Light that Went Unseen

 COMPLETE

Ai didn’t respond to Panther’s taunt when we arrived at New World’s Shogi parlor and she starts lining up her pieces with beautiful snapping sounds. She must’ve been practicing at home after that day because the sound has definitely changed.

But that wasn’t all that changed.

“Just watch.”

Ai whispered to me just before we came inside.

“Because I’m winning today.”

Those words had an odd ring to them.

It wasn’t that she was trying to psych herself up–––more like she had seen the future and knew that she was going to win.

Once the pieces were flipped, Ai was put on the defense. Panther started the mind games with a light verbal jab.

“Ya sure? Ya can have the opening move if ya want?”

“I don’t mind,” said Ai, cool as a cucumber as she switched the chess clock on. “The second move is more convenient for me.”

“?”

Panther donned the look of a cautious carnivore encountering a new animal for the first time, but slowly opened the Bishop’s Path in the end.

Ai responded in kind as Panther advanced the Pawn in front of her Bishop, per usual. Just as I thought, she’s using kakutou fu again. Ai doesn’t look the least bit surprised.

It was Panther’s turn to do that.

Because Ai took Panther’s Bishop with her own on the next move.

“! She initiated a Bishop Exchange …… On defense?!”

That move sent a shockwave through the gallery.

“O-Oi, Sensei?! What’s going on?! Why is everyone up in arms?!”

“…… Your lady just passed on her own turn.”

Akira yanks at my elbow in surprise and I give her a very general explanation. I doubt she’d understand how shocking this is if I went into detail.

Kakutou fu is a well-known ambush strategy. So well known, in fact, there are many counter strategies to deal with it. However, I’ve never seen this one. Thinking about it logically, that move doesn’t give any kind of advantage at all—puts her at a disadvantage actually. That’s what that move does.

Even so, Panther’s face turns paler with every move thereafter.

“Ugh ……?! Why in the heck?! How ……? It ain’t supposed to go like this ……?!”

While Ai made every move with natural precision, Panther began to doubt her own. Even her hand seemed heavy, clumsy.

Unable to figure out what Ai was after, she didn’t know what moves to make.

“There’s no way! That scatterbrained strategy shouldn’t work, not in a million years! B-but somehow …… Somehow I’m losin’?!”

I get why Panther is growling like that. She hasn’t made any mistakes …… Then again, this isn’t that level of a match anymore. It’s not as simple as keeping up the attack.

Ai has created chaos on the board, so much so that her opponent can’t tell the difference between a good move and a bad move.

An unidentified strategy creeps its way across the board.

It’s like–––an imposing darkness.

“…… I’m spent! Ain’t nothing left I can do!” said Panther, throwing in the towel as the rest of the parlor watches in awe.

“Whoa ……!” Voices stir in the crowd. In that moment, the crown of the wild was passed to a new owner.

Panther vigorously scratched at her scalp beneath her full head of permed hair, a sour look on her face as the two started a review session. It goes without saying that they’re talking about the move that Ai passed on.

“And here I thought ya were tryin’ to throw me for a loop …… Girl, ya’re quite the competitor.”

“Maybe I am.”

Ai brushed off Panther’s compliment like it was nothing, but I could tell.

She wasn’t trying to simply shock her opponent.

That was no cheap trick. The Shogi match that took place on that board was much deeper and only part of a much bigger plan. Even if amateurs couldn’t tell, a professional like me definitely could.

“…… She’s ready,” I mumble to myself, knowing that our lessons have come to an end.

She has a potent imagination and the skill to bring it to life on the board. The final piece she was missing, mental strength that comes from playing against other people, has fallen into place. Now that those two are working together, her Shogi is complete. Her talents now cast a massive dark shadow over the board: that’s her Shogi style.

Looking at the completed Ai, I have no doubt.

This girl, just like my apprentice, was blessed by the Shogi gods.

 MASTER AND APPRENTICE CONTRACT

Sensing that time was now, I brought Ai Yashajin to the main office at the Kansai Shogi Association.

“Nervous?”

“Hardly.”

She already has a pretty face, but dressing head to toe in black makes her stand out like a sore thumb at the association. Walking through, I thought I could hear whispers saying, “The Ryuo’s brought another little girl in ……,” and “So it’s true, the guy really has a thing for ……,” but I’m sure it was all in my head.

And Ai isn’t getting attention just because of her looks.

Personally trained by the Ryuo, she’s about to become the Eternal Meijin’s apprentice.

How could anyone like that not be the center of attention? I heard one staff member who was particularly on the ball mutter, “Should I get her autograph now?” That may have been a joke on one hand, but not entirely.

“Now then, Kuzuryu-sensei. Miss Yashajin will participate in the Practice League activities starting today. The supervisor, Kuruno-sensei, has already been informed.”

“Thank you.”

Arrangements for Ai’s entrance test have already been made and it was set up so that she could join the Practice League activities as soon as I gave the green light.

All we have to do is finish the necessary paperwork before the Practice League gets started.

“Just to confirm, Chairman Tsukimitsu will be registered as her Master, correct Ms. Oga?”

“Yes. One has made it so.”

I ask so as to make sure and the chairman’s secretary Sasari Oga answers.

Finally, I turn to the girl about to become his apprentice and ask for the last time.

“You don’t have any complaints about Chairman Tsukimitsu, right? Just as you wanted, he’s in A Class Pro and even holds the title of Eternal Meijin. I don’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.”

“………”

“What’s wrong? I’m not good enough for you, right?”

“……Yes. That’s right.”

She glares up at me and unloads everything at once.

“You’re just a C-2 class player who was lucky enough to claim a title out of sheer luck, whose winning record has dropped below thirty percent, the trash Kuzuryu! How could the likes of you be worthy enough to be my Master?! Don’t ask such obvious questions!! Kuzu!!”

“Y-You don’t pull any punches, do you ……?”

Well, it’s all true so I can’t say anything back.

“That person is fine. A Master is just a name on a piece of paper after all.”

Ai answers, talking as if she outranked me. This brat is a real piece of work, but all talented kids are that way. So, that’s a positive in the Shogi world. Even the people in the room have looks on their faces like “Just what I’d expect from the chairman’s future apprentice.”

Then everything was signed–––Ai Yashajin officially became part of the Tsukimitsu Shogi family tree.

“So, you’re the chairman’s apprentice ……,” said Ms. Oga as she stared down at Ai.

