-dan division.”

“Actually, I would like to learn as much as I can from Kiyotaki-sensei,” said Ayumu, looking up at Master with eyes sparkling in admiration.

“Master gave me direct orders to experience Kiyotaki-sensei’s yagura firsthand … that he who conquers the yagura conquers the world ……”

“Is that right? ’At’s Shakando-Quadruple Title for ya. She knows what’s what.”

“It’s obvious that your Meijin Title Match against Tsukimitsu-Meijin, nicknamed the Yagura Series, directly resulted in the yagura’s returned to relevance. Players in Kanto are once again researching what the yagura can do.”

“Hm? That so? Heh-heh-heh …… Ayumu, ya got a bright future ahead ’o ya. Tell ya what, I’ll make an exception and show ya my own latest research.”

“It would be an honor!”

Seeing Master get talked up by Ayumu was far from entertaining and I let something slip under my breath.

“…… Even though he got swept by the Meijin?”

“G-Ginko! We all heard that!” Yaichi blurted out.

“It’s true.”

“Yes! That’s why you can’t say it!!”

“………… No dinner for the both of ya tonight.”

Master, angered by the truth.

Then Keika casually leaned in to talk to Ayumu.

“Sure is noisy around here, isn’t it? I hope it won’t bother you.”

“Not in the least. My sister at home is quite young.”

Master then sat down to teach the finer details of yagura formations while Keika was busy cooking dinner.

He gave us all an instructional match at once. Sitting in a row with Ayumu in the center, Yaichi started whispering in his ear.

“All the members of the Kiyotaki Shogi family have pants with wrinkles above the knee on the same side as their dominant hand. Can you guess why?”

“……?”

“We always hold onto our right knees to keep us from playing carelessly and think harder!”

“That’s …… so cool ……!”

Trembling with excitement, Ayumu bunched up the fabric around his knee and then squeezed it with all his might.

Now that was entertaining. I decided to join in on the fun.

“Kiyotakis also have to give new strategies names like finishing moves and yell them during matches.”

“So cool ……!!”

“Hey!! Ginko, don’t lie to him like that!”

Yaichi, desperately trying to correct me, and Ayumu, trembling even harder than before. I felt like I’d found an interesting new toy. The fact that it was my little brother’s friend only made it that much better.

Honest, vulnerable and took things at his own pace.

That was my first impression of the boy named Ayumu Kannabe. Looking at it the other way, that also means I didn’t think he possessed much talent at all.

Now it was time for just the kids to play Shogi.

“There’s three of us, so let’s pretend it’s a league match!” Yaichi suggested.

“I’m going to be the match recorder for Tsukimitsu-Meijin’s match against the Amateur Meijin coming up, so I wanna practice. You two do a match and I’ll record!”

And so, I was set to play against Ayumu.

Of course, it was our first time.

“I am ready to play when you are.”

“…… Ready.”

We were both given one hour of waiting time so that Yaichi could get used to using a stopwatch. In essence, it was a very professional match.

“Piece flip!”

It was already determined that Tsukimitsu-sensei would be playing without his Bishop, make the first move and sit in the upper seat for the upcoming exhibition match against the Amateur Meijin, but we already came this far so Yaichi did a piece flip for practice. By the way, I sat in the upper seat.

The piece flip gave Ayumu the first move. The sound his pieces made when he moved sent me this message.

“Double Yagura.”

“Of course.”

I met his challenge head on.

Master had instructed Ayumu how to use the noblest of all noble yagura styles, the 4 Six Silver – 3 Seven Knight formation, and he wasted no time in trying it out. He rhythmically lined up his Rook, his Bishop, a Silver and a Knight all in the third file. That formation has particularly good balance because it can be shifted into an anaguma fairly quickly.

The 9 One formation standard that I used against Machi is also based on the 4 Six Silver – 3 Seven Knight formation.

Ayumu went on to perfect this strategy and entered the Sub League before Yaichi. He was also in the 3-dan division and became professional before Yaichi.

