Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 4 - Chapter 3.2

  QUEEN

Absolutely everything here is beautiful.

“Whoa ……”

Taking a moment to have a good look around, this whole place is breathtaking.

The interior looks straight out of medieval Europe, and even the table where the Shogi board is has legs carved to look like a cat. Something tells me this woman sleeps in a bed with a canopy.

While I’d definitely say it’s a strange place to play Shogi …… I bet that for Ms. Shakando, who was born with a bum leg, tatami rooms aren’t the easiest places to play because you have to sit on your ankles.

Then again, it all comes down to her tastes. They’re exactly the same as her apprentice’s.

What truly stands out among the furnishings are the Shogi pieces.

“Those are unique pieces, aren’t they?”

“They’re Mita Gyokushi. Take this Rook for instance. Doesn’t it capture the beauty of an angel unfolding her wings? Gorgeous.”

Ms. Shakando held out a piece for me to see, her face beaming with pride.

“I’ve always been partial to carved pieces. These here are as beautiful as they come.”

Shogi pieces with the individual characters carved into the surface, horigoma, are cheaper than the ones pros use for title matches called moriagegoma. The characters on those pieces are painted in several layers so that they jump out of the piece itself. Carved pieces may be cheaper, but some people think they’re more beautiful because they require a higher level of skill to make. Rather than just using paint, carved pieces literally make a lasting impression.

But more than that, they’re really easy to read.

That’s why a lot of pros like practicing with carved pieces …… But, I've never seen anyone this devoted to them.

Not just the pieces.

The board, the chairs, the table, the water pitcher, the glasses and even the room itself.

Every single detail reflects their owner’s sense of beauty. Maybe that’s why it’s stuffy in here.

However, far more beautiful than the surroundings–––are the two players.

“Shall we?”

“…… When you’re ready.”

Big Sis almost sounds nervous, lowering her head as Ms. Shakando turns on the chess clock. It looks like Big Sis always goes first for the first match whenever these two have Practice Sessions.

Both open their Bishop Path first. Big Sis then advances the Pawn in front of her Rook and Ms. Shakando closes her side of the Bishop Path before advancing her own Bishop.

–––Going for a yagura defense, maybe?

As soon as that thought crossed my mind.

“Huh?!” I say in surprise along with Big Sis.

That was because Ms. Shakando, a Static Rook party member, slid her Rook across the board.

That formation–––a Normal Fourth-File Rook with a closed Bishop Path!

“…… Seriously?” I mumble under my breath in disbelief and check the board one more time.

Fourth-File Rook? It’s really just Fourth-File Rook? …… Yep, the average, run-of-the-mill Normal Fourth-File Rook.

“………”

Big Sis’s hand stops moving for a moment as she glances up at her opponent’s face.

Ms. Shakando is quietly sitting there. That means this was her plan from the start.

“……”

Big Sis starts guiding her King to the left as if feeling her way across the board. Ms. Shakando didn’t try to stop her either, just guided her own King in the same direction.

By all means, make an anaguma—that’s what her hands are saying.

This kind of match, Static Rook anaguma vs. Fourth-File Rook, used to be …… played all the time back in the era before I was born. But it almost never turns up nowadays. Why is that?

–––Because Static Rook anaguma is so much stronger: too strong.

The defensive formation anaguma is so powerful that most people think players are ahead just by making one. Static-ana tore through the Shogi world like a rampaging sledgehammer, to the point that many members of the Ranging Rook party converted to Static, Ms. Shakando included.

Even still, Ms. Shakando is facing down Big Sis’s Static-ana with a simple Mino Castle defense alongside a Fourth-File Rook like it’s the 1970s.

That’s as reckless as racing against a fully tuned sports car with an antique–––.

“…… You’re sure?”

“About what?”

“………”

Those were Big Sis’s last words until their match was over.

Static Rook anaguma vs. Fourth-File Rook, a blast from the past.

Like clashing armies from the Warring States Era, each ordering their troops into the best possible positions, protecting their King in full view of the enemy …… Then, the whole army began a slow advance.