“You can refer to one as Mrs. Tsukimitsu if you wish.”

“Huh? Why?”

Well, she’s on high alert.

“I don’t know about all this chairman and Eternal Meijin and whatnot—but why isn’t he here to greet me in person?”

“Probably because he doesn’t want to run into me. We’ve got a league match coming up.”

No matter how nice and friendly two players are, they do their best to avoid each other before matches.

They stop participating in practice groups until the match is over, keep it to a quick “hello” if they happen to see each other at the association and stay at opposite sides of the room if they’re at the same dinner or party.

That’s what matches are to pro Shogi players.

Relationships, lifestyle, work …… All of them revolve around Shogi. Ms. Oga looks at me and says, “The chairman asked me to deliver a message to you, Ryuo. I thank you for your efforts thus far. However, I plan on playing at full strength during our match so don’t hold this against me.”

“Sounds just like him.”

A diversion …… But not quite. He’s probably trying to prevent me from getting a little too motivated before the match. This will be our first league match. Even my competitive juices are flowing.

“Please deliver my response to the chairman. You did so much for me ever since I started training, so it’s about time I show you my gratitude.”

Yes. For me, this is a gratitude match.

Because I’m playing against someone who very nearly became my Master.

 LITTLE DEVIL ON THE SCENE

Yoshitsune Kuruno 7-dan introduces Ai as the Practice League activities were starting to get underway. She lifts her chin up, looking around the room as if she owned the place as he introduced her.

“She’s a fourth year elementary school student from Kobe. Also, Seiichi Tsukimitsu 9-dan is her Master.

Zing!! A shockwave blasts through the members of the Practice League all sitting side by side.

The very fact that she was the association chairman’s, the Eternal Meijin’s apprentice meant she had that much potential.

The air in here is electric, like when a strong rival first shows up.

Then I spot my apprentice sitting in the very corner of the arena. Seeing her for the first time in a while, and looking happy at that, my eyes hover on her for a moment but–––

“!!”

She spots me, her big eyes opening even wider before, “…… (Humph!)”

She’s still angry ……

An apprentice …… showing her master an angry puffy face. Quite the shock. One hit and my spirit feels like it’s going to snap.

But there, in her hand–––.

“Isn’t, isn’t that …… The fan I gave her ……?”

The one I gave her on her own entrance test day, the one with Courage written on it is tightly clasped in Ai’s tiny hand. It’s like she’s saying she can’t completely sever the bond we have …… My spirit recovers in the blink of an eye, seeing my resolute apprentice warms my heart. She’s–she’s so cute ……!!

What’s the Ryuo doing …… rejoicing over this grade schooler’s slight gesture? I snap at myself, knowing full well how pitiful it is. But I don’t blame myself for worrying about how she feels. What I’d give to be able to open her little heart and read her like a book …… Am I sick?

“Do you …… think Ai’ll forgive me? You think she’ll still call me Master? Or do you think she’s completely done with me? …… Hey, Akira, what do you think? Hey, come on, tell me.”

“Ugh …… T-This is too nerve-racking ……! I-I can’t watch ……!”

Akira came here to act as Ai Yashajin’s legal guardian, but she’s in rough shape. Both hands are clamped over her ears and she’s got her eyes shut tight (no sunglasses of course, we’re inside the association). She reminds me of what Big Sis is like when she rents horror movies and watches them in a dark room, even though she hates being scared. But that’s the only time she looks cute to me. She squeals in fright, grabs hold of my arm, that sort of thing. If only she’d always watch horror movies.

“Speaking of which, looks like Big Sis …… isn’t here today. That’s a relief.”

She showed up at my apprentice’s entrance test as an examiner, but she’s in the middle of the title match right now. She wouldn’t have time to be bothered with someone trying to join Practice League. Talk about luck.

So, I thought this entrance test would go off without a hitch but–––.

The test taker herself destroyed that possibility right off the bat.

“Is this a joke? Why do I have to play against the league doormat?”

The moment that Ai learned that her first opponent during the test would be the Practice League’s lowest ranking member (F2), she immediately voiced her displeasure to the one in charge, Kuruno-sensei.

Of course, this ticked off every other member of the Practice League, turning the atmosphere sour.

Everyone in here plays against each other all the time, meaning everyone’s bonds are tight. Insulting one like she just did is the same as picking a fight with all of them.

“This isn’t worth my time. Could you put me up against a stronger opponent?”

Apparently, Kuruno-sensei got a kick out of Ai’s request and responded with a hint of irony in his voice.

“Well, you seem quite confident.”

“I am. Confident enough to take on a Women’s League player here and now.”

“Well, in that case all you have to do is keep winning. You only need to win thirty-nine times in a row starting now and you can join the Women’s League. Or perhaps you aren’t quite that confident?”

“! …… I see. Fine then.”

“Nh. That’s a good girl. Now, let’s get started.”

That’s Kuruno-sensei for you. As a Ranging Rook player, he can make decisions on the fly, a handy skill when it comes to handling bratty kids. If it were me up there, I’d have gotten into an argument and lost for sure.

A little boy in elementary school was assigned to be Ai’s first opponent. Since he’s F2, I’d say he’s comparable to an amateur 2-dan.

Once the pieces were flipped, it was determined that Ai would go second.

“When you’re ready,” each said.

Once greetings were exchanged, the boy opens the Bishop Path for his first move and Ai follows suit. Next, he advances the Pawn in front of his Rook and the match progresses along the orthodox early game strategy …… Or at least I thought it was.

Because on the fourth move, Ai flicks the Pawn in front of her Bishop forward.

“Kakutou fu on defense ……?!” I whisper without realizing it as I keep a close eye on the match.

By and large, kakutou fu is an offensive strategy. Ai has faced it many times before, whenever Panther was on offense. She must’ve figured out a way to use the kakutou fu strategy while on defense.

“……?”

The little boy playing against her clearly doesn’t know what to think. His eyes keep darting between Ai’s face and the board, the look on his face saying: Did you mean to do that? He kind of looks sorry for her actually.

A nice, honest boy …… But kids like him have a hard time in this competitive world.

Sure enough, he played right into her hands and was forced to surrender in the blink of an eye.

“I …… I lost ……?”

He tilts his head back and forth trying to come to grips with what just happened. I don’t think he knows where things went wrong, pretty sure he’s thinking he made a bad decision once the ambush started but …… It’s not that simple.

