This caused the attending reporters to sense something unusual, like the smell of blood drawing a shark's attention.
Many cameras turned their focus toward the girl.
"Sainokami... Ika, I believe that's your name. What's the matter?"
In contrast to the girl's eagerness, Yukima Azuma appeared rather indifferent.
"After hearing about you, Yukima, I rushed over immediately!"
Sainokami Ika was undeterred by Yukima Azuma's cold demeanor.
Instead, she responded with a radiant smile.
"You must be the one holding the title of 'Queen,' correct..."
"Big news, big news!"
The murmurs spread rapidly among the reporters.
The title of "Queen" is reserved for female shogi players, equivalent to titles like "Queen" or "Women's Throne" held by someone like Sora Ginko.
Currently, Sainokami Ika was the reigning holder of this title.
Speaking of which, Japan's peculiar formality in titles always stood out.
"I heard Yukima Azuma would be making a comeback, and I was genuinely thrilled." Even though Yukima Azuma didn't respond, Sainokami Ika kept talking, seemingly to herself.
"Hey, date me! That way, we can play shogi forever!"
"Nobody else matters. As long as I have Yukima Azuma, nothing else is important!"
What could one say about this?
Her declaration was, without a doubt, a bit precarious.
It could easily be classified as an emotional 'landmine.'
Standing on the stage, Yukima Azuma felt the fiery gaze from across the room.
It was Sora Ginko's stare.
Consequently, Yukima Azuma immediately suppressed even the faintest trace of a polite smile.
"I must decline. After all, we aren't even friends."
"A confession like that makes me uncomfortable. Please don't do it again."
With that, Yukima Azuma stepped off the stage and exited through the players' pathway on the other side.
Sainokami Ika had been decisively rejected, yet the smile on her face didn't fade.
Her golden, lightning-shaped eyes followed Yukima Azuma's figure until he disappeared.
.....
After leaving the hall.
Not long after, Sora Ginko caught up.
"What was that all about?"
Sora Ginko's voice was soft, like a kitten's gentle pawing, carrying a teasing itchiness.
Of course, if Yukima Azuma's attitude earlier had been even slightly ambiguous, Sora Ginko wouldn't be asking so calmly.
In that case, she might have stormed over, grabbed his collar, and delivered a sharp kick on the spot.
But since Yukima Azuma had firmly rejected Sainokami Ika in front of everyone, leaving no room for misinterpretation, Sora Ginko wasn't worried.
Now, she was only asking because she was paying attention to Yukima Azuma.
"When I advanced to the second rank in the prize competitions, I once played against Sainokami Ika," Yukima Azuma began.
"After losing, she suddenly latched onto me, and the very first thing she said was a confession."
"Even after being rejected, she didn't mind and kept finding ways to play shogi with me."
"To be honest, just now was the third time I've rejected her confession."
Sainokami Ika was the kind of person who completely embodied selfishness.
She only cared about getting stronger at shogi.
Aside from that, nothing else mattered to her.
Her talent among female shogi players was exceptionally rare.
That's why, after just one game, she recognized Yukima Azuma's extraordinary abilities.
And from that moment, she became attached to him without hesitation.
She wanted to grow stronger through playing with him.
And to achieve this goal, she was willing to sacrifice anythingeven herself.
"Tsk!" Sora Ginko clicked her tongue quietly. "That sneaky cat burglar."
The folding fan in her hand opened and shut repeatedly, an unconscious habit of hers whenever she was irritated.
Yukima Azuma reached out and ruffled Sora Ginko's silvery hair, gently soothing her mood.
Sora Ginko instinctively closed her eyes to enjoy the moment but quickly caught herself, pulling away with a haughty air.
"Not secretly pleased by being confessed to, are you?"
"Not at all."
"Firmly rejected her, unlike a piece hovering indecisively on the board?"
"Firmly rejected."
"Alright... let's go. Master's house. Sister Keika already finished cooking."
After asking her questions, Sora Ginko turned away and walked lightly ahead, a small smile playing at her lips, her ears faintly tinged with red.
Chapter 14: A Pain Worse Than Jealousy is Having No Right to Be Jealous
Chapter 14: A Pain Worse Than Jealousy is Having No Right to Be Jealous
Kasumigaoka Utaha had been unable to sleep since early morning, even though she had stayed up quite late the previous night.
