Stone Door to Heaven

No-no-no NOOOOOOO! What the hell is this little brat saying?!

“H-He’s not bored of me! I’m Master’s whole world!!”

“Ohhh?”

The Ai standing against me runs her small hand down my cheek and says, “He seems to be head over heels for me now? He just said I’m better than you a moment ago.”

“Hey?! That didn’t mean–––.”

“That’s not true! Master always says the food I made for him is delicious, and he said that I’m cute today!”

“Lip service, to be sure. He’s just making you do chores.”

“He cleaned out my ears last night after my bath! My head was in his lap!”

“It’s dangerous for children to do that on their own. He’s treating you like a child, that’s all.”

“Grrrrrhhh~~~~!!”

“Ummmm, uh …… I-I shook his hand at the association’s classroom!”

“Why are you butting in?”

“I, I just want everyone to calm down, you know ……?”

Thank you, Mio. I appreciate you trying to come to my defense, but it’s doing just the opposite. If looks could kill, Ai’s eyes right now would be lethal ……

“Master has pushed me down when I was naked before!!”

“He what?”

Of course, everyone else’s heads snap around with a shocking claim like that. Ai Yashajin’s whole body froze like a statue.

“Masta said he’d make Cha his wife too.”

Then, lady Ai looks up at me with suspicion the instant she heard the angel’s innocent claim, “… Could it be, that you have a Loli ……”

“Stop, stop, stop, stop! Everyone, stop talking right now! Cool your jets! Shut your mouths, please! And you, behind the counter! Don’t move!!”

The man sitting at the front flinches; his hand hovering behind his back just inches away from a telephone. I’m onto you and I’m not letting my guard down!

“Okay …… I can explain what Ai just said. Back when she first came to my apartment, she forgot to bring a towel into the bathroom, and I bumped into her when she came out to get one, thus knocking her down …”

Actually it was a desperate attempt to keep Big Sis from seeing that there was a naked elementary school girl in my apartment, but Ai Yashajin looked deflated after hearing my explanation and says, “That’s all? An accident like that?”

“Yes, yes, yes! An accident! Just a simple accident! It’s not like I’m completely interested in Ai’s body or anything like that–––.”

I got that far when I suddenly gulped down the air in my throat.

My apprentice is looking right at me; tears rolling down her cheeks like waterfalls.

It’s just like in Shogi. You don’t recognize a bad move until you’ve made it.

“Ah …… No, it’s just, you see …… I’m only saying that I’m not interested in elementary school girls in that way, not that I’m not interested in you, Ai. Actually I agreed to teach her because I’m interested in you, so that’s …”

“M–––.”

M?

“Master, you

JERKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!”

She screams.

Then Ai spins around and races out of the classroom, crying at the top of her lungs.

“Ah! Wait, Ai?! Crying and running is dangerous!”

“P-Please excuse us!”

Mio almost tripped over herself as she races off in hot pursuit as Ayano politely bows and then grabs the confused Charlette and takes off after them.

“Huh,” said the little girl, unable to comprehend what just happened.

“Humph, how noisy. Just brats after all.”

Ai Yashajin steps away from me, flicks her black hair over her shoulder before taking a seat in her chair like nothing ever happened and picks up a Shogi piece.

“…… Just now, a group of elementary schoolers just raced out of here at breakneck speed … Did something happen?” said Akira with no clue what had just transpired as she came into the classroom. I heard her, but I’m still in shock.

 RAISING APPRENTICES

“Ai!”

I yell my apprentice’s name as soon as I get in the door. Then, I spot a memo sitting on top of the low table in the tatami room.

“Seriously?!”

Tremors roll down my spine once I got a good look at what was written on the back of the print-out page.

She ran away?! She actually left?! I rush to check her stuff, but her backpack and school textbooks are gone.

“S-She …… she’s really gone for good ……?”

Glancing outside, the sun has pretty much set. The thought of an elementary school girl wandering the streets of Osaka at night with nowhere to go makes my guts feel heavy, as if a whole lot of lead was coursing through them.

I have to get her back here, every second is a second too late. But where did she go? Where should I look? Who should I call? The association? Or the police ……?

Just as the guilt and an even stronger panic were building, my cell phone rang.

It’s Keika. I hit the “accept” button and–––. “Ah, Yaichi? Ai just showed up at our doorstep ……”

“Thank God! Oh, thank you, thank you! I’ll come pick her up right away!”

