He took out pork, fresh shrimp, and lotus root from the fridge.
With practiced movements, he began preparing the filling.
Although the dumpling wrappers were a bit difficult to handle,
There was no better alternative, as the supermarket didn't have anything better.
Fortunately, with his Lv6 cooking skill, Yukima Azuma could make up for the wrapper's flaws with his expertise.
Before long, a pile of wontons with neat folds appeared on the cutting board.
Yukima Azuma made a little extra,
To freeze and use for late-night meals later.
Just as Yukima Azuma was about to place the pot on the stove to boil water,
A knock came from the entrance.
Yukima Azuma paused his work.
He looked towards the entrance.
On a Sunday morning like this, who could be visiting?
It couldn't be Eriri.
She had to go to school tomorrow, and whether she would even be interested in someone else was unclear.
Sora Ginko?
Maybe, but the chances were low.
There hadn't been any noteworthy tournaments recently.
Sora Ginko traveling from Chiba to Tokyo wasn't exactly easy.
Kato Megumi?
Yukima Azuma didn't smell the familiar scent of tuberoses flowers.
While still in doubt,
Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly walked down the hallway and opened the door forcefully.
But to her surprise, there was no one there.
Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced around in confusion.
Until
"Hello, may I ask if this is the home of Yukima Azuma-sensei?"
A soft, gentle voice called from below.
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked down.
She saw a cute little girl with long brown hair, wearing a small red backpack, holding a large white bunny bag, standing at the door.
Kasumigaoka Utaha froze for a moment.
Her initially cold demeanor softened.
"Yes, this is the home of Yukima Azuma. Who are you looking for, little girl?"
She couldn't help it.
No matter how cold Kasumigaoka Utaha was to others,
In front of this cute little girl, who looked like she was in the first or second grade of elementary school,
Her attitude softened.
The little girl was wearing a blue and white dress, with a small white beret on her head.
Her long brown hair was tied into two pigtails at the back of her head, with one strand of hair (an ahoge) sticking out from the beret like a strange little tail.
The large bunny bag she was carrying was almost as big as she was.
Facing this adorable child, even Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't keep up her cold demeanor.
"Uh... I'm looking for Yukima-sensei!"
The little girl hesitated but spoke very seriously.
"Come on in," Kasumigaoka Utaha invited the little girl inside.
She then turned to call into the kitchen: "Yukima-kun, someone's here to see you."
If it weren't for the little girl behind her,
Kasumigaoka Utaha would have surely shouted: "Azuma! Your illegitimate child is here to see you!"
Yukima Azuma finished washing his hands.
He removed his apron and stepped out of the kitchen.
Seeing the cute little girl following Kasumigaoka Utaha,
He couldn't help but be surprised.
In his memory, he had never met this adorable girl.
With Yukima Azuma's memory, if he had ever interacted with someone, even if a long time had passed, he wouldn't forget them.
"I'm Yukima Azuma, may I ask who you are?"
Despite the girl's young age, he still maintained his manners.
Yukima Azuma asked seriously.
Since the moment she saw Yukima Azuma, the little girl's eyes seemed to be sparkling.
"Sensei! Please accept me as your disciple!"
With a burst of energy, she shouted enthusiastically.
As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl immediately kneeled on the floor in a seiza position.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, witnessing this scene, raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma found this situation very familiar.
"Accept a disciple? Even though you say that, I still don't understand what's going on."
"Anyway, please stand up first. Let's talk and discuss the matter of accepting a disciple later."
Yukima Azuma extended his hand toward the kneeling girl.
When the girl saw his hand reaching out, the light in her eyes flickered several times, shining even brighter.
Her tiny hands rested on Yukima Azuma's hand.
Yukima Azuma pulled her up.
"First of all, what's your name? You know me, but I don't know you. Please introduce yourself."
"Oh, I'm sorry for being rude. My name is Hintsuru Ai, I'm the daughter of the Hinatsuru family."
Hintsuru Ai introduced herself.
Yukima Azuma thought for a moment.
It didn't take long for him to remember.
The motel where he had fought with Yamato Kajin was owned by the Hinatsuru family.
