The tatami mats are covered with long sheets of Japanese-style paper.

My father finishes the final stroke of “Kousuke Kiyotaki 9-dan” by writing his name with his ink-slathered brush, looks up at me and answers, “’Course I am.”

This used to be a common sight. I used to even help out back when I was still in elementary school. Dad’s two live-in apprentices took over that job once they moved in.

Recently, though, he only does autographs. No one wants these big scrolls anymore.

The fact that the number of homes with a Japanese-style room has gone way down probably has something to do with it.

“Yaichi’s a feckless Master. So it’s up to me, his Master, to show those girls the right mindset fer title matches.”

“You’re right about Yaichi being feckless, but ……”

His older sister apprentice, his first apprentice, his second apprentice and even his childhood Shogi friend …… Four girls he’s got in limbo, and that’s just off the top of my head.

Nobody’d have to get hurt if he had just made up his mind a long time ago.

Well, not that he can help it.

Just like him …… my heart already has a first love and it’s not going anywhere.

So all those girls are fighting over the number two spot. It’s the fate all Shogi players face.

“It’s fine if you want to send one, but how about writing something that has a little more to do with Shogi? That’s your original, isn’t it, Dad?”

“What’s wrong with it?” My father says and puts down the brush with a satisfied grin. “All right! Now jus’ need to stamp my name on it once it’s dry an’ get it framed. Lemme think, I’ve got the shop’s number ‘round here somewhere–––”

“I’ll take care of it. You’ve got a lot to do now that you’ll be working as an observer, right?”

“Keika …… Thanks. Helpin’ me even when yar busy ……”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find the cheapest place online and have them do it.”

“Keika?!”

My father has been on edge ever since his two granddaughter apprentices qualified to challenge for titles.

So I didn’t notice until after the fact.

Realize what he’s been too embarrassed to say.

The person he really wanted to see this scroll was actually–––

That’s the answer that I gave in an interview before the title match …… Well, more like two five-match series—Women’s Throne and Queen—to determine who gets to take over the vacated titles.

It happened only two days after I promoted to 3-dan.

I saw myself as the second strongest female Shogi player in the world …… At that time I did, anyway.

“It’s my goal to follow in Sora-sensei’s footsteps and become the second woman in professional Shogi. You could say that’s the reason why I decided to participate in a Women’s League tournament. Yes, that’s right. I’m doing exactly what she did. I think the fastest way to catch up to her is to follow the path she forged herself …… so that I can become a professional.”

Ginko Sora-sensei.

She’s younger than me, but I’ve made it a point to always call her Sensei.

Saying I emulate her doesn’t even scratch the surface.

To me, she is …… No, to every woman and girl who aspires to play Shogi, she is a beacon of hope and dreams who shines as bright as the sun over the Shogi world!

Just thinking about everything she’s endured makes my heart ache ……

“It’s true that Sora-sensei is taking a leave of absence right now. But I believe that’s only because she’s been fighting alone in a man’s world up until now. Another woman joining her as a professional player would cut her burden in half. That’s why my goal is to become a professional …… No, becoming a professional Shogi player is my duty.”

I was there that day. I saw it happen with my own eyes.

Empress Ika Sainokami tearing Sora-sensei to shreds with some obscure Ranging Rook ambush.

That’s the day I came to hate Women’s League players.

So nothing will stop me from getting her titles!

“I will take over Women’s Throne and Queen, the titles that Sora-sensei held …… I, Karen Noboryou 3-dan, will follow in her footsteps.”

Today is my first day on that stage.

A picture of Sora-sensei is tucked into the folds of my kimono …… right over my heart, to be exact.

My scarlet hakama trousers are surprisingly comfortable even though I haven’t had a chance to break them in yet.

I’m not nervous at all. This was my first trip to a Japanese-style inn as a player, but I still got a full night’s sleep. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to this inn so many times before as a match recorder and I feel so at home that I can relax.

Making a beeline for the arena, I fling open the sliding door.

“I’m coming inside.”

Waiting for me in that room is–––a grade school girl.

“I saved a seat for you.”

My opponent for the next two title match series is sitting on her ankles in the lower seat. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought some Practice League member got lost and wandered in here.

Ai Yashajin Women’s 2-dan.

She’s 11, only moving up to sixth grade this spring.

“I realize you’re only in the Sub League, but 3-dan is just one step away from turning professional. And you’ll have plenty of chances to do so because you’re only 19, right? Not to mention that, in terms of ranking, you have 3-dan and I’m 2-dan. So I’ll let you have the upper seat this time.”

Since Sub League members are considered to be in training, a member of the Women’s League is entitled to have the upper seat.

The thing is, though, this little girl has taunted me this way before.

I fell for it …… and was utterly defeated.

Back then, I was still in the lower ranks of the Sub League. It’s practically ancient history.

“…… Do you know the sports where the difference between amateurs and professionals is the steepest?” I ask.

“Can’t say I do. Baseball, maybe?”

“Sumo wrestling and Shogi,” I declare as I straddle my floor cushion like one of those massive wrestlers finding their stance before lowering myself onto it. “Let me show you how the Yokozuna wrestlers fight.”

The piece flip gives me the first move, and I take a deep breath.

Then, still in a low stance–––

“Hakkeyoi!!”

I thrust the Pawn forward in front of my Rook with the same vigorous power of a champion sumo wrestler.

Ai Yashajin takes one look at it and snorts through her nose. Almost like she’s relieved.

“Heh.”

Then she ties back the sleeves of her kimono with cords to lock them in place. I guess she must’ve learned the hard way when one of them knocked her Lance off the board in her title match against Sora-sensei.

A little competitor who constantly cracks jokes to get her opponents’ guard down while never giving them an opening: that’s who this tiny girl is, and I know all too well.

“I was wondering what strategy you had prepared, coming into the arena like you’re ready to take on the world. But you use a plain and simple frontal attack. Planning to draw out the match with a yagura castle, are you?” says that preteen as she sticks out her right hand and goes with a rapid attack strategy I haven’t seen much before.

Yes. That’s good enough for you. It’s the only way you could ever hope to beat me ……

“Oh, come on now! If you won’t come to me, then I’ll go to you!”

Ai Yashajin moves her big pieces dynamically around the board to keep me contained. Her formation is filled with holes, but I get the feeling that striking one of them will only trigger a trap.

“…… You’re strong. Smart, too. And have a good amount of grit.” I praise my opponent as I finalize a strong, solid yagura around my King now that I’m on the defensive.

Honestly, I find her unique style and early-game sense very impressive.

Amateur Shogi players use all sorts of strategies just like this, and some of those pop up in the pros every now and then.

Only a true prodigy could actually use them effectively at only 11 years old.

“But compared to the Shogi Martians in the Sub League–––you’re a bottom feeder!!”

“!? Aghhh ……!!”

I push my fully loaded wrecking ball of a defensive front into the Swiss cheese modern and sophisticated formation she’s trying to pass off. It’s a sumo wrestling match between a champion and a grade-school aged amateur.

Sumo and Shogi.

What sets them apart from everything else? I have my own thoughts and give my own answer.

“Physique.”

That’s what it all comes down to in the end.

“Can a scrawny stick of a wrestler ever become Yokozuna? Heck no! Without a mind strong enough to calculate, no one can become a professional Shogi player! You have to have the brains for the effort to mean anything! Then there’s endurance! It’s been scientifically proven that fatigue saps mental energy!!”

Shogi always comes back to the classic strategies.

Yagura Castle. Snow Roof. Bishop Exchange. Double Wing Attack. Side Pawn Capture. And there is also Central Rook, Third File Rook and Fourth File Rook.

“Take a look at the yagura you scoffed at for being old! See how all the pieces fit together like a glove?!”

“Hmph …… This is what you Sub League members call beautiful, is it?”

“Not at all.”

“Huh?”

I look over at the wide-eyed girl and say, “I get just as bored playing this way as everyone else! But that’s the way the world works! That’s what it means to be in training!!”

Just as sumo wrestlers continuously stomp the ground, crouch down into their stances and strike the wooden pole, we drill the strategies that have stood the test of time over and over again.

That’s how we get the stamina and the brainpower to carry on: the biggest difference between pros and amateurs.

Strategy and formation couldn’t matter less. They’re just training methods.

Calculation is everything!

“Now I’ve got you.”

“Ngh ……!”

Ambushes aren’t scary at all when you’re in gridlock. That’s when it’s time for the mental prowess I’ve built up to shine. Strength in the mid-game is what really, truly separates the pros from the amateurs.

The difference between real matches and Shogi puzzles is the number of pieces that are in use. One is a fabricated problem where using fewer pieces is seen as artistic, whereas 40 pieces constantly exist in an actual game. It’s obvious which one requires better calculation skills.

Interlock and drive all the way to the edge of the ring–––

“HAVE A NICE FAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL–––!!”

That little girl is nothing but flimsy tissue paper compared to the muscle I’ve built up in the Sub League.

Then, just as I go to force checkmate …

“?!”

Ai Yashajin starts doing something strange.

Her moves …… that little hand of hers is moving around the board like she’s putting together a puzzle. She’s already been thrown from the ring, but somehow she managed to defy gravity and flips her way back into it. Worse, there’s not a scratch on her–––

“Wh- …… What was that sequence ……?”

“…… I’ll let you in on a little secret, Miss Shogi Martian.”

That grade school girl leans over the board to whisper into my ear.

“……………………… Huh?”

“Probably still only five years from now, I think? It’ll be ten years from now by our next match.”

“F-Five years? Ten? What are you talking about–––?”

“Don’t worry. I’m still not so sure …… how to play the Shogi I only just saw. So this series is going to be a full set. Including the Queen Title Match, we will be playing ten times.”

She sounds so confident, like prophesying the future ……

“With that much time, I’ll show you exactly what Shogi will look like 100 years from now.”

Time comes to a screeching halt.

The person who said that, Ayumu Kannabe, is kneeling in front of a woman and holding up a small velvet box.

Inside that box is a ring with a huge diamond.

All of this is unfolding at the same table where I’m sitting, but …… it feels like it’s a world away.

“Oh? Is he ……?”

“Is that what I think it is ……?”

Other customers at the restaurant start noticing something is up. Lots of heads start turning our way as whispers crisscross the dining hall.

They build into waves of excited chatter that fill this high-class restaurant in Shibuya from corner to corner ……

Since they don’t know any specifics, I bet it probably looks like a stylish couple got dressed up to have some fun making some once-in-a-lifetime memories.

I mean, there’s a handsome young man wearing a white cape kneeling in front of a woman who looks straight out of Victorian England. Considering where we are, if someone told me they were taking themed pictures before their wedding, I just might buy it.

For those of us who know the details, however, it’s just as shocking as getting hit by a meteorite.

I mean–––those two are Shogi Master and apprentice!

And she’s old enough to be his mother!

“…………”

This is so out of the blue that even the brash Aggressive Archangel, a.k.a. Women’s King Ryou Tsukiyomizaka is frozen in silence.

The first one of the three of us to make a move is Yamashiro Ouka Machi Kugui.

That move being opening her bag, taking out her camera and snapping as many pictures as she can!

“Dah! …… Machi?! Why are you taking pictures?!”

“The Future Meijin has made a marriage proposal!! What’s more, to his own Master, the Eternal Queen! This very moment could become pivotal in the history of Shogi! Any writer who would lead to this moment would have to be lost to the sands of time and would not be worth their clout!!”

She’s right about it being an important moment. Assuming she accepts his proposal.

“God Cauldron ……”

The woman on the receiving end—Women’s Legend Rina Shakando—gazes lovingly upon her dear apprentice and calmly answers, “Enough jesting. The poor young Dragon King is at a loss for words.”

“I am not speaking in jest!”

Ayumu is suddenly hot under the collar, but Shakando-sensei just smiles at him.

“What age were you when you first proposed to me, I wonder? Already in the Sub League, yes?”

“…… On the very day I promoted to 5-kyu. That was the first proposal.”

Say what?!

The first ……? That means this is already happened multiple times before, doesn’t it?

If he was 5-kyu back then, that means he would have been 11 years old. He probably got so excited about getting promoted that he proposed at the same time.

But …… That changes things.

Kids in kindergarten and grade school admire their teachers, and lots of them pop the question at some point or another. Even my apprentice’s friend Charlette Isoir was giddy when I said, “Instead of my apprentice, you can be my bride!” back when she was six.

It goes without saying that I have no intention of marrying Charlette at all. Some people still seem to think I was serious, but I have a girlfriend.

Circumstances won’t let me see her, my older sister apprentice …… But I will never give up on Ginko. I don’t know where she is right now, but I will find her and marry her.

Hm? What would I do if multiple wives were allowed?

That would completely change how things play out (Shogi commentary-esque).

“Oh my, you’ve even prepared a ring? Promoting into A League does not make wasting your money acceptable. Return it for a full refund, understood?” says Shakando-sensei as if soothing a little kid as she glances toward the back room.

“Knowing you, you have instructed the staff to prepare cake and flowers for me, have you not? I shall cover those expenses–––.”

“Please do not treat me as a mere child!”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ayumu raise his voice to his beloved Master like that.

“I admit that marriage may have been an unattainable goal in the past, that my proposals may have seemed in jest. Now that I have taken a position in A League, the title of Meijin is within my grasp! All that remains is to take hold! I wish for you to see me as a Shogi player worthy of your hand once I have become the Meijin!!”

“Once you have become Meijin is it ……?”

Shakando-sensei had been smiling up to that point. She closes her eyes.

“The word Meijin is not to be taken so lightly.”

Then, a frigid glare the likes of which we’ve never seen before greets us when the Eternal Queen opens them again.

“A condition for marriage? You could not have seriously believed that doing so would delight me. …… It seems that I erred at some point during your tutelage.”

“……”

Ayumu’s face turns pale with shock.

To him, Shakando-sensei is pretty much a goddess. He worships the ground she walks on.

Being rejected by her has to be his biggest fear.

Though that would mean the proposal was doomed to fail from the start ……

Even so, Ayumu desperately clings to any last shred of hope and keeps holding out the ring.

The next words that accompany his Master’s Arctic gaze take us all by surprise.

“Are you aware of why my title is not the Women’s Meijin but is instead the Women’s Legend?”

“……?”

The four of us exchange confused glances.

Actually I don’t think I’ve ever thought about that before. Other women’s titles like King and Empress are taken directly from their pro counterparts.

“Tsukiyomizaka-Women’s King. Do you know the reason?”

“Don’t tack on the title, c’mon ……”

If a current Women’s Title holder doesn’t know, then there’s no way I’d have a clue.

“Upon its founding, the title was intended to be Women’s Meijin. However–––” Shakando-sensei sighs under her breath. “A handful of board members claimed that the title of Meijin would be wasted on a Women’s League player. A counterproposal of Meijin Apparent was made, but it was ultimately rejected at a Players Meeting. That is the true weight behind the word Meijin.”

“A Players Meeting? ……,” I echo unconsciously.

The Shogi Association of Japan is a society made up of professional Shogi players. Achieving the rank of 4-dan is required to become an official member.

And official members are the only ones who have a say in determining which direction the association goes at Players Meetings.

Women’s League players with 4-dan are allowed to participate nowadays, but I’ve heard that wasn’t always the case.

In other words, a group of men decided that the title of Meijin was too valuable to give to a woman back then.

“…… Those fools!” Ayumu spits through gritted teeth.

Neither of us sees the title of Meijin as sacred. It’s more like our way to refer to the godly person who currently has it, along with three other titles. The title of Dragon King Ryuo, which outranks Meijin, already existed when we were born.

“…… But I can picture the ones who’d say things like that ……”

My Master Kousuke Kiyotaki 9-dan, for one.

Having challenged for the title of Meijin twice, it’s obvious he has a special attachment to it.

That’s not because it’s the only title he challenged for, though.

I’m sure that those feelings were the norm for his generation.

I don’t want to think he’d oppose a Meijin title for the Women’s League, and I believe he wouldn’t. It’s just I know how sacred it is to him.

The title of Meijin.

“It is true that having a Meijin emerge from his family line was my Master, Sadatoshi Ashigara’s ultimate goal and his last request of me before his death. It was for that purpose that I, a woman, took on a male apprentice and committed myself to grooming him to do just that.”

There are Women’s League players who have Women’s League players as Masters.

But as far as pro male players go, Ayumu is the only one to have a Women’s League player as his Master.

Making that a reality couldn’t have been easy.

That shows just how much Ayumu’s talent caught Shakando-sensei’s eye, but–––

“Nevertheless, the thought of becoming that apprentice’s wife has never once crossed my mind. I want to be the Meijin’s Master.”

“……”

Ayumu collapses, breaking his fall with his hand at the last moment. He probably just realized how shallow he has been.

Not to mention that getting to the top of A League isn’t easy in the first place.

Even if you do pull it off, a seven-match series against that godly last boss is waiting at the end. Anyone, not just Shakando-sensei, would get the urge to tell him to say that once you beat him after hearing what he said.

“I have lost my appetite.”

Sensei sounds bored as she looks away from Ayumu.

“Though it pains me to do so after all of you have gathered to celebrate my apprentice’s promotion to A League, I have my own title match to attend to. I shall excuse myself.”

“! Master, allow me to escort–––.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Master ……”

Ayumu, ignored like an abandoned puppy, can only watch as Sensei takes hold of her cane and climbs to her feet by herself.

Machi then stands up and says, “Shakando-sensei. Allow me to take you back to your abode.”

“Thank you, Machi.”

Shakando-sensei takes Machi’s outstretched arm without complaint.

“It may be rude of me to say, but would you also wed my apprentice while you’re at it? In my opinion, a handsome couple such as yourselves would make a wonderful pair ……”

“I decline. Unlike you, I would rather not be betrothed to a man better looking than myself.”

“I see: the everyman is more your taste …… He-he-he.”

For some reason, the two of them smirking at me sends a cold chill down my spine.

“W-Wait, Master! Please ……! I still–––”

Ayumu reaches out for the frilly hem of Shakando-sensei’s dress only to be stopped by Ryou grabbing the collar of his shirt from behind.

“You’ve made enough of a scene already. Pathetic.”

“Ngh ……! Release me, Gabriel!!”

“Not happening. Hey, Trash. Grab his legs.”

“Got it!”

Ryou’s got Ayumu in a headlock, using every bit of her upper body strength to hold him back. I rush in to help. Who knows what’ll happen if it gets out that the Women’s League Title Holder had a lover’s spat with an A League Shogi player?

Worse, my apprentice is about to challenge for her title, Women’s Legend! I won’t let the media have a field day. Sorry Ayumu, but you’ve done enough for one night!

Now.

All that’s left is how to explain this to our audience–––.

“May I have your attention please?”

Before we can figure out what to do, some of the staff step up for us.

“What you’ve just witnessed is one of our restaurant’s special services! A man just surprised a woman with a marriage proposal right at this very table!”

“As you can see, we are here to help even when things don’t go as planned!”

The tension clears immediately.

Since this is a high-class establishment, there aren’t any rubberneckers around with their phones out to take pictures …… Machi took tons, but her camera looks professional enough that everyone probably assumed she was working as a camera person anyway. Whew, that was lucky.

Since the staff managed to pass off what happened as a failed surprise and to get the restaurant back to business as usual, all I can say to them is “good job.”

As the two of us are taking Ayumu out the door like a fallen log, I say to Ryou, “Just what you’d expect from a fancy restaurant, right?”

“Yeah. And this bonehead is the reason we’ll never get to come back.”

She’s absolutely right.

It’s been a long time since I stepped through that small curtain into this shop, but it hasn’t changed at all over the years.

Kannabe Tofu is on the first floor of Ayumu’s parents’ house.