“S …… She’s overpowered. Yeesh ……”

Once again, Ai’s talent astounds me.

That wasn’t a simple ambush arrangement.

Not only has Ai acquired an in-depth understanding of the kakutou fu strategy, she realized it could be employed by the defensive player and brought it to life on the board.

If this girl named Ai Yashajin becomes a full-blown professional player …… she may revolutionize early game strategy.

Yes, that match triggered that kind of premonition. Her talent is on a whole other level ……

“Nh. I see, I see. You have an interesting playing style …… Now let’s see how you do in a handicap match.”

With that said, Kuruno-sensei calls on a higher ranking-player–––a member of the Practice League in C2, just one step below the Women’s League: Keika Kiyotaki.

Ai sits down in the lower seat across from Keika. The match conditions were announced as soon as the two of them had all their pieces set up on the board.

“Now then, Keika. Play without a Lance.”

“Yes, sir.”

Keika nods and removes her left Lance, placing it in the piece box.

“Huh?”

Ai watches and says the most unexpected thing I’ve ever heard.

“Shouldn’t I be the one to remove a Lance?”

“!!”

A hair-raising flash of anger passed through Keika’s normally warm and friendly eyes for a second there.

Ai made a preemptive strike in the mental war …… No, not quite. That was just one of the rude comments that she normally says without thinking ……

“Haaa ……”

Keika has played against countless bratty kids during her time in the Practice League, so this kind of taunt doesn’t even faze her. Her mind is like a fortress. Once she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, she nods.

“…… Okay. I’m ready.”

“Ready when you are.”

They exchange words and Keika slowly extends her hand to make the first move. That snap echoes throughout the room. It was a calm, well thought out move.

However, Ai’s even calmer still. Brazenly so.

“Ohh? So that’s how you’re going to play?”

Ai takes a look at Keika’s opening formation and says, “As if she’s the one in C2.”

Keika didn’t react to those words out loud. At the very least, she didn’t let her reaction show. Her eyes are glued to the board.

Keika spends several moves strengthening her formation.

Rather than charging in headlong to meet Ai’s challenge, she deviates only slightly from the standard style for advantaged players in handicap matches to meticulously build up to a certain point. Now that’s cunning.

However, Ai was even more cunning.

“Nooow then ……”

Ai casually moves a piece into position and Keika’s eyes fly open.

“!? ……? W-What is this ……?”

Ai didn’t move to attack her King, instead choosing to move in on the opposite side. Confused, Keika ignored Ai’s offensive and committed more pieces to protect her King but ……

“Ah ……!!”

She couldn’t help but hold her head in her hands when she realized what Ai was really after.

The sequence that Ai put into play is called Massaging.

It involves taking your opponent’s pieces and using them to cut off their attacks.

Rather than pointlessly slam your forces against a wall, the main idea is to whittle down your opponent’s ranks until you gain an advantage. Think of it as massaging your opponent’s formation rather than trying to beat it like a drum. As a bonus, moving your King into their territory for nyugyoku becomes an option once all their offensive pieces are off the board.

“Nhh?!”

Kuruno-sensei’s eyes go wide.

“Extremely clever …… How would an elementary school girl who’s never set foot in the Practice League learn how to play like that ……?”

I took her to the Shogi parlors downtown, hehe☆. I can’t exactly say that though.

Ai controlled the match the rest of the way.

Each of Keika’s few remaining offensive pieces were taken from the board one by one, almost as if her clothes were being ripped off one after another as her formation was thoroughly dismantled. She couldn’t even find a chance to surrender. Just like what happened to Ryou at the hands of Big Sis.

“Ah …… Ugh ……”

Keika then put Ai in check as if it was her dying wish but, “Humph.”

Ai barely used a second of waiting time to take a Pawn from her piece stand and snap it down on the board, finger bending backward, to block the attack.

I knew you were going to do that.

That’s what she wants Keika to think, putting the pieces down like that. Don’t embarrass yourself any more than you already have. Give up.

“Kh ……! I-I lost ……”

Overwhelmed by Ai’s display, Keika lost the will to keep fighting and throws in the towel.

Rather than doing a review session, she says a quick, “Excuse me,” stands up and leaves the room holding a handkerchief over her mouth. Her eyes were red.

She may have been down a lance …… But losing to an elementary school student testing into the Practice League like that puts her in one heck of a bind.

That, and soon she’ll be too old to join the Women’s League. Losing a star like this really hurts ……

“I beat two. Who’s next?” says Ai as if it were nothing.

She doesn’t look tired at all, even after playing two matches. Playing in this kind of atmosphere, there’s no way she isn’t tired, but she’s not letting it show. She’s strong.

“Nh. Well then, for the last match–––.”

Kuruno-sensei looks at all the Practice League members around the room until his gaze stops in front of one young girl.

 FLAWLESS COMPOSURE!

“Yes!”

“Please play a match against Miss Yashajin. Determine the match with the piece flip.”

“…… Yes!”

A piece flip–––in other words, Kuruno-sensei has seen enough to determine that Ai Yashajin’s abilities are on par with my apprentice.

That, and most likely her talent too.

“…… Ai, against the new girl ……?!”

“W-Which one’s better ……?”

The mood in here just flipped like a switch.

Everyone here knows that my apprentice is on a whole other level but also they are fully aware that the new Ai is extremely talented as well.

So, which one is the better player? Everyone wants to see the match so bad that they can’t focus on their own. Everyone’s glancing over at the board between the two Ais, their eyes drawn to it like magnets. The Shogi world is a world of talent and skill. Everything revolves around those who have a lot of both.

There’s a hint of frustration in Kuruno-sensei’s voice as he whispers into my ear.

“…… You always seem to bring in the most interesting kids.”

“No, this one wasn’t me, but the chairman ……”

I start trying to explain the situation, but I don’t want to miss a single move of the match. This conversation can wait.

My apprentice leans forward, focusing all of her body weight onto each piece she puts onto the board while Ai Yashajin boldly puffs out her chest and casually lines up pieces on her side. It’s like their Shogi styles, their very personalities are on display.

“Pardon me.”

The Ai already in the Practice League picks up five Pawns and flips them all at once. Rather than getting a few words in edgewise, the other Ai grabs the water bottle at her side and takes a quick drink.

The pieces land–––three right side up and two upside down. My apprentice is on offense.

“When you’re ready!”