He wasn’t a junior high school professional because he’s two years older than Yaichi, but he’s still a prodigy who made it through the 3-dan division a full year before Yaichi turned professional.

That is Ayumu Kannabe. The Future Meijin.

Even once he was in the professional ranks, he came up with his own variations on the yagura and that propelled him straight through the placement matches: his light something or other and lance what have you dragon killer or whatever it was.

However, at the time he first played against me–––.

“Kannabe-sensei, please begin one-minute Shogi.”

“Yes!”

“30 secondsss––– …… 40 secondsss––– ………… 50 secondsss, one, two, three ……”

Yaichi: counting down the seconds with the stopwatch firmly in his grasp.

…… I didn’t find out until later, but the Kanto and Kansai Sub Leagues apparently use a slightly different style to announce the time.

I’m not saying that confusion is the reason, but I was surprised how easily I won.

Since I still had thirty minutes of waiting time when Ayumu had to start playing one-minute Shogi, I suppose my victory was only natural.

“I have been defeated.”

After he had lined his lips with ChapStick, Ayumu lowered his head in an unmistakable bow as he announced his surrender.

–––I won …… but …

It wasn’t satisfying at all … which is why, rather than look back over the match to find the good or bad moves, I asked him this: “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“This match …… Why did you use your time like that? Wouldn’t it have been more efficient to get past the standard opening with as much time as possible for the late-game?”

“I wanted to try a sequence I came up with rather than go with what’s considered to be the best move.”

“Huh? It’s the standard. There’s no point thinking about it …… Besides, you had chances to hold out in the late-game and wait for me to make a mistake, didn’t you?”

“Such a victory has no value.”

“…… Are you saying defeating me isn’t a big deal?”

“No, more like ……”

Ayumu took a moment to think, searching for the right words and came up with this.

“It’d be winning against an opponent, but losing to Shogi. That’s meaningless.”

“?????”

It made no sense to me.

“Even if a god came up with the standard himself, I want to wear the clothes that I see fit. That’s what it comes down to.”

“A …… god?”

“That’s what he calls all the old Meijins. But, yeah, Tsukimitsu-sensei is the Meijin now!” said Yaichi, leaning over his just-completed match record on the boardside table and barged into our review session.

“Um, Ayumu. That new move you made: you were trying to open a path after Ginko changed from an 8 Five Pawn formation to a 9 Five Pawn formation on the 44th move, right?”

“That was my 6 Five Pawn. I made a slight mistake in the late-game, but I don’t think it’s bad per se. In this case, the opposite–––.”

In that instant, all sorts of numbers and board locations came effortlessly pouring out of Ayumu’s mouth while I still thought he was just some simpleminded boy.

–––Th-the match just now …… had that much hidden potential?!

I was well aware that standards change over time.

But Yaichi and Ayumu were taking standards that professionals developed, even ones that a Meijin who people called a god had written in books, and questioned every detail.

No, not just questioning. These two were–––.

–––These two …… are trying to make their own standards.

The transformations playing out in front of their eyes ran so deep, were so enormous …… I barely understood anything they said.

–––Just how deep can they read?

–––How are they reading so fast?

I fought off the urge to ask and quietly listened to their review session … to their exchange of numbers and pieces at breakneck speed.

I was desperate to find some way to refute everything.

To refute that these two were seeing things I couldn’t.

That there were people who came from a different planet and possessed a separate sense, an understanding of Shogi that I didn’t. That this boy sitting across from me wasn’t one of them. No matter how much proof of it I saw, I didn’t want to believe it…

… Believe in the existence of Shogi Martians.

Yaichi came back to the house with Master and he bounded right up to Keika like he was walking on air.

It wasn’t often that Yaichi looked this happy after he entered the Sub League.

Keika asked him what had happened, and–––.

“What?! You found a check path that Seiichi missed?”

“Keika. Yer in the Practice League. He’s to be called Tsukimitsu-sensei.”

