Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 18 - Chapter 5.02

  Best Seat in the House

Akira has brought me to the Kansai Shogi Association.

“The computer in the Player’s Room has been modified to allow it to remotely operate Awaji. Watch my lady’s match from there.”

“You modified the association's computer?”

“Yashajin Group employees have been dispatched to assist the Shogi Association staff.”

My body is a wreck after a marathon of a match followed by a long car ride, but I completely forget all about the pain and fatigue after hearing that.

“We have also accepted association staff members into our ranks. This personnel exchange program will ensure the new Shogi Association Buildings exceed expectations.”

“Shady as―――”

“Personnel exchange,” Akira repeats as she palms my face with her right hand.

Ow, ow, OWWW! Women aren’t supposed to have this kind of grip!!

“For your information, Awaji has been updated to identify the locations of death flags.”

“……!!”

“Of course, I will not forbid you from creating a match record, but all streaming feeds have been disabled. The only place to observe this match in real time is in the Kansai Shogi Association’s Player’s Room.”

Which can only mean Ai Yashajin is going to use death flags today.

Then …… she’s planning to show me how powerful they are when I’m at rock-bottom after losing a title, is she?

“Kuzuryu-sensei,” says Akira at the strangely perfect moment, almost like she can hear my thoughts.

Or am I just that easy to read ……?

“Lady Ai Yashajin is a genius. You shall gain a fresh understanding of that today, no doubt. Just as you will come to appreciate the new Shogi world designed by her hand.”

“Akira ……”

Forget the Shogi world.

I’m not bitter after losing my title. There’s just something I want Ai Yashajin to know.

“I had a thought. If Okito-sensei went so far as to develop deep learning software as a translator for Ika, maybe Ai Yashajin’s parents built Awaji because―――”

“Hurry. The match is about to start.”

Akira points at her watch and opens the car door. Her tone is surprisingly gentle.

“Aren’t you going to stay and watch?”

“I have work to do.”

Then, just as I get out of the car, she boldly declares, “Besides, I already know the outcome.”

The person I expected to be in the Player’s Room on the third floor is sitting in a chair when I walk in.

“Yaichi, eh?” Kousuke Kiyotaki 9-dan says with a glance out of the corner of his eye. “Have a seat.”

“…… Okay.”

I pull out the chair across from him and sit down.

It’s been a long time since we were alone in the same room. I lived with him longer than my own father, but I’m actually a bit nervous.

“Ever since ya put out those Awaji records, the Player’s Room’s been deserted. Just like this. Seems ever’body’s too scared to play without runnin’ their ideas by a computer at home first.”

“How’s that my fault ……?”

Master doesn’t mince words. It's a Kansai type of kindness.

And the kindest thing of all in this Players Room is―――

“How ’bout playin’ a few matches? Been a while.”

With that, Master pulls a big case of ramune hard candy from his pocket.

Candy Shogi, a standard here in the Kansai Player’s Room.

“Are you trying to take candy from your own apprentice?!”

“Can’t if ya win. Or are ya shakin’ in yar shoes at the thought of playin’ the geezer who beat Ayumu in a Placement Match, eh?”

“……!!”

I grab a chess clock out of the closet and get it set up. Each player only gets 10 seconds to move in Candy Shogi and the winner takes a piece from the loser. This time we’re playing for ramune.

With the rules so much in favor of the young, I rack up wins one after another.

“Who was it that was scared of you, again?”

“Naaah! I’m just makin’ sure my apprentice gets a square meal after losin’ out on title money, ’at’s all!”

“No one can fill up on ramune, no matter how many they eat ……”

The candy itself only has value through the end of grade school.

But older Sub League members used to plunder my supply back then. Mr. Kagamizu was especially ruthless, not even taking his foot off the gas when playing against grade school kids or even kindergarteners. The one exception was Big Sis. Most of the candy he took from me ended up being her afternoon snack. It bordered on extortion.

Beating up on Master this badly reminds me of those days when suddenly―――

“Went to visit Ginko.”

“……!”

I freeze.

Though I did recover in time to make a move before my time expired, it was a horrible one.

“She asked me if Ai Hinatsuru was her replacement.”

“…… What did you say?”

“That she’s better off not knowin’.”

His tone caught me off guard.

Master …… is angry.

“Could ya, her Master, ask that? Ya might’a gotten stronger at Shogi but …… Yeesh, ya didn’ raise’r her right.”

Master makes me pay for my blunder and steals a ramune for the first time. It’s just one of the pile I already took from him.

But I couldn’t care less about the candy anymore.

“So then …… what exactly are you saying I did wrong ……?”

Actually, I know I messed up… a lot.

But I’m in no state of mind to just laugh it off when my own Master is doing the pointing.

Not the guy who’s been avoiding me up until now when I’m at my weakest ……!

“You wanted to keep Ginko and I apart, didn’t you, Master?! What other explanation is there?! Otherwise, you would’ve told me her disease was genetic a lot earlier!! If I’d known, I’d―――”

“Cool it, Yaichi. There ain’t nobody ’at knows the future. Thinkin’ ya did is what lost ya yar title only yesterday, or have ya forgot?”

“I lost my title because I was weaker than Ayumu. That doesn’t change Shogi’s solution one bit.”

“Ya lost cuz yar argue fer argument's sake. When are ya gonna own up to yar mistake, Yaichi?”

“You’re the one who started the argument, Master!!”

There’s no playing Shogi like this. I fling my pile of candy across the floor.

That’s when―――

“Oh? Have you returned from Tokyo already, Ryuo? You must be quite a devoted student of Shogi to be here after playing such a long match.”

“Chairman Tsukimitsu?!”

I’m halfway out of my chair before a look from his secretary, Ms. Oga, stops me in my tracks.

“H-Have you …… come to watch the match as well, Chairman?”

“I do have a rather strong connection with Miss Yashajin. Of course, I’m interested to see how she fares …… But it is Miss Hinatsuru who has my attention today.”

“Ai ……?”

“She asked me a question in private after being called in by the board the other day. It seems she was curious about a certain skill of mine …… He-he-he. Something very interesting could be in store for us today.”

Master pulls out the chair next to his and the chairman sits down.

Being brother apprentices, their minds are completely in sync.

“Mr. Oishi would have liked to be present, but refrained on account of Yaichi bein’ there’d leave a bad taste. Though he did say that in his next opportunity to play against you, Ryuo, he is bound and determined to prove to you that the solution to Shogi is, in fact, Ranging Rook.”

“Kunugi 4-dan also stated that he would like to attend. However, he’s looking for his new place together today and will be late.”

“Well then, the Player’s Room may be lively yet.”

With the two of them chatting away, I head over to the computer in the corner of the room. Awaji’s cutting-edge GUI looks outdated on this antique computer monitor.

“No autoupdates on the match ……”

That means I have to input each move manually. It’s been over a year since I lined up a match record.

I glance over at the overhead camera feed.

Ai has just opened the Bishop’s path on the fifth move.

“Bishop Exchange, huh? Yes, the first move gives you an advantage, but don’t forget you’re playing against Ai Yashajin.”

Ai Hinatsuru has racked up victory stars by playing Bishop Exchange strategies against pros lately, but Ai Yashajin is even better at them.

Then again―――

“Huh?!”

The defender moves a piece completely outside of any Bishop Exchange standard.

“…… Why …… did she move that one ……?”

Ai Yashajin plays 1 Four Pawn.

I’ve never seen a pro or a computer make that move at this point. What’s more ……

She’s not playing Awaji’s best move either.