After Tenai secured two consecutive wins against Sora in the Queen Tournament and came within one step of the title, Tenai and Sora faced off again in Shoreikai matches. Sora, holding the rank of 2-dan, had achieved 7 consecutive wins, while Tenai stood at 11 wins and one loss.
Even if Tenai loses this match, she will still be promoted as long as she does not lose three times consecutively in her next three games. Similarly, even if Sora loses, she will promote if she achieves 5 wins and 3 losses in her remaining eight games, so their nerves should theoretically be relatively calm.
However, undoubtedly, both want to secure their promotion here. Sora is a 2-dan and Tenai is a 1-dan, so Tenai will start first (Black). When I tried to watch this anticipated match in the professional players' room, I found it difficult to enter because everyone was focused on the fourth round of the "Meijin" tournament.
But wait, Oishi (Gyosho) has dedicated one of the screens to follow Sora and Tenai's match, and there seems to be a fair amount of interest in them. ...Karaka-san, who is fighting an uphill battle in the 3-dan league, is also here. Sora's followers are truly loyal.
「Good morning, Oishi (Gyosho). Karaka-san, I haven't seen you in a while. As I announced previously, I defeated AlphaZero.」 (Ōki)
「...It has been a long time, kid. I was there and watched your victory over Teacher Google's AlphaZero. Thanks to you, Master Ōki, the "believers" in software superiority are in an unenviable position.」 (Karaka)
『Just a note, Karaka-san's way of addressing you changed from "Ōki-kun" to "Master Ōki."』 (Ai)
(Perhaps this is also evidence of awe, isn't it? For an ordinary human, fighting a long "patience battle" against software without committing a single error is impossible.) (Ōki)
It seems approval for updating the software was forced through after the professionals lost (with a negative score) in the unofficial match between last year's program and five "Kansai" players. The only person who won was Oishi (Gyosho). Is it possible that this person has also been significantly powered up?
『He played a huge number of matches with me at the "Gokigen Hot Springs," and the game records I gave him had a significant impact.』 (Ai)
(And ultimately, he succeeded in defending his title (Gyosho). I will wrest it from him next year, but that doesn't change the fact.) (Ōki)
『Do you intend to monopolize all titles except "Meijin" and "Ryu-O"? Once the "Handicap Adjustment after Three Games" system is realized, your number of matches might decrease rather than increase.』 (Ai)
(The high volume of matches now is because I am winning in the preliminaries and elimination tournaments.) (Ōki)
My plan for this year is to win the "Pan-O" (King of the Board) and "Oza" (Throne) titles, and next year I will seize the "Ei-O" and "Gyosho" titles. Perhaps I am the only one capable of drawing such an "arbitrary" future map.
In the match between Tenai and Sora, Tenai chose the "Opposing Rook" style. In response, Sora began building an Anaguma (Bear-in-the-hole) castle. ...This means she is afraid of losing and is resorting to hiding in the hole. Has her spirit not already broken?
「Tch, Anaguma with Static Rook.」 (Oishi)
「You have always hated the "Static Rook Anaguma" since the old days, Mitsuru-kun. But a "Static Rook Anaguma" composed of 4 Gold and Silver generals is the solidest castle in the world.」 (Karaka)
「Even for a "software believer," is the "Static Rook Anaguma" the solidest in the world?」 (Ōki)
「I stopped worshiping software. As long as there is a human that software cannot defeat, they are not gods.」 (Karaka)
Upon seeing Sora's "Static Rook Anaguma," Oishi (Gyosho) suffered a sort of allergic reaction. Frankly, the "Static Rook Anaguma" is the natural enemy of the "Ranging Rook" style. And Karaka-san declared his abandonment of software worship. It seems I have caused people like him to appear all over Japan.
However, to an outside observer, it might not be clear that she hid in the hole out of fear. "Ai" tells me this so I know, and Tenai possesses keen insight, so I suspect she realizes it too. Tenai built a quick Takamino castle, skipping two Knight jumps, and chose to initiate the battle before the Gold in square 6-1 could move. Sora responded because she could not allow Tenai to take a pawn in front of the Rook for free, but this would lead to an exchange of pieces and opening up the game (Sabaki).