“Ah …… I’m sorry. Master ……”

Tsukimitsu-sensei is the same age as Master, but also his older brother apprentice. They’ve been close for decades.

He also dropped by Master’s house from time to time, which is probably why Keika still thinks of him as more of a family friend and forgets to address him like she should.

“As they say in Go: bystanders see eight moves ahead. Match recorders ain’t got to deal with the pressure ’at players do. Don’t go thinkin’ that yer stronger than pros, ya hear?”

Master clasped Yaichi’s head with his big hand.

“But, yeah, it ain’t like anybody coulda found ’at check path.”

With that, Master ruffled his apprentice’s hair.

“Today’s match was an exhibition match between the Meijin and the Amateur Meijin, wasn’t it? With a Bishop handicap?”

“Yep! The one with, what was it? Mr. Yoru …… mata …… kami? And Tsukimitsu-Meijin! Mr. Yorumatakami thought he’d lost so he threw in the towel, but he actually had a 23-move check path that would’ve won it! Mr. Yorumatakami couldn’t believe it and said I was amazing!”

Yorumatakami? Is that even a real name? With those Chinese characters, pronouncing it as Yashajin would make more sense.

“He also said he wants me to take his daughter as my apprentice once I turn pro!”

“Well, well. Did you hear that, Ginko?” said Keika teasingly. So irritating. But I couldn’t take it out on her, so I kicked my younger brother apprentice in the back instead.

“Wh-What was that for?!”

“Shut up. Drop dead.”

Bash! Bash! What an easy back to kick.

Maybe she was feeling sorry for him, but Keika gave Yaichi even more praise.

“That’s just wonderful, Yaichi. Finding a check path that even Tsukimitsu-sensei overlooked—it must have really boosted your confidence.”

“Ummm …… I still can’t win at all in my Sub League matches ……”

Yaichi’s shoulders slumped and he looked like he was about to cry.

“Even practicing in the Player’s Room, I get treated like a punching bag. Everyone tells me things like You were better before you joined the Sub League and You’ll last another week, tops or ……”

Claiming the title of Elementary Meijin, a high-spirited Yaichi entered the Sub League at 6-kyu.

He thought he would climb the ranks in no time, and even I thought he would become 1-dan in the blink of an eye, so that might’ve put a bit of pressure on him.

But–––.

“Those regular activities, they’re nothing like playing 10-second Shogi in the Player’s Room …… There’s so much waiting time, everyone’s trying to kill each other …… Mr. Kagamizu is so scary on those days, I’m afraid to go near him ……”

Rather than climbing the ladder, Yaichi was facing the very real danger of dropping down a rank and was fighting tooth and nail to stay at 6-kyu. That’s why he came to dread Sub League regular activity days and his Shogi felt timid whenever I played against him.

–––All of you, quit picking on Yaichi! I won’t allow it!! I mentally screamed with righteous indignation as I repeatedly kicked my younger brother apprentice’s back.

However, I had it all wrong.

There was an unwritten tradition in the Kansai Sub League back in those days where they would never compliment promising newcomers to their face. Actually, they would be downright harsh. This harshness was meant to toughen them up, but they would do anything to protect one of their own when the time came.

On the other hand–––.

“This kid’ll never get stronger.”

Kansai Sub League members encouraged those who they thought wouldn’t make it.

I wouldn’t understand this until I was older.

That night …

Once the idiot was asleep, I left the kid’s room and went downstairs to find Master on my own. I had a request for him.

“…… Yaichi really seems to be having a hard time.”

I overheard voices once I got to the first floor.

Keika, getting a Shogi lesson from Master in the tatami room, sounded concerned.

“You think maybe it was too early for him to join after all? He’s in the fourth grade for heaven’s sake …… Waiting a year couldn’t have hurt, could it?”

“Earlier the better. A year, a month, a week, even a day earlier is best in this world. Surely ya know ’at better than anyone?”