After Ryou and I muscled Ayumu into a taxi, the three of us traveled all the way here to his family’s tofu shop in Fukagawa.

Ayumu still lives in the room on the second floor where he grew up. I don’t know why, but I have to stop myself from giggling whenever I picture him putting on that white cape of his in here and going to play a match. By the way, Ryou also lives with her parents in Chofu, Tokyo. There’s no merit in paying high rent and living on your own in Tokyo when your parents have a house there already. A lot of unmarried Shogi players do just that.

Machi shows up not long after we arrive. All of us sit in a circle and start the meeting.

“Being in this room in this company brings about a wave of nostalgia.”

This nine by nine, four-and-a-half tatami-mat room is just as barren as it was back in grade school. He only has a Shogi board and a computer in here. The only difference is that there are more clothes now.

Players in our generation usually have a videogame system or some manga in their room, but not Ayumu. Maybe he wants to always feel like he’s in an arena? He doesn’t even keep Shogi books in here. He never has.

“When was the last time the four of us were here?”

“Probably the day Trash went pro, yeah? You crashed here that night.”

“Oh yeah. I remember now.”

Sub League members are broke. Travel expenses for the 3-dan division are covered by the association, but I always stayed with Ayumu to save money rather than pay for a hotel.

He’d also stay at Master Kiyotaki’s place when he had matches in Kansai, and Machi used to host all of us at her place in Kyoto for practice sessions ……

Empty as it is, I sure have a lot of memories in this room.

“Aren’t you the one who made that scratch in the wall, Ryou? That time you tackled Ayumu?”

“Ahhh, yeah. He was gripin’ that my release was sloppy in the middle of a match and that ticked me off so much I jumped him. Sloppy release, huh? I’ll show ya up close and personal! Had him pinned down with my fist cocked an’ ready to go, too.”

I’m amazed they’re still on talking terms, let alone friends.

“You had a really short fuse back then, Ryou …… I lost count how many times you punched me ……”

“Kids are kids, don’t go blaming me,” Ryou snaps back.

Machi adds, “I was not prone to rush to violence, if you remember?”

“…… I remember you pushing me down the stairs in the middle of the night when I was on my way to the bathroom, and locking me inside once I was there ……”

“Ohhhh? ♡ It could have been a wily spirit playing tricks on you!”

“So, you admit to being a demon? At last, you show your tail, wicked fox!”

Wow. We never run out of things to talk about when the four of us get together. Fun times.

Well, I suppose it’s just three of us because Ayumu hasn’t said a word. Then again, he was always the quiet one. Even in his own house, all the guy ever talks about is Shogi.

Yeah, we’re Ayumu’s best friends and he still doesn’t tell us about himself.

That’s why we’re always surprised when he does something crazy.

“So? Why did you propose out of the blue like that?”

“…………”

This is Ayumu’s room, but he’s just sitting there hugging his knees. Completely silent, he looks tiny over there.

“You were serious …… Yeah? The three of us know you don’t joke around like that.”

“And that you’ve adored that ha- …… Shakando-sensei since way back.”

Ryou is terrible at picking up on these things, but even she knows how Ayumu feels. Everyone does.

But I thought it was more admiration than anything else.

To think he’d actually propose to her ……

“That being said, there’s a time and a place, right? Shakando-sensei’s title match is about to start and romance is the last thing you should be thinking about right before your first A League match."

“And that ha- …… Sensei has a rough time playing on her own, yeah? Having someone there to help out gives her a big leg up, but you put a freakin’ wrecking ball through your relationship right before the series starts? Are ya brain dead?”

“Despite her coarse words, O-Ryou speaks the truth. Should news of this incident become known, images of you assisting Shakando-sensei during the Women’s Legend Title Match would draw the media in like shark bait,” says Machi, completely ignoring the fact that she’s the one who prepped the bait with all the pictures she took.

“Speaking of which, she entrusted me with a message for you. You need not accompany me during this title match series. Focus on your own Shogi.”

“…………”

Getting rebuked by his Master via Machi after our interrogation makes Ayumu shrink smaller still.

This is the worst possible outcome for his longshot proposal.

I’m starting to feel bad for him. Right when I am trying to figure out a way to compliment him, Ayumu finally says something quietly under his breath.

“………… I wanted you to be witnesses.”

“Witnesses?”

In other words …… to be there when he proposed?

Shakando-sensei did try to play it off as a childish joke. Since he seems to have tried many times before, I can understand the logic behind getting other people involved to show that he’s serious.

Still ……

“It’s not uncommon for pros to marry Women’s League players, but …… Has a Master ever married an apprentice before?”

“It has happened, in the 1980s to be precise,” answers Machi. “Though the male Master was older in that instance. In fact, men in a variety of fields, not just in Shogi, have been betrothed to female apprentices they took under their wing plenty of times before. It’s a common pattern.”

“Which means that when it turns out you end up married to that kid apprentice of yours someday it’s normal. Ain’t that nice, Trash?”

“How about that? The Master-apprentice hurdle isn’t that high after all …… not that I care!! W-W-W-We aren’t talking about me right now!!”

“What’s with the stutter storm? …… Seriously, Trash, you aren’t really ……?”

“No, no, 100 times no! My apprentices and I aren’t like that one little bit!!”

But there have been close calls.

Ai Yashajin has made her feelings about me very clear, and we live together.

Not to mention the reason that Ai Hinatsuru, the one about to play against Shakando-sensei in a title match series, moved out after being my live-in apprentice was …… Cough, cough, cough!

If either of these facts gets out, the Shogi world is as good as dead. Panicking, I change the subject.

“Hypothetically! Just hypothetically! Even if Masters and apprentices have gotten married before …… There are other problems!”

“Aaagh? Like what?”

“Think of all the female fans that Ayumu finally has. What do you think will happen once it gets out that he proposed to his Master the instant he got into A League ……? The association’s image would take a big hit, right? With Ayumu’s handsome player with spotless record reputation to protect.”

“Spotless reputation. Not a single rumor …… Hah!” Ryou snorts through her nose.

“Don’cha think his following would skyrocket if he had a rep for liking cougars?”

“Do not be so rude, O-Ryou. Besides, it is not older women that strike Ayumu’s fancy, but Shakando-sensei only …… Though it would prove a difficult blow for the Shogi world to endure ……”

An experienced writer and editor for Shogi magazines herself, Machi holds her head while she thinks.

I understand a lot more than I used to after everything I saw her go through to get my book published.

“Young, handsome players answering the question What is your type? has become the backbone of many an interview. Access to that knowledge convinces many to buy magazines.”

“A lot of Ayumu’s fans want to marry him, seriously. There are even quite a few mothers who are trying to set him up with their daughters. It’s bizarre how many mother-daughter pairs come up to him ……”

It’s completely different from the usual parents accompanying their grade-school aged child at Shogi events.

Mothers are accompanying daughters who are clearly old enough to get married. They get dressed up and come to get Ayumu’s autograph or take instructional lessons from him. Sitting side by side in kimonos across from him like that, it looks like an arranged marriage is being set up ……

“One such as I has returned!”

Just then, an overly energetic voice echoes up the first floor.

“What is today’s snack, mother? Dorayaki bean pastries? Oh, and there were many shoes by the front door. Do we have guests?”

Step, step, step …… Someone’s coming upstairs. Based on the sounds, I’d say–––

“…… A sixth grader.”

“Gross!”

I was only joking, but Ryou sounds genuinely shocked. I mean, that voice is impossible to mistake.

Sliding the door open with vigor is–––the grade school girl who wears her hair up like cat ears, Maria Kannabe.

“Ugh?! Wh-What are the likes of you doing here?!”

“Hello.”

Ayumu’s little sister is giving us the evil eye as we wave back to her.

That’s when Ryou’s inner bully makes its move.

“Sub League members ain’t supposed to have tasty stuff like that. Distracts from training, yeah? Fork half of ’em over.”

“Quiet you! One such as I will not be ordered around by the weed who was demoted from the Sub League and scurried away with her tail between her legs! And in my own house, no less!”

“You’re the one who should start scurrying! I’ve been in and out of this room since before you were born, half-pint!”

No, Maria had already been born. It’s just that we were so focused on Shogi that we never noticed anything else. For kids who daydream about Shogi, a person who can’t play may as well be empty air ……

Ryou deals with Maria by swatting back at her, swiping a handful of dorayaki as she complains, “One such as I never!” and then escorted her to a seat on the floor.

“Oh, hey,” said Ryou while wolfing down pastries, “I’m starving. You?”

“I forgot about it after everything that happened, but we didn’t eat anything at the restaurant, did we ……?”

Fancy food is great, but I could go for something else right now …… Something simple, like what you’d find at a small restaurant off the main street. Something I can really sink my teeth into. Man, I’m hungry ……

Machi puts a finger to her cheek and elegantly says.

“I would like to indulge in that dish. It has been far too long.”

“By that do you mean what the shop downstairs is known for? Right?!”

“What else? Whip some up.”

“What?! What is this dish?!”

It’s called Fukagawa Tofu.

Fukagawa Tofu is a local dish that came from an old Tokyo suburb. It’s just tofu with the clams this area is known for. Simple, right?

Even though Machi is from Kyoto, she’s really good at making it.

“This dish shares much in common with Kyoto’s cuisine. Its simplicity brings out the best flavors of quality ingredients directly.”

“As they say, Kyoto’s flavor and Naniwa’s appetite!”

Master taught me that one when he was drunk.

It was on the same day that he beat Ayumu in a placement match, now that I think about it. Master was demoted and Ayumu got promoted anyway, but you’d have never guessed it if you saw their faces right after the match.

Ayumu built up a huge lead after taking Master’s Bishop in the early game, but completely fell apart after that. He never collapses to that degree, and my memories of it are still crystal clear ……

He obviously wasn’t himself, and today I found out why.

Placement matches were just that important to him and having his promotion come down to one match must have put tons of pressure on his shoulders.

Not getting promoted would push back becoming Meijin by one year …… which also meant getting married to Shakando-sensei would be delayed by at least that long … In his mind, anyway.

Memories pass through my head one after another and the tofu is ready before I know it. That was fast.

“So good!!”

Clams and parsley are both in season in the spring.

That means that right now is the best time to have Fukagawa Tofu!

“Yum, yum, yum~. ♡ One such as I had grown tired of clams, but pairing them like this makes for one fancy cheeseburger~. ♡”

Maria is thoroughly impressed with Machi’s cooking. Ayumu eats in silence. At least he has an appetite. That’s a good sign.

“Fukagawa’s clams are delicious indeed. Generally speaking, the flavor of Kyoto’s cuisine has an air of refinement not found in Tokyo. When it comes to seafood, however, that is not the case.”

Machi casually glances in my direction.

“Not to mention that I am quite skilled with tofu. Yaichi can surely attest to that. Hee-hee. ♡”

“……!! Y-Yeah ……”

Memories of the boiled tofu I had at Nanzenji Temple come flooding back and my cheeks get hot.

I didn’t find out until after the fact, but the Okazaki area around Nanzenji in Kyoto has lots of love hotels. I had no idea how much danger I was in …… This must be what a piece of fried tofu feels like being stuck between a fox’s teeth ……

“…… Anyway, I understand how you’re feeling, Ayumu.”

Now that I’ve got a belly full of hot Fukagawa tofu, it’s time to get back to the matter at hand.

Tofu shops open bright and early, and there’s lots to do to get ready. So Ayumu’s parents are already in bed. We can’t stay here much longer. It’s time to wrap it up.

“We will act as witnesses. None of us will pretend your proposal didn’t happen.”

“……!”

Ayumu’s chopsticks freeze. He looks up from his tofu and locks eyes with me.

“But would you leave the rest up to us? We’ll look into how Shakando-sensei feels …… I can’t guarantee it will be the one you want, but I promise we’ll get an answer.”

My friend listens closely and says–––

“………… It is in your hands.”

He then lowers his head in a bow.

That’s how I came to assist in the love life of my apprentice’s opponent in an upcoming title match. Talk about a precarious position.

…… Is this the kind of work the Ryuo is supposed to do?

I’m at the hotel in Hakone that’s hosting the first Women’s Legend Title Match.

Waiting for me just outside the front door are …… two faces I haven’t seen in a long time.

“Ai-taaan!”

“Whoa?! Charlette, have you grown?”

The one with the squeaky voice who just ran in for a hug is Charlette Isoir. I try to catch her but fall backwards instead. I-It’s a good thing there’s grass here.

“Ai …… I’m so glad,” says Ayano Sadatou as she rushes up to help. I nod with a smile, but–––

“……! ………… Ayano ……?”

I don’t know what to say.

Ayano is crying her eyes out. Tears are rolling down her cheeks.

“So glad …… that you’re challenging …… for a title …… R-Really glad ……!!”

“Thanks ………… And, sorry, Ayano. For not saying anything when I left ……”

I didn’t talk to them when I decided to transfer to Kanto.

Not even when I moved or got a new phone number …… They must’ve thought I cut them out of my life. Just like the way I cut off most of my hair.

But if I hadn’t ……

“You two are just so important to me …… I didn’t think I could go through with it if I saw you or heard your voices. So I–––”

“We understand. We know …… that you went to Tokyo to get stronger.”

Ayano takes off her glasses so she can wipe her eyes.

“I still remember your Practice League Entrance Exam as if it were yesterday ……”

“You were my first opponent, weren’t you, Ayano? ……”

“I lost in every sense of the word …… I could feel the difference in our talent and ability that day, but also in determination. You came to Osaka all by yourself and fought Sora-sensei all the way to the end without giving up–––”

I had to promise to go back home if I lost any of the matches in the exam, but I did lose the last one.

“Even so, you refused to give up and prostrated yourself in dogeza before your parents. It was enough to convince them to change their conditions: instead of returning home, you would be earning a title before graduating junior high school as the new condition. They let you keep playing Shogi. Now here you are, one step away from fulfilling it! Congratulations!!”

“Yep! Thanks, Ayano! Charlette!”

And the person who did dogeza right next me is–––

“Umm …… Are you the only ones who came from Kansai?”

“Ai-tan. Masta, not here.”

“……!!”

My face turns bright red. W-Was I …… hoping to see Master that much ……?

“…… We haven’t spoken with Kuzuryu-sensei since you left, either. Charlette has been meaning to ask him to become her Master so she can join the Practice League, but ……”

The rules say that you need to have a Master when you join the Practice League if you’re planning to become a Women’s League player.

But the Practice League also works as a classroom. Some girls join it just for fun and then think I want to join the Women’s League after all! and get a Master later.

“My Master tells me that Kuzuryu-sensei wrote a book. Now he is busy doing promotion work at individual bookstores …… I don’t think that is more important than this title match, though ……”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me! More importantly–––” I look at the big notebook in Ayano’s arms and add, “You get to be a journalist today, don’t you? Good luck!”

“Yes! I don’t know if I’ll be able to write a masterful piece like you did for Ten-chan during her title match, but I will do my utmost!”

This is why the two of them came from Osaka.

Ayano’s Master is editor-in-chief of the Shogi Association’s official magazine.

She almost never makes selfish requests, but her saying, I will never ask for anything again! convinced him to let her work as a journalist for my title match.

I …… was touched. Encouraged, too.

“Cha, too! Cha’s da phwotaggwafa!!”

“Great! Take lots of good pictures, Charlette!”

She wants to get into the Women’s League, and Ayano wants to become a Shogi journalist.

Both of them are doing work for my title match.

It’s their way of telling me–––we’re in this fight together.

–––The Grade Schooler Practice Group is still connected! Even when we’re apart ……

I also have one more precious friend.

She left on her own to get stronger before I did. I’ve made up my mind to contact her so I can tell her myself after I win.

“If I may, I would like to begin gathering material for my article–––,” Ayano says as she looks all over the place.

Of course, she’s looking for the other person in the title match.

Once she spots her a little ways away, “?! Shakando-sensei …… is alone? I thought that Kannabe 8-dan was always by her side ……”

“He usually is. It was a real surprise when I didn’t see him with her when we all met up in Shinjuku station.”

“Hmm. That’s interesting ……”

Ayano opens her notebook.

“Hakone is in fact the hometown of Ashigara 9-dan, Shakando-sensei’s Master. In other words, Hakone may be a hometown second only to where she was born in Kamakura in Shakando-sensei’s eyes. Perhaps …… she feels comfortable enough here to travel by herself.”

Which means that she has the advantage of playing at home.

But as a competitor, knowing that my opponent has connections to the venue also makes me want to try that much harder to win.

“This opening match …… might be extra difficult for you ……”

“Yes, but–––”

“‘But?’”

“If I can win here, that means I can win anywhere, doesn’t it?”

“……! Y-Yes! That’s the mindset to have!”

That’s why I can’t afford to lose this match no matter what!

I’m more determined than ever now.

Ayano asks me casually, “By the way, you’re so fashionable today, Ai! You have always been cute but living in Tokyo seems to have brought you out of your shell!!”

“Ai-tan, da dwess …… Yew’re shwoulders are sticking owut.”

“Ahaha …… This is, well, um ……”

I’m not used to wearing dresses that don’t cover my shoulders, and it’s embarrassing having them pointed out. I cover them with my hands and am surprised by how cold my skin is. The cherry blossoms are out for spring, but it’s still chilly up in the mountains of Hakone.

–––Maybe I should’ve worn something else ……?

While I love reuniting with my friends, I can’t help but think of another sister in arms who was originally going to be here–––

“I’m sorry. For real, I am,” says my roommate, Tamayo Rokuroba Women’s 2-dan, as she bows her head to me.

And keeps going all the way to …… dogeza.

“I mean, who would’ve thought Jin-Jin would become the Meijin Challenger?! After a heartbreaking loss like that one, you’d think he’d be inconsolable for a while, right?! That’s why I went out and signed up as a commentator for your title matches and booked a whole bunch of instructional matches, but …… Well, um …… With Jin-Jin in the Meijin Title Match, I’d um …… rather do those instead …… So ……”

“Ohhh? Hmmmph?”

I give her a bright smile and nod, but there’s one thing I want to check.

“Who was it that said, If you’re too scared to go alone, I’ll tag along as moral support. I’ve got plenty of room on my schedule since I opened it up for a title match I’m not in! to me when I was crying my heart out after becoming the challenger?”

“Yes, that was me, but! I was being a good senior to you, you know? I was the one who made the mistake, so I didn’t want you to be feeling guilty–––”

“My title match was confirmed before Natagiri-sensei’s, wasn’t it?”

“Y-Yes, that’s true, but …… just by one day! Not even 24 hours!!”

“Well, I think it’s only right to prioritize the one that came first, even if it was just one day. Don’t you think that canceling all those bookings puts the scheduling staff in a tough spot? Should Women’s League players be acting that self-centered in the first place? I guess that when push comes to shove, you’re the type of person who puts love in front of work and your friends, Rokuroba-sensei.”

“Aaagh ……”

“Then again, I guess that’s why you get called the Practice Session Crusher, isn’t it?”

“Forgive me already, will you?! I’m sorry for patronizing you, oooooookay?!!”

Since Rokuroba-sensei is showing some remorse for things she said to me in the past, I switch things up and give her kind encouragement.

“Just kidding! Of course, go root for Natagiri-sensei!”

“Are …… Are you sure ……?”

“That’s where you want to be, isn’t it? Leaving me all by myself ……”

“You just said you wanted me to go!!”

Rokuroba-sensei knows I’m not really angry at her, of course. She’s just shy because she’s close to making a breakthrough with her special someone and is trying to make an excuse to be with him! That does irk me a little bit, though ……

“Oh, I’m not worried about you at all. After beating Machi like that, winning the title on your own will be a cinch.”

“It …… will?”

“Going against Shakando-sensei in her golden years is one thing, but she’s hands down the weakest of the Women’s Title Holders nowadays. Even I beat her in a league match.”

