Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 18 - Chapter 4.03

  Match Journalist

My eyes follow Ayumu’s first move from my seat at the boardside table.

“2 Two Pawn ……”

I jot down notes in my notebook.

Ayumu is indicating a Static Rook strategy. He still holds the pieces the same way as when he was a child.

I didn’t have a chance to play against him in the Elementary Meijin Tournament, but I’ve admired that beautiful grip of his for a long time, even mimicking it myself.

―――Though mimicking him was an attempt to garner Yaichi’s attention.

The two players in front of me have a special connection.

The same generation, childhood friends, compatriots, rivals.

I put those words to paper, and each one hits the mark. At the same time though, they feel slightly askew. I wouldn’t write anything approaching boy’s love territory, of course, and that wouldn’t be accurate either.

I would join these two and O-Ryou at overnight practice sessions at the Kiyotaki household (aiming for nights when Ginko wasn’t there) or at the Kannabe residence, playing until I literally dozed off at the board …… I can’t recall the number of times I would awaken to find them still playing against each other.

Their own private time? Are we intruding? I remember them discussing the answer to Shogi, the final solution. Ayumu would go on about outer space and the big bang. Yaichi would chide him with ‘How much time’s left?’” 

I keep my pen moving, recording whatever thoughts come to me while we wait for the next move.

I know I have a bit of time before Yaichi makes his move.

He has a first move routine that resembles a morning routine, after all.

First, he pours a glass of water into his cup and takes a drink. His Master taught him to do that so he wouldn’t make a rash decision on this first move. Even now, Yaichi faithfully obeys. Then comes a deep breath.

“………… Haaaaaah――― ……”

Closes his eyes for a moment―――clenches the lower lip, and picks up a piece.

I’ve watched him do this for years. But something feels a bit different about it today.

The reason, it turns out, is which piece he takes.

“The King?!”

Yaichi’s fingers pick up his King.

In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never once seen Yaichi choose to move his King first.

“…… This is it, huh ……?”

“…… I guess it works on defense, too ……?”

The players around me whisper back and forth as Yaichi moves his King straight forward.

I record it in my notes, saying each pen stroke under my breath to make absolutely sure no mistakes are made.

“Fiiive …… Twooo …… K-i-n-g.”

“………… 100 years …………,” the match recorder, Noboryou 3-dan mumbles next to me.

All the cameras going off made it difficult to catch anything else, but I’m positive she also said the word real as well.

The 3-dan division wrapped up last week, but her winning percentage dropped so low that she is in danger of being demoted. The Sub League director, Hatomachi-sensei, was elated to hear that Noboryou 3-dan had registered to work a second match in the Crown Title series. “All of you should take a page out of Ms. Noboryou’s book and redouble your efforts! You’ll never become a professional unless you improve!” or so he said.

I, on the other hand, don’t find this to be a motivational story at all.

The Shogi Noboryou 3-dan played at their regular meetings couldn’t be truly defined as Shogi anymore.

She worked as the match recorder for Ika Sainokami and Ai Yashajin’s match as well.

Her admiration for Ginko Sora led her to work her matches whenever possible, but when she was present for Ginko’s professional debut and saw her so thoroughly defeated by Ika …… she started pursuing Yaichi and Ai instead.

―――How obvious.

As someone who spent her time on the heels of Yaichi Kuzuryu, Noboryou 3-dan’s thought process is clear as day.

If I were to put the hungry stare that she has trained on one of the players right now into words, it would be this:

“Women are always drawn to the strongest.”

After nearly an hour staying in the arena, I make my exit when the morning snack arrives and join other staff members and players in the waiting room.

Ayumu seemed to be anticipating the opening King move and had a response already prepared. Playing it instantaneously, Yaichi seemed to take that as a challenge and responded in kind. The two have traded blows so quickly that I never had a chance to take my leave.

―――A League membership and multiple titles, but these two are still the same kids from back then.

Reminiscing lifts my mood as I open the waiting room door.

“Huh?”

Bewildered, I freeze in the door frame.

The sight that greeted me was so different from what I was expecting that I couldn’t help it.

Of course, I knew that O-Ryou and Shakando-sensei were present. But the air in here is so tense, it’s as if the match were drawing to a climactic finish at this very moment.

Professional players flocking here is no surprise, but members of the Women’s League, Sub League and even some strong amateur players are lined up at the tables. What’s more, every single one of them is looking down at an analysis board as if a loved one were on their deathbed.

“What ……?”

For a moment, I thought I might have misread the date. So I open my calendar and see that yes, it’s a weekday in the summer. I suppose that explains why students aren’t in class, but ……

“Why so many ……? It’s the morning of the first day.”

“Quite the sight, isn’t it? For this many pros to be on hand for the first day of a two-day match, why, it’s like seeing pigs fly while riding a unicorn. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The man who challenged the Meijin this season looks up from an analysis board to address me.

“Natagiri-sensei ……”

This is the first time Ayumu’s research partner has come to the venue during this series. It’s almost as if he knew it would last seven matches from the very beginning.

“Apparently, the waiting room during my match against the Meijin was almost empty. Probably because they all assumed there was no point since I was going to lose anyway!”

“I think jealousy had more to do with it.”

I sit down directly across from the Switch Hitter and give him an honest explanation.