Ms. Shakando has changed her Mino Castle into a High Mino Castle, which is pretty much the same as an anaguma.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen one, even in a match record. The Eternal Queen is about to take on the latest, most powerful formation with outdated Shogi.

It goes without saying that Big Sis, armed with the most up-to-date info, goes on an all-out offensive. Normally, the Static-ana would utterly destroy the other side but–––.

Something strange happened as the match progressed.

Big Sis, the one on the attack, looks like she’s hurting.

“……! ……?! ………!!”

She opens her mouth over and over, like a desperate drowning person gasping for breath and twisting her hands in pain.

Meanwhile, Ms. Shakando is perfectly calm. Breathing like normal, she moves her pieces with a quick, smooth touch.

Her elegant, graceful movements are so inspiring that I whisper under my breath, “Reversal …… Yep.”

Ms. Shakando let Big Sis attack all she wanted because she’s using the pieces Big Sis is losing to naturally reinforce her own formation. There are plenty of martial arts that do the exact same thing: using their opponent’s strength against them–––in other words: Reversal.

What’s more, it’s offense and defense rolled into one.

Compared to Big Sis, whose only option is to attack, Ms. Shakando is simultaneously attacking and defending with each move.

You can almost tell who’s going to win with that alone.

“Now then. This has gone on long enough.”

The instant that Big Sis’s attack ran out of steam–––.

Ms. Shakando starts advancing her deep defensive formation straight toward Big Sis’s King, destroying everything in its path.

I’m not exactly sure when, but Ms. Shakando has a combined five Golds and Silvers on her front line. Adding a Knight to the formation turned it into a high-powered wrecking ball.

This is almost like watching a massive meteorite come crashing down––––––pure despair.

Big Sis’s anaguma was completely outclassed in both strength and numbers and turned into nothing more than a smoldering ruin in a few short minutes.

“…… I’m out of moves.”

Big Sis manages to squeeze out her surrender.

It probably hurt just looking at the board halfway through the match. Honestly, I’m impressed she held out this long.

But even still.

To completely flatten Naniwa’s Snow White, who’s never lost against a Women’s League player in an official match, to this degree ……

Ms. Shakando is really, really good!

“What’s the matter, Ginko? You left quite a few floating pieces out to dry today.”

“……”

Big Sis’s face turns red so fast it was like a fire ignited inside her cheeks.

Getting taunted like that must’ve hurt. But losing like this ……

“No matter how solid an anaguma may be, one with a floating heart can never take advantage of it. Remember this well ……,” says Ms. Shakando with a faint grin as she reaches next to the board and picks up her glass of water. After thoroughly enjoying a few gulps, she turns to talk to me. “Young Ryuo.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know why it was that Ginko lost?”

“Well …… I think the direct cause was on move ninety-seven, when Big Sis deployed a Pawn at 4 Six. If she’d put it down at 4 Seven, then there still might have been–––.”

“No.”

“Come again?”

“Ginko lost because she is but a young maiden.”

“…… Are you saying that she hasn’t had an opportunity to study Normal Fourth-File Rook vs. Static-ana match records?”

“That reasoning isn’t even the half of it. I manipulated her heart by much simpler means …… As a result, winning was far easier than I expected. Seems like I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“???”

“Do you still not understand? What I’m saying is–––.”

“Sensei!!”

Big Sis tears into the conversation, speaking up for the first time. Ms. Shakando doesn’t look surprised at all. She glances at Big Sis with a hint of amusement in her eyes as she takes another sip of water.

I nervously try to soothe Big Sis, beet red and fuming. This loss has gotten so far under her skin, she might explode.

“Uh, um, Big Sis? I know it’s got to hurt, losing that badly to a normal Fourth-File with Static-ana, but you don’t have to get so angry–––.”

“SHUT UP! GET LOST!!”

“Going, going ……”

Y-Yeesh, what’s her problem ……? She’s acting like she only lost because I was there, like some kid throwing a temper tantrum.

I hurry to the stairwell, almost like getting chased away by Big Sis’s outburst of agony, and head upstairs where Ayumu is waiting.

They’re already lining up the pieces for their second match behind me, I can hear it.