“…… What was it like playing against her?”

After starting out in the Women’s Legend League with three straight losses, I had almost given up all hope of ever being the challenger.

Since I would never play against Shakando-sensei in a league match, I didn’t start studying her match records until I knew I would be going against her for the title.

Not only is there nowhere near enough time to prepare anyway, but the Eternal Queen has over 900 Women’s League match records to her name. That doesn’t even count the nearly 200 matches against professional players. I can’t go through every single one.

So talking with someone who has experience playing against her is my chance to get valuable information!

“I used Ranging Rook and, yeah, she did a Static Rook anaguma …… And I ended up winning after some struggling, I guess? That happens a lot when two styles go against each other.”

That’s no help at all ……

“Hey, what’s with that no help at all look on your face, hm?”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

“Besides …”

Rokuroba-sensei stops sitting on her ankles and crosses her legs instead while talking.

“It’ll be harder for Kuzuryu-sensei to say hello if I’m there.”

“……!”

“Don’t you think this is the perfect chance to make up? You are Master and apprentice, too.”

I deliberately disobeyed Master’s wishes and came to Tokyo. I haven’t even heard his voice since …… our last match in Osaka.

So I have no idea how he feels about me being in a title match.

Is he happy for me?

Or …… is he angry at me?

Kugui-sensei said things that made it sound like they’d spent a lot of time together during our match on the final day of the Women’s Legend League. Since beating her is what made me the challenger in the first place, Master might be angry with me after all ……

“………… Master, are you going to come?”

“Oh, he’ll come all right. I guarantee it,” Rokuroba-sensei casually declares.

“With this being your first title match, you’ll have this wide-eyed air about you that’ll make him putty in your hands. He’ll get some annoying lolicon-esque sense of duty to be the one who has to protect you and hop a train out from Osaka. You’ll see.”

“But …………”

“Look, there’s something in the air during title matches. Kind of like a festival, yeah? I’ve heard tons of stories about professional players and Women’s League players ending up together after working side by side.”

“!! …… Please tell me all the details.”

People with experience are so much more convincing. Amazed, I hang on to every word.

“Oh, and you want to pick your clothes carefully. You only have to wear a kimono when you’re actually playing. Since the rest is all up to you, that’s when you get to make your case. Show him that living in Tokyo has brought you out of your shell, and he won’t stand a chance.”

Rokuroba-sensei pulls out her smartphone and opens a shopping app.

“No lolicon could resist this little number right here. See? A sleek dress like this with open shoulders? You’re almost in junior high, so why not show off?!”

“That?! It’s so revealing that …………… Master would love it ……”

“Right?! Since it’s warm out now, you could also show a little tummy–––”

From there, we talked about what clothes our special guys like for hours.

It felt like a reward for all my hard work getting all the way to the title match …… I enjoyed it a lot.

“It’s fine, Mom! Actually, tighter might be better. I’ll be standing up and sitting down a lot during the match.”

“…… Oh, this is no good. I shouldn’t be anywhere near this nervous ……,” Akina Hinatsuru sighed while staring at her shaky fingers.

In addition to her responsibilities as owner, Akina also ran a hair salon within the inn that specialized in wedding and formal hairstyles. Years of training at beauty school had made her one of the best in the business.

Today, however, her hands were not on the same page–––

“I’m sorry, Mom, for asking you to come do this when you’re really busy,” said Ai, recognizing that her mother wasn’t her usual self today. “But, this is for Shogi …… I wanted you to be the one to help me get dressed for my first match in my first title match series.”

“Ai ………… Yes, that was our promise ……,” Akina answered with a nod while running her fingers through her daughter’s short hair.

It happened right after Ai came to Tokyo. She lived at her mother’s inn, the HinaTsuru, for a short time before coming to share a room with Tamayo Rokuroba.

Confronted with the harsh reality of a three-match losing streak in the Women’s Legend League, the still long-haired and depressed Ai Hinatsuru had spent a great deal of time wandering around Sendagaya and Shinjuku stations.

–––I thought …… there was a chance Master might find me if I was there.

It was her mother who cut those long locks.

And they shared a promise.

Someday, when Ai became a title challenger, Akina would be the one to set her hair.

Although her promise was now fulfilled …… Akina voiced her one regret.

“I would prefer to have hosted your first title match at the HinaTsuru ……”

“There’s nothing you could have done. Even I didn’t think I would be playing in the title match after I lost the first three matches in a row!”

Akina continued to decorate her daughter’s hair while saying everything she would have done differently given the chance.

Ai responded as light and cheerful as possible.

“And besides, Shakando-sensei has had the Women’s Legend titles for 29 years in a row. The first match has been played in Hakone for over 20 years now. It’s tradition and everyone wants to keep it going.”

“…………”

Akina was left speechless by her daughter’s clear-cut explanation.

Ai continued.

“But I want to play a title match at the HinaTsuru next year.”

“……!!”

It was a declaration.

A declaration that she would win the title and be in the Women’s Legend Title Match again the following season. At that time, however, it would be her first as a title holder.

“So, Mom! Keep the schedule open, please!”

“…… Ai ………… You’ve become so strong ……”

Akina pressed a handkerchief to the corners of her eyes.

–––Mom is crying?! I-Is she feeling okay ……?

Ai pretended not to notice the glistening in her mother’s eyes. If she hadn’t …… she would have broken down in tears herself before her battle had even started.

“Oh, and Mom, I’m surprised to see you wearing Western clothes.”

“What kind of a mother steals the spotlight from her own daughter?”

The pair shared a giggle.

Fully dressed in traditional Japanese style and perfectly adorned, Ai made her way down the long hallway to the arena and was met halfway by event staff and journalists all raising their cameras in unison.

“Good morning!”

Ai set her feet and answered them with a proper bow. Taking Tamayo Rokuroba’s lessons to heart allowed her to receive passing marks for conduct during her first time on the big stage.

“She’s pretty bold for one so small.”

“Agreed. She doesn’t look intimidated at all.”

“That’s the Ryuo’s first apprentice for you.”

“This reminds me of when Naniwa’s Snow White challenged for her first title way back when.”

Whispers reached her ears.

Had this taken place when she first arrived in Tokyo, her head would have surely been on a swivel as she searched for support.

However, the lessons that Tayamo’s words and conduct had taught her became Ai’s shield.

–––Thank you so much, Tamayon-sensei ……!

Ai silently thanked her roommate who was attending a Meijin Title Match with Jin Natagiri. Even though she wasn’t in the room, her words still gave Ai an encouraging push.

Lifting her head, Ai strode down the middle of the rest of the hallway to the arena.

At the end of it–––.

“? Is that ……?”

A woman with a wobbly gait was using the wall to keep her balance. Ai couldn’t believe her eyes.

–––Shakando-sensei? Alone …… without a cane?!

Reflexes took over.

“…… Sensei!”

Forgetting that she was dressed in an ornate kimono, Ai sprinted down the hall to offer her arm to Rina Shakando. Her parents, owners of a Japanese inn, had taught her to always assist people with disabilities. Those lessons were being put to use.

“Sensei. Allow me.”

“Hm?”

Confused by Ai’s offer, Rina paused for a moment.

She smiled a moment later and took Ai’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you. What a kind child you are.”

The two proceeded to the arena walking shoulder to shoulder. Had any title match ever begun like this? Not likely, because a challenger being friendly and offering assistance to the title holder would be thought of as a flatterer and would surely be met with harsh criticism.

However.

“Whoa ……!”

“What a beautiful sight.”

“What better way to start a battle between generations could there be than this ……?!”

The staff and journalists present who witnessed their entrance were deeply touched.

Ai in a kimono and Rina in a fancy, Western-style dress. They crossed the threshold into the arena at the same moment.

The match recorder then slowly guided Rina to the upper seat. Sitting down, the Women’s Legend helped herself to a cup of tea waiting for her beside the board.

“Maria has told me so much about you,” said Rina kindly as she looked over at Ai, sitting attentively across from her.

“Had today not been a weekday, I would have wished for her to accompany me …… But education takes priority before entering high school these days, does it not? A Shogi field trip was considered to be of the utmost importance in my school days. How I long for them ……”

The Women’s Legend struck up a conversation while taking in the view out the window.

“Such sweet nostalgia …… I commuted from here in Hakone to the Women’s League Training Association when I first became an apprentice. Once I became a proper member of the Women’s League and got busy with matches, Master proposed that he and I, along with his family, should move to Tokyo. All so that my bum leg would not cause me unnecessary hardship during transit ……”

“…………”

“Master had a saying. No romance or makeup until you have a title. I was a live-in apprentice to him and scolded for doing my homework when discovered. If I had the time for it, he’d yell that I should be playing Shogi …… Did the young Ryuo ever say such things to you?”

“Ah …… umm, well …………”

“My apologies. You have not come here to listen to the ramblings of someone over the hill like me, yes?”

“N-Not at all! That was, um …… very enlightening!”

“Heh heh. A kind child indeed.”

Rina repeated herself once more in saying that Ai was kind. This time, however, with a much sharper gaze.

Battle was drawing near.

The living legend known as the Eternal Queen placed both her hands on the piece box in the middle of the board between them. Opening it, she whispered to her young challenger, “Now–––let us begin the Shogi match.”

Ayano watched with the rest of the media from the corner of the arena as the match recorder stood up at the boardside table.

Would the title be held for an unprecedented 30 years?

Or would they witness the birth of an 11-year-old Women’s Legend?

All eyes were focused on this match. The journalists had turned out in droves, local reporters in particular.

–––Which means the majority of these people are here to see Shakando-sensei ……

A few of them were whispering among themselves while glancing in Ai’s direction.

“Check it out. That kid’s shaking ……”

“I don’t blame her. It’s her first title match, and against the Queen-quadruple title no less.”

“She’s the Demon King of the West’s apprentice, isn’t she? That means she’s got a shot, right?”

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? She got kicked out, or maybe she did the kicking out. Kuzuryu’s not even here.”

–––She was not kicked out!

Ayano would have loved to set the record straight with these journalists, but it was true that Yaichi Kuzuryu was not present, and Ai was shaking just enough to be noticeable.

–––But …… It’s not because she’s nervous …… or afraid.

Ayano thought back to the conversation she had had with Ai in the waiting room after she put on her kimono.

“Ai? Are you shivering?”

Kimono cloth was much thicker than the fabric used in Western garments. In fact, some Women’s League players changed out of their kimono in mid-match in order to cool off.

Therefore, Ayano reasoned that the chilly air wasn’t the problem.

She hadn’t caught a cold from exposing her shoulders yesterday, had she?

Ayano became concerned for her friend’s health, but Ai offered this explanation as she shivered.

“………… I’m hot ……”

“Huh?

“Ayano, I …… I ……!”

Ai had to force the words out as she trembled from head to toe.

“Thinking about trying out everything I’ve learned up until today …… I’m excited. So excited that I could explode at any second. I have been ever since Mom finished setting my hair …… I-I can’t stop shaking ……!”

With that, Ai held out her hand. Ayano cautiously took it.

“…… Very hot.”

It was as if her skin were on fire.

Ayano had never felt human skin at such a high temperature before. She pondered exactly how to convey that heat in writing. Even now, she was trying to find the right words–––

“Four Pawns face down.”

Brought back into the moment by the match recorder’s announcement, she found out that Ai had made the first move.

Then instantaneously.

“……!”

The expression on Ai’s face flipped like a switch.

Perhaps the heat had become too much for her to handle because Ai opened her fan and began vigorously fanning herself. Ayano was expecting to see the word courage written on it, as she had always used that one in Osaka.

–––That’s not …… Kuzuryu-sensei’s fan!!

She was stunned. Squinting, Ayano tried to read it …… The following letters were spelled out in Ai’s own handwriting.

Azure Sky Beyond the Clouds.

Those few words spoke volumes about the half year that had passed since Ai left Osaka, or so Ayano felt.

“Ai has passed through the clouds …… Does that mean she has found a direction to follow? Or maybe ……?”

Determined to reach that answer, the budding Shogi journalist tightened her grip on her pen.

It’s used to describe when the journalist remains seated at the boardside table throughout the match. There have been many cases of players describing their presence as distracting. Therefore, most journalists don’t stay in the arena for long periods of time.

However, Ayano had already decided to cling.

It was, after all, her right as a journalist.

Other members of the media were required to leave the arena after each player had made their opening move. Even Charlette wasn’t allowed to stay and left alongside the rest of the reporters and photographers with a sad look over her shoulder.

Watching them leave, the plain-looking elementary school girl who had been sitting in the corner until that point strode up to the boardside table and sat down with her notebook at the ready.

The local media looked on in surprise at the aura of superiority emanating from Ayano. She felt as though she were Cinderella after being picked up by the prince.

At the same time, she was brimming with confidence.

–––Nothing will escape my eyes! I’ll watch Ai and Shakando-sensei so closely, they won’t be able to blink without me noticing!

There were things that only she, someone who had once trained with Ai Hinatsuru, could write.

That confidence was her rock. She could write anything because she knew everything about Ai. Therefore, the quality of her article could only improve the more time she spent in the arena.

Ayano had visions of a masterpiece in the making in her head when she first sat down.

Then, only 30 minutes later–––

“…………………………………”

Ghostly pale, she left the arena.

The Ai Hinatsuru sitting at the board …… was unrecognizable.

Residing in Tokyo these past six months had changed her to an incredible degree. The intensity in her eyes, her short hair, posture and subtle movements too ……

However, all of them paled in comparison to–––

“T- …… Too fast ………… What is going on ……?”

Both players had been making moves without using any waiting time since the match began. The formation was a Double Wing Attack, but that was the only piece of information that Ayano could ascertain ……

She left the arena with the same desperation as a student leaving their classroom in the middle of a test that proved too difficult. Her still-blank notebook was clutched in her arms.

Staying would only make her become a distraction.

Spirit broken, she returned to the break room, which players were using for their own match analysis and wasted no time taking a seat in the back corner.

“………… I …… it’s too much ……”

The gap between her and Ai had become too great for her to ever close ……

The shock of that realization left her listless ……

“………… What am I supposed to write–––?”

“At this point, there have been seven matches similar to this one in the past. The offensive player has won three, and the defensive four. So, having the second move may be advantageous in this instance.”

Ayano looked up at the speaker with wide eyes.

“Big Sister …… Machi?”

“You gave it your best shot, Ayano.”

Machi Kugui had donned her Shogi journalist persona in both mind and dress. Placing a laptop computer in front of her younger sister apprentice, she continued.

“It’s possible to search the formation using the association’s database. Only players and staff are typically allowed to use it, but I applied for you to receive special access.”

“Th-Thank you so much!”

“Next time, make sure you do it on your own, understood? Also–––

Machi guided Ayano outside the room.

“I brought a player to help you analyze the match. Despite wanting to be here with every fiber of his being, our arrival was delayed because he kept saying he wouldn’t come.”

“Huuh? Someone who wanted to come …… but wouldn’t?”

Who could that be?

Ayano tilted her head, confused, when she saw the awkward entrance of–––

“H-Hey ……”

“KGUH?!”

“Quiet.”

Machi stifled Ayano’s outburst of surprise by placing her hand over her mouth. Thus, she couldn’t get any words out.

Instead …… tears welled up beneath her glasses and overflowed within moments.

“…… zu …… ryu …… sensei ……!”

“…… It’s been a while, Ayano.”

The girl stood in awe of the youngest dual title holder in history standing before her.

His clothing was much darker than the last time they had spoken, and his facial features seemed more mature than she remembered.

The very first question she asked was, “Have you come to see Ai?!”

“No, I actually need to talk with Shakando-sensei. That’s why I’m here ……”

Yaichi mumbled a few excuses and looked away.

“And ………… I don’t think Ai wants to see me yet, either.”

“…………”

Ayano wanted to say much more, but she held her tongue. There were other priorities right now.

Wiping away her tears, the budding journalist did her best to look professional and began asking questions.

“…… Before the match, Ai was visibly trembling with excitement. Since the Double Wing Attack is one of her specialties, I think she wanted the match to play out like this–––”

“So do I.”

Relieved that the topic had changed to Shogi, Yaichi began his analysis.

“I think the fast-paced early-game happened because both players expected this. Since the Double Wing only happens when both players agree to play it, Shakando-sensei probably has her own strategy in mind. Why don’t we look back at the match record?”

So saying, Yaichi replayed the first moves using his smartphone but paused it before too long.

“Hm? Ai got rid of the Pawn in front of her Rook?”

“Is that strange? The formation looks normal to me ……”

“More players are hanging on to it these days. They move the third file Pawn forward instead. Doing that to get the Silver out onto the board is the current favored strategy.”

“Just as Machi said, moving that Pawn forward also lets you use the Knight. It’s a powerful, aggressive sequence, but–––”

“It appears that Shakando-sensei is utilizing the more recent style of Double Wing. Miss Hinatsuru’s formation more closely resembles a Bishop Exchange. Her side of the board appears more congested, doesn’t it?”

After listening to Machi, Ayano took another look at the match record and sure enough…

“Y-Yes, Ai’s formation doesn’t look like a Double Wing! In fact, with both Knights forward, Shakando-sensei’s Central House formation looks extremely aggressive …… If their names were hidden, I would’ve thought Ai was playing it! Now I see, that’s why I ……”

The unease that Ayano felt in the arena had finally been identified. Her pen started racing across her notebook.

“But …… don’t players normally want to use their specialties? I can’t think of any merit in avoiding that.”

“What’s more, Miss Hinatsuru is on the losing side according to past records. Why would she choose that Shogi for such an important match as this ……? An interesting take, Ayano. That is sure to stoke the readers’ interest.”

Machi praised her younger sister apprentice. Then, Yaichi gave his thoughts on what his apprentice had in mind.

“The reason Ai didn’t use the latest form of Double Wing Attack …… is probably because she found it to be a particularly scary sequence during her research. I think so, anyway.”

“?! S-So, that means–––”

Ayano looked up at the young challenger’s Master in amazement, but he just grinned and nodded.

“Ai has set a trap. If Shakando-sensei doesn’t realize it and attacks anyway …… this match will end early. Surprisingly early.”

Meanwhile, in the arena the match recorder announced that it was time for lunch.

I come back to my room to eat lunch and only just now realize how stiff I was in the arena.

Breathing hurts.

It feels like a cage in there. I unconsciously picked up on every little sound, from Shakando-sensei’s breathing to every soft rustle of fabric.

Obviously, I was trying too hard to look tough, and I’m seeing stars. I don’t have to look in the mirror now that my eyes are bloodshot from all the excitement.

“H-Huuuh? I can’t …… grab them?!”

The obi band cords tying my sleeves back around my tummy keep slipping through my fingers no matter how hard I try to loosen them.

I give up on it and sit down in the chair with my sleeves still tied.

Just being in a chair feels so much better ……

“I thought I was used to wearing kimonos, but …… I had no idea that wearing one during a match would make me tense up so much ……”

Ten-chan changed from her kimono into western clothes in the middle of one of her title matches, and now I understand why that was a good move on a different level.

I’m okay for now.

My muscles are still in great shape, and I’m full of fighting spirit. So much so that sequences are playing out in my head nonstop.

“But …… I don’t know how long I can keep this up. ………… Too hot ……”

Every part of me feels like it’s on fire. And it’s my head that’s right in the middle of it. My brain is powering forward, reading deep into sequences without me telling it to.

My lunch came with a cold damp napkin. I put it over my eyes and let the chill pass over me. Ah, I needed this ……

“………… What should I do about lunch?”

The problem is …… This is a really fancy boxed lunch.

Whether to eat the food on the table or not is a really important decision.

Eating during a match is usually a no-brainer.

