The Match between Strategists

Rows and rows of bookshelves endlessly lined the tatami floors. Each brown oak bookshelf stood like a sentry monitoring the patrons of the library. Strategy guides, novels, historical texts and many other forms of books filled the shelves. The covers of each book showed signs of wear and tear. The musty scent of withering pages felt nostalgic.

As I walked through the path between the shelves, I noticed several tables in the centre. At one of the tables sat Mr Arakawa, cross-armed, eyeing me closely. I gulped in fear but gave a confident smile as a front. A psychological battle always begins once enemies make eye contact.

Emperor Nobunaga and Yukino sat at the table to his right, whereas Riku and Chiyo sat on his left. I bowed to the emperor and his daughter before sitting opposite Mr Arakawa. My hands gripped my knees tightly like a claw machine. Sweat dripped from every pore of my body.

“Mr Kurokawa, are you ready for my challenge?” Mr Arakawa asked, his eyes staring straight into my soul.

I nodded. My back was straight, and my chest was out. Even though my confidence was below the gutter, I shouldn’t show it in front of him. I couldn’t let Mr Arakawa’s presence consume my mind.

“Very well. My challenge is a simple game.” Mr Arakawa grabbed a wooden board from behind him and placed it on the table. I immediately recognised the game and sighed in relief.

“So we’re playing Shogi?” I asked.

“You know this game?”

“I’ve played it a couple of times in my world.”

“Good. I don’t need to teach you the rules, then.”

Mr Arakawa meticulously assembled the pieces on the board. His movements were precise with no wasted effort. Each gesture was similar to a robot arm in an assembly factory. Once the pieces were set, he kept his arm above the board for a handshake.

“Let us have a fair fight, Mr Kurokawa.”

“Likewise.”

I shook his hand firmly, then kept my hand back at my knee. The battle had begun.

—---------

“Impossible..” Riku whispered in shock.

“Interesting. I would have never expected this outcome.” Chiyo was uncharacteristically wide-eyed, and a wry grin grew on her face.

“Seems like Kawa has finally met his match,” Emperor Nobunaga voiced joyfully.

“That’s it, Aki! You can do it!” Yukino was excited.

Both our kings were in opposite corners of the board. The next move was crucial in deciding the winner. I held on to the Gold General piece (equivalent to a King that can’t move diagonally backwards) that I was about to drop back onto the board with shivering fingers.

Unlike the rest of us, Mr Arakawa was completely unfazed. He continued to focus his attention on the board, his expression fixed. Was he not playing seriously? That couldn’t be true. All three of his students said that we would put 100% effort into anything he did. So what did he see that I couldn’t?

Mr Arakawa moved his Jade General next to my king. There was only one more spot that I could move. I couldn’t make any mistakes. My king could be checkmated by anything now, either from a piece on the board or a previously eliminated piece that has been dropped back (eliminated pieces can be placed back on the board in Shogi). This was the final turn.

I analysed every single square on the board, looking for an advantage. His King was just as cornered as mine. There should be an opening my Gold General could use. But wait, there was an even more obvious move. One that could win me the match.

Everyone gasped as I promoted my pawn. It was left all alone next to the opponent’s king. Now that it was promoted, it had the same movement as the Gold General, meaning it was attacking everything in its vicinity, including the King.

Mr Arakawa’s King was stuck. There was no other position to move it. It was a checkmate.

Everyone’s gasp snapped my concentration. Riku and, surprisingly, Chiyo were pale and wide-eyed, whereas Yukino and Emperor Nobunaga had the brightest smiles on their face. But Mr Arakawa was still looking at the board.

“It’s checkmate, Mr Arakawa. I win.” I kept my hand outwards above the board for a handshake.

However, he closed his eyes and refused to reciprocate. He remained silent, still crossing his arms.

“Mr Arakawa, the match is over. Aki won. Please show him some sportsmanship,” Yukino commented. Though she respected Mr Arakawa, it was evident that she was disappointed in his current behaviour.

“No one has beaten me at shogi before. Not even my own students. How did you do it?” He didn’t sound disappointed. In fact, he seemed curious about my achievement.

“I guess you could say I read your mind,” I answered honestly.

“That’s not possible. You don’t even know magic.” Riku was dumbfounded.

“I never said I used magic. All I did was observe your movements. From your eyes and hands, I could roughly tell what your plan was.”

To be honest, my shogi skills aren’t that good. I knew how all the pieces moved and some techniques, but I couldn’t compare to proper masters. Masters plan every move and can catch their opponent’s tactics from their first move. But that is if I started first. That was Mr Arakawa’s big mistake.

Since Mr Arakawa was moving first, I could form several counter plans every time it was his turn. And, luckily, I guessed right almost every time just from his body movements. I was prepared with a defence

“It wasn’t easy, though. You’re a master at shogi after all. There were times when you predicted my prediction as well and shut down my plans. That was tough to get past.” I chuckled wryly, forgetting about the tense atmosphere for a moment.

“I have to thank Yukino as well. She taught me some tricks in shogi during that one-hour break. If it weren’t for her, I would have lost immediately.”

“You knew I was going to pick Shogi?” Mr Arakawa’s previous cold behaviour had disappeared. He was genuinely interested in how I won.

“That was thanks to Chiyo. She told me that you might choose a strategy game of sorts. That reduced the options to either Shogi or Go.”

“Chiyo gave you advice? That’s new.” He was wide-eyed at my response. Was the man in front of me really the same guy who admonished me earlier?

“Not you too, Master. I’m not that antisocial,” sighed Chiyo in disbelief.

