Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 16 - Chapter 3.2

  THE EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

After touring bookshops all around Tokyo until sundown, Machi and I arrive at the Shogi Association.

It’s a five-story building in Sendagaya.

The first floor is a shop. Second floor is the classroom. Administrative offices are on the third floor. Everyone knows that the fourth and fifth floors have arenas, sleeping quarters and a studio for doing broadcasts.

What isn’t so well known is what’s in the basement. I don’t think people realize there even is a basement.

“This here was a cafeteria back in the day,” the overlord of this dim, somewhat confined space tells me with his feet propped up on a desk absolutely covered in random books and magazines.

“Now that I think about it …… Master told me a long time ago. He said the food was pretty good and he always ordered lunch here whenever he had a match in Tokyo. He was sad when it closed down without warning, too.”

“Ah, Kiyotaki. That guy sinks his teeth into everything like he hasn’t eaten in days.”

This man referring to my Master like an old buddy used to be a Kansai player just like us.

But now he sounds like he was born and raised in Tokyo.

“Chief …… No, Master.”

Machi, who was also speaking like a Tokyoite, lets her hair down and says, “We have not come here to be regaled with stories of times gone by.”

“I’m aware. You want to know about Rina, yes? …… Don’t you know not to make the boss rush? My word.”

My work in Tokyo.

Helping with book sales is part of it, but I do have another job to do.

Convincing Shakando-sensei to accept Ayumu’s marriage proposal …… The first thing to do is to get background information from someone who knows about her past.

What was once the association cafeteria has become its publishing headquarters.

In other words, the editorial department.

Everything from serialized magazines about Shogi to records of famous matches and books on strategy get made here. This is where my book was published, too.

Only six people work for this department full time, but freelance writers and Shogi journalists are always coming in and out. It’s usually a lot livelier here, or so I’m told.

I’m not used to it since I live in Kansai, but apparently a lot of players come here to write manuscripts when they’re asked for one …… like the Women’s King is doing in the corner right now.

“What are you working on, Ryou? An apology?”

“Wanna die? It’s my own match commentary, bonehead.”

Ryou Tsukiyomizaka scratches her head with the tip of her pen. Other than the wanna die quip, she sounds pretty tired.

“I got told to write something if I had time to kill. This is your fault ’cuz ya rocked up so late. Damn it ……”

“I’m sorry about being late, but why not just say no if you don’t want to write one?”

“’Cuz there’s no tellin’ what’ll get written ’bout me if I refuse.”

“Precisely. Being granted one of Master’s peculiar nicknames, having an already disappointing loss immortalized with excessively critical match commentary …… Even I wish no part in that. Considering his willingness to beat a dead horse, I can scarcely believe we are both natives of Kyoto.”

Maybe he does so because he’s from Kyoto like Machi?

“The pen is mightier than the Rook, as they say,” the old man boasts with his unique, cackling laugh.

“No matter how good a match may be, it’ll never reach memorable status without one of us journalists around to put it in writing.”

Taisei Kayaoku 7-dan.

This retired professional player known as the Sage didn’t do anything remarkable while he was active. Rather, as he would tell you himself, he didn’t get any accolades as a player.

However, he left his mark with journalism.

“I make your ordinary, worthless matches into interesting commentary to please the fans. You should be thanking me.”

“Can it, old fart! You dubbing me Aggressive Archangel is the reason my whole family calls me Little Angel now. Even worse, I gotta deal with people gettin’ disappointed when I don’t go for all-out offense!”

“Very much so, Master. Clean, concise victories nowadays only result in my getting bombarded with comments like where’s the torment? or I wanna see more of Machi’s harsh side on social media. Never before in history has a player been let down by the manner of their own victory.”

Aggressive Archangel and Machi the Tormentor are both nicknames that Kayaoku-sensei put into a Shogi magazine and they ended up sticking.

Strange as it is, people expect players to live up to their nicknames once they become popular.

Those expectations end up limiting the player in the end.

“Names are the shortest curse in this world. How many people have you cursed, oh Master of mine?”

“Not as many as you have, apprentice. That Naniwa’s Snow White of yours is worth a thousand on its own.”

Master and apprentice laugh at their exchange. It’s just, their eyes are totally serious. It’s terrifying.

Even scarier …… is that fact that nearly every player the Sage wrote has talent or worth keeping an eye on has gone on to do very well.

That’s why he has so much clout in the Shogi world. On a side note, it’s totally adorable that Ryou’s family calls her Little Angel ……

“Shakando-sensei’s nickname is Eternal Queen, right? Was that also your idea, Kayaoku-sensei?”

“It was me, yes, when she achieved Queen status in all four of the Women’s Titles at the time.”

He answers my question without stopping for a breath.

“I was wondering where the best place to start would be …… But I suppose that’s as good as any. There’s just so much about Rina that has to stay behind closed doors. I’m not even sure I could explain all the details.”

“Has to stay behind closed doors ……?”

Shakando-sensei has been the face of the Women’s League for decades. I’ve never heard a bad thing about her.

She was great to both Big Sis and I.

What on earth could’ve happened in her past …… that can’t be made public?

Could it be a reason why she won’t accept Ayumu’s proposal ……?

“In her case, everyone just started calling her a nickname …… Part of it was out of contempt, but the paralyzing fear she wrought is what really did the trick.”

The Sage says the nickname like opening a time capsule to the past.

Rina Shakando, also known as–––

Assassin.