"If I continue this winning streak, and win the official tournament this time, I could be promoted to seventh-dan."
"Then, I'll participate in the Ryuou title tournament. If I win the Ryuou title, I'll be promoted to eighth-dan."
"A few years from now, if I win the Ryuou title five times in a row, I'll become the youngest player to achieve the 'Eisei Ryuou' (eternal dragon king) title and be promoted to ninth-dan."
"Ah... If everything goes smoothly, that would be great."
Yukima Azuma chuckled softly and shook his head.
It felt as though he had been over-simplifying things.
Up until achieving the "Ryuou" title, the challenge might not be too difficult.
But becoming "Eisei Ryuou" would definitely mean facing off against the "Meijin."
How long it would take to hone shogi skills to the peak level of 10 was still uncertain.
After all, thinking about these things now seemed too early.
Yukima Azuma turned and entered the largest shopping mall in Osaka.
He hadn't forgotten that he needed to buy a souvenir for Kasumigaoka.
"Cat ears?"
A girl passed by him, wearing a soft headband with cat ears.
This made Yukima Azuma pause for a moment.
The style seemed somewhat familiar.
After a moment of thought, Yukima Azuma suddenly remembered.
"Ah, it's Koshian."
The "cat ears" character was trending online, and the original art post by the creator had over ten million views.
It was a hugely popular anime character recently.
In other words...
Yukima Azuma's gaze shifted to the entrance area of the mall.
Quickly, he spotted a poster advertising a "mangaka" event.
Clearly, today was a coincidence; Osaka was hosting a big anime event at this mall.
They might have rented out a section or an entire floor of the mall for it.
'Should I go to the event and buy a bunny cosplay set as a souvenir for Kasumigaoka-senpai?'
This thought flashed through Yukima Azuma's mind.
However, he immediately dismissed it.
If he really did that, he'd definitely be ruthlessly stepped on when he got home.
So, it would be better to find something else...
As Yukima Azuma was about to continue walking, a voice called out from behind:
"Ah, is that Yukima-kun?"
The familiar voice made Yukima Azuma pause.
This voice was very familiar.
With his sharp memory, Yukima Azuma quickly connected the sound to a face in his mind.
As soon as he turned around, a polite and proper smile, typical of a senior, appeared on his face.
Behind him were two small, adorable "girls."
On the left was a girl with blonde hair in two braids, but she was wearing a rather plain green sports outfit. Her delicate face showed clear surprise, her mouth slightly open, revealing a cute little fang.
On the right was a "girl" with purple hair, also in two braids, but her attire was completely different, refined with a traditional kimono. At that moment, she was resting her left hand on her cheek, making a onee-san expression straight out of an anime.
The two of them had remarkably similar facial features, looking almost like sisters.
"Sayuri-obasan, hello, it's been a long time."
Yukima Azuma slightly bowed in greeting.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri and Sawamura Sayuri.
His ex-girlfriend and the mother of his ex-girlfriend.
"Yukima-kun, you're being too polite. Eriri, what are you standing there for? Say hello!"
Sayuri smiled, waved gently, and gave Eriri a light pat on the back, nudging her forward a step.
"Eh!? Mom!"
Eriri cried out in surprise.
But quickly, she shut her mouth and lowered her voice.
Turning her head to look at Yukima Azuma, Eriri's face showed a complex expression, but internally, she was a tangled mess of emotions.
She wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out what.
After all, if Eriri had been able to handle the reunion openly, to greet him properly...
Then they wouldn't have ended things the way they did.
So, it was Yukima Azuma who spoke first.
"It's been a long time, Sawamura-san."
"Ha!?"
Just like with Kasumigaoka earlier,
One simple sentence from Yukima Azuma shattered Eriri's defenses precisely, causing the blonde girl with twintail, typically tsundere, to immediately "explode."
— — — — — — — —
If you like this story, please leave me a comment, review and power stones if you can. I would be very happy about that.
If you want to read the advanced chapters that I have translated in advance and support me to have more motivation to continue as a translator, here is my p.a.t.r.e.o.n patreon.com/curse_heian_chef
Chapter 16: Eriri Nigerudayo!
Chapter 16: Eriri Nigerudayo!
"It's been a long time, Sawamura-san."
"Huh!?"