Jin Natagiri is a hard worker .

In the Shogi world, success when working as hard as he does indicates that effort trumps talent.

If there’s one thing this world hates, it’s the hard-working player who surpassed you.

Effort is a derogatory term.

Once someone is labeled as talentless, it becomes difficult for anyone to accept that person had talent all along. Many would rather die than admit it outright.

“Everyone must feel the same way about these two …… About Yaichi and Ayumu. They’re both around 20 years old, but here they are competing against each other for a title. Acknowledging that they are strong means acknowledging that their own day in the sun will never come ……”

“Well, have they acknowledged them, do you think?”

“No, at least not in the conventional sense.”

Interpreting the heavy air in here as positive acknowledgement of an opponent’s abilities wouldn’t be right. It’s nothing like respect or esteem ……

“Envy? Hatred? Impatience?”

I open my notebook and jot down more words. The more I look them over, the more I feel each one misses the mark.

Natagiri 8-dan peers over at my notes from the other side of the table and says with all seriousness, “…… I’ve been hoping for a chance to speak with you for a long time.”

“With me?”

Given his reputation, I’m surprised this man would show any interest in a female. I admonish myself for that bias right away though. He took in Ai Hinatsuru, after all.

“Not only are you the editor of Kuzuryu’s Notebook, you have watched Yaichi Kuzuryu’s Shogi closer than anyone else and wrote about him using your Mato pen name. If anyone can figure out the purpose behind that opening move, it’s you. Am I wrong?”

“…… I do have a theory.”

“And I would love to hear it.”

“No matter how you think about it, advancing the King on the open move goes against Shogi theory. It’s a meaningless move under the rule saying a match ends when the opponent’s King is checkmated.”

“…………”

“There is a way for Shogi matches to end besides a checkmate.”

Back when the anaguma strategy tormented the Shogi world.

Similar logic was used in an attempt to make that ultimate defensive strategy into an unstoppable powerhouse.

The formation was created by my Master Taisei Kayaoku 7-dan and was relevant for a brief time―――

“…… Is it the Pinwheel you’re talking about?”

“The concept seems similar. Just ……”

“Just? Do tell.”

“The Pinwheel was designed to force Repetition Draws, but Kuzuryu-Crown seems to have something more distant in mind. Something …… beyond the world as we know it. Otherwise he couldn’t have mercilessly butchered Shinokubo 7-dan to such an extent ……”

I jot down the quotes and information that went into my theory.

“Could that be the solution of Shogi?”

There isn’t any proof yet, so I leave the core part blank.

Even after all these years of knowing Yaichi Kuzuryu, this was the first time I was shaken to my core.

―――Was this the Shogi …… I wished to see?

I idolized him for his strength.

But just what was that strength in the first place? Surely it wasn’t sequences and standard memorization.

“Freedom.”

That boy’s Shogi made a board restrained by one rule after another look like a treasure map.

Right now, there are players other than myself who are still trying to comprehend Yaichi’s Shogi. But if he continues forward on his own like this …… there will come a day when the collective consensus becomes:

What you’re trying to do doesn’t make any sense, so go do it somewhere else.

This 7-round title match will decide what ultimately happens. That’s the impression I have.

Will Yaichi become isolated within the Shogi world or not―――?

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

A clapping sound from across the way gets me to look up from my notes. It’s Natagiri 8-dan who’s putting his hands together.

“He came to the same conclusion. Doing so with so much less information than you have just goes to show he really must have traveled here from Planet Shogi, don’t you agree?”

Natagiri 8-dan isn’t looking at me.

Instead, he’s looking past me toward the doorway.

“…… There’s no way?!”

I spin around in disbelief.

What’s more, I’m not the only one who has noticed.

“MEI―――?!!”

It was as if the eyes of everyone in the room were about to fall from their sockets.

The strongest of them all―――The man with four titles is standing there.

“The Meijin, in a title match waiting room?!”

“H-Has this ever happened before ……?!”

Title holders never work as observers.

As a general rule, they don’t get involved with other title matches in any way.

Therefore, it’s highly likely the Meijin hasn’t set foot in a waiting room in the past two decades ……

“Please, come on in. I’ve saved the best seat for you,” says the man who fought him tooth and nail in the Meijin Title Match. Natagiri 8-dan then stands up and pulls out the chair for him.

Right in front of me.

“Huh?!”

“More so than I, the Meijin is the one who wanted to chat with you. Once I reminded him that journalists tend to spend the second day cooped up in the arena, he asked me to claim a seat while he took care of another matter. A seat across from Ms. Mato, to be precise!”

I’ve spoken with this man plenty of times for match articles in the past but …… My knees tremble.

His eyes are already laser-focused on the analysis board, his hands clasped around his cheeks. That’s a habit of his when he’s concentrating.

“Now! What do you say we take a trip through time, hm?” says a giddy Natagiri 8-dan as he resets the board to the opening formation.

The observer for this match, Usui 9-dan, is speaking to a journalist off in the corner, but it’s clear as day he is listening to every word being spoken at this table.

I jot something else down in my notebook.

“Time machines aren’t all that scary when everyone is coming with you.”

Never in a million years could I use that in an article, but I feel it sums up the thoughts of everyone here quite nicely.