But–––

“If both of us use all our waiting time, the match won’t end until around 5 o’clock this evening. But if that move works …… It’ll be over as soon as we get back. Then, would it be better not to eat?”

There’s a sequence I’m trying to set up. If I get it just right, the match is mine ……

Shakando-sensei probably hasn’t noticed yet.

–––Then again ……… what if it doesn’t work and the match drags on?

Then I’d definitely run out of energy.

I didn’t know until recently, but my stamina is horrible.

“I have a little endurance now since I’ve been joining Natagiri-sensei and Rokuroba-sensei on their morning runs, but …… I can’t focus when I’m hungry …… Ahhh …… What should I do ……?”

Eating makes it hard to concentrate for a little while. The formations don’t play out as cleanly in my head. If I’m going to try to win right away, I’d better skip lunch.

If only I could get some advice.

I wish I had someone to talk to. They wouldn’t have to say anything, just listen to me get all these things off my chest. Just nodding along would be enough!

“That way …… I could just focus on Shogi ……!!”

I’ve never faced a problem like this before, and I’m a mess trying to figure it out.

This isolation. I never realized just how alone players are during title matches. It’s like being locked out of the outside world.

“Master …… This is what he was feeling during those matches ……”

So, so far away.

I always watched from right by his side, but it turns out I didn’t understand a thing. The weight of these problems, the loneliness.

“There’s so much I should’ve asked him. There’s still so much I wanted to ask him ……!”

Regrets don’t start until you can’t do something anymore.

It’s the same as Shogi. I always mess up at the same place. Something always convinces me to go in a different direction — I have to be as direct as possible ……

Just when I started hating myself for never learning, from the next room, “Wooooow! Wook at dis lwunch!”

“It looks right out of a fairy tale! The perk of being a journalist is being served the same food as the players!”

“Ayanyo, Ayanyo! Eat!”

“N-Not yet, Charlette! You have to take pictures first!”

Everything was happening so fast last night that I didn’t even notice Ayano and Charlette are staying in the room next door.

–––Maybe I’ll go say hi? They’re right there ……

I don’t think it would break the rules.

If I chat with them for a little bit and eat my lunch with them, I’m sure I could relax.

–––Maybe it would be better for me to completely forget about Shogi and take a break?

Letting go of that vision of victory just a few moves away, I’m on the verge of choosing a longer match as I grab my lunch and start getting out of my chair.

Then, just before I step out into the hallway.

“No lunch has been prepared for you, Sensei. I’ll call one of the staff to–––”

I hear it.

“It’s okay. No one was expecting me, and the staff won’t be able to ignore it if they find out a title holder has showed up unannounced, right? Could you keep this a secret, please?”

Uwhaaa?!

“M- ………… Master ……?”

I drop my lunch on the floor in shock.

“!!”

I press my ear to the wall, almost hugging it ……

“Breaks during title matches are short enough already. Go on, you two better eat up!”

That’s his voice.

I know it! I know it’s him ……!

–––He really came!!

I thought there was a chance.

But I also didn’t think he would say anything even if he did come. I’ve given up on seeing him or even hearing his voice.

Except now, just like this.

“Master ……”

He’s on the other side of the wall, but right next to me.

The very person I wanted to talk to ……!

“…… Master …… What do you think I should do about lunch ……? I think I’ll skip it so I can focus and end the match quickly. There’s a sequence I’ve been preparing since the start …… Do you think that’s okay, Master ……?”

My upper body is pressed up against the wall as I keep talking.

That’s all it took to make all the pressure go away.

“………… Thank you so much, Master ……”

I whispered with my cheek pressed up against the wall.

I don’t need lunch anymore. My heart is so full that I don’t think anything will fit in my stomach.

“Okay! I’ll go for it!!”

I take a moment to readjust the obi band I was trying to loosen earlier and psych myself up. I’ll end this match and take the victory right now.

“It’s so nice to know that Ayano and Charlette are enjoying the title match! I was worried because I couldn’t do anything for …… them?”

It sounds like they’re enjoying themselves on the other side of the wall.

And …… They start saying some things I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear.

“Masta, yew can hab Cha’s lwunch!”

“Kuzuryu-sensei, help yourself to whatever you wish! Please tell me if there is a type of meat or piece you want to taste!”

“Yay! So much to snack on, thanks!♪”

“Masta, hab Cha’s too?”

“This is great! So tender!”

“P-Please help yourself to my breast meat!”

“Mmmm! This one’s delicious, too! Thick and juicy, the flavor really hits the spot!”

…… Is it just me, or do those things sound dirty ……?

They’re …… just having lunch, right? Master isn’t helping himself to anything but that fancy lunch, is he?!

Besides, why’s he in a room where girls are staying in the first place? What kind of break is that?! Master, dara!! Darabuchi!!

“Masta. Wice on yewr cheek.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Here!♡” Chomp

“Ch-Charlette!! You’re supposed to use your fingers at times like this, not your mouth!!”

D-Did she ……?

Don’t tell me …… It’s ……!!

“Smooch–––”

A smooch lunch ……!!

Not like that, though. I put on some weight while I was cooped up writing my book.

“Masta!”

“Ooof!!”

And Charlette jumps on top of me like I’m some kind of trampoline!

“Masta, Masta, Masta! Hug Cha?”

“I-Is something wrong, Charlette? I don’t remember you being this lovey.”

“Mngh!”

Wrapping her hands around my neck, Charlette shoots me an angry glare through teary eyes.

Then she yells, “Masta, yew meanie! Cha wanted to see yew a wong wong time ago!!”

“…… Sorry for being such an irresponsible Master.”

Once I saw how serious Charlette was about getting stronger, I promised to take her as my apprentice.

I had offered to take her as my bride before to distract her from asking me about that before, but I had a change of heart after she went all out at the King of Naniwa Tournament.

Those hot tears were just too convincing ……

But I was so focused on doing my own thing that I completely ignored this girl.

Now she’s telling me off for being irresponsible, and I wouldn’t blame her for thinking she’d been abandoned …… And yet, she still yearns for me.

It’s up to me to answer those feelings.

“As a man, I take full responsibility! Be my wife!!”

Thud!!

The incredible timing of that impact in the room next door made me realize I said the wrong thing.

“Oops. I was taking you as my apprentice, wasn’t I?”

“Bwoth!!”

Charlette is such a hard worker, she wants to have me as both her Master and her husband.

Yeesh …… Only one piece can be moved at a time in Shogi, so Charlette’s going to have to choose one or the other at some point. It looks like I still have to teach her some of the basics.

“But as they say, Don’t run from a fork in the road — take both if there are two! If you are absolutely serious about this, Charlette, then I will step up to the plate and–––”

Thud! Thud thud thud!!

More noises from the room next door. I wonder if a repair man is busy over there right now?

“K-Kuzuryu-sensei! Uh …… Um ……”

It’s Ayano this time. It looks like she’s trying to muster up the courage to say something.

“Since Ai and Mio don’t live in Osaka anymore, Charlette and I …… are the only two left. But, well …… you see ……”

“What is it, Ayano?”

“I-If it’s all right with you, Sensei! Could we continue the Grade Schooler Practice Group?!”

Almost yelling, Ayano plunges her head down into a deep bow.

Oh. So that’s what this is about.

“Of course it’s alright! Our group will last forever!”

“S-Sensei ……”

Tears start streaming down Ayano’s face.

Now I feel even more guilty.

Here are these pure-hearted students who only long for my teaching, but I was too wrapped up doing my own thing to give them the time of day ……

“I’m so glad …… Everyone… everyone went away …… My Master was always in Tokyo, too …… Charlette and I were all alone with no idea how to improve. It was so bleak ……!”

“And I’m sorry about that. But you don’t have to worry anymore.”

The most important thing right now is to reassure these girls that everything is okay.

I gently pat Ayano’s head and say, “I found a sequence of moves that’s perfect for you even though Ai would have a hard time pulling them off.”

“Whaaa?! J-Just for me ……? A dual title holder’s strategy ……?”

I can almost see the fireworks going off in her eyes.

Unfortunately, those anxious clouds come back just as quickly.

“But …… Ai is a prodigy. How could a Practice League member who can’t seem to promote like me ever hope to use a strategy that she can’t? …… Does one exist?”

“It’s true that Ai can make split-second decisions on sight, so I don’t blame people for thinking kids like her are prodigies.”

“They’re not?”

“What I’m saying is that there are different types of talent. That is Ai’s, but you have plenty of your own kind of talent, Ayano. For example, you like reading books, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes. I enjoy reading about how strategies work in Shogi books more than playing them in matches. Lining up match records is fun, too ……”

“Big Sis was the same way.”

“Sora-sensei was?!Wh-What a surprise ……!”

My older sister apprentice was sickly growing up. If she tried to play a lot of matches in a row, she’d end up bedridden with exhaustion.

She wound up reading a lot more books than most kids her age, which I think worked out as a plus for her in the end.

“It’s like school, if you think about it. You know how some kids can just understand something by reading it in the textbook? Shogi is a game that lets those kinds of kids show off their talent!”

“I have …… the same talent as Sora-sensei ……?”

“There’s no set number of matches you need to play to get a thorough understanding of the strategy or sequence, but if you can get that knowledge efficiently from a book? Don’t get me wrong, not just any book will do. The important thing is to find a good one and read it over and over again, understand?”

“Kuzuryu-sensei! I don’t know why, but I feel like I could beat Ai right now!”

“That’s the spirit! And, I’ll even give you my book, Kuzuryu’s Notebook, to help you get started! Autograph included!”

“W-Wow! I’ve never received a book directly from the author before ……!!”

“Everything you’ll ever need to know is written right here in Kuzuryu’s Notebook.”

“I understand! I’ll take your word for it and only use it to study! I’ll read it cover to cover many times, too!”

“Posting a good review online would help me out a lot, if you have the time.”

“I’ll give it five stars! I’ll write a whole essay!!”

Language arts have always been Ayano’s strong suit. Knowing her, she’ll write something that will convince people to buy my book on the spot. Sweet.

Brainwashing? No, no. It actually is a great book.

“Everyone has a weakness. Ai can see the best moves in the late-game, but she depends on that ability so much that she just goes with the flow in the early-game. Though it looks like she’s gotten better at it during her time in Tokyo.”

“Yes, I remember almost always having the advantage in the early-game when I played against Ai in our practice matches. The strategies I read about in my books always seem to work against her.”

“Ai also tends to get jealous, so she’s quick to strike, right?”

“A-ha-ha. Mio was always worried that she would pull a knife on you someday, Kuzuryu-sensei.”

“That was the only thing I was worried about back when we lived together. Moves are only meant to be made on the Shogi board ha-ha.”

Ker-thud!! WHAM!!

“…… Whoever is next door sure is making a lot of noise.”

“For being such a fancy hotel, the walls are oddly thin.”

Ayano could be right about that.

Even though most of this floor was rented out by the association, there are still some regular customers staying in rooms here and there. There’s a chance the person staying next door doesn’t like Shogi at all. We should probably keep the strategy talk to a minimum.

“Cha, too! Cha wants to wearn some moobes!”

“Hah hah hah! Of course, I’ve got some special moves to show you, too, Charlette! Now join me in bed!!”

We can’t play Shogi on the hard floor, so I sit down on my ankles in the bed and get ready to teach them some tricks until the lunch break ends.

Everything I said was out of goodwill but–––

Riiing, riiing, riiing. The room phone goes off.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. This is the front desk.”

“Can I help you?”

“Um …… We received a call from the room next to yours saying–––”

“Oh, a complaint? I’m sorry. We might’ve been a little loud.”

“Not a complaint so much as ……”

The person on the other end pauses like they’re trying to choose their words very carefully.

“They said that a grown man has been putting moves on two underage girls in bed in your room since noon today……”

“Shogi! We are playing Shogi!!”

“But the guest claims that they heard a belt being unbuckled–––”

Lunch break is over by the time I clear up the misunderstanding. Who in the world made that call?!

Finding a lawn chair with an extra-long leg rest in the shade, I have a seat and take out my phone to watch the broadcast.

“The challenger came back to the arena in the middle of the lunch break. I doubt that was enough time for her to eat much of anything. Word is, she ran back.”

“I can vouch for that. Her footsteps echoed all the way into the break room.”

There are still a few minutes left before the match will start up again.

Ai is already dialed in for a fight. She’s swaying back and forth so fast, I’m afraid she’s going to end up head-butting the board by accident. The players working as commentator and analyst are just as floored as I am.

Then, just as the match recorder gets up to make an announcement, “The lunch break has ended, so please begin–––”

“Yes!!”

Ai is so eager to get started that she cuts off the match recorder and plays her move right away. It’s so dynamic that she reaches all the way into enemy territory.

2 One Bishop. Her mind is set.

“You’re going to finish this quickly, aren’t you? Ai.”

The words roll off my tongue before I notice.

She’s trying to force checkmate. Playing that Bishop shows that she wants to make her opponent surrender early and is saving nothing for later.

Compared to Shakando-sensei, who is sipping a cup of fresh tea after getting back to the arena mere seconds before the match was scheduled to restart, the two players couldn’t be more different.

“The challenger almost looks angry. Her aura is astounding! What could’ve happened during the lunch break?”

“She was shivering this morning. It’s almost like someone else is sitting at the board!”

“To have this much competitive juice flowing when pitted against Women’s Legend Rina Shakando, I suppose we can chalk it up to youth. She’s proven that this stage isn’t too big for her. Perhaps she has read all the way to the end?”

“The rating doesn’t seem to be that far in her favor ……,” says the Women’s League player working as commentator as she points to the software rating. She’s questioning Ai’s decision and could be a little jealous of her, as well.

But that opinion is too shallow.

“Ryuo. What do you make of the formations?” says Machi Kugui carrying a camera equipped with a zoom lens as she walks up to me.

“…… How did you know I was here?”

“Journalists and photographers identify the spots where the arena is visible from outside long before the match begins,” she answers like it was obvious, and then adds one extra reason. “Not to mention that this is a blind spot for the players themselves. A father who lacks the courage to speak with his runaway daughter would set up camp here, don’t you agree?”

Harsh.

Not that I say anything back because she’s right.

“The match itself is more important. Has Miss Hinatsuru seen something?”

“There are some formations where software has difficulty identifying check paths in the late-game. I told you that before, remember?” Once I confirm that, “Plus, the software isn’t set to read too deep into the sequences, so it still thinks it’s anyone’s match. But I’m pretty sure that Ai used the lunch break to read deep into the board and found something. She decided to hit Shakando-sensei with it directly.”

“…… Miss Hinatsuru has surpassed A.I.?”

“It’s about strengths and weaknesses. Software may be far stronger than people, but it has a long way to go to master Shogi theory. If it were a supercomputer, that would be different.”

Something similar happened to me the first time I played against Ai. She already knew how to win before I taught her anything about Shogi.

A natural born competitor.

That’s who the girl named Ai Hinatsuru really is.

“Interesting …… This will make waves, you know? The girl who can outplay artificial intelligence.”

That kind of news getting around would do more harm than good. I’d better nip it in the bud.

“It’s just competitive tactics. I’d do the same thing in her shoes. Even if this move turns out to be a mistake, there’s plenty of time to come back because it’s just the first match. On the other hand, it’ll stay in the back of the opponent’s head during the next match if it works.”

“Using break time to find a check path …… Yes? Sounds similar to a certain Ryuo, doesn’t it?”

“…………”

“Has she read Kuzuryu’s Notebook?”

“It’s all instinct.”

It’s actually Ai who taught me to think like that. Machi knows, but she asked anyway. After all, we wrote that book together.

“Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here …… Here!!” Ai’s voice comes out from my smartphone speakers.

The voice she makes and she reads deep, deep into the board.

“HERE!!”

Whipping her fingers forward, she plants a piece down with a snap so loud I hear it outside the arena. She has plenty of waiting time left, but she’s charging forward at a breakneck speed.

“Here!! HERE!! Hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereheeeereeeee!!”

Then she slams a piece down with the force of an axe.

1 Two Silver.

“O- …… 1 Two Silver?!” Machi and I say in stunned unison before checking our screens one more time.

Just to make sure that that jaw-dropping move, putting a Silver directly in front of her opponent’s Lance, actually happened!

“Strong ……”

Even I didn’t see that move …… When did she find it?

“………… Hmm.”

The Eternal Queen looks at it, places her hand in her cheek and nods a few times.

Then, wetting her lips with the last of her tea, she sits up straight with her elegance intact.

“Shakando-sensei is fixing her posture ……”

“A photo op.”

Ka-shak, ka-shak, ka-shak …… Machi points the lens of her camera at the arena and takes a quick series of pictures.

She did so because she knows what’s coming.

“Strong.”

Shakando-sensei’s remark in the arena comes out of my smartphone as clear as day.

Surprisingly, the same word I used–––

“I have lost. And to this extent …… Hm.”

Placing her right hand over the piece stand, the Women’s Legend admits defeat.

Thus the defender surrenders after 73 moves.

“Thank you for the match.”

The challenger answers calmly. She’s already looking into the future.

“Th-That’s the end! The Women’s Legend surrendered!!”

People are moving around all over the place on the broadcast.

“1 Two Silver? Is that a viable move?! The software hasn’t even listed it as …… Huh?! I-It just identified it as the best move–––”

The observer and journalists are tripping over themselves trying to get down the hallway that leads to the arena. They had relied so much on the software to tell them what was going on that no one saw that move either.

Ai’s first title match.

Usually, the first match in a series is the most difficult, but Ai pushed forward to victory with sequences so complex that even A.I. couldn’t read them.

It’s a big, big win.

“Kuzuryu-Ryuo, how do you feel after watching your apprentice’s first title match?”

“My apprentice is so strong, it’s scary.”

“That would make a good title for a light novel, if I do say so myself.”

Machi looks dumbfounded, but I can tell she agrees with me 100 percent. She is a victim of Ai’s late game prowess, after all ……

“It was a complete win. She managed to get the match to a pivotal point before lunch and then use that break time to map out a path directly to victory. She probably went over it a few times and decided to pull the trigger. I doubt she had anything to eat.”

If this were sumo wrestling, it be a railroad victory.

In other words, colliding at full speed and then driving the opponent out of the ring in a straight line. All without the other guy being able to do a thing.

It’s a victory claimed on power and momentum alone.

And it’s worth a lot.

In a series …… winning like that might just have given her the whole victory.

“Did you do something?”

“No. I haven’t even seen her. Not that there’s anything I could do if I had ……”

“On a side note, my younger sister apprentice and Charlette bragged about being shown special moves from Kuzuryu-sensei in bed during the lunch hour when they returned to the break room.”

“That doesn’t mean I did anything!!”

Ayano is really going to have to work on her choice of words if she’s going to be a journalist!!

“…… She’s gotten stronger in Tokyo, plain and simple. Now she’s strong enough to fight head-to-head with a title holder.”

Acknowledging that in my own words wasn’t easy …

Because that meant acknowledging that she doesn’t need me around ……

“You sound like a man suffering, watching his ex-girlfriend become prettier by the day after breaking up.”

“Would you quit reading my mind?”

Machi surely has a way with words. Being a journalist, she knows how to be a little too on the nose.

Though, using father and ex-girlfriend pushed it a bit ……

That probably means …… my connection with Ai Hinatsuru has grown beyond the realm of Master and apprentice ……

“Do you not believe so as well?”

“Yeah, yeah. All the time.”

“Mngh.” Machi pouts, puffing out her cheeks before putting her Mato Shogi journalist face back on. “I will be returning to the arena to assist my younger sister apprentice. What are your plans, Ryuo?”

“I’ll kill some more time here and go home by myself.”

“No backbone to speak of. Well, I knew that already!”

And then, I’m alone.