The reason he remembered so quickly was because the decor of the Hinatsuru motel matched Yukima Azuma's tastes perfectly.
The calligraphy painting with the four Kanji characters.
Once he realized her identity, Yukima Azuma understood what Hintsuru Ai meant when she spoke about wanting to be accepted as a disciple.
He recalled the memories of this cute little girl.
Hinatsuru Ai.
A very talented little girl in the game of shogi.
She is the only daughter of the Hinatsuru family, one of the largest hot spring hotel chains in Japan.
Moreover, she is the only child in the Hinatsuru family.
A girl with a future that will undoubtedly inherit the enormous wealth of the family.
"At the hotel, I watched your shogi match, Sensei. You were amazing!"
"The way you battled, every step and every decisive move, it really made my heart flutter."
"That's why, no matter what, I want to learn shogi, I want to be your disciple."
"Sensei, please accept me!"
Hinatsuru Ai became more and more excited as she spoke.
In the end, she grabbed Yukima Azuma's hand, her eyes filled with hope.
Hearing this, Yukima Azuma thought for a moment.
"Well... since you're here, you probably haven't had breakfast yet, right? Let's have breakfast first, and then we can talk."
Yukima Azuma gestured for Hinatsuru Ai to sit in the living room.
"I can help! My family owns a hotel, and I've been learning to cook since I was little!"
The moment she heard about breakfast, Hinatsuru Ai immediately became enthusiastic.
Yukima Azuma gently patted the ahoge on her head.
"You don't need to, the food is almost done, just need to heat it up."
Hinatsuru Ai nodded obediently and sat down at the table in the living room.
Yukima Azuma went into the kitchen.
It seemed like there wouldn't be much left of the wontons this time.
Kasumigaoka Utaha followed him into the kitchen.
"Are you really planning to take that little girl as your disciple?" Kasumigaoka Utaha whispered in Yukima Azuma's ear.
"Well, let's see what her talent is first. If it's good, it wouldn't hurt to accept her," Yukima Azuma expressed his thoughts.
Kasumigaoka Utaha peeked her head out, looking at the little girl in the living room with her hopeful gaze.
It felt like this wasn't a good thing.
But the girl was so young, there shouldn't be any problems, right?
— — — — — — — — — — —
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Chapter 64: This is little loli? Nuh-uh, This is EXP pack!
The dumplings were dropped into the pot.
Normally, it's best to use a special soup base to cook them, for the best flavor.
But Yukima Azuma had still been at Sawamura house last night.
He really didn't have time to prepare.
This time, he could only make do.
But even though it was rushed,
When each dumpling, plump and glossy, was laid out in front of the two of them, neither could help but have their mouths water.
"Please give it a try, this is my masterpiece~."
Yukima Azuma looked very proud.
Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at him.
Then she scooped up a dumpling with a spoon.
Her small mouth blew on it a few times.
Then she bit into it.
It was still a little hot, so Kasumigaoka Utaha kept blowing on it.
The soup inside the dumpling burst out, landing on her tongue, and the fresh, sweet flavor made her senses explode.
At first, she thought this "masterpiece" was just a way to flatter her.
But now, looking back,
Perhaps this really was his masterpiece.
Kasumigaoka Utaha even thought: if I ate like this every morning, I might never get tired of it.
And then she wondered, what if I can't eat it anymore in the future?
However, compared to those thoughts,
Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted slightly, savoring the wonderful taste before her and the joy that the person who created this dish brought her.
"Have you ever made this for someone else?"
"Never."
Yukima Azuma wasn't lying.
His cooking skills had only started to develop in the past year.
Dumplings were his favorite dish, so in the process of honing his skills, he had practiced most with this dish.
It was just a shame that, during this time, no girl had come to his house in the mornings.
So, this was really the first time Yukima Azuma had cooked dumplings for someone else.
Upon hearing Yukima Azuma's clear and decisive answer,
Kasumigaoka Utaha squinted again, then took another bite of the dumpling.
It tasted even better.
However, most things aren't as perfect as we hope.
"This is amazing! So delicious! This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"
"Sensei, you're so talented! Sensei! I want to learn how to make this too!"
