After seeing that scene, Kiyotaki Keika, who had fallen behind, hurriedly followed along.
On the left side of the first-floor corridor of the Kansai Shogi Association building was a restaurant that looked quite high-end. Most of the professional shogi players who competed in the building usually dined there.
However, since it was only a little after three in the afternoon, Eriri and the others had no intention of eating there.
On the right side of the first-floor corridor, there was also a shop. From a glance, the bookshelves inside were filled with shogi-related books.
Outside the bookshelves, various shogi-related merchandise was displayed, along with fans and collectible shogi pieces and boards placed inside glass display cases.
Each fan bore the signature of a popular professional shogi player. Judging from how carefully they were displayed, these fans were clearly best-selling items.
But that made sense—professional shogi players often liked to hold folding fans during their matches, making them a symbol of shogi itself. Not having a fan in hand would make one look out of place.
Eriri and the others didn't hurry to the upper floors but instead took Ginko Sora along to browse through the shop.
However, the store wasn't particularly large, so they quickly finished looking around.
Eriri wasn't especially interested in shogi merchandise, nor was Frieren.
On the other hand, Keika Kiyotaki and Ginko Sora were full of curiosity, and in the end, they even spent some money buying a few shogi-related goods.
The second floor of the Shogi Association building was the training hall. New shogi players who wanted to join the Research Society would be tested there. Those who passed could officially become members.
Of course, the hall also served as a place for instruction. Many professional players held classes there, attracting a large number of beginners.
The third floor, however, was home to the administration office and the players' rooms. Professional matches were held there, and outsiders were not allowed beyond that point.
Without special means, Eriri and the others couldn't go to the third floor. If a professional player like Kiyotaki Kousuke led them, they could enter, but Eriri wasn't interested in going up there.
Their destination was only the second-floor training hall.
So, after leaving the shop, the four of them headed straight for the elevator and took it up to the second floor.
...
The training hall was a spacious room filled with rows of tables and chairs, each with a shogi board set upon it.
Although it was already nearing four in the afternoon, many players were still engaged in matches.
Not all of them were striving to become professionals—most were amateurs who simply came to play for leisure.
These amateur players varied widely in age, ranging from those in their fifties and sixties to teenagers.
There were also quite a few children under ten, who had likely come to experience shogi for the first time. If any of them showed talent, they might be taken on as disciples by professionals.
The arrival of Eriri's group didn't cause much of a stir. Most players were too focused on their games to notice who had come in.
Only a few spectators who weren't currently playing turned their heads, surprised upon seeing Eriri.
Eriri hadn't hidden Frieren's elf ears, but just like Ginko Sora Kuuhaku before, everyone simply assumed they were fake props.
Ignoring the curious stares, Eriri led Frieren and Ginko Sora directly toward the playing area.
"Ginko, go find an opponent and play a game for me to see."
Eriri released Ginko Sora's left hand and smiled, gently patting her head.
Ginko Sora nodded without hesitation, then looked around. It didn't take long for her to find a potential opponent and head toward him.
The person she chose was a man in his thirties. The reason she picked him was simple—there was no one sitting across from him at his board.
As for how skilled that middle-aged man was, Ginko Sora didn't really care. Even when facing Kiyotaki Kousuke, she could lose over and over again without giving up—let alone against some amateur player hanging around in the training hall.
"Little girl, are you here to play against me?"
The middle-aged man looked curiously at the young girl sitting across from him.
Ginko Sora didn't reply. She simply gave a cold nod.
In truth, Ginko Sora was always like this when dealing with others—calm and distant, even with her mentor, Kiyotaki Kousuke. The only ones who could make her drop that frosty attitude were her mother and Eriri.
The middle-aged man didn't mind her aloofness. Instead, he smiled kindly.
"In that case, how about I let you start with a four-piece handicap?" he asked tentatively, not wanting to impose the rules himself.
"No need."
The young girl's soft voice came out firm and confident, carrying an unmistakable sense of strength.
"Alright then," the man said with a small shrug. Still, he decided inwardly to go easy on her during the match. He didn't want to crush the enthusiasm of a child.
Although Eriri, Frieren, and Keika hadn't followed Ginko Sora to her table, their eyes never left her. Once the match began, however, they turned their attention elsewhere.
"Keika, Frieren, you two should also find an opponent and play a bit," Eriri said with a light smile.
"Sure, I was just thinking that," Keika replied with a grin. She lifted her gaze, scanning the room for a suitable partner. Before long, she found one—but just as she was about to approach, she turned her head back toward Eriri.
"Eriri, aren't you going to find someone to play against too?"
Before Eriri could answer, Frieren spoke up first.
"Eriri, come play against me again!"
"Mm, no problem."
Eriri squeezed Frieren's soft, delicate hand and nodded without hesitation.
"Ah... I should've asked you to play with me instead! Why did I go looking for someone else?"