There are some words I want to say even though no one is around to hear them.

“Congrats, Ai.”

They disperse on the breeze like cherry blossom petals and drift toward the arena.

Ai is completely focused on the review session that just started. Dialed in, there isn’t a hint of a smile on her face.

She gets a perfect score for her conduct after the match, too.

Watching her, something else occurs to me.

“Shakando-sensei …… It looks like what happened with Ayumu is weighing on her after all.”

That’s the only logical conclusion no matter what angle you take after looking back on how she played this match.

I decide to ask her about the proposal some other time and leave.

It’s match number two, a week after the first.

Kamakura, Shakando-sensei’s hometown, is hosting it. Speed is what I’m going for in this match, too.

The formation is Double Wing Attack.

It’s just that Sensei is using an old Twisting Rook style rather than the trending software version. It was popular long before I was born.

–––Is she trying to confuse me? …… But!!

We’ve exchanged a few pieces, but she’s not letting me engage in a full sequence.

But I’m trying to use sheer amount of reading to crush this small difference in Shogi style at a full-throttle from the beginning!

“Herehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere–––”

It’s Shakando-sensei’s turn, but she’s been thinking for almost an hour now.

I think …… I have a small advantage on the board.

And I’m way ahead in waiting time.

It helps that I haven’t wasted a second of it and I’ve been using her time to do reading of my own. If I can keep my formation advantage and add the waiting time on top of that, I’ll have everything I need to win in the late-game, which is my specialty. That’s my game plan.

The Double Wing is unique because you can get into that late-game with far fewer moves than with other strategies. We are right on the cusp of it right now.

Sensei using this much time must mean ……

–––My attack must’ve gotten through!

My reading and my opponents’ body language.

They give reassurance to me that I’m right. Then.

“………………………………………”

Shakando-sensei looks at the clock with her arms still crossed.

She then puts them at her sides and says flatly, almost like she’s telling herself, “…… Yes, there is nothing.”

“What?!”

I’m so focused on reading the board that I can’t believe my ears. The match recorder Rin Koiji Women’s 4-dan, also known as Rinrin-sensei, is shocked, too.

Huh?

It’s over?

–––Did I …… just win? She’s not going to play a move?

“…………?”

I look up at Shakando-sensei in disbelief.

She looks back at me and answers slowly, like explaining something to a child while lowering her head, “I have lost.”

Rinrin-sensei picks up her tablet with a start and turns off the clock. Then she writes the time of the last move into the match record sheet …… and draws a long line to the box where she’d normally write the move.

A letdown stick.

That’s what it’s called in the Shogi world.

Seeing it shows that the player refused to accept their own mistakes and was so desperate to keep playing that they couldn’t give up. It’s a sign of regret.

“Ah ………… Oh! Thank you for the match!!”

I bow as quickly as I can.

But I can’t bring my head back up right away. If I did …… I don’t know if I could hide my grin.

–––Two wins in a row? Really? Me, against Shakando-sensei?

It feels like Christmas and my birthday came early this year.

I look over at the match record out of the corner of my eye and look for the letdown stick.

–––My rush …… didn’t just get through.

I thought it had broken through that thick armor of hers, but it turns out I pierced her heart as well. From there, it was sudden death.

A lucky punch?

Nope, she still has moves. I would’ve kept fighting.

The fact that she didn’t has to mean ……

–––Shakando-sensei …… thinks she’s even further behind than I do.

Either she’s still feeling the loss from last week, or something else is distracting her. I don’t know what it could be, though.

Basically, she didn’t think she could stop my charge and gave up!

My heart beats so hard it hurts.

“……!!”

I grab hold of the collar of my kimono and try to pin down my ribs so that my chest doesn’t burst. But I can’t let anyone else know, so I snatch my fan and shake it as hard as I can to cool off ……

“Azure Sky Beyond the Clouds.”

The words I wrote before this title match catch my eyes.

–––Will I get to see the blue sky when I get there ……?

Next.

The third match.

It’s going to happen in the most advantageous spot for me since the series began.

I’d made up my mind that even if I lost every other match, that was going to be the one I would win ……

Since it’s going to happen there.

Where …… my Shogi training started.

A dark aura wafts from further inside just before a maid sticks her head around the corner.

“Oh. Welcome home, Sensei.”

“Th-Thanks, Akira. I brought back some yumochi and gongoro chikaramochi rice cake souvenirs.”

“Only rice cakes? Where did you buy them?”

“The yumochi is from Hakone and the gongoro chikaramochi is from Kamakura …… But why does it matter? Rice cakes are good wherever they’re from.”

“Valid point.”

Akira has got the housework perfectionist vibe going on with that maid outfit, but she can’t cook whatsoever.

I’m pretty sure that Ai Yashajin just accepted that detail from the start, so most of our meals at home get delivered. We eat what we want when we want. It feels more like I’ve got roommates rather than living with family.

So my eating habits have reverted to what they were when I lived by myself. I used to look for candy a grade school girl would like when I was buying souvenirs, but now my criteria have changed to something that would work as a meal.

“Whew …… Coming back to a clean room really does cut the strain of a long trip in half.”

I pour coffee for both of us. Sitting down at the table, I dig into the rice cakes and look around the room. Seriously, it’s as spic-and-span as a five-star hotel.

“Is that so? Well, it’s a skill I use for work.”

She can’t cook worth a dang, but her cleaning skills are astronomical.

I asked her what her secret was a while back, and she started taking out products that break down all types of proteins and chemicals that only melt bones one after another. I wouldn’t say she cleans our room so much as she purifies it. Complete and utter decontamination ……

“Huh? Ai isn’t home yet?”

“My Lady is busy with matches as well as involved in a new project with the family business. Staff on that end is currently accompanying her.”

“She also has classes to go to at school ……”

All I have to worry about is Shogi. Ai Yashajin is so much busier.

“Does that mean …… You’ve been in the apartment the entire time Ai has been away? Or do you have another side job you’re working on?”

“More importantly, Sensei. Teach me Shogi.”

“Shogi? Sure, that’s fine, but ……”

Wow, she changed the subject really quick.

Oh! I’ve got it. This is the perfect opportunity to show Akira the light.

“If you’re serious about getting stronger, reading Kuzuryu’s Notebook is the way to do it!”

“That won’t work.”

That stoic face of hers softens for a second as she instantly shoots down my suggestion.

“I took a peek at it because My Lady spent hours poring through its pages, but I gave up halfway through the prologue. Too many letters crammed into the pages for my liking.”

“I, um, I see ……”

“Reduce the words to a few sentences here and there and add more pictures in their place. And lead with the conclusion, would you please? Nothing makes me want to hurl a book through a window more than getting excited reading about some super, all-powerful sequence only to find out it’s hard to tell which one wins in the end. Why do so many Shogi books follow this trope? All it does is kill my willingness to learn. You should seriously consider other, more efficient tools to teach strategies. And another thing–––”

Listening to Akira point out every flaw in excruciatingly specific detail, all I do is nod.

What if …… my book doesn’t sell at all ……?

I reunite with a certain girl when she comes down from Tokyo for the pre-match inspection in Osaka.

“Keika!”

She spots me from her place among staff and reporters and rushes toward me as if she were blazing a path through the ocean.

I smile, put out both hands, and greet that tiny girl with open arms.

Greet her with the words I’d already picked out.

“Welcome home, Ai.”

“…… I’m back, Keika.”

The tiniest of shy smiles appears on that little challenger’s face.

Ai Hinatsuru Women’s 2-dan clings to me like a puppy for a few moments before awkwardly stepping back. Her face is as red as can be.

Her youthful mannerisms are exactly like they were the day she left Osaka ……

“E-he-he. This is embarrassing …… Coming back to Kansai so soon after everything that happened when I left ……”

“Oh, not at all.”

“Huh?”

Ai hasn’t changed one little bit.

With one exception.

“You must’ve been through a lot. Standing so tall …… So bold ……”

She had such long, flowing hair when she left Osaka.

After taking care of her dark locks so well for so long, Ai cut them all off.

I still remember the shock when I first saw her profile picture during a broadcast of one of her matches.

–––Ahhh, it’s no good ……

I came here bound and determined to smile the entire time, but my eyes are watering so much it’s hard to keep this girl in focus.

“………… I’m so sorry, Ai ……”

Seeing her in person like this …… the tears just won’t stay back ……!

I do the best I can between sniffles to beg for her forgiveness.

“Sorry …… I’m so sorry …… If only I’d been a stronger Women’s League player …… If I’d joined the league sooner, if I had more connections in Tokyo …… I wouldn’t have had to send you off all by yourself like that ……!”

“Keika! Ummm …… Please don’t cry, Keika ……!!”

Ai takes both my hands.

“Tamayon-sensei …… Rokuroba-sensei has looked out for me the whole time! Natagiri-sensei has had title matches, but he also found time in his busy schedule to train me up ……! It’s all because you and Grandpa-sensei asked them!”

Ai tells me all about her experiences in Tokyo.

Even all the Women’s League players who gave her the cold shoulder in the beginning have warmed up to her.

She’s even made two new friends, Tsubasa Gakumeki Women’s 1-kyu and Rin Koiji Women’s 4-dan.

And how she has Tamayo Rokuroba Women’s 2-dan to thank for all of it.

“That’s great …… It seems like leaving you with her was the right decision after all.”

Ms. Rokuroba’s reputation is split.

In Kansai she’s been called the Practice Session Crusher or ridiculed as the Pro Women’s League Player. To be blunt, I thought so, too. Ginko doesn’t like her much, either, but I think there’s a separate, bigger reason in her case.

Even so, Natagiri-sensei couldn’t have given her a stronger vote of confidence, and he’s devoted his life to Shogi.

“There is so much more she can learn from Tamayo than me, I assure you. By all means, have her live in the same room here in Tokyo.”

What he meant went over my father’s professional Shogi player head, but those words were all it took to convince me to entrust him with Ai.

Because it sounded to me like he understood the reality of being a Women’s Shogi player ……

The move turned out to be perfect.

Though the last thing I expected was for Ai’s skill level to explode through the roof.

She didn’t just win the first and second matches, she dominated them.

And now, here she is within reach of claiming a title in Osaka, which would almost perfectly re-create how Ginko took her first Women’s Title of Queen.

–––She claimed the Queen Title in the sixth grade, too …… It’s too perfect to be a coincidence.

This is even the same arena. It seems like I’m not the only one who thinks destiny is at work here. The usual crowd of Shogi journalists and reporters are having to fight for space with crews dispatched by local news stations.

All are here hoping to witness the second coming of Naniwa’s Snow White.

“Oh, that’s right.”

I smile and wipe the tears away.

“I had a little something prepared for you to mark your first title series.”

“Huh?! A present?!” she asks with glee, her eyes sparkling. “What is it?! Keika, what did you get for me?!”

“He-he-he. You’ll find out …… At the opening night party, okay?”

“Ah! Could it be one of those? The things that go in the arena alcove–––”

“Oh, heavens, no. Something much better …… I hope that one wasn’t too much of a bother.”

“No, not at all! Looking at it during a match makes me gig- …… Helps me feel refreshed!”

“…… Go ahead and burn it if it’s in the way. I’m serious.”

The right mindset? Rather than motivating his granddaughter apprentice, now she’s having to be nice! That old beard, I swear ……!

I’ll go give him a piece of my mind right now.

Scanning the room, I spot him greeting the other player involved in this title match at the other end.

“Kousuke.”

“Rina ……”

The two of them exchange bashful looks.

“…… Strange turn of events, don’ ya think? My granddaughter apprentice facin’ ya in a title match ……”

“He-he. We are getting on in years, yes?”

“Ya haven’ changed at all, Rina. Yer just like ya were back then …… Nah! Ya’ve only gotten more beautiful!”

“And you, too, Kousuke–––”

“More manly, am I?”

“Why, no. You’ve become much more adept at flattery!”

Just looking at Shakando-sensei laugh like a little girl, I have a hard time believing she’s a title holder with her back against the wall after losing two straight matches.

–––She’ll be titleless with one more loss. Isn’t she scared?

Is she putting on a brave face to hide her nerves from the rest of us?

Or …… Has she gotten bored of having a title?

Does someone like that even exist? For me personally, I would die happy if I ever made it into a title match–––

“Keika! Hey, Keika!”

“Wha? Wh-What is it, Father ……?”

“Help Rina …… Shakando-Women’s Legend over to the arena. Be careful, ya hear? Also, call me Master out in public, got it? Master.”

I silently nod. After one more glance in Ai’s direction, I walk over to her opponent.

The one alone at the top.

“It’s been an age since we’ve exchanged pleasantries, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. I apologize for my long absence.”

Defeating this person right here is what allowed me to pass through the sliver of a window I had left to join the Women’s League.

It was the match of my life.

I doubt I’ll ever be able to play better than I did that day. Unlike Ai, I can’t picture myself ever defeating this person one more time.

“Pardon me, Sensei. May I assist ……?”

“Why, yes. Thank you.”

I take the outstretched hand that I once fought with all my might and slowly guide her forward. That’s when it finally hits me: what’s wrong with this picture.

–––Where has Ayumu gone off to?

Her beloved apprentice was at her side, even during our match.

But he’s nowhere to be seen now.

–––A league match perhaps? I can’t think of any other reason why he wouldn’t be here ……

“You will be recording the match tomorrow, yes Keika?”

“Ah ………… Y-Yes! As it will be my first time working as a match recorder for a title match, I will be doing my utmost to prevent any mistakes–––”

“No, no, my dear. The pressure is all mine.”

“What? …… How do you mean? At your title match? Shakando-sensei, you must be joking ……”

Does this woman feel any pressure when her back is against the wall?

“I can ill afford any slip-ups on my part.”

She doesn’t want to look bad? For whom?

The fans who have supported her all this time? For Ai?

–––Couldn’t be me, could it? Or maybe ……?

The inspection lasts all of five minutes.

Once both players have said a few words and my father, the observer, made a speech, I’m scheduled to get up and speak as the match recorder.

“This will be my first experience recording a title match. I understand how valuable this opportunity is for me and I intend to learn as much as I can.”

The air in here is casual, as parties usually are.

People are chatting away at their tables and barely anyone is looking in my direction. Ai and Shakando-sensei are seated in opposite corners and look fairly relaxed.

Just then some voices make it through the din.

“…… Who signed off on Kiyotaki 9-dan as the observer? That’s gotta cause problems ……”

“…… What happened to maintaining a line between work and private matters, hm ……?”

“…… Before the inspection, too …… Talking ……”

I can’t ignore them no matter how I try. So I take two envelopes out of my handbag with enough force to drown them all out.

“And–––”

It’s time for the present I had in my sleeve for the players.

“I have messages from Sora 4-dan. Please allow me to read them in her place.”

“D-Did she say Sora 4-dan?!”

My bombshell shakes the whole venue.

“Naniwa’s Snow White hasn’t made any public statements!”

“This is her first one since taking a leave of absence, isn’t it?!”

“Now this is what I call a scoop ……!!”

All the media people who were chitchatting suddenly give me their full attention. Cameras and notepads at the ready, it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone’s waiting with baited breath for my next words.

Same goes for the players.

“Ginko ……?”

Shakando-sensei whispers under her breath and urges me on with her eyes.

I take a breath and start reading.

“Shakando-sensei has been kind enough to hone my skills with practice sessions ever since I claimed my titles. Although I have defeated her in league matches, I believe that she won far more during those practice sessions.”

“…………”

Sensei quietly listens to me read Ginko’s message aloud.

“So I believe that I understand Shakando-sensei’s strength better than anyone. And I also believe I know how tomorrow’s match is going to play out. I will be watching the match closely …… to see if my prediction comes true.”

I give Shakando-sensei a short bow to let her know the message is over.

She …… doesn’t say anything.

Instead, she closes her eyes and mulls over Ginko’s words.

“I have played one meaningful match against the challenger, Ai Hinatsuru Women’s 2-dan. It was during her Practice League Entrance Exam.”

I turn to face the other player and start reading.

“It was a handicap match, and I won. I also played her in a practice match with a six-piece handicap and won that one as well. In both league matches and in practice sessions, I have never once lost to Miss Hinatsuru.”

Murmur, murmur, murmur ……

The difference in tone between the two messages is staggering, but it seems like everyone else is more intimidated than Ai.

“Watching Miss Hinatsuru in the Women’s League, I’m surprised how little her style has changed since those days. Nothing but a straightforward rampage like a bull in a china shop. Frankly, I’m astounded she made it to the title match playing like that. So–––”

I pause there for a moment.

Then, doing the best Ginko impression I can muster, I read the last line.

“So I’m a little …… interested to see how far Ai Hinatsuru’s straightforward style of Shogi from back then can grow with my own eyes.”

“…………!!”

Ai’s pupils light up with fiery determination.

But it’s not directed at Shakando-sensei.

“…… Grow straightforward ………… My Shogi ……”

That fire crackles with so much intensity, it’s like she’s trying to melt a glacier.

That’s the moment that I knew.

This girl’s true opponent isn’t Shakando-sensei, but–––.

The third Women’s Legend Title Match starts with my apprentice taking the first move.

This makes three Double Wing matches in a row, but there’s something very different about this one.

“Now it’s Ai who’s using the latest style. Maybe she felt the time was right …… The way she’s playing just screams I’m going to win this right now! ……”

While I know I shouldn’t be looking at my phone while walking, curiosity gets the better of me as I stare at the screen and mumble on my way to the venue.

The match is taking place at a high class hotel in Tenmabashi, Osaka. It normally doesn’t host regular women’s Title Matches, but one very big title match did take place here before.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I doubt I’ll ever forget it.

“That day, Mr. Kagamizu was the match recorder …… It was my job to move the pieces on the big board for the commentator …… And she won her first title ……”

“You there, shady guy.”

I haven’t been on the premises even five minutes, but I’ve already been spotted.

Worse, by the Worldly Maestro.

“M-Mr. Oishi?! You came?”

“How could I miss this? It’s Ai’s first title match, and the Kiyotakis are workin’ as observer and match recorder. Stuff this interesting doesn’t pop up every day.”

He’s the type of guy who holes up in the bathhouse/Shogi classroom he runs except for his own matches. I guess even he couldn’t resist coming to watch Ai’s match in person.

Mr. Oishi gave Ai and I a crash course in Ranging Rook while we worked part-time for him at his bathhouse way back when.

Now that former student of his has become a challenger and is one win away from claiming her own title. The climactic battle is happening in Osaka. It makes me happy to know that he’s willing to close the bathhouse to come watch.

“I’d have brought Asuka with me if it weren’t a weekday.”

“She became a college student this spring, right?”

“She found a university with a strong Shogi club and passed the entrance exam on her own. Shogi’s the only thing she’s ever needed help with.”

“Asuka is in college …… What about the Practice League?”

“With Practice League Director Kuruno bein’ a Ranging Rooker and all, he’s been treating her well.”

Kuruno-sensei did a ton for Ai, too, though she doesn’t play Ranging Rook. The thing is that it feels like I’d lose something if I point that out.

“Right after high school is the same time Keika joined the Practice League, too. I’ve heard they’ve been dropping by each other’s places, getting trained up in Shogi and some advice while they’re at it.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” I say, meaning it on two levels.

Since the Kiyotaki Shogi family lost members almost overnight, the fact that Asuka has been dropping by is huge.

“But I gotta say, the Kuzuryu line is sure high hoggin’ the spotlight. The Master is the youngest dual title holder ever, this Ai is playing for her first title and the other apprentice of yours is in the running for two titles, isn’t she?”

“Ai Yashajin’s matches aren’t technically title matches. They’re more like two winner-take-all series.”

“Looks like those titles’ll be staying with your line even after Ginko gave ’em up.”

