Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 18 - Chapter 1.09

  Translation Machine

“The patient will be transported to the nearest hospital! Are there any family members present?! We need someone to accompany her in the ambulance―――”

“I am her father.”

Okito-sensei stands up to answer the medic’s call. He’s dressed in a full kimono but didn’t hesitate for a second.

The staff, who had no idea they were related, are stunned.

“…… Father?”

“Empress Sainokami …… and King Okito are ……?”

“Wouldn’t it be a serious violation if he knew that when he agreed to be the observer ……?!”

Okito-sensei seemingly ignores all the whispers and says to Ai, “My apologies. While I regret being unable to see my duties as the observer through to completion, no one else can fill this role.”

“It’s not like you can do anything else here, right? Go.”

If that’s what Ai says, no one can go against her.

And so, King Yo Okito disappears out the door at Ika Sainokami’s side.

Left behind, Ai Yashajin looks down at the Shogi board and pieces still splattered with blood.

“Yashajin-sensei. I’ll take care of―――”

“Allow me.”

Ai stops the match recorder, Ms. Noboryou, as she steps forward with a cloth.

“I already consider this part of my job.”

She’s declaring that the title of Empress has already changed hands.

Now, Ai Yashajin is ready to conquer the Shogi world.

Everything goes quickly after that.

First off, the association issued a temporary gag order to keep information surrounding this match from going public. Too many rules have been broken to let everything come out all at once, like the fact that Ika’s father was working as the observer. So basically, I have to keep my mouth shut for now. They didn’t mince words, either.

Now that’s decided, there’s nothing left to do here and we all leave the arena. More like scurry away to put as much distance between ourselves and the eerie building as possible.

So Ai Yashajin and I end up on our own en route to Kansai.

And on the plane ride home…

“…… Wow, what a hypocrite,” I mumble, beside myself.

Using what can be used, then playing the dad card at a time like that.

I’m not trying to defend Ika at all. After what she did to Ginko, I wanted to start the bloodbath myself but …… There’s something about Okito-sensei’s behavior that irks me. Maybe the old man from that dream has something to do with it.

“A hypocrite?”

“What Okito-sensei said about experimenting on Ika because he loves her …… Hey. Your Master is trying to have an important conversation and you’re gaming on that tablet? Am I not worth your time anymore?”

Being a (soon-to-be) Triple Title Holder must have gone to her head because she’s playing on a Shogi app instead of giving me her full attention.

Now that I think about it, she was on that thing the entire flight over to Tohoku, too. I thought she was attending to Yashajin Group business ……

“Have you been playing that app this whole time?”

“I bought the company that makes it. It’s fun to play and good practice.”

Ai finally looks up.

“But this is new, you being angry at someone else.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. You’re usually angry at yourself.”

“…… You think so?”

I feel like I’ve been mad at everyone else a lot these days, but I guess it wasn’t always like that. Ai Hinatsuru and Big Sis have been angry at me a lot more often, so I don’t remember ……

I ponder that for a few moments when Ai Yashajin says out of the blue, “Using software has helped us to comprehend more situations than we ever would have before and to read deeper than ever, yes? Why do you think that is?”

“Because it gives us a rating, yeah?”

“Yes. Numbers are a common language, so that makes it easier for us to understand.” Then she looks deep into my eyes and asks, “In which case, what would you use in order to understand Ika Sainokami, who can only express her emotions through Shogi?”

“What would I use? To understand her?”

“Yes, and give it some serious thought.”

“Understand someone who’s not even flesh and blood? How the heck would I …… do that ………?”

………… AH?!

The answer Ai is looking for hits me almost immediately.

But ……

“Well …… That can’t be true, could it? Would Okito-sensei actually …… use software …… to do that ……?”

“Yes, exactly that.”

Ai confirms my theory like she read my mind.

“Yo Okito started developing deep learning software so he could communicate with his daughter. It’s a translation machine.”

“Translation ……”

That reminds me of Okito-sensei’s research partner, Mirai Futatsuzuka 4-dan.

