All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 178: Does Everyone Here Have a Natural Talent for Shogi?!

The next day at Hinatsuru Ryokan.

Yukima Azuma's master, Kiyotaki Kousuke, along with his daughter, Kiyotaki Keika, and Sora Ginko, had all arrived at Hinatsuru Ryokan.

Aside from those within Yukima Azuma's school of shogi, Sainokami Ika also came running over.

"Master."

Yukima Azuma bowed respectfully to Kiyotaki Kousuke.

"Umu, follow me."

Kiyotaki Kousuke didn't say much and walked straight toward a shogi room inside Hinatsuru Ryokan.

Yukima Azuma waved at Sora Ginko and the others as a greeting before following Kiyotaki Kousuke into the room.

As the door opened, a 7-tatami shogi board was already set up.

Kiyotaki Kousuke took a seat on the sente (first-move) side.

"The upcoming Ryuuou match—are you confident?"

Kiyotaki Kousuke asked in a low voice as he looked at Yukima Azuma, who had already sat down.

"I have… some confidence, I suppose," Yukima Azuma answered humbly.

Kiyotaki Kousuke let out a soft chuckle, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.

"As your master, ever since you turned twelve, I've had nothing left to teach you."

"Thinking back, I really feel unworthy. With your talent, if you had apprenticed under a Meijin, you might have already reached the pinnacle of shogi by now."

Ever since Yukima Azuma's shogi skill reached level 7, Kiyotaki Kousuke had rarely played against him.

Simply put, there was nothing left to teach.

After all, Kiyotaki Kousuke was a 9-dan professional.

But now, as his disciple was about to challenge for the Ryuuou title, Kiyotaki Kousuke couldn't shake the feeling that he was utterly powerless to help.

It was a strange feeling—having a disciple who was too talented could be quite the headache for a master.

"Master, that's not true at all. Everything I've achieved today is thanks to your guidance."

"If it weren't for your teachings back then, I might have given up midway."

Yukima Azuma waved his hand dismissively.

Before acquiring his system, the only skill he had naturally reached level 7 in was shogi.

The lessons he learned from Kiyotaki Kousuke had indeed been invaluable.

"Alright, alright, no need to dwell on this. I'm getting old—tend to ramble a lot."

"Your next opponent is an old friend of mine. His specialty is piece coordination and positioning."

"My piece coordination probably isn't on his level, but I can simulate about 70% of his style. Now then, let's begin."

As he spoke, Kiyotaki Kousuke picked up a piece from the board and placed it down.

Yukima Azuma didn't stand on ceremony.

He directly met coordination with coordination, holding nothing back—completely immersing himself in the game.

The match turned out to be more difficult than he expected.

Kiyotaki Kousuke was known for his "Rook and Lance Offense", but when employing piece coordination strategies, he was able to keep up with Yukima Azuma for quite some time.

As expected of a 9-dan player.

Back when Yukima Azuma first stepped into the world of professional shogi, Kiyotaki Kousuke had played several matches with him.

Thinking back now, those times were probably just the master going easy on him to help build his confidence.

After an intense 300-move struggle, Yukima Azuma steered the match into the endgame phase.

Endgame was where calculation skills shined the most—it was also where the true difference in skill between two players became apparent.

As soon as they entered the endgame, Kiyotaki Kousuke had almost no way to turn the tide. In just a few moves, he had no choice but to resign.

"Ha ha, I lost."

Despite his defeat, Kiyotaki Kousuke was smiling with satisfaction.

"Thank you for the match, Master," Yukima Azuma bowed.

"Oh, come on, don't say that. At first, I thought I could use my familiarity with your style to give you some advice."

"But now, I see I was overthinking it. With your level of skill, anything I say would just be pointless overcomplication."

Kiyotaki Kousuke finally understood.

On the surface, their match had seemed evenly matched.

But in reality, he never had a single chance of winning.

Yukima Azuma's shogi style was incredibly solid and unshakable.

If one were to compare it to swordplay in wuxia novels, it would be like "a heavy blade without an edge—true mastery lies in simplicity"—a sword so heavy and refined that it no longer needed sharpness to be lethal.

At first glance, the match seemed like a prolonged struggle.

But in truth, every move had been meticulously calculated, ensuring that the game would eventually transition into the endgame phase.

And once they reached the endgame, every single setup Yukima Azuma had laid out would come into play all at once.

Moreover, his actual shogi ability had long since surpassed Kiyotaki Kousuke—a 9-dan professional.

At that point, he had already won from the start.

Yukima Azuma casually gathered the pieces and placed them back into the shogi box.

Initially, Kiyotaki Kousuke had intended to give his disciple some special training before the upcoming match.

But now…

Well, maybe they'd just chat instead.

"Did the girl's parents agree?"

Kiyotaki Kousuke, as a master, had always been fond of Hinatsuru Ai.

Once Yukima Azuma officially took on a disciple, he would, in a way, be elevated to the rank of Grandmaster.

