Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 2 - Chapter 5.3

  SHOGI FAMILY

“I’ve been here the whole time.”

“S-Since when ……?”

“I came right after school let out, so since about 5.”

So then, that would be about five hours? That’s close enough to whole time. How could I have not noticed? How could I have been that focused on the board?

“Well, um …… I was completely zoned in! It was a very important match!”

“I should say so. A person was on the line.”

“Agh ……!”

Ai glares at me through the top of her eyes and says with a hint of spite in her voice.

“Why would you do something like this? The two of you just decide to choose who becomes my Master with a game of Shogi without getting my permission? What kind of shinken is that? No Shogi parlor in New World would even think of going that far.”

…… She’s absolutely right.

But, this was the only way I could think of. Shogi is all I have, and it’s always been how I’ve settled things.

Everything I’ve ever wanted, I could only get by winning a Shogi match. That’s what it means to live in the Shogi world.

“E-Enough about that, take a look at this!!”

I turn over my second bag and take a piece of folded paper out from inside.

It’s a copy of a Shogi record that I dug up in the association archives. I found it and made a copy before coming to today’s match.

It shows what happened during a commemorative match seven years ago.

The players involved were–––.

“?! This is, father’s ……?!”

Ai takes the copy from me, devouring it with her eyes the instant she saw who was written in the player slot.

The first was Yashajin with a second name being Tsukimitsu.

“Yes! And guess what, I was there! I saw the match closer than anyone!!”

My name was written pretty far away from the players–––I point to the upper left corner where the recordkeeper signs their name.

Recordkeeper 6-kyu Yaichi Kuzuryu

That’s my name all right, in my handwriting too.

At that time, I had just joined the Sub League. I would’ve been right about Ai’s age …… 9 years old or thereabouts. My memories of those days are pretty much gone …… But that was my first time being a recordkeeper, so there are a few traces left.

“This record reminded me of a few things. Like seeing how your father played against the chairman and what was said during the review session.”

“………!!”

Ai’s whole body suddenly froze.

As much as I hate talking to her about deceased family members, this needs to be said.

“This is what your father said to the chairman: Once my daughter grows up, and if she wants to be a Shogi player, please take her as your apprentice.”

That’s why the chairman was so invested in her, because that conversation happened.

“So what I just did was really out of line, and probably caused you a lot of trouble. Of course, if you want chairman to be your Master, then I’ll respect that. But, I–––.”

“Stop right there!”

She snaps at me, cutting me off.

“…… Here.”

“Huh? What’s this ……? Shogi Weekly?”

The one and only weekly Shogi magazine in the world that goes on sale every Wednesday. Ai pushes it in front of my face.

“This one’s pretty dated, isn’t it? …… Say what?! Th-This is from–––!!”

“My father and the chairman’s commemorative match …… The same game as that match record.”

Ai’s explanation sends a shock through my system.

But there was an even bigger shock–––in what the article said happened after the match analysis.

“Potential to Surpass the Meijin”

This is what was written after that header.

It looked as though the review session would end with the amateur Meijin, Mr. Yashajin, simply not being good enough to win the match.

However, the recordkeeper pointed out a fact that both players had missed once the review session came to end. His words turned everything on its head.

“Young Mr. Kuzuryu said the amateur Meijin had an opportunity for checkmate.”

Who would’ve thought the boy, only nine years old, would be the one to draw that conclusion.

He was the recordkeeper, Yaichi Kuzuryu 6-kyu.

The boy discovered a chance to put Seiichi Tsukimitsu’s King in checkmate during the match’s 213th turn.

Tsukimitsu-meijin didn’t look convinced at first, but once Kuzuryu 6-kyu began to explain, it all became clear. He said nothing.

Mr. Yashajin seemed absolutely stunned by the revelation. “I don’t believe it,” he repeated over and over, looking back and forth between the boy and the board.

“That settles it, I could never become a professional. Even a young member of the Sub League saw a checkmate that I had no clue was there,” said Mr. Yashajin, a look of resigned acceptance on his face.

Then he turned to the young boy sitting beside him and said, “However, should my little girl say she wants to be a professional Shogi player when she gets older …… I would like you, Mr. Kuzuryu, to become her Master.”

The boy could only shyly nod in response to the amateur Meijin’s words.

“………”

There were two pictures included with the article: one of the players and one of me, exactly the same size.

I don’t remember any of this, by the way.

“Ever since that day, father always said to me …… : One day, you’ll be Mr. Kuzuryu’s apprentice.”

Ai strung words together little by little.

Her eyes focused on the article on the floor in front of me.

“So that’s why even before I knew left from right, I thought that becoming Mr. Kuzuryu’s apprentice was going to happen as naturally as the sun rising in the east …… But that Mr. Kuzuryu didn’t recall a single word.”

“…… I’m so sorry ……”

At long last, I understand why Ai was so picky about who she would let teach her how to play Shogi. The real reason.

Because I had been chosen from the start.

But I never figured out what she was trying to do, even completely forgetting the promise I made with her father …… That explains why she was in such a bad mood that day, she was probably angry at me …… I thought that was the case, but this explains a lot. Yep.

“Young Mr. Kuzuryu is amazing! Father said it every chance he had.”

