Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 12 - Chapter 3.2

  BACK INTO HELL

Scorching, searing heat from head to toe.

“Haaa ………… Haaa ……… Haaa ………… Nghhh!!”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee––––––

The chess clock tracking my remaining time now that I’m in one-minute Shogi counts down the seconds like a heartbeat, as if telling how long I have to live.

“Gasp!!”

Whack!! My fist practically falls onto the chess clock switch, preserving what life I have left.

Beeeeee ……

Beeeeeeeee ……

Beeeeeeeeeeee …………

I keep hitting that switch, pounding it with my fist again and again and again, just like a cardiac massage to keep my heart pumping.

I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, let alone what pieces I’ve moved where.

This is …… which match of the 3-dan division?

Late-game? Of the …… second match? Against who? Am I in position to win? Or am I about to lose?

I don’t know. Thinking about those things only makes my life tick away faster. Just move a piece and hit that switch. Keep the heart beating.

The whole room is swaying from side to side. Both of my fists are pressed against the tatami mat, but I still can’t see straight. Sweltering heat. Throat bone dry. My chest …… my chest hurts ……!

Master’s face. That’s him, peeking out from behind that pillar over there.

Which means …… this is a dream? Then, I don’t have to keep moving, do I? My hands are swollen, joints aching. Lungs filled with pins and needles. Whole body burning up.

My heart …………… could stop at any second.

“Agggghhhhhhhhh!!!!”

Wham!!! Even so, I hit that switch. My instincts are telling me to keep hitting it. That I should never stop.

The dream that feels like it could last an eternity ends abruptly.

“I lose.”

Ah ……

I collapse in front of the board, as if that voice were scissors that severed a puppet’s strings. My opponent has surrendered. Oh, so this wasn’t a dream. I’m so glad I kept moving pieces. I’m so glad I kept hitting that switch.

Glad ………… that my heart didn’t stop.

“M-Miss Sora? Are you feeling okay?”

A worried voice. Garnering concern from a defeated opponent, failure as a Shogi player …… Master will be angry with me …… 

“…………… Just ………… fine …………”

“If you’re sure …… Good luck on the final day. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“…………”

Lowering my head takes every ounce of strength I have. Pathetic, so much so that my chest hurts even worse.

–––Two victories ……… Two victories again today ………… Still ……… only three …… losses ……

A mixture of happiness and relief flood through my veins.

But just for a mere moment as I feel the tug of the rope around my neck… I’m standing on my tiptoes, not home free.

Far from it …… The rope could get tighter depending on how the other matches today played out ……

“………… Still ………… three losses ………… Consecutive wins ………… Two in a row …………”

“Sora.”

Somebody’s hand is on my shoulder.

The one saying my name with concern is a professional player, a Sub League director.

“Ah …………… I-I apologize. I’ll go to the meeting–––.”

“Everyone’s gone home. The 3-dans were the only ones playing today, so we decided not to hold a post-match meeting. I made the announcement this morning, remember?”

Looking up, I find that I’m the only one still left sitting on the floor of this large arena.

How long have I been here? I honestly have no idea.

Crouching down to my level, the director looks into my eyes and says with concern, “Are you alright, Sora?”

“Chu- ………… Nanzeki-sensei ……”

“Chuni is fine. No one else is here, see?”

Kansai Sub League Director Nanzeki 5-dan and I met seven years ago today when I took the Sub League Entrance Exam.

Even now, I clearly remember everything. It was an extremely hot afternoon in the middle of the Obon summer holiday.

He was in his second year in junior high, chu-ni or eighth grade, while I was a second-grade student in elementary school. I fell victim to the Sub League’s signature late-game tenacity and lost a match that I was on the verge of winning. I never surrendered, but I ran out of time.

I had a heart attack that day, one single move away from victory.

Of course, my Entrance Exam ended in failure.

I took it again the next year and passed, but …… After that day, I started targeting Mr. Nanzeki and calling him Chuni. I always volunteered to play against him when he was about to promote so that I could be the one to stop him. Looking back, I’m ashamed of myself.

I mean, it’s most likely my fault that he decided to become a director at such a young age ……

“Chuni ………… What were today’s results ……?”

“Kunugi and Mr. Karako each took their third loss. You and Mr. Kagamizu won both matches.”

“Sota and Mr. Karako, both ……?! ………… Wait. Does that mean, I …… I–––.”

Ba-thump! Ba-thump! My heart starts hammering away in my chest yet again.

No good ………… My brain won’t work ……

“Kagamizu has two losses. Karako, Sora and Kunugi have three. In other words, you have officially moved into third place. Even better, you play against the top two on the final day. Isn’t that great?”

The hand on my shoulder tightens as Chuni smiles.

…… Great? What’s great? I won’t understand unless you spell it out for me.

“You are in control, Sora.”

“……!!”

I have a hold on his arm the next thing I know. My grip is strong enough to sink my fingernails into his skin. The fog that clouded my vision lifts in the blink of an eye.

I control my own destiny.

I won’t have to wait to find out if I promote based on the other match results. I win, and I advance.

Win …… and I will become a professional!!

“I’m impressed you won in the shape you’re in. It’s true that neither of your opponents were facing demotion, win or lose, but both were among the best in Kanto’s Sub League. Seriously, you’ve gotten very strong. What secret magic did you use?”

