Jul 03, 2026
Author's Commentary #45:
Time to talk about Chapter 45: SPCM Himitsuue.
There's a lot to unfold, including the game itself, but first thing's first, Tenju's title. If you recall, her original title was Himitsutan, while Himitsuue was Taira's. As with the other Japanese SPCMs, all have "Himitsu" in their name followed by a Japanese honorific, -tan and -ue being the two for the twins, respectively. Since Tenju now posses Taira's prowess, it feels more proper for her to have her nickname now as well.
What actually led to this though was me constantly forgetting Tenju's nickname was Himitsutan and not Himitsuue, but I decided to make it work. In the context of the story, Daria didn't want to pass on the nicknames of the former SPCMs to new ones, primarily out of respect, or in Michiko's case, not wanting to have her nickname passed on to someone else due to all the negativity surrounding it. But with Tenju, there was a case to be made for why she could adopt her sister's nickname.
Tenju had always hated her original nickname, which she believed represented her pathetic state. But now that she's not only matured, but gained Taira's prowess, it made sense to give the title to her. And even though it won't properly be showcased in the story, I will confirm that the badge people get for beating her has been updated.
As for the game, it was amazing. Not only was it a cinematic masterpiece thanks to the presence of Taira's visage, but it was a good chess game too. Bao's anger got the better of her, and she blundered big time, which now gives Japan the lead.
One final thing I'll talk about is the upload date for the chapter. The chapter was originally uploaded on February 2nd, or 2/2 day. This day can often be associated with twins, in fact, I have some characters that are twins and born on that day. This is why I felt it would be perfect to release the chapter on that day. And speaking of significant days the Iori vs Jia finale originally released on February 4th. Given Iori's affinity for the number, it made sense to release the chapter that day. I don't normally try to align chapter releases with specific dates, though there are some exceptions, but this was a case where things just worked out.
Here in the volumes though, it's mostly uploading at my own discretion. Speaking of which, this face-off is why I had Tenju featured on the cover as this is arguably her big moment of the whole arc.
And with that, it's back to the men's section, though don't expect an end to the marquee match anytime soon. The question will be how long those two decide to watch the women's games. Since Okisato's the one who's on the clock, Miralem can watch for as long as he wants until Okisato decides to head back. One thing I will say about the game is that it features an opening I don't think many will guess. See if you can guess it before it's revealed.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