“When you’re ready.”

Ai Hinatsuru practically throws her head down in a bow while Ai Yashajin is showing all the poise of a titleholder rising to a challenge and responds in kind. Then, she quietly turns on the chess clock.

“Suuuu …… Haaaaaa …… Okay!”

My apprentice takes a deep breath and makes the first move–––of course, the 2 Six Pawn in front of the Rook.

In response, Ai Yashajin advances her 3 Four Pawn to open the Bishop’s Path.

She moved that piece like reaching for a piece of bread at breakfast, nothing to it at all.

The moment Ai Hinatsuru saw that, she immediately opens her own Bishop Path.

I’ll beat you at your own game, no matter what formation you choose!

She’s issuing a challenge.

Ai Yashajin’s face didn’t budge as she moved the Pawn in front of her own Rook without using any waiting time, declaring a war of Rooks. My apprentice plays Static Rook, meaning that should go in her favor. Is Yashajin going to attack head on?

As the two combatants try to feel each other out, Mio makes her way over to me and pulls at my sleeve. She must’ve been left out of this round of matches because there’s an uneven number of participants today. Then she asks.

“…… Is that Side Pawn Capture?”

“I don’t think so …… It’s looking like–––.”

I was tripping over my own words when it happened.

Ai Yashajin’s hand flew across the other side of the board.

She grabs Ai Hinatsuru’s Bishop and puts it on her piece stand and snaps down her own Promoted Bishop in its place.

It’s a Bishop Exchange.

But not just that, it’s–––.

“Move-Loss Bishop Exchange?!”

“For real?!!” Mio exclaims in surprise.

The strategy that Ai Yashajin is trying to use is the same one that took down the Panther, one that requires her to pass on one move …… Basically, she’s losing a turn.

This Move-Loss Bishop Exchange is known as a specialist strategy, so it never shows up in a match between amateurs.

Only a handful of pros use it, most notably Kanto’s A Class Unicorn Takanobu Shiraishi 9-dan, but also Chairman Tsukimitsu and Fumiaki Shamori 8-dan in Kansai, and–––.

“As one of the few uses of the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange, what you think of this match? Yaichi Kuzuryu-ryuo?”

“…… It’s too soon to tell.”

Just as Kuruno-sensei said, I’m one of the pros that uses the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange.

Now why is it that so few pros use the strategy?

It’s because using it requires your brain to work in a completely different way compared to other strategies.

“I can’t say yet because there’s a part of the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange strategy that even I don’t completely understand ……”

“Y-You’re the Ryuo, and you don’t know?! In that case, why do you use it?!” Mio askes in surprise.

I carefully choose my words to help her understand that this strategy can’t be understood.

“Do you know which player has the advantage in modern Shogi, offense or defense?”

“The offense, right?”

“Okay then, why do you think they have the advantage?”

“Because they’re on offense?”

“Miss Mizukoshi, that is not an answer.”

“Nmh ……” Mio’s face contorts in thought after Kuruno-sensei’s rebuke.

“Ummm, I think …… Because they have one more move than the player on defense? Is that right?”

““Exactly!””

Kuruno-sensei and I give her full points for that simple answer.

To put it in the most basic terms, they can adjust their formation one more time than their opponent. Anyone could understand that it’d be weird for them not to have an advantage, right?

And it’s true. With the exception of 2008, offensive players have a higher winning percentage than ones on defense in all league matches. Even individual players, excluding a few specialized ones, have a better winning percentage when they make the first move.

The first turn has that much influence on Shogi–––however …

“The Move-Loss Bishop Exchange is a strategy that requires the defensive player, who was already a move behind, to forfeit yet another move. Basically, it means the offensive player is two moves ahead.”

“That’s way far behind!”

“Right. Thinking about it logically, passing on a turn when you’re already one move behind isn’t going to fix anything …… But take a look at that board and tell me what you think.”

I point to where the two Ais are playing.

Ai, playing on defense, has advanced her right Knight and nearly pulled into an evenly balanced formation–––.

“……?!”

The Ai on offense had been playing at a brisk pace, but the hand that was flying across the board is now frozen in place.

“Here. This is the moment that makes Move-Loss Bishop Exchange work ……! Since the formations are even during a normal Bishop Exchange, the common consensus is that the offensive player has the advantage. But a completely different type of Shogi emerges because the defensive player is one move behind!!”

“On defense …… Her Pawn in front of the Rook is one space behind her opponent’s, right?”

“It is. Now if you look at it from the opposite direction, you could say that the defensive player is forcing the offensive player to attack ……!”

Just one move.

A strange moment comes to pass when the offensive player doesn’t have a good move to play, all because the defensive player passed on their turn. There isn’t a good way to attack here.

Since the offensive player doesn’t have a promising move, there should be one for the defensive player.

That’s what the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange strategy all comes down to.

For that reason, it’s possible to say that Move-Loss Bishop Exchange is the pinnacle of Static Rook defensive Shogi.

“Then, once the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange started showing up, people started to understand that there is acceptable loss and unacceptable loss in Shogi. Not limited to terms of game flow, a whole new flat way to look at the game came into existence.”

“Acceptable loss.”

That discovery is the true merit behind the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange.

Discovering this one strategy led to a full-fledged rethinking of how turn loss actually works. They could even be acceptable loss hidden in the old standards. The Shogi world had been stagnant, but people started combing through the classic material for new discoveries all over the place.

Whew, Shogi never gets old, don’t you think?

“…… I still find it amazing that Ai can use the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange …… No amateur should be able to play it, so I doubt she’s had an opponent use it on her ……”

She told me that her father taught her how to play Shogi. That father was the amateur Meijin. It’s pretty safe to assume he had near pro-level skill.

“Then again …… Shogi starts when you have an opponent. With so few people using that strategy and the pros, she couldn’t have gotten experience with it as an amateur …… So where in the world did she pick it up ……?”

There’s still a lot I don’t know about Ai Yashajin’s Shogi history. Sure feels like it.

Speaking of Ai Yashajin, her face hasn’t changed since the match began. Using no waiting time at all, she’s been advancing at a swift pace.

Meanwhile, my apprentice Ai looks like she’s in a serious bind, her face all twisted.

Any Bishop Exchange requires the brain to work in overdrive. Since both players have a Bishop on their piece stand early in the game, they have to keep their formations closely knit together to make sure they don’t give their opponent an opening. These matches typically end up with each player mirroring each other’s moves, leading to the exact same formations on offense and defense.