“Y-Yes …… Yes, I do, but ……”

“Yar worryin’ too much. Yaichi’ll get real strong, just ya watch. People without any talent grow bit by bit, but those who got talent grow in bursts after breakin’ through a wall. For Yaichi, it’s not if he does, but when. Ya can count on it,” Master stated like a fact. “Actually, I’m more worried ’bout what’ll happen after he goes pro.”

“After …… he becomes professional? He only just joined the Sub League, so why–––.”

“There’s a limit to what I can teach him. ’At’s why I asked Mr. Tsukimitsu to take him as an apprentice instead’a me. Right before joinin’ the Sub League, actually.”

“F-Father?! Then what was all that about your dream coming true?! Weren’t you happy that you now had a son of your own?!”

“…… I only took Yaichi in ’cause I was bein’ greedy. I knew how he felt about me and used ’at admiration to rope him into this house. Seein’ what he did today, it was all too obvious. That kiddo deserves a stronger Master, one who’s accomplished somethin’.”

“Wh-What did Sei- …… Tsukimitsu-sensei have to say?”

“Turned me down. But …… Yaichi’s got talent right up there with the rest ’o the junior high professionals in the past. If he don’ go pro, I gotta shoulder the blame and retire.”

“Huh ……?”

Keika and I gasped simultaneously.

I’d always thought Yaichi was a poor kid.

That he had a weaker, stupider existence than me. That it was up to me to protect him.

But ……

“Master. Keika.”

Both stared at me in surprise as I walked into the room and said what I wanted loud and clear.

“I want to join the Sub League, too.”

“See, I won. Now can I?”

“Mngh ………… Mnggghhh ……”

Master had his head in his hands the whole way home as we rode the bullet train back to Osaka. His apprentices had won that tournament two years running, but he didn’t look the least bit happy about it.

A headline that read A Second Grade Elementary Student Has Become the Youngest Person to Hold the Title of Elementary Meijin: Osaka’s Ginko Sora, the Second Female Champion in History scrolled across the news ticker at the front of our train car.

Master watched those red dots spelling out the news and sighed. I told him one more time, “I won the tournament.”

“Haaaaaa ………… Why’d ya have to win? I felt safe knowin’ ’at wouldn’t happen, but ya went an’ ……”

He was serious. What was that bearded fossil’s problem?

“No! I ain’t gonna allow it!!”

Not only was I not expecting that answer, but his strong tone caught me by surprise. I thought he’d be happy for me ……

Angry, I got in Master’s face.

“Why? Why is it okay for Yaichi, but not for me?”

“Yar still in the second grade, ain’t ya? Far too early.”

“But you just told Keika that even a year earlier is better.”

“Y-Yeah, I did, but ’at was ……”

I cornered him and kept ramping up the pressure. The truth was on my side, so I was in a position to win right off the bat. Just accept it, bearded fossil. But the fossil wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even give a clear reason.

That was when Master laid out conditions.

“…… All right, fine. I’ll let ya take the exam so long as ya win the Elementary Meijin Tournament just like Yaichi did.”

“Really? Yay!”

“And one more thing!” An unusually stern expression dawned as Master added, “A green light from Dr. Akashi is an absolute must. If he says stop, ya stop. Is that clear?”

“Okay.”

I agreed. Dr. Akashi would never get in my way.

“The Elementary Meijin Tournament? Sounds great! Go for it,” said Dr. Akashi at the hospital after I underwent a series of thorough tests. I knew he would take my side.

“M-Mr. Akashi …… Are ya sure? Really sure?”

“I don’t see why not. I couldn’t find any problems that would keep her back. Actually, the stress of staying inside could be what’s getting to her. That could turn into a real problem.”

“But ……”

“For now, she’ll need to stop if her pulse goes over 170. Though she’s gotten so good at Shogi I doubt that’ll happen.”

And so, my shackles came off.

The Osaka qualifier was a piece of cake.

