"Ah, that's Oba-san's fan."
Hinatsuru Ai spotted the fan identical to Sora Ginko's.
Sora Ginko pouted.
( )
She couldn't be bothered to deal with this brat.
That being said, Sora Ginko wasn't much older than Hinatsuru Ai.
But hierarchy was hierarchy.
"Shishou, do you have a folding fan with your own handwriting?"
Hinatsuru Ai searched around and then curiously asked Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma shook his head.
He really didn't have one.
Back when he was in the shogi world
Before becoming a professional player, Yukima Azuma had only focused on grinding for rank points.
After quickly reaching professional status, he played a match against the Meijin and then temporarily withdrew from the shogi scene.
He had no time to bother with souvenirs like this.
By the time he returned, Yukima Azuma's time had become even more precious.
He single-handedly conquered the Ryuuou title, making many eager to collaborate on merchandise related to him.
But Yukima Azuma truly had no time to concern himself with such trivial profits.
As a result, even though Yukima Azuma was now one of the most famous Ryuuou,
the associations still had no commemorative merchandise related to him to sell.
The association staff were on the verge of losing their minds over this.
Since contacting Yukima Azuma yielded no results, some even approached Tsukimitsu.
But Tsukimitsu simply sent them away without hesitation.
Yukima Azuma had already helped promote shogi by starring in a television drama.
Matters of minor profit like these, Tsukimitsu didn't want to bother him with.
Seeing Yukima Azuma shake his head, Hinatsuru Ai blinked a few times.
In other words, no one had a folding fan from Shishou!
The ahoge on her head wiggled.
"Uwaa, isn't that Ryuuou~?"
( )
A childish voice suddenly rang out nearby.
Everyone turned to look and saw a group of kids gathered together, their eyes sparkling as they gazed this way.
"It's really Ryuuou-sama!"
"It's the real one! Amazing!"
"Hello, can I have your autograph?"
"Please shake hands with me!"
Before long, a crowd of children had gathered around.
The bottom three floors belonged to the research club.
And in the research club, the most numerous members were children around Hinatsuru Ai's age.
The chattering of the kids quickly attracted even more attention.
In just a short while, the first floor of the association was nearly blocked off.
"Uwaa, Shishou is so famous! Saguga Shishou, saikou!"
)
Hinatsuru Ai exclaimed in admiration.
Seeing her master being so well-received, she also felt happy.
"Well, he is the youngest Ryuuou ever."
Sora Ginko commented nonchalantly, not particularly invested.
She had already expected this to happen.
Right now, Yukima Azuma could be considered the idol of children in the shogi world.
Not just because of his handsome appearance, which the association had deliberately used to build his image,
but more importantly
Ryuuou.
Everyone admires the strongthis mindset is deeply ingrained in human nature.
"Excuse me, are you Snow White-sama?"
A little girl, who had just received Yukima Azuma's autograph, turned her gaze toward Sora Ginko.
Sora Ginko, who had been standing with her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold, immediately tensed up.
( ®®) !!
"Uwaa, it really is Snow White!"
"So cool!"
"I have a folding fan of Snow White-sama! Can you sign it for me?"
The group of children began to split into two factions.
Sora Ginko was completely terrible at interacting with others.
Even though they were just elementary school kids, she found them somewhat difficult to handle.
The smile on her beautiful face instantly disappeared, replaced by an icy expression.
"Alright, everyone quiet down. If this keeps up, it'll cause trouble for the association."
Amidst the noisy commotion, Yukima Azuma's voice rang out clearly, reaching everyone's ears.
The chattering children suddenly fell silent.
"If you want an autograph, line up properly. Don't block the entrance or the stairs."
The moment Yukima Azuma said this, the children obediently formed a neat line.
Seeing this, Sora Ginko let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Signing autographs was something she could still handle.
After all, as an idol in the shogi world, she had done promotional events like this before.
"Shishou, that was so cool." Hinatsuru Ai marveled.
()
Kiyotaki Keika, who had been accompanying them, also nodded slightly. "Azuma-kun has an aura that naturally makes others listen to him."
...
The autograph session ended quickly.
There weren't actually that many children in the association.
Once they were done, the group didn't linger in the first-floor lobby any longer and instead headed up the stairs.
