Shiratori The Ryuo's Work Is Never Done! Volume 7

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-7183-6368-7
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

As the placement matches begin, Yaichi sees his chance to climb even higher in the Shogi world ranks. But while his own career surges forward beyond his expectations, his Master, Kousuke Kiyotaki, is staring down demotion and retirement. Now, Kiyotaki must come to terms with the decline in his skills and adapt to the younger generation's playstyle or risk losing his long, hard-fought career.
Meanwhile, Ai Yashajin competes in the Mynavi Women's Open. With research and the Shogi sense to back it up, she must prove that she's earned her wings and can soar high above the competition...or come crashing down from her ascent.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Shiratori, Shirow

Weitere Mitwirkende

Gaippe, Andrew

Leseproben

I’m sure the chairman just wanted to sound cool, but...There’s nothing cool about this situation at all.

• (Prioritize Big Sis) ? Ai Hinatsuru gets angry and Ai Yashajin silently rages.
• (Prioritize Ai Hinatsuru) ? Big Sis gets angry and Ai Yashajin silently rages.
• (Prioritize Ai Yashajin) ? Ai Hinatsuru and Big Sis get angry, and Ai Yashajin becomes furious for some reason.

See? I’m screwed no matter what I do.

“Master? You’ll take my bouquet, right?”

Ai Hinatsuru, my first apprentice’s faith in me is unwavering.

“I-I’m not here...because I to be the one to give you the flowers, . But, everyone said the ceremony would be so depressing if I weren’t here to do it...Be grateful I came all this way and hurry up and take them, you jerk!”

Ai Yashajin looks away like she’s angry about something and thrusts the flowers out at me like a rapier.

“Ten seconds...Nine, eight, seven, six—”

As for Big Sis, she starts counting down the seconds.

This is more pressure than the late stages of a title match. I’m trembling...!

—What am I supposed to do?! Three choices...Which one is right?!

Hundreds of eyes are trained on me from all over the grand hall. Journalists zoom in their cameras. My apprentices are applying pressure. Big Sis’s voice, counting seconds one by one...With all of that bearing down on me at once, I desperately set to reading.

Read.

Read. Read. Read. Read read read read read read read read read read...

Then—I found it! I choose !

“This! Here is my answerrrrr—!”

“?!”

Holding my arms out wide, I jump off the stage and collect all three bouquets at once!

(Take all bouquets at the same time.)

In that moment, I reversed the check path reversal.

“...My word. Indecisive even under the perfect circumstances.”

“After all the chairman went through to provide a push, you find a way to make it all fall apart. Trash among trash, that’s what you are.”

Chairman Tsukimitsu shrugs as Ms. Oga lets out a long, frustrated sigh. Well, don’t expect any out of me!

“Mmgh~...!”

“...Humph.”

“...Tsk!”

Both my apprentices and Big Sis are making faces like they got forced into a Repetition Draw on offense. In other words, they’re not happy.

Shogi players love playing Shogi more than anything. Living in a world where everything is as cut and dry as win or lose, we develop the bad habit of making every little thing into a competition. This here has nothing to do with how they feel about me but more wanting to be prioritized, to . The worst...!

“W-Well, I’ve got to say all of you are looking very cute!”

All three bouquets in my arms and the biggest smile I can muster on my face, I force the conversation in a new direction.

“Seriously, those dresses are spectacular! They’re perfect for you! Did you borrow them from the hotel’s wedding chapel?”

“They are all designed by my hand,” an elegant voice echoes through the hall as a woman enters accompanied by a young man escorting her.

“That’s Women’s Myoseki, Rina Shakando...!”

“Which means the man leading her by the hand must be Ayumu Kannabe 6-...Aren’t they the picture-perfect Master and apprentice...?”

Whispers and impressed sighs start coming from all over the room.

The woman making a grand entrance dressed like someone straight out of some ancient dynasty is a Women’s League Title holder, a living legend known as the Eternal Queen.

Owning her own fashion brand as well as running her own shop out of her Shogi classroom in Harajuku, Ms. Shakando is one of the most unique Shogi players around.