Seeing this, Keika let out an exaggerated groan and hugged Eriri's left arm tightly, causing Eriri to feel the unmistakable softness pressing against her.
Despite being only fifteen, Keika's figure was already quite well-developed.
"If you want to play with me too, then how about I play against both of you at the same time?" Eriri said casually.
"Hmm... that's not a bad idea," Keika replied after a brief moment of thought, then nodded decisively.
"Alright then, it's settled! Let's find two connected boards!"
Since she could play against Eriri, Keika had no intention of playing with anyone else—even if Eriri was facing both her and Frieren at once.
There were still plenty of empty seats in the hall, so finding two side-by-side boards wasn't difficult.
Eriri led Keika and Frieren to a pair of adjacent tables located just a few seats away from Ginko Sora. Keika and Frieren sat across from her at their respective boards.
Across the narrow one-meter aisle between the tables, two young girls under ten were playing a match of their own.
One of the girls had long, silky black hair and an elegant, well-mannered appearance—she looked like a refined young lady. The other had messy red hair and, despite her focused expression, the slight upward curve of her lips gave her a faintly wild air.
Eriri glanced at the two little girls with interest before turning her attention back to her own games.
Then, she began her dual operation—playing simultaneously against both Keika and Frieren.
The players who had been secretly sneaking glances at Eriri this whole time widened their eyes in astonishment when they saw her playing two matches at once.
While it wasn't unheard of for professionals or women's league players to face multiple opponents simultaneously during exhibitions, seeing it happen so casually here in the training hall was rare enough to leave them stunned.
Many people wanted to observe Eriri's three-way match more closely, but none of them dared to get too close.
Fortunately, their seats weren't too far away, so they could still barely make out the flow of the two games on Eriri's boards.
...
Although both Keika Kiyotaki and Frieren had impressive shogi skills, compared to Eriri, they were like children.
Even while managing both boards simultaneously, Eriri effortlessly pushed them into a corner, leaving them with no choice but to defend.
For Eriri, whether she played against one person, two, or tens of thousands, it made no difference. It was merely a matter of dividing her attention—something that didn't hinder her in the slightest.
While playing against Keika and Frieren, she was also casually chatting with the group members in the chat group.
Of course, to avoid crushing them too badly, she didn't use her full strength.
After about half an hour, the match between the two young girls across the aisle from Eriri and the others was also nearing its end.
Two minutes later, the red-haired girl won by a narrow margin.
"Darn it, I can't believe I lost to you again," the quiet, black-haired girl said, clearly frustrated.
Her opponent—the red-haired girl—grinned arrogantly, revealing two rows of small, sharp white teeth.
"Haha! That's the power of the great me! Your defense was solid, but you're still a bit short when it comes to stopping my attacks!"
"Hmph, as if you've never lost to me before," the black-haired girl muttered, rolling her eyes. But because of her naturally pretty features, even that annoyed gesture looked adorable.
At that moment, though, no one but her red-haired friend saw it.
The red-haired girl ignored her comment and picked up a shogi piece with a mischievous grin.
"So, want to go another round?"
"No, it's getting late. I have to head back to Kyoto."
"Eh... fine, even though I'm not satisfied yet," the red-haired girl sighed.
"Well, Kyoto's nearly fifty kilometers from the Shogi Association. Even with a driver, it takes at least half an hour to get back," the black-haired girl said helplessly, spreading her hands.
Just then, she noticed her friend had suddenly gone silent, staring blankly to the left.
Curious, the black-haired girl followed her gaze—and instantly froze when she saw the breathtakingly beautiful face before her.
The unexpected beauty hit her like a physical shock, leaving her stunned for several seconds.
Then, to her surprise, the stunning woman across from her suddenly looked her way and smiled—a radiant, almost otherworldly smile.
The black-haired girl felt her heartbeat skip a beat. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she quickly turned away, unable to keep looking.
It took her over ten seconds to recover from the embarrassment of being caught staring. When she finally glanced back toward Eriri, she found she could now look at her beauty without completely losing her composure.
As her eyes drifted downward, she noticed something surprising—Eriri was playing two simultaneous matches.
That realization shocked her again.
Turning to her red-haired friend, she saw that she, too, was watching the two boards intently. So, the black-haired girl turned back and began studying the games seriously.
As the matches progressed, her expression grew increasingly serious.
Though she wasn't particularly skilled—she wasn't even a women's league player yet—she had a decent eye for shogi.
It was clear to her that both Keika Kiyotaki and Frieren possessed remarkable skill, easily at the level of women's professional players.
And yet, Eriri was handling both of them at once, forcing them entirely onto the defensive while remaining completely at ease. That alone proved how powerful Eriri's shogi ability was.
In this world, there had never been a single female professional shogi player.
But in the black-haired girl's eyes, Eriri undoubtedly had the strength of one.
At this moment, she couldn't help but wonder who Eriri really was.
With such unbelievable shogi prowess—and that almost unreal beauty—how could she have never heard of this woman before?
—
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