He then returned my handshake, just as firmly as before. His eyes were warm but still serious.

“You impress me, Aki Kurokawa. I’ve never met a man like you. Someone so observant yet willing to get help from anyone in order to win. It speaks of your empathy, a quality needed for a proper general and a good strategist.”

“Thank you, sir. I swear I won’t let you down.” I bowed down to my new senior.

Now that I’d gained his acknowledgement, I had gained the acknowledgement of most of the generals, if you include Emperor Nobunaga as one of them. Chiyo and Riku’s acknowledgement wouldn’t take too long. From now on, progress in the army should go smoothly.

—--------

The glowing ball of fire above had been replaced with a rock reflecting its light. The blue canvas was now covered in black with spots of glowing white. I lay down on the grass once again, observing the twinkling balls of light from afar.

Even after such an eventful day, I could not fall asleep. Instead of rolling absentmindedly on my futon, I decided to get some fresh air outside. The biting cold was slightly uncomfortable, but I found it relaxing in a way.

“What’s the hero of the day doing on the ground at this time of night? Are you not satisfied enough with your victory?” Riku lay down beside me on the bed of grass.

“Can’t fall asleep as well?”

“You can say that. I’ve always liked the outdoors more than those cramped rooms anyway. The blow of the wind on my cheeks never ceases to relax me.”

“Same here.”

We continued staring at the stars above in silence for a while. Even though we were on bad terms, technically, his company did not bother me. In fact, having someone’s warmth next to me felt nice. Though I would have preferred it if it were Yukino next to me.

“I still think you don’t belong here,” Riku brought up all of a sudden.

His words pissed me off. After all that work in proving myself, he still thought I should leave. What else do I have to do to prove my worth? No. Why should I listen to him in the first place? I’ll win without him if I have to.

“Suit yourself. I don’t need your help anyway.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m saying that you still have a long life ahead of you.”

Those were not the words I expected to come from his mouth.

“Chiyo, Master and I. Every soldier here. Even Yukino. All of us have trained our lives for this very moment. We are aware of the horrors of war and fight for personal reasons relating to the country. But you are an outsider. Someone who hasn’t even spent a week in Aogiri, yet we should expect you to lay your life for our sakes. I can’t accept that.”

He raised his head and looked straight into my eyes. The demeaning eyes he used to look at me with were now out of worry and pity.

“Aki Kurokawa. You’re a child who hasn’t even touched a blade yet. There’s no reason for you to traumatise yourself in this battle. Especially when you hold no responsibility for the country. Live your life free of regrets. Don’t burden yourself with our problems.”

His words were heartfelt and honest. Riku believed that there was no reason I should fight in a war when I hadn’t even held a weapon in my hands. And as someone not from Aogiri, there was no reason for me to represent them and risk my life for the nation. To be honest, he made perfect sense. I shouldn’t be involved in a war for a country that I’m not even a part of. I’m still a teenager who has much more of my life to live. However…

“But I want to,” I retorted.

“Excuse me?”

“I want to carry Aogiri’s burdens. I want to fight in this war.” I got up and looked him straight in the eyes. I was not about to waver.

“Are you stupid?! Why risk your life for us? You have no reason to be here!”

“It’s simple; I want to help. When I first arrived in the capital, I saw people struggling to stay alive. Even though they continued their life, their eyes begged for help. Emperor Nobunaga, Empress Hikari and Yukino worked hard to stabilise the country, but that won’t last for long.”

“So if I had to give one answer, it’s to help them smile again. Everyone, from the young child playing with his friends, to the old man who wants to peacefully live the rest of his life. From Emperor Nobunaga and Yukino to everyone in this camp, including you. I want to end everyone’s suffering and bring smiles to your faces again.”

“Even if you have to suffer for it?”

“If I have to suffer, then so be it. I’ll take it in stride.”

“Even if you die?”

“I won’t die. I have a promise to Yukino that I have to keep.”

I was breathless. All that talking had parched my throat completely. But it felt good to release all my thoughts. I hoped that Riku would finally understand me and accept my reason for fighting.

But he chuckled.

He chuckled at my vow.

He really was a prick.

“What’s so funny!? I’m being serious!” I shouted angrily. How dare he treat me so lightly!

“I apologise. I’m just shocked at how straightforward you are,” he admitted, still chuckling.

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all. It’s just when you live life in the upper class, you expect people to backstab or demean you at any point. You aren’t like that, though. I feel like I can trust you with no regrets.”

“So you accept me fighting in this war?”

“No, I don’t. Earnest people are prone to dying first.”

Before I could retort, he kept a fist at my heart. I was frozen in place, wondering what he was doing.

“But I know you won’t listen to me anyway. So, instead, I’ll protect you with my life. I’ll make sure you survive this war in one piece. That’s my duty as a noble, as an ally and as a friend.”

A confident smile grew on his face. For the first time, I felt we were looking at each other as equals. But that meant I had to do my part as well. I kept my fist on his heart.

“I’m not some damsel in distress. I’ll make sure my strategies bring us glory with as less casualties as possible. You are coming home safely with me and everyone else.”

I wasn’t an idiot. Loss in a war was inevitable. But that won’t stop me from keeping as many soldiers alive as possible. Winning the battle was only worth it if people were there to celebrate the victory.

“Very well then, Aki Kurokawa. Let’s make a promise to our victory and our survival.”

We shook hands on the promise. The stars were our only witness. This promised that we weren’t alone. There would always be someone behind our backs ready to protect us. I was confident that with everyone’s efforts, we would come back safely with glory.