She could tell that Yukima Azuma hadn't held back at all.
A grade school child.
To resist this much against Yukima Azuma, there could be no other reason besides talent.
However,
"There are plenty of talented kids out there, do you plan on taking them all as disciples?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha snorted, speaking.
Upon hearing this, Yukima Azuma only sighed.
"Ai, how about we play another game? Is that okay?"
"Umu! I'm fine!"
Hinatsuru Ai wiped the tears from her eyes and said seriously.
"This time, it might hurt a bit, can you handle it?"
"It's fine, sensei, you don't need to worry about me!"
Yukima Azuma reached out and patted the little loli's head.
"Let's fight."
The board was reset.
Hinatsuru Ai once again held the bishop piece in her hand.
However, before she could make a move, she shuddered.
From the other side of the board, an overwhelming pressure surged toward her.
The pressure felt as if it could materialize, stabbing into her fragile heart.
Her breath became rapid.
Hinatsuru Ai couldn't even bring herself to lift her head to look at the opponent across from the board.
It was terrifyingwas this the presence of sensei? It felt... like she could barely breathe.
Hinatsuru Ai clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and then placed the piece down.
The game began.
Unlike before,
This time, every time she placed a piece,
Immediately, from across the board, a "clink!" rang out, and her opponent's piece would fall to the table.
Though there was no clock set by the side,
Under this pressure, Hinatsuru Ai had no choice but to think faster.
Each move, though carefully considered, was immediately countered in the blink of an eye.
The sense of despair was incomparable to before.
Her breath became increasingly difficult.
This was a tactic rarely used in professional matches.
Because if one can anticipate the opponent's moves, just making the right move at the right moment can create psychological pressure on them.
This strategy can break the mentality of a player.
It felt like someone was choking her.
And with the added pressure Yukima Azuma was emitting,
It felt like he was pushing Hinatsuru Ai to the brink of collapse.
Tears, she didn't even know when they started, began to fall, one by one.
Hinatsuru Ai's small body felt like it was on a tiny boat in the middle of a storm.
She tightened her shirt in front of her chest, gripping it so hard it twisted.
Such a tragic scene.
Even Kasumigaoka Utaha, who stood beside, could no longer watch.
When she was about to step forward, wanting to say something to Yukima Azuma,
Yukima Azuma raised his hand under the table, signaling for her not to approach.
Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then shifted her gaze back to the small figure, observing more closely.
Under this pressure, even though Hinatsuru Ai was clearly suffering to the extreme,
Her ocean-blue eyes, tinged with a faint shade of purple, remained fixed on the board.
In those eyes, there was pain, but no sign of surrender or defeat.
This time, Hinatsuru Ai persisted until the 130th move.
At the moment of conceding the game,
Yukima Azuma immediately withdrew his overwhelming presence.
He stepped across the board and caught Hinatsuru Ai, who was about to fall.
"Are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine. I can still... keep playing."
Hinatsuru Ai was like a resilient bamboo, not bending even when the storm rages.
"Let's call it a day for now. You should rest first, and we can talk about the disciple thing later."
"Sensei, did I... pass the test?"
"Mm, you passed."
Yukima Azuma picked up Hinatsuru Ai and laid her down on the couch in the living room to rest.
...
After leaving the room,
Yukima Azuma looked toward Kasumigaoka Utaha.
His gaze seemed to say: "That's how it is, after all."
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed.
What else could she say?
The child, not only did she possess exceptional talent, but also the courage and perseverance to keep walking down this path.
A heart as resilient as her, almost like a unique magic, helped her overcome every obstacle without fear.
"Do as you wish, just teach her properly if you're going to."
After saying that, Kasumigaoka Utaha left.
Yukima Azuma watched her figure, shaking his head and chuckling softly.
So, even senpai is a little tsundere, huh?
It made sense thoughif she weren't, she wouldn't have become friends with Eriri.
He walked out of the kitchen, grabbed a few ice cubes from the fridge,
And brought a glass of ice water into Hinatsuru Ai's room.
As for taking her as a disciple,
Yukima Azuma had his own thoughts on the matter.
This, in truth, did hold certain benefits for him.
Aside from Hinatsuru Ai's background,
If we focus just on her,
The two games that Yukima Azuma had played with Hinatsuru Ai had actually boosted his shogi skill progress slightly.