It’s a nerve-racking battle where both players have a gun loaded with a bullet called Bishop pointed right at each other. All Ai Yashajin has to do is stick to what she knows, it is the early game after all. However, Ai Hinatsuru has to fumble around to find the best move.

That requires a lot of Shogi endurance and waiting time, both of which were starting to take a toll on her.

“Kh …… Haaa …… Haa ……!”

Egg-shaped drops of sweat are rolling down my apprentice’s face. Her breathing is ragged too.

Going against the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange isn’t easy, so the fact that Ai got this far on her own power is astounding.

However, she has a clear disadvantage in this match.

And she’s aware of that. This is the kind of match where you can rely on standard knowledge and what you faced in the past, but she’s losing precious time and endurance right now.

Even so, my apprentice found a promising sequence on her own and followed it without making any critical errors as the match progressed. Talk about brainpower. There’s a point that professional Shogi players in this position spend lots of time to build up to, and this little girl has gotten to that point out of sheer talent.

The two combatants have arrived at–––.

“Double Reclining Silver in a Move-Loss Bishop Exchange …… Heh.”

“Um …… Kujyuru-sensei? If I remember right, this formation, when both players are mirroring each other, I think …… Wasn’t it determined that the offensive player’s victory is assured?”

“That’s with a normal Bishop Exchange. There is no consensus on what happens during a Move-Loss.”

And it might be a bit much to say victory is assured to the offensive player. Advantage would be a better word. Still, it’s a scary situation to be in ……

Ai moves her Rook to the fourth column. She’s applying direct pressure to the enemy King with a Silver, Knight and now her Rook in an obvious power play with some serious muscle.

However–––.

“4 Eight Rook in a Double Reclining Silver situation ……”

“W-What kind of formation is that?!”

“Recent research says that the defender has the advantage.”

“Whaaat?! Like, how?!”

I don’t blame Mio for her outburst.

Offense and defense are mirroring each other. Since the offensive player already has a turn advantage, common sense says that they would have the upper hand. On top of that, the offensive player has the advantage in a normal Bishop Exchange with thoroughly researched standard sequences at their disposal.

But, as pro Shogi players gain experience and study more and more matches, the defender tends to outlast their opponent. This Move-Loss Bishop Exchange strategy is one heck of a mystery.

“That being said, even pros on the defensive in this situation won’t win all that often.”

“Why is that? The defender has the advantage, right?”

“It’s true that they do on paper. But, that’s only if they perfectly defend against their opponent’s attack. There lies the problem. If they make one mistake during the offensive player’s continuous onslaught, they lose right then and there.”

There is a path, a path to the goal called victory.

But that path is a mere strand of rope at the top of a cliff. Losing your balance for a mere instant will send you tumbling into the valley below.

That’s exactly why it’s difficult to pull off in a real match.

That’s also exactly why so few Shogi players use the Move-Loss Bishop exchange. If you’re not confident enough to play the perfect game, it won’t work.

Also–––no human is perfect.

“Here …… Here …… Here …… Here …… Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here––––––.”

Ai Hinatsuru’s whole body starts rocking back and forth ever so slightly.

Pouring every second of waiting time she had left into the turn, she read the board as long as possible. Her incredible talent known as end-game strength has started spreading its wings.

“Here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere–––”

She raises her head as if taking a deep breath and keeps going all the way until her eyes meet the ceiling, still thinking as hard as she could.

Looking away from the board allowed her to focus on the mental one inside her head as she read further and further into the match. She’s got this divine aura about her right now, like a priestess receiving a message directly from heaven. Then–––.

“–––Here!!”

4 Five Pawn!

And the match starts up against that Pawn’s advance.

Of course, Ai Yashajin makes the same move. She’s back on defense. Leaning in over the board, she’s got one hand pressing against one eye while the other eye glares daggers at my apprentice.

“Here we go ……!” whispers Kuruno-sensei and Mio has her eyes glued on the match. This is the point of no return.

As if the long thinking time were the calm before the storm, the two girls’ hands start flying across the board at breakneck speed.

“What’s going on?!”

Ayano, who had finished her own match, peers over Mio’s shoulder to get a better look at this one. Other members of the Practice League and even the Sub League start gathering one after another to see for themselves. Apparently this match is far more engaging than any of their own.

Talent is a bright light.

The brighter it shines, the hotter it burns, the more intense the flames–––the more people get drawn in.

Even if they get burned in the process ……

“Nm!!”

Ai Hinatsuru fires her bullet deep into enemy lines with more vigor than ever before, like gunpowder igniting at her fingertips. A definitive 7 One Bishop!!

“She dropped the Bishop in!”

“Huh?! Why there of all places?!”

Many shocked voices filled the air once they saw Ai’s decision.

Everyone is scrutinizing her move because they know it’s extremely risky to put it there as the offensive player. Not only is its line of fire limited, but that Bishop will almost certainly get taken on the next turn.

It’s just that Ai didn’t have any other options. She’s sacrificing the Bishop so that her Rook can plunge deep into enemy territory, exposing a target to get a better window for an attack. Ai Hinatsuru is absolutely sure she can win the battle once the blades start clashing, so this is just like her. She used up all of her waiting time to plan this out.

However–––.

Ai Yashajin didn’t follow that path. Instead, she makes a move that stuns everyone around them.

“She pulled back her Rook?!”

No one predicted that Ai Yashajin would choose to allow Ai Hinatsuru to promote her Bishop uncontested. It’s like lowering the castle drawbridge as if to say, Come and get me.

She’s fearless.

That’s an astonishing move.

“Nh ……?! I never thought I’d see something a professional wouldn’t think of show up in a match like this ……”

Kuruno-sensei complimented her defensive strategy, not because it was a good move, but more because he recognized that Ai Yashajin is far more courageous than the average elementary schooler.

As for how good that move actually is, I’d have to say–––.

“Whaaaaaat ……? Does, does she think she can hold that off ……?”

“A-A Promoted Bishop is on the board ……”

Just as Ayano said, Ai Hinatsuru managed to promote her Bishop in enemy territory without losing anything. Not only that, she dropped the Silver right next to it, effectively creating an offensive staging area right in the middle of her opponent’s defenses.

Meanwhile, Ai Yashajin–––.