When they reached the entrance of the research club on the second floor
A middle-aged man waved toward Yukima Azuma.
"Yo, Ryuuou."
Yukima Azuma nodded.
"Kuruno 7-dan, hello."
This man, Kuruno Yoshitsune 7-dan, was the head of the Tokyo research club.
Before coming here, Yukima Azuma had already contacted him.
After all, today he had brought Hinatsuru Ai to take the admission test for the association and register as a member of the research club.
"This is your disciple, huh?"
Kuruno looked at Hinatsuru Ai.
During the post-match interview after the Ryuuou finals, Yukima Azuma had officially announced that he was taking Hinatsuru Ai as his disciple.
So, even though she hadn't officially entered the shogi world yet
Many people were already keeping an eye on her.
"That's right. I brought her here today for the admission test."
"I've been waiting a whole month for this. You sure took your time."
"This girl is different from the others."
"You mean she's like you."
Kuruno chuckled teasingly.
Back when Yukima Azuma joined the research club
Kuruno had already been in charge.
The boy had left an incredibly strong impression on him.
Because Yukima Azuma barely stayed in the research club at all.
The moment he joined, he began sweeping through opponents, rising in rank day by day.
In less than half a year, he had advanced straight to the Shoureikai.
Even though he was joking, Kuruno didn't actually believe that Hinatsuru Ai could be like Yukima Azuma.
The shogi world was filled with countless geniuses.
But an undefeated geniusone who became Ryuuou at 16there was only one.
However, what surprised Kuruno
Was that Yukima Azuma actually nodded in agreement.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Under Kuruno's guidance, everyone stepped into the research club's room.
Inside, several children were already seated properly in front of shogi boards.
"Hinatsuru Ai, you can sit over there."
Kuruno pointed to an empty seat.
Hinatsuru Ai glanced at Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma gently patted her head in reassurance.
Encouraged by her master, Hinatsuru Ai took a deep breath.
Then, she walked to the empty seat and sat down neatly.
The children around her all curiously eyed her.
Kuruno stepped further into the research room.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, we have a new participant taking the entrance test."
"Make sure to show the difference between the research club and regular dojo classes."
Hearing Kuruno's words, the young research club members all responded in unison, their expressions serious.
"Yes, sir!"
Watching this scene
Kiyotaki Keika could only sigh inwardly.
She was supposed to be sitting among these children right now.
Just imagining it was already too conspicuous.
But she had no other choiceshe still hadn't reached the level of a female professional shogi player.
In other words, just like these kids, she was still in the process of learning at the research club.
"This time, I have to give it my all."
She whispered to herself.
Kuruno turned his attention to Hinatsuru Ai.
The research club's test consisted of three matches.
Winning all three wasn't necessary.
More importantly, the matches were meant to assess the candidate's actual skill level.
As long as they met the required standard, even losing all three games was acceptable.
Normally, the opponent for the first match would be someone with a weaker record in the research club.
ButYukima Azuma had said Hinatsuru Ai was different from the others.
Kuruno thought for a moment, then said:
"Hinatsuru Ai, for your first match, you'll play against Sadatou Ayano."
Hearing this, a cute girl with glasses stood up.
Sadatou Ayano, an elementary schooler one year older than Hinatsuru Ai, carried the air of a refined oujou-sama.
She was one of the stronger young players in the research club.
And so, the two girls sat at the board and began their match.
"Please take care of me." x2
Chapter 213: Hinatsuru Ai Sweeps Through the Research Club
Hinatsuru Ai faced off against Sadatou Ayano.
There wasn't a shred of suspense in the match.
It was practically a complete overwhelming victory.
Kuruno glanced at the board, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
"Hey, Ryuuou, how exactly do you usually teach this kid?"
Based on her performance in the entrance test
Hinatsuru Ai was even stronger than Yukima Azuma had been back in the day.
A true little monster.
Kuruno couldn't contain his curiosity. Just what kind of training had Yukima Azuma given her to create such a terrifying prodigy?
"Usually, Ai plays against me, Ginko-senpai, um and also Sainokami Ika."
Yukima Azuma answered honestly.
Raising Hinatsuru Ai had been fairly simple.
