The day after Kozuryu and his companions concluded their New Year's visit, I went to the Shogi Hall to watch the live commentary and analysis presented by Kozuryu and Ai. Hinai had already left for the professional players' room and was currently immersed in a research session with her colleagues. After all, regardless of my personal strength, reviewing the insights of others remains an important and valuable reference.
Today's match—the seventh round of the Class A Ranking League between Ōishi (the Gyōshō title holder) and Okito (the Te-i title holder)—seemed like a perfect opportunity to study Hinai. This is because Ōishi (Gyōshō) uses the Static Rook Counter-Attack opening (moving the Rook to the opposite side of the board from the opponent's King). While this style is abundant with innovative and novel moves, sound logic and coherence support them, making it a robust and actionable plan.
「We will now begin the live commentary and analysis for the seventh-round match of the Class A Ranking League between Ōishi (Gyōshō) and Okito (Te-i). I, Kagamizu Hyūma (3-dan), will be handling the presentation and management of this event.」 (Kagamizu)
The person introducing the analysis in the training room on the second floor was Mr. Kagamizu. As expected, he appeared completely comfortable with the role; he is a familiar and well-liked figure among the audience present.
Yet, there is a first time for everything. Today, Ai—having recently turned professional—was taking on the role of Kozuryu's assistant and co-commentator for the first time. Anticipating any potential issues during Ai's debut, Miss Keika stood ready as a backup. She, too, had recently earned professional status after winning the first round of the finals in the Mynavi Women's Open Tournament.
「Today's analyst is Kozuryu (Ryū-Ō title holder). And his co-commentator is Hinatsuru Ai (2nd Dan Professional), who joined the ranks of the professionals just a few days ago!」 (Kagamizu)
Ai was met with warm applause, and she responded with a deep, swift bow of gratitude. She is clearly well-mannered and extremely courteous. Initially, the commentary began in a friendly atmosphere, but an unintentional slip of the tongue by Kozuryu abruptly changed the mood in the hall.
「Miss Hinatsuru, you haven't had many opportunities to watch live commentary before, have you?」 (Kozuryu)
「No, not very many... but I have watched you give commentary, Master.」 (Ai)
「Oh, really? Where was that?」 (Kozuryu)
「At the Shogi Hall in Tokyo.」 (Ai)
Upon hearing Ai's words, Kozuryu's face immediately turned pale. He hadn't just stepped on a landmine; he had stumbled upon a nuclear bomb. Ai, who should have been nervous, now had a mysterious, frightening gleam in her eyes as she began a fierce attack on Kozuryu.
「I watched a live stream on Niconico when you were commentating on the match between Master Ōki and Master Shinokubo alongside another female professional. At that time, Master, you seemed very amused while explaining the game with Master Kanojiwa.」 (Ai)
「Ah, t-that's right, that did happen. Well, th-then...」 (Kozuryu)
「Master, you were staring at Master Kanojiwa's chest the entire time.」 (Ai)
「Huh?! I wasn't looking at anything like that!」 (Kozuryu)
「Yes, you were, weren't you? You were staring so intently that the comments flooding the screen were saying, 'Kozuryu is staring at her chest a lot, that's hilarious.' Do you prefer women with large breasts, Master?」 (Ai)
(To be honest, I like big chests. I like them a lot.) (Ōki)
(Please don't confess your sexual preferences so suddenly. I already knew that. Anyway, sir, you like chests even if they're small, as long as they aren't completely flat, right?) (Ai)
(Yes. Well, as long as they're larger than B-cup, that's fine.) (Ōki)
Ai continued to expose Kozuryu's slip-ups and scandals, one after another. Although these matters were somewhat of an open secret among knowledgeable Shogi fans, and despite Kozuryu's desperate attempts to stop her, the audience got carried away with the joke. They demanded more, making the situation impossible to control.
