All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 176: A Potential Man?

MEM was like a dried fish, slumped on the chair.

She lifted her small head to look at the ceiling of the barbecue restaurant.

She put on a look of complete surrender.

( '︶︿︶') . ▄█▀█●

Yukima Azuma felt that…

If he wanted to use "hidden rules" on MEM right now, he could probably do whatever he wanted.

After finishing their meal, the three of them went their separate ways.

Yukima Azuma sent a message to Laplace Corporation, requesting the company to prepare for MEM's debut.

As for the drama Hikaru no Shogi…

He wanted to review his upcoming schedule before making arrangements.

After the Ryuuou Tournament ended, it would be almost time for school to start.

Time was indeed quite valuable.

Although he could apply for a leave of absence—

As soon as Yukima Azuma returned to his apartment—

He saw President Tsukimitsu and his female assistant waiting at the door.

"President Tsukimitsu, why are you here? Isn't the next round of the Ryuuou Tournament being held at your shogi association?"

Seeing him, Yukima Azuma was a bit surprised.

He thought he wouldn't see this President again until after the next round of matches.

He didn't expect the other party to take the initiative to come directly to his door.

"Because I have a favor to ask. Waiting at the association would be a bit impolite."

President Tsukimitsu closed his eyes and smiled at Yukima Azuma.

Yukima Azuma stepped forward to unlock his apartment door.

He invited the president and his assistant inside.

The three of them sat down on the sofa in the living room.

"I've heard about the TV drama. President Tsukimitsu, you're here because of that, right?"

Yukima Azuma got straight to the point.

President Tsukimitsu nodded.

"That's right. I want to ask you to act in it."

He bowed deeply, performing a formal gesture of request.

Yukima Azuma quickly helped him up.

"There's no need, really. Since you've personally come all this way, how could I refuse?"

"Besides, President Tsukimitsu is only doing this for the development of the shogi world—I understand that."

Convincing Yukima Azuma to act in the drama…

President Tsukimitsu wouldn't receive a single cent of compensation.

Yet he still came here himself.

The reason was simple—for the future of shogi.

"As expected of Azuma-kun, your vision is still as broad as ever."

President Tsukimitsu sighed in admiration.

"Recently, due to declining media coverage, the number of new registrations at shogi associations across the country has been decreasing."

"Shogi's rules aren't overly complicated, but there's still a certain threshold. If people don't understand them, many will hesitate and shy away from trying."

"If we can help more people discover and love shogi, the shogi world will gain new vitality."

"That's why, even though it's a bit of a stretch, I've come here to ask for your help. If you have any requests, I'll do my best to fulfill them as compensation."

Yukima Azuma shook his head but then realized the president couldn't see, so he said:

"No need, really. After all, I'm a professional shogi player."

Though, in truth, he didn't feel much professional pride.

But because this was someone who had helped him before—President Tsukimitsu—

Of course, Yukima Azuma would accept.

In this era, everything required media influence.

Only with enough exposure could more people be drawn in.

If they remained silent and unnoticed, eventually, the entire community would wither away.

"In that case, on behalf of the entire shogi world, I sincerely thank you."

President Tsukimitsu stood up and bowed deeply to Yukima Azuma.

This time, Yukima Azuma didn't help him up.

Since he had decided to do it, this gratitude was well deserved.

President Tsukimitsu had a very simple reason for wanting Yukima Azuma to act in the drama.

Yukima Azuma had a striking appearance and was a true shogi prodigy.

His image was simply perfect.

A natural-born star.

The best way to draw attention to a profession—

Was actually to create a star.

As long as there was one person who captivated the public's interest, the entire industry could gain massive attention.

If Yukima Azuma participated in the TV drama—

With his image, just a little promotion would be enough.

Countless people would take notice of this shogi prodigy.

And if he won the Ryuuou title this year—

The process of "creating a star" would become incredibly easy.

After chatting a little longer, Yukima Azuma saw President Tsukimitsu out.

The decision to act in the drama—was clearly set in stone.

As for the schedule?

When the time came, the production team would just have to adjust to his availability.

....

— Two Days Later.

The first qualifying round of the Ryuuou Tournament.

32 players competing for 16 spots.

At the Kanto Shogi Association, Yukima Azuma encountered a familiar face.

Yamato Kajin – 8-dan shogi player.

The result of this match held no surprises.

Yukima Azuma won four consecutive games, eliminating Yamato Kajin from the tournament. (Note: Phew, at least there wasn't any shogi.)

Four games, four completely different opening strategies.

Each game was an absolute crushing victory.

By the final game—

Yamato Kajin's gaze toward Yukima Azuma had turned strange.

He felt that... the person sitting across from him was not the young prodigy he had played against in an official match before.

But rather—

A true Meijin.

Too similar!

Way too similar!

Uncannily similar!

The feeling was exactly the same.

Being so effortlessly dominated, having every move overturned in a way that shattered his understanding—

This kind of mind-breaking experience... was something only Meijins could inflict.

Identical.

After being eliminated, Yamato Kajin had only one thought:

This year's Ryuuou Tournament… might already have its winner.

—

By the way, there was a major upset in this qualifying round.

Among all the participants in the official qualifying stage of the Ryuuou Tournament, the lowest-ranked player was Kawai Kenichi – 1-dan.

In the first round of the qualifiers, he faced off directly against an 8-dan player.

Almost everyone thought Kawai Kenichi would be eliminated immediately.

But—

After losing the first three games, Kawai Kenichi took a short break to use the restroom.

When he returned—

It was as if his pressure points had been unlocked.

His moves were godlike, his spirit energized, completely shaking off the sluggishness from before.

He came back from 0-3 to win 4-3, defeating the 8-dan player and advancing to the top 16.

People began calling him "The Potential Man."

—

Two Days Later.

The round of 16 to determine the quarterfinalists.

Yukima Azuma's opponent this time was a 6-dan player.

Nothing much to say.

See them off.

Meanwhile, Kawai Kenichi – 1-dan—

Faced one of the only two 9-dan players competing in this year's Ryuuou Tournament.

Everyone sighed:

It's over. There's no way there's another miracle this time.

But—

Kawai Kenichi won again!

With a 4-1 victory, he directly eliminated the multiple-time title-winning 9-dan player from the tournament.

After this victory, Kawai Kenichi was promoted from 1-dan to 2-dan on the spot.

—

After his match, Yukima Azuma heard about this from an interview with reporters.

"Yukima 7-dan, in this year's Ryuuou Tournament, Kawai 2-dan has unexpectedly risen as a phenomenon, becoming the biggest 'dark horse' of the tournament."

"Right now, many people have high hopes for Kawai 2-dan, with some even believing he has a real shot at competing for the Ryuuou title."

"In a recent interview, Kawai 2-dan mentioned that his transformation was inspired by your encouragement. Could you tell us more about that?"

At this moment, Yukima Azuma, who was already quite used to handling reporters, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

He thought for a long time before he finally remembered who Kawai 2-dan was.

After a bit of reflection, he connected the name to the young man he had once "encouraged" during the preliminary rounds.

At that time, Yukima Azuma felt a little awkward.

Awkward because his words were just casual encouragement, nothing significant—how did it turn into this?

"Umu, I met Kawai 2-dan during the preliminaries."

"I thought his skills were quite strong, and his shogi style was unique—a potential man."

"Although I was fortunate to win, after that match, I also had a bit of admiration for him."

"I suppose those words must have reached him and became his motivation... probably."

...

Short chapter ( "︶︿︶")