Hinatsuru Ai's talent, while not on the same level as Yukima Azuma, was still a rare sight in the world.

At last, the Kiyotaki lineage would have a worthy successor.

"Umu, once I obtain the Ryuuou title, I'll officially take Ai as my disciple."

Yukima Azuma said with a smile.

Hearing this, Kiyotaki Kousuke didn't even know what to say to his disciple anymore.

There were still two rounds left in the Ryuuou tournament.

Yet, Yukima Azuma had already casually declared his victory.

But after playing that match just now, Kiyotaki Kousuke found himself unable to refute it.

Because, quite frankly, losing to him seemed impossible.

"Good. You're confident, I like that. Alright, go find Ginko and the others. This old man won't take up any more of your time."

Kiyotaki Kousuke waved his hand, dismissing Yukima Azuma.

Once the boy had left—

Kiyotaki Kousuke turned his gaze toward the shogi board.

Back when he had first taken Yukima Azuma as a disciple,

He had never imagined the boy would come this far.

As for the current Meijin, Kiyotaki Kousuke had some understanding.

That man was searching for the ultimate answer to shogi itself.

Under conditions where both players made optimal moves, was shogi a guaranteed win for sente (first-move player) or gote (second-move player)?

Every professional player, upon reaching a certain level, would eventually ponder this question.

But to actually prove it?

Everyone was still leagues away from reaching an answer.

The Meijin, perhaps, wasn't too far off.

But shogi was a game between two players.

One person alone could never reach the ultimate truth.

Yet Kiyotaki Kousuke had a feeling—

Yukima Azuma was closer to that answer than anyone else.

When the time came for them to face off—

Perhaps the answer would finally be revealed.

Shogi was approaching its end.

Or at the very least—

It was about to enter a new era.

(note: So... profound... I don't understand anything.)

....

Yukima Azuma left the shogi room, completely unaware that his master was comparing him to AlphaGo.

But even if he had known—

He would've simply laughed it off.

Shogi, like Go and chess,

Would eventually reach a point where AI would surpass human understanding.

There would no longer be a need to study opening sequences—

Players could just memorize AI-generated strategies instead.

This was an inevitable trend.

It was only a matter of time.

But if someone could uncover the answer before AI took over—

Then perhaps, in the future, every shogi player would look back on it as a moment of glory.

As he stepped outside,

Yukima Azuma found the girls in the middle of a shogi game.

The atmosphere was lively.

It was honestly quite amusing.

Ever since Sainokami Ika had been "conquered" by Yukima Azuma,

She had been dropping by frequently to study shogi with Sora Ginko and Hinatsuru Ai.

Over time, a three-way rivalry had formed between them.

Sainokami Ika relied on instinct to play.

Against Sora Ginko, she had a win rate of over 50%.

But against Hinatsuru Ai, she couldn't win at all.

Hinatsuru Ai, in turn, could defeat Sainokami Ika—

But when facing Sora Ginko, she stood no chance.

As for Sora Ginko?

The more she played against these two, the more frustrated she became.

Damn it, is everyone here just naturally gifted at shogi?!

Because of that, when playing against Sainokami Ika,

She would often grow impatient and make mistakes.

And when playing against Hinatsuru Ai,

Her overwhelming presence would make the little girl lose confidence.

Meanwhile, standing off to the side, Kiyotaki Keika could only sigh helplessly.

Watching those three play…

For someone with average talent, whose age was already nearing the competitive limit—

It was honestly too cruel.

"Keika-neesan, come take a walk with me. I haven't had the chance to explore Iwate yet."

Yukima Azuma gently tugged at Kiyotaki Keika's sleeve—

Like a little brother seeking attention.

Kiyotaki Keika, who had been feeling down,

Couldn't help but melt at the sight.

How could she possibly refuse?

While the three others were still distracted,

Kiyotaki Keika quietly slipped away with Yukima Azuma.

The two of them snuck out of Hinatsuru Ryokan—

Only letting out a sigh of relief once they reached the streets.

"...I'm supposed to be your senpai, you know?"

"Not to mention, you have an important match coming up."

"And yet, here I am, being comforted by you instead."

Kiyotaki Keika sighed.

"I really am a useless senpai, huh?"

"Master said the exact same thing. Like father, like daughter."

Yukima Azuma chuckled.

Hearing that, Kiyotaki Keika froze for a moment—

Then let out a bitter laugh.

"But my father is a 9-dan professional, you know?"

"And I'm already twenty-five."

"If things continue like this, I might never win a single title in my career."

"If it weren't for you and Ginko, I probably would've disgraced the Kiyotaki family name by now."

There was a hint of self-deprecation in her words.

It wasn't as if she was deeply upset—

But having a 9-dan father, a genius junior, and a talented junior-sister, while she herself remained stagnant...

If her mentality hadn't been strong enough,

She would've quit shogi a long time ago.