Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 7 - Chapter 1.6

  SCARS OF BATTLE

On the day B-2 was holding placement matches.

I left Ai with Keika and came to the association once I was sure dinner break was over.

The reason I went out of my way to make sure is simple, so I wouldn’t accidentally bump into Master.

Poking my head into the Player’s Room, the mood flips like a light switch. Everyone in here saw what happened between me and my Master the day before yesterday, so that’s a given.

At the same time, no one is bringing it up. Honestly, I’m glad.

Everyone huddled around the analysis boards is saying that Master has a good lead and things will only get better …… After a while, I relax enough to start cracking jokes.

Indeed, it looks like Master has this one in the bag with every passing move.

Just one more move. Play it, and there’ll be no way he can lose–––.

But the horrible way it ended has everyone around the boards frozen in disbelief.

“H-How ……?”

I was so sure he was going to win that I couldn’t believe my eyes when he lost.

Sure, it was the late game, but to be checkmated with that much waiting time left …… Checkmated in one.

It’s like he forgot which way the pieces go. That’s the way amateurs lose.

“Master …… H-How could Master lose like that ……?”

Pro players have a sense about how pieces move.

It’s hard to explain with words, it’s impossible for us to overlook something that simple. Because we figure out what we’re doing next in our heads without looking.

“Kiyotaki-sensei, losing like that hurts ……”

“…… Do you think maybe something’s seriously wrong with his health ……?”

“His ranking’s pretty low from last season because of that demotion point …… One more loss might be enough to get him demoted again ……”

“The Kiyotaki-sensei, demoted again? He was the Meijin Challenger five years ago, remember?”

“His Shogi hurts to watch these days ……”

Whispers start circulating all around the Player’s Room. The air in here is completely different from the usual fiery intensity. It’s more of a worn-out tension, harder to breathe …… That’s what it’s like toward the end of the placement matches and it’s already starting.

That’s Master’s seventh straight loss in the placement matches. He’s only won one.

The chance Master will be demoted just went up even more.

If he was serious about what he said at the celebration, then …… it would mean retirement is starting to feel real.

“! Master ……!!”

Getting worried, I completely forget about how our current situation would make things awkward and dash out of the Player’s Room.

Racing up the stairs, I notice someone coming down.

It’s Mr. Kagamizu.

Since he was the recorder for Master’s match, he must be on his way to the third-floor offices to submit the results.

“Mr. Kagamizu! Umm ……”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s …… about my Master. How is he? Does he look angry? Did he decline a review session?”

“Nope. He did it with a smile.”

“Come again?”

I have no idea what to say.

A smile? Even though he lost?

After losing like that …… Master is smiling?

“Well, it didn’t start out that way. I don’t blame him for being depressed after getting checkmated the way he did ……”

A grimace passes over his face as if recalling the exact moment it happened.

“But, he had a smile on his face halfway through the review session. His opponent read between the lines and let Kiyotaki-sensei have the floor, nodding in agreement to everything he said. So, I’m sure he’s fine.”

“If you think so ……”

“Kiyotaki-sensei is a veteran, an experienced one at that. He’ll forget all about losing after a few rounds of sake,” says Mr. Kagamizu before giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder and continuing down the stairs.

Yes …… He’s right.

Master is three times my age and has been a pro for over thirty years. It’s not like this is the first time he’s been hit with a checkmate in one.

But, most importantly–––.

“He’s an adult.”

Yeah. Master is an adult. He’s not some teenager like Big Sis or me, and certainly not a kid like Ai Hinatsuru. Adults have ways of controlling their emotions and their hearts are tough as nails. Adults don’t pout or cry.

I bet I’m just overthinking the retirement thing, too.

What he said at the celebration was just in the heat of the moment, our war of words pushed him that far. Even if he falls to C-1, Master will keep going like he always has.

So, everything’s fine! There’s nothing for me to worry about.

Reassured, I was about to go back to the Player’s Room, but–––.

“…… Maybe I should go say hello.”

This might be the chance I need to smooth things over between us. If all goes well, he might end up saying something like: Sorry ‘bout the other day. Came to watch, did ya? As long as ya’re here, let’s go grab a bite.

Hopes soaring, I turn on my heel and head back toward the arena.

Fifth floor––– the Black Corridor is silent and still.

I recognize the pair of worn-out black leather shoes sitting on the shelf outside.

Yeah, those are Master’s shoes. They’re the only ones left.

“That means the review session is over, doesn’t it? Well …… after what happened.”

His opponent wouldn’t have much to say. He must have cleared out pretty quick. I wouldn’t have seen him if he took the elevator.

––– …… Okay then, why is Master still here?

Getting a sense that something wasn’t right, I take my shoes off as quietly as possible.

Just as I did, a weird sound came through the door.

“? …… What’s that?”

It’s not pieces.

…… Sniffle, sniffle. More like a runny nose.

Like when someone’s crying.

Board and pieces long since put away, someone is crying in there with the lights shut off.

It’s Master.

He’s all by himself, hunched over under a single lamp …… Crying.

A few words made it through the painful sobs.

“……… Mulligan …… Mulligaaan ………”

Careful not to make a sound, I left as quickly as I could. There are certain things an apprentice should never see, and this is one of them.

It’s obvious which move he wants the mulligan for, the move he wants back.

No one can outgrow the pain of losing, being an adult doesn’t matter at all. Time doesn’t dull the pain no matter how old Shogi players get so long as they still play Shogi.

Tonight reminded me of that fact.