Although compared to the long, drawn-out progress bar, this increase was insignificant,
It was still far more than any self-training Yukima Azuma had done.
He had realized long ago
That skill development needed practice.
Learning from masters of high caliber or competing against prodigies with superior talent,
Both could significantly accelerate skill growth beyond what normal practice could achieve.
And as for shogi,
In terms of learning, it was clear that there wasn't much left for him to learn.
Even Meijin himself no longer had the qualifications to teach Yukima Azuma.
As for prodigies,
Those who stand out in the shogi world are naturally prodigies themselves.
But when it came to innate talent, Hinatsuru Ai, just in terms of raw ability, was already more outstanding than even many professional players.
So, in terms of improving his shogi skills,
Looking at the big picture, taking Hinatsuru Ai as a disciple and frequently playing games with her might very well be the best option.
So, is this a little loli?
Nuh-uh, this is an experience package!
However... even though Yukima Azuma agreed and Hinatsuru Ai agreed,
That still wasn't enough.
After all, she was the pampered young lady of a prestigious family.
.....
Two hours later, Hinatsuru Ai had recovered.
Although during the game, Yukima Azuma had only used a small fraction of his aura
Perhaps just a tiny fraction compared to what he had used to scare the gyaru girls before, it was still somewhat harsh for an elementary school child.
Anyway, it was good that she had recovered.
Once she had regained her composure
The first thing Hinatsuru Ai did was sit up straight in front of Yukima Azuma, her face waiting for judgment.
Yukima Azuma reached out to pat her head, gently brushing her cute ahoge.
"You don't need to be so tense. Did I scare you earlier? Sorry about that."
Enjoying the feeling of being patted on the head, Hinatsuru Ai quickly shook her head after hearing Yukima Azuma words.
"It's fine, sensei! You don't need to apologize! I'm completely okay!"
Since Hinatsuru Ai said so, Yukima Azuma didn't continue discussing it.
"Well then, let's get down to business."
Yukima Azuma sat down across from Hinatsuru Ai.
Hinatsuru Ai sat up straight, looking serious.
Goku Gokuri (*JP Glup*.)
"You have a lot of potential, and you have a resilient heart. Your talent is more than enough."
When she heard Yukima Azuma's evaluation, Hinatsuru Ai immediately became so happy she almost jumped up.
"But!"
Yukima Azuma suddenly shifted his tone, pulling her back from her excitement.
"When you came to me today, did you discuss it with your parents first?"
Hearing Yukima Azuma's question, Hinatsuru Ai glanced to the side, a little embarrassed.
"Because... mom didn't agree... so... so..."
"Ah, so you sneaked out, right?"
Yukima Azuma continued, causing Hinatsuru Ai's ahoge to droop. She nodded as if admitting her fault.
"Well, even though your ability is sufficient, I can't accept you as a disciple right away."
Hearing Yukima Azuma say this, Hinatsuru Ai immediately lifted her head, ready to defend herself.
However, Yukima Azuma raised his hand to signal her to calm down.
"Regardless, your family's opinion is important. Family ties must be respected."
"Therefore, I'll take you home first, and then you need to sincerely apologize to your parents."
"As for becoming my disciple, if you can get permission from them, I'll definitely accept you."
Yukima Azuma promised.
Hinatsuru Ai's ahoge, which had been drooping, immediately perked up when she heard Yukima Azuma's promise.
Now it started spinning like a Hopter from Doraemon. (t/n: Takekoputa) (t/n: is that the named, right?)
"I'll talk to your parents, but if we go now, they will probably refuse."
"Therefore, let's leave it for after I win the Ryuou title. I will definitely achieve that title."
"After I get the Ryuou title, I'll have your parents reconsider, and then I'll definitely be able to convince them."
"At that point, I'll officially accept you as my disciple. Is that okay?"
Yukima Azuma asked with a smile.
Hinatsuru Ai, at that moment, continuously nodded rapidly, so much so that her "Doraemon Hopter" seemed to be pulling her up into the air.
"Then it's settled!"
"Okay! Sensei, we have to pinky swear!"
"Sure, pinky swear."
"So, sensei, what will we do next?"
"Of course, we're going to take you home. What do you think?"
"Umu!"
...
So, Yukima Azuma, holding Hinatsuru Ai's large bunny bag with one hand and her hand with the other, was ready to head to Ishikawa Prefecture.
