“The victor, Yuki-ma-淵 five-dan.”
With the referee's decision.
The chess club venue erupted in gasps.
The players around who were still in the middle of their games basically stopped, turning to look this way with shocked expressions.
It’s over?
No way! (Shrimp sitting on a chair looking at the screen.jpg)
Basically, their games had just started to pick up.
Most had only played a few opening moves, they hadn’t even started to truly play against each other.
It’s over already?
Isn’t that a bit absurd?
The players from the two nearby tables couldn’t help but be curious and stood up to look at Yuki-ma-淵's board.
Then, their expressions turned to horror.
This is too cruel.
It was a complete one-sided massacre.
It’s so brutal, it makes me feel sorry for looking!
These players cast pitying looks at Ken-ichi Shodan.
If they had to play a game like this next, they wouldn’t be able to eat for at least three days.
Ken-ichi Shodan: No, seven days!
Ken-ichi Shodan: You guys don’t even know what I’ve been through.
They bowed to each other.
Ken-ichi Shodan walked towards the rest area, looking dejected, his steps unsteady.
Yuki-ma-淵 stood up and gave a smile towards the audience.
Sora-ginko saw this.
Sora-ginko covered her face with both hands.
She would actually worry about this monster.
As for the other audience members, they all fell silent upon seeing Yuki-ma-淵's smile.
How to put it?
It felt like there was blood on the corners of his lips as he smiled.
Those who came to watch the official tournament were all professional players, or at least they all understood shogi.
So, the undisguised killing intent on the board sent a chill down the spines of the audience.
Anyway, no one was going to say ‘泯然众人’ anymore.
The official tournament would last for a month and a half, a time span that was not short.
The subsequent official matches were usually played every two or three days, or once a week.
Only the opening day of the tournament had a special system of three consecutive matches for elimination.
Yuki-ma-淵 waited briefly in the rest area, his opponent for the next round finished his first round.
After that, it was the third round.
The next two matches were played at an average speed of eighty moves, Yuki-ma-淵 completed the first day of the official tournament.
When Yuki-ma-淵’s name appeared on the screen on the left side of the chess club, displaying the list of winners who had advanced.
Some players hadn’t even finished the first round.
“So strong...”
“This is beyond logic!”
“Is this the true meaning of ‘the undefeated genius’?”
There were quiet murmurs within the venue.
Yuki-ma-淵 exited the competition area.
Sora-ginko also walked quickly from the audience area.
“Let’s go, Gin-ko, let’s go home, I wonder what kind of dishes Keiko-san will be making today?”
Yuki-ma-淵’s expression became somewhat expectant.
After the official tournament, it was customary to go to the master’s house for a meal.
However, Sora-ginko was not happy, she raised her hand.
She used the folding fan in her hand to lightly tap Yuki-ma-淵’s head.
“You idiot, after the official tournament ends, there is still an interview!”
As a public event, shogi also requires reporting and traffic.
So, a post-match interview is naturally also required.
“That kind of thing, it’s fine, I’m outta here.” Yuki-ma-淵 dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
Sora-ginko stared at Yuki-ma-淵.
‘I must be crazy to worry about this guy.’
Such thoughts popped up in her small head.
In the end, Yuki-ma-淵 could not escape.
He was dragged by Sora-ginko to the third floor’s reward meeting rest area, waiting for the end of the official tournament.
“It’s been a while, Yuki five-dan.”
Someone was already waiting there in the rest area.
“It’s been a while, it’s an honor to greet you.”
Yuki-ma-淵 responded politely.
The young man sitting before him.
Tsukiakari-Seishi Kudan, the current president of the Shogi League, the Shogi official, the Eternal Meijin, a living legend of the shogi world.
If he hadn’t suddenly become blind at the age of twenty, perhaps he would have created even more records.
So they say the gods envy talent.
Back then, after Yuki-ma-淵 rushed into the professional four-dan at an extraordinary speed.
The president himself had personally come to visit Yuki-ma-淵.
The two of them had a pleasant chat.
“I am very happy to hear news from you again.”
“Thanks for your concern, I finally have the strength to return here.”
“No matter what happened in the past, it’s good that you’re back here.”
“Yes.”
If it were anyone else, sitting here and talking in such a senior tone, Yuki-ma-淵 wouldn’t have listened.
The upper and lower class concepts in Sakura-no-Kuni were severe.
But Yuki-ma-淵 didn’t care much.
But Tsukiakari-会长 was different.
Back then, the Yuki family had an incident, and Yuki-ma-淵 left the shogi world.
This Tsukiakari-会长 somehow learned about this.
And provided Yuki-ma-淵 with considerable help.
So even though Yuki-ma-淵 was out of the shogi world for three years, he still respected Tsukiakari-会长, and he would greet him during the holidays.
“Alright, you’re so formal every time we meet, have some tea.”
Tsukiakari revealed a helpless smile, his fingers lightly explored the surface of the table, and then pushed the teacup towards Yuki-ma-淵.
Yuki-ma-淵 picked up the teacup with both hands and took a sip.
After waiting.
The first day of the official tournament finally ended.
As the winner who survived the brutal first round, Yuki-ma-淵 had to go for an interview.
“So, Tsukiakari-会长, I will take my leave then.”
“Go go.”
After Yuki-ma-淵 left.
Tsukiakari revealed a relieved smile.
“会长?”
Tsukiakari’s female assistant helped him stand up, she couldn’t quite understand his attitude, and asked softly.
“It’s good that he is back.” Tsukiakari looked in the direction of the door with his sightless eyes. “It would be a loss to the entire shogi world if someone like him were to stop here.”
Upon hearing this, the female assistant’s mouth opened slightly.
She had also seen Yuki-ma-淵's shogi just now, it was very good.
But this evaluation was too exaggerated.
In Tsukiakari-会长’s mouth, even the ‘Meijin’ hadn’t received such an exaggerated evaluation.