Then, rather than give away my invitation to the next round like always, I advanced to the Western Japan stage of the tournament. Commotion swept through the crowd every time I won.

“That silver-haired girl, she’s too strong!”

“Ginko Sora? Never heard of her ……”

“A second grader this good? That’s a monster if I’ve ever seen one ……”

“Hey, um …… why is Kiyotaki 9-dan following her everywhere?”

I was this tiny girl making her first appearance in the tournament. The darkest of dark horses, I tore my way through the Western Japan stage like a hot knife through butter all the way to the championship.

Of course, I was beyond tired by the time I got to the finals and could hardly think straight, so I played the match on autopilot, but …… Thanks to all my practice playing 10-second Shogi with Sub League members in the Player’s Room, my fingers knew what to do. My opponent surrendered before I knew it.

The semifinal and final rounds of the Elementary Meijin Tournament that took place in Shibuya were far easier.

I only had to play two matches. Plus, Ayumu Kannabe was already in the Sub League and Ryou Tsukiyomizaka had joined the Women’s League, so they were barred from entry. Machi Kugui had been eliminated back in the Western Japan stage.

The semifinals and finals were recorded in a TV studio.

A Sub League member does the match recording while a professional player does commentary and a Women’s League player provides analysis.

That year’s match recorder was Taishi Shinokubo Sub League 2-dan, Jin Natagiri 7-dan did the commentary and the analyst was the Thorn Princess and first Queen: Azami Hanadachi.

Ms. Hanadachi pointed a microphone at me and asked: “I know you haven’t joined the Practice League yet, Miss Sora, but are you looking to join the Women’s League when you get older?”

“The Sub League. Then, I want to be a professional.”

“Wow! Best of luck to you.”

The Thorn Princess encouraged me with a smile.

However, her eyes were saying something else entirely: Don’t think it will be that easy!

Summer arrived in no time after that.

The Sub League entrance examinations take place around the obon holiday in early August every year. That year was no exception.

“Ginko, here’s your lunch! Don’t forget to put sunscreen on. I know it’s not far, but use your parasol when you’re outside, okay?”

Keika woke up early to make a lunch for me that was stuffed full of food covered in my favorite sauce, but I didn’t have an appetite.

It wasn’t nerves … it was the heat.

That year was much hotter than normal, and that heat was sapping my endurance more than the exam itself.

“It’s a good thing you got to skip the first round because you’re the Elementary Meijin …… I don’t think your body could have held out for the full three days,” Keika remarked.

“What’s worse, the arena’s air conditioner’s broken! It’s an oven in there!” Yaichi chimed in.

“It is? When is it going to be fixed? Have you heard anything, Yaichi?”

“Mr. Mine said the air conditioning company is swamped because of how hot it is right now and the earliest they can get around to fixing it would be in September.”

Talking required energy, so I just listened to them and didn’t say a word.

The first round of the exam takes place between the examinees. Four wins and they’re through to the next round. On the other hand, three losses and they fail on the spot. Those matches take place over two days.

Then, the second round–––.

“You play with up to three real Sub League members. They should be between 4-kyu and 6-kyu,” said Yaichi like a know-it-all.

“You’ll get in as long as you beat one of them. You won’t have to play the rest. I lost my first two, so I was getting worried, but I found a way to win my third one. Talk about a relief.”

“…… I’ll just win the first one. That’s easy.”

“You shouldn’t take them so lightly, Ginko.”

“What about it?”

“The second round of the Entrance Exam is treated like a regular match for Sub League members. Those wins and losses can get the Sub League members promoted or demoted …… And they get made fun of for losing to amateurs, so they fight like their lives depend on it. It’s a life or death match in the Sub League, so everyone’s out to kill their opponent.”

“What? Shogi: life or death? You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not! I heard about this one member from a long time ago who’d hold out for a long, long time! For real, he’d play Golds and Silvers around his King immediately after taking them, never attacking at all.”

“Huuuh? I don’t get why.”