“You don’t need to.”

“Huh?”

“At least, that’s what I was told. That’s why I called.”

“D-Did Ai say that ……?”

“No. My father did.”

“Master said that?!”

“That’s right. He pretty much adores her. I think he wants to keep her around for a while. He’s probably lonely because both you and Ginko left at almost the same time. So, you don’t need to come pick her up for about a month–––.”

“I’m coming right now!!”

I won’t listen to the nonsensical ramblings of a geezer. Cutting the connection, I run out onto the streets of Naniwa and flag down a taxi.

Once I got to Noda Station, one stop down the line from Fukushima Station, in less than ten minutes, I raced down a street, too narrow for a car to pass through all the way, to an old Japanese-style house at the end and burst through the door.

“I’m home!”

This is the house where Big Sis and I trained until a year and a half ago. I spent more than half of my life inside these walls, so it feels more like home then my parents’ place.

The silver lining in this whole mess is that Big Sis is out in Tendou City, Yamagata Prefecture for a title match right now. The match took place today, and it looks like she’s not back early this time. If she did make it back from that far away, I’d have to seriously consider the possibility that she’s not human.

“Ai! Are you here?! I came to pick you up!!”

I walk straight to the back of the house, open the sliding door to the tatami room, and see a stocky human shape appear, a shape that’s holding a teapot.

“So, ya came.”

“Of course I did! Now, where’s Ai?!”

“Over here.”

Master waves me into the room.

I step inside, but my apprentice isn’t here. Just my Master, grunting as he lowers himself to the floor at the back of the room.

“… Where is she?”

“Ai said she don’ wanna see ya. So, I ain’t gonna let ya.”

“Master!”

“Calm down, Yaichi. Have a seat.”

“……”

Master’s dignified words force me to bottle up my anxiety and obey. For me, a direct order from him is absolute.

Master starts pouring tea into cups as I sit on my ankles in the lower seat and he pushes one in my direction.

“Have a drink.”

“… Where is Ai?”

“No need to worry, she’s in this house. Playin’ Shogi with Keika in the kids’ room on the second floor right now.”

That’s the room that Big Sis and I used to share.

I want to see my apprentice as soon as possible … But, it’s a big relief knowing that at least she’s safe.

With that out of the way, other thoughts suddenly start weighing on my mind.

Even if I went to her, I have no clue how to clear up this misunderstanding.

But wait, is it a misunderstanding? It’s true that I never told her that I was teaching Ai Yashajin and it’s true I said she was the better Shogi player.

If I went to see Ai now … what could I possibly say?

Seeing the lost look on my face, Master quietly starts talking.

“I got a pretty good idea what happened … I think. From everythin’ that Ai and Mr. Tsukimitsu have told me anyway.”

“From the chairman?”

“Whenever Mr. Tsukimitsu has a job for ya, he always gets my opinion first.”

“I didn’t know that …”

That’s the chairman for you. Even when it comes to making arrangements, he’s the Meijin.

Professional Shogi players are all self-employed, and rivals at that. Anyone who considers throwing their hat into this world is horrible at working with others to begin with. It’s necessary to keep that in mind when trying to work with people like us.

But, that wasn’t all there was to it.

Master mumbles something deep under his beard before taking a deep breath and starting to speak with conviction. “I was gonna wait to say this until ya were at least A class but … ya already have a title and took an apprentice, so what the heck. I was–––.”

He gulps down his tea and said something that I never saw coming.

“Me …? The chairman’s apprentice? What do you mean by …?”

“I didn’t think I could raise ya.”

“… Because Big Sis was already here …?”

Was it impossible to take on not one but two strangers’ children as live-in apprentices in this day and age?

That was the first thing that popped into my head, but Master shakes his head no.

“Because ya had something that I didn’t. Talent, to be blunt. Talent that blew others out of the water even.”

“……?”

“I knew back when we played our first game. I knew that this kid would be a pro no later than graduatin’ junior high.”

“B-But, I had to have been, what, Amateur 2-dan back then? That’s long before anyone decides to try to go pro or not–––.”

“I knew,” Master declares. “Actually, talent sticks out the most in beginners. Anyone can learn skills through willpower, but not talent. That’s somethin’ ya’re born with.”

“Talent …”

“Ya felt it too, yeah? When you played against Ai.”

“…… Yes.”

Ai first picked up a Shogi piece three months ago.

