2 FFD 1

Chapter 1: Shogi Prodigy

April 21st, 10 p.m.

As the night wore on, the tabletop gaming room came to life. The sound of shogi pieces clacking and the laughter of young girls filled the air in a small private room.

Four people were gathered inside, including Hayama, the only boy in the group. He played shogi while chatting quietly with a girl next to him who was absorbed in her phone.

"I'm sorry, Kato. I had hoped to introduce you to some friends, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this," Hayama said apologetically.

Kato Megumi replied in a calm tone, "It's okay. I'm used to it. I don't really understand tabletop gaming or shogi anyway. Passing the time on my phone is enough for me."

As she spoke, Kato's voice was devoid of any emotion. She had long grown accustomed to feeling like a non-entity in social situations like this.

He opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but the girl sitting across from him spoke up first. "It's your turn, Hayama-kun!"

Hayama shifted his attention back to the shogi board and made a seemingly casual move before engaging in conversation with the two girls sitting across from him.

Just outside the private room, a silver-haired girl pressed her neck and looked anguished. "Keika-nee, I told you I didn't want to come, but you insisted. Board games are too childish. I'd rather stay home and play shogi!" she complained.

"But Ginko, you didn't win just now," Keika said with a smile as she helped Ginko Sora massage her shoulder.

"That's only because I wasn't serious!" Ginko retorted immediately.

Keika didn't respond to her outburst and pointed towards the room where Hayama was playing shogi. "Ginko, come over here. They're playing shogi. Do you want to go in and make some friends?"

"Wow, that boy's speed of play is incredible! He's so quick, decisive, and manly!" Keika exclaimed, gesturing towards Hayama who was laughing and playing with two girls.

"Ginko, you have to go and talk to him. Get his LINE number for me, okay?"

Ginko glanced over at the room a few times before turning up her nose in disdain. "He's just pretending to be a shogi master in front of a bunch of novices. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me,"

As she continued to express her disdain for Hayama's shogi skills, a passing waiter overheard her and retorted, somewhat dissatisfied. "Excuse me, but you're mistaken. Hayama-kun is a complete novice. I just taught him the rules of shogi an hour ago!"

Ginko was taken aback by the waiter's words. "What? There's no way. It takes more than an hour just to become proficient in the rules of shogi!"

Her outburst caught the attention of several people in the room, including the girl playing shogi with Hayama. She turned her head and saw Ginko, suddenly overjoyed. "Ginko-chan, what are you doing here?"

The girl was a shogi enthusiast who had gone to the same junior high school as Ginko Sora before entering high school. They had become familiar with each other due to their similar ages, common interests, and both being athletic duds.

When she saw Ginko, she jumped up from her seat, her chest bouncing with excitement. Ginko felt a little inferior but was quickly pulled forward by her. "Ginko-chan, come help me teach that bad guy a lesson. He's beaten me three times in a row!"

Ginko blinked in surprise. "You lost three games in less than an hour?" she asked incredulously.

"Let's not bring up this embarrassing matter," she pulled Ginko over to the seat in front of them. "Meet Ginko Sora, a 2-dan shogi player who holds two of the six titles that female shogi players can get. Hayama, you better be prepared to lose!"

Hayama looked up and examined Ginko Sora. The silver-haired girl in front of him was stunningly cute, dressed in a sailor uniform that made her look like the model of a school magazine cover. She lightly bit her lip, and he couldn't tell if it was shyness or annoyance at being dragged over by her friend. Her flawless skin had a translucent quality that shone under the bright lights.

"Hello, I'm Hayama. Please guide me," Hayama said with an expressionless face. Although Ginko Sora was very cute, he felt nothing due to her icy expression.

Ginko sat down, feeling a bit suspicious. 'Judging from his appearance, he probably doesn't know me. Could he really be a new shogi player?'

Although Ginko was only a 2-dan player, she was a rare and formidable female player, and her cute appearance made her quite popular in the world of shogi. Anyone who knew shogi had heard of her name.

"Now, whose turn is it?" Ginko asked, ready to start the game.

"Let's play again. your friend has already lost this game," Hayama said as he prepared to reset the pieces.

"Huh, I didn't even realize that she had lost," another female student beside them tilted her head in confusion.

Ginko glanced at the board, her eyes assessing the pieces, and whispered to herself, 'Her friend's is indeed under heavy pressure, but it's too early to determine the winner. This Hayama person seems a bit arrogant.'

Hayama shrugged, "There are, at most, twenty-two moves left, and your friend will lose." He believed that her latest move had sealed her fate, leaving no chance for a comeback.

Ginko's gaze sharpened as she met his eyes, "So, it's my turn to play now, right?" Her voice carried a hint of fierceness.

He sighed, realizing her disbelief. He had no choice but to acknowledge her eagerness. "Please," he reluctantly replied.

After a minute of deep contemplation, Ginko Sora finally settled on her move. However, in that split second following her turn, Hayama swiftly responded with his move, seemingly without a moment's thought. The crisp sound of the piece resonated in Ginko's ears, leaving her astonished.