Eriri widened her eyes, staring at the person in front of her.
She s
Three seconds later...
Eriri gritted her teeth,
"Ehh! Eriri!"
Sayuri watched her daughter run off and immediately called out loudly.
But unfortunately, Eriri had no intention of looking back.
Clearly, she was in a state where nothing could get through to her.
Seeing this, Sayuri turned to Yukima Azuma, apologizing.
"Sorry, Yukima-kun."
Then, she lifted the hem of her kimono, preparing to chase after Eriri.
Yukima Azuma quickly raised a hand to stop her.
"Sayuri-obasan, it's not convenient for you to run in a kimono. Let me go after her instead."
Hearing this, Sayuri casually lowered the hem of her kimono.
In reality, she had already planned to do that.
Had Yukima Azuma not stopped her, she was ready to perform the "stumble and fall" act.
After all, with her wooden geta sandals, the act would have been perfectly believable!
"Then, please take care of Eriri for me, Yukima-kun!"
Sayuri spoke in a light, easygoing tone.
Yukima Azuma nodded, then quickly ran after Eriri.
Sayuri watched his figure grow smaller in the distance, resting her hand on her cheek and smiling softly.
"Ara ara..."
.....
Eriri kept her head down, running desperately forward.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri was a true otaku.
She loved watching anime, playing 2D games, and was even an 18+ doujinshi artist.
During the entire spring break, Eriri didn't step out of the house once.
She spent her days holed up in her room, sometimes drawing doujinshi, sometimes watching anime, or playing games.
But today was different.
Today, at the shopping center in Osaka, there was a big anime event.
Although Eriri had no intention of attending the exhibition, her mother, Sayuri, invited her to walk around the event with her.
As an otaku, and given her mother's invitation, Eriri reluctantly agreed.
The event itself wasn't very interesting.
Even though it was a big event, it wasn't well-known and couldn't compare to the grand-scale events like Winter Comiket that she had attended.
Eriri even felt a bit regretful for leaving the house.
But...
When she was about to leave the event and head home, she suddenly stopped in the middle of the plaza street.
Her gaze pierced through the crowd, landing on a familiar figure.
It felt like a dream, both real and surreal.
As if she were sinking into a marvelous dream.
Eriri stood still, unable to speak.
Noticing her silence, Sayuri looked in the same direction as her daughter and softly called out.
When that figure turned around, Eriri felt incredibly lucky to have left the house today.
'This is a fateful encounter! If I miss this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!'
The thought flashed through Eriri's mind.
Since their parting, nearly every moment, she had incessantly thought of that figure.
Even in her dreams, she would meet that person again.
But...
"It's been a long time, Sawamura-san."
Those words shattered all of Eriri's illusions, tearing apart her beautiful dream of a reunion into tiny fragments.
'What the hell is this! Back then, I told him to call me Sawamura, but he wouldn't! He kept yelling "Eriri, Eriri" without stopping!'
Tears, transparent and silent, fell behind Eriri.
They hit the ground, shattering into sparkling pieces, like shattered glass.
Her dreams of a reunion...
...were completely destroyed by the words "Sawamura-san."
Since getting to know Yukima Azuma, he had never called her by her last name.
Even though she had repeatedly opposed it, trying to correct him, he stubbornly insisted on calling her "Eriri, Eriri" without ceasing.
Gradually, Eriri became used to it, no longer complaining.
But now, the unfamiliar address blurred the sense of familiarity she had once felt.
Since the day they parted, Eriri had realized, for the first time in a painful and clear way...
...that she and Yukima Azuma had truly broken up.
And so, her heart shattered.
That simple phrase was like a shout before an avalanche, like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
And so, Eriri ran away.
The young girl lowered her head and fled, unaware of the person walking in the opposite direction.
Then, "bump," the two collided.
"Sorry, sorry."
Eriri immediately apologized reflexively.
Although she often acted arrogant, as a true Oujou-sama, Eriri had been raised with good manners.
However, having good manners wasn't always a good thing.
"Hey, do you know what you're doing? Are you blind, you idiot!"
The harsh, mean words reached Eriri's ears.
She froze, rooted to the spot.
Clearly, she had apologized immediately, and the other person hadn't even fallen.
So why were they saying things like that?
Eriri lifted her sparkling eyes and looked up.