She wanted coffee, but the canned coffee from the vending machine outside was simply unpalatable.
So, Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to try brewing coffee herself.
The result...
"Disastrous" was perhaps the only word that could describe it.
She wasted some coffee beans.
The manual coffee grinder had to be meticulously cleaned as well.
Kasumigaoka Utaha pulled a Fukuzawa Yukichi bill from her wallet and placed it under the bag of coffee beans.
Of course, she didn't actually need to use that much money.
After fumbling around for a while and giving up, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat down, exhausted, and scrolled through news on her phone.
By noon, Yukima Azuma had already prepared a meal and stored it in the fridge, ready to be microwaved.
For some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha let the afternoon slip by before finally taking the plate out of the microwave.
She couldn't help but marvel at Yukima Azuma's thoughtfulness.
After all, the Yukima Azuma she had known before wasn't the kind of person to be this meticulous.
There had been a few minor tantrums over this in the past.
However, even though Yukima Azuma wasn't naturally detail-oriented at first, he had his own strengths.
You could call it a talent for learning quickly or a willingness to recognize mistakes and correct them.
In their relationship, whenever Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed out small issues, Yukima Azuma wasn't like those rigid "patriarchal types." Instead, he would silently adjust and improve.
By the end of their time together, Kasumigaoka Utaha had come to understand this clearly.
Still, the "thoughtfulness" of the current Yukima Azuma took her by surprise.
Around 1 p.m., news related to shogi suddenly started appearing in her feed.
Among the updates, a few pieces of information quickly caught her eye and climbed to the top of the trending section.
They were all related to the official matches in Chiba.
Kasumigaoka Utaha clicked on the news as soon as it appeared.
She was the type of person who knew only a little about shogi.
Most of her understanding of shogi had come from Yukima Azuma's explanations during their time together.
But when it came to wins and losses, promotions or demotions, those were things she could comprehend immediately.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha saw Yukima Azuma's name on the promotion list, she let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Success is good..." she murmured, then realized her emotions were somewhat unusual.
It wasn't just simple joy at Yukima Azuma's promotion.
The breakup three years ago and Yukima Azuma's withdrawal from the shogi world at the same time...
Now, with his return to the shogi scene and his achievement of success, it felt as though their breakup might have had a different ending.
This connection was entirely unfounded, yet Kasumigaoka Utaha's intuition compelled her to link the two events together.
Stretching slightly, she prepared to put her phone away and head upstairs to nap.
But just as she was about to close the news page, her eye caught a headline.
Her finger, poised to exit the screen, froze.
Instead, she clicked on the article.
"A Genius Reborn After Three Years! The Shogi Queen's Passionate Confession!"
That was the headline.
Beneath it, the word "Confession" blazed in bold, fiery red-orange letters.
Upon entering the article, two images immediately appeared beneath the headline.
The first photo showed Yukima Azuma standing on stage, holding a microphone and smiling calmly.
The second photo captured Sainokami Ika bursting into the hall, her eyes alight with excitement as her lips formed his name, her expression brimming with fervor.
The scene exuded a strong sense of "romance."
'The aloof, intellectual young man offering a smile only to the passionate, determined young woman.'
That was the vibe it seemed to convey.
Both possessed striking appearances.
Even if this had been categorized as a social news piece, it would still have stirred excitement among uninformed readers.
Not to mention that this was within the shogi world.
Both of them were professional playersYukima Azuma and the Queen of Shogi herself.
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a black line form across her brow.
She tapped her foot lightly, her long legs clad in black stockings creating a rhythmic sound against the wooden floor.
Her fingers pressed firmly on the screen as she slowly scrolled down to read the rest of the article.
The detailed report elaborated on Yukima Azuma's outstanding performance in the official match.
It also highlighted Yukima Azuma's illustrious past achievements.
The majority of the article, however, was dedicated to describing the Queen of Shogi's dramatic entry into the hall.
It painted a vivid picture of her disheveled attire and urgency, her sole intent being to meet Yukima Azuma, the 5-dan player.
It recounted the interaction between the stage and audience and even included a verbatim quote of the Queen of Shogi's words.