“Me, too. But, you know? There’s an even crazier legend about the guy–––.”

“?”

“This guy, he held out for hours, but wound up in a situation where he’d lose if the other guy just put a Gold in front of his King, but he suddenly froze in place. He just stared at the board until his time ran out …… and ended up losing that way.”

“Knowing he was going to lose hurt so much he couldn’t say it.”

“You’d think so, right? But, that wasn’t it!”

“……”

He was annoying me to the point that I wanted to kick him, but I held back the urge because I wanted to know the answer.

“During the review session, everyone asked him: You’d already lost, so why did you let time run out? Did throwing in the towel hurt that much? …… You know what he said?”

“No. What did he say?”

“That his opponent might die from a heart attack.”

“…………”

“According to that guy, having six of the Golds and Silvers is an advantage, but having seven puts you in position to win. Kansai Sub League members call it mustard theory. Everyone in the Sub League knows that!”

“Mustard? Why do they call it mustard?”

“Beats me. Maybe just that nothing comes easy?”

After giving Yaichi a swift kick in the shin for pulling that answer out of thin air, we held hands like we always did and set out for the Kansai Shogi Association.

On the way there, Yaichi wrinkled his nose.

“Ginko. It smells like someone’s burning off their field.”

“Burning off?”

“People burn the leaves and leftover stalks after harvest time. But the whole city smells like that right now ……”

“That’s because it’s Obon, remember? Everyone’s lighting fires to welcome the spirits of the dead.”

Once we arrived at the association, I ran into the last person I expected to see.

“Dr. Akashi?”

“Hi. I heard you were going to take the Sub League Entrance Exam, so I came to cheer you on.”

Yaichi and I were surprised to see him, but …… the adults around us were downright shocked.

The lady at the gift shop, the security guard, Twelve’s owner. They all looked like they were seeing a ghost.

“What?! Is that you, Mr. Akashi?!”

“Akashi …… as in that Akashi?! The one who quit the Sub League?!”

“Is it true you’re a doctor now?!”

Word that Dr. Akashi was here reached the upper floors and soon he was surrounded by association staff and professional players. Older veterans who aren’t normally there came on that day because their apprentices were taking the Sub League Entrance Exam.

“Dr. Akashi …… You were a Sub League member?”

“Actually, I was, Ginko. And for a moment I was 3-dan.”

“A moment?”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

“Ginko.”

“Yes, doctor?”

“A little advice from someone who’s walked this path before you. Beware of the Lance handicap.”

I went off to the arena without any idea what his mysterious advice truly meant because the exam was about to start.

“Hm. Good morning to all the examinees.”

Director Yoshitsune Kuruno 4-dan greeted all of us and explained how the second round of the exam would take place.

I had met him plenty of times in the Player’s Room and also played against him. He’s a nice man. He’d be an even better man if he didn’t play Ranging Rook.

“You will have 60 minutes of waiting time. Once that time is up, you must play each move in less than a minute thereafter. Amateur tournaments have far less waiting time, so this format will be new to you. Best of luck to you all.”

Then the matchups were announced.

My first opponent was a second-year junior high school student, 4-kyu. A boy, of course. He had fire in his eyes.

“I’m ready when you are!”

“…… Ready.”

I was seven. My opponent was 14. But losing never crossed my mind.

I was sure I would have no trouble defeating a 4-kyu in an even match, so I had no intention of exploiting the unfair advantage given to me by the Lance handicap.

–––I’ll crush him head on, fair and square!!

I doubt he thought a seven-year-old girl would fight that way.

Which meant my attack had him against the ropes.

“I’ve won.”

Those words came out of my mouth when, after only a few turns, I could see victory.

Normally, I’d never say such a thing. But I wasn’t feeling well that day and I wanted to win and go home as quickly as possible.

Though I had no idea those few words would be a fatal mistake.

“…… I’ll let you in on somethin’, examinee.”

“?”

