NANIWA’S SNOW WHITE’S SOCIAL MEDIA DEBUT
“Limit …… press interaction?” echoes Sasari Oga Women’s 1-dan after laying out my grueling schedule, which seems to be built to defend against Bishop Exchange, as there isn’t a single opening anywhere.
Mr. Mine went back to Osaka right after serving as MC for the press conference, and the chairman, along with his secretary Ms. Oga, came up to my hospital room from Kobe to take his place. They are the ones in charge of my schedule, and it’s making me just as anxious as a rookie employee being put in charge of a vital project.
I made a simple request to keep the media at a distance, but Ms. Oga shoots it down under no uncertain terms.
“That would be impossible, Sora 4-dan.”
“Why? It’s not like I’m refusing to go to Shogi events or speak with our sponsors. A few less press conferences here and there shouldn’t be that big of a–––.”
“We already are, Sora 4-dan. Ninety-nine out of every hundred requests from the press are being rejected at this time.”
“One-hundredth ……? All of that was just one-hundredth?!”
“Indeed. In one’s opinion, any further reduction would be asking for trouble.”
“You mean like paparazzi and stalkers?”
“That, and guesswork that leads to false reporting. For instance, should the press become aware that you have been residing in this hospital for an extended amount of time, what’s to stop them from assuming that you are dealing with a serious illness?”
“What a pain!”
My heart may have recovered, but it’s true that my body has been particularly frail since I was born. That kind of information reaching my opponents would put me at a disadvantage during my matches.
“Then there is the topic of your romantic life. Debate whether Naniwa’s Snow White is romantically involved with anyone or not is currently taking place among the masses.”
“How stupid …… Who I date has nothing to do with my Shogi.”
“The masses are not interested in your Shogi. It is the girl named Ginko Sora who has triggered the explosion in the popularity of Shogi, according to one’s analysis.”
“Seriously, what a pain! I can’t even date who I want.”
“What’s this? Do you have someone in mind as a romantic partner, Sora 4-dan?”
“No. How could anyone think so?”
“It’s quite possible. Should an article detailing your lovers getaway in the middle of the ever-sacred 3-dan division season see the light of day, that is.”
“……………”
I ran away from Osaka after I lost three straight matches in the 3-dan division. Yaichi came with me on that trip, but it was apparently Chairman Tsukimitsu who arranged for our hotel room.
Which means, the one who made the actual booking was ……
“There is an option.” Ms. Oga closes my pitch-black schedule and suggests, “Why not start your own social media account?”
“Social media ……? Are you telling me to put things about myself out there on the Internet?!”
“The masses have an easier time accepting firsthand information as the truth. What’s more, it removes the guesswork from the writing process for journalists. It is far easier to write articles with genuine quotes than with information purchased from the paparazzi.”
“So, I would be controlling the information about me? Interesting ……”
Going on the offensive rather than defending.
That would make it easier to control the formations …… A fitting strategy for a Shogi player.
“Do you have experience with social media, Sora 4-dan?”
“None at all.”
“No second accounts under false names?”
“Second accounts? What are you talking about?”
“Then how do you explain thread titles like Lolicon Ryuo living with grade schooler should be arrested at once appearing on message boards and Shogi discussion sites?”
“…… No comment.”
What? All I did was spread the truth. It’s more dangerous for the kids if the perpetrator never gets left to their own devices, right?
“Then, allow me to explain in simple terms. Currently the most popular social media platform among young women by a wide margin is Instagram, on which they upload photos and videos of their own design. Therefore, one cannot recommend it because of the extra strain it would place upon you.”
“What you mean by that?”
“The online community is known for picking up on the slightest details, you see. It is possible to determine the exact address where a photograph was taken by analyzing the reflections in a person’s eyes, for example.”
“Y-You can do that?!”
“Because we are in the age of GPS’s that can also analyze the intricacies of Go and Shogi. For instance, if all the images containing Kuzuryu-Ryuo online were analyzed, it is possible to determine where he went and with whom. Should you wish, Sora 4-dan, you–––.”
“No! I’m not a stalker!”
Nor am I that jealous pipsqueak. There’s no way I’m going to subject myself to something so dull as going through every picture of Yaichi online.
I prefer a faster, more direct approach. A few good punches will make him talk.
“But …… starting a social media account out of the blue is risky, isn’t it ……?”
“You may practice using one of the accounts under one’s management. Experience is the best teacher.”
“The association’s official account?”
“No. One’s account under an assumed name.”
Ms. Oga takes my phone, downloads the application, and logs into that account.
Hurrah! Seiichi Tsukimitsu 9-dan Fan Club (Official)
The icon is a photo of the chairman smiling. Not only does it have information about all his matches, but a lot of extremely detailed side notes are on here as well. Also, there’s someone else in every single picture of the chairman …… Actually, now that I take a closer look, they were all taken by the same woman. Ms. Oga’s shadow or her reflection shows up in one way or another in each picture without fail ……
It’s like she’s digitally marking her territory by making her connection with the chairman as obvious as possible ……
“Do not post any tweets. Familiarize yourself with how to interact with others on the platform by following my example. Once you have done that, you can decide for yourself if you would like to create your own account.”
“…… Thanks.”
It takes me a little while to figure out what buttons do what, but I eventually find my way to other accounts belonging to members of the Shogi world.
Hmmm? She has one, too …… Ah! That sensei has a Twitter account as well. What a surprise ……
“And? What am I supposed to do?”
“How about entering your name into the keyword search to find tweets that pertain to you?”
