Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 11 - Chapter 3.5

  OBON

After starting second grade, I won the Elementary Meijin Tournament. It was easy.

“See, I won. Now can I?”

“Mngh ………… Mnggghhh ……”

Master had his head in his hands the whole way home as we rode the bullet train back to Osaka. His apprentices had won that tournament two years running, but he didn’t look the least bit happy about it.

A headline that read A Second Grade Elementary Student Has Become the Youngest Person to Hold the Title of Elementary Meijin: Osaka’s Ginko Sora, the Second Female Champion in History scrolled across the news ticker at the front of our train car.

Master watched those red dots spelling out the news and sighed. I told him one more time, “I won the tournament.”

“Haaaaaa ………… Why’d ya have to win? I felt safe knowin’ ’at wouldn’t happen, but ya went an’ ……”

He was serious. What was that bearded fossil’s problem?

Master’s response was instantaneous when I said I wanted to join the Sub League.

“No! I ain’t gonna allow it!!”

Not only was I not expecting that answer, but his strong tone caught me by surprise. I thought he’d be happy for me ……

Angry, I got in Master’s face.

“Why? Why is it okay for Yaichi, but not for me?”

“Yar still in the second grade, ain’t ya? Far too early.”

“But you just told Keika that even a year earlier is better.”

“Y-Yeah, I did, but ’at was ……”

I cornered him and kept ramping up the pressure. The truth was on my side, so I was in a position to win right off the bat. Just accept it, bearded fossil. But the fossil wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even give a clear reason.

That was when Master laid out conditions.

“…… All right, fine. I’ll let ya take the exam so long as ya win the Elementary Meijin Tournament just like Yaichi did.”

“Really? Yay!”

“And one more thing!” An unusually stern expression dawned as Master added, “A green light from Dr. Akashi is an absolute must. If he says stop, ya stop. Is that clear?”

“Okay.”

I agreed. Dr. Akashi would never get in my way.

“The Elementary Meijin Tournament? Sounds great! Go for it,” said Dr. Akashi at the hospital after I underwent a series of thorough tests. I knew he would take my side.

“M-Mr. Akashi …… Are ya sure? Really sure?”

“I don’t see why not. I couldn’t find any problems that would keep her back. Actually, the stress of staying inside could be what’s getting to her. That could turn into a real problem.”

“But ……”

“For now, she’ll need to stop if her pulse goes over 170. Though she’s gotten so good at Shogi I doubt that’ll happen.”

And so, my shackles came off.

The Osaka qualifier was a piece of cake.

Then, rather than give away my invitation to the next round like always, I advanced to the Western Japan stage of the tournament. Commotion swept through the crowd every time I won.

“That silver-haired girl, she’s too strong!”

“Ginko Sora? Never heard of her ……”

“A second grader this good? That’s a monster if I’ve ever seen one ……”

“Hey, um …… why is Kiyotaki 9-dan following her everywhere?”

I was this tiny girl making her first appearance in the tournament. The darkest of dark horses, I tore my way through the Western Japan stage like a hot knife through butter all the way to the championship.

Of course, I was beyond tired by the time I got to the finals and could hardly think straight, so I played the match on autopilot, but …… Thanks to all my practice playing 10-second Shogi with Sub League members in the Player’s Room, my fingers knew what to do. My opponent surrendered before I knew it.

The semifinal and final rounds of the Elementary Meijin Tournament that took place in Shibuya were far easier.

I only had to play two matches. Plus, Ayumu Kannabe was already in the Sub League and Ryou Tsukiyomizaka had joined the Women’s League, so they were barred from entry. Machi Kugui had been eliminated back in the Western Japan stage.

The semifinals and finals were recorded in a TV studio.

A Sub League member does the match recording while a professional player does commentary and a Women’s League player provides analysis.