'How is this possible?' she inwardly exclaimed, her disbelief evident. 'Even in speed shogi, players are granted thirty seconds to make a move!'

Ginko gritted her teeth and shot a quick glance at Hayama, who seemed more interested in his phone than their ongoing match. A twinge of annoyance surged within her. 'Is he treating shogi as a mere pastime, or worse, underestimating me?'

'Since you're in such a rush to play, I'll match your pace!' Ginko silently vowed to herself, determined to defeat Hayama.

However...

"Snap!" In less than a second, Hayama's piece landed on the board, right after Ginko had made her move.

'How... how could he make such a move?' she exclaimed in disbelief.

Hayama's unexpected move caught Ginko off guard. The once slightly disadvantaged position now felt even more precarious, and a sense of unease began to settle within her.

'Could it be that the twenty-two moves he mentioned earlier were actually true?' she pondered.

Nevertheless, her determination to compete with him remained unshaken. After careful consideration for about ten seconds, she confidently made her move.

But...

"Snap!" The sound of yet another piece landing echoed through the room. Ginko's pupils dilated in an instant, and the situation grew even more dangerous, intensifying her sense of danger.

In a shogi match, when things reached such a dire point, most players in a disadvantaged position would gracefully concede and surrender. However, for some mysterious reason, Ginko found herself hesitant to utter those words so easily.

"You've made a critical mistake. At most, within the next ten moves, I will win," Hayama asserted. His attention momentarily shifted to his phone once more, leaving Ginko feeling irritated. Although the phone's screen was somewhat blurry, she could vaguely discern that Hayama wasn't engrossed in analyzing the game record.

As it turned out, Hayama wasn't inspecting any game record at all. Instead, he was engrossed in an email. Just last week, he had submitted numerous bug reports, accompanied by his innovative solutions, to an international software company. And now, sitting right there in his inbox, was a heartfelt thank-you email from the company, extending a job offer as a token of their appreciation.

'I wonder if the reward money will be deposited into my account within three working days? They do seem quite efficient,' Hayama pondered. He nonchalantly deleted the job offer email. However, as he glanced up, he couldn't help but notice a newfound intensity in the girl's gaze seated across from him.

"Why aren't you making a move?" He asked casually, his tone betraying a hint of curiosity.

Ginko Sora's mouth opened, yet her words caught in her throat. She hesitated, her chest rising and falling rapidly, not due to its size, but rather because she struggled to catch her breath.

Hayama's shogi moves exuded aggression, dominating the game and unsettling Ginko Sora. This heightened her existing restlessness, intensifying her sense of oppression.

Ginko's hand trembled slightly as she placed a piece on the board. To her surprise, Hayama didn't make an immediate move. Instead, he spoke deliberately, his words dripping with calculated slowness. "You've made yet another mistake. I only need four more moves to win. Would you like to retract your previous move?"

He gently tapped his right hand on the chessboard, relishing the unexpectedly melodious sound of his fingers meeting the polished wood.

Ginko's gaze fixed earnestly upon the board, her once fair complexion now drained of color. "I... I've lost,"

"Would you like to play another round? The result was essentially predetermined the moment I predicted your friend's defeat, so technically, it doesn't truly count as your loss."

Keika Kiyotaki stood to the side, her expression tinged with seriousness as she assessed the current situation. The outcome seemed painfully obvious – within a mere four moves, Hayama would undoubtedly secure victory. However, his earlier mention of ten and twenty-two moves had left her perplexed.

"Hayama-kun," she interjected, her voice quiet yet curious, "could you elaborate about the twenty-two moves you mentioned earlier?"

"Of course," He readily agreed. Swiftly resetting the shogi pieces, he started on the demonstration. In a mere minute, he executed all twenty-two moves flawlessly. "That's roughly how it plays out. I'll spare you the detailed explanation, as my shogi knowledge is rather limited."

Mesmerized by his demonstration, both Ginko Sora and Kiyotaki Keika found themselves at a loss for words. Each move radiated brilliance, showcasing his meticulous calculations, even considering the potential countermoves of his opponent. While securing victory within twenty-two moves was an ideal scenario, in the majority of cases, he could achieve triumph within a mere twenty or even ten moves.

A sudden pang of jealousy gripped Ginko Sora. Observing Hayama's shogi prowess, it dawned upon her that he might have only recently started on his journey with the game. It was entirely possible that he hadn't even laid eyes on a shogi manual. A dreadful thought crept into her mind, 'Could it be that he genuinely began learning shogi just an hour ago?'

"How many moves ahead can you foresee?" Ginko asked abruptly.

He pondered for a moment before responding modestly, "Well, it's difficult to determine precisely. In a mid-game scenario, perhaps around twenty or thirty moves ahead."

'He truly is a prodigy of shogi!'

"Come with me!" Ginko exclaimed, abruptly rising from her seat and seizing Hayama's arm, urging him to leave the room with her.