Ai started speaking again, a lonesome smile on her lips.

“He was elated whenever your rank increased. He’d say things like: Mr. Kuzuryu is already 3-dan! He’ll be a professional any day now! and Only in junior high school and playing against the best? Mr. Kuzuryu is truly amazing! or Let’s go ask him to take you as his apprentice as soon as he officially becomes a professional!–––But he died before that happened ……”

“………”

“I have no idea how, but he got a hold of Sub League match records and would play through them with me. It must’ve been his favorite thing in the whole world. He would take the opponent’s side, and I would play as you. Mother would read out each move …… We were always around the Shogi board, the whole family ……”

“Match records ……?”

Normally, Sub League match records get thrown away.

However, the Kansai Shogi Association will post particularly good matches from the Sub League on the homepage, so everyone has a chance to be on there if they have a good day.

Quite a few of my matches were chosen to be uploaded, so the front office sent someone to record all of my matches. That’s probably how Ai’s father got his hands on them.

As the amateur Meijin, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew a few staff members and recordkeepers personally ……

Nah.

Would it be too much of a stretch to think the chairman gave them to him himself? My gut says so, and I’m pretty sure that’s how it went—meaning that the chairman intended for me to take Ai as an apprentice from the start.

What’s more, he didn’t just order me to take her, but set things up so that I would want her while testing me to make sure I was worthy the whole time.

That’s why he put me in check so many times despite reading his own defeat.

“…… Shouldn’t expect anything less from the Eternal Meijin. Talk about perspective ……”

In the end, I was just dancing in the palm of that god’s hand. From start to finish.

“Okay, I see now. You played through my matches. No wonder ……”

“I-I didn’t do it because I wanted to?! Father and mother were just so happy that I went along with it …… I picked up some strange habits, thanks to you!”

“Sorry ……”

I know that my playing style is off the deep end. Sorry about that ……

But now it all makes sense.

Why Ai can play the Move-Loss Bishop Exchange.

Why I can relate to her playing style so well.

Why I couldn’t just write her off as some kid, there was a reason.

“So? Whose apprentice am I going to be?”

“Who …… do you want as your Master?”

“Either of you is fine with me. Master and apprentice isn’t that big of a deal in the Shogi world, right? It’s just a piece of paper. As long as there’s a name there, I don’t care who it is.”

“………”

“Well, I bet it’s easier that way. At the end of the day, everyone is an enemy.”

Shogi is a battle, plain and simple.

Once two people sit across the board from each other, one becomes the winner while the other becomes the loser.

As long as you live in this world, as long as you aim to stand at the top, leaving your mark on others is the only way to prove your existence.

“Thinking about it that way, it might be better to stick with the chairman after all. If I became your apprentice, I’d always be going against your other apprentice in the Practice League, right? I don’t really care one way or the other, but people would make such a big deal out of it and that would be a pain.”

Just as she said, all of us are destined to fight against each other and inflict many marks.

But–––that’s not all there is to it.

Sure, we’d be enemies but, we’d build the same …… No, we’d build stronger bonds because of it.

I want to teach her that.

“Ai.”

It finally came to me in that moment.

I finally figured out why I had become so attached to her.

Back when I refused to take Charlette as an apprentice, I used talent level as the reason—if you’re not good enough, you could never survive in this world.

But hypothetically, even if Ai wasn’t as talented as she is, I would probably still want to take her as an apprentice.

It has nothing to do with a promise in the past.

Or anything to do with how she plays.

Talent, not at all.

I wanted to wipe away the tears of her crying heart with my Rook.

I wanted to draw a rainbow with my Bishop to cheer up Ai’s dreary spirit.

I wanted to teach her. Teach her how to become happy using Shogi. That’s what her parents were really trying to show her.

“Ai. Would you–––.”

I fix my posture and straighten my kimono as I make a proposal to the young girl in front of me.

“Would you become a member of my Shogi family?”

“Fam …… ily?”

“Yes.”

I can’t bring the parents she lost back to life.

Those bonds she had are gone forever.

But I can give her new ones.

Master Kiyotaki, Big Sis, Keika, Ai …… By welcoming her into my Shogi family, I can give her a new family tree.

Other people might think I’m just playing house.

It might be next to impossible to get along at first.

But, with a Shogi board between us, I’m sure we can understand each other. I saw it happen during that match at the Practice League. Shogi has that power.

Just as Ai said, the Shogi master/apprentice relationship only exists on paper.

People only write their names on the paperwork because the rules require it. There are some who never talk, let alone play a game against each other.

However.

“I want you–––Ai Yashajin, to join my family as an apprentice. Not just an apprentice in name, but a real apprentice who I can laugh with when times are good and support when the going gets tough.”

Then, one day, she’ll take off those grieving clothes and happily twirl a skirt–––I want to be with her every step of the way, I’m certain of it.

“…… you’ll be Mr. Kuzuryu’s”

Ai clenches her hands together in front of that little chest, looking lost and a little frightened.

This isn’t the arrogant little princess, nor is it the flawless Shogi prodigy.

Just a trembling little girl, remembering what she’s lost and the heartache that came with it.

I take her hand and say.

“Sign with me. I’ll give you a good life …… I promise.”