The only opening move she knew was advancing the Pawn in front of the Rook …… No skills to speak of, and no experience whatsoever, a blank slate.

However, Ai’s Shogi was overwhelming.

Double Winged Attack, a full power play. It started off with a very unusual move, taking a Rook with the Bishop. From there, Ai used two Rooks and kept a pro’s attack at bay. Even pros have a hard time with the Double Winged Attack, but she effectively played with two Rooks, a pattern that almost never shows up in match records.

Then she counterattacked in a way that I never saw coming. In an instant she realized that my offensive would come up short by the slimmest of margins. It wasn’t out of reckless desperation either. She read the board in the blink of an eye and even set up traps: a truly ferocious attack.

How could this girl, who hadn’t even handled Shogi pieces for most of her life, pull that off?

In a word–––talent. That’s the only way to explain it.

“I felt that the very first time I sat across the board from ya. Felt that this kid could be the one to end Shogi.”

–––End Shogi.

Simply put, it means to understand everything that there is to know about Shogi. To find a sequence that guarantees victory. It’s the highest compliment any Shogi player can give to another, and even has a divine feel to it.

Gulping down the spit in my mouth, I ask, “I-Is that true …? For Big Sis as well …?”

“I thought she could make some noise as a Women’s League player. She had spirit and spunk in spades.”

Master grins at me and takes another swig of tea.

“I was pretty sure I could turn ya into a pro. I could, but that’s as far as I could take ya. I couldn’t teach what comes after that.”

“What comes … after?”

“How to act like a titleholder.”

“……!”

“How to prepare for a big match. Sealin’ techniques. Copin’ with matches that last two days. How to interact with fans, sponsors and the press as the face of the Shogi world, participatin’ in events, dealin’ with mounting pressure during winning streaks, how to remain in peak condition with all that kinda stuff goin’ on … Playin’ as an ordinary pro is one thing, but competin’ at the top level is a whole other animal. Not just on the board either. Your day-to-day life completely changes into another world.”

I know exactly what he’s talking about …… Every fiber of my being can relate.

I went from being a bottom-of-the-barrel rookie pro all the way to the top of the Shogi world when I became the Ryuo. The sudden change threw me for a loop …… I may be exaggerating, but it really felt like my life changed. The changes outside of the game had the biggest impact on me. However, that impact affected my ability to play.

Actually it was those changes that got to me and I couldn’t win at all ……

“But ya see, I can’t teach ya what to do in that situation. I thought that ya needed to know how to act and how to prepare to be at the top while ya were still a kid, and I didn’t fit the bill. What’s more, I was worried that I’d waste yer talent by showin’ ya how to play my way. Many sleepless nights …”

Master folds his arms across his chest and looks up at the ceiling.

“Should I sharpen yer skills, push ya out of yer comfort zone, or build ya up as much as I could …? I didn’t know how to handle talent like yers. I didn’t have it to begin with, you see,” he said with a dreary voice. “So I went to speak with Mr. Tsukimitsu ‘bout the time you entered the Sub League. It was ‘cause I thought someone with talent like yers could raise ya right.”

“S-So … what happened?”

“He refused.”

“……”

Well, that’s a shock to the system.

“I’m gonna say this here and now: Mr. Tsukimitsu acknowledged yer talent. He didn’t reject ya as an apprentice. He refused because he thought it’d be better for ya to stay as my apprentice. I still remember his words.”

“What did he say …?”

“He came to you with a childhood dream of becoming your apprentice. Please respect that feeling, treasure and nurture it.––– ”

Wham! The shock felt like I got punched in the head and a spreading fire ignited in my chest at the same time.

How an apprentice …… feels. …

“That’s when it hit me. I thought I’d been doin’ all this for my apprentice, but actually I was tryin’ to run away. No, more than that … I was jealous of this kid that had what I didn’t, and I might’ve been tryin’ to put space between us.”

Listening to Master’s words made me think back on what I had done.

Every decision I made was to help Ai. There’s no mistaking how I felt.

But then again, did I ever consider Ai’s feelings?

“Then Mr. Tsukimitsu told me somethin’ else: The Meijin’s apprentice doesn’t necessarily become the next Meijin–––.”

Master looks up into the air as if basking in nostalgia.

“So that’s how it is, I thought to myself. And then faced it head-on …”

There’s more to instructing than just teaching all the ins and outs.

Once you sit in front of the board, you’re on your own.

No matter who your Master is, you fight by yourself. You get stronger by yourself.