“It’s too early to say for sure. Her opponent is in the 3-dan division, after all.”

“Aren’t you going to watch her matches?”

“She’s made it unmistakably clear that she doesn’t want me there …… She even forbade me to look at the match records until the series are over. Seriously, now that we’re finally living toge–––”

“Hm?”

“L-Living up to our full potential as Master and apprentice!”

“Heh. Just as the saying goes, no kid knows how dear she is to her parents. Reminds me a lot of Asuka, to tell the truth.”

Whew! That was too close!

I’m hiding the fact that Ai Yashajin and I are living together. Not that there’s anything going on, but I just can’t find the right way to say it ……

“There’s him, too. Sota Kunugi.”

Mr. Oishi doesn’t seem to pick up on the fact that I’m sweating bullets and keeps talking.

“That grade schooler …… Nah, junior high schooler now, eh? He hasn’t lost since his debut in the Ryuo Tournament at the beginning of the year. He’s right on the verge of being a big deal.”

“I’d be more surprised if he weren’t winning so much.”

Sota is good enough that he could hold his ground just fine if he got thrown into A League right now.

What’s more is that there aren’t anywhere near as many players in Kansai as there are in Kanto. That means that you play against the same people all the time in the qualifiers. We all know everyone’s style so well that upsets are hard to pull off.

Sota could very well go undefeated until he runs into Kansai’s big three: Chairman Tsukimitsu, Mr. Oishi and I. A winning streak of about 20 matches is well within the realm of expectation.

“If he keeps winning, he’ll end up playin’ against Ika Sainokami in Group 6 of the Ryuo Tournament. The Grade School Pro versus a Women’s Leaguer. The media will have a field day no matter who wins.”

“It’s a clash of the demons if you ask me.”

“I get that Sainokami rubs you the wrong way ’cause of stuff that happened in the past, but personally I’m rooting for her. That tomahawk strategy of hers is pretty darn effective.”

“…………”

Just hearing that name sends a bitter chill down my spine.

It’s the strategy that tore out Big Sis’s spirit. Ika swore to destroy her with it.

But I keep talking like nothing is wrong.

“…… Not that long ago, nobody would’ve expected Normal 3rd-File Rook to surge back into popularity like this.”

“You can say that again. I’m also working on my own variation for somethin’ up my sleeve as a change-up from my ace Gokigen Central Rook strategy.”

“You do?! What kind of variation?”

“Moron. If I told you that, it wouldn’t be up my sleeve anymore, would it? You’ll just have to wait for me to bring it out in a match.”

Mr. Oishi lightly bonks me on the head before leaning in close to whisper.

“Enough about that. How are you so off the grid in Kansai? Where the heck are you living right now, anyway? Keika darn near had a heart attack when you moved out of your apartment and disappeared. Asuka was already reeling from what happened with Ginko, and I had to stop her from filing a missing persons report with the police.”

“Yeah …… I was in a cramming session, writing my book from the beginning of the year …… Now that it’s published, I’ve been going around different bookstores in Kanto to help with sales. There’s been no time to come home ……”

I don’t actually start helping with sales until tomorrow, but I’m not exactly lying, either.

“Sales?” Mr. Oishi says like it’s the last thing he expected to hear. “You’re doing that stuff? I’ve done next to nothing for the book I wrote five years ago, and it’s already gotten several reprints.”

“Amateurs sure do love Ranging Rook ……”

That’s the Maestro for you. Compared to the onslaught of complaints that Akira unleashed onto Kuzuryu’s Notebook, he’s on a different level. Maybe I should have written a book aimed at grade schooler kids after all ……

We arrive at the door in front of the break room while catching up.

Compared to the arena, the air is so relaxed that I can hear people chatting away inside already. That’s typical for title match mornings.

“It sounds like there’s a guest. Do you think they’re a sponsor? Well, I don’t really want to draw attention, so that’s fine by me–––”

Mr. Oishi gets to the door first, but he doesn’t reach for the handle.

“Huh? Aren’t you going in?”

“…… That’s the chairman’s voice.”

Displeasure is written all over the Maestro’s face.

He’s been running away from Chairman Tsukimitsu because whenever they meet, the chairman says something like: It’s about time you took a position on the Association Board of Directors, and puts pressure on him to be more involved.

“Busy as he is, he’ll be gone soon enough. I’ll go have a smoke somewhere til then.”

“I don’t think you have to avoid him so much.”

“A League players don’t like sharing the same space. It leaves a bad taste.”

“Really?”

“Hurry on up here. Then you’ll get it.”

A 14-year member of the A League, the Worldly Maestro casually waves his hand as he sets off in search of a smoking area.

“………… A League.”

Hearing about it reminds me of Ayumu, who’s already up there.

As I only just promoted to B-2, it’ll be at least another two years before I can climb that high.

But after two years, when we’re both in A League …… what’ll happen to our friendship?

And what if Ayumu is already the Meijin by that point ……?

“Ayumu, Ryou, Machi and I …… It looks like the days when the four of us can hang out and laugh, like we’ve been doing since the Elementary Meijin Tournament, are numbered ……”

Do I want the way things are to last forever?

Or do I want to get to the top as soon as possible so we can fight it out for real?

Pursuing the two options could mean that I’ve got a lot of growing left to do as a Shogi player. Still questioning myself, I open the door and walk into the break room.

“Who’s here? Somebody famous?”

People from outside the Shogi world come in and out of the arena and the break room we use for analysis all the time in the morning during title matches. We don’t have time to spend on them once the match heats up, but it’s no problem to show them around during the early-game–––

“C-Chairman Tsukimitsu is working with them personally, in a kimono?! What kind of VIP is ……?!”

Whoever she is, she’s tall.

Young and pretty, too. But there’s a sketchy air about her. Like she knows a thing or two about the black market. Just when I was getting impressed that, considering she looks about 20. she doesn’t look intimidated by being in this break room before a title match or speaking with the chairman one-on-one ……

“President Ikeda. This seat has the best view. Please, sit down.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Chairman Tsukimitsu. Sharing an analysis board with a member of the A League …… As a Shogi fan, this truly is the best seat in the house.”

It’s someone I know very well.

Know her? I live with her!

“A-Akira?! What the heck are you doing here?!”

I’d been trying to keep a low profile, but I can’t help screaming in front of all these people. Something is definitely, definitely wrong about this picture!

Akira Ikeda puts on the fakest look of surprise I’ve ever seen and says, “Oh my, if it isn’t Ryuo Yaichi Kuzuryu! What a surprise! To think I’d be able to speak with the youngest dual title holder in history! I’m so glad I decided to drop in on today’s title match!!”

“Huh? I taught you some Shogi tricks while having rice cakes at home just yesterday …… Oh, um.”

I can’t talk about living arrangements in front of a crowd like this. Changing gears, I quickly adjust to match her story.

“Y-Yeah. It has been a while …… What a coincidence! ……”

The chairman’s explanation comes from even further out in left field.

“The association has decided to entrust President Ikeda’s company with tearing down and constructing new Shogi Association Buildings.”

“President?”

Akira …… is a company president?

“Which reminds me, you started a videogame company in Kobe and had the association contact me to help you develop a game, didn’t you?”

It was such a disaster that I had all but blocked it from my memory, but now it’s coming back to me.

I agreed to it thinking that they were making a Shogi-based game, but instead they wanted to make a mobile app overloaded with cute girls called Lolicon GO or Lolilive or something like that. Oh those days were painful ……

To make a long story short, the game’s financial investor, Ai Yashajin, was so infuriated by the game or should I say the pretty girl content we made that she pulled the plug before it ever saw the light of day ……

“But that company went bankrupt, right ……?”

“The initial cost of securing the massive server required in order to produce a game for smartphones was too great, yes. We have gone back to square one and began working in real estate this time.”

“Oh, gotcha. Land sharking sounds more up your alley anyway …… Hold up!”

The tone made it sound like they were going to tear down a tapioca stand to build a fancy bread shop, but …… there was a word in there I can’t let slip!!

“D-Did you say …… tearing down the association buildings?!”

There have been talks about renovating them for what feels like an eternity. I know that negotiations for constructing a brand new building in Tokyo have been going for over 20 years.

Either it’s that they haven’t been able to find a good company, or this, or that …… No progress has been made it all ……

“How’d your new company got the contract, Akira?”

“Because it is our specialty!”

Akira puffs her chest out with pride. I don’t like where this is going ……

“While it’s true the company has just been founded, they show tremendous potential for rapid growth moving forward.”

“I suppose that must be true if you say so, chairman, but ……” Unable to put my doubts to rest, I turn to Akira and ask, “So? What’s the name of your company?”

“Lolihome.”

“Do you like going bankrupt that much, you idiot?!” I scream inside myself, but Akira explains it all with infallible confidence.

“We provide homes that allow young children to flourish in a safe and comfortable environment. I insisted on the name with that vision in mind. Doesn’t it fit perfectly?”

“Wonderful. A name that reflects hopes and dreams of the future, truly wonderful.”

The chairman sounds all for it.

It seems like …… rather than convince me, he’s trying to show the crowd of journalists and Shogi people here how much he trusts Akira.

“While I unfortunately do not have children myself, I have no doubt that I would consider your company’s services for a house of my own if I did.”

The chairman can only say this so carelessly because he doesn’t have kids himself. Yeah, see that? Ms. Oga is looking through available plots of land at breakneck speed on her tablet right next to him because he doesn’t think before he talks ……

Being blind, he can’t see his secretary’s fingers blazing across the screen and keeps going like everything is normal.

“President Ikeda shares your noble aspirations of assisting young girls in fulfilling their dreams, Kuzuryu-Ryuo. Now I understand why you get along so well.”

“I’m a pic fan, after all.”

“I assume you referring to the Shogi pic fan trend?”

She’s not. The kind of pic Akira is referring to will never trend anytime, anywhere. They’re perverted, that’s why.

“The secret of our rapid growth in the real estate industry is due to the new technology we developed by utilizing those photography techniques along with the equipment know-how from our days as a video game company. Are you curious, Kuzuryu-sensei?”

“Not really ……”

“Virtual reality.”

“Virtual …… Reality? As in VR? Like those thick, bricky goggles you need to play some video games ……?”

“Precisely. I have a working set with me right here.”

“There’s a title match going on. Please don’t bring strange things onto hallowed ground.”

Ms. Oga defends my retort in the most bizarre way.

“The association asked her to bring the goggles, because they will be useful for the upcoming press conference.”

Press conference?

“Just try them already. They will change your world.”

“WHOA?! Th-This is ……!!” I yell the instant the thick headset slides over my eyes, the image making me completely forget where I am.

Because it looks exactly like my old apartment above the shopping arcade!

“This is amazing, Akira! It feels like I’m actually there!”

“He-he-he. It does, doesn’t it?”

Man, I really underestimated what VR can do.

Everything looks so real that I swear I can feel and smell the place, too. It’s like I’m in a completely different room ……

“At its most basic level, moving is a journey to a far-off location. However, doing so requires taking time off from work to find your new domicile and the search process often lasts more than one day.”

Akira is right about that. Could this have helped me avoid the tragedy of being locked into buying a 400-million-yen apartment without ever seeing the place? Probably not, but still ……

“Well, guess what! VR allows you to instantly tour those prospective dwellings, no matter how far away they may be, in the most realistic way possible! Not only is it not necessary to travel in person, saving time and money, but for young and beautiful women like me, the pressure of riding along in a car with a sales person to the site will become a non-issue!”

“This technology allows us to show exactly what the inner layout of the new Shogi Association Building will look like in perfect detail. The objecting players who have held out against this project for years will be much easier to convince.”

The chairman quietly adds, “Looking to the future, this electronic realm …… No, I believe it’s called the metaverse, yes? Playing matches in it will be feasible. Travel expenses between East and West will become a thing of the past, and rule violations using software will be much easier to detect.”

Plans for a virtual reality Shogi Association Building?!

“It will also create an environment where it is possible for individuals living abroad and those with disabilities to become professional players. Thus, a certain person has been entrusted with overseeing the construction of the new association buildings …… Well? What does the Ryuo think of his castle-to-be?”

“Th-This is a bit over my head ……”

“Allow me to persuade Kuzuryu-sensei.”

I hear Akira say right before she cracks her knuckles.

“Another feature …… Tada! Installing little girls in your room is also possible!!”

“HOOOOOOOOLY!!”

The next thing that comes into my line of sight–––the Grade Schooler Practice Group from back in the day!

“Ai, Charlette, Ayano …… and Mio, too?! B-But you moved overseas!! I thought the day you all came back to my room would never come ……!!”

All the members of the group that Akira and Ai Yashajin stole- …… recorded.

Ai Hinatsuru looked like this about …… two months after she showed up at my door, maybe? Her newly turned fourth grader self has been reconstructed in cyberspace.

“Sniffle, hic …………… GAAAAAAAAAAH …………!!”

The next thing I know …… I’m bawling my eyes out inside the goggles.

The happy days that I never thought would ever come back are right here in front of me ……!!

This …… is the metaverse ……!!

“Hey, check that out ……”

“Being surrounded by digital little girls is making the Ryuo cry ……”

“I knew he was a lolicon all along.”

“Don’t tell me that the real purpose for today’s press conference is ……”

No, no, no! These are tears of joy from the good old days!!

Just when I was about to explain it, it hits me. Calling the times when grade school girls came to my room good old days would make this misunderstanding even worse. The best move now is to endure. Ngghhh ……

Grimacing, I pull off the headset as Akira says, “In addition to VR, our company has developed a system in which we purchase leftover plots of land that went unsold and continuously build the domiciles divided into the smallest dimensions allowed under the law using A.I.”

“That’s vicious!”

“Please use the word efficient. Also–––,” adds Akira with sorrow in her eyes, “for cities with many slopes and few locations ideal for building domiciles like Kobe, it’s an extremely useful technique. Especially for recovering from earthquakes …… Yes?”

“Ah ……”

Akira isn’t old enough to have memories of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, but that doesn’t mean she grew up completely unaffected by the scars of that calamity.

And the chairman is from Kobe. He was the one who connected me with Ai Yashajin in the first place.

Wait a minute …… The connections between the Yashajin family and Seiichi Tsukimitsu might run deeper than I ever thought ……

“At any rate, our company prides itself on efficiently building safe, reliable structures that are easy for children to access using A.I. technology. What better criteria for the company overseeing construction of the new Shogi Association Buildings?”

“I hope this is the beginning of a long, fruitful relationship, President Ikeda.”

It seems as though the chairman wholeheartedly believes Akira is an extremely capable young leader of a young company. The fact that Ms. Oga is starting to see that level of trust as a threat and eyeing Akira like an enemy is proof of that. I wonder who would win if these two fought to the death?

“Chairman, this deserves your attention. The board has taken a dynamic turn.”

“What has happened, Ms. Oga?”

The chairman’s face transforms with every piece that Ms. Oga relays to him from the analysis board, which has been laid out to reflect the current formation in the match.

“Whoa?! Well, this is certainly …… interesting. Very interesting indeed ……”

“What is? It looks like the normal Double Wing Attack to me.”

“The formation has aligned with a match that I played nearly 30 years ago as the defender. It was, however, not a league match.”

“Huh?! …… This here?”

Once I get over this stunning fact that Ms. Oga has every one of Chairman Tsukimitsu’s matches, including exhibitions, committed to memory, I have a look. Scanning the board, I tilt my head and say, “But this …… the newest formations in modern Shogi also stick out both the edge Pawns sometimes. I’ve seen younger players do it.”

“That is interesting.”

This kind of thing happens every now and then because Double Wing Attack hasn’t been researched thoroughly enough yet to establish a standard. The ideology between now and back then is so different, so it has to be a coincidence ……

“You said you were on defense, chairman. Then who were you playing against?”

“Have you no idea?”

“Well, since it wasn’t a league match, that means they weren’t necessarily a professional player …… But no amateur or Women’s League player played at this high level in the early game 30 years ago, so they’d have to be–––”

“Rina Shakando Women’s 2-dan.”

“……?!”

In other words ……

Right now, Ai is playing the same Shogi as Shakando-sensei did way back then!

“She was still in her teens. Caught off guard by her lovely charms in that school uniform, I came dangerously close to leaving the disgraceful match record …… though only just… my eyes could see well enough at that time.”

The prodigy who became the youngest Meijin in history vividly recalls what happened on a board almost 30 years ago.

“The match where the reigning Meijin was defeated by a Women’s League player in front of the whole world.”

The moment Shakando-sensei forward.

I switch into battle mode.

“Here …… Here …… Here, here, here, hereherehereherehere––––––Here!!”

First, put down a Pawn right in front of the Pawn protecting her Bishop!

Force the defender to trigger a Bishop Exchange–––

“Herehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere!!”

The second stage starts now.

Both of us are under pressure building our formations because we each have to worry about the other’s Bishop. I need to drive that pressure home.

–––Cut! Cut down her waiting time!

The match is under my control, and I don’t use any of my waiting time as I push forward. But, like master negotiators bartering against each other, Shakando-sensei adjusts to my advances perfectly without using her waiting time either. Thick defenses ……!!

“He-he. I am on the verge of losing …… You’ll have to work harder than that to find an opening.”

“Tch! ………… All right then!!”

I read her breathing to figure out what to do next. Once I pull my Rook all the way back, I quickly build up a different formation.

“…… Oh? 2 Nine Rook, 4 Eight Gold form, is it ……?” Shakando-sensei gently rolls her neck and says with a little surprise.

That’s because my formation–––is almost always used for Bishop Exchange strategies.

“I had an inkling this might happen after you opted for a Bishop Exchange style of defense despite opening with a Double Wing Attack in our first match, but this …… Well, well. Is that what you are after?”

Finally noticed, has she? But …… it’s too late now!

After 53 moves, the formation looks almost exactly like a Bishop Exchange Reclining Silver.

–––Basically, I transformed Double Wing Attack Shogi into Bishop Exchange!

That was my true plan.

Get her to let her guard down by only playing the Double Wing and then trick her into starting a Bishop Exchange. Right in the middle of the match!!

Can you keep up with the speed of modern Shogi, Shakando-sensei? Can you?!

“It’s apparent that you study the modern forms of Double Wing Attack and Bishop Exchange quite extensively. That being the case, perhaps I shall …… don garments from my youth.”

“?! And that is ……?”

Shakando-sensei draws her right Gold in close to make a wall of Golds and Silvers in front of her king.

I don’t recognize that kind of defense.

It’s a practical, defensive stance.

“Practical …… But very old!”

“How rude of you, insulting the prime of one’s youth.”

My King is set right in the middle of a perfectly balanced, modern formation. Even better, my right Knight is in a forward position.

It’s an advantage I can press, for sure.

At the same time, being able to see through my opponent is huge.

–––She’s not confident playing with the latest style! How could she be, after she lost the first match to me……?!

I fought off the modern style against her in the first match.

I had the first move and kept the advantage all the way to victory in the second.

Now, in the third match, I get to fight using the latest trend and have the first move.

–––I’ve stripped her of all her weapons, and I’m the only one who’s still armed! The advantage is mine!!

It’s been mine since even before the match got started.

She should understand that, too.

–––Then …… why is she so relaxed? Does she think she can beat me with Bishop Exchange?

The only weapon this person called the Eternal Queen has left is–––experience.

I can’t take it lightly. That’s the one weapon I can’t match.

“Tell me. If it’s Bishop Exchange you wish to play then …… How about this?”

Sensei advances her Pawn along the 6th file to make space behind it. Space to deploy her Bishop.

So that’s what she’s aiming for.

“A repetition draw ……”

Defenders trying to force a repetition draw happens a lot in Bishop Exchange matches. It lets them get to the advantage of the first move when the match is restarted. A pessimistic idea. If that’s what the Women’s Legend is really thinking ……

–––I’ll rout her first!