「I was wondering what you were all looking at, but what on earth is going on here?」 (Tenai)
「It's a festival dedicated to exposing Kozuryu's fetishes. Meanwhile, the match analysis hasn't advanced a single move.」 (Ōki)
「...By the way, if Master had to choose between elementary school girls, busty female professionals, or [Another Category], which would he pick?」 (Tenai)
「I'd choose [Another Category]. Of course, good looks and a nice figure are better, but if she's a woman who cherishes and honors her family, looks don't matter then.」 (Ōki)
『Why did you answer so seriously?』 (Ai)
(Just felt like it.) (Ōki)
『Is that so? Did Tenai's mother have a somewhat large chest?』 (Ai)
(It wasn't described in detail in the story, so I don't know. Also, they say genetics don't necessarily determine chest size.) (Ōki)
Tenai entered the hall just as chaos began to overtake the commentary. Since she is a member of the Shoreikai, she was helping with the event setup. During the "Next Move Prediction" segment, things turned into a contest to guess Kozuryu's preferred type of woman from three options. I tentatively voted for "Elementary School Girls." To be honest, seeing Kozuryu without elementary school girls is the rarity, not the other way around.
In the end, Miss Keika, who had been on standby, stepped forward to take over the assistant role, which finally calmed the situation down. Or so I thought. She, in turn, tried to bait Kozuryu into talking about the progress of his relationship with Sora-san, leaving him flustered. However, being a mature adult, she avoided mentioning that Okito (Te-i) was the first professional player to lose to AI software.
In the match between Ōishi (Gyōshō) and Okito (Te-i), Ōishi was significantly widening his lead. However, as they entered the endgame, that gap began to shrink gradually.
『Okito (Te-i)'s endgame strength rivals that of software, and that's not just flattery. Given the current sequence of moves, I think the result would be almost the same if I were the one playing.』 (Ai)
(Wasn't his endgame strength extraordinary from the start? But well, at this point, it's impossible to predict who will win this match.) (Ōki)
When I took Tenai to the Professional Players' Room, Kozuryu and Miss Keika joined us after the commentary in the hall had concluded. On a side board, the position of the Ōishi-Okito match was laid out before us. If memory serves, Ōishi is supposed to lose here due to a fatal blunder, right?
『No? It seems the flow of the game differs from the original story. Master should have an idea why, right?』 (Ai)
(... Aaaah! The "Central Rook" game records! The one hundred and fifty matches I gave him! Since he plays "Opposing Rook," he didn't rely on them entirely, but he is heavily using their defensive patterns!) (Ōki)
『You finally remembered. In this match, Ōishi (Gyōshō)'s victory has become a foregone conclusion; it will not be shaken.』 (Ai)
He appears to have studied those records thoroughly; traces of AI-style play were clearly visible in Ōishi (Gyōshō)'s "Ranging Rook" strategy. In the original timeline, he temporarily switched to a "Static Rook" style, but given the current circumstances, it seems unlikely he will attempt that here.
This has gone beyond a mere divergence from the original plot; Ōishi (Gyōshō) has already won this match. With such a performance, his chances of successfully defending the Gyōshō title appear extremely high. That said, Okito (Te-i)'s relentless pressure to close the gap was truly terrifying. I suspect Ōishi played the entire match with chills running down his spine.
As for the upcoming Gyōshō title matches, the "Central Rook" strategies from the records I gave him will likely appear frequently. Those records contain a vast array of tactical lines specifically designed to "hunt" and dismantle AI strategies. Consequently, Okito (Te-i) will not easily wrest the Gyōshō title away as he did in the original story. Personally, I used to dislike addressing him as "Mr. Ōishi," but if it leads to such high-level matches, I have absolutely no objection to him successfully defending his title.
Now that we have reached this point, the real enigma lies with Kozuryu. The flow of the first and fourth matches in the Ryū-Ō tournament may mirror the original story, but I doubt the remaining games or the precise sequence of moves will remain the same. Furthermore, he mentioned that the Shogi board never leaves his mind; the pieces continue to move in his head whether he is awake or asleep.
Although the general trajectory may resemble the original plot, his success in breaking through formidable barriers—obstacles that were supposed to constitute the "Fourth Gate" based on Tenai's growth and strength—is nothing short of astounding. It is no wonder he continues to grow infinitely stronger. While he has played only a few matches since defending his Ryū-Ō title, he has yet to taste defeat... He is, truly, the "Demon King."
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