Aside from training her in fundamental knowledge
She just needed to keep playing against the three of them.
Skill? Just play a lot, and you'll get the hang of it.
Hearing this, Kuruno found himself at a loss for words.
Are you serious?
You let a child train against Ryuuou, Queen, and Emperor?! (Note: I don't know what Ika's title is, wiki doesn't have it. So I leave it as is according to the author.)
This is offense, this is defense, and this is Ashina Isshin.
Aren't you guys just camping at the newbie village gate and farming fresh spawns?!
Any normal kid subjected to this kind of "training" would have quit ages ago!
"I lost."
While they were talking, Sadatou Ayano had already admitted defeat.
Around them, the research club students erupted in astonishment.
"That fast?!"
"As expected of Little Ryuuou!"
"She's way too strong!"
Since Hinatsuru Ai was Yukima Azuma's disciple, she had earned the nickname "Little Ryuuou."
Despite the shower of praise
She didn't show a trace of arrogance or complacency.
Instead, she bowed respectfully to Sadatou Ayano in a properly disciplined manner.
"Thank you for the match."
This attitude made Ayano, who had just lost, feel much better.
"You're amazing..." she sincerely praised.
Hinatsuru Ai smiled. "Not at all, I was just lucky."
At that moment, Kuruno stepped forward.
"Next match, play against me."
Having Hinatsuru Ai face off against the other students no longer held much meaning.
Kuruno had no choice but to step in himself.
Of course, as a professional 7-dan player, he couldn't play against her on equal footing.
He removed his Bishop and Rook from the board.
A two-piece handicapand even sacrificing his Rook on top of that.
Kuruno felt this was a serious way to approach the match.
But Yukima Azuma, watching from the side, shook his head.
"I heard Ryuuou is bringing his disciple for the entrance exam today?"
"Ryuuou, last time you vanished in the middle of an interviewthis time, you're caught."
"Let me see... Kuruno-sensei is playing himself?"
A few people gathered.
They were Tokyo Shogi Association staff, reporters, and professional players.
After all, this was a professional institution.
News spread fast.
At first, these adults were focused on Yukima Azuma, planning to chat with him.
But after a single glance at the shogi board
Their attention immediately snapped to the game.
Because the match had only just begun.
And yet, Kuruno, a professional 7-dan player, was already at a disadvantage.
Cold sweat trickled down Kuruno's forehead.
He had already anticipated that Hinatsuru Ai was extremely stronglikely at Shoureikai level.
But he hadn't expected her to be this strong.
Even with a Rook handicap, he had still been too careless.
Previously, while observing the match between Hinatsuru Ai and Sadatou Ayano
Kuruno had noticed that Ai's playstyle mainly focused on stable defense.
It made sense. After all, the opponents she regularly faced were far stronger than her.
Playing it safe was the only logical choice; otherwise, she'd be crushed in an instant.
So, Kuruno deliberately chose an overwhelmingly aggressive approach.
But unexpectedly
Hinatsuru Ai suddenly changed her style.
Like a sword unsheathed, she immediately pushed Kuruno into a disadvantageous position.
Kuruno had no idea.
When playing against Sainokami Ika, Hinatsuru Ai could achieve nearly a 50% win rate.
If she only knew how to defend, she would have zero chance of winning against Sainokami Ika.
The only reason she had a 50% win rate
Was because she knew how to attack.
And not just attackit was her natural talent.
Of course
If her opponent was Sora Ginko, someone who knew her playstyle inside out, she would be utterly crushed.
But against a genius shogi player who was facing her for the first time
The sword named Hinatsuru Ai was frighteningly sharp.
"I lost."
Kuruno stood up, his expression... difficult to describe.
But judging from his face, he wasn't faring much better than Sadatou Ayano.
Absolutely ridiculous.
What kind of exam was this supposed to be?
The Research Club's training system didn't just focus on fundamental techniques and gradually improving students' skill levels.
The most important aspect
Was to make students hit the rookie wall early.
Many prodigies, when playing in regular dojo clubs, could effortlessly crush their opponents.
This was because
Most of the players they faced in those dojos were strangers.
By relying on their specialized techniques, these prodigies could create gameplay scenarios far beyond their actual skill level.
But once they stepped onto the professional path