“…………… Here …………”

I’ve been saving my Bishop for a moment like this. I play it first to shake her confidence, then lean in all the way up to the very edge of the board and start swaying back and forth. I’ll read all the way to victory!!

“Here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehere.”

“Here, is it?”

“H- ………… Huh?!”

Rather than bide her time, Shakando-sensei starts an attack. Suddenly, as if out of thin air.

“With …… a 9 Five Pawn?!”

My King is in the 8th file, and Shakando-sensei isn’t trying to hide that she’s punching right for it.

On top of this strange move that looks more like a taunt, she–––

“You prefer to fight it out, tit for tat, do you not? Then come. Let us collide at full force.”

Those words light a fire inside me.

“HEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHERE!!”

I’ll beat her to a pulp.

Drag her off that throne she’s had for 29 years and make her wish she’d never been born. I won’t let this be a ceremonious passing of the torch. No–––this is a revolution!!

I get in position to trample her beneath the power of my youth and the might of my reading speed, my most powerful weapon …… But!

“I’m being pushed back?! Wh-What is this pressure ……?!”

“Heh heh heh. He-he-he-he! He-he-he-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Shakando-sensei …… is laughing.

Her cheeks are turning red, like a little girl!

“This Shogi harkens back to what I played in my teens. To think a player who reminded me of such a passionate era would appear not from the 3-dan division, but the Women’s League ……”

Something unbelievable happens in front of my eyes as we exchange more moves back and forth.

–––Shakando-sensei …… is getting younger ……?!

It’s not just how she plays.

Her overall appearance, even her face, changes.

“Do not smolder.”

“?! ……? ……!!”

Even Keika, sitting at the boardside table, is rubbing her eyes. Then, she says with that astonished look on her face.

“Sh-Shakando-sensei! You have 10 minutes remaining! When would you like me to countdown–––”

“Don’t bother,” answers the legend with the spirit of a little girl as the tiniest bead of sweat rolls down her cheek. Then she deploys a Lance aimed directly at my King.

–––She doesn’t need a countdown? If she’s not going to surrender, that means ……!!

“Don’t patronize me!!”

The mid-game was an all-out battle, and neither of us allowed the other to poke any holes in our defenses. Through all of that, I kept something special hidden behind my back–––

“Now!!”

What I deployed 40 moves ago and haven’t touched since waiting for the perfect moment: a Bishop.

Now that it’s been out of her thought process long enough to disappear, the time has come to pierce Shakando-sensei’s heart with it!

“HEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEREHEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Ngh!!!”

“…… Check, is it?”

My Bishop, now promoted to a Horse, is planted firmly at 5 Two. Shadanko-sensei takes a Silver off her piece stand to block it.

But I’ve already read that sequence to the end.

My true target is––––––Shakando-sensei’s Rook!!

“…… Mine!!’

This is just the move I had in mind! Put her in check with my Horse, and then shift it diagonally back on step.

–––Keep her King in my sights while taking the Rook at the same time! I …… I won!!

Right now, at this moment.

The title of Women’s Legend is on the board, in the shape of a Rook …… Right within my reach.

“…………”

The titleholder is staring into her lap.

Her hand too slowly reaches for her piece stand. My giddy heart is jumping in and out of my throat …… Once Sensei puts her hand on that stand, I will become the new Women’s Legend ……!

But–––I was wrong.

Those long, white fingers of hers pluck a small piece off the stand instead.

Then, she effortlessly plops it down on the board like a drop of water.

“………… A Pawn?”

That makes no sense.

–––That won’t protect against my Horse, it won’t help her King escape …… and doesn’t put me in check, so why?

What a murky move.

It doesn’t show up in any of the main sequences, so I never read into it.

I can win by ignoring it and taking the Rook or starting the attack right now.

–––…… No! I can’t get comfortable until the very end!!

Now is the time to play it safe. So I calmly pull a Gold back and take that Pawn to guarantee that I win the title.

Doing that flipped everything upside down.

“This marks the end for you, Ai Hinatsuru,” Shakando-sensei declares as she picks up a Knight from her piece stand and snaps it onto the board.

8 Four Knight.

“T–––”

That’s when I finally notice.

My head …… is on the chopping block right now.

“Took initiative?! Ignored the Rook and ……… Gaaaaaaaaah?!”

Deploying that Knight at 8 Four completely changed the world.

–––If I take her Rook now ………… I’ll be put in checkmate?! Me?! ………… I’ll be checkmated?!

“……!!”

Rushing, I put a Gold down in my territory. I needed it for my final attack on her King, but I’ll lose by instant death if I don’t protect my own right now.

But it turns out that Gold is what Shakando-sensei wanted. She takes it with her Knight and then shifts her attention back to her own territory. The Gold I just lost gets deployed at the perfect moment to seal off my Horse ……!

This match is as good as over. I saw it …… my own defeat.

–––I was …… out-read? Me ……? In the late-game ……?

I don’t believe it.

I mean …… My opponent, she’s …… even older than my mother ……

–––That’s impossible!!

I keep playing, refusing to accept what’s happening on the board in front of me. This …… this can’t be right!

–––No way! No way! Nowaynowaynowaynoway!!

“How unsightly,” Shakando-sensei whispers, effortlessly blocking my desperate attempts to put her in check one after another without using waiting time. She may as well have a fistful of my collar and be slapping me silly right now.

Her moves are all perfect. It’s like I’m playing against an A League player.

How …… is she this strong ……?

“Leave the nest before your Master could teach you how to accept defeat with grace, did you?”

“Gasp ………”

I used the very latest research.

The newest way to play Static Rook that Natagiri-sensei …… an A League member and Meijin challenger drilled into me over the course of many practice sessions.

And all the strength I built up in the late-game.

Even Master …… the youngest dual titleholder ever thought I’d never lose in the late-game. He said it was my strongest weapon.

Both of those weapons got crushed into dust.

In one Shogi match.

“………………… I …………………”

The words I lost won’t come out.

All I can do is comment on the situation I’m in.

“……………………………… I have nothing ………”

Those three words say it all.

The title that was in my grasp.

Even the weapons I thought would never fail have fallen through my fingers like sand. ……

“Our matches have shown me that you are particularly well-versed in the latest Double Wing Attack and Bishop Exchange. Up to date on the latest yagura style as well, I presume? Your study habits are impeccable.”

“……………”

Her eyes are terrifying, like they can see all the way through me. I can’t meet them, no matter how hard I try.

I’m too embarrassed.

I’d happily crawl into a coffin and just die.

“So I decided to call upon what little youth I have left …… And what fun it was, reliving a time gone by.”

“One begs your pardon.”

Sasari Oga Women’s 1-dan comes into the arena along with the media people and walks up to the winner to whisper in her ear.

“Shakando-sensei, the press conference time slot is ……”

“Oh, yes.”

Then, once Ms. Oga helps her to her feet, Shakando-sensei says this, “I hadn’t anticipated the match taking this long. I do apologize, but I shall be bowing out of the review session.”

The Shakando-sensei dragging her leg out the door is the one I know.

The only traces of the girl I faced during the match are staring back at me from my checkmated King on the board ……

Ms. Oga explains the details while handing out packets to each of the reporters in attendance. Normally, the chairman would be here too, but he isn’t around.

“Although official approval will have to wait for the next Players Meeting, preparations have been made to enter a binding partnership. President Ikeda, please provide specifics.”

“I am the president of Lolihome, Akira Ikeda.”

Akira boldly takes the microphone from Ms. Oga and steps up to center stage like she owns the place.

However, her being a woman and being so young has the reporters questioning her credibility. The company name certainly doesn’t help ……

“As a real estate company that fully supports women in the workplace, we have come to prominence only recently. Our rise was so quick, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had never heard of us before.”

She must be reading the room, because Akira has dropped her usual gangst- …… a-hem, aggressive tone.

“Furthermore, all our administrators are women. You may be curious how, despite the fact that over 90 percent of our employees are female, we have managed to ascend so quickly in the male-dominated real estate industry …… The answer is simpler than you might think.”

“……?”

The reporters look back at her, confused.

“The answer? It is because Shogi is heavily incorporated in our training program!!”

“Whoooa ……!!”

Akira’s sheer enthusiasm draws everyone in like a magnet.

“We apply an overarching sense learned through playing Shogi to predicting the real estate market, late-game endurance to sales, and a positive mindset. A fighting spirit that never gives up on a last-second turnaround is an absolute necessity for any businessperson. Shogi contains every necessary skill to survive in the business world. We strive to become the Meijin of Real Estate with the lessons Shogi has taught us.”

Questions start pouring in from all over the room.

“Do you also play Shogi, President Ikeda?!”

“Whenever I have the time, yes. I frequent the Kansai Shogi Association’s classroom. As for my ability …… Well, not quite 1-dan, if I’m being honest. My best strategy is the Move Loss Bishop Exchange.”

“Very specific ……”

“She genuinely plays Shogi ……!”

The Shogi world gives people who know how to play special treatment. Despite their company name and how fishy Akira seemed at first, she’s suddenly been accepted as one of the group.

…… Her newfound good graces wouldn’t last if they ever found out she was a lolicon-esque, underhanded cheater who ranted at the grade schoolers whenever she lost, but hey ……

“Shogi taught me what is truly important, everything that matters ……”

Getting teary-eyed, Akira says that phrase before ramping up the power in her voice to declare.

“Yes! Our passion for helping women succeed has led us to propose a new Women’s Title League for the Shogi Association!!”

WHOOOOAAA! The room erupts.

Reconstructing the association buildings was a big enough surprise, but even I’m stunned by this news.

“A new Women’s Title?! There hasn’t been a story this big since the Women’s Throne Title was announced!”

“That will bring the total to seven, just like the professionals!!”

“What’s the format?! The prize money?! The name of the title?!”

“The title name has yet to be determined. However, what is set in stone is that the scope will exceed both Queen and Women’s Throne. In other words–––”

Akira pauses for dramatic effect.

“Women’s Placement Matches. I promise here and now that we will make this a reality.”

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Excitement is spreading like wildfire in here.

“We will also make our VR technology available for those who wish to use it for matches.”

“A virtual-reality arena?!”

The metaverse is trending right now, and the regular reporters latch onto that buzzword like hungry wolves on the prowl.

Akira lifts a headset and says, “(Shogi software equipped with deep learning is difficult to introduce privately, so …) We have created an environment where players can use Shogi software equipped with deep learning available around the clock. Also, we have a Shogi Relocation Plan for those looking for affordable housing with increased amperage to allow for the latest GPU.”

“Wh-Why go to such lengths ……?”

“Our company philosophy at Lolihome is to inspire growth. Although we are still a young company taking baby steps in a big world …… we would love the opportunity to grow strong alongside the players in the Women’s League.”

With that, Akira puts down the microphone.

And the last person to take it up is–––the winner of today’s match.

“I have been asked to chair both the creation of Women’s Placement Matches and the renewal construction for both association buildings in the East and the West. I understand if some may feel affronted that a Women’s League player such as myself has taken this post, however ……”

Shakando-sensei explains why she was chosen for the role.

“Chairman Tsukimitsu is an active player, in A League to be exact. He has a great deal of expectations on his shoulders. I, on the other hand, have but one title and free time to my name. What’s more, my grasp on said title is akin to a candle on a blustery day. The real prospect of attending this conference without it laid heavily on my mind …… Luckily, the flame managed to last this night, as you can see.”

That gets a good laugh out of the crowd.

The sequence of Ms. Oga, Akira and now Shakando-sensei has whipped them into a frenzy like a string of perfect moves.

“…… A press conference with only women, huh? Even the chairman stayed away. Well done …… Was it Ms. Oga’s idea? Or maybe–––”

Everything lined up perfectly for the press conference. A little too perfectly.

There wouldn’t be anywhere near as many media people here if the Women’s Legend Title Match wasn’t getting so much publicity, and Shakando-sensei wouldn’t be in talking shape if she had lost her title. Not only would it leave a bad taste if the newly dethroned Women’s Legend made an appearance, but all the journalists would be too hung up on the birth of Naniwa’s Snow White 2.0 to listen to what any of them had to say.

This is the first good news to come out of the Shogi world since its most recognizable player, Ginko Sora, went missing.

There can be no mistakes.

–––Did Shakando-sensei lose on purpose …… to build up hype for today’s press conference?

“No! There’s no way ………… Right?”

Shakando-sensei is strong, but strong enough to pull that off against Ai as she is now? There’s no way she’s that good ……

I try to shut that thought down as soon as it crosses my mind. Then.

My smartphone buzzes.

“Hm? …… HMM?!”

Doing a double take at the name that pops up on the screen, I step outside the room and answer the call.

The voice coming out of my phone …… is high-pitched and a little nostalgic.

“You’re there, aren’t you?”

The mastermind makes her entrance.

“…… Sure am. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you can’t keep a secret,” the speaker–––Ai Yashajin—says in a patronizing tone. So, the usual way.

She must be watching the press conference from someplace else.

Having all the speakers be women and scheduling the press conference right after the third Women’s Legend Title Match in Osaka all had to be her idea.

–––Did …… did she set it up this way so that I would see it?

“I know she doesn’t look it, but Akira is a brilliant manager. She’s well liked within the Yashajin Group and adapt at incorporating my ideas, as well.”

“…………”

“She will act as a direct link with the association for the foreseeable future. Lend her a hand if anything comes up. I’m too busy right now to do it myself.”

“I’m not exactly sitting on my thumbs, either.”

Her tone is the same as always, but …… I can tell she is running on fumes. Ai Yashajin usually mixes in a lot of quips, but there hasn’t been one yet today.

I was told not to look at her match records, so I haven’t. The thing is that I can’t avoid hearing about the results.

She lost the opening matches of both the Queen and Women’s Throne series matches, and the fact that two Repetition Draws have happened in the first three matches is big news right now.

Her opponent is the second-ever woman to make it into the 3-dan division. The popular opinion is that she’s having an easy time against a grade school girl, but ……

“…… There are so many questions I want to ask you, but I’ll keep it to one.”

“That’s fine. As long as it’s just one.”

“Good.”

I take a deep breath and let it rip.

“Are you taking care of yourself? I know for a fact that you’re strong enough to beat someone in the 3-dan division. So stay healthy, okay?”

“…………”

“Fatigue is the biggest enemy when you’ve got two title matches going on at the same time. Sometimes you’re better off getting some good rest than forcing yourself to come up with a second-rate strategy. If your arms feel like lead, go to bed. Understood?”

“…… That’s what you wanted to ask me?”

“Yeah. Since Akira is over here doing presidential things, that means you are fighting all these battles by yourself, right? Are you taking time to relax? Do you have much energy?”

“I feel energized now.”

Somehow, Ai’s tone sounds a bit brighter than it did when she first called. She’s also being more open and honest.

Feeling relieved, I try to get more information out of her, but–––

“Oh, this is my stop. Bye-bye.”

“Hey?! I narrowed it down to one question because you said I only get one, but I’ve got a whole mountain of things to ask you!! Call me once things settle down–––”

She hung up. The call is over.

But I think I heard an announcement right before the line went dead. Something about a center over a loudspeaker? Was she riding a train just now? It was really quiet if she was ……

“Yeesh! She has to have it her way whatever she does ……”

I put my phone back in my pocket and think about what to do next …… Time to go.

The press conference is still going on. Akira has pulled out the VR headset for a demonstration, but Ai Yashajin calling when she did means there’s nothing important left on the agenda.

Just like when I came in, I choose the route with the least number of people on the way out, but–––

“Leaving so soon? Ryuo.”

I get spotted just like before.

Well, spotted might not be the right word. He can’t see, after all.

“Chairman ……”

Apparently, he recognized my footsteps while sitting on the sofa waiting for Ms. Oga to come back.

–––A monster. Yep.

The A League Placement Matches are about to start. I bet his senses are honed to a sharp point right now. He might only be using his mental Shogi board to do research. These little moments between events could be invaluable practice time for a busy man like him.

I completely understand why he didn’t bother going to a press conference about virtual reality.

The world contained in this man’s head is so much vaster than a VR toy could ever hope to create.

–––Master had a scary air about him when he was in A League, too ……

The air at home was always tense when Placement Matches started. That prickly vibe was a major part of my training years.

“A League players don’t like sharing the same space.”

Mr. Oishi’s words have a lot more weight now.

Yeah …… A battle will start if two of these monsters are in the same room even without sharing a Shogi board.

Ayumu promoted into that league, but the air doesn’t crackle between us yet. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing, I’m not sure.

“Aren’t you going to say a few words to your apprentice?”

His voice gently slides me back into the moment, and I answer, “I think it’s better to give her some space right now. Getting torn down like that …… The same thing happened to me against the Meijin in Hawaii.”

The Shogi sense I had built up to that point got ripped out by the roots.

Ai used research and her late-game abilities, the areas she had the most confidence in, but still got crushed. Like Master, like apprentice. We even lost in the same way.

“She has to get back on her feet on her own steam. Isn’t that right?”

“Quite.”

It seems like that explanation convinced him. He was, after all, there at the time.

“Well then, what about your Master? I believe that Kousuke has been wanting to see you.”

“………… I have some work to do in Tokyo. I won’t make it in time if I don’t leave right now ……”

“That is unfortunate.”

The chairman shrugs.

Then, sounding genuinely sorry, he says.

“A growing family faces many challenges, yes? Not that I have faced them myself, but …… He has never been sure how to do so.”

“Women’s …… Placement Matches ……”

After leaving the press conference, I slowly walk over to a big window to look at the garden outside.

There’s too much information to process right now.

The fact that both Shogi Association buildings are going to be rebuilt means that the scenery I know is going to change in a big way.

Especially when it comes to the Kansai Association ……

“If they are already looking at new sites, that means it won’t be in Fukushima anymore, doesn’t it? Where will the new one be? Kobe? But that seems too far away from Kanto ……”

The association building has always been one train stop away from my home. If it moves, my daily life as I know it will never be the same.

Even the classroom might be affected.

–––Everyone else, too. They’ll …… Oh, right. Father and I are the only ones left ……

Yaichi, Ginko and even Ai Hinatsuru …

All of them moved out from under the Kansai Association Building’s shadow a long time ago.

––– …… It’s just me that’s left hanging.

The Shogi world is moving forward. All the physical things of the past are getting crushed in its wake. I thought the number of titles would be constant forever. So much for that. Even the buildings themselves are about to change.

Just as the younger generation is looking at these changes with hope for the future, I’m sure there are some in the older generation whose spirits have been broken trying to keep up.

–––Which one am I ……?

“Keika. Hey, Keika!”

“Huh? Ah …… What is it, Father?”

“How many times do I hafta tell ya to call me Master while we’re workin’?” remarks my father, looking neat and tidy now that he’s changed out of his kimono and into a suit. He seems completely unphased. Did he already know what was going to happen at the press conference?

“’At can wait though. Would ya track Ai down? There’s the dinner party I gotta get goin’ to.”

“Ai? If you call her, she’ll …… Oh, right, it’s still in the safe ……”

Father keeps all the players’ devices in a safe in his room until the match is over because that’s part of the observer’s job. He’s only just giving Shakando-sensei her phone back right now.

“Whad’ya think, Rina? Playin’ against Ai.”

“She is a kind and studious child. In terms of talent, I believe she may be the best Women’s League player I have ever fought. It is only a matter of time before she claims a title of her own.”

I don’t know how, but Shakando-sensei seems more energetic now, after that intense match and a long press conference, than she normally does.

Like the young girl I glimpsed during the match–––

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she became the first to hold the new title in the works. Her, or perhaps another Ai ……”

“Yashajin, ya mean? She’s my granddaughter apprentice, but I gotta admit she scares me just a bit.”

