UNANNOUNCED
“So then, Kuzuryu-sensei, do you live close to the Kansai Shogi Association?”
“Yeah. In a tiny old apartment though.”
With players eating snacks live on air at 3 o’clock–––better known as Nico Live’s popular segment 3 p.m. Time over, Ms. Rokuroba and I spent our break together.
We talked about everything going on in our private lives the whole time …… When from out of nowhere, Ms. Rokuroba changes the subject with a very different look on her face.
“Um …… Sensei? I have a favor to ask you ……”
“A favor?”
“Sometime, would you …… be willing to do a Practice Session, with me ……?”
“Say what?! A Practice Session?!”
“Yes! Yes please!”
Her eyes light up, twinkling like stars as she squeezes my hand.
“If it’s all right with you, I can stop by your apartment the next time I have a match in Kansai–––.”
“Ho-hold on a second!”
While I would very much like to know what a Practice Session with Ms. Rokuroba would be like …… Can she play well enough? That could be a problem.
And even if she can–––there’s another, much bigger problem.
–––My apprentice lives in that apartment. My nine-year-old apprentice ……
The day she finds that out is the day she’s going to get the wrong idea about me, and I know exactly what Ai would say if I brought a young woman home. It’s a Practice Session! Fat chance she’d believe me.
Sure, she’s suddenly decided to act grown-up the past few days, but everything that happened when she first met Ai Yashajin was bad enough …… She threatened to interrogate me ……
“Ummm …… You coming to my place, is a little ……”
“Am I …… not good enough for you ……?”
“No! It’s not that you’re not good enough, not at all! It’s just, Kansai players usually have Practice Sessions in classrooms, so–––.”
“In that case, how about tomorrow here in Tokyo? There are plenty of classrooms around––.”
“T-Tomorrow …… Sorry, but I’m busy ……”
“Well, what about today?”
“Come again?! T-Today?!”
“Yes! As soon as we’re done here, at my apartment.”
“Y-Your?! Th- …… That can’t be allowed, right ……?”
“It’s fine! I live by myself too!”
Fine?! How could it be fine?! That’s about as far from fine as you can get?!
But, hang on …… Both sides are willing, so …… Maybe, it’d be okay ……?
“Everything we’ll need is already there and I can make dinner! Since you’ve got plans tomorrow in Tokyo, you’re more than welcome to stay overnight!!”
“O-Overnight?!”
“Yep♡ You, Kuzuryu-sensei, are welcome to stay as many nights as you want♡”
Many nights?!
“S- …… Sorry …… You kind of …… caught me off guard, so I don’t know ……”
[Back on in two.]
Like a trainer throwing in the towel for his woozy boxer, the Nico Live staff couldn’t have timed that any better. With that cue card high in the air, this conversation got put on hold.
Ms. Rokuroba whispers into my ear.
“Well, Sensei. About that Practice Session …… Please think it over and let me know before we’re done, okay?”
“……!”
Her voice is barely above a sigh. It’s making my heart race and the butterflies in my stomach go wild.
[A guest will join once we’re live.]
“Huh? …… Alright. We’ll resume coverage in a moment, but first we need to welcome our guest into the booth.”
Guest? That wasn’t in the schedule.
But then again, there’s too much going on in my head right now to do any quality Shogi analysis. Having a guest here would be great. I can just let them do commentary for a while …… At least, I thought so.
“Thank you for having me!”
That was Ai’s voice.
“…… Huh? ……………………… Huuuh?!”
Who’s that?
Cutie!
An elementary school girl?
Cute!
Nico Live adopted a girl!
Good call, staff!
Comments pour in like a tidal wave. My heart is beating like a jackhammer.
It looks like Ms. Rokuroba wasn’t expecting her either.
“Umm …… And who might you be?”
[Introduce yourself.]
“I’m Ai Hinatsuru. I’m a fourth grader.”