“Humph ……”

Almost laughing through her nose, she casually advances her Gold, reducing her King’s defense.

Come on, hit me with your best shot. Taunting by lowering her guard.

“Wow …… Never, ever have I seen a child able to solely focus on defense to this degree ……”

Even Kuruno-sensei, who has spent years teaching children how to play the game, can’t hide his surprise at Ai Yashajin’s bend-but-don’t-break playing style.

Mio and Ayano have been in shock this whole time.

“Th-this is anyone’s match now, isn’t it?! Who’s going to win?! Have you figured it out?!”

“I have no clue ……”

This was supposed to be a Practice League entrance test, but members of the Practice League can’t understand the match that’s unfolding in front of their eyes. That’s how intricate and complicated this game has been since the start. It’s proof of the talent pouring out of them.

Ai Hinatsuru attacks.

Ai Yashajin defends.

Two polar opposite playing styles clash, unleashing a ferocious tornado across the board.

However–––.

“?! Kh …… Why ……?!”

The pressure gets to Ai Hinatsuru, words falling from her pink lips. She leans over the board, squinting as if she’s lost depth perception.

The enemy King was in her grasp, but now it’s agonizingly just out of reach.

I’d bet anything that she’s never felt this level of impatience before.

Up until now, no matter how far she strayed from the standard during the early game, she could win as soon as the battle started. Her unnaturally fast reading ability allowed her to overwhelm her opponent once the pieces started colliding and she’d win in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, Ai Yashajin wasn’t letting that happen.

The young Yashajin was always able to figure out what my apprentice was trying to do and went in a different direction. The path to victory she saw in that moment disappeared like a mirage the next. All the planning she did became useless, resetting every turn.

Kuruno-sensei lets out a long sigh and says, “Her reading isn’t panning out …… We may have found Miss Hinatsuru’s kryptonite.”

“Yeah. Ai has always played Shogi like a wrestler who throws their opponent out of the ring with sheer arm strength once they get a good grip on them. But that style won’t work on an opponent that won’t let her grab them.”

Ai can read fast and deep. But there’s a weakness to such a direct reading style in that it’s easy for her opponent to see what she’s thinking.

And when that happens, it’s not difficult to break away from that sequence.

Ai Yashajin forms a line around her King and absorbs Ai Hinatsuru’s assault.

That defensive line is a far cry from a strong formation. Extremely well-balanced, but paper-thin at the same time.

The black haired young girl isn’t adorned by thick, heavy armor–––but an elegant, beautifully woven dress.

Ten-i Muhou.

It’s an expression that means flawless composure.

More specifically, it refers to an angel’s celestial robe in that there are no seams. It’s perfect just the way it is.

And just like that expression, there are no seams in that defensive line …… A weakness or a vulnerable point to attack simply don’t exist.

It’s thin …… But unbelievably beautiful with unequaled defensive strength. An angel’s celestial robe that doesn’t belong in this world.

And, the girl wearing that robe–––.

Come and get me.

She reaches out and moves a piece like an invitation.

I’ll dance for you.

Ai Yashajin smiles, flicking her black hair off her forehead at the same time. Like an angel. Like a demon.

My apprentice makes her decision.

“…… Okay!!”

Psyching herself up, Ai Hinatsuru jumps her Knight forward and sacrifices her Promoted Bishop to launch a head-on assault.

The Rook she had waiting in the fourth column makes its long-awaited advance to the enemy lines and promotes. The big guns are out. Should they misfire, they’ll be captured and she’ll lose. This is a make-or-break attack in every sense.

The assault hits home, and Ai Yashajin’s King has finally been exposed.

But she didn’t even blink, moving to attack Ai Hinatsuru’s defensive line, replacing the pieces she lost while protecting her King at the same time. My apprentice took it all in stride, placing a Pawn in front of Ai Yashajin’s King on her next turn.

Even now, the girl in black didn’t break a sweat.

Whoosh …… As if swinging her leg forward, getting ready to dance, Ai Yashajin slides the Gold out from in beside the King to the side.

Enemy forces are right on the King’s doorstep, but she moves the defenses away ……?

“……?! ……?”

Ai Hinatsuru looks down at the board, neck outstretched and a look of bewilderment in her eyes as she blinks over and over, until.

“Yes!!”

She pushes her Pawn directly into the King’s defenses with gusto. What a move! The air in here is on fire! Intense!!

“She’s got a Check Path?!”

“Now …… How’s she gettin’ out of this one?”

A Check Path is exactly that–––a path to checkmate.

If Ai Yashajin doesn’t block it with her next move, this match will end. It’s like Ai Hinatsuru is one space away from bingo.

I can’t say for sure if she’s on a Check Path or not, but I do know one thing: anything can happen.

Its neck and neck …… A real skin-of-your-teeth kind of late game.

I almost forget to breathe as I watch Ai Yashajin manage to fend off the Pawn and move that Gold from earlier up another space and attack my apprentice’s Promoted Rook. Talk about a competitor! That takes serious guts!

“S-She blocked the attack, using that?!”

“Geeze …… Just, wow— ……”

The Practice League members–––Ai included–––are all dumbfounded. No one saw that move coming.

“?! ……?!!”

My apprentice’s eyes go wide, her face mere inches above the board. It couldn’t be! is written all over her face.

Stunned that her prediction was off, her train of thought came to a screeching halt right in the middle of reading the board.

“Nh! She’s ……”

“Yeah.”

Kuruno-sensei and I exchange a few short words.

We’re professionals, unfazed by the unexpected. Both of us knew immediately the effect that move would have.

However, a single good or bad move doesn’t necessarily determine who wins the match. Sometimes it’s a mistake, rather than the best move at the time, that leads to victory.

“…… Here, here, here, here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehere …… Yes!!”

Coming back to herself in the blink of an eye and reading the board until the absolute last moment, Ai Hinatsuru sends her Gold directly into Ai Yashajin’s King.

Check.

My apprentice reads the board in a straight line. Like a beam of light, she finds the fastest, shortest route forward.

On the other hand, Ai Yashajin reads in twists and turns, ducking out of that route.

Picture a massive black hole using its immense gravity to bend light to its will. That’s Ai Yashajin, the girl dressed in black moving her King to narrowly avoid the laser-like attacks bearing down on it every time.

Ai Hinatsuru’s Gold, Silver, Knight, Promoted Knight and Promoted Rook all moved in to attack the enemy King. Heck, it would blow the robe off entirely if there were no seams to tear. A concentrated blast of fire meant to drown out the darkness once and for all!!