They’re still talking behind me as I head into the building to look for Ai Hinatsuru.

She doesn’t want to talk with anyone right now, no doubt.

Since she wasn’t in her room or the break room …… that really left only one place to look.

“Ai.”

She’s in the garden getting drizzled on.

No one found her up until this point because they all assumed she’d stay out of the rain.

That small challenger, still in her kimono and draped in the agony of defeat, quits looking at the sky and turns to face me.

“………… Keika?”

“Sorry. My fath- …… that old beard wants to return your phone!” I say as brightly as I can muster.

Because …… that sullen face staring at me looks to be in so much pain.

“That was an amazing press conference, wasn’t it? New Shogi Association buildings, and even Placement Matches for the Women’s League!”

Women’s League matches are all tournaments, so losing one match means your schedule gets wiped clean.

A whole year can go by without even playing ten matches. I’m living proof ……

“Everyone has always griped about not having Placement Matches, how they’d be so much stronger if only we had them like the pros! I might have twice as many matches each year now. Then again, if I start winning as much as you do, I’ll never have any time for myself–––”

Once I start talking, the words don’t stop.

Yes, it’s true that I want the extra pay by playing more matches.

But Women’s League players don’t get paid that much per match to begin with. That’s why what we’re really fighting over is a place to get stronger: league matches.

“Knowing that I played more actual Shogi during my time in the Practice League is just too sad.”

Oh …… I see now.

Talking to Ai makes it easier to accept all these changes in the Shogi world.

–––I’m changing, too.

“The real shocker is the sponsor, don’t you think?! Akira is the company president! That girl has to be the mastermind, though, no matter how you look at it. I understand that she’s still underage and there’d be a major conflict of interest if she took a leading role, but don’t you think she could’ve given us a heads up?”

Even I am moving forward.

So Ai can probably zoom into the future. One loss won’t even register as a speed bump for her.

Assuming that to be true, I keep talking away …… but.

“………… Ai? Hey, Ai? What do you think?”

“I wanted to settle it ………… Here …………”

“Huh?”

“I should’ve had it! I had to show everyone how strong I’ve gotten! But I couldn’t do anything ……!!”

SPLASH!

Ai stomps on a puddle like a toddler having a temper tantrum. She hasn’t heard a word I’ve said.

“I couldn’t lose this match no matter what!! I …… I have to keep pressing forward faster and faster!! But I …… I ……!!”

“Ai ……”

“I had to play so well that Sora-sensei would be too jealous to send messages anymore! But I got out-read in the late-game?! Why am I so weak?! DARA!!”

“Ai …………”

Is it okay to say this is just part of growing up?

A desire for a title has bloomed from a happy-go-lucky little girl who played just for fun.

A thirst to keep winning more and more.

Then, there’s the confidence she has in her own talent. Even looking at it objectively, I have to admit that her late-game skills are above and beyond the Women’s League. Her knowledge of the latest formations and study habits are impressive, too.

But …… If she thinks she’s gotten strong enough to sweep Shakando-sensei in a title match, then hasn’t that confidence crossed the line into arrogance?

Wait.

Her eyes aren’t focused on Shakando-sensei right now …… Not even close.

The letters I read at the opening night party.

Ginko’s words might’ve triggered her more than I thought. In that sense, I share some of the blame for this situation, but–––

“………… Isn’t this when the Master is supposed to step up? Yaichi ……”

Ai, on the verge of losing her mind, continues howling into the darkening sky like a small, wounded beast.

The drizzle picks up into a full-blown spring downpour right before my eyes.

The cherry blossoms were so beautiful, but the last of their petals are being washed away.

“Whoooa! Look at them all, Machi! The shelves are all lined with my book!!”

“Completely full. So many copies ……”

We’re in one of those mega bookstores in Shinjuku.

There’s a grand hall in the middle of this nine-story building where they hold events for authors like signings or meet and greets. Since the owner is also a Shogi fan, there’ve been some Shogi events in here, too.

That’s why their Shogi section is well stocked, and Kuzuryu’s Notebook is on full display.

“Thank you so much for creating this magnificent corner for my book!” I bow to a store employee.

“My pleasure! The literary debut of Yaichi Kuzuryu-Ryuo, the youngest dual title holder in history, deserved to have an equally fitting display!”

This employee, who also happens to play Shogi in their spare time, was in charge of putting this corner together. With a foldable Shogi board right in the middle of it, the whole exhibit sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of all these bookshelves.

The problem with the board itself is that the Rook and Bishop are in the wrong places. I guess they’re not the most avid Shogi players, but …… seeing all the time and effort they poured into making this area special warms my heart.

Just wow ……! I’m touched ……!

“Initial sales must not have been that successful when there are piles left over at this point, yes?” says Machi with a grim look on her face as she takes a picture to post on social media.

“Initial ……?”

“Books spoil. The best by date is typically two weeks after release. Sales tend to plummet after that.”

“Huuh?! Two weeks …… That was a long time ago!”

And yet, here are all these books just sitting on the shelves.

The display in front of me takes on a whole new meaning than it had moments ago.

“Then …… my book isn’t selling? The book I worked so hard to write isn’t selling at all ……?”

“B-But you have an extremely passionate fan!!” says the employee without missing a beat. However, they didn’t try to deny the not selling part.

“A passionate fan ……?”

“Yes! They purchased five copies the very moment your book hit the shelves!”

“Really?!”

Grabbing the employee’s shoulders before I realize it, I ask, “What did they look like?! W-Was it …… a girl in grade school, maybe?! With short hair!!”

“Um? A little girl ……? In grade school ……?”

Crap! That came out like I’ve got a thing for grade school girls, didn’t it?!

“No ……,” the staff member finally says. “He was a man, probably in his 40s. He had a suave air about him …… Oh, yes. I remember him clutching the books close to his chest and happily whispering, Hee-hee! Looks like I have this shop’s Yaichi a-a-all to myself close to your ear in the picture on the sleeve.”

“…………”

Tokyo is a big place, but there’s only one person who would ever actually do that ……

And …… this is Shinjuku …… It had to be him ……

“I was sure your book would sell like wildfire after seeing his enthusiasm, so I ordered a few extra shipments, but …… Well, Shogi book sales are hard to predict ……”

The staff was being modest, saying three is enough …… but Machi cut them off with, “We’ll happily sign every copy here! Isn’t that right, Ryuo?!”

She was so gung-ho about it that I couldn’t object.

Players sign books using a brush and ink before finishing them off with a personal stamp, just like with autographs. Since it takes time to do each individual book, a full three hours pass before I get to leave the store.

“Our only option now is to depend on social media influencers. Apparently, books that get talked about on TikTok have been selling recently.”

We already left the store, but all Machi is thinking about is how to sell more books.

“The ideal would be to have the Meijin or Sora 4-dan plug the book personally, but the Meijin Title Match and other circumstances are in the way. The timing isn’t right.”

“That’s true. I wonder if the Meijin Title Match will end early this year ……”

“Aren’t you watching the Meijin Title Match?”

“I can’t …… I mean, I sent him a copy of my book, Machi. It’d be a huge letdown if he didn’t use any of the strategies I wrote about, yeah ……?”

I’m curious, of course.

Curious if he’s read the book, curious if he liked my ideas. One look at his Shogi is all I need to find out. The best possible review would be for him to use one of the strategies in my book on a big stage like the Meijin Title Match right after it got released.

But ……

“On the other hand, him using one of my strategies means he absorbed my strength. How am I supposed to fight him the next time we have a match ……?”

“I think you should simply take it as a compliment.”

My book not selling at all feels like the world is rejecting the life I’ve chosen, but spelling out my strategies to my rivals who read it also puts me in a bad spot.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I’d have been better off not writing that thing in the first place.

“At any rate, our only option now is to visit as many bookstores as possible and sign as many books as possible.”

Machi slaps my back to invigorate me out of the doldrums and picks up the pace.

“Will signing copies really help sell more?”

“No. Signed copies can’t be returned to the publisher for a refund anymore, so the store itself pays for each one. At that point, sales figure aren’t our problem anymore.”

“What kind of high-pressure salesmanship is that?!”

“My head will roll if they don’t sell, that’s what!”

However, Kuzuryu’s Notebook would soon start flying off the shelves.

To think that he would be the reason why …… At this point, it wasn’t even in my wildest dreams.

It’s a five-story building in Sendagaya.

The first floor is a shop. Second floor is the classroom. Administrative offices are on the third floor. Everyone knows that the fourth and fifth floors have arenas, sleeping quarters and a studio for doing broadcasts.

What isn’t so well known is what’s in the basement. I don’t think people realize there even is a basement.

“This here was a cafeteria back in the day,” the overlord of this dim, somewhat confined space tells me with his feet propped up on a desk absolutely covered in random books and magazines.

“Now that I think about it …… Master told me a long time ago. He said the food was pretty good and he always ordered lunch here whenever he had a match in Tokyo. He was sad when it closed down without warning, too.”

“Ah, Kiyotaki. That guy sinks his teeth into everything like he hasn’t eaten in days.”

This man referring to my Master like an old buddy used to be a Kansai player just like us.

But now he sounds like he was born and raised in Tokyo.

“Chief …… No, Master.”

Machi, who was also speaking like a Tokyoite, lets her hair down and says, “We have not come here to be regaled with stories of times gone by.”

“I’m aware. You want to know about Rina, yes? …… Don’t you know not to make the boss rush? My word.”

My work in Tokyo.

Helping with book sales is part of it, but I do have another job to do.

Convincing Shakando-sensei to accept Ayumu’s marriage proposal …… The first thing to do is to get background information from someone who knows about her past.

What was once the association cafeteria has become its publishing headquarters.

In other words, the editorial department.

Everything from serialized magazines about Shogi to records of famous matches and books on strategy get made here. This is where my book was published, too.

Only six people work for this department full time, but freelance writers and Shogi journalists are always coming in and out. It’s usually a lot livelier here, or so I’m told.

I’m not used to it since I live in Kansai, but apparently a lot of players come here to write manuscripts when they’re asked for one …… like the Women’s King is doing in the corner right now.

“What are you working on, Ryou? An apology?”

“Wanna die? It’s my own match commentary, bonehead.”

Ryou Tsukiyomizaka scratches her head with the tip of her pen. Other than the wanna die quip, she sounds pretty tired.

“I got told to write something if I had time to kill. This is your fault ’cuz ya rocked up so late. Damn it ……”

“I’m sorry about being late, but why not just say no if you don’t want to write one?”

“’Cuz there’s no tellin’ what’ll get written ’bout me if I refuse.”

“Precisely. Being granted one of Master’s peculiar nicknames, having an already disappointing loss immortalized with excessively critical match commentary …… Even I wish no part in that. Considering his willingness to beat a dead horse, I can scarcely believe we are both natives of Kyoto.”

Maybe he does so because he’s from Kyoto like Machi?

“The pen is mightier than the Rook, as they say,” the old man boasts with his unique, cackling laugh.

“No matter how good a match may be, it’ll never reach memorable status without one of us journalists around to put it in writing.”

Taisei Kayaoku 7-dan.

This retired professional player known as the Sage didn’t do anything remarkable while he was active. Rather, as he would tell you himself, he didn’t get any accolades as a player.

However, he left his mark with journalism.

“I make your ordinary, worthless matches into interesting commentary to please the fans. You should be thanking me.”

“Can it, old fart! You dubbing me Aggressive Archangel is the reason my whole family calls me Little Angel now. Even worse, I gotta deal with people gettin’ disappointed when I don’t go for all-out offense!”

“Very much so, Master. Clean, concise victories nowadays only result in my getting bombarded with comments like where’s the torment? or I wanna see more of Machi’s harsh side on social media. Never before in history has a player been let down by the manner of their own victory.”

Aggressive Archangel and Machi the Tormentor are both nicknames that Kayaoku-sensei put into a Shogi magazine and they ended up sticking.

Strange as it is, people expect players to live up to their nicknames once they become popular.

Those expectations end up limiting the player in the end.

“Names are the shortest curse in this world. How many people have you cursed, oh Master of mine?”

“Not as many as you have, apprentice. That Naniwa’s Snow White of yours is worth a thousand on its own.”

Master and apprentice laugh at their exchange. It’s just, their eyes are totally serious. It’s terrifying.

Even scarier …… is that fact that nearly every player the Sage wrote has talent or worth keeping an eye on has gone on to do very well.

That’s why he has so much clout in the Shogi world. On a side note, it’s totally adorable that Ryou’s family calls her Little Angel ……

“Shakando-sensei’s nickname is Eternal Queen, right? Was that also your idea, Kayaoku-sensei?”

“It was me, yes, when she achieved Queen status in all four of the Women’s Titles at the time.”

He answers my question without stopping for a breath.

“I was wondering where the best place to start would be …… But I suppose that’s as good as any. There’s just so much about Rina that has to stay behind closed doors. I’m not even sure I could explain all the details.”

“Has to stay behind closed doors ……?”

Shakando-sensei has been the face of the Women’s League for decades. I’ve never heard a bad thing about her.

She was great to both Big Sis and I.

What on earth could’ve happened in her past …… that can’t be made public?

Could it be a reason why she won’t accept Ayumu’s proposal ……?

“In her case, everyone just started calling her a nickname …… Part of it was out of contempt, but the paralyzing fear she wrought is what really did the trick.”

The Sage says the nickname like opening a time capsule to the past.

Rina Shakando, also known as–––

Assassin.

This is Sensei’s study in his apartment.

We usually have practice sessions in his research room (where Rokuroba-sensei and I are living right now), but today I got to come in here for the first time.

–––Does that mean he thinks I’m a worthy player ……?

His bookshelf covers the entire wall from the floor to the ceiling. It’s stuffed full of Shogi books and match record files.

Magazines, match records, strategy books, Shogi almanacs …… It’s overwhelming how he has everything meticulously organized like a library. But I do my best to listen to him.

By the way, Rokuroba-sensei is cooking next door. I offered to help her, but …… Well, I already knew what she was going to say. After all, you want to be the only one in the kitchen to cook for your special someone. Isn’t that cute?

“Oh, yes yes. Speaking of books–––”

Natagiri-sensei’s fingers stop in front of the shelves.

Under a label that says “Good Men” ……

“You know that Yaichi published a book, yes? The Meijin read it and got quite the nice power up.”

“From Master’s book?!”

“It’s a work of art, a stunning masterpiece at that. I’ve been devouring it round-the-clock …… But, in all honesty, I wish it hadn’t been released until after the Meijin Title Match.”

He slips a copy of Kuzuryu’s Notebook out from under Good Men and flips through its pages with a long sigh.

“The difference between the Meijin and I, you see, is Yaichi’s Shogi sense, which I absorbed from you. It’s just that the Meijin only needed to read Yaichi’s book to acquire it …… The version of Yaichi’s sense he got from the book is more diluted than what I acquired from you, but he had a stronger grasp of it when he put that sense into his empty pocket.”

Natagiri-sensei nearly took the Monarch title from the Meijin, but has already lost three straight at the start of the Meijin Title Match series.

One more loss and it will all be over …… Is this really okay? Having a practice session with me right now ……

“Um …… is it that good?”

“You mean you haven’t read it?”

“………… I haven’t. Um …… I never thought that I would become the challenger, so I have too much catching up to do on researching Shakando-sensei’s match records. So–––”

“You can borrow one of mine! Whenever I find a good book, I always make sure to buy four copies: one to use, one to save, one to display and one to use. I’ve also dabbled in digital releases recently, so I’ve got five copies for myself and bought even more to help spread the word!”

I have no idea what the difference between use and display could be, and I’m too scared to find out why he has two copies to use in the first place to comment on it.

“The cover is absolutely stunning …… A closeup of Yaichi, dressed in a neatly pressed kimono, sitting across the board. But it’s the inner sleeve photo that takes the cake. Teehee♡. See? I made it my phone’s wallpaper♡.”

“W-Well, okay …… I’ll borrow a copy.”

I take it just to see for myself. Yes, it’s a great picture. It looks like a random photo on the shoreline with Master happily smiling next to the waves. It’s a treasure.

My problem with it …… is when and …… with whom was this photo taken? At the very least, it was taken behind my back ……

His profile information is written on the cover sleeve. There’s a line that reads Photo taken on location in Amanohashidate during writing at the bottom. I’ve never been there ……

Checking the credits page–––Photography, Editing, Supervision: Mato.

Ohhhh?

Heh? Is that right? Master was off vacationing with Kugui-sensei while I was fighting my heart out in Tokyo, was he? It sure looks like he had a great time ……

“Actually, I’ll pass! Master, you dara!”

“‘Dara?’”

Natagiri-sensei doesn’t understand my dialect.

“I must say, though, Yaichi’s power of comprehension is immense! Putting the many nuances of software Shogi into words to this extent …… If Shogi from 100 years in the future were to show up, I daresay that he’s the only one who could decipher it.”

…… I knew that Master had written the book.

The reason why I didn’t read it is ………… Yes, I was busy, but ……

It would be too jarring … no matter what’s in it.

If my name never came up …… I’d be in a disappointed rut who knows how long.

But, if …

If he did write about me in the book …………

–––I might forget all about the title match and run back to him ……

I slide my fingers along the ends of my severed hair and change the subject.

“Would you tell me more about Shakando-sensei, please? What was she like when everyone called her the Assassin?”

“You know that my pro debut was a loss, don’t you?”

“Yes. Um ………… You lost to a Women’s League player ………… Wait?”

Two horrifying dots just connected in my head and I turn pale as a ghost.

“I-It wasn’t ……?!”

“Rina Shakando Women’s Quadruple Title.”

He goes to the Match Records corner of his bookshelf and pulls out a thick file. He opens it up to the very first record and hands it to me.

“Her continuous domination of the Women’s titles was well underway when she was selected to be my first opponent …… Women’s players with outstanding records were allowed to play against professionals in league matches. They were seen as equal to the bottom of the barrel pro players.”

“So …… that’s why you played against her in your first match?”

“I remember every detail of that day, even now. From the moment I woke up onward, everything.”

I look at the match record.

The date is over 20 years ago.

But the Shogi that was played–––

“I-Is this …… really your professional debut, Sensei?! Really?!”

“I’m just as flabbergasted as you are.”

I realized it the moment I saw the record.

This is why Natagiri-sensei wanted a practice session with me in the middle of the Meijin Title Match.

“The very Shogi I played in my debut showed up in a Women’s Title Match of all places!”

“The formations at move 59 …… They overlap …… Perfectly ……”

It’s the same as the third Women’s Legend Title Match, the one I lost ……

Of course, there are some small differences here and there.

Natagiri-sensei and Shakando-sensei’s match started with a Bishop Exchange, and both of them pulled out all the stops to this point.

“In my debut match, we both bided our time to wait for the perfect opening. But against you, Ai, Ms. Shakando initiated an attacked sequence herself. Simply put–––,” the Shogi world’s most dedicated researcher declares, “Ms. Shakando isn’t playing with only experience. She’s continuously researched her own matches. That active knowledge of Shogi from the past is what makes her so strong.”

“Experience ………… and research …………”

“I can say with confidence that I’ve devoted nearly all my life to Shogi. But I’m fairly certain that Ms. Shakando has, quite literally, committed the entirety of hers. Her Shogi proves it.”

“…………”

“This wasn’t the only time, either. I’ve been matched against Ms. Shakando in league matches a total of three times and been handed three losses. The records were a disgrace, the kind that only those directly involved would ever bother looking at.”

Three?!

Wait a minute. That means she has a perfect record against Natagiri-sensei ……

“………… If Shakando-sensei is so strong, then why–––”

“Does she only have the Women’s Legend title?”

“…………… Yes …………”