That year’s match recorder was Taishi Shinokubo Sub League 2-dan, Jin Natagiri 7-dan did the commentary and the analyst was the Thorn Princess and first Queen: Azami Hanadachi.

Ms. Hanadachi pointed a microphone at me and asked: “I know you haven’t joined the Practice League yet, Miss Sora, but are you looking to join the Women’s League when you get older?”

“The Sub League. Then, I want to be a professional.”

“Wow! Best of luck to you.”

The Thorn Princess encouraged me with a smile.

However, her eyes were saying something else entirely: Don’t think it will be that easy!

Summer arrived in no time after that.

The Sub League entrance examinations take place around the obon holiday in early August every year. That year was no exception.

“Ginko, here’s your lunch! Don’t forget to put sunscreen on. I know it’s not far, but use your parasol when you’re outside, okay?”

Keika woke up early to make a lunch for me that was stuffed full of food covered in my favorite sauce, but I didn’t have an appetite.

It wasn’t nerves … it was the heat.

That year was much hotter than normal, and that heat was sapping my endurance more than the exam itself.

“It’s a good thing you got to skip the first round because you’re the Elementary Meijin …… I don’t think your body could have held out for the full three days,” Keika remarked.

“What’s worse, the arena’s air conditioner’s broken! It’s an oven in there!” Yaichi chimed in.

“It is? When is it going to be fixed? Have you heard anything, Yaichi?”

“Mr. Mine said the air conditioning company is swamped because of how hot it is right now and the earliest they can get around to fixing it would be in September.”

Talking required energy, so I just listened to them and didn’t say a word.

The first round of the exam takes place between the examinees. Four wins and they’re through to the next round. On the other hand, three losses and they fail on the spot. Those matches take place over two days.

Then, the second round–––.

“You play with up to three real Sub League members. They should be between 4-kyu and 6-kyu,” said Yaichi like a know-it-all.

“You’ll get in as long as you beat one of them. You won’t have to play the rest. I lost my first two, so I was getting worried, but I found a way to win my third one. Talk about a relief.”

“…… I’ll just win the first one. That’s easy.”

“You shouldn’t take them so lightly, Ginko.”

“What about it?”

“The second round of the Entrance Exam is treated like a regular match for Sub League members. Those wins and losses can get the Sub League members promoted or demoted …… And they get made fun of for losing to amateurs, so they fight like their lives depend on it. It’s a life or death match in the Sub League, so everyone’s out to kill their opponent.”

“What? Shogi: life or death? You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not! I heard about this one member from a long time ago who’d hold out for a long, long time! For real, he’d play Golds and Silvers around his King immediately after taking them, never attacking at all.”

“Huuuh? I don’t get why.”

“Me, too. But, you know? There’s an even crazier legend about the guy–––.”

“?”

“This guy, he held out for hours, but wound up in a situation where he’d lose if the other guy just put a Gold in front of his King, but he suddenly froze in place. He just stared at the board until his time ran out …… and ended up losing that way.”

“Knowing he was going to lose hurt so much he couldn’t say it.”

“You’d think so, right? But, that wasn’t it!”

“……”

He was annoying me to the point that I wanted to kick him, but I held back the urge because I wanted to know the answer.

“During the review session, everyone asked him: You’d already lost, so why did you let time run out? Did throwing in the towel hurt that much? …… You know what he said?”

“No. What did he say?”

“That his opponent might die from a heart attack.”

“…………”

“According to that guy, having six of the Golds and Silvers is an advantage, but having seven puts you in position to win. Kansai Sub League members call it mustard theory. Everyone in the Sub League knows that!”

“Mustard? Why do they call it mustard?”

“Beats me. Maybe just that nothing comes easy?”

After giving Yaichi a swift kick in the shin for pulling that answer out of thin air, we held hands like we always did and set out for the Kansai Shogi Association.

On the way there, Yaichi wrinkled his nose.

“Ginko. It smells like someone’s burning off their field.”

“Burning off?”