“That’s gotta be checkmate? That’s checkmate, right?!”

“No! It’ll come up a hair short ……?”

“Whew …… This is too much ……!!”

Practice League members are up on their knees to get a better view of the battle between the two girls. Kuruno-sensei is usually very strict about that, but he says nothing. The board is a stage. Everyone is mesmerized by their dance and can’t look away.

Bullets falling like rain, Ai Yashajin continues her graceful dance, dodging every volley.

The Knight’s skirt gets torn away, the Silver sleeves are blown off, the Gold hairpin is flung from sight. The pieces descend on her from all directions like a storm of flower petals, dying beautiful deaths on the board one after another.

It’s the most beautiful scene in the world, and only Shogi players can witness it.

Her defensive dress was in shambles, but the King inside, her body didn’t have a scratch on it.

Move eighty-nine. Ai Yashajin’s King didn’t have a single piece left around it.

–––Completely defenseless.

Even so, Ai continued to dance unscathed. That ironclad spirit of hers hasn’t broken. Heck, it hasn’t even shaken.

The naked King continues the elegant waltz.

Boldly.

Flawlessly.

Then–––.

“…… Aahh ……”

For a moment, a look of resignation passes over my apprentice’s face.

Ai Yashajin’s King escapes to the wide open right side of the board like a dancer leaving the stage at the end of a musical number. Ai Hinatsuru has read the board enough to know that victory has slipped through her fingers. That she has lost.

The next twenty or so moves were nothing more than her setting the stage and coming to grips with her fate.

 LIGHT THAT WENT UNSEEN

Placing her hands on the board, my apprentice signaled that she is throwing in the towel.

Buckets of sweat start rolling down Ai Yashajin’s white cheeks as soon as she did, long black hair suddenly plastered to her skin.

Since the winner’s mind has to be going full throttle until the final moment, it’s impossible to relax right away. She may have maintained an elegant air, but Ai Yashajin had just barely come out on top.

On the other hand, Ai Hinatsuru looks more at peace.

Since the loser has time–––time to mentally prepare and accept the loss from the moment their spirit breaks, they seem a lot more collected when the match ends.

It also helps that her opponent used an early game strategy she’d never seen before and perfectly blocked her offensive. Losing this way doesn’t hurt too bad because you have the best excuse, “My opponent was really good.” It’s much, much worse when you let a chance to win slip away and end up losing knowing you could have won. Those matches hurt, so much so I don’t want to talk about it.

My apprentice thinks that she never had a chance.

Then again, Ai Yashajin probably thinks the exact same thing. That she played the perfect game.

“Nh. That was a great match, you two.”

Practice League instructor Kuruno-sensei addresses the two Ais as the girls sat there in silence.

“Miss Yashajin, you showed excellent technique. Miss Hinatsuru, your pursuit was outstanding. Especially towards the endgame. Though, I must say, it’s unlike you to miss a checkmate.”

“Huh?” the girls’ voices echo.

The two girls look up at him in shock. Kuruno-sensei moves the pieces back a few turns and starts to explain.

“This move would have ended the match.”

A simple seven-move checkmate.

Kuruno-sensei had returned the board to the point where Ai Yashajin advanced her Gold.

Not only was it questionable, it was the worst possible move she could make. All Ai Hinatsuru had to do was take it, and checkmate.

“Ah …… Ahhh ……!”

If this had been a Shogi puzzle, I bet Ai would’ve solved it in a second. Now, holding her head in her hands with eyes open wide in disbelief at having such a simple, straightforward Check Path pointed out to her, my apprentice shakes her head no over and over again.

She wipes away tears between sobs, but the dam has already broken.

Tears dripping onto the board, my apprentice keeps lining up the pieces and moving them into checkmate only to reset and do it all over again.

Ai Yashajin didn’t say anything, just watched the pieces move with her head down. There’s anger in her eyes, anger at herself. She didn’t see that Check Path either.

It was a simple one, but neither of them spotted it during the match.

Opponents synchronizing during a match is pretty common. It was Ai Yashajin’s careless oversight that caused Ai Hinatsuru’s mistake. There’s no difference in their skill level at all. Ai Yashajin won the match, but Ai Hinatsuru prevailed in the psychological battle on the board.

However, that’s not much consolation for the loser.

Since there was a chance to win, the my opponent was better than me excuse goes right out the window.

She lost because of her own weakness.

Weak enough to miss a seven-move checkmate.

It’s exactly why she’s sobbing and moaning in pain, that fact was made clear as day. Knowing that she wasn’t good enough to see a seven-move checkmate is what’s triggering these tears.

She wipes them away with the back of one hand, fingernails digging into her knee with the other.

“I hate this ……! This hurts ……!”

There’s a great deal of remorse in her voice.

“I-I …… I thought I couldn’t get there during the match …… Gave up halfway through …… Fell so far behind at the start that at some point I started thinking I can’t win anyway …… Master said she’s better, so there’s no way, that same voice over and over, wearing me down, breaking my spirit before I knew what happened ……”

Plop, plop. Like her tears hitting the board.

Ai squeezes the words out of her throat, her voice getting more distant with each syllable.

“I …… I lost ……!”

But then, each word started coming out rougher than the last.

“If only I’d practiced more …… If only I’d played against stronger opponents more ……! If only I’d done even more Shogi puzzles ……! If only I’d focused on Shogi so much that I didn’t have time to think about anything else ……! If only …… I’d done more …… I could’ve done so much more ……!! I came all the way to Osaka so that I could practice Shogi more too ……!!”

There’s no anger or resentment for an opponent after a loss.

All of it is directed inward, directly at yourself.

All of that anger is at how weak you are.

That’s why my apprentice is yelling from the bottom of her heart like this, slapping her knees like so many before her at this very place.

All of us know that pain.

Every single person that has entered the world of professional Shogi overcomes it on their own. If you can’t bear it, you can’t last in this world.

Simply put, playing professional Shogi means you will continue to lose.

No pro is invincible. All of us are scarred.

All of us will lose, it’s not a matter of if but when. Actually the better the player, the more they’ve lost.

Players good enough to get to the top play more matches, and thus lose more matches. The number in the loss column is a badge of honor.

Even though we all understand this, losing is so painful that it physically hurts.