「If a piece exchange happens now, will the position be even?」 (Karaka)
「No, Tenai holds a slight advantage. As expected, Mino and Takamino are excellent in many respects.」 (Ōki)
Since these two came to cheer for Sora, they might view things with a slight bias in her favor, but the reality is that Tenai is ahead. As long as Sora's Anaguma is not completed in time, the offensive battle favors Tenai.
It seems Sora realized this as well, attempting to reinforce her defenses, but her movement was slow. Tenai exploited that gap to crush a point that could serve as a launchpad for an attack. After two losses in the Queen Tournament, and adding this Shoreikai exam, this would be the third consecutive defeat against Tenai. It is the time when a psychological "inferiority complex" begins to form.
『As expected, she mobilized forces at point 2-3 and crushed it. For Tenai's Takamino to remain intact as is represents a humiliating defeat for Sora.』 (Ai)
(...Wait. In the fourth round of the Meijin Tournament as well, does it seem the "Meijin" is about to win before the "Sealed Move"? If he wins this match, he will hold the sole record for historical victories... I feel as though the puzzle pieces have fallen into place, haven't they?) (Ōki)
『Let's send a message to Kuzuryu just in case. If Sora leaves without taking her smartphone, it is certain.』 (Ai)
(You are right. Oh, she can still resist, yet she resigned? Has Sora's heart broken?) (Ōki)
I sent a message to Kuzuryu via LINE: 「Sora rushed out of the Shogi Hall with a pale, lifeless face. She did not take her phone.」 Kuzuryu replied with "Roger" and another message saying he was going to search for her. Wait? Isn't it bad for Kuzuryu to leave while she is heading to his house?
"Ai" is also at Kuzuryu's house, so will a heartbroken Sora and "Ai" end up together at Kuzuryu's house? Good heavens, the situation looks dangerous.
After praising Tenai, who returned with a bright face, and escorting her home, I called Kuzuryu to confirm. I learned that Sora attempted suicide by hanging in her apartment room. Apparently, Kuzuryu broke into the room and tackled her to the floor the moment she was about to hang herself... But, how many hours did Sora wait "on the verge" of hanging?
Mathematically, it can only be explained if she waited for about two hours, correct? Or did she suddenly decide to die two hours after arriving home? Either way, it is clearly a move to "seek attention" (Kamatte-move).
Ultimately, it seems Sora and Kuzuryu will head to Kuzuryu's hometown in Fukui, spending time there until the third round of the Queen Tournament. The third round will be held at a traditional restaurant (Ryotei) in the Kita district of Osaka. ...Was the schedule for the "Wedding Hall" in Kobe unavailable, I wonder?
『Incidentally, the "event" where Tenai's grandfather is on the verge of death did not occur.』 (Ai)
(He wasn't on the verge of death to begin with. It is the "pretending to be on the verge of death event." In that event, Kuzuryu signed a betrothal document with Tenai once, then tore it up and annulled it, didn't he?) (Ōki)
『Since you are the Master here, perhaps it didn't happen because they expected you would accept the offer with joy?』 (Ai)
(...No... Do you think so...?) (Ōki)
『This means your true nature as a "perverted Lolicon who loves big breasts" has been exposed, and consequently, the event did not occur.』 (Ai)
(I will deny the "Lolicon" attribute only. As for the other two attributes, I will not deny them.) (Ōki)
In the original story, around the time of the decisive match to determine the challenger for the Queen title, Yashajin Koten (Tenai's grandfather) acts out a death scene, and there is a scene where Kuzuryu holds a wedding ceremony with a doll that looks exactly like Tenai wearing a white dress. ...I am not Kuzuryu, and I do not care if it happens or not, but I wanted to see that doll resembling Tenai.
I feel a mix of loneliness and regret, or perhaps I feel nothing. In any case, I will look forward to Tenai's third round in the Queen Tournament. The fact that they returned to his hometown implies the "Sealed Kiss" has occurred, and they must have discovered their feelings are mutual.
...And perhaps they went beyond the kiss. Sora hasn't entered the 3-dan league yet (so there is no strict prohibition). I am interested to know if Sora's Shogi will truly become stronger after this. Although it would be annoying in several ways if she became strong enough that Tenai could not defeat her.
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