I arrived at the Hotel New Awaji a mere five minutes before the pre-game reception began. Despite the reprimands I received for cutting it so close, the event concluded without incident. Now alone in my room, I am scrolling through my smartphone. Ten'ai's interview was uploaded online immediately, so I took a look.
▼ You have become the youngest player in history to qualify for the Unified Preliminaries at nine years and seven months old. How do you feel?
「I am overjoyed. However, the Unified Preliminaries still lie ahead, so I intend to tighten my focus and ensure I do not become complacent.」
▼ Who was the first person you shared the joy of victory with?
「My master. I called him at his current location on Awaji Island to share the news, and he told me, 'Congratulations.'」
▼ To what do you attribute your four consecutive victories?
「I suspect the professional ladies went a bit easy on me, don't you think?」
▼ Did your master teach you any specific strategy?
「He strongly and repeatedly advised me on only one thing: be careful not to commit a foul.」
...Who on earth is this girl?
『She certainly provided testimony proving your presence on Awaji Island, didn't she?』 (Ai)
(That is not the issue. She is speaking with such suspicious and alien politeness. Did her part-time job at the reception desk influence her to this extent?) (Ōki)
『Or perhaps feigning innocence and sweetness immediately after trying to "capture every piece" of her opponent... that might be a viable style as well.』 (Ai)
Incidentally, while qualifying for the Mynavi Open requires four consecutive wins, there is also a repechage system for those who lose. Keika-san managed to advance through that route. Her final opponent was Kayo Shinden—the very player Ten'ai had defeated earlier. It seems Shinden-san played abysmally and lost, likely due to the trauma inflicted by Ten'ai. May her soul rest in peace.
The members of the JS Ken (Young Girls' Research Association) are scheduled to head to Tokyo tomorrow, accompanied by Ten'ai. I believe their plan involves visiting Hatomori Shrine, where they will watch the broadcast of the Kitei (Shogi Emperor) match. There, all viewers of the Niconico Live stream will witness Kuzuryu completely fixated on the chest of Tamayo Kano, a Ladies Professional 2-dan.
Then again, he can hardly be blamed. He is sixteen years old. Even I would likely find my eyes drifting unconsciously toward her chest were she sitting right next to me.
『Would you stop thinking about such nonsense and go to sleep?』 (Ai)
(I woke up early today. Frankly, chaperoning my student to the Mynavi tournament was perhaps conduct unbecoming of a major title challenger.) (Ōki)
『Have you finally realized that? In fact, your behavior today might be off-putting to people, even when viewed through the lens of a "doting master."』 (Ai)
(Quiet. This is Ten'ai's first tournament, do you understand? It is the first time the results of my training are on public display. I had no choice but to watch!) (Ōki)
With this, Ten'ai secured her qualification for the Unified Preliminaries. The road to challenging for the "Queen" title remains long and arduous, but judging by her performance today, things appear to be proceeding smoothly.
On the day following the Mynavi Women's Open Challenge Match, Kuzuryu escorted the members of the "Research Group"—including Ten'ai and Ai—to visit Hatomori Shrine, after which they all headed to the Tokyo Shogi Hall. Once there, Kuzuryu entrusted the supervision of the young girls to Keika so he could leave to provide commentary on the "Kisei" title match.
「From the first move until the very end?! Doesn't commentary for title matches last more than ten hours...?」 (Ai)
「Certainly. However, since Ōki is the one fighting today, the actual match time will likely be cut in half.」 (Kuzuryu)
「Huh? Oh, Master Ōki... What?」 (Ai)
「That's right. It is the third round of the "Kisei" title battle that Master is overseeing... Goodness, he really shouldn't have come here on the eve of such an important match.」 (Keika)
While Ai remained astonished by the nature of Kuzuryu's work, he explained that today was easier precisely because the match involved Ōki. He barely consumes his allotted thinking time—a trait for which commentators are deeply grateful.