Ai looks right at the camera and does a polite little bow.
“I play Shogi with Yaichi Kuzuryu-sensei at his home because I’m his live-in apprentice!!” she says with energetic glee. I feel like I’m gonna pass out.
“L-Live-in apprentice?! …… So, you’re saying–––.”
“We live together.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Sliiiiiiiiiiide ……!
Ms. Rokuroba had been closing in on me, but now her heart is pulling away like the tide.
They live together? Did I hear that right?
Alone together with a fourth grader …… the hell?!
The Loli rumors were true.
“L-Listen, everyone, you’ve got it all wrong! She’s–––.”
“Masta♡”
Just as I was about to extinguish the comment inferno, a voice came from around my legs moments before a golden, fluffy something jumped onto my chest.
Charlette. Whaaaaat?!
“Cha, will swit in Masta’s wap.”
My god, she’s adorable!!
An angel has landed.
A miracle, right before our eyes ……
A new Shogi world has dawned.
The avalanche of grade schoolers has the audience going crazy. My time to rest in peace has come.
I don’t know how, but Ms. Rokuroba still has her sanity, enough to do her duty and ask questions as the host.
“K-Kuzuryu-sensei? Who …… Who is this foreign …… girl here ……?”
“You know? Cha, Cha is Mwast’s bwide.”
“……… Huh?”
It’s not just Ms. Rokuroba anymore. The whole staff is frozen like statues.
––Should, should we be broadcasting this ……?
They’re looking at each other, communicating with just their eyes and not a smile to be seen. Crap, crap, crap, CRAAAAAP!!
“Hey, hey. Cha … wants snwacks.”
“Huh? Oh …… Here you go ……”
Charlette asks for the leftover pudding, and Ms. Rokuroba gives her the whole thing with a spoon.
No one can say no to Charlette. Charlette is, well, Charlette ……
“Yummy♡”
The camera captures a bit of the syrup dribbling down her chin and–––.
I’m in looooooooove!!
This stream could just be this girl eating food and I’d be fine with it.
Fifty hours of this right here please.
The Internet community got so excited that I’m starting to pull away.
What’s more–––.
“Oh, wow ……! So this is how they do Nico Live.”
“A-Are …… we allowed to come in here ……?”
(Unreported) elementary school girls … increasing. (My cause of death.)
“Mio and Ayano too?! …… Hey, hey director! Go to a commercial or something! How are we supposed to keep this under control?!!”
[We’ll take a quick break–––.]
“Oh!”
Mio stops her impromptu tour of the monitors in the room, staring at one like she just found a treasure chest.
“This is the viewer count, right? It’s going way, way up ……”
“What?!”
Rather than writing a cue card, the director actually let his real voice slip out.
Then–––
[Keep going.]
“What about that break! Stop, stop, stop!!”
[No stoppages until the final move!]
“That’s a little much, don’t you think?! What’s the big idea, having grade school girls as guests on a Shogi program?!”
[Nico Live’s big three are anime, politics and grade schoolers, so …… ]
“That last one!! The laaaaast oooone!!”
When the heck did Shogi get replaced by grade schoolers?!
[Since they’re your apprentices, we decided to have them on to surprise you.]
“Well, mission accomplished! You’re killing me and my reputation!”
“Waaa? Masta, does Masta …… hate Cha?”
“No, no! I love you very much, Charlette, but look? The … there’re people watching, see?”
Makes you wonder what they’d do without the cameras there, doesn’t it ……?
Yep, he’s trash, plain and simple …
So jealous, it hurts.
“You’ve got it all wrooooong! This is a misunderstanding!!”
“You get what you deserve! Master dara!! Darabuchi!!”
Fuming, Ai starts railing on me, “I kept quiet because this is your important work …… But all you wanted to do was to get fed by a woman with big boobies!”
“Wait, Ai …… That was in the script–––.”
That very moment.