"Hey, date me. As long as I have Azuma, nothing else matters."
The passionate confession of the Queen of Shogi...
Upon reading such a description, Kasumigaoka Utaha's fingers clenched so tightly that a cracking sound could be heard.
After a series of lengthy paragraphs that seemed to be excerpts from a youthful romance novel, finally, at the end of the article,
in an inconspicuous spot,
in small font, it stated:
"Unfortunately, Yukima 5-dan has temporarily declined."
And there was no further information.
The comment section below the article had turned into a battleground of "dog food" (public displays of affection).
Clearly, not many people paid attention to the final note.
Kasumigaoka Utaha turned off her phone screen.
Even her breathing became heavier.
It took three deep breaths before she gradually calmed down.
But once calm, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a faint pain in her stomach.
Not a physical pain.
It suddenly dawned on her that she had neither the reason nor the right to be angry.
If it had been before...
She could have easily unleashed a tirade of sharp words at Yukima Azuma the moment he returned.
She might even have harshly interrogated him about where exactly that "thieving cat" had appeared from.
But now...
On what grounds could she do that?
The moment she realized this,
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt even more unsettled than witnessing Yukima Azuma being confessed to.
"Could it be that compared to jealousy, what's more painful is the lack of the right to feel jealous?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered softly.
The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the entrance.
"I'm back (Tadaima)."
The boy's voice echoed from a distance.
Kasumigaoka slowly walked toward the doorway.
Seeing the boy changing into his house slippers, she softly greeted:
"Welcome home (Okairi)."
Yukima Azuma looked up, blinking a few times in surprise.
"I thought Kasumigaoka-senpai would completely ignore me."
After all, before heading out, he had slyly teased her a bit.
"As a senpai, I naturally possess the grace to forgive the mischief of my juniors."
Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms over her chest and smiled.
Chapter 15: The Ex-Girlfriend and Her Mother
Chapter 15: The Ex-Girlfriend and Her Mother
"Kasumigaoka-senpai, come down and eat!"
"I heard you, I heard you. Stop shouting so loud. If it's not good, don't blame me for stepping all over you!"
Following that was the sound of brisk footsteps descending the stairs.
Recently, Yukima Azuma hadn't needed to call her as much.
Most of the time, when it was mealtime, Kasumigaoka would naturally appear at the dining table.
Only when she was deeply engrossed in her writing did Yukima Azuma have to actively remind her.
However, while her body was enthusiastic, her mouth never softened.
Clearly, lately, Kasumigaoka had been eating nothing but Yukima Azuma's cooking.
Even her previously beloved pineapple buns hadn't been touched in ages.
"Here's the money for next month's meals."
Kasumigaoka pushed a thick wad of cash toward Yukima Azuma.
It was quite a significant amount, even exceeding what was needed for food expenses.
"Just leave it there," Yukima Azuma replied casually, not even glancing at it. "This afternoon, I'll be heading to Osaka for an official tournament. Dinner is already in the fridge."
Kasumigaoka merely responded with an "oh."
"I'll bring back a souvenir for you, Senpai."
Noticing a hint of disappointment in Kasumigaoka's eyes, Yukima Azuma chuckled softly, his tone gentle.
At that moment, Kasumigaoka realized her feelings had been seen through. She huffed lightly, but the expectation in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
"I'm off now."
"Safe travels."
The official tournament in Osaka didn't have much to note.
This time, his opponent was a professional fourth-dan player.
There was still a noticeable gap in skill levels between them.
Yukima Azuma steadily guided the game into the endgame phase and then secured an easy victory.
In the endgame, differences in skill become especially apparent.
With this win, Yukima Azuma had re-established a winning streak in official tournaments, extending it to seven consecutive matches.
"With just one more win, I can be promoted to sixth-dan."
Walking out of the shogi club, Yukima Azuma calculated his win-loss record.
In official tournaments, the number of wins and losses is the most critical factor for a professional shogi player's promotion.
A high win rate makes it easier to accumulate the necessary victories for advancement.
Securing a winning streak accelerates the process even further.
In fact, Sora Ginko wasn't wrong.
If Yukima Azuma hadn't temporarily left the world of shogi three years ago, his current ranking would probably be 8th dan, or even 9th dan.