The young girls entered the training hall within the Shogi Kaikan, but Ten'ai announced she would play only a single round before resting. Afterward, she began watching the live stream featuring Kuzuryu on her tablet. The camera focused on the match room had not yet captured the players.
「We can now see the match witness, Kiyotaki (9-dan), and the match recorder, Konogi (Shoreikai 1-dan).」 (Kanoba)
「Yes, our Master is there.」 (Kuzuryu)
While Kiyotaki busied himself with meticulously adjusting the positioning of the floor cushions, the two competing players entered. With the time limit set at four hours for each side, this marked the start of a relatively fast-paced confrontation compared to standard title battles. After Kanoba—who seemed well-accustomed to the atmosphere—introduced the current titleholder, Taishi Shinokubo, she steered the conversation toward Kuzuryu.
「Now, let us introduce the challenger playing Sente (First Player). I assume you know him best, Mr. Kuzuryu, do you not?」 (Kanoba)
「Indeed. The challenger is Ōki 7-dan. Immediately after turning professional, he shattered the all-time record with a twenty-nine-game winning streak. He is the man who utterly vanquished the strongest AI in the previous 'Electronic Shogi War,' earning the moniker 'Software Killer.' Given his overwhelming win rate, he has been dubbed the 'Undefeated General.'」 (Kuzuryu)
「Ōki 7-dan is also famous for rarely exhausting his allotted thinking time, isn't he?」 (Kanoba)
「That is correct. He is also renowned as only the fourth player in history to achieve a victory without consuming a single minute of his time.」 (Kuzuryu)
No sooner had the introductions concluded than the titleholder's hand paused as he pondered his next move. While a silence of ten or twenty minutes hardly constitutes a "long thought" by title match standards, the nature of a live broadcast demands that the void be filled with conversation.
Just then, information regarding the first "snack break" arrived. Kisei title matches begin at 9:00 AM, with the sweets served at 10:00 AM. Given the immense popularity of this segment among viewers, it was inevitable that Kuzuryu and Kanoba would discuss it.
「Shogi Emperor Shinokubo ordered an iced coffee without ice and Japanese sweets, while Ōki 7-dan requested strawberry Häagen-Dazs—frozen rock-hard.」 (Kanoba)
「Emperor Shinokubo has opted for the recent trend. In contrast, Ōki follows his own path, as usual.」 (Kuzuryu)
「He seemed slightly displeased during the second round of the title match because the matcha Häagen-Dazs was melting, so this time he specifically requested it be thoroughly frozen.」 (Kanoba)
「Professional Shogi players typically avoid ice cream as it chills the stomach... yet Ōki eats it with great relish.」 (Kuzuryu)
「Does Ōki 7-dan not get a stomachache?」 (Kanoba)
「Oh, he must have suffered from it several times before. In fact, when Ōki actually consumes time on his clock, it is usually because he is in the restroom.」 (Kuzuryu)
In title matches, management generally fulfills any snack request as long as the item is commercially available. Throughout this title battle, Ōki has consistently ordered Häagen-Dazs at every break, sparking mixed reactions online such as: "What an arrogant guy," "His way of enjoying a small luxury is cute," "I hope he gets diarrhea," and "Now I'm craving Häagen-Dazs, too."
Subsequently, Kuzuryu began explaining the previous moves, yet his fixation on Kanoba's chest was so blatant that the viewers clearly noticed. Mocking comments flooded in: "The Scum Dragon is staring at her chest ravenously, lol," and "He is still a teenager; he can't help it." Reading these, Ten'ai sighed. When she lifted her head, she saw Ai staring with lifeless eyes.
「What is Master doing?」 (Ai)
「He is explaining my master's moves. While being completely captivated by a professional player's chest.」 (Ten'ai)
「...I am going to go over there for a moment, okay?」 (Ai)
「...Do as you please. Honestly, the sight is insufferable.」 (Ten'ai)
Ai walked unsteadily out of the Shogi Hall, heading toward Kuzuryu's location. Upon seeing this, Ten'ai heaved another sigh and ran to catch up with her.