My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 583

It is indeed a video of members of a shogi club.

It's speculated that the photos were taken for research purposes. Not only the board itself, but also their attitude when troubled, how they used time when cornered, and whether their judgment of the situation was inadvertently reflected on their faces—their manner of playing shogi was captured in meticulous detail.

Yukino was completely confused.

That's for sure, because she knows absolutely nothing about shogi.

"Are you using this video to develop your strategy for the company entrance exam?"

"Yes, that's right."

Hachiman nodded slightly.

"The opponents in the entrance exam are current official team players. Everyone has a rank, of course, and I've heard there are even amateur high ranks like fourth and fifth dan, which are not common."

"Rank...?"

Yukino pictured the number of levels on the vaulting box in her mind (Note 12). If it were four levels, I should have been able to jump over them when I was in elementary school; it wouldn't have been difficult at all.

"Although I don't know much about it, surely you have a way?"

"I'm sorry, my Go skills aren't that great. I almost lost to a client who was a first dan, I'm probably only a second or third kyu at most."

"class……?"

Yukino recalled the English Proficiency Test (EPT) levels. Level 2 is roughly equivalent to high school graduation. "Looks like you're qualified to apply to Shogi University, Hikigaya-kun."

"I still don't understand. Does that mean elementary school students are at a lower level than high school students?"

"...?"

A question mark instantly appeared above Hachiman's head.

"It has nothing to do with age. Skill is absolute. Especially for high-ranking players."

"Therefore, being athletic is more useful for shogi than English ability."

"…………?"

Another question mark appeared above Hachiman's head.

"Perhaps... After all, top-level duels ultimately seem to be decided by physical strength."

"If you can't even jump over four floors, why don't you join the gymnastics club?"

A third question mark appeared above Hachiman's head.

"Are we talking about shogi?"

"Of course we're talking about shogi."

"……Yeah……"

Hachiman fell into deep thought.

Perhaps it's due to his accumulated life experience, but he's used to interpreting the unspoken meanings of others. Even in such direct conversations, he tries to detect any hidden malice or sarcasm, and instinctively becomes wary.

Yukino thought to herself, "That's one of your bad habits. The rhythm of conversation is one of the charms of humanity. You can only tolerate it because it's me; anyone else would definitely be disillusioned with you. That's why Hachiman isn't popular with girls. Great."

all in all--

"Your principle is to avoid doing unnecessary things, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, really?"

"But you even went out of your way to watch the match videos and observe your opponent."

By doing this, Hachiman suggests that the video contains information that is more important than training on the vaulting box at the gymnastics club.

"I think there are probably many different strategies in shogi. You just mentioned three rooks? That's a term I don't understand. So you're using this video to investigate your opponent's tactics? If I'm giving any random opinions, I apologize in advance."

"No, this is the most normal opinion at present."

Hachiman visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"But you're wrong. At this level, it's perfectly normal to spend hundreds of hours studying the tactics you're good at. Even if I crammed a countermeasure at the last minute, I'd only get counter-killed in the end."

"That won't work."

Yukino was a little disappointed.

"Because I don't want to see you lose. You're already a loser in life, it would be too pathetic if you didn't at least win a shogi tournament."

"Can you please stop pretending to encourage me when you're actually hurting me... Oh, I mean, you're coming to watch the game?"

"How could that be? There are so many more meaningful things in life than spending time on a niche regional game like shogi."

"Don't deny this from the bottom of your heart, okay? It's making me want to die."

Hachiman said some discouraging things, but actually swung his leg back arrogantly.

"Shogi may be a regional and niche game, but it's essentially the same as communication between people. Even if it's not useful for strategizing, you can still learn a lot. For example..."

Hachiman raised his chin and pointed to the boy playing chess on the far right of the screen.

With each move, he would glance left and right, nervously peering at the board next to him. The moment his eyes met his teammate's, the boy would smile obsequiously and quickly shift his gaze back to his own board.

"His restless posture and the way he pays attention to his surroundings are just like that guy's."

"……who?"

"Yui Yuigahama".

“Will that be true…?”

Yukino gave an ambiguous answer, but Hachiman ignored her and continued moving his fingers.

The employee next to Yuihama (tentative name) is slightly overweight. He pretends to pick up the Katsura horse from Komadai with his fingerless gloved hand and places it on the board with a force as if he is about to smash it.

"Look at this man who makes a move he's so proud of. The loud sound of him playing chess, the incredibly noisy coughing, the pointless laughter—there's no place he doesn't annoy, right? Yoshiteru Zaimokuza exists in every corner of the world."

"Uh, yeah..."

"Next up is this young man."

The employee next to the timber stand (tentative name) is very petite.

He seemed to be paying attention to the sounds of his teammates playing chess, fidgeting and playing very cautiously. When he met the eye of his opponent, he would look up and give a shy smile.