However, before that, Yukima Azuma took Hinatsuru Ai to a shogi club in Chiba, where his master lived. It was an opportunity for her to get familiar with the place.
While she wasn't officially his disciple yet, she could come to the shogi club to learn in the meantime.
As for Yukima Azuma, aside from using this place to gain experience... I mean, to guide Hinatsuru Ai, he could also learn from his own master.
Although Yukima Azuma was very strong, he still had certain shortcomings when it came to teaching disciples.
Nonetheless, Yukima Azuma success in shogi was largely due to his innate talent and the help of the system.
Hinatsuru Ai visiting the dojo in Chiba, where Yukima Azuma master, Kiyotaki Kousuke, lived, would also help her in her training. This would be very beneficial to her development.
(T/N: Ayo, 2900 words, and when I finished translating the chapter, I remembered Ai should call the MC Shishou, she do it in anime... i think...so, i'll do that in the next chapter.)
— — — — — — — — — — —
If you like this story, please leave me a comment, review, collection and power stones if you can, that really help me a lot
If you're looking for good fanfics, try reading my other books, you won't be disappointed, promise.
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and support me to have more motivation to continue as a translator, here is my p.a.t.r.e.o.n pa treon.com/curse_heian_chef
Thanks you, Have a nice day ()
Chapter 65: The Girl Who Can See "Them"
Monday.
Another school day.
Yukima Azuma had just entered the classroom.
The classmates were about to gather around to ask Yukima Azuma what he had been up to during the days he had taken off.
But Kirisu Mafuyu rushed over.
"You, come here right now!"
Standing right at the classroom door, Kirisu Mafuyu's expression looked extremely scary.
"Sensei, it's not even time for morning class yet. If you're angry, at least wait until it's over!"
Yukima Azuma put on a sorrowful face.
The whole class, which was already frightened, couldn't help but laugh when they heard Yukima Azuma's words.
Even Eriri, who always sat next to Yukima Azuma and usually appeared indifferent, turned her head to stifle a laugh.
"Stop talking back! Is it because I've been too lenient with you, or are you just at that rebellious age? Come with me to the office right now!"
Kirisu Mafuyu was really angry.
She had given him a leave of absence in good faith.
But this guy...
It had only been one week since the semester started.
And he had only come to class for two days.
If she didn't discipline him properly, next time she saw him, it might not be until next month!
Yukima Azuma could only sulk and leave the classroom, following Kirisu Mafuyu to the office.
"Well, here we go again, early in the morning,"
The teacher who had seen Yukima Azuma being led to the office last week smiled and said.
"Kirisu-sensei is really understanding, sacrificing her break time just for a problem student like you."
Yukima Azuma covered his face, pretending to be extremely guilty.
"If you had known, you would have studied properly!"
Kirisu Mafuyu didn't say much, grabbing his ear and pulling him back to his seat.
The atmosphere in the office was cheerful.
Sitting down at her desk, Kirisu Mafuyu opened a drawer, pulled out a stack of assignments, and tossed them on the table.
Clearly, she had prepared them in advance.
"Now do all of these assignments for me!"
"Ehh? What about morning class?"
"You still remember there's a morning class?"
"I mean you, Kirisu-sensei."
"I've asked another teacher to cover the class!"
Upon hearing that, Yukima Azuma immediately understood that he wouldn't be getting out of doing these assignments today.
He casually grabbed an empty chair from the nearby desk.
He received a sharp glare from Kirisu Mafuyu.
Yukima Azuma quietly sat down and began working on the assignments on the desk.
These assignments were from various subjects.
Language, math, Englishevery subject was included.
The range of the questions was fairly narrow, seemingly focusing on the content from the past few lessons.
Yukima Azuma immediately realized these were all topics that had been covered in the past week.
This set of assignments was probably put together by Kirisu Mafuyu herself.
She was probably worried that he wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace after missing school.
Thinking of that, Yukima Azuma increased his writing speed.
It didn't take long.
"Kirisu-sensei, I'm done."
Kirisu Mafuyu was drinking water.
Hearing Yukima Azuma's voice, she almost spat her tea in his face.
She coughed a few times, then took out her phone to check the time.
Less than five minutes had passed.
Her anger, already high, was growing even more.