Taking her suggestion, I type “Ginko S-” and …… Oh, wow.
“Huh?!! Why are there so many accounts using my name?!”
“This is a common occurrence for famous persons. Thus, many will create an account and leave it unused to prevent others from speaking in their name.”
“I can see why ……”
Taking a deep breath, I finish typing my name into the bar when suddenly–––.
“Ginko Sora, lover, Yaichi Kuzuryu”
Eeeep?! Wh-What what’s going on here?!
“Th-that’s not what I was typing!! It just popped up when I finished putting in my name–––.”
“Completely understandable. That is the autofill feature. An algorithm predicts your search based on the first word in the search bar.”
Ms. Oga adjusts her glasses to hide a smile.
“It seems there are many rumors in circulation about the Ryuo and yourself, Sora 4-dan.”
“Huuuh? This has to be a joke …… Of all the stupid …… Arrrgh!”
Ignoring these rumors would do more harm than good, so I had better see what people are saying about us.
“How much does Ginko Sora 4-dan make? Does she have a boyfriend? What’s her high school? Find it all here!”
Most go like that.
Anyone could figure out where I go to school just by looking at my uniform, and the one who posted that reasons that I make about as much as the usual pro Shogi player. That’s all that’s written here. They must’ve been using my name as clickbait to get views on their page.
“It’s the boyfriend bit I’m worried about …… Let’s see.”
They point out that Yaichi and I lived under the same roof for almost 10 years and work at a lot of events together, so maybe there’s more ……? It’s all discussions along that line.
They’re obviously fanning the flames to get more views.
This is nothing but a major pain in the neck. A real pain. Ehe-he ……♡
“A word of caution for you, Sora 4-dan. Be sure to steel yourself while using social media.”
“Uh-huh.”
I pretend to be listening to Ms. Oga’s little speech as I scroll through the threads at high speed.
“Everyone’s saying Ginko Sora and Yaichi Kuzuryu are a thing. So, is it true?”
“Nah, it’s B.S. The Trash Ryuo’s a lolicon. That’s a fact.”
“Word is he’s living with a grade school girl and scouting others to make apprentices. The guy’s surrounded by them.”
“Yeah, trash like that ain’t good enough for Ginko.”
More scrolling, more hitting the thumbs up at a breakneck pace. Twitter’s pretty fun.
That is until my thumb comes across one tweet in particular and comes to a screeching halt.
“Kuzuryu’s hooking up with that Women’s League player Ika Sainokami. Everyone knows they met up all the time a few years back when he’d play in Tokyo for the 3-dan division.”
I tap on that tweet …… and a picture pops up.
“Here’s the proof. Sainokami always waited for him outside the association building when the 3-dan division met. All the 3-dans saw her.”
Ohhh ……?
Interesting, interesting. Twitter is tons of fun ……
“Pay extra careful attention to photographs, as users will often alter them or post out of context claiming that it proves their claim. They are all to be taken with a grain of salt.”
“Uh-huh.”
This is far more important than whatever it is Ms. Oga is talking about right now.
There’s Yaichi, in his old junior high uniform, and Ika Sainokami, dressed in street clothes and wearing black, thick-rimmed glasses as some sort of disguise, with her arm forcefully intertwined with his as she pulls him down the street outside the association in Sendagaya that I know so well ……
Who posted this …… JA? As in the agriculture company?
The Sub League meets on weekends. Tons of people come to the association classroom on those days, so there’s no telling who took it, but …… I couldn’t care less.
That piece of utter trash ……! Playing touchy-feely during the 3-dan division, on hallowed ground ……? Somebody needs to work on their focus ……
I scroll through the rest of the thread.
“No, no. He and Ika are over.”
“Can confirm. I heard the association’s board of directors and their Masters got involved.”
“I’d say that Ika’s more hung up on him than anything else.”
“It’s common knowledge among the Shogi fandom that she tried to get him back at the Mynavi Preliminaries and failed.”
“I saw that with my own eyes. Ika got stomped by Kuzuryu’s grade schooler apprentice.”
“Either way, Snow White is out in the cold.”
“Silver age is done. The elementary school girls are in now.”
Silver age?!
Why am I getting talked about like some elderly grandma?!
Wait, what do they mean out in the cold?! I was there at that preliminary, too!! Why is there so much fake news going around?!
“Twitter is filled with statements that are inherently false as well as slanderous. In fact, most posts fit that description. You must be able to identify lies for lies.”
Ms. Oga has been talking all this time, but I’ve barely heard a word of it. There’s a record that needs to be set straight, immediately.
“As in Shogi, a calm demeanor is paramount when engaging in social media. When you encounter false information, it is of the utmost importance not to get hot under the collar and retaliate using personal details or photographs. That type of behavior is absolutely forbidden–––.”
Skimming through the photos on my phone, I find one with Yaichi and I together.
“Seems like Ginko Sora and Yaichi Kuzuryu started dating.”
“Look, here’s the proof.”
“Word is that she’s been to the Kuzuryu family home, unlike Sainokami and the lolis.”
Perfect! And … post.
“Wha?! G-Ginko!! Didn’t one just tell you not to post–––?!”
“Shut up! I am calm!!”
Ms. Oga snatches the phone out of my hand and immediately deletes the tweet. Tch ……
My post didn’t spread all that much because it was removed so quickly, but the chairman found out about Ms. Oga’s account because of it. Not only did he scold her, but he directly forbade me from using any form of social media. My schedule is still jam-packed, his skirt chasing is really pissing me off and I really need to put a pike through something, okay?
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