"That's right, it's Totsuka Saika. Totsuka is much cuter, okay, you idiot? This guy can't compare to Totsuka at all. Don't underestimate Totsuka."

"……Well……"

The member opposite Totsuka (tentative) was impatiently shaking his leg and moving the pieces with rude gestures. He clicked his tongue at the wood stand (tentative), immediately silencing him.

"This self-righteous queen attitude looks exactly like Yumiko Miura."

"........."

"Although he's just an ordinary man. In reality, all the members of a shogi club are short-haired men with glasses. Don't have too high expectations."

Hachiman said with a joking laugh.

Yukino responded with a sorrowful silence. Putting aside any expectations, she had absolutely no idea what Hachiman had seen. None of them resembled him at all…

Was it because he was constantly ignored by his classmates that he finally pinned his hopes on strangers for interpersonal relationships? Even if it's just her, perhaps he should be kinder to her.

When Yukino tasted regret for the first time in her life—

"it is good."

Hachiman muttered to himself and turned off his phone screen.

"The basic confirmation is complete."

"……that……"

What did you confirm? You should confirm the hospital's outpatient hours.

Yukino slowly moved her hand, and Hachiman, for some unknown reason, revealed a sinister smile.

"No problem, Yukinoshita."

I'm fine. But you have a serious problem with your head, Hachiman.

"It is commonly believed that shogi is unaffected by luck. This is true, but not true."

Ignoring Yukino's pitying gaze, Hachiman continued.

Chess skill is absolute.

But that's only in theory.

If humans were machines, a high school level expert would have almost zero chance of winning against an elementary school level expert, but—

"In actual matches, there are as many methods as you can use."

Hachiman revealed a mocking smile.

I really hope he doesn't try to look cool when others are worried about him. Others might misunderstand if they see it.

Looks like I'll have to go check on him, just in case he does something weird at the shogi club. At least Hachiman is a member. Forget "at least," he's practically a "bad" member now, but he's still a member.

Yukino silently prepared herself for the worst.

The day of the entrance exam has arrived.

Yukino walked from the fourth floor of the special building where the Service Club was located to the first floor, and finally found the Shogi Club office.

Why is it in such a hard-to-find place? If there were a female student who has no sense of direction and isn't good at asking for directions, she would definitely waste several tens of minutes looking for the way. No, even I, who isn't bad at directions, wasted several tens of minutes looking for the way; someone with a bad sense of direction would definitely spend even more time. It's so pitiful to have someone with a bad sense of direction.

Yukino opened the door to the shogi club with a bit of annoyance.

The test appears to have already begun.

Hachiman and someone from the shogi club are playing a match in a corner of the club office.

The remaining members watched from the sidelines, some sitting and some standing.

"...What's with this atmosphere?"

Yukino was taken aback.

For some reason, the members felt a murderous aura emanating from them.

Yukino blinked, trying to find the source of the strangeness, while the bespectacled boy closest to the door stood up in a panic.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

It's probably saying, "Are you here for a visit?" or "Welcome to the Shogi Club."

The bespectacled boy approached quickly, speaking in cryptic language. It seemed he knew Yukino was a member of the Service Club.

"...Ah, ah, ah..."

He led Yukino to her seat and gave her a pleading look.

Please don't say that I was the one who asked you to do it—

"Thank you, sorry to bother you."

Yukino smiled in response. She had no idea who this person was. For most high school girls, all shogi club members look the same. That's a little-known fact.

In Yukino's eyes, only Hachiman, who was competing, looked different from the others.

He didn't notice this side; he must have been focused on the game. As usual, with an expression like that of a dead sea bream, he boldly faced the chessboard.

Next to the plastic Go board was a mysterious device that looked like an electronic clock. With each move, Hachiman would press the button on a timer, and his opponent's time would begin to decrease.

"What is that..."

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Hearing Yukino's casual mutterings, the bespectacled boy quietly replied, "That's a chess clock, a game clock used in tournaments."

If the time exceeds fifteen minutes, it is considered a loss. If you encounter a player with a thousand-day hand (Note 13), the players take turns going first and start a new game with the remaining time. If it is a draw, the player with less than 27 points loses. In the case of a tie, the player who went first loses. Some people suggest that you lose on the spot. Whether you can join depends on the results of the five entrance tests.

The rules were like this—the bespectacled boy recited a bunch of shogi incantations, but Yukino, of course, didn't listen.

She sat down in the nearest chair and stared intently at the particular contestant.

The shogi club member sitting opposite Hachiman is the one he described in the film as being "Yui Yuigahama-type". Although Yukino herself couldn't tell the difference, that's how it was.

Yuihama (tentative name) looked very restless.

Even though he was in the middle of a match, he kept looking around and even gave his opponent a fawning smile when their eyes met.

It felt like they were trying to improve the tense atmosphere inside the office.