Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 16 - Chapter 4.3

  THE ASSASSIN AND THE SQUIRE

“It seems I have talked my throat dry …… Can I offer another cup of tea?” I asked the three young ones in order to break the heavy silence.

Their faces bring back so many memories.

The children who faced off on the Elementary Meijin’s grand stage.

Budding talent gathers once every year to be put in the spotlight. My deceased Master always insisted that I work commentary for those matches.

All so that he had the chance to identify potential and to take promising children as his apprentices.

Even after his death, I continue doing commentary simply for the sake of carrying on the tradition. Once it had become such a part of my routine, breaking that habit is no simple matter.

“…… Now that I think about it.”

The young Ryuo asks after drinking down his cup of tea in a single gulp.

“Why did you decide to take Ayumu as your apprentice, Shakando-sensei?”

His clumsy grip on the teacup handle bears a striking resemblance to Kousuke. The nostalgia opens my heart and loosens my tongue concerning my younger days.

“Why do you ask such a question?”

“The finals were between Ryou and I, remember? I already had a Master at that point, but she didn’t. Most of all, a Women’s League player had never taken a boy for an apprentice before, right? Wouldn’t that make Ryou the best candidate for you to take as an apprentice?”

“Perhaps personality played a part in the decision?” said Machi.

“Maybe she thought Ayumu looks pretty good compared to the crybaby who couldn’t understand how I whooped her so badly in the semis, hm?”

Machi the Tormentor and the Aggressive Archangel trade verbal ribbings.

These two have not changed in the slightest …… Their relationship has not been hindered by the fact they are polar opposites. Their friendship continues despite the constant tension. It’s a rather rare instance of friendship between players.

“It still goes against expectations, yes? I would think it more logical that you have taken the Elementary Meijin of the previous year and the first girl to ever take the title, Tsubasa Gakumiki, to groom for entrance into the Sub League.”

“My reasoning for taking God Cauldron as an apprentice …… Is it?”

The tea Maria brewed for us still shows clumsiness in its preparation, but that lack of precision is what allowed me to revisit those days in my memory.

“The first moment I spoke with that boy …… with Ayumu Kannabe, I realized something quite odd. Our souls had much in common.”

The first time I felt it was during that very Elementary Meijin Title Match.

It was when he was undergoing a review session following his match against the Archangel.

“Hm? Are you ……?”

I thought he remained in silence out of the frustration that he had lost to a girl. That it was all he could do to keep the tears at bay.

Upon closer inspection, however, a different reason came to mind. Thus, I whispered into his ear, “…… Be at ease. Heed each of my words and the worst shall never befall you. Understood?”

Though surprised at first, Ayumu gave the slightest of nods and remained at my side from then on. Others present that day would not have felt anything amiss once he was speaking normally again.

Then, after the awards ceremony and the broadcast crew had packed up their belongings, “Shakando-sensei! Um …………”

Ayumu appeared at the door to my personal break room, fearful yet mustering courage.

These are the words he asked once he found his voice.

“Would you …… Um …… Would you take me as your apprentice?”

“I’m afraid to say that I cannot.”

I had no choice but to explain the situation to that heartbroken boy.

“The current rules stipulate that Women’s League players cannot take boys as apprentices. This has nothing to do with you personally …… Forgive me.”

Dyslexia.

Ayumu had immense difficulty reading characters during his years in elementary school. His fixation on a board game …… on Shogi was mainly a byproduct of it.

Surprised?

Dyslexia caused him to stay within his shell throughout much of his early life not by impairing his sight, but his auditory senses. Speaking was far from his expertise.

It was not so acute as to require treatment.

He could, in fact, read what was written but it took him twice as long as his peers. His symptoms gradually waned as he got older, but …… Being unable to acquire knowledge from strategy books within the Shogi world would certainly be a handicap. There was no need to say it out loud. Judging by your facial expressions, it looks as though only Machi realized the situation.

He was the quiet, slightly slower child who can be found in any classroom of any school.

However, when compared side by side within the confines of a classroom within the school system, his struggles were quite apparent.

That boy left quite an impression on me.

Had my Master still been alive, he would have no doubt passed on the opportunity to take him as an apprentice. His obsession with the Meijin Title left him blind to all but the most perfect talent.

I, however …… thought differently.

Could a perfect talent seriously achieve what they wished in the Shogi world?

Wouldn’t someone who had to contend with imperfection be better suited to press past the Shogi world’s many barriers?

