Setting the Scene
☗ To the Association
“T-This is … the Shogi Kaikan …!” said Ai, donning a look of pure amazement as soon as we arrive at the Kansai Association headquarters.
“It’s … I don’t know. Easy to find!”
“Probably because of the giant letters spelling it out on the side of the wall. Sho gi kai kan.”
The five-story building is a two-minute walk from Fukushima Station, just one stop down from Osaka Station on the Kanjou line.
It’s the Kansai branch headquarters of the Japan Shogi Association, Kansai Shogi Kaikan—or just the association for short.
Today I’m going to register Ai for the Practice League test before my official match.
Big Sis got pissed and went home after dinner yesterday, but Ai and I spent the night at Master’s place. Then, after eating a warm breakfast Keika made for us, we stopped at my place to change clothes before coming here.
“Is-is it really okay for anyone to go inside?”
“The first floor’s all restaurants and stores, and the classroom is on the second, so yeah. It’s from the third floor on up that people need clearance. Now, let’s head in.”
“Y– … Yes!”
Ai takes a brave step forward as I give her a verbal push.
I open the door.
And there’s Big Sis standing right there.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Man, this is awkward.
“…… Loli King.”
She quietly spits into my ear on her way past my shoulder before opening her parasol and heading off somewhere without another word. Was that supposed to be a new title …?
Big Sis knows I only took Ai as my apprentice (temp.) because Master told me to, but Naniwa’s Snow White was glaring ice cold daggers at us. I should start calling her “Queen Elsa” at this point.
It’s almost as if Master’s seal of approval being stamped on the whole thing is what really got under her skin.
Ai tilts her head as the two of us watch Big Sis disappear into the busy morning streets.
“… What was Auntie doing here?”
“Probably signing autographs and fans. She’s a popular player after all … And, yeah, never call her Auntie to her face, okay?”
’Cause it’s my life that’s on the line.
Once we make it further inside, Ai squeals with glee at the sight of all the stores lining the right side of the hallway.
“Oh, wow! Are all of these Shogi books?!”
One shop at the corner of the floor has mountains of Shogi books and goods on display. Signed books are just the beginning: they’ve got anything you could ever want. They invite you to please stop in and have a look for yourself.
“Whoa … This board and pieces are so fancy … No way?! One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand … one million yen?! Wow! Wow!” she yells, pressing her forehead against the display case and absolutely beside herself.
She’s like the Alps Boy who found a trumpet in the shop window. The lady at the register smiles with her eyes as if watching something precious.
But what really got Ai excited at the shop was——.
“Master! Master! They have fans!”
“Of course they do.”
Fans autographed by popular pros are some of their best sellers. It’s because you feel that much stronger just by having one in your hand!
“Fhuuah … So many hard words (>-<),” says Ai as she opens up one of the sample fans to read it. There must be quite a few characters that a third grader can’t quite comprehend just yet because she’s tilting her head and mumbling, “Huh? Huh? How do you read this? Ipposenkin?”
“That’s ippu senkin. It means there are times that one Pawn is more valuable than one thousand pieces of Gold. It’s a Shogi saying.”
“And this one? Tobu …?”
“Hishou actually. The writer is probably telling people to grow as if determined to fly in the sky.”
“This one?”
“Konton.”
“And that means …?”
“Huh? … Like really messed up chaos, I guess.”
“Why write that?”
“… Beats me.”
Since everyone writes something different, sometimes only the writer knows what it really means. My Master’s fan says, “My prime starts tomorrow.” Frickin’ awesome!
“… Not this … That’s not it …”
“What’re you looking for?”
“All pros have their own signed fans, right?”
“Nah, just the popular ones.”
“Popular?”
“Legendary players from the past, A-classers … And pros with titles usually make autographed fans.”
“Ahhh …!” Ai’s face lights up like fireworks.
“So you have one, right Master?!”
“Hm? Uh, yeah …”
I carefully hide the sample fan with my name on it behind the shelf so Ai can’t see.
My handwriting is a bit too unique, so:
“Kuzu Ryuo writes like trash too lol …”
“He’ll never live down the shame …”
“I’d give back the title in his shoes.”
The net had a field day. Like hell I’d let Ai see a premium fan like that.
… Can you blame me? I never thought I’d win a title …… Otherwise, I’d have worked on my penmanship …
“Hm … That’s weird. I’ve seen them here before … Ah! I bet they’re sold out!”
“I knew it, Master! You’re so popular!!”
“Hahaha. Well, shall we head up?”
I lead her away from the shop with a dry laugh.
I gotta remember to put the fan back later …
☖ New Apprentice Registration
Up to the second floor.
Ai starts pulling at my sleeve. The second letters spelling out Shogi Doujo come into view.
“!! !!”
Ai’s looking at me with a burgeoning expectation.
I force a smile and say, “We’ve got to get you registered for the test in the upstairs office first. I want to introduce you to the staff too.”
“But——!”
“You’ll be playing before you know it.”
She starts mumbling to herself as if the anticipation is killing her while I steer her away from the door with my hand on her back.
I was the same way back then … I bask in nostalgia as we arrive on the third floor.
This is where the association’s office is, and it’s full of staff members.
“Ex-cuse us.”
“Oh, Yaichi … I mean Kuzuryu-sensei. Good morning.”
One of the guys I know pretty well—then again, I’ve been coming here for ten years so I know everybody, but one of the veterans of the group comes forward to help us.
He used to scold me a lot back when I was a kid, sort of like a teacher at school. So it feels a little weird for him to address me as Sensei since I became a pro.
The staff is hard at work making the association run smoothly. They’re even more important than pro Shogi players in a way.
No one would really notice if five or ten of us weren’t here, but matches couldn’t even get started if even one of them were gone.
I smile as wide as my lips will go and introduce Ai.
“I’m here today to set everything up for this girl here … Has any word come in?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard, I’ve heard.”
His line of sight locks in on Ai, hiding at my side, and says, “Sora-sensei just informed us: a pervert holding an elementary school girl captive at home is on his way here and she told us to contact the police on sight.”
Damn it Ginko …
“N-not Big Sis too! Me, kidnap a grade schooler? You know I’d never do that, right?”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Of course I wouldn’t.”
Ha-ha-ha. We share a good laugh right away.
“Well then, who is this cute young lady?”
“I’m his live-in apprentice!” says Ai bubbling over with pride before I can answer. My brain feels like it’s going to explode.
“HUH?!”
Every staff member on the floor raises their voice in unison.
Everyone who was pretending not to listen heard every word … Hey, hey, why is she reaching for the phone? What’s with their reaction? This some kind of gag?
“A, um … live-in apprentice, Kuzuryu-sensei? In this day and age? A grade school girl?”
“No, what? Ah, umm …”
There’s no choice but to power through at this point. So I make a calm, composed, “Yes she is. Is that a problem?” kind of face and nod. “Yes. Per my Master’s instruction.”
“O-Oh, I see … The Kiyotaki line …”
The fact that Master took Big Sis and I as live-in apprentices when we were really young is pretty well known. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, as someone in his line, I would take on a young live-in apprentice of my own. Nothing strange or unnatural about it at all!
“And look here, I’ve got a letter from my Master as well.”
“That you do …”
“And she’s only staying with me until the Practice League test is over.”
I explain that Ai is from the north coast, that she wants to enter the Practice League in hopes of one day joining the Women’s League, and that my Master has spoken with her parents, one after the other, while confirming the test date.
“And you know, it’s spring break right now, yes? It’d be better for her to focus on studying here in Osaka. Then she’ll commute from her home on the north coast once she’s passed the test.”
