156: The Unstoppable Ginko
"Damn, I almost got late. I shouldn't have shown off using supercomputing at Otosaka's place yesterday."
Due to the aftereffects, Hakuto nearly slept through his alarm. If not for his strong willpower, he would have been late.
Fortunately, he still arrived at the venue before Ginko's match began.
At this moment, Ginko was wearing a black and blue kimono, as dazzling as her hair and the ornaments adorning it.
Upon seeing Hakuto, Ginko, seated beside the board, slowly unfolded her folding fan, covering half of her face.
Hakuto, on the other hand, discreetly whispered "Victory" to Ginko.
Though the distance between them wasn't enough for her to hear the word clearly, their long-time companionship allowed Ginko to immediately understand his intent.
She lowered her fan and gave a slow nod.
"The ranking promotion match will now begin. Players, please take your seats."
Shortly after, Ginko's match commenced. Due to her special status, a dedicated camera was set up to record her game.
Although Ginko was hailed as the strongest female player, ranking promotion matches didn't differentiate between men and women.
Sitting across from her was a man who appeared to be in his twenties.
"Pleased to play with you."
"Pleased to play with you."
As per custom, they exchanged respectful bows before focusing entirely on the board.
Just as Ginko had always said, she had a reason why she couldn't afford to lose! No matter what, she had to win!
Hakuto, however, wasn't particularly worried about Ginko's chances. He believed she was fully capable of handling this match.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt someone's gaze on him.
Instinctively, he turned his head and saw that Kuzuryuu Yaichi was sitting not far away, his full attention locked onto him.
Noticing this, Hakuto gave him a playful smile.
He was somewhat familiar with the goings-on of the shogi world. Not long ago, Kuzuryuu Yaichi had secured the title of Ryuuou (Dragon King).
After all, with his undeniable strength and a bit of luck, obtaining the Ryuuou title wasn't too surprising.
But Hakuto didn't care about any of that. In his eyes, even if Kuzuryuu Yaichi managed to claim the Eternal Seven Crowns, he would still lose to him on the board.
No, not just him—anyone would lose to him in a match. Unless, of course, they weren't human.
Seeing that Kuzuryuu Yaichi was still staring at him, Hakuto couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's wrong? Does the youngest Ryuuou in the shogi world see something weird on my face?"
Kuzuryuu Yaichi shook his head without saying a word, simply retracting his gaze.
Hakuto had initially expected him to bring up the topic of playing a match, but judging by his demeanor, it seemed like the previous incident had improved his mindset.
Meanwhile, on Ginko's side, her relentless attacks, fueled by her determination to win, granted her a significant advantage.
She had brought the title of "The Snow White of Naniwa" into the ranking promotion match!
It didn't take long before Ginko claimed victory.
"I lost… The title 'Snow White of Naniwa' truly lives up to its name."
"Thank you for the match."
After securing her victory, Ginko instinctively glanced toward the spectator area where Hakuto was seated.
She found him looking at her as well, his face filled with admiration.
Since the other matches were still ongoing, they didn't exchange words but communicated through eye contact.
[Ginko, that was incredible! You won effortlessly!]
[Stop flattering me. There are still two more matches to go...]
[Huh? There are more? I thought we could go eat now.]
[Who told you the ranking promotion match was decided in just one game? And wait, did you come here without having breakfast?]
[I was in a rush…]
[I'll finish quickly… Also, I still want to hear about that dream of yours from two days ago.]
Perhaps it was the bond they had built over time, but they could understand each other's thoughts without needing words.
With two more matches ahead, Hakuto decided to settle in and watch the other games.
However, the more he watched, the more he struggled to sit still. His immense computational ability allowed him to find the optimal move for every position.
Because of this, he had the urge to start pointing things out—just like how old men in the park always felt compelled to comment on ongoing chess games.
But such behavior would be highly inappropriate, and with an official match in progress, he'd likely be thrown out for interfering.
To keep himself from getting too annoyed, he shifted his gaze away from the matches.
That was when he noticed something—at some point, Ginko's mentor, Kiyotaki Kousuke, had taken a seat beside him.
"Long time no see, Kiyotaki-san."
"It has been a while, kid," Kiyotaki Kousuke replied, patting Hakuto's shoulder.
Hakuto was quite curious about Kiyotaki Kousuke, a distinguished ninth-dan shogi player.
If he were to compete purely with his natural computational ability, without activating his special power, how far could he go against a ninth-dan player?
"I knew it—you wouldn't miss Ginko's match."
"Of course. There's no way I'd skip a match like this."
"By the way, kid, are you really not planning to join the Shogi Federation?"
Kiyotaki Kousuke highly respected Hakuto's abilities and acknowledged his immense talent.
After all, how many amateurs could defeat a professional seventh-dan player?
Even if the opponent had underestimated him, this wasn't something that could be explained by talent alone—it was as if he had retained memories from a past life, or that the waters of the River of Forgetfulness had been diluted.
"Maybe someday. I made a promise with Ginko—once she becomes a professional player, I'll join the Federation."
"A professional player, huh…" Kiyotaki Kousuke sighed at those words.
Shogi has always been an incredibly tough field for women.
At just sixteen, Kuzuryuu Yaichi had already reached seventh dan, and after securing the Ryuuou title, he was promoted to eighth dan.
Yet Ginko, despite being the strongest female player, was only at second dan…
Her talent was undeniable, and she worked incredibly hard, but reality was harsh.
"A female professional player… No woman has ever reached that level. Do you really believe Ginko can make it?"
Hearing this, Hakuto chuckled. "Shouldn't her mentor have more confidence in her than I do?"
Kiyotaki Kousuke nodded.
The thought of having both the youngest Ryuuou and the first female professional player as his disciples made him want to laugh.
"Once you enter the Federation, I can already picture the pained expressions of the other players."
"The Federation is just a stepping stone. If I'm going to play shogi, then my goal is all seven major titles."
Ryūō (King Dragon), Meijin (Grand Master), Ōi (King), Ōshō (King), Kisei (Chess Sage), Ōza (King), and Kiō (King)
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