He is nicknamed The Translator.

The whole Shogi world, including me, has the wrong idea about Okito-sensei.

We thought he turned himself into a machine, that he didn’t have any blood left in his veins.

But what he was actually after …… was a way to talk with his biological daughter ……

“I knew right away because I yearn for the same thing.”

“What thing?”

“A parent’s love,” says the orphan who lost both her parents in an accident as she looks back down at her tablet.

Something she’ll never have again.

“So, I just …… know. I …… can’t help it.”

She looks lonely somehow, forlorn. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she’d lost the match.

It’s almost like she envies the loser.

The match ended early, so Ai Yashajin and I get back to Kansai from the Tohoku region by nightfall.

By the way, our means of transportation was―――

“…… I’d never been on a private jet before ……”

“You’re exaggerating. It’s a small company plane.”

Stepping off the airplane at Kobe Airport, Ai just shrugs. I follow her down the stair like a faithful butler. I’m actually her Master, though.

“Lady Yashajin! Please call upon us again when you need to travel!”

“Thank you. It was a comfortable flight.”

Their entire staff has come out onto the tarmac and lined up to greet (only) two customers …… Wow …… This is awkward ……

How much did all this cost ……?

“Uh, Lady Yashajin? Yeah …… I know there weren’t any commercial planes when we arrived at the airport, but don’t you think chartering a plane is a bit overboard ……?”

“I can get work done on a plane, so I can just make enough money to cover it on the way. The wealthy who prioritize efficiency use private planes like a taxi. It’s cheaper in the end.”

“Uh-huuuh. When you say cheap, about how much are you talking?”

“5 million yen, give or take?”

“That’s even more than the Empress Title prize money ……”

5 million, for an hour on a private jet …… I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t call spending more on transportation than winnings efficient ……

This Empress Title series has shown me time and again that my apprentice has, in every possible sense, broken the barriers of the Shogi world.

“I’m going to visit Awaji …… What about you, Yaichi?”

There’s a direct line connecting Kobe Airport with Keisan Kagaku Center Station. Apparently, it’s still running this late at night.

―――It’s an invitation from the devil.

If I were to nod my head yes, Ai would probably teach me all about those death flags.

The narrowest solution, too.

With that information, I would never lose again.

Of course, what Ai really wants to do is use me as a guinea pig to see if those death flags work on a top-level pro.

If ……

What if he came to challenge me again?

One thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t have been able to resist this tempting offer.

“I’m going to head straight home. I’ve got my own title match to prepare for.”

“Oh yes. So the challenger has been determined?”

“Moments ago, actually.”

The smartphone that never left my hand is still hot in my pocket.

The Crown League Challenger Match.

The Meijin went undefeated in the White Conference while his much younger opponent rose in the Red Conference with the same flawless record …… The two collided, and he was in complete control from the start.

Not since his golden years, when he had all seven titles at once, has the Meijin looked this strong.

There’s no question what was behind this massive surge, the chance for a rematch against me. One look at his Shogi these days is enough to know his sights are set on the future.

―――Had it been him …… He could’ve disproven the future that Ai and I saw.

But no.

The prodigy who put his own stamp on Shogi’s 1,400-year history was defeated in the final sequence of an intense clash. Victory slipped through his fingers when the tables were turned against him at the last second.

I had gotten to my feet at some point. Ai turns to me and asks, “Shouldn’t you be more excited? He’s your eternal rival, isn’t he?”

“I guess so ……”

“You get to face him in his first-ever title match. Why not consider it an honor?”

It’s been quite a while since I saw him. But visualizing his face doesn’t ignite my competitive spirit. I feel a bit lonely and disappointed, to tell the truth.

The fire is gone because, well, I’m the only one who knows how this 7-match story is going to end.

“I wish this happened a little sooner. 100 years ago.”

Even so, I’ve chosen to fight without looking into these death flags. It’s a line I refuse to cross because he is my opponent.

I want to face him …… with as much Yaichi Kuzuryu left as possible.