“People burn the leaves and leftover stalks after harvest time. But the whole city smells like that right now ……”

“That’s because it’s Obon, remember? Everyone’s lighting fires to welcome the spirits of the dead.”

Once we arrived at the association, I ran into the last person I expected to see.

“Dr. Akashi?”

“Hi. I heard you were going to take the Sub League Entrance Exam, so I came to cheer you on.”

Yaichi and I were surprised to see him, but …… the adults around us were downright shocked.

The lady at the gift shop, the security guard, Twelve’s owner. They all looked like they were seeing a ghost.

“What?! Is that you, Mr. Akashi?!”

“Akashi …… as in that Akashi?! The one who quit the Sub League?!”

“Is it true you’re a doctor now?!”

Word that Dr. Akashi was here reached the upper floors and soon he was surrounded by association staff and professional players. Older veterans who aren’t normally there came on that day because their apprentices were taking the Sub League Entrance Exam.

“Dr. Akashi …… You were a Sub League member?”

“Actually, I was, Ginko. And for a moment I was 3-dan.”

“A moment?”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

“Ginko.”

“Yes, doctor?”

“A little advice from someone who’s walked this path before you. Beware of the Lance handicap.”

I went off to the arena without any idea what his mysterious advice truly meant because the exam was about to start.

“Hm. Good morning to all the examinees.”

Director Yoshitsune Kuruno 4-dan greeted all of us and explained how the second round of the exam would take place.

I had met him plenty of times in the Player’s Room and also played against him. He’s a nice man. He’d be an even better man if he didn’t play Ranging Rook.

“You will have 60 minutes of waiting time. Once that time is up, you must play each move in less than a minute thereafter. Amateur tournaments have far less waiting time, so this format will be new to you. Best of luck to you all.”

Then the matchups were announced.

My first opponent was a second-year junior high school student, 4-kyu. A boy, of course. He had fire in his eyes.

“I’m ready when you are!”

“…… Ready.”

I was seven. My opponent was 14. But losing never crossed my mind.

I was sure I would have no trouble defeating a 4-kyu in an even match, so I had no intention of exploiting the unfair advantage given to me by the Lance handicap.

–––I’ll crush him head on, fair and square!!

I doubt he thought a seven-year-old girl would fight that way.

Which meant my attack had him against the ropes.

“I’ve won.”

Those words came out of my mouth when, after only a few turns, I could see victory.

Normally, I’d never say such a thing. But I wasn’t feeling well that day and I wanted to win and go home as quickly as possible.

Though I had no idea those few words would be a fatal mistake.

“…… I’ll let you in on somethin’, examinee.”

“?”

“There are two late-games in the Sub League,” said the junior high second year as he started filling his territory with Golds and Silvers.

The victory that was right in front of me …… started drifting further and further away.

“Ngh ……!”

The harder I pressed my attacks, the further away his King went.

Beware of the Lance handicap.

Those words were making more and more sense by the second.

Without the Lance, the upper player will slide their Rook to the left side of the board to compensate for the missing piece. It’s so common that even Static Rook players will resort to Ranging Rook when playing with a Lance handicap.

Static Rook is a vertical, head-on style that uses Pawns to lead the charge across the board. Exchanging Pawns is the opening bell to start the fight. That’s why Static Rook players can use Pawns to support their attacks in the late game.

However, Ranging Rook attacks from the side, so it’s common for Pawns to remain in home territory. That’s why Double Pawn violations happen, and Pawns can’t be used for late-game attacks. Go with Golds and Silvers to attack instead, and they’ll get taken, then redeployed on defense by your opponent. That’s what happened to me.

Once again, I thought from the bottom of my heart: ………… All Ranging Rook players should just disappear!!

Taking it another step further, it should’ve been obvious that playing a 4-kyu with a Lance handicap would be harder than playing a 6-kyu in an even match. In fact, some professionals say that the upper player has the advantage in that situation because the handicap gives them the first move automatically. Except I didn’t know that back then.