It doesn’t go away with age or once you make it into the big matches, that makes it worse. Losing makes a grown man want to cry. Nothing is more appealing than running home, bawling at the top of your lungs and jumping headfirst into bed to have a good cry. Some people actually do. The urge to grab a knife and cut off the hand that made such a stupid mistake is very real.

It’s because Shogi is all we know. If Shogi rejects us, there’s nothing left.

“……”

My apprentice is learning what that pain is, what it means for the first time as I silently watch from a distance.

Expressing happiness, sadness or anger while seated in front of the Shogi board, basically letting emotions take over, is considered rude. As Ai’s master, it’s normally my responsibility to take her away from the board and scold her for this.

But right now, I think it’s okay for her to cry.

It’s okay for the pain to seep into her very being. She can cry her heart out, bite the pieces and let those tears of sadness drop onto the board.

People who don’t cry when they lose will never get stronger.

But there’s no way for Big Sis or I to get her to feel something at the very bottom of her soul. The only way to do that is for Ai to meet someone that she absolutely does not want to lose against under any circumstances, and compete against them.

An opponent you don’t want to lose against–––only a rival can fill that role.

“…… Looks like I win,” says Ai Yashajin, her gaze on the board where her own King was in checkmate. “You may have had a chance to win, but you let it slip away. In other words, you weren’t good enough to take it,” says Ai, thrusting the words out there.

Her lips pale, she’s struggling to control her shaky voice.

“You aren’t on my level. None of the Practice League Members in this room are. It doesn’t matter that you got in first, I don’t look up to anyone weaker than myself.”

“…… Humph”

Having seen her talent with their own eyes, no one tries to argue. They’re all still in shock at her overwhelming might.

However, Ai wasn’t done yet.

“But–––I suppose thinking of you as an opponent would be all right.”

Those words were tiny, quiet …… Barely above a whisper. Her pale face had taken on a redder hue than usual.

The response was explosive.

“Ai!”

My apprentice looks up from the board, reaches out with her hand still glistening with tears, and grabs hold of her opponent’s hand and yells, “A review session! Let’s review?! Please?!”

“…… Fine.”

Ai Yashajin knocks Ai Hinatsuru’s hand away before grumpily resituating herself. Their conversation started off on an uncomfortable note, but quickly became an invigorated discussion.

“Where ‘da heck did she learn Move-Loss?!”

“That move really turned out to be the best?! What about movin’ like this?!”

The other Practice League members join in, smiles spreading around the room in no time.

No one’s hesitating to talk to Ai Yashajin anymore, and she looks comfortable responding to them. Shogi has that power. A mysterious power that brings people together.

Relieved, I was about to leave the room when–––.

“Master!!”

My apprentice stops in the middle of her review session to turn and call out to me.

“Umm, ehh …… Uhh ……”

My clumsy apprentice stumbles over words, trying to find the best ones–––but ends up with the most straightforward ones possible.

“Once I come home …… Please, teach me to play Shogi again!!”

Hearing her words from behind my back, I–––.

“…… I’ll be in front of the shops at the usual time.”

I stop walking, but stay facing forward and respond with only my voice …… I can’t let her see tears running down her Master’s face.

“The refrigerator is empty. We’ll stop by the supermarket on the way home.”

“…… Yes!! Master!!”

Shogi is always the best way to make amends.

“Sorry, Akira. They’re really getting into the review session, so it’ll be a while longer.”

“Humph …… I can kill time, no problem. I’ve got this, you see!”

Akira then boldly takes a piece of green paper out of her suit pocket, holding it up between her fingers with a proud smirk on her face.

“?!! T-That’s ……!!”

A Shogi Association Match Card. 13-kyu ……

“Heh heh heh …… I was feeling lightheaded and went downstairs to buy a drink when a young person behind the front counter addressed me. They apparently recognized my hidden talent ……”

That’s pandering to customers, happens all the time.

It’s not every day that women visit the association, so one of the staff members or a part-time Sub League member worked up the courage to say hello.

But Akira doesn’t seem to understand that, trying to sound informed by spouting a Shogi term she doesn’t understand like, “My Static Rook style came alive, a direct approach with koshikae gin.” She just keeps going, and I doubt she knows much at all about the Reclining Silver Strategy.

“Oh yes, that’s right. The strategy my lady just employed …… The Mid-Boss Shop Change, was it?”

“The Move-Loss Bishop Exchange.”

“Yes, that’s what I said!”

Akira sounded more like a girl her age for a moment before forcing herself back into her usual tone.

“That is your specialty, correct? I’ve heard that almost no one else uses it.”

“That’s true.”

“Please consider why my lady employed that strategy against your apprentice, Sensei. Think on it.”

“……The meaning behind, the Move-Loss ……”

That did catch my attention.

And my suspicions were pretty much confirmed during that match.

Move-Loss strategies aren’t something that amateurs can just read about and use in a match. Ai Yashajin’s level is far too high for that.

She plays with the pro’s touch.

No amount of talent would allow her to do that.

Using the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange requires a special feel for the game that can only be refined through practice.

Talent only takes shape with a lot of practice.

It’s almost like she’s studied every match when that strategy was used, playing through the match records over and over until her fingernails cracked, blood tracing the pieces over the board ……

Ai Yashajin had to have endured the same level of training. I can tell. As someone who’s walked down the same path, I see the signs.

What is it …… that Ai wants from Shogi?

As the only one who truly understands her playing style, I’m the only one who can truly answer that question.

That’s what Akira is asking, that much I know. Which is exactly why I answered, “…… Yes. I’m putting a lot of thought into it.”

“Please do.”

Akira nods.

“One more thing. My lady …… has only worn black garments since the day her parents passed.”

“………!”

“However, I would like nothing more than to see my lady adorned in white. While she is the very definition of beauty in black …… I believe that she would be truly stunning in white.”

Her voice sounded almost dreamlike, trying to stifle sadness at the same time.

So, I declare with confidence, “I think so too.”

“Yes!”

She wraps her arm around my shoulders and spoke with glee. She must’ve liked it.

“By the way, Sensei. Are you going home?”

“Oh, I’m not. I need to wait for my apprentice to finish up ……”

“Perfect! To the classroom. I’ll show you how much I’ve improved!”

“Sure, sure.”

She then played against a 12-kyu kindergartner and forfeited because she violated the rules, moving her Silver straight back. She didn’t even hesitate.