“What do you think you’re doing?! How long are you going to embarrass yourselves in front of the whole world?!”
Lady Ai Yashajin’s grand entrance.
With yet another grade school girl on the scene, Ms. Rokuroba hit her with a remarkably relevant question.
“W-Well …… What are you then?”
“That pervert’s apprentice. Unfortunately ……”
It didn’t take long at all for the viewers to jump all over that.
The apprentices are multiplying?!
This one’s a different type.
Second wife on the scene!
“Huuuh?! S-Second wife?! How ridiculous!! Watch your mouth, you pieces of trash!!”
A direct response.
How nice of her.
Lick the fiery loli.
“…… Gross.”
Ai Yashajin didn’t back down as the comments piled up, lashing back with disgust.
If a Women’s League player spoke like that during one of these live events, she’d be hit with a backlash so hard that she’d be driven out of town. But Ai doing it seems to strike a rather bizarre chord with the viewers.
That’s a good fiery loli.
I want her to roast me.
Trample me.
Would you spit on me?
I’d give anything to be her horsey.
All sorts of stupid comments start scrolling across the screen.
Just when things were looking beyond our control.
[Excuse me. The match is about to end.]
“Huh!?”
Every single set of eyes in the room zooms in on the monitor showing the board.
“Ah! …… Right now it looks as though the edge of Shinokubo-Emperor’s defense is about to collapse! The Meijin is advancing! Will this attack be strong enough to get through ……?!”
Ms. Rokuroba quickly sums up the situation. Her expertise as an experienced and popular Women’s League player and broadcaster is shining through.
But, even she, “The Meijin deploys a Silver deep behind the defender’s front lines …… What?! W-What is he doing ……?” is left speechless by this unexpected late-game move that silences the whole room.
The Meijin starts deploying even more pieces on the edge of the board to deliver a final blow to Mr. Shinokubo’s King like he’s trying to pry a stubborn shellfish out from the back of its shell.
“T-This sequence …… I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“This is checkmate …… Right? That should do it ……”
Mio and Ayano stare at the monitor, blinking in disbelief. Every single one of the comments rolling across the screen now is in awe at the Meijin’s late-game might.
However.
“…… Huh?”
Something felt very off.
The Meijin’s final push looked like meticulous magic at first glance. All the other pros here didn’t seem to think anything was strange.
The only other ones besides myself to notice–––were the Ais.
“Huh? That’s a weird way to advance, isn’t it?”
“…… It is. He’s clearly wasting his turns.”
Ms. Rokuroba’s eyebrows sink.
“What? A weird advance ……? Who do you think you are, saying things like that? That Pawn advance the Meijin just executed is practically a work of art. Two amateur children couldn’t possibly–––.”
“No.”
I cut her off and say.
“Ai. What’s the best possible sequence?”
“Rather than the 9 One Silver, 9 Three Silver, taken with the King, 7 One Silver, and then the defender moves 7 One Gold to take that Gold then deploy a Lance for checkmate. On the other hand, if the offensive player goes 6 Nine Silver, then taken with the King, 6 Seven Bishop promotes, 9 Four Pawn, taken with the Promoted Bishop, 8 Five Silver, then I think he would win.”
“He totally would. But the way this is going, he’ll end up two Pawns down and give up that Silver for free. Such a sloppy attack. I’d go so far as to say–––.”
Ai Yashajin walks up to the big board where two Pawns are facing each other in the fourth column and taps on them with her tiny fist.
“If he’d just taken the 4 Six Pawn back on the 107th move, it’d be as clear as day. This defensive formation was all messed up because the edge is on sticking out, see? Humph! Sure looks like the so-called best Shogi player ever is showing his age.”
“That’s enough! S-Shut up already!”
Ms. Rokuroba lost her cool, her voice getting more ragged by the second.
“If you’re so smart, then say the shortest path to checkmate, why don’t you! Be specific!”
