Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

In short, I had been reincarnated into the world of The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!

...Not that I was particularly strong at shogi in my previous life. During my university days, I got into shogi for about a year, improving from 5th kyu to around amateur 3rd dan. Even so, I was always ranked third or fourth in my university's shogi club.

I had landed a decent job and was about to embark on my new life as a working adult at the age of 22 when I died in a traffic accident. When I regained consciousness in this new life, I found myself playing shogi once again. The main reason was that, at the age of three, my shogi ability was already around amateur 3rd dan, and I thought I might have a shot at becoming a professional.

The other reason was the supercomputer residing in my brain that kept nagging me to play shogi. It called itself AI and pronounced its name as "Ai." Initially, I thought it was some remnant personality of the original owner of this body, but since I was still male in this life and Ai's shogi skills were impossibly advanced from the start, I concluded it was some sort of reincarnation perk.

During my elementary school years, I struggled to fit in and spent most of my time blending into the background. After moving on to middle school, I joined the shogi apprentice school (Shōreikai). Entering at 1st kyu, I achieved 24 consecutive wins and reached 3rd dan. Let me clarify: the 3rd dan in Shōreikai is entirely different from amateur 3rd dan. Roughly speaking, amateur 4th dan is about equivalent to Shōreikai 6th kyu.

Naturally, my own skills couldn't keep up at this level, so I left everything to Ai. Up until my entry into the Shōreikai, Ai rarely gave me advice, but during the admission test, it started to speak up incessantly.

"This is 7-3 pawn. 7-5 knight is also good, but 7-3 pawn is better. Hurry up and make the move. Let's win today's Third-Dan League match without using up the allotted time."

(Shouldn't I start using my time more carefully? Personally, I just want to live a laid-back life.)

"No. Would you like me to start repeating myself like a broken speaker again?"

(Stop! That kept me from sleeping for a week last time! Fine, fine, I'll do it. I'll move 7-3 pawn!)

I picked up the pawn in hand and placed it with a sharp snap on the board in front of the opponent's silver general. My opponent's expression turned grim as they entered a deep think. In the Third-Dan League, each player has only 90 minutes of allotted time, a relatively short period. A glance at the clock showed I still had 1:27 remaining, while my opponent had just 0:02 left.

...After that, I continued to advance my pieces according to Ai's instructions. I wondered if this was how Hikaru felt in Hikaru no Go when he relied entirely on Sai. In my case, if Ai were to vanish, I'd return to being just another weak player. I could only hope Ai would stick around.

On the 102nd move, I positioned a promoted bishop beside my king, effectively delivering a checkmate to my opponent. In the Third-Dan League, many players continue to play until their king is completely trapped, using every second of their time, so games tend to drag on. It makes sense, considering the possibility that their opponent might collapse from food poisoning or have a heart attack mid-game.

"…I resign."

"Thank you for the game."

At the end, my opponent acknowledged their defeat and bowed. Honestly, I felt bad. Every time I won, I couldn't help but wonder if someone like me should even be winning. Especially in this match—my opponent would have been promoted to 4th dan if they had defeated me. Instead, they dropped to third place because of my victory.

...Even if losing one match wouldn't have affected my promotion, Ai refused to let me lose.

"An undefeated run in the Third-Dan League! Undefeated! Six consecutive wins in the admission test, 24 wins to reach 3rd dan, and now 18 wins in the Third-Dan League—that's 48 consecutive victories!"

(...Haha. Guess I'll be in the media spotlight again. I'm terrible at interviews, though.)

"Don't worry. I've prepared scripts for you. Just read the text in your head, and you'll be fine handling the reporters."

(By the way, doesn't this change the original story? I actually like Yaichi-kun as a character and want him to become the Ryuo.)

"That's not a problem. Besides, Master already knows that Yaichi Kuzuryu is winning in the Ryuo ranking matches, right?"

The original protagonist, Yaichi Kuzuryu, was the same age as me but had already cleared the Third-Dan League. He was advancing in the Ryuo ranking matches, though the ranking league was still ahead for him. We might even face each other someday. When we eventually meet in the Ryuo tournament, I've already decided to throw the match on purpose, and Ai has reluctantly agreed after lengthy negotiations. She can be surprisingly understanding when she realizes I'm absolutely immovable on something.

In other words, I can't say I entirely hate being praised as a genius shogi player for passing through the Third-Dan League undefeated. After all, I'm only human. Everyone has a desire to be admired and flattered, right?

Honestly, the reason I hesitated to join the Shōreikai until middle school was that I wanted to make an impression by entering at 1st kyu. I trained relentlessly, aiming to reach the equivalent skill of Shōreikai 2nd dan before joining at 1st kyu and immediately advancing to 1st dan. It was all just to stand out.

...But I no longer have any use for that sharpened edge. To be honest, it's easier to leave everything to Ai and breeze through the games. If I can snag a title or two along the way, I'd be able to settle into a relaxed and carefree life.

"All that's left is to meet a cute female shogi pro and start a fun relationship. Ah, I wonder how many wins in a row I'll need after turning pro to get the media buzzing?"

"Hey! Your inner thoughts are leaking! And seriously, what kind of bombshell is that coming from the fifth-ever middle school pro?"

"Gah, Kuzuryu! Wait, you heard that?"

"You were practically broadcasting it. Good thing I'm the only one here."

"...How do you always manage to sniff out my favorite hiding spots? This place is practically impossible to find."

"In the small Kansai Shogi Hall, there's no such thing as an 'impossible-to-find' spot."

I glared at Yaichi Kuzuryu, who stood right in front of me. He was annoyingly good-looking, which made it even more irritating. This guy is going to take Ai Hinatsuru as his apprentice next year and start living together with her.

(Why is my encounter rate with Kuzuryu so ridiculously high? Explain this, Ai-sensei.)

"Maybe it's just because Master and Yaichi Kuzuryu are both gloomy introverts obsessed with shogi. You're on the same wavelength."

(I'll give you me being gloomy, but Kuzuryu lives under the same roof as Sora-san, has a wide circle of friends, and isn't exactly the introverted type. Also, for the record, I'm not a shogi fanatic!)

As a professional shogi player, Kuzuryu will technically be my senior, since he started earlier. He's likely to keep climbing the ranks of the Ryuo tournament this year. How things will turn out with me around is uncertain, but I believe in the world's ability to self-correct.

If, by some chance, the world's self-correcting forces fail... I guess I'll just have to become the Ryuo myself.

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