“The sealing move is―――Deploy 8 Four Silver.”
Following the observer’s announcement, Ayumu’s white hand glides over to 8 Four and snaps down a Silver. He’s protecting his King now that it’s in nyugyoku but ......
The people watching can’t believe their eyes.
“Wh-What was he thinking?! The Pawn Kuzuryu put down can take the Horse for free!!”
“Nyugyoku in the first match ......?!”
Ayumu’s choice for the sealing moves doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s still part of the standard. I take the Horse using barely a second of waiting time.
The real problem is four moves away.
―――Challenge the King in my territory or ...... go for Double Nyugyoku?
That’s where this match is going to hit a crossroads to the future.
One path leads to a false future. Assuming that Ayumu got there using the 100 Awaji matches I released as a base and his research is perfect, I won’t stand a chance.
But, in a way, that’s the bright future.
Compared to the other path ...... which leads to the future beyond saving.
It’s the barren wasteland Awaji showed me again and again through our matches. The place that we always ended up no matter how many times I started over: my solution to Shogi.
Since Ayumu doesn’t have access to Awaji like I do, he hasn’t seen the wasteland yet.
Then, what if ......
―――What if I ...... pressed all the way to conclusion here and now ......?
What move would Ayumu play in response?
I take my eyes off the board to look Ayumu square in the face.
The Ayumu sitting there―――is bleeding out of his eyes.
“GAAAAHHHHHH?!”
I jump backward, gasping for air but still can’t breathe.
Shocked, Ms. Noboryou looks over at me.
“Kuzuryu-sensei? What’s the matter ......?”
“S-Sorry ............... It’s nothing ................ Oh! But, um―――”
Hurriedly getting back onto the cushion, I rub my eyes as hard as I can.
Only then do I realize I’d seen a mirage when reading deep into the board.
“Would it be alright ...... to turn down the thermostat just a little?”
“You want to make it cooler?”
I can practically hear it’s cold enough already in her voice as she looks in Ayumu’s direction.
“I have no objections.”
He answers without looking up at the board because he’s so far behind in waiting time. Of course, there’s no blood either.
Cool air flows into the arena and my heart finally calms down ......
That ...... was because I heard about Ika from Okito-sensei, right?
Was it a warning, maybe? If Ayumu or I play beyond human moving forward, one of us is going to break.
―――I saw Ika in that state. But Ayumu doesn’t know. Which means ......
That vision chose me.
An 8 Two Pawn to checkmate the offensive King.
“Mngh?!”
Ayumu lets out a soft grunt.
Then, an expression I never expected appears on his face.
He looks―――kind of sad.
“So ............ This is your ............”
I might’ve seen it wrong, though.
Because he declares with gusto not a second later.
“...... Then I shall cut you down!!”
“You can try!”
That triggers a head-on clash.
I put Ayumu in check, he blocks it. His King has far fewer protective pieces, but closing in on it all at once is just too difficult now that it’s reached my second row.
“I am a Knight of the Board! A battle of Kings would please me to no end!!”
Ayumu gets payback right away, putting my King on a check path.
That’s when I commit all my strength to a second check rush! Only one path leads to survival, and I highly doubt that Ayumu has enough time to read all the way to the end.
However, he didn’t mess up.
“Whaaa?! H-How’d the King get ......?!”
Ayumu finds a way to horizontally slide the King into my deepest row, making all my checks pointless!
It’s like the hero of an action movie is barely holding onto the roof of a skyscraper by their fingertips. Nyugyoku is one of the most complex situations in Shogi, and Ayumu found the one and only correct answer.
Just as he said he would, Ayumu leads his King on a collision course with mine.
“Behold―――Game set!!”
I watch in disbelief as my attack fizzes out. The instant it’s gone, Ayumu reaches for his piece stand and takes hold of a Bishop as if drawing a blade from its scabbard. He then brings it down in one swift stroke.
―――That’s one heck of a way to go out ......
I was mentally prepared to lose the instant I decided to engage head-on, but I didn’t think I’d be sliced down so vividly. The amount of preparation Ayumu put into this title match goes way beyond my expectations.
That’s why it hurts so much. I might actually cry.
“I lost.”
After visiting the restroom to get my kimono straightened out, I wipe the tears out of my eyes and lower my head.
And so, Kuzuryu-Crown throws in the towel on move 135.
“...... Thank you.”
There seemed to be more he wanted to say, but he’s got nothing left in the mental tank. He literally gave every ounce of his being to checkmate my King.
“Kannabe 8-dan! Congratulations on your victory!!”
“Please tell us what you’re going to focus on for the next match!!”
I watch as the media people descend on my best friend before leaving the arena… alone.
The arena moves to my home turf for the second match: Kansai.
Kobe’s parlor: Arima Onsen.
Said to have been the favorite of a prominent sixteenth century samurai named Hideyoshi Toyotomi, people in Osaka and Kyoto flock there because it’s a doable day trip away.
Since there’s a ropeway connecting it with the farm and athletic facilities in Rokkousan, there are a ton of children here too.
So, naturally, kids are all over the place. Even in the arena.
“Go win, Kuzuryu-sensei!”
“You can beat him!”
A group of grade school kids wave at me from the lower seat side of the board. It’s not uncommon for local kids to come to title matches on a field trip, but ...... these kids are from the heart of Osaka.