“Oh, if that’s how it is then——.”
Just then I saw a glimmer of recognition pass across his face in that moment.
“What?! I want to live with you from now on, Master!”
Whispers! Another uneasy aura sweeps through the office. Me, I’m panicking.
“Wait, Ai. Miss Ai. Listen …”
“I’ll do anything you ask! I’ll do the cooking! Cleaning and laundry too! A-and other things … if that’s what Master wants …”
Whisper, whisper, whisper …
“Heeeeeeey! Do you want everyone to get the wrong idea?! Never once have I said anything like that?! Right?!”
“B-But … What about the try out a little girl …?”
“Kuzuryu-sensei …”
“No, no, not at all! That was Big Sis trying to embarrass me!!”
I desperately try to explain, as if my life depended on it. I didn’t take on a grade schooler as a live-in apprentice because I wanted to!! That’s the truth!!
“Look, I like older women like Keika! I’ve no interest in younger girls whatsoever! You know that, right?! How long have we known each other?!”
“………… All right. I trust you, Sensei.”
It looks like he finally understands the situation. Trust built up over a decade has won the day. After all, the most important thing to pro Shogi players is trust.
The two of us were smiling right after that, catching up on recent news while getting the apprentice registration and Practice League test application squared away. I worked really hard on the paperwork but couldn’t shake the feeling that he was doing his best not to look me in the eye behind that glued-on smile he wore from start to finish.
Once everything was done and we were just about to leave the office, he gave me a serious look, a look more serious than I’ve ever seen in the ten-plus years I’ve known him. “Kuzuryu-sensei,” he said.
“Yes?”
“…… Everything is on the level, right?”
He doesn’t trust me at all.
☗ The Association’s Classroom
Ai lets out a long sigh the moment we leave the office.
“Haa … I was so nervous—.”
“You and me both …”
Knowing I was one wrong step away from becoming a social outcast really had me on edge. I’m not entirely sure there wasn’t a misstep somewhere.
I’ve already gone on the offensive, destroyed weird rumors before they spread. Now how will things play out …?
Well, there’s really no point in worrying about that now.
Playing Shogi is to think ahead, but pros misread each other all the time. Therefore, it always ends up being a read and react kind of philosophy in the end: so take care when you can and the rest will work itself out.
“Oh, and Master.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s the Practice League?”
My foot nearly misses the next stair step.
“Seriously, you … We explained it to you in and out, IN AND OUT, last night, didn’t we?”
“Uh, ummm ………… The okonomiyaki was just so good that … that …”
Ai makes her excuse, scratching her fingernails across the stairwell railing. I can’t deny that Keika’s okonomiyaki is delicious. This girl ate three of them by herself. What does she think they are: pancakes?
“… The Practice League is like a school for people who want to join the Women’s League. You play against other people wanting to become pros and your rank goes up if you win.”
“Win the fight and your rank goes up … It’s just like a game!”
“Shogi is a game, you know.”
An advanced board game that has dominated a certain world for over a thousand years: that’s SHOGI.
“Everyone starts out in F-Class. You go up to E2, E1, D2, D1 and C2 from there. Anyone with a C1 ranking has the right to join the Women’s League.”
“If I join the Women’s League, will Shogi be my job like it is for you, Master?”
“They don’t have as many matches as pros do, but yeah.”
“What’s the difference between pros and Women’s League Players?”
“That’s complicated, so I’ll save that explanation for later.”
I point my thumb toward the second floor classroom entrance and say, “I’m sure that’s more interesting right now, yes?”
“Yep!!”
Then, I open the classroom door and walk inside with my apprentice (temp).
The classroom is full of kids.
Usually it’s overflowing with senior citizens at this hour, but since spring break started yesterday for all the public schools, all the young boys and girls with a taste for Shogi come here in the morning on weekdays too. It’s nice to hear all those pieces clacking away.
From what I can see, most of these kids are in elementary school or younger. Maybe they’re part of a children’s class?
“I’d like to make a Match Card for her——,” I say to the classroom staff member sitting behind the counter and start to introduce Ai.
However.
Every single child in the room turned to face me at once before I could finish and say, “D—.”
D?
“Dragon King————!!”
Aren’t you being a bit too literal with that translation, kiddos?
“Sign this!”
“Sign please!”
“Can I have your autograph?!”
“Dragkin, play me!”
The children rush me. Not a single one of them calls me Ryuo. They pull, bump, nudge, push, kick. The kids show no restraint or respect as they trample over me, calling me whatever they please.
Ai is such a good kid, I forgot that this is how grade schoolers usually are. But please, stop with the Dragkin already!
“All right, line up! One line here … No, make three lines!!”
I get them to line up on one side of the long table and pull Ai around to the other. Then I put three Shogi boards on top of the table.
One person against three opponents at the same time—sanmensashi, three on one.
“Beat her and I’ll sign whatever you want.”
“Who’s this?”
“Who’s that girl?”
“My apprentice (temp.),” I say.
“Apprentice?”
“Baby Dragon!”
“Is Baby Dragon strong?”
“Extremely strong,” I tell them.
“So I beat Baby Dragon and you’ll give me an autograph?”
“What’s the handicap?”
“Match? Hmm, good question … No handicaps for anyone should be fine.”
I carry a chair with caster wheels over to the table and tell Ai to take a seat and say, “Ai. Three on one. You up for it?”
“Y-Yes!” I don’t blame her for being a bit surprised at first, but “Here we go!!” she says, swinging her arms and psyching herself up for battle.
The first kid in each line starts lining up the pieces. Ai’s having a tough time because she has to set up three boards by herself.
“Ready when you are!”
The matches begin just as the last pieces fall into place.
I take a look at the Match Cards that the children have placed between the piece stand and the board. It’s sort of like a classroom ID, a green card with their name, rank and recent win-loss record written on it.
The best ones are 2-dan, the lowest are beginners … Now, how many games can she win?
It’s extremely difficult for someone facing multiple opponents to focus on one game, so it’s difficult to win even if said someone is stronger than their opponents.
However, Ai is in overdrive.
Normal kids plow straight ahead with the first strategy they think of without taking any time to read the board. They make a lot of mistakes, so it’s pretty common for one wrong move to bring the match to a swift and sudden end.
Meanwhile, Ai’s right fist is clutching the hem of her skirt today too. Not only is she deciphering further and faster than anyone, she’s being careful. Ai’s in her element.
Her talent is on a whole different level from any of the kids here.
“Baby Dragon is a monster!”
“I can’t beat her …”
All twenty of them were laid to waste in forty minutes.
I was expecting her to lose one or two matches, but to win every single one …
“Haa … Haa … ah. Thank you, for playing me …”
Ai puts the last kid in checkmate, shoulders heaving as she lowers her head. She’s soaked with sweat. Sliding back and forth on those casters at high speed while making moves on three boards really takes a physical toll. It’s a Shogi shuttle run after all.
“S-sensei, where should we rank her …?” The understandably stunned classroom staff member asks with a blank Match Card in her hand.
“Two … No. Start her off as a 1-dan please. Oh, here’s the admission fee. She’s going to be here all day.”
In terms of ability, 2-dan or 3-dan would be a better fit for her, but I want to give her as many chances as possible to feel the joy that comes from winning her way up the ladder. I put her in 1-dan like a parent wanting what’s best for their children.
Then again, Ai’s still a raw amateur with only three months’ experience. Thinking logically, it’d be insane to put her 1-dan.
“Ai!”
I take the card from the staff member and hand it to Ai, who keeps shaking her skirt back and forth without realizing her white panties are in plain sight.
“This is your Match Card. Think you can fill it up with white stars?”
“… Yep!!”
Miss Ai Hinatsuru: 1-dan——Ai lifts the green card with her name on it with both hands, looking at it like she’s found the greatest treasure in all the land. My first apprentice (temp) smiles from ear to ear.
☖ Grand Entrance! Silver Knight
“Here. Drink up.”
“Yay! Yummy yummy thank y–♡”
I buy her a pack of orange juice out of the classroom vending machine. She plunges the straw straight in and starts glugging it down before saying thank you. Playing Shogi makes everyone thirsty.
“Gpppah! Master, you have a match today, right? What time does it start?”
“From 10.”
“It does?! Shouldn’t you hurry up?!”
“Hurry up …? It doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes.”
There’s really nothing to do to get ready before a match, so going in early would just mean I sit in front of the board in awkward silence.
Plus, this is a Throne League match with four hours of in-game waiting time. It’ll go well into the night.
I’ll run out of steam halfway through if I go in with too much zip.
“The arena is right upstairs. Showing up at the last minute is no problem.”
“Y-Yes it is! You should always start five minutes early!”
She pushes against my back, trying to get me to move. What doesn’t she understand about there being fifteen minutes left?
“Alright then, would you like to see the arena?”
“May I?!”
“As long as you’re with me.”
The arena above the fourth floor is kept off limits as a general rule … But the Kansai Shogi Association lets people who use the classroom watch regulated matches as a service, so they wouldn’t say no to a tour. And, for a fee, you can rent out the space for yourself too.
“This is the Match Board. These magnets with players’ names on them show who’s playing who in what arena each day.”
I start explaining lots of things as the two of us make it to the fifth-floor entrance at the top of the stairs.
“The loser comes out here and lowers their magnet after the match is over. That system lets everyone know the results.”
“Wow …”
Ai looked a bit shy at first, but her curiosity seems to have taken over. Those eyes are absolutely sparkling.
“So your match today is in … Gyouedan no Aida?”
“That’s Onjyoudan no Ma.”
“And you are facing … Kami, Kami … Umm, how do you read that?”
“Kannabe. Ayumu Kannabe 6-dan. He’s an up-and-coming pro from the Kanto area.”
I was halfway out of my shoes and about to lead her inside the arena when from out of nowhere!
“Ha! Ha! Ha! … That name is just a mask that allows me to blend in with the outside world. My true name is something else entirely …!”
“?! Y-You——.”
I turn around to see a man dressed in white standing there, hiding half of his princely, well-defined face by lifting his hand into a kind of pose, looking at me between his fingers with his right eye (color contact and all). Then he declares his “true name” with all seriousness: “Knight of the Shogi Realm! Silver Chevalier——Sir Ayumu God Cauldron!”
A passing staff member stopped to say hello. “Oh, Kannabe-sensei. Good morning.”
“It’s God Cauldron!!”
Apparently, God Cauldron 6-dan (18 years old) is not willing to give any ground on the matter and seems genuinely offended.
The staff member must be used to this because he doesn’t look bothered at all and ignores the retort. People who can’t deal with this level of strange characters could never work at he Shogi Association.
“My word … That’s the problem with Kansai people. Not a trace of refinement to be found ……”
Whispering to himself, Ayumu walks up to the board, removes the Kannabe magnet and replaces it with one that says God Cauldron without asking. Did he bring in his own homemade magnet? Crafty guy …
Ai (and only Ai) looked impressed at the sight of Sir Ayumu.
“Master! That, that man … he’s got a cape?!”
“… Yes. That’s a cape.”
“I’ve never seen one in real life before!”
Same for me. Wearing a cape to an official Shogi match …?
“Oh … Wee lass! You must possess great sense, spotting my cape as you have. I cordially invite you to join my Gate East Legion.”
Sir Ayumu God Cauldron extends his right arm with refined elegance, silver cape swishing behind him.
He looks——like royalty!
The Shogi world is divided into the Kanto area in the east where Ayumu is from and Kansai in the west where we live.
The Kanto Shogi Association is located in Harajuku of Tokyo, the city of youth, and is home to more than three times as many pro players as Kansai. Most titleholders are registered with Kanto, so a lot of new strategies and established ones originated there.
Going against the stylish and flashy pros of Kanto, Kansai pros who like to stray from the established norms and fight fire with fire to the bitter end seem vulgar by comparison. The Kanto pros treat us like outlaws.
“We Kanto professionals use a style of Shogi that is detailed yet vivid! Wee lass, study our ways and you too shall receive our Kanto Shogi spirit refined through years of training!”
“I-I am Kujyuryu-Ryuo’s apprentice! I will never join you!”
Said apprentice still can’t say my name.
“Hm Hm Hm … Ha-ha-ha-ha! That Dragkin shall meet its end this night! Enjoy your short apprenticeship while it lasts!”
“What was that?!”
God Cauldron-sensei demonstrates his skill with children by hitting it off with a nine-year-old in the blink of an eye. So it was you, the one who started this Dragkin business.
Separating myself both physically and mentally from the two, who were about to start dueling with each other, I pose a question.
“By the way, Ayumu. Where’d you buy that cape?”
“At Blue Mountain, if you must know.”
Just call it Aoyama like a normal person, would you? It’s not coffee. But seriously, you can find anything in Tokyo …
“They also carry a black version. Would you like one for yourself?”
“Master! They have black too?!”
“No thanks are necessary.”
The moment I give him a clear, “No thank you,” he answers with a somber, “If you insist …” Even Ai is slumping over. Did she want to see me wear it …?
“Humph … It matters not.”
Whoosh! Sir Ayumu needlessly swishes his cape, turns his back and says, “I await you in the Throne Room!”
“You mean the Onjyoudan no Ma.”
WHA-ha-ha-ha-ha … Once his unnecessarily loud laughter disappears, Ai looks up at me and says, “Master! Are you friends with that person?!”
“Not sure about friends but … Well, we’ve known each other for years.”
The Shogi world is small. Kids dreaming of turning pro run into each other at tournaments from a young age and eventually start crossing paths in either the East or West Shogi Associations once their serious training gets underway.
Then they’re fated to meet each other in battle for the rest of their lives once they turn pro. Well, as long as they keep playing professional Shogi anyway.
“Ayumu is two years ahead of me in school, but we’re like classmates because we started training at the same time.”
“Oh, I get it! He’s your rival?!”
“Rival, huh. I’d be honored if he thought of me that way …”
Even though Ayumu is in Kanto and I’m in Kansai, it’s true that we’ve been very aware of each other since we were kids. He’s even gone on and on about how we were fated to do battle because of something in our past lives.
He became much more intent on beating me when I became Ryuo.
You’d think it was because a rival player around his age surpassed him but … that’s not quite right.
For Ayumu, who’s always fancied himself a holy knight, the Dragon King symbolizes evil. He sees the title as a dark overlord that must be defeated. To put it another way——.
Ryuo (Dragon King) = Evil = Me
Knight = Holy = Himself → Must slay the dragon (`・ω・´)
Like that. It’s gotten to that point.
“He always had a thing for royalty and an attitude problem, but once he turned pro and started earning his own money, self-control went right out the window.”
“Is that why he bought the cape?”
“He’s got money coming in left and right because he’s winning left and right. He’s already secured this year’s award for consecutive wins and claimed the highest winning percentage. His path to a title match opens up with the win today … With my eleven-game losing streak I doubt he considers me to be much of a rival … The Dragon King is probably going down …”
“That’s not true! You’re the best, Master!!”
——The best, huh?
All pro players think that about themselves to some degree. They couldn’t keep fighting in this world if that weren’t true. Being on this skid, being ridiculed on the Internet, my confidence was showing some cracks.
But strangely, my confidence got one heck of a boost just from this little girl calling me “the best.” Shogi players are quite simple.
“Master! Best of luck in the field!!”
“Ha-ha … Well, I’ll do the best I can.”
Grimacing at my apprentice’s over-the-top battle cry, I turn toward the arena where the Silver Chevalier awaits.
☗ The Match Begins
Kansai Shogi Association headquarters, fifth floor——the Black Corridor has three different arenas.
The whole floor is a replica of the Black Corridor in Edo Castle (apparently it has one) and is divided into the Onjyoudan no Ma or “Throne Room,” Ongedan no Ma or “Lower Guard Room” and Fuyou no Ma or “Lotus Room.”
The Throne Room is one step higher than the others. Only the most skilled players are allowed to use it: it’s practically a holy site for the Kansai Shogi world. It’s also home to the window where a certain Master of mine relieved himself.
“Humans follow land.”
“Land follows sky.”
“Sky follows Taoism.”
Scrolls written by well-known Shogi legends from long ago hang in the alcoves around the room. Sir Ayumu, sitting on his ankles in the lower seat with his cape collar standing up around his ears, is already in front of the only Shogi board in the Throne Room and elegantly sipping tea from a cup with a saucer in his hand. I’d expect nothing less from royalty.
“Ohh …? So you’ve come without fear?”
“I pretty much have to. It’s a match.”
I go around to the upper seat and sit down on a thin floor mat. Then I take off my wristwatch and put it on the tatami mat beside me while getting comfortable. I take a fan, handkerchief, glasses and water out of my second bag after that.
It’s much easier to sit on a mat that I’m used to, so I have the association send one of the mats whenever I have to play someplace else. My legs tend to fall asleep if it’s one of those expensive, fluffy types and I can’t have that.
Every Shogi player has their own pre-match rituals.
Wiping off their glasses, closing their eyes to focus, bringing in their favorite pot and cups to drink tea like Ayumu. Oh, and there are some who bring their own air purifier (one equipped with minus-ion technology). It’s not a problem, as long as they’re not all that loud.
A long table is set up next to the board for the record keeper. It’s their job to document the match and keep track of time. They also set up the board and place the mats for us.
Sensing that it’s about time, I say, “Should I line them up?”
“Proceed.”
Sliding my match glasses on, I reach for the box of pieces on top of the board and take them out of the silk covering inside. It’s a higher ranking player’s job to get the pieces out and put them away.
I use the established pattern to line up my pieces.
There are two styles for exactly how to put the pieces into place: Itou and Ohashi, with Ohashi being the standard. I use Ohashi, by the way, and of course Ayumu doesn’t use either, choosing his own original style.
The record keeper sees that all pieces are in place and announces.
“From Kannabe-sensei please.”
“God Cauldron please.”
After the usual exchange with the record keeper (ignored per usual) both of us close our eyes to gather our thoughts in the last minutes before the match. My brain is already moving a mile a minute.
“It is time. Please begin the match.”
“Ready when you are.”
Both players bow and Sir Ayumu makes the first move. Then, he removes the cape. Keeping it on until the first move was Ayumu’s style of etiquette, basically his way of showing respect. Personally, I’d rather he didn’t. It’s startling.
I make the second move right away.
Since the order for today’s match was determined beforehand, I came up with my strategy at home. Both of us proceeded at a blistering pace, focused only on getting our pieces in the right places as quickly as possible.
Our battle formations take shape on the board.
Ayumu looks up at me with a fearless smile, gracefully moving his fingers as he slides his pieces across the board.
“Heh-heh-heh … Are you capable of laying siege to the Silver walls of my Citadel?!”
That’s just a simple yagura.
“Kannabe 6-dan, yagura formation …”
Ayumu’s got fire in his eyes, absolutely exuding energy while the journalist sitting next to the record keeper writes everything down like nothing unusual is going on. This is surreal.
Yes, a Shogi journalist.
Today’s match is an important league match that determines who’s eligible to compete for the Throne title. Today’s results will not only be in Shogi magazines, but in mainstream newspapers as well. You know that small corner of the newspaper that shows Shogi standings? It’ll go there.
Ayumu is currently undefeated. His path to the title match becomes almost assured with a victory today.
On the other hand, I lost every match so far and I’ve already been disqualified for this league next season. This match is just a formality, for show.
However, a type of paramount philosophy exists in the Shogi world: A match that may be a formality for you could be valuable to your opponent, so defeat them at once!
Since Ayumu’s dreams of winning the title would disappear should I win today, that philosophy fits my situation to a “T.” I should take Ayumu down here and now. And——.
“… I’ve had enough of being called Kuzu Ryuo,” I whisper to myself as I move my own king into a yagura-style fortress.
☖ Unforeseen! Kannabe-Style 1 Five Lance
Forty-six moves have been made at thirty minutes into the match.
Moves have come one after another following the standard Aiyagura (meaning both of us are doing the yagura strategy) style by the book.
After twenty moves of the same song and dance that took up no time at all, everything up to move ninety-one was as standard as standard could get. Yagura is déjà vu all over again.
“Da-da-da-daaaaaaan! Upgraded from yagura to anaguma!! Defense +2000 points!!”
Striking a pose straight out of Vanguard with a piece sandwiched between his fingers, Ayumu strengthens his defense further still, completing a wall around his king on the left edge of the board. That formation is called yagura anaguma. I don’t know anything about this +2000 defense points thing, but it’s solid as a rock.
Of course, I’m not just twiddling my thumbs.
Aiyagura matches are known for players splitting their forces into well-defined offense and defense groups before the battle truly gets underway. A build up, build up, kaboom! kind of match.
“Now then … What to do, what to do,” I whisper, tapping my chin with my open fan. The board is saturated with pieces. Careful not to break the balance of my own line, I move my Bishop to the front lines to use the projectile weapon to probe the enemy for openings.
“Heh! A bold move.”
Ayumu retaliates immediately by advancing a Pawn to the space directly in front of my Bishop to force it back.
I take a deep breath and retreat my Bishop. This is all according to plan, of course. It’s all to get Ayumu to launch an attack and time my counter to stop in his tracks. The classic bait and switch.
“As you wish …”
Ayumu picks up a piece and strikes another Vanguard pose (a victory pose, maybe?).
“Heed my call, fly Pegasus!”
Accepting my invitation, he sends his right side keima, Knight, to the front lines and ignites the flames of war.
This is going so well that I couldn’t help but smile.
“You know what they say … Pawns feast on the high-fying Knight.”
“That’s high-fying Pegasus, if you please.”
Attacks never stop once they get underway. I need to break the line of Pawns advancing like a tsunami with my own Pawn wall. Known as Shogi’s skin, the Pawns break apart as muscle and bone collide.
“Silver Sword! Feel the wrath of my blade!”
Ayumu slices forward with his Silver.
I match him blade for blade——taking his Silver and making it my own. Silver, you’re mine!
This should be the part where Ayumu takes my Silver with his Rook …
“Haaaaaaa ………!!” Ayumu lets out a long breath and reaches for his next piece … the kyousha, Lance!!
“Behold!! My secret technique—— Right Wing Holy Lance!!”
“Ugh?! Th-this is …!”
One look at the sharp Lance bearing down on me like a spear on the right side of the board makes my blood run cold.
He sacrificed his own Silver for this attack! A Silver Sword and Spear combination, sacrificing the blade to strike in quick succession!
So he’s willing to throw pieces away to break through …
I anticipated that Ayumu might try this when I was preparing for the match.
But! There’s a lot more pressure going against the real thing!
“T-The … Kannabe-Style 1 Five Lance …!”
“It’s the Right Wing Holy Lance!!”
Sir Ayumu fervently rebukes. Either one is fine by me.
“Kannabe 6-dan’s next move is the highly anticipated Kannabe-style 1 Five Lance …”
The journalist completely ignores Ayumu’s objections as well. However, he’s clearly writing with a burning passion.
The Kannabe-style 1 Five Lance is a new strategy developed by, you guessed it, Sir Ayumu himself. This technique has become the driving force behind his ascent through the Throne League: completely different from a guy who lost every game like me! (Tears.)
Claiming to be a Knight and all, Ayumu has a really good sense of how to use Lances. The utmost caution is necessary once he’s got one in hand. And by the way, Lance is just another way to say Spear, so he’s not just pulling names out of thin air. I think. Maybe.
“Hmmm …”
Taking his Lance would be really easy. Easy, but …
We Kansai Shogi pros have researched how to defend against this technique the moment it was first used in an official match. I’m confident in my studies, otherwise I wouldn’t have drawn it out.
The days of Kansai Shogi players being called hardheaded outlaws are over. We ain’t going to be out-researched by those Kantoers!
Then again, I’m sure Ayumu and those guys to the east have been researching the strategy even further. Ayumu has absolute confidence in his technique, otherwise he wouldn’t use it so much in official matches.
I have a plan … But, I need to take my time, carefully read the board and make sure that there are no holes in my prepared strategy.
“Hmm ……………… Now then. What to do.”
I take a deep breath and let my butt hit the floor mat, take off my glasses, lean against the armrest and let my mind set to work.
CIick-clack. CIick-clack. I open and close my fan, establishing a rhythm like a metronome to help me think.
Read.
Read.
Read, read, read …
“………… That’ll do.”
Sitting back on my ankles in perfect posture, I make my move. “Whoa?!” The record keeper and journalist exclaim as they lean in for a closer look.
I——didn’t take Ayumu’s Lance.
I left it there, sharp tip still stuck in the side of my forces.
Instead, I took Ayumu’s Pegasus——the Knight he sent out first: a move that should be catching him by surprise.
I look up at my opponent with a How’d you like that, Ayumu?! look in my eyes when …
“Haa … This color, this aroma. I do declare tea to be British royalty’s finest accomplishment …”
You’re the tofu shop owner’s son from the suburbs, are you not?
But I felt uneasy the moment I saw the self-proclaimed nobleman take an elegant slurp of tea. Is that a poker face? Or did he see this coming a mile away …?
It doesn’t matter. I’ll get to enjoy his stunned royal face the moment he figures out what I’m really after!
“… May I see the record?”
“Here you are.”
Taking a look at the paper the record keeper handed to me, I was stunned to learn that the last move took forty minutes. My move.
“No way!”
It felt like ten minutes tops, but time flies when you’re reading the board. I don’t blame Ayumu for drinking tea at all.
The Throne League allows four hours of waiting time. Using twenty minutes at this time would have been all right, but forty is way, way too much. Now I’m far behind in waiting time ……
“Pardon the intrusion.”
It’s almost lunchtime, so one of the staff members comes to ask us what we’d like to order. They’ll get it delivered.
“Kannabe-sensei. What would you like to eat?”
“Let me think … Yes. I would like to dine on Phoenix Easter Egg Chaos today.”
“Chicken and eggs on rice, all right.”
Sir Ayumu pretty much always gets the same lunch, so the staff had no trouble understanding that order.
“And for you, Kuzuryu-sensei?”
“Ah, nothing for me.”
Sir Ayumu looks surprised.
“Will you not dine?”
“I was thinking I’d eat out today.”
“I see …”
Sir Ayumu looks at me with the eyes of the only Chihuahua left unsold at a pet store. He might be a bit nervous about eating by himself at the Kansai Association, away from home.
But I can’t just ignore my apprentice (temp). Sorry, Ayumu.
☗ Lunchtime
Arriving at the second-floor classroom, I find Ai thoroughly engaged in a Shogi match.
“Oh! Still going strong.”
She’s got her Match Card between the board and the piece stand like a real veteran and a chess clock right next to the board. Someone must’ve brought one in and taught her how to use it during one of her many matches.
She’s playing against a girl I see in the classroom all the time. Her big eyes and short, chestnut-colored hair stick out, as does her competitive nature. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say she is about as old as Ai. Being about the same age, both girls are playing their hearts out.
“Let’s see …”
Careful not to break their concentration, I quietly make my way toward them and look at the board.
Their game is in the final stages, formations in shambles on the board. That battle must have been intense.
“… Gahhh, I don’t know anymore! This’ll work!”
Ai’s opponent gives up reading the board as time ticks down and she makes a move. She’s decisive.
Now her turn, Ai, “……… Here, here, herehereherehere ……!”
Rhythmically whispering to herself, she tries to read her way to victory. Even her body is rocking back and forth.
… It’ll take a while, but there is a way to put her opponent’s King in checkmate.
Pros can tell at a glance, but anyone can miss a shorter route to the King during a match.
Now then, can Ai find the right moves in the middle of a live game?
“… Here!!”
Ai reaches for her captured pieces and, with a sharp breath, snaps it down onto the board to put the opposing King in check.
“What?! Ummm …”
The girl fretted for a moment, faced with a move she never expected. After reading the board as long as time would allow, she grabbed her King as if reaching through water and then slid it to the side——but that King was already dead.
Ai had anticipated the move and forged ahead taking no time at all. Her opponent realized that checkmate was only three moves away and threw a piece.
“… I lost—.”
“Th-thank you for playing me!”
Pausing to take a breath, the girl started talking to Ai with a bright smile on her face.
“You said your name is Ai Hinatsuru, didn’t you? You’re really good! Where’d you come from? Are you joining the Practice League?”
“Um … I, I’m going to take the test soon …”
“You are?! Then we can play again!”
She’s back to being a normal grade schooler, her competitive fire disappearing the moment the match came to a close. Only kids can flip that switch so fast.
“Ai.”
“Ah! Master!”
I’m sure the girls would have fun chatting away, but my lunch break will end if I let them be.
“Good game. That was a nice bit of reading you did there.”
My apprentice (temp) looks up at me with happy puppy dog eyes: “Yay yay♡” after I pat her head and give her a compliment.
“You’ve gotta be hungry by now? Wanna go grab a bite?”
“Yay!”
“Go get your Match Card starred. Hers too——.”
One of the classroom’s rules is that the winner takes both cards to get starred. I look at Ai’s opponent and see——.
“……!!”
She’s frozen solid, staring at me with her green Match Card clutched in her fingers.
“Um, hello? She needs your Match Card——.”
“You … you’re Kujuryouryouou … Right?”
Are grade schoolers not capable of pronouncing my name or something?
“Ahh, yes. It’s Kuzuryuo.”
“!!”
The girl tumbles off her chair, listlessly climbs back to her feet and comes up to me.
“Um, I-I-I, um, I’m Miomijyukochi!”
Miss Miomijyukochi, is it?
I take the card from her and look at her name.
“…… Miss Mio Mizukoshi. Yes, you played a good match.”
Complimenting her in my most professional teacher-esque voice, “Hooahh!” Mio makes a strange sound and extends her hand toward me while struggling to stand on wobbly knees.
“U-Umm! M-May I shake your hand?!!”
“Sure. Great job today.”
“Haahh … Haaaaaa ……”
Mio’s face turns red like a steadily increasing pressure gauge.
Many people have asked to shake my hand since becoming Ryuo, but I’ve never seen someone so enthralled. I’m honored … But this is kind of embarrassing. Other people are laughing.
“I’ll never … ever wash this hand again!”
“N-Never …?”
“I’m about to go to the girl’s room, but I won’t wash this hand!!”
“No, please wash, okay?”
I give the just-starred Match Card back to Mio, her head bowed in gratefulness, ask her to keep Ai company and leave the classroom behind.
“Interesting girl, that one. She’s got a pretty good feel for Shogi too. Think the two of you can become friends?”
“……”
“Hm? Something wrong, Ai?”
My apprentice (temp.) was happy and bubbly just a moment ago, but now she’s frowning. All those happy “yays” are gone and she’s whispering something under her breath.
“… I’ve never once gotten a handshake … I’m the apprentice … Crafty little …”
“Huh? Umm … Ai?”
“Master!”
“Y-Yes?”
“Um … Um …………………… Gehh!!”
Out of nowhere, Ai snatches my right hand with both of hers. Then she starts pressing my palm with her thumbs.
What does this girl want to do?
“Well, um … Satisfied?”
“Yay♪”
Grade schoolers, such a mystery …
Stepping outside of the dim building, the spring sunlight was almost blinding. “Ahhhh!” I stretch my arms and ask my apprentice (temp.) a question, “Now then. What do you wanna eat?”
“Ummm … Is there anything you want, Master?”
“Hmm, I’ve pretty much eaten everything all the restaurants around here have to offer.”
“U-ummm, in … In that case …”
“In that case?”
“L-Lunches! … I … made lunches … So …”
“You did? One for me too?”
“Of course!! I woke up early just to make it for you, Master!!”
“Woah …!”
Classic case of the Master being deeply moved by his considerate apprentice (temp).
Only in the third grade and already such a good, thoughtful girl … I can say that because Big Sis always sends me to the convenience store to pick up her lunch. Even now.
“Then why don’t we eat outside? It’s nice out.”
“Yes!”
And that’s how we ended up going to a nearby park with her still holding my hand.
A short walk away, Kamifukushima Higashi Park is filled with waves of green … That is to say that half of the potted plants someone at the taxi company next door has been looking after have started encroaching into the park, but it just goes to show how little Osakans care about details. Anyway, it’s a small park with a lot of flavor.
We sit next to each other on a bench beneath the sunlight filtering through the leaves overhead and open the lunches that Ai made.
“Onigiri rice ball and fried eggs …?”
“Do you not like them …?”
“No, no. I’m thrilled. I’m not really the type of guy that wants to play Shogi on a full stomach.”
“I’m glad!”
Chomp! Ai holds one of the rice balls in both hands and takes a big hearty bite—except that her mouth is so small that she might never finish it no matter how many hearty bites she takes. Kind of like a cute little hamster. Very cute.
After a good amount of chewing, Ai looks up at me with just her eyes and cautiously asks, “Master, um … H-hovv is the match going …?”
“Hmm, not bad I think.”
I take alternating bites from the fried eggs and onigiri as I answer. Both are delicious. The rice balls are filled with salmon, my favorite. Maybe she asked Keika about it?
“I’m using yagura and Sir Ayumu got a yagura-anaguma going … Ah, do you know what yagura and anaguma mean?”
“I don’t (>-<)”
“Should’ve figured.”
It’d be faster to explain it to her using the number grid rather than battle formation names, but doing so and exchanging ideas could be considered receiving outside help and violate the rules even though she is in elementary school. I’d be cut down.
“Basically, one is solid and the other is solid as a rock. The one solid as a rock attacks the solid one. That’s where we’re at.”
“And you’re the rock, right Master?”
“No, I’m the solid.”
“Wheh?”
Now her face is solid as a rock. A piece of onigiri filling (salmon) falls to the ground with a soft plop.
She obviously thinks that Ayumu’s got the advantage. Well, can’t blame her. Solid as a rock after all.
“It’s true that his King’s defenses are stiffer and he’s the one on the attack.”
“Playing in that situation sounds like more fun …”
“At the same time, Ayumu’s lost a lot of pieces trying to break my formation by force. The tables will turn the instant I cut off his attack.”
“Can you cut it off?”
“There should be a way. According to my research anyway.”
“Research?”
I talk through a mouthful of origiri to explain what it is to be a pro Shogi player.
“On days that pro Shogi players don’t have matches, they’re hard at work researching their next opponent, looking for weaknesses and studying their battle formations. Prodigy players who show up to the arena and let God guide their hand to victory are pretty much unheard of in today’s Shogi world.”
Then again, there are some people who really show up and play like a god. Like the current Meijin. That guy may as well be God.
“All the research my friends and I did is going into my next move. I’ll cut off Ayumu’s attack this turn … You could say that it’s a victory through detailed research rather than pure ability.”
“……”
Ai is looking at the ground, dead silent.
Did I dash her dreams? She looks at me just as I was starting to worry.
“That’s so cool!!”
“C …… cool?”
“Master, that’s your secret finishing move?! Turning the tide of battle in one turn with a hidden technique that you got from intense training … You’re amazing, Master! The ultimate Drag … Ryuo!”
She was about to say Dragon King, wasn’t she?
“But … well, huh. I suppose if you want to think of it like that …”
“? Did I say something funny?”
“Nah …”
I quickly wiped the corner of my eye so my apprentice (temp.) wouldn’t see.
In pro Shogi matches, where the winner of the standard game, which is close to ninety turns, can be determined by one thoroughly researched move, fans tend to complain by calling it a research lecture or copy Shogi. They really let us have it over the Internet. And of course they do. It’s not that interesting for us, either.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a nice world where anyone can win without researching.
Most pro Shogi players form teams that we call practice groups, where we use computers to research all kinds of battle styles. There are even some formations we research all the way to checkmate: just one move in an official match—all supported by researching scenarios that won’t show up on the board in hundreds of thousands of matches …
“So, Master, your opponent will give up after your next move, right?!”
“Give up? Well, we’ll be even, or I might get a slight advantage.”
“Oh no! Isn’t your secret technique supposed to end it all?!”
The world isn’t that simple.
“Well, I’d say that being on an equal footing in a match where Sir Ayumu made the first move is putting up a good fight.”
“He’s God Ca … Kannabe-sensei, right? Is he that good?”
“He’s a pro Shogi player.”
“… But he is, a little weird, isn’t he?”
“He’s a pro Shogi player.”
That one phrase pretty much sums everything up.
“Ask ten pros about Ayumu’s skills, and all of them would say something like——Kannabe? Oh, he’s good. Early game, mid-game, late game, the guy’s got them all covered.”
“So he’s got no weak spots?”
“Oh, he’s got a weakness … I just can’t exploit it right now.”
“Huh?”
“Now then! Let’s head back, shall we?”
I’ve said a little too much. I lick the last bits of rice off my lips and stand up.
“Thanks for the lunch. It was really, really good.”
“E-hehe.”
Ai happily squints her eyes, giddy as I pat her on the head. Damn cute.
“Keika will come get you tonight, so please stay at Master’s place. I’ll swing by in the morning.”
“… Okay!”
Just for a moment, Ai nodded like a good girl.
☖ Miscalculation
“Chaaaa——————rge!!”
The first thing Ayumu did once the match started up again was to drive that pointy spear even deeper into my gut.
“And now, cha——nge! Evolve from Normal Lance to Golden Lance!!”
Narikyou, Promoted-Lance … Is that what he’s trying to say? He flipped the piece over, so that’s probably it.
The Lance has run me through, so now my King is vulnerable to an attack from behind. It’s a difficult position to be in so soon after restarting.
“Heh …… I have you now! Dragon King!!”
“Who has who?”
“Inconceivable?!”
I saw the attack coming by the slimmest of margins.
I leave the Promoted-Lance right where it is behind my King and take a Pawn from my captured pieces and place it on the board to attack a completely different piece. And that piece would be——.
“My … Rook?!”
“That’s right!”
His advancing Lance is just a diversion, a jab.
“Ayumu! You’re trying to get me to move my defenses with a jab and then unleash a straight punch! And your fist is none other than this Rook! In other words, with this Rook under control, your attack comes to an end!”
“Heh-heh … Now I see. You are a worthy opponent, Dragon King. I commend you for deducing my strategy! However! Do you honestly believe that your weak forces can contain my strongest piece?!”
“Have you forgotten, Ayumu? Forgotten the piece I took just before lunchtime——?”
“?! You … You couldn’t mean ……!!”
“Fly, Pegasus! I summon you from the captured ranks to take that Rook!”
I like how things are playing out on the board, so I don’t mind having a bit of fun. The record keeper’s cold gaze doesn’t bother me at all!
“What’s wrong, your highness? Your elegant visage is showing some cracks?”
“Kehhhh …!!”
It goes without saying that the Rook is the strongest piece and letting it be taken not only removes a big chunk of your firepower, but it’s also like giving your best weapon to your opponent.
Losing it in the late game is one thing, but losing it in the mid-game pretty much ends a Shogi match. Therefore Ayumu should move it out of the way.
At least he should have.
“Keh … Keh! Keh! … Keh-ha-ha-ha-ha!! At last … the moment I’ve been waiting for!”
“?! … Waiting … for …?”
Ayumu didn’t move the Rook, but another prominent piece——the Bishop.
“Bishop?!”
He’s abandoning the Rook?! Seriously?!
I couldn’t help but look up at Ayumu.
He seems … surprisingly calm. No explosions of emotion anywhere on his face. And he’s drinking tea again.
My gut’s telling me that I should take that Rook with this move.
Ayumu’s advance can’t go on without it. I should still be able to absorb this attack by the skin of my teeth. I’ve still got a captured Pawn and Silver on my piece stand. I can hold out!
I grab my right leg and squeeze as hard as I can, thoroughly reading the board to make sure my gut instincts are right.
Read. Read. Read …
“………… Okay!”
I had my answer after over an hour of internal deliberation: take the Rook with keima, Knight. How’s that, Ayumu!
“Just as I planned!!”
“What?!”
“Take a gander at your stunned stallion …!”
Ayumu strikes that same Vanguard pose, flips the Bishop over and smacks it back down on the board.
“The one riding on its back——is death!”
Ayumu’s ryuuma, Promoted-Bishop is headed right for my defensive front. However!
“How naïve, Ayumu! I’m one step ahead of your attack!”
I slide my King out of his Knight’s line of fire.
Shogi’s saying King’s early escape nets eight turns in action! So many of his attack options are now moot!!
“What now?! Can’t keep attacking without your Rook, no … can you?!”
This is when I thought we’d return to the mid-game and regroup, but——.
Ayumu doesn’t reach for the board, but for his own piece stand. It felt like a pillar of ice shot down my spine the moment I saw him make that move.
“Prepare thyself, for you shall be run through by yet another hidden Lance!!”
Lifting the Lance from his piece stand with the arched-finger dexterity of a pianist, he brought it straight down onto the board. Crap?!
“Dragon Slayer! Georgioooooo———os!!”
“Not good …!!”
That move sends a cold shiver down my spine.
Ayumu placed the Lance right behind the Pawn I put down to attack his Rook. Therefore, I can’t block it with my spare Pawn (two players having Pawns in the same column violates the rules)! There’s no way to guard against it …!
“Kannabe-sensei plays a surprising new move, Kannabe-Style 3 Six Lance.”
“I said, Dragon Slayer! Georgios! Weren’t you listening?!!”
Once Ayumu finished telling off the journalist, he points his fan directly at me and says, “What say you, your majesty Dragon King? How does my new tactic Dragon Slayer! Georgios taste?”
“Gh …!!”
I bite my lip and start searching the board.
I want information. What is Ayumu’s next target? Are my formations still intact? Can my King escape with a stronger defensive line? Is there any opening to counterattack——?
“And by the way, the name is derived from the great dragon-slaying martyr, the knight St. George. It is said that he thrust his lance into the mouth of the dragon that breathed poison before wrapping a girdle that he received from a princess around its neck and leading the beast around like a dog before delivering the final blow.”
I didn’t need that information …
“No! There needs to be an exclamation point after the Dragon Slayer!” Ayumu tells off the journalist, issuing an order. Maybe he’s going for a Swift! (Black Shogi Piece 3 Seven Climbing Silver kind of name?)
He clearly planned this combination. That lukewarm strategy name that some middle schooler would think up is obviously his doing.
Basically … Ayumu’s had this in mind since I put that Pawn down thirty moves ago?
No. Even further back … He’s had this in mind since I started making the yagura formation more than seventy moves ago. He saw this change coming and led me right to it.
If that’s true——Ayumu has researched all the way to checkmate.
☗ Setting the Scene
“Kuzuryu-sensei. Your allotted time has expired. Therefore, each turn must be completed in one minute for the remainder of the match.”
The record keeper announces a chilling truth with burning vigor.
“…… s.”
My “yes” disappears into thin air.
From now on, I only have one minute to make each move. Otherwise, I’ll have to forfeit the match because I ran out of time.
“Thirty seconds— … Forty seconds— …”
The record keeper uses a unique intonation to read off the time.
It’s just past 9 o’clock at night.
Since the match started at 10 o’clock in the morning and we had about an hour for lunch, the two of us have been playing for nearly 11 hours already.
Ayumu still has one hour of waiting time.
And I have——zero.
“Fifty seconds—. One, two—, three——.”
“…!!”
I made my move at “seven.”
Even under these harsh conditions where I don’t have enough time to run to the john, I grit my teeth and keep playing through the pain.
Against the ropes, I keep defending. My nerves are strung out as far as they can go in this hopeless, exhausting battle.
On the other hand, “It’s always my turn!” Ayumu declares, pressing his attack in perfect condition.
The formations are already shifting from Ayumu’s advantage to Ayumu’s victory.
“Heh heh. Perhaps it’s time I strike the final blow and retire to the dining room …”
There is no dinner break in the Throne League. I’ve been thinking nonstop for more than eight hours.
My nerves have already reached their limit, my concentration is fading and now I have to play one-minute Shogi.
——Where did I slip up?
——Was taking that Rook a mistake?
——… Nah, perhaps going with yagura against Ayumu was wrong in the first place …?
Under pressure from the record keeper’s time reading, I’ve got nothing but regrets.
I can keep pointlessly moving pieces across the board.
But … As a titleholder, as the Ryuo, I can’t do anything shameful.
———Am I really allowed to keep playing like this?
———But people will tear me apart on the Internet for giving up too soon if I throw in the towel now …
Those were the only thoughts running through my head. Rather than reading the board, I’m trying to figure out exactly how I want to lose.
I’ve lost my will to keep fighting at this point——the match is as good as over.
I’m pretty sure everyone in the room has already caught onto that. Even the journalist who’d been camping out in the waiting room is back at the table next to the board. All to document the moment I surrender.
——At least, make it beautiful …
Match records are the only way that we Shogi players can prove to the later generations that we existed. They’re like musical scores for musicians.
It’s okay to lose. I can accept that.
But to be forever remembered as only that level and laughed at until the end of time, that I absolutely cannot accept.
Especially since the journalist will publish a story about this match in the newspaper.
Which means an unfortunate record will be on display for the whole world to see.
I’m going to lose, there’s no way around it. Even if I can’t avoid everyone seeing me in defeat … I can at least make it look like a good loss.
There’s something similar to beheading a samurai at the end of their ritual suicide that we call setting the scene.
The two competitors synchronize their breathing and pretend it had been a heated battle all the way until one move before their surrender.
It’s not fixing a match by any means. Losing with grace is one aesthetic of being a pro. You could say that being beautifully cut down is a technique in a pro’s repertoire.
My mind set, I move to attack Ayumu’s King.
“What’s this?”
Ayumu looks surprised by my decision for a moment but, “Heh … I see. You’ve accepted your fate …,” he whispers with a tinge of sadness in his voice and engages my attack.
I bet all the Shogi fans watching the match on the association’s live coverage on the Internet are shouting things like “It’s the check to remember!” right about now.
Yes. This is the check to remember.
Doing this now means that the journalist can write a record saying, “It was a close match where the victor was in check at the very end.” I’ve set the scene.
All I have to do now is stick my neck out. Just retreat back to my side of the board and find the shortest, most beautiful path to the end and move my pieces to follow through. Knowing Ayumu, he’ll finish me off right away.
——Please make it painless, Ayumu
In the moment that thought crossed my mind and I was about to extend my neck, “Huh?”
I happened to glance up as I picked up a piece and caught something unbelievable out of the corner of my eye.
“… Feeeeh?”
A strange sound comes out of my lips in disbelief.
Ai was there.
The apprentice (temp.) who should have gone back to Master’s house with Keika is in the arena, watching my match with the record keeper and journalist beside the board.
What’s this? There’s a grade schooler in the arena?
I wonder if my eyes have gotten tired from watching too much Shogi?
“Fifty seconds—. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine——.”
“Ten!”
Brought back into the moment by the record keeper’s countdown, I panic and make a move.
I was fully intent on setting the scene, but I rushed and moved the wrong piece. I can see the annoyed he’s still going? looks on the record keeper and journalist’s faces, but that’s the last of my worries.
Why?
What’s Ai doing here?
I check the time. It’s already past ten. She should have gone to Master’s house, brushed her teeth and hit the sack a long time ago.
But here she is, in the arena. Those little feet brought her into the Onjyoudan no Ma, plopped into a chair between the record keeper and journalist where the grade schooler is now leaning over the long desk and looking at the board with twinkling eyes.
“Hold up … huuuh? H-hey …”
I look right at her. Hey, hello. Look at me.
But she doesn’t even notice my gaze. She’s completely focused on something else.
Ai’s staring at one thing and one thing only——Ayumu’s King.
Seeing that little body of hers rock back and forth, I know exactly what she’s thinking.
She’s reading.
Using her entire body. Pouring her body and soul into it.
“… Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here …”
Without showing any sign that she knows I’m looking at her, Ai puffs out her cheeks, her ears bright red all the way to the tips as she single-mindedly searches the board.
Looking for what? That’s obvious.
My victory. More specifically, the path to it.
Ai’s engrossed in reading, searching for that, and only that, on this board drowning in despair.
There’s a simple reason that our eyes aren’t meeting.
“… Here, here, hereherehere … No! Then how about … here, hereherehereherehere … To slow! Faster … There has to be a faster way———.”
I’ve only been looking at my King. Never once thinking of going on the attack, I’ve kept my head down, hiding in my shell like a turtle and just kept defending. I’ve only been worried about my pride as Ryuo and saving face. I’ve been looking down and regretting everything under the weight of my heavy position.
But Ai is different.
She’s got her head up, focused only on Ayumu’s King. She’s looking for a way to attack, not just defend.
Believing in my victory. Believing her Master can win.
“… She’s right.”
This little girl came from far away on the north coast by herself, even ran away from home, all to become my apprentice. To Ai, I’m probably the best in the world, cool beyond belief, invincible Dragon King. Just like how I used to see Master Kiyotaki.
That’s, that’s just it.
I can’t be looking down at a time like this! I can’t just accept losing!!
“So … Shall I play you a requiem?”
Ayumu picks up a piece like a performing pianist and snaps it down at a slightly higher pitch, moving in a way to encourage my surrender. An I’ll still play along with your scene type of move.
“… Sorry, Ayumu. I’ve had a change of heart.”
“What?”
But I refuse his offer, read the board as long as time allowed, and made a move that muddied the board.
I had my King run away, abandoning his vessels in a shameless, ugly move.
I chose a path that pros would rather die than take, an unsightly, embarrassing move that other players will roast me for until I wish I were dead. The kind of move a stubborn outlaw would make.
As expected, the record keeper sends an ice-cold glance my way before grudgingly recording my move. The journalist lets out a long sigh as if annoyed that he’s got more pointless work to do.
As for Ayumu sitting on the other side of the board——.
“So you’ve chosen to fight against fate … How foolish ………… Keh!”
Pressing down on his right eye, the one with the color contact, he——.
“… Keh keh keh, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Yes! So it must be! That’s exactly why you are my eternal archenemy! I’d expect nothing less from the evil Dragkin!!”
Holy Knight. Sir Ayumu God Cauldron makes the strongest offensive move possible, the piece hitting the board with the bursting clack! all with a smile plastered on his face. Then, he pinned back his long bangs and leaned out over the board.
Even though there are much safer ways to win, he threw that option out the window and charged directly in for the kill. Royalty are just too damn cool!
“Now! Shall we continue the eternal battle of good and evil that has raged since our past lives?!”
“I don’t know about the eternal part——,” I say while immediately making my next move with a fearless smile on my lips. “But I’ll keep you entertained until the end of the night.”
Who would’ve ever thought this would be such an intense match?
Onjyoudan no Ma. Here, at the holiest of sites in the Kansai Shogi world, two players went head-to-head in a battle for the ages. Their hands moved faster and faster like a quickening heartbeat, fierce and intense.
Kuzuryu would make one move using no time, and Kannabe would respond just as quickly. It went against logic. Their pride as contemporary pros prevented them from yielding any ground and kept their minds working at full speed.
“Intense,” the support staff member muttered under his breath, in awe of a game that was ultimately decided by a move that Kannabe made a little too quickly under pressure.
“… To be honest, I was looking for the best place to surrender,” said Kuzuryu in a weak voice once the match had concluded. Those words ring true.
So what gave him the strength to persevere?
“I thought I’d try holding out. As a titleholder … As Ryuo, I was more concerned about leaving behind a record worthy of my title until tonight. As a result, I always looked for the best way to lose once my formation was broken rather than keep fighting. But,” Kuzuryu looked up, bringing his face into the light and declared with no waiver in his eyes, “I’ve come to the realization that leaving behind an unconventional, muddy record is better than a loss. I don’t want to lose anymore, to anyone. That’s all there is to it.”
Kuzuryu took on an apprentice just before the match got underway.
This apprentice was in attendance and watched the match board-side, a little girl in elementary school.
She sat on her ankles, in perfect posture the entire time, continuously believing that her master would find a way to win. Seeing her there may have had something to do with Kuzuryu’s new outlook.
“That could be true. After all, I don’t want my apprentice to see me lose,” the still sixteen-year-old Ryuo said before smiling clumsily at his nine-year-old apprentice.
It may be too early to make any predictions based on this match alone.
However, in my opinion as a writer, I believe the young Ryuo has returned to form. No, he is still in the process of growing stronger, maturing before our very eyes.
(KUGUI)