She has such an overwhelming presence that even Big Sis listens to what she has to say. Now, that rare woman is pointing to each of the three girls with a fan that looks more like a peacock feather and starts describing each of her creations with pride.

“The bases were such high caliber that every moment spent coordinating was very much worth the time. There is no higher standard of beauty that these three are displaying, don’t you agree?”

“Yes! Yes! I totally agree!!” I yell loud enough to make sure the three of them hear me. “All of you are at least a hundred times cuter than usual! It made my decision so much harder~! That’s Ms. Shakando for you. There’s no mistaking her work.”

“Fufu. ’Tis the for professional Shogi players to be distraught. Presenting beautiful flowers such as these does much to lighten the celebratory mood, do they not?”

“...!”

Now that she pointed it out, the air in here is ...It’s far too tense to be called an award ceremony, for sure.

I know exactly why. It’s always this way this time of year.

“Although it cannot be helped...I simply wanted to soothe the atmosphere. After all, my beloved disciple is to receive an award of his own this day. Yes? God Cauldron.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ayumu, graciously bowing before her, won Group 6 of the Ryuo Title Match Preliminaries.

All of the group winners have gathered at this Anointing Ceremony to be recognized. That could be why Ayumu is pulling out all the stops...You know that picture of Napoleon when he became emperor in the history books? That’s Ayumu right now.

But everyone here is going along with his flashy outfit.

Ayumu may have lost to the Meijin the final Ryuo Title Match Qualifier, but his bold fighting style made him into a star player. This bizarreness is just making his name spread faster in the Shogi world.

.

For young Shogi pros, this nickname must simultaneously induce both anticipation and fear. Even though the man still refers to himself as the holy silver knight, or the god something, or whatever...

Said man Ayumu looks up at me with a competitive spark in his eyes and says, “All I did was conquer the lowest ranking group, number 6. The divide between us is still far too great, Dragkin...But, don’t you dare look away! For the season I claim your head is upon us!”

He still calls me that.

“I’m only above you in the Ryuo League, remember? You’ve got better records than me everywhere else, you’ve played more league matches, and you even have a better winning percentage. You’re so far ahead of me that there’s no point comparing...”

Admitting it out loud really hurts.

“That is due to your right to bypass the preliminaries as the titleholder and the fact that your title constantly aligns you with only the higher-ranking players.”

“But, I still can’t measure up to your over seventy-five percent win rate.”

“If I may, my darling apprentice possesses a one hundred percent win rate in placement matches. Though it’s plainly obvious, that is the best in recorded history,” Ms. Shakando chimes in with pride.

In other words, Ayumu has won every single one of his nearly thirty placement matches since he turned pro. Sir Ayumu is just too strong in placement matches.

“You’re turning him into one heck of a beast...”

“Because I’m raising him to meet my ideals. Players strong in placement matches are the players closest to the Meijin. Though I hesitate to say this at the Ryuo’s Anointment Ceremony, like us believe that the title of Meijin is the one to be revered and thus the one to strive for.”

I’m pretty sure I agree with that, actually.

Even I dreamt of back when I was a kid (just above being the receptionist at a hot spring bathhouse). The status of Meijin holds a special place in the hearts of everyone who plays Shogi.

Placement matches are the long, hard-fought road of battles leading to that position.

Since those battles take place throughout the year, it takes a very long time to claim the right to challenge the Meijin. It’s completely different from the Ryuo League, where someone can come out of nowhere and claim it with one quick surge.

Overall ranking is divided into five different classes spanning from C-2 all the way up to A, and you can only be promoted once per year.

Basically, it takes at least five years to even have a shot.

Since turning pro, Ayumu has been getting promoted nonstop without hitting a single roadblock. That’s the main reason people call him the .

“Aren’t you the only person left undefeated in B-2 this season? Your promotion is pretty much in the bag already. Two months from now you’ll be in B-1 as Ayumu Kannabe 7-.”

“My placement is rather low. Promotion would be inconceivable without a flawless record.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Considering his Shogi skills and this current tear he’s on, I’d be willing to bet he’ll break right through without a loss.

—Hold on a second, who’s he scheduled to play...