In that case, what a Master can do is–––.

“That’s when I gave it my all, and managed to face the Meijin not once, but twice … Never could claim the title though.”

Lead by example. Show the apprentice what it looks like to get stronger.

That might be the most important lesson of all. At the very least, it was for Big Sis and myself.

Seeing Master battle the Meijin.

Seeing Master wearing traditional clothes.

Watching him gallantly walk into the arena. Big Sis and I had no doubt he was the coolest person in the whole world.

Big Sis was so excited that she grabbed my hand and said, “That’ll be us. We’ll wear kimonos, for sure! For sure, for sure!” repeatedly like a broken record. There were nights when she couldn’t sleep and brought magazines and colored pencils over to my futon and the two of us lay sprawled out, drawing pictures of our future selves wearing kimonos. It even showed up in our dreams.

After that, when Big Sis was eleven she wore her first kimono.

And me, I got to wear a kimono when I was sixteen. I got to borrow the very same one of Master’s that I had idolized since that day …

“I tried to run away from my apprentice,” Master whispered as if he were disappointed in himself. “Yer apprentice may have run away from ya, but everything ya did, ya did for her. So, I don’t think ya’ve done anythin’ wrong.”

“Master …”

“You wanted to set up a rival for Ai, yeah? Someone she could get stronger with together. Someone like Ginko was for you.”

“……!”

Heat starts building in the back of my eyes.

I was so happy that Master understood what I was trying to do. And just as happy to learn that he had walked down the same path …… happy that I made the right decision, and also reassured.

“Keika and I’ll take care of Ai for the time bein’. Ya’ve got nothin’ to worry about. So, give it all ya got!”

I take hold of the now lukewarm tea and wet my throat. All to make sure my next words came out loud and clear.

Then, I sit up straight and lower my head.

“… Thank you so much!”

Even so, my words weren’t as loud and clear as I’d hoped.

 STONE DOOR TO HEAVEN

Master’s talk was over, but I still couldn’t figure out what to do about Ai. I’d been pacing at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes when Keika’s voice came down.

She waves me up the stairs, so I head up as quietly as possible.

“We took a bath, and I dried her hair once everything was ready for school tomorrow. I just checked on her and she’s all tucked into her futon. Felt like old times.”

Keika used to do the same kind of thing for Big Sis and me all the time.

…… But damn it—Ai getting to take a bath with Keika …

I’m so jealous …… I got to go in with Keika just once, way back when I was in early elementary school … She was in high school at the time, but her body was well on its way to becoming the picture of divinity it is now … Wait! This isn’t the time to be thinking about that! What the hell am I doing?!

“What’s wrong, Yaichi? You look a bit restless.”

“Huh?! I-I, um … Can’t really say …”

“To Ai?”

No, to you, Keika.

…… But I don’t blame myself. Keika’s skin is still glowing pink from the bath, and the shirt she’s got on is thin enough to catch some glimpses of the holy hills. Whatever soap she used smells absolutely amazing and, though I may be the Ryuo, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a teenager with hormones …

“I turned off the lights, but Ai might still be awake. Would you like to talk?”

“…… No. Now’s not the right time.”

The events of the day are catching up with me, I use the last of my energy to take a seat on the stairs.

Keika sits down behind me and gently strokes my head.

Her warmth, it’s like all the tension and fatigue built up in my muscles is melting away, I can feel it …

Back when I was living here, Keika would sit next to me on the stairs and comfort me just like this when I cried after losing to Big Sis.

I’m a lot bigger now than I was then, so she can’t sit next to me anymore, but this feels just as it did back then.

It’s like, as long as Keika is there to comfort me, I feel like I could recover from anything, no matter how bad it is ……

“… Did Ai say anything?”

“Master is a liar! She’s pretty hung up on that point.”

“I see ……”

“So, you’re taking on a new apprentice?”

“I agreed to take on a new student on the condition that she wouldn’t become my apprentice. She’ll be the chairman’s apprentice, probably. I was hired to get her ready for the Practice League entrance test, nothing more.”

“What’s she like?”

“An elementary school girl, Ai’s age.”

“… It might be a good idea not to mention that to Ginko. Especially since she’s in the middle of title matches ……”

“Oh yeah, how’s that going?”

“I think it just ended.”

“Just ended? Really? Ryou really hung in there.”

Both of us knew who won without saying another word. Big Sis did: no ifs, ands or buts about it.

