It wasn't only the black-haired girl who noticed the strength of Eriri, Keika Kiyotaki, and Frieren—many others in the hall could also see hints of it from their games.
Among them were even a few professional shogi players, who were utterly astonished by Eriri's level of skill.
To those professionals, what Eriri was doing was simply unbelievable. They knew they themselves could never manage to play simultaneously against both Keika and Frieren.
And so, another half hour passed. Eriri's matches against Keika and Frieren both reached their conclusion.
With a pair of graceful moves, Eriri placed her final pieces on each board—winning both games at once.
"As expected of you, Eriri-nee, you're incredible," Keika said with open admiration.
Frieren, sitting beside her, nodded in agreement. She was confident that with time she could surpass Keika—but she had no confidence whatsoever in being able to defeat Eriri even once.
Eriri smiled softly at their reactions and said reassuringly, "As long as you both keep working hard, your future achievements won't be any less impressive."
"Hehe, of course! I'll become the strongest shogi player in this world someday!" Keika declared confidently.
Hearing her bold words, several players nearby turned their heads in surprise, unable to comprehend where her confidence came from.
At least from their perspective, Eriri was someone Keika could never hope to surpass.
"Well then, you'll have to work hard. Otherwise, you might not even be able to beat Ginko Sora," Eriri teased lightly.
Thanks to the wisp of cosmic energy Eriri had placed within Ginko Sora's heart, her shogi talent now far surpassed what it had been in the original timeline.
Originally, her talent had already been extraordinary—enough for her to become the first-ever female professional shogi player in history. With this enhancement, her potential for the future was beyond measure.
"Ginko Sora might be talented, but I'm not planning to lose so easily! Who knows who'll come out on top in the future!" Keika said with a bright, confident smile, showing no hint of intimidation despite Ginko Sora's gifted potential.
The surrounding spectators fell silent, quietly observing the conversation between Eriri and Keika. At the same time, curiosity flickered in their eyes when they heard the name "Ginko Sora."
Who was this person they spoke so highly of? For someone to earn such praise from Eriri and Keika, their talent had to be extraordinary.
Yet, none of them had ever heard of anyone by that name before.
Meanwhile, Ginko Sora's own match against the middle-aged man had also just come to an end.
Though he was only an amateur, the man's shogi skill was still decent. After an intense back-and-forth lasting more than an hour, he narrowly claimed victory.
But instead of pride, he felt deep astonishment.
For a child of just a few years old to play against him to that degree—it was nothing short of unbelievable.
There was no doubt in his mind that if he faced her again a few months later, he would no longer be able to win.
"You're really something, little girl," the man said with a smile. "Do you have a professional teacher? If not, I can introduce you to a really good one."
As a regular visitor to the Shogi Association, he was well-acquainted with several professional players and was more than happy to help his friends find promising disciples.
"No need," Ginko Sora said curtly, hopping down from her seat. Then she walked briskly toward where Eriri was sitting.
Watching her leave, the man felt a pang of regret and considered asking her guardian about her potential apprenticeship.
But when he noticed what was happening around Eriri, he froze mid-step.
"What's going on? Why's everyone looking at those three girls?" he muttered in confusion.
Since he'd been so focused on his match, he hadn't seen what had happened earlier. The sight of everyone's attention fixed on Eriri and the others left him completely puzzled.
Then, as he saw Ginko Sora walk up to the stunningly beautiful blonde girl, realization dawned on him—this must be her guardian.
Yet, even knowing that, he no longer had the courage to approach. Just standing there, he could feel an inexplicable pressure emanating from Eriri's presence.
...
"Eriri-nee, I'm back."
After returning, Ginko Sora climbed up onto the seat beside Eriri and wrapped her small arms around Eriri's arm.
"Mm, welcome back!"
Eriri smiled warmly and reached out to pinch Ginko Sora's soft cheeks.
Across from them, Keika Kiyotaki quickly asked about her match. "Ginko Sora, how did your game go? Did you win?"
"No, I lost," Ginko Sora said quietly, lowering her head with a hint of disappointment.
Seeing that, Keika gently patted her head and comforted her. "It's okay. You're still young—when you grow a bit more, you'll definitely be able to beat him!"
"Of course I will!"
Ginko Sora looked up again, her earlier sadness gone, replaced by a bright and confident smile.
Nearby, the black-haired and red-haired girls across the aisle overheard Keika's words and immediately realized that this "Ginko Sora" was the person Eriri and the others had mentioned earlier.
They hadn't expected the supposedly gifted girl to be someone even younger than themselves.
Feeling a surge of competitiveness, both girls glanced toward Ginko Sora, their faces showing faint, defiant expressions.
Especially the red-haired girl—hot-tempered by nature—she stood up abruptly, walked over to Ginko Sora, and spoke bluntly.
"Hey, brat! I heard your talent's amazing. How about proving it in a match against me?"
The black-haired girl, startled by her friend's sudden outburst, immediately followed her over.
"Ryou, what are you doing?" she whispered, tugging at the red-haired girl's arm. Then, turning toward Eriri—who was watching them with a calm smile—she quickly bowed.
"I'm so sorry. My friend doesn't know any better. I'll take her away right now."
She tried to pull Ryou away, intent on leaving.