As with me and my bum leg …… Wouldn’t someone with the talent of being unable to escape from Shogi be more desirable?

That led me to challenge the association for the right of a Women’s League player to take on a male apprentice.

That meant facing the man who once used me as the Assassin.

“Oh, come on. Don’t push it.”

He spoke to me as if I were a hunting dog who had long since lost her worth.

“No one’d be surprised by you beating a pro in a league match anymore. You’re too strong, and all the girls you raised into Women’s League players also became too strong. Pros nowadays shrug off losses to women like it’s nothing. Too bad for you.”

“In which case, should not Women’s League players be governed by the same rules as professionals?”

“That’s apples and oranges right there.”

The chairman at the time, …… the one who held the position before Mr. Tsukimitsu, felt that Women’s League players had lost their value.

“Petitioning at the Players Meeting won’t get you anywhere. You killed too many. Even when they retire, pros still have association membership and a vote. So long as the generation that despised the Assassin is still kicking, you’ll never get a word in.”

“…… I admit a great deal of professional players have reason to hold a grudge against me.”

That is when I deployed my ace.

“However, the outside world holds me in rather high favor. Women’s League players as well.”

“!! W-Well, that’s just ……!!”

“I have with me a list of influential persons who wish for the Women’s League to break away from the Shogi Association. You shall recognize the names of sponsors and businesses who would support such a venture.”

“…… Going to break up the association, are you? You’re the one who stopped Kansai from pulling that stunt, so you of all people should understand how crazy it is.”

“I do not wish for that to transpire, but the times are demanding that women stand on their own two feet. On a side note, this list of potential sponsors’ essential condition for a new entity is–––”

“That you’re at the top …… Yeah?”

“Which means that your worthless assassin may still yet be a useful tool for the Shogi world.”

“…………”

“I trust you’ll have a word with the board of directors, chairman?”

Thus, Women’s League players taking a more active role in Shogi events became the association’s way of marketing toward a wider audience, to allow them more independence than ever before. Women’s League players who reached 4-dan were also given membership and their own vote during Players Meetings.

In other words, that allowed women to take male apprentices and participate in the Sub League.

That being said, there is a drastic difference between being allowed to do so on paper and actually doing it. That is the reality.

Although approved by the slimmest of margins, there was only one professional player who voiced their support for this new arrangement at the meeting.

“Are you willing to become my apprentice despite these challenges Ayumu Kannabe?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation.

A child with an intellect like his surely understood what would lie before him. One look at his face was all I needed to understand that he was prepared to face it.

“Very well. We have an accord.”

Thus saying with an outstretched hand, the boy took it.

He then looked at me with eyes as clear as crystal and cautiously asked.

“How can …… How should I repay you, Sensei?”

“While I desire nothing more than your becoming a worthy Shogi player in your own right …… Yes. For starters, I ask that you learn how to prepare delicious tea.”

Thinking back on it now, that may be the moment I first stepped out from beneath my Master’s yoke.

However, the disdain that I brought upon Ayumu exceeded even my wildest dreams. He received far more resistance than the girls attempting to join the Sub League.

“If you lose to that boy being taught by a Women’s League player, find yourself a new Master.”

“Crush him, understood? You are forbidden to speak with the Assassin’s apprentice.”

“That witch! How much does she have to soil Shogi’s good name until she’s satisfied?!”

Ayumu heard it all.

And yet he passed the Sub League Entrance Exam and rose through the ranks without so much as shedding a tear. His Shogi lacked flair but more than made up for it with consistency. Never once was he in danger of landing with a B.

He made visible process, walking forward step-by-step without ever retreating. He was the living embodiment of a Pawn, the very piece, which bears his name, the character ayumu. That boy climbed the ladder and never looked back.

In fact, he was so happy on his first promotion that he said, “Um …… Can I marry you if I become a professional player?”

How adorable that was. He-he ……

He did cause one problem, however.

It was around the time that he had achieved 1-dan.

While doing a review session with another 1-dan Sub League member in his twenties, Ayumu struck him without warning.

I doubted my ears.

You yourselves understand he isn’t the type of child to do such a thing, yes?

Furthermore, Ayumu was victorious in the match.

In which case, what could have possibly triggered the incident?

The Sub League director intervened and let Ayumu off with a strict warning. As the incident occurred after the match’s conclusion, the results were left unchanged. That was perhaps the silver lining of the whole situation ……

Why did he do what he did?

The director never gave specifics, and Ayumu never once broke his silence, but …… A member of the Sub League who was there to witness the incident informed me. It was a certain phrase spat in frustration during that review session.

“What’s so good about that gaudy old lady anyway?”

Those words spurred Ayumu to raise his fist for the first time.

The original reason for my wearing frilly dresses was on the orders of my Master, so that I would not need to sit on my ankles while playing matches. A skirt that concealed my legs was a must, and coordinating my outfits to match was what led to my preferences.

Ayumu is such a kind boy, yes?

However, that is not where the story ends.

He arrived at the next session of regular activities in the Sub League wearing a pure white suit.

His manner of speech also began to resemble mine.

The director issued further warnings and the other Sub League members were merciless in their comments, but he silenced them all with victory stars.

Yes …… His fashion sense originated as a way to protect me.

While dressing in a way that would draw criticism from anyone, he became strong enough to silence criticism from everyone. And he did it by playing orthodox Shogi without a hint of a flaw.

He was attempting to validify my path in life, which was warped as the Assassin, on his own by showing that even the apprentice of a Women’s League player could become a professional. That was his way of showing gratitude.

How could I scold him for that?

To go along with his tremendous progress, I bestowed Ayumu with a new name to match.

“Silver Chevalier God Cauldron …… That is your name henceforth. You are my Knight.”

“Yes, Master!”

The first shades of masculinity began to appear in that meek boy’s face.

From that point forward, I instructed him to accompany me to my matches whenever possible. That included my league matches, not just practice sessions.

The outward appearance was that of him offering assistance to me. However–––

“Becoming a worthy Shogi player requires a wide array of skills. Witness and steal them for yourself.”

“Yes, Master! My gaze will never leave you, not even for an instant!”

He-he …… Steal from my opponents as well.”

Although his dyslexia had all but disappeared by that point, it seemed as though he could gain much more by witnessing actual matches than from books.

“Formation is fashion. Trends come and go, but the beauty is eternal. Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal clear.”

Before I knew it, I was traveling across Japan at the arm of an apprentice who was now taller than I.

“People may be treacherous, but having more pieces will never betray you. Remember this well.”

“I have carved your words into my very heart, Master.”

Skills that I honed during my golden age were beginning to wane. It was necessary for me to pass down the very techniques that turned me into the Assassin while I could still use them.

…… Why didn’t I do so directly by playing against him, you ask?

Yes, that would have been ideal and efficient …… Though I’m afraid that boy could never harness the entirety of his abilities while sitting across from me. It was quite a problem ……

There was, of course, criticism.

Some in the media claimed that Ayumu was an illegitimate child of mine. However, the stronger the wind howls outside, the stronger family bonds become. As you are well aware… young Ryuo.

Until one day–––the moment finally arrived.

The moment my apprentice ascended to the professional echelons by completely and utterly dominating the 3-dan division of the Sub League.

It had been fourteen and a half years since someone broke through in a single season.

And, doing so as a first-year high school student made him the youngest professional player since the current system was adopted. That is until he was surpassed by you, young Ryuo.

His record of 17 wins and one loss itself was superb, but …… Him achieving that feat by playing orthodox yagura is what truly brought joy to my heart.

With results and a playing style like this, it was entirely plausible that he could climb the placement match ladder right out of the gate.

I was free from Master’s yoke, but a desire to raise a player who could accomplish one thing, possessing the title of Meijin, still also resided within me.

“Congratulations. You are the first professional of the Ashigara Shogi line. There is no doubt my Master is smiling down upon you ……”

“Do you see me as worthy now?”

“He-he-he. Now that you possess 4-dan, a Women’s League player such as myself is obligated to address you as sensei. Is that what you wish, Kannabe 4-dan?”

“No. I still have much to prove as a player and fully understand that fact.”

“Hm? Then in what way are you asking if you are worthy?”

The boy who had exceeded my height before I knew it halved that tall frame by kneeling before me.

He then took my hand gently in his own and said this.

“I adore you dearly. As a Master …… and as a woman.”

“…………”

Even as those words left his lips ………… I was not the least bit surprised.

That was because I had an inkling that was the case.

Yes, I had noticed it long beforehand.

It was when the fragrance of the tea he prepared took on a different aroma.

When there was more than just kindness in the strength in the arm that supported me.

And I manipulated those feelings to make him into a stronger player. I knew what would happen if I used the same techniques on him that I did on the girls who wish to join the Women’s League out of admiration for me.

That is why my emotions were muddled.

Surely you can empathize, young Ryuo?

You, who have taken young girls as apprentices.

And …… driven them away from the nest.