Hinatsuru Ai, after swallowing a dumpling, started speaking non-stop with her small mouth.
Her admiring gaze was almost brighter than the morning sunlight outside the window.
The tiny ahoge on her head was quickly wiggling.
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed.
She should have kicked this girl out from the start.
Should have waited until breakfast was finished before letting her in.
....
After breakfast,
Yukima Azuma led Hinatsuru Ai to the room where the shogi board was kept.
The little loli sat easily on the cushion.
Her sitting posture was very proper.
Yukima Azuma brought over a shogi box.
Inside was the shogi set gifted by President Tsukimitsu.
Compared to regular sets, this one was made from rare green wood.
The characters carved on it were also done by skilled artisans by hand.
This set, according to rumors, was quite valuable.
Moreover, it had collectible value.
It was a limited edition shogi set from the Japan Shogi Association.
Hinatsuru Ai took the set in her hands and immediately felt the difference.
She picked up a rook piece and began fiddling with it non-stop.
Kasumigaoka Utaha also came closer, standing by to observe.
Even though she didn't understand shogi,
She understood Yukima Azuma.
Just by looking at his reactions,
Kasumigaoka Utaha could guess what kind of person this little loli actually was.
(t/n: ahhhhh, is shogi time, I'm not even sure which part is right or wrong to correct, so don't overthink it)
Yukima Azuma sat down and set up the pieces.
However, the pieces were not fully arranged yet.
When the skill levels between the two players are vastly different, they apply a handicap to balance the game.
The simplest method is to give a handicap at the start.
Then, give up the left rook.
Next, give up the bishop.
Typically, this is also a common method in training matches.
Starting with a handicap plus giving up two pieces.
If the difference is still too large,
Then the handicap will extend to giving up: the promoted rook, bishop, two rooks, two knights, two silver generals, and two gold generals.
Of course, usually, four pieces is the limit.
Anything beyond that is simply an adult playing with a child who doesn't understand.
At this point, Yukima Azuma chose to give up three pieces.
The left rook, the bishop, and especially the promoted rook.
Upon seeing Yukima Azuma's arrangement, Hinatsuru Ai's gaze darkened slightly.
She wanted to play a fair game of shogi with Yukima Azuma.
But giving up three pieces really made her feel disrespected.
"Ai! When playing shogi, you must focus, not be distracted! You must completely ignore everything outside the board!"
Yukima Azuma's stern voice made Hinatsuru Ai shudder.
She immediately started to calm herself down.
No longer thinking about anything else.
She focused entirely on the board.
With the movement of the bishop,
The game began.
Hinatsuru Ai used the bishop's vertical opening.
Well, to be more precise, that was the only opening she knew.
She hadn't had formal lessons.
She had only taught herself by reading books.
She admired Yukima Azuma's style of play, which is why she wanted to learn shogi.
So, what she knew was simply the vertical bishop opening that Yukima Azuma used in his game against Yamato Kajin.
Yukima Azuma also moved his bishop.
In this game, he would not hold back at all.
The three-piece handicap was truly to test Hinatsuru Ai's skills.
Yukima Azuma's shogi skill level 8 swept across the board like a gust of wind.
By the 30th move, Yukima Azuma had nearly equalized the position despite the handicap.
By the 40th move, Hinatsuru Ai found herself at a disadvantage.
By the 60th move, the game quickly entered its final phase.
Hinatsuru Ai's eyes were filled with tears.
She stared intently at the board.
Trying to find a glimmer of hope to turn the tide.
She didn't know when it happened,
But the light in her ocean-blue eyes had turned a faint shade of purple.
"This... this... this... this is it!"
Hinatsuru Ai moved a silver piece into a key position.
This move could almost reverse the entire game.
Without this move, the game would end in the next ten moves.
And after this move...
"I lost."
Hinatsuru Ai cried as she conceded the game.
Finally, the game had stretched to the 111th move.
If it had been someone just starting out or at level 1 or 2, they probably wouldn't have been able to last this long.
Yukima Azuma looked toward Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, of course, understood his meaning.
At this point, she couldn't deny Hinatsuru Ai's talent.
