(I wonder why Kuzuryu is nicknamed "Loliking" and "The Best Breeder," with bad rumors trailing him, while no such scandalous gossip spreads about me? I've started feeling curious about this lately.) (Ōki)
『Then let me offer you the available options:
A: Kuzuryu's relationships with women are so terrible that your actions don't stand out by comparison.
B: Your appearance does not appeal to women, Master, so you don't become a target of envy.
C: The Yashajin family is doing its utmost and using all its influence to prevent any bad rumors about you from spreading.
D: Because your master is Chairman Gekko.
Please choose whichever you like.』 (Ai)
(...When Ai talks like this, the answer is usually either "all of the above" or "none of the above." Wait? Is the Yashajin family that powerful even in matters like this?) (Ōki)
『Modern-day Yakuza are strong at handling the internet as well. They even employ specialists for this purpose.』 (Ai)
(They are businessmen! Now they are just businessmen! ...But with so many employees, I wouldn't rule out the existence of internet experts among them.) (Ōki)
On the second day of the Kyoto trip, the day of the third round of the Yamashiro Ouka Tournament. Seeing that the members of the "Primary School Girls Research Group" (JS-Ken) had come to watch Kuzuryu and Ai, I asked Ai (the AI) why I wasn't plagued by such a bad reputation. One of the proposed answers was that my face doesn't appeal to women. Wait? Despite that, I see comments on forums calling me "cute" quite often... Ugh, it would have been better if I hadn't noticed that.
Today we can also watch the match commentary by Kuzuryu and Ai, so I'll watch from the general standing area. The sight of the JS-Ken members sitting in the VIP seats in the front row brought a smile to my face. I took a great photo of Kuzuryu surrounded by elementary school girls.
"G-G... Good morning, e-everyone! (stumbling over words)
I am Hinatsuru Ai, and I will be serving as the assistant. With us is the commentator, who is not 'Shisho' (my master) but... uh..." (Ai - The Disciple)
"I will be handling the commentary. I am Kuzuryu Yaichi." (Kuzuryu)
Kuzuryu said they were the "second youngest master-disciple pair" in the Shogi world, but in truth, the "youngest pair" is Ten'ai and me. Based on birthdates, Ai (the disciple) was born before Ten'ai, and Kuzuryu was born before me. So, even though the age gap between master and disciple is the same, we are younger, despite all of us being in the same school grades.
Perhaps due to nervousness, Ai dropped the microphone midway, but the audience seemed satisfied and happy just to see her, so there was no problem. ...The assistant position offers a chance to receive direct instruction from the professional player doing the commentary, which is why many female professionals take advantage of this situation. Thus, there are those who ask questions that serve their own interests a little, like Kanojiwa-san.
『Ai (the disciple)'s popularity is extremely high. Perhaps because she is one step away from challenging the Queen.』 (Ai)
(But it seems Ten'ai's popularity is higher. She always wears black clothes on match days, making her easy to remember visually.) (Ōki)
Ai has become famous enough to have fans chasing her, and Ten'ai, although not officially a professional yet, has gained popularity surpassing Ai's. It seems interest in the main tournament final will be very high. However, when Ten'ai wears regular clothes, she looks just like an ordinary elementary school student, so she succeeds in disguising herself.
『As for you, Master, simply wearing "fashion" glasses (without prescription) is enough to complete your disguise. In fact, even without glasses, your presence is so faint that no one would notice you.』 (Ai)
(Shut up. Since Chairman Gekko, who can sense people's presence despite his blindness, sometimes fails to sense mine, I am well aware that my presence is weak, but there's no need to remind me.) (Ōki)
As for the third round of the Yamashiro Ouka Tournament, things proceeded as I had initially expected: a confrontation between "Static Rook" and "Ranging Rook with Anaguma." But ironically, the two players swapped roles. Koumeihan-san, who excels at Anaguma, played a Static Rook style with a "Silver Crown" (Ginkan) castle, while Tsukuyomizaka-san, who excels at Static Rook, adopted the Ranging Rook style with Anaguma. It is a clash of pride and stubbornness, and a truly high-level battle.
Suddenly, a strong wind attacked the Shogi board. All the pieces were scattered, and in the midst of the crucial final minute (one minute per move), playing became physically impossible. Under normal circumstances, time would be stopped to rearrange the pieces, but Tsukuyomizaka-san declared her move verbally. Koumeihan-san responded by declaring her move verbally as well, turning the match into a "Blindfold Shogi" battle (without looking at the board), a precedent never before seen in title matches.
"...Since it is 'Blindfold' Shogi, mistakes and weak moves are frequent." (Ten'ai)
"Don't say that. Just succeeding in completing the match this way is amazing in itself." (Ōki)
In the original story, voices were raised demanding this match be given the "Best Match Award," but unfortunately, because Kuzuryu and I produce matches worthy of this award in almost every round, the bar has been raised too high. For this reason, no one came forward to say it deserved the award. Perhaps that comment was originally just a whisper from a spectator, and without that person present, this "flag" (event) wasn't triggered.
Well, it is said that "Mental Shogi" (in the mind) is a skill mastered by any Shoreikai member (apprentice league) holding a Dan rank, and for female professionals to reach this level means they had the potential to become professionals (in the men's league). But Mental Shogi is a skill even some high-level amateurs possess. I believe Ai (the disciple) could play 3 games mentally from her early days, and it seems she has now reached 12 games.
In contrast, Ten'ai has reached the stage of "playing against 10 opponents of 8-Dan level simultaneously" in her internet training, which is the final stage of this training. ...Honestly, once she succeeded with "9 opponents of 7-Dan level," she gained enough strength to become a professional in the near future, but if she wants to catch up with and surpass Sora-san, she must gain even more strength. Therefore, I want her to train as much as possible during this available period.
The match between Tsukuyomizaka-san and Koumeihan-san ended with Koumeihan-san's victory, just as in the original story. Incidentally, Tsukuyomizaka-san said she would have lost by a one-move margin the moment the match turned into Blindfold Shogi, but in reality, there was a way to turn the tables. Kuzuryu seemed to have noticed it at an early stage, and Ai noticed it too. But Ten'ai noticed it faster than Ai.
"...Well, this is the current level of top female professionals. When I promised you at the beginning to make you 'the undefeated player,' I wasn't lying." (Ōki)
"Yes. It couldn't possibly be a lie. But, was your only concern related to Ai?" (Ten'ai)
"Even that concern has vanished as of today. You realized the way to turn the tables faster than Ai." (Ōki)
"...Why can my master know things like this? Is there a 'scouter' (energy detector) inside your head?" (Ten'ai)
I can't tell her: "It's not a scouter, but rather the Artificial Intelligence (Ai) that can analyze everything within my field of vision, which is terrifying," but I think Ten'ai has now managed to form an accurate picture of the female professionals' level.
Suddenly, I heard Tsukuyomizaka-san screaming from somewhere: "I'll kill you, you filth! I tried my best to give you advice to beat the 'Female Shogi Machine,' and you waste it!" Wait, who does she mean by "Female Shogi Machine"? Does she mean Ten'ai or Sora-san?
...The confrontation between Ten'ai and Ai is imminent. Before that, I have the third round of the Ki-Ou (Wise King) Tournament. I will achieve a quick victory to lay my hand on the title (reach "Checkmate" - match point) and move closer to defending it.
This Ki-Ou Tournament is the only one dedicated to Ai (the AI). The winner will undergo a "punishment game" consisting of a one-on-one duel against computer software in the "Electronic Mind War," and as long as this condition exists, I will leave this task to Ai from now on.
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Read +90 chapters ahead on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n : Raven737