“Hung in … It might be better to say Ginko didn’t give her a chance to surrender …”

“?”

Keika didn’t say another word but pulled out a smartphone instead. She hands it to me and I look at the screen.

It’s the record for the match. Judging from the first moves–––.

“Ryou used anaguma ……?!”

The words fell from my mouth in surprise.

Anaguma kakoi is a playing style where the player moves their King to the very corner of the board and builds a rock-solid defense around it. Ryou Tsuyomizaka is known for ignoring defense altogether and attacking head on (her nickname is the Aggressive Archangel for a reason). So this is the last strategy I’d expect the Women’s King to use. Actually it’s much more fitting for her friend and rival Yamashiro Ouka—Machi Kugui (aptly nicknamed Machi the Tormentor), who is really good at it.

The two of them go against each other in league matches and quite a bit for practice, so Ryou is always the one trying to break through an anaguma.

Since it’s not impossible for her to use it herself, this was probably Ryou’s ace in the hole that she was keeping warm for a special occasion.

And she pulled it out to use on Big Sis–––however …

“The formation was just fine, but Ginko completely ignored it and instead took all of Miss Tsukiyomizaka’s offensive pieces one by one.”

“Ouch ……”

We call that Burning the Anaguma. She was the one that was tormented.

“That’s one way anaguma users tend to lose, but to have it happen during the title match …… Yeah.”

“All that preparation and pulling out her trump card, but not being allowed to give up when all was lost like that ……”

Reading further and further into the match record, Ryou’s pieces start dropping like flies and Big Sis’s piece stand fills up and starts to overflow. The anaguma defense was left untouched, sad and alone.

Then came the time to surrender.

There’s a comment next to the record that says that once Big Sis took Ryou’s last offensive piece, she said, “My piece stand is full, so I’ll put it on the tatami mat.”

Ryou surrendered as soon as she saw that happen.

Misery. That one word says it all.

Someone uploaded a picture of the scene just after she threw in the towel on the match blog. It showed Ryou sitting next to the board in a full kimono, with her head clutched between her knees. Pure sorrow. Her spirit is broken. Hopefully it doesn’t carry over into the third match …

“But …… this is cruel. Like, inhumanely cruel ……”

“It’s almost like something outside the match got under her skin and she needed to vent. She doesn’t go this far unless something other than Shogi was on her mind. That’s the thing about Ginko: her emotions come out on the board when she plays.”

“Just not on her face, right?”

“Wasn’t she like this when she played against Ai?”

“Oh yeah … She went right for the spirit then too …”

Keika then spoke as if trying to find the right words. “Yaichi … You didn’t do anything to irritate Ginko, did you?”

“Do you think I have a death wish?! Seriously, Big Sis turns into a grumpy bear just coming out of hibernation before matches. I’m too scared to get close.”

“That’s what I thought …”

“And I’m doing what I can to help her out in my own way. I’m staying out of her hair by not contacting her during title matches so she can focus. Even if I do need to say something, I keep it as short as possible, you know? Aren’t I the best little brother apprentice in the world? It wouldn’t hurt you to compliment me more, Keika.”

“Yes, yes, the best, the best.”

“That’s all?!”

Keika tilts her head to the side, mumbling, “Now why doesn’t it cross your mind that that’s when she could use some company?” with a slightly confused look on her face. Why? Because bears coming out of hibernation devour everything in their path, yes? That’s why it’s best to give space, yes? What other option is there?

“If that’s the case, I’ve only got one other idea.”

“And that is?”

“Yaichi, you’ve been secretly seeing Miss Tsukiyomizaka, haven’t you? I wonder if Ginko is having a hard time dealing with that.”

“Secretly ……? All that happened was I talked with her and Machi in the association’s Player’s Room. That’s it.”

“Now I see. Miss Kugui too … That’s why Ginko is twice as angry! Miss Kugui is at the match to provide commentary.”

“???”

Why would Big Sis be angry at Ryou and Machi ……? Could it be because they made her wear that bunny outfit for the Women’s League Fan Club event?!

But, I’m sure she wore her sailor style school uniform on that day. She wore it because it was determined that the fans wanted to see her in the uniform rather than a bunny costume.

These are just some of the things the fans had to say. Got to give the fans what they want, after all!

“Well, all the dots connect if you think about it that way …… but I think that Ginko was sending a message to the two of them by tormenting Miss Tsukiyomizaka as she used Miss Kugui’s favorite strategy right in front of her, saying ‘I’ll teach you what happens when you try to take what’s important to me.’ It does sound like something she’d do …”

What’s important to Big Sis?