Becoming strong by playing only even matches as I did, I severely lacked experience in handicapped matches.

Simply put …… I underestimated the Sub League.

“Aarggghhhh!!”

The second year held out … stubbornly.

It almost looked like he was tilling his territory, planting seeds on the board, deploying piece after piece from the stand.

Even if his chances looked hopeless, he refused to lose and pressed on. Like a zombie.

–––This Shogi …… it’s not in any book anywhere!

It was different from any professional’s style, and of course not like the way any amateur played. 

The worst game ever continued on and on as I had to destroy his options one by one.

–––This isn’t Shogi at all!

This was just some ugly fistfight. For the first time in my life, I hated the Shogi in front of me.

Just as I was trying to corner his King once and for all, the worst possible thing happened.

“Kuruno-sensei! The air conditioner ……”

“Hm …… Stopped again, has it? Let’s open the windows for the next matches.”

Everyone was in the late-game, using vital seconds to read as far ahead as they could. The heat emanating from them made the arena stifling.

“Haaa …… Haaa …… Haaa ……………… Too hot ……”

Sweat was pouring out of me as I gasped for breath.

––– Lungs hurt ………… Eyes fogging up ……

Even so, this match was all that mattered.

Win, and I’m in the Sub League. I could fight in the same place as Ayumu and Yaichi.

“Then I …… Then I …!”

My physical endurance had given out long ago, but I still pushed myself to read the board as hard as I could.

Hot.

It felt like my body was burning up. My heart was beating fast enough to burst open. Even so, I desperately searched for that one perfect move–––.

“There … it … isssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!”

I sacrificed a major piece to close the distance. He pressed on, hoping that I would make a mistake, but my attack tore through his defenses like tissue paper. I won … this time for sure!

I picked up a Gold from my piece stand, the one that would end the match. All I had to do was snap it down in front of his King. The second year was staring into his lap as if he’d accepted his fate …… But he was biting his lip as if saying I surrender was the last thing he would ever do.

–––Checkmate him and he won’t have any choice.

Getting up to my knees, I reach across the board.

Then–––.

“……?!”

Something strange happened inside my body in that instant.

Searing pain the likes of which I’d never felt before seared through my chest. The kind of pain that can’t be endured had me frozen to the spot.

His opponent might die from a heart attack.

I heard those words in the back of my mind.

Fear gripped me from head to toe. I was terrified. The piece I held in my hand fell to the board as I clutched my ribs. So much pain. Too painful to say anything at all.

“…………… Yai … chi ……………… My chest …………”

I used what little breath I had to call out to my younger brother apprentice who should be somewhere in the same arena playing his own match.

“My chest hurts ……”

I only remember fragmented bits and pieces of what happened next.

Me collapsing onto the Shogi board. The pieces getting all messed up. Yaichi abandoning his own match to rush to my side. Master Kiyotaki, who I hadn’t seen all morning, suddenly bursting into the arena and shouting my name. Dr. Akashi leaning over me, saying something I couldn’t hear. The pain. An ambulance siren. “Her pulse is at 200.” My crying parents. An oxygen mask. Hospital colors. So much pain. Adults dressed in white lab coats peering down at me.

And then …… Lots of familiar faces.

They were the children who played Shogi with me and Dr. Akashi back during my time at the hospital.

–––What you are doing here?

I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Each second was more confusing than the last.

Weird.

It’s too weird to be real.

I mean …… Years had passed since I’d seen them, but not a single one had aged a day.

–––Oh. Obon is today.

That’s when it finally hit me.

The poor kids who were always with me in the hospital, the ones who were better at Shogi than I was, the children who were just gone one day.

I had always thought they were released from the hospital.

That, like me, they weren’t poor kids anymore.

But I was wrong.

Those children ……… They’re … probably ………………