In front of her stood two girls who were a bit taller than her, wearing short skirts and jackets tied loosely at the waist, with red-dyed hair and expressions that were clearly intended to look displeased.
Unpleasant!
Just from a glance, it was obvious they were the real-life "Gyaru" type.
In reality, it was nothing like the characters in light novels.
In novels, characters like them could be cute, both bad and good at the same time.
But in real life, they just made others want to avoid them, feeling uneasy and bothered.
"What's with your expression? It's so annoying!"
"Bakayarou! Did you hit your head or something?!"
Clearly, the two girls recognized that Eriri was easy to bully and pushed even further.
"You... what do you want? My boyfriend is nearby, and he'll be here soon!"
Out of worry, Eriri blurted out.
She had read online that when dealing with troublemakers, the best way to make them back off was to make them feel intimidated.
The two girls indeed hesitated for a moment, their expressions sour and annoyed.
After exchanging glances for a while, one of them extended her hand in front of Eriri.
Seeing Eriri flustered, the girl looked up and said:
"I wasn't planning on letting you off so easily, but I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you go. Pay a few thousand yen, and next time, be more careful where you walk!"
— — — — — — — — — — —
If you like this story, please leave me a comment, review and power stones if you can. I would be very happy about that.
If you want to read the advanced chapters that I have translated in advance and support me to have more motivation to continue as a translator, here is my p.a.t.r.e.o.n patreon.com/curse_heian_chef
Chapter 17: This is 'Complaining with the Mouth, but Honest in Action'
Chapter 17: This is 'Complaining with the Mouth, but Honest in Action'
When she heard that all she needed to do was compensate a few thousand yen,
Eiri-ri, truly nave, took her wallet out of her bag.
For someone like Oujou-sama, who came from a wealthy family,
A few thousand yen wasn't anything significant.
If everything could be solved with just a few thousand yen, Eriri would sincerely be willing to do so.
However, as soon as she opened her wallet,
The 10,000-yen bills inside caused the two gyaru to freeze.
While Eriri was still flustered because she didn't have any small change,
One of the delinquents grabbed her wrist.
"Hey, I've changed my mind. My shoulder hurts a bit, a few thousand yen isn't enough, give me everything!"
She said that.
The audacity of the words was so extreme that even Eriri realized she was being extorted.
What should I do? Should I give it to them?
If I give it, will they keep pushing their luck and continue extorting me?
But if I don't give it, I'll definitely get beaten...
Eriri's eyes filled with tears once again.
Why did she have to go through something like this?
When the two delinquents saw that Eriri didn't immediately let go of her wallet,
After a bit of tugging,
One of them suddenly swung a fist, intending to hit her and take her wallet.
Instinctively, Eriri tightly shut her eyes, her body trembling slightly.
She was so afraid of pain.
"tsk!"
In the pitch-black world behind her closed eyelids, a familiar voice rang out from behind.
Along with it was a soft click of the tongue, filled with anger, and the sound of hurried footsteps drawing closer.
The pain she had anticipated didn't come.
Instead, a loud slap echoed right in front of her.
Carefully, Eriri cracked open her eyes just a little.
The sight that met her eyes was the gyaru who had just swung her fist.
Now, she was clutching her arm, her body swaying to one side.
It was clear that her arm had just taken a heavy blow.
In the corner of Eriri's field of vision,
A figure of a young man stood tall.
At that moment, all the anxiety in her heart disappeared completely.
Eriri felt more at ease than ever before.
Just like before,
As long as she could see that familiar back,
Nothing else mattered anymore.
Because he was the one who could make her feel that safe.
"What are you doing!? Want to die!?"
The gyaru girl whose hand had been slapped away yelled at Yukima Azuma.
The hand she had just extended toward Eriri now had a large, reddened mark across its back.
Yukima Azuma coldly stared at the two girls.
Most of the time, this young man gave off a sense of calmness and politeness.
But when his eyes narrowed slightly and he wiped the usual smile off his face, his entire aura transformed, exuding a terrifying, invisible pressure.
He didn't even bother to respond.
He just stood there silently, staring.
Ten seconds passed.
The aggressive demeanor of the two delinquents completely evaporated.
"Apologize to her."
Yukima Azuma's voice was like a command, carrying an unyielding force that brooked no disobedience.