“ 4 Six Pawn to take the white Pawn, 3 Four Rook, 7 One Bishop promotes, taken with Gold, 3 Four Rook, 5 Six Bishop, 6 Seven Bishop, 7 Nine Gold–––.”
“S-See there! The defender has the advantage!”
“Huh? The King would take 7 Nine, then 6 Seven Bishop promotes, moving 3 Seven Rook would block everything. You’re in the Women’s League and can’t read that?”
“……!”
“Even if the defender went with 5 Six Bishop, 6 Seven Rook, taken by Bishop and promotes, 7 Eight Silver would cut off the attack. Then, after the offensive player’s next turn, deploying a Rook at 4 One would all but end the match. Clear as day, don’t you think? There was no need to charge in from the side like this. Do you understand?”
Damn lol! Stroooong lololol.
That girl should be doing commentary.
Times are changing in the Women’s League.
“…… Brat ……”
Hearing Ms. Rokuroba’s quiet retort sends a shiver up my spine.
“Look! The Emperor surrendered!!” Mio yells and everyone turns back to the monitor all at once.
There we are, 99 title seasons!
Hahahahahahaha.
I lol’d.
So now he’s a quadruple titleholder?
Did the papers deploy an army ……?
The press corps swarms into the arena, so many that all of them couldn’t fit. Master Kiyotaki jumps out of his observation seat. There are so many viewer comments scrolling across the screen I can barely see the picture.
News is already starting to spread, I’m sure. The match is already over, but the number of viewers watching the broadcast is still going up. It’s like a party in full swing.
–––But.
While the highest live viewership in title match history was going on, it was eerily silent in only one place, the broadcast booth …… Quiet enough to make what was going outside sound fake.
The reason … is me.
“…………”
Looking at Mr. Shinokubo, blue in the face and staring at the board, his whole body shaking with the humiliation of losing three straight matches and his title …… It felt like I was seeing my future self.
With the title of Emperor now absorbed into his being, the Meijin is surely setting his sights on the next title …… On the 100th combined season as a titleholder. Heck, he’s already moved into position to challenge for it.
That title is–––Ryuo.
“Master ……”
Ai Hinatsuru had been so angry, but now she looks worried about me. Even Ai Yashajin and Ms. Rokuroba have stopped in the middle of their argument to check on me.
In the middle of it all, “…… Weeh? What’s wong, evewybwody?”
Charlette didn’t understand what was going on. She’s sitting on my knee, looking around the room and very confused.
“Masta, are you sick? Twired?”
“Haha …… Yes, I’m a little tired. But I’m not sick. It’s just that–––.”
“Masta.”
“Yeah?”
“Cha, want Cha to cast a spwell to make you fweel better?”
“A spell? …… Like what?”
“Wike ……”
She’d been sitting quietly on my knee this whole time, but suddenly gets to her feet and leans in close to my ear like she’s going to tell me a secret–––.
Smooch♡
Something warm and soft presses against my cheek before I knew it was happening.
“………… Huh?”
Wait …… Hold up? What?
H-Her spell was–––
“A …… kiss?”
“Yea! E-hehe♡,” says Charlette with a nod, her cheeks blushing pink–––.
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
“Reported.”
The screen is filled with letters spelling out: “Reported.”
That’s when Mio and Ayano start screaming at the top of their lungs from beside the monitor.
“Look at all those viewers ……! Ten, hundred, thousand …… T-Three million?!”
“T-That’s astounding!! I’ve never seen so many comments!!”
Viewership skyrocketed after the Grade Schooler Practice Group members barged in, resulting in the most viewers in history witnessing the Meijin claim another title and me get kissed by a six-year-old.
At that very moment–––my execution was set in stone as well.
“……… Master?”
“Sorry, sorry, sorrysorrysorrySOOOOOOOOOOORRY!!”
[Everyone, please come back for the next broadcast.]
“I am never coming back here!!” I howl at the last cue card.
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