Chapter 128 ⟴ Ai Hinatsuru's Admiration

"The Meijin's 3rd move demonstrates his profound understanding!"

"The Meijin's 14th move has secured a slight advantage!"

"The Meijin's 36th move has forced his opponent into a difficult position!"

"Though we don't know the opponent's identity, the Meijin is simply too strong!"

"Since the Chairman lost his match twenty years ago due to failing eyesight, the Meijin has remained undefeated!"

"Once this year's Ryūō tournament begins, the Meijin will surely claim the Ryūō title and defend his Lifetime Seven Crowns title!"

Machi Kugui, the match commentator, continued to praise the Meijin's reputation.

Invited by Rina Shakando, the Women's Professional Shōgi Association Chairwoman, she had been tasked with explaining the exciting matches between the Meijin and other players.

Their strategy was simple: use the Meijin's prestigious titles to attract public interest in shōgi.

While Machi had anticipated an intense match, the Meijin's sudden request to change opponents left everyone bewildered.

After all, he was the "Strongest Meijin in History"!

Even the Kisei (the title) Grandmaster yielded before the Meijin's strength, and his only worthy rival had vanished.

Now, facing a complete amateur who allegedly had never played shōgi before, Machi found herself at a loss for commentary. She defaulted to praising the Meijin instead.

After all, their primary goal was to spark public interest in shōgi.

Scanning the latest game updates on her phone screen, she continued: "The Meijin's 76th move has determined the game's direction!"

"Based on current analysis, this unknown player has no path to recovery — the game should conclude before the 150th move."

"97th Move: the Meijin's divine play has shattered his opponent's already weakened position!"

"107th Move: the Meijin's victory is assured. Though the unknown player struggles, the outcome is crystal clear!"

"124th Move: The Meijin is in check... huh? The Meijin was checkmated?"

Machi, who had just taken a sip of tea, froze in place.

Had she read the wrong script? How could the Meijin suddenly be checkmated from what seemed like a winning position?

Since her commentary contained professional shōgi terms, most spectators in the hall were simply there for the atmosphere.

But at the announcement of checkmate, both casual observers and professional players snapped to attention.

While they might not understand the technical terms, everyone knew what "checkmate" meant.

Even if ordinary players weren't familiar with terms like "Hisha", "Kinshō", or "Keima", "checkmate" was universally understood as the match-deciding move.

{T/N: Hisha=Rook, Kinshō=Gold General and Keima=Knight.}

The strongest Meijin in shōgi history had just been defeated by an amateur player — and the crowd was electrified.

"The strongest Meijin in history? This must be fake!"

"Is this some publicity stunt by the new shōgi hall? Trying to show that anyone can play?"

"Impossible — he's the Meijin, competing for the Ryūō title and Lifetime Seven Crowns. Why would he throw a match to an amateur?"

"Perhaps he saw his opponent's weak skills and let him win out of kindness?"

"Don't be ridiculous. This 'strongest Meijin' must be all talk. Give me three months, and I could beat him too."

"He's about to claim the Lifetime Seven Crowns — you think you compare? Do you even grasp what it means to be the strongest Meijin in history?"

"If he's so skilled, why did he lose? If he can't accept defeat, just say so instead of making excuses!"

"Nonsense!"

The vast gulf between casual spectators and professional players in the shōgi hall became apparent as both sides, heated with emotion, began to argue.

Machi watched the shōgi hall spiral out of control and panicked.

Ginko was secretly shocked by this scene — she hadn't expected Daiki's shōgi skills to surpass even the strongest Meijin.

He was merely playing to pass time. If he were to study seriously, wouldn't he dominate the entire shōgi world?

In a corner of the hall, a cute little girl watched the game record provided by Machi in amazement — it was truly spectacular.

"This is the master I've been looking for!" Ai Hinatsuru clenched her fists quietly, her eyes full of admiration.

The white-haired lady sitting beside her looked at Ai with resignation.

This child's dedication and love for shōgi was beyond imagination.

First, she had wanted to become Chairwoman Rina Shakando's disciple, and now she wanted to learn from this unknown player — she was truly unpredictable.

If they hadn't encountered this little girl while moving, they couldn't imagine how she had managed to travel such a long distance to reach Chiba. Whenever they mentioned calling the police to find her family, Ai would immediately threaten to run away.

This had forced her to move to Chiba with Ai and her daughter Sagiri Izumi.

"According to Teacher Eri Kashiwagi, Chiba should be the safest place. Hopefully, Sagiri won't see those unclean things anymore." Mrs. Izumi mused as she sat in the shōgi hall. Since Sagiri didn't like going out, she could only bring Ai to observe at this hall.

{T/N: Eri Kashiwagi=Eriri Spencer Sawamura. Sagiri and Mrs. Izumi is from the anime Eromanga Sensei.}

No one could have anticipated the momentous events they would witness.

The historically strongest Meijin had suffered a decisive defeat.

{T/N: The expression "meeting one's Waterloo" is used to describe a final defeat.}

To make matters worse, the spectators in the shōgi hall were on the verge of a brawl.

Fortunately, Rina stepped in and announced a second match, promising the Meijin would compete at his full strength.

This announcement managed to pacify both factions in the hall.

Machi regained her composure and turned her full attention to the second match.

Yet to everyone's astonishment, the Meijin's defeat came even swifter.

While the first game had lasted until move one hundred and twenty-four before checkmate, this second match ended at mere move ninety.

The third game concluded even more rapidly at move eighty-seven, after which the unknown player declined to continue.

How could the Meijin's devoted followers accept such unprecedented results?

The stakes had risen beyond mere victory — their champion's reputation hung in the balance!

What would become of his supporters' pride?

Even Rina could only stare at Ginko in disbelief.

And this was someone who claimed to have no interest in shōgi? If he ever took it seriously, he would revolutionize the entire shōgi world.

"A fixed match! This must be a fixed match! How could the prestigious Meijin of the shōgi world lose to an anonymous nobody!"

Suddenly, someone stepped forward in the shōgi hall, causing Rina's face to pale.

The newcomer was no ordinary person — but a mysterious Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Cursed Spirits emerge from people's negative emotions. Places like medical schools and shōgi research societies are breeding grounds for such dark feelings.

Medical school's reputation for misery speaks for itself. Similarly, shōgi societies host tournaments that crush ordinary people's professional aspirations.

Players like Keika radiate particularly intense negative emotions.

As the Women's Professional Shōgi Association Chairwoman, Rina had worked with Jujutsu Sorcerers before.

Her role involved helping them clear venues of civilians and providing safe spaces to exorcise Cursed Spirits — all to protect the public and prevent mass panic.

This particular Jujutsu Sorcerer was both a passionate shōgi enthusiast and a fervent admirer of the Meijin.

While it might seem strange for a high-ranking Jujutsu Sorcerer to idolize an ordinary person, such devotion wasn't uncommon.

There were even rumors of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer who was an obsessive celebrity fan.

Given his dedication to the Meijin, Rina had always kept a careful eye on this fan. Though he'd been peaceful until now, his temper had finally snapped.

Brushing aside the attempts of hall staff to stop him, he marched directly toward the game room.

"Damn it, I'll see for myself today! Who's the blind fool who dares to fix matches here!"

Using Cursed Energy to enhance his body, he shook off the staff and charged straight for Daiki's game room, with Rina racing after him.

Since inviting Daiki to play shōgi had been her idea, she couldn't let him take the blame. However, there was no way she could outrun a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

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