Oh, her titles. It’s true that she’ll get a considerable advantage if she plants the seeds of doubt in her challengers’ heads by breaking their spirits. Thoroughly dismantling one opponent will put everyone on notice. That’ll send a message for sure.

“But for this kind of off-the-board tactic to be the only way she can express herself …… That poor girl ……!”

Keika mumbles something strange and wipes the corner of her eye.

“Anyway, Yaichi. Could you stop meeting those two girls behind her back? Ginko will never calm down at this rate.”

“Say what? Why does me talking to Ryou and Machi bother her that much? I don’t get it. We’re basically coworkers, so of course we’ll bump into each other.”

“…… Haaaaaaaa~ ……” Keika lets out a long, extremely deep sigh before poking me in the cheek.

“Try to understand this. Things are going to get really bad if you don’t turn over a new leaf real soon. This whole problem with Ai started because you’re so loose with other girls. To be blunt, your lack of standards brought this on.”

“W-What does that have to do with this–––?”

“Quite …… a …… bit,” she says, twisting her finger deeper into my cheek.

You are the one I love the most, Keika, it’s always been you …… Please! Understand how I feel!!

“Let me put it this way, Yaichi. How would you feel if I went out for tea with a man you didn’t know?”

“I’d punch a few teeth out to start with!”

“That’s what this is about.”

Ah, now I get it.

Even I can understand after having it put that way.

Ai must idolize me like the picture-perfect big brother. Someone like what Keika is to me.

No matter what the truth is, I realize that me simply teaching another girl Shogi behind her back was enough to hurt Ai’s feelings.

Not logically, but how she feels in her heart.

Since it’s not logical, it can’t be understood. Wow, feelings are complicated ……

“It’s just like Shogi.”

“Yep, like Shogi.”

I know it’s a puzzle that can never truly be solved. But, that doesn’t stop me from trying. Feelings and Shogi are a lot alike …… Then again, we compare everything to Shogi. It’s because that’s all we know.

“Hehehe,” Keika gently laughs and places her hands on my shoulders to help her stand.

“You want to spend the night?”

“Nah. I’ll go home.”

I stand up too.

Then, I stop in front of the sliding door to the room where Ai is sleeping.

“Ai.”

I say through the door.

“You might not believe me right now. But …… you’re what’s important to me.”

I put what I was feeling in my heart into words.

There was no answer. Ai might be listening. Then again, she might already be asleep.

But, I put my heart out there.

I left Master’s house believing that somehow she understood.

Make sure you call her today. Not a message over social media or a text to her phone, but an actual phone call! Even if Ginko doesn’t pick up the phone, leave a message. Do not forget, promise?! Promise me?!

Since Keika was so insistent, I take out my phone and start dialing Big Sis’s number once I left the station.

“…… I really don’t think she’ll pick up but, okay.”

The match itself ended a few hours ago, but the competitors have to stay in the arena to interact with fans and talk with reporters, so they’re pretty busy. There’s also an after-party.

“Knowing her when she’s like this, there won’t be a review session but … Oh?!”

Surprisingly, my call went through practically the second I touched the call button.

It’s almost like she already had the phone in her hand. Maybe she was reading something?

“What?”

“Big Sis? I just heard you won the match.”

“So?”

“I, um …… wanted to be the first to say congratulations.”

Keika flat out demanded that I say it like this, so I did.

“……!!”

I heard something like a gulp on the other end. Then–––.

“…… Th …… Thanks ……”

Her response was barely louder than a mouse. Sounds like she’s actually happy.

“Oh, and Big Sis. There’s something I wanted to ask you ……”

While I’ve got her on the phone, I explained that one of the kids I’m teaching played like someone I’ve seen before but I can’t quite place it and ask for her opinion.

“It’s a defensive style, but rather than keeping the King under lock and key, they strike a good balance between a thin defense and a strong attack. Do you know any pros who do that with a Bishop Exchange?”

“Yes.”

“You do?!”

“But I’m not telling.”

“Huh?”

“……Yaichi, you jerk.”

Click. She hung up on me.

Just when I thought she was in a good mood, she gets angry at the drop of a hat. I can’t figure it out.

“… Just like Shogi,” I quietly whisper under my breath, looking up at the sky as I approach my apartment.