“I’m not strong …… Nearly lost …………… I even thought I saw Master in the middle of the match ……”

“Kiyotaki-sensei is downstairs if you’d like to see him.”

“Huh?”

“The first day of the Sub League Entrance Exam was held today and he served as a judge. You didn’t know?”

“………… Master …… was ……………?” 

Now that I think back on it, wasn’t Master the first one who rushed to my side when I collapsed even though he didn’t have a reason to be at the association that day?

Master standing over me, thick eyebrows high on his forehead, eyes trembling with worry. He looked so concerned at the time, but he avoided the subject altogether once I was home. He’s even been avoiding me recently, never home when I come to visit. Cowardly and also benevolent …… My master in a nutshell.

–––He was watching over me but never said a word …… And after how hard I had to fight to convince him to let me take the exam in the first place ……

That’s exactly like him. A single tear rolls down my cheek and hits the tatami mat.

“Are you in pain? I can call Kiyotaki-sensei for you.”

“No.”

Releasing my grip on Nanzeki-sensei’s arm, I will my leg muscles back to life and get to my feet.

“I’m just fine. I can walk on my own.”

I want to prove that I’m not the weak girl I used to be.

To show my concerned Master that I’m fine …… and make it so everyone can stop worrying about me.

Someone is waiting for me in the first-floor lobby when I step out of the elevator.

“Hey there! Congrats on your wins!”

My next opponent …… and the person one place above me in the standings who carries the same three losses I do.

“Looks like neither of us can afford to let the first match on the final day slip away. I’m not sure if I wanted to declare war or to wish us both the best of luck, but still I wanted to say something and here I am.”

Shoji Karako 3-dan doesn’t let me get a word in edgewise and keeps on talking.

My adrenaline still hasn’t subsided, I’m thoroughly exhausted, and my voice is ragged …… But I won’t run away. I can’t let him see my weakness.

“I’ve got to tell you, Miss Sora, you’ve gotten pretty tough! I remember thinking you were a pretty strong girl when we played during my Admission Exam, but never in a million years did I think you could take that child prodigy! I was playing in Kanto that day, so I don’t know exactly how the match played out, but I hear it was really impressive. Scaaary.”

“…… I hear you beat Sota as well.”

“You’re the one who knocked him off his high horse, so beating him was a cinch. The boy lost again today, yeah? You passed by him because of the rankings, so his chances of promoting are pretty much gone.”

“I also heard that you lost.”

“Yep, to the top, Mr. Kagamizu.”

The acceptance in his eyes, it’s almost like he knew he would lose before the match even began. He even starts complimenting Mr. Kagamizu’s skills.

“Whew, he’s strong. His aura, too! I’m older, but there’s no way I could take the veteran seat from him! Well, I’ve got two years to work with while this season is his last chance, so I suppose that would make all the difference.”

“……”

–––He’s trying to get insurance right now.

Mr. Karako wants to make sure he can promote from second place. Defeating me directly would be the fastest way, but he needs me to lose my second match for any hope if I beat him.

My second opponent–––his promotion would hinge on my losing to Hiuma Kagamizu 3-dan.

–––How unfortunate for you, old man. No damage.

I know Mr. Kagamizu’s strength without being told because I’ve seen it with my own eyes more than anyone. The first 3-dan I met eleven years ago …… It was Mr. Kagamizu who proved to me exactly how amazing Sub League members are.

But the pitiful clown has no idea and keeps running his mouth.

“How old are you now, Ginko? Fifteen? That’s eleven years before the age limit kicks in, so you’ve got plenty of time …… Oh, almost forgot. You don’t know how much time you have, do you?”

After calling me by my first name like we’ve known each other for years–––he says something unbelievable.

“There’s no telling when your heart might give out.”

“?!”

Those words seize hold of me like an eagle snatching a fish out of water. I can’t breathe… at all.

How?

How ………… does he know …………?

“Are you sure you’ve recovered? Kiyoshi is a bit too much of an optimist, if you ask me. I saw you clutching your chest during your match today, you poor girl. How about going to the doctor? Oh, wait, they might force you to rest, which means you’d have to forfeit. Not that I would complain!”

“………… Did Dr. Akashi tell you about me?”

“Oh, no, no! He’s an upstanding doctor! Kiyoshi would never breach doctor-patient confidentiality. Haven’t seen him in over ten years, by the way.”

His words are so full of lies I can’t tell what’s true.

It’s not just his words, either.

That clownish smile of his must be fake as well.

–––This person …… Just who is he?

Part of me wants to know the real face beneath the clown makeup.

Getting distracted by something so trivial in the middle of a match would be horrible. But ……

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is an off-the-board ploy designed to pressure me into igniting a bomb inside my rib cage. One that could go off on the final day.

“Oh! That’s right.”

As if setting up for the final blow, Mr. Karako prods at the dormant explosive in my chest.

“Do you know what happened to all the children you played Shogi with in your ward, Miss Sora?”

They were discharged, released from the hospital. That’s what I was told.

Just like me, they should be fully recovered and living full lives by now–––.

“They died. Every single one of them.”

With that, the clown passes by me and goes out the association’s front door.

After all the searing heat that pulsed through my body not so long ago, it’s now frigidly cold.

The air conditioning is probably turned up too high. That’s strange. The association never turns on the AC in the lobby. But this arctic chill has to be coming from the AC.

Because …… I’m shivering too hard to stand.