“There are two late-games in the Sub League,” said the junior high second year as he started filling his territory with Golds and Silvers.

The victory that was right in front of me …… started drifting further and further away.

“Ngh ……!”

The harder I pressed my attacks, the further away his King went.

Beware of the Lance handicap.

Those words were making more and more sense by the second.

Without the Lance, the upper player will slide their Rook to the left side of the board to compensate for the missing piece. It’s so common that even Static Rook players will resort to Ranging Rook when playing with a Lance handicap.

Static Rook is a vertical, head-on style that uses Pawns to lead the charge across the board. Exchanging Pawns is the opening bell to start the fight. That’s why Static Rook players can use Pawns to support their attacks in the late game.

However, Ranging Rook attacks from the side, so it’s common for Pawns to remain in home territory. That’s why Double Pawn violations happen, and Pawns can’t be used for late-game attacks. Go with Golds and Silvers to attack instead, and they’ll get taken, then redeployed on defense by your opponent. That’s what happened to me.

Once again, I thought from the bottom of my heart: ………… All Ranging Rook players should just disappear!!

Taking it another step further, it should’ve been obvious that playing a 4-kyu with a Lance handicap would be harder than playing a 6-kyu in an even match. In fact, some professionals say that the upper player has the advantage in that situation because the handicap gives them the first move automatically. Except I didn’t know that back then.

Becoming strong by playing only even matches as I did, I severely lacked experience in handicapped matches.

Simply put …… I underestimated the Sub League.

“Aarggghhhh!!”

The second year held out … stubbornly.

It almost looked like he was tilling his territory, planting seeds on the board, deploying piece after piece from the stand.

Even if his chances looked hopeless, he refused to lose and pressed on. Like a zombie.

–––This Shogi …… it’s not in any book anywhere!

It was different from any professional’s style, and of course not like the way any amateur played.

The worst game ever continued on and on as I had to destroy his options one by one.

–––This isn’t Shogi at all!

This was just some ugly fistfight. For the first time in my life, I hated the Shogi in front of me.

Just as I was trying to corner his King once and for all, the worst possible thing happened.

“Kuruno-sensei! The air conditioner ……”

“Hm …… Stopped again, has it? Let’s open the windows for the next matches.”

Everyone was in the late-game, using vital seconds to read as far ahead as they could. The heat emanating from them made the arena stifling.

“Haaa …… Haaa …… Haaa ……………… Too hot ……”

Sweat was pouring out of me as I gasped for breath.

––– Lungs hurt ………… Eyes fogging up ……

Even so, this match was all that mattered.

Win, and I’m in the Sub League. I could fight in the same place as Ayumu and Yaichi.

“Then I …… Then I …!”

My physical endurance had given out long ago, but I still pushed myself to read the board as hard as I could.

Hot.

It felt like my body was burning up. My heart was beating fast enough to burst open. Even so, I desperately searched for that one perfect move–––.

“There … it … isssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!”

I sacrificed a major piece to close the distance. He pressed on, hoping that I would make a mistake, but my attack tore through his defenses like tissue paper. I won … this time for sure!

I picked up a Gold from my piece stand, the one that would end the match. All I had to do was snap it down in front of his King. The second year was staring into his lap as if he’d accepted his fate …… But he was biting his lip as if saying I surrender was the last thing he would ever do.

–––Checkmate him and he won’t have any choice.

Getting up to my knees, I reach across the board.

Then–––.

“……?!”

Something strange happened inside my body in that instant.

Searing pain the likes of which I’d never felt before seared through my chest. The kind of pain that can’t be endured had me frozen to the spot.

His opponent might die from a heart attack.

I heard those words in the back of my mind.

Fear gripped me from head to toe. I was terrified. The piece I held in my hand fell to the board as I clutched my ribs. So much pain. Too painful to say anything at all.

“…………… Yai … chi ……………… My chest …………”

I used what little breath I had to call out to my younger brother apprentice who should be somewhere in the same arena playing his own match.