As a young lady from a noble family, the black-haired girl had far sharper instincts than her commoner friend. Just one look was enough to tell her that Eriri's presence was anything but ordinary. Among everyone she had ever met, no one exuded such an aura.
But before she could drag her friend off, Eriri's voice stopped her.
"There's no need to be nervous, little one. I'm not upset. Besides, this proposal sounds quite interesting, doesn't it?"
Eriri's eyes glimmered with amusement as she looked between the two girls.
The black-haired girl froze, uncertainty flickering on her cute, delicate face.
Then, Ryou shrugged off her friend's hand and grinned carefreely. "Don't worry, Manami! The great me just wants to play a game—nothing bad about that, right?"
"The little one's right," Eriri said with a soft chuckle. "As a shogi player, challenging someone is perfectly natural."
She nodded approvingly, then looked down at Ginko Sora, who had remained silent the whole time.
"Ginko Sora, go play a game with her."
"Okay," Ginko Sora replied without hesitation. When it came to Eriri's requests, she never thought to refuse.
Seeing that, the black-haired girl finally gave up on stopping the match. Any thought of returning to Kyoto vanished as well. She decided to stay and watch this impromptu challenge to the end.
The other players around them also turned their attention toward the two girls. No one cared about their own matches anymore—all eyes were fixed on the upcoming battle between the children.
As soon as Ginko Sora agreed to the challenge, Keika stood up from her seat and called cheerfully to the red-haired girl.
"Hey, little one, come sit here!"
The red-haired girl didn't hesitate for a second. She took Keika's seat with bold confidence.
Keika didn't leave either—she stood between Frieren and the red-haired girl, her gaze focused sharply on the board.
Although she was clearly eager to compete herself, she now watched with genuine curiosity, knowing that this match would be anything but ordinary.
After taking her seat, the red-haired girl, despite her earlier bravado, politely introduced herself to Ginko Sora.
"Listen up! The great me is Tsukuyomi Ryou, eight years old! You'd better watch out—I won't let you say I'm bullying you because of my age!"
Ginko Sora didn't react to Tsukuyomi Ryou's provocation. Her expression remained calm and unchanged as she silently reset her pieces on the shogi board.
Seeing this, Ryou lost interest in taunting her and began resetting her own pieces as well, her face gradually taking on a serious look.
Once both sides had finished arranging their pieces, it was time to determine who would go first.
Normally, in official matches, the order was decided through a method called "piece toss." One player would shake one or five pawn pieces in their hand, then toss them onto the board. If the majority landed face-up, that player would take the first move; if not, the opponent would.
However, at Eriri's suggestion, the two girls decided to use rock-paper-scissors instead.
At Eriri's signal, Ginko Sora's "scissors" beat Ryou's "paper," granting her the first move.
And so, the match between Ryou Tsukiyomizaka and Ginko Sora began.
...
When Eriri had used cosmic energy to restore Ginko Sora's body, she had also let that energy flow briefly through her brain—enhancing her cognitive functions and sharpening her thinking ability significantly.
That was why she had been able to hold her ground for over an hour earlier against a skilled amateur player before losing.
If this match had happened before today, Ginko Sora likely wouldn't have been able to win against Tsukuyomi Ryou.
But things were different now.
Under Ginko Sora's relentless assault, Ryou quickly found herself overwhelmed. In less than thirty minutes, she lost all control of the board and was ultimately defeated.
Staring at the outcome before her, Ryou's mouth hung open slightly as she sat motionless in her seat, her once fiery eyes now dimmed in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Ginko Sora's flawless performance stunned the surrounding spectators. Any lingering doubt about Eriri's earlier praise of her talent vanished completely.
After the match, Ginko Sora lifted her gaze toward Ryou. For the first time, her eyes carried a hint of acknowledgment.
At first, she had thought Ryou was just a rude troublemaker—but after this match, she realized that Ryou's skill was far from ordinary.
"Tsukuyomi Ryou, I'll remember your name," Ginko Sora said softly. "I'm Ginko Sora. I hope your strength will surprise me next time."
It was rare for the usually withdrawn Ginko Sora to speak such a long sentence to someone she had just met.
Ryou, still stunned by her defeat, blinked in surprise. But upon hearing Ginko Sora's words, she snapped out of her daze. Her dull eyes regained their light, and determination replaced her earlier frustration.
"You're really strong. I can't beat you now... but next time—next time, I definitely won't lose again!"
With that, she stood up from her seat and, without waiting for Ginko Sora's reply, grabbed her black-haired friend's hand, intending to leave the Shogi Association.
The black-haired girl didn't resist being pulled away. Still, before turning to go, her gaze lingered on Eriri for a moment, carrying a trace of reluctant admiration.
But just as the two of them took a few steps, Eriri's voice called out.
"Wait—you don't need to leave so soon."
The girls stopped abruptly and turned around again.
"Um... do you need something, miss?" the black-haired girl asked cautiously.
"It's nothing serious," Eriri said with a soft smile. "But tell me—don't you want to play a match with Ginko Sora too?"
The black-haired girl hesitated, visibly tempted. She knew she couldn't possibly win, but the chance to play against such a gifted opponent was something she couldn't easily refuse.
Seeing her indecision, Eriri added gently, "You don't have to overthink it. It's just a game—it won't take much of your time."
After hearing that, the black-haired girl finally made up her mind.
She had a driver waiting anyway, so returning home a little later wouldn't be a problem.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven