Child of God (Part One)
Without thinking, it came out of my mouth...
I want to go somewhere.
Where, where?
Where do you want to go, Rei?
What is that? Would you let me nibble a bit?
Um, as for me...
There's Milkyland, right?
And Enoshima, right?
And Chinatown in Yokohama!
With meat dumplings, shrimp in chili sauce, and almond jelly!
Yahoo-ey!
Momo! Momo wants to dig for potatoes!
And then, a soy sauce factory!
Why, Momo? You already went there on a field trip, didn't you?
You have to say the places you want to go.
Looks like she had a lot of fun digging up potatoes.
She's been talking about it ever since.
Where do you want to go, Sis?
Let's see...
Maybe somewhere with a beautiful beach where I can just relax.
I'd take a nap, see an esthetician, or maybe get an aromatherapy massage.
But I'd be happy if the meals come out without saying anything.
Thank you for always taking care of us!
As for me, well...
I suppose the Ise Grand Shrine. Your grandmother wanted to go there, too.
So, kid...
...where do you want to go?
I finally realized after being asked.
That I didn't have a place I wanted to go.
It seems that I didn't want to go to a particular place.
I just wanted to go somewhere else.
I guess that's what it was.
So for the study camp, Kiriyama will be marked as absent.
Staff Room
I guess it can't be helped since it's your rank-deciding competition.
You're already a professional, so it's work after all.
Matches are absolute,
so forfeiting a match is not acceptable, except for the funeral of one's parents.
But it's too bad.
Study camps are a major event in a student's life.
Yeah.
True, I was a little disappointed.
I wasn't disappointed that I couldn't go,
but disappointed in myself for being secretly relieved at getting out of going.
Still...
Don't give me an obvious face of relief.
Crap. He saw through me.
Was it super obviously on my face?
Look, I know how you feel.
You don't have any friends, and suddenly being thrown in
with a group of guys you've never talked to before
and then have to sleep in the same room for four nights is going to be tough.
Okay, Mr. Hayashida, can we be a bit more subtle?
Maybe a little more tactful, and not so straight-forward.
Well, I know a professional shogi player doesn't have much free time.
True, I do have several matches a month,
Shogi is like a baseball or boxing tournament in that respect.
So what does a professional athlete do on their "day off"?
Yes, the answer is "training."
Shogi players are like professional athletes.
On days without matches, we practice or study.
We examine and set up the countless game records left behind by predecessors,
hold study sessions with fellow shogi players, investigate new tactics together...
But then I don't see the reason why you bothered to re-enroll in high school.
I guess so, huh?
Hey, don't admit it so easily.
You don't have a home. You don't have a family.
You don't go to school.
You don't have any friends.
There's no place for you in this world.
Kyouko's words jumped right into the center of my heart,
but they didn't make me angry or sad.
I simply thought, "That's how it is."
That's exactly why I wanted to become a professional.
I thought if I could support myself without any help,
that would become the "place where I belong."
So I desperately latched onto the board.
Then, that dream came true and became reality.
I didn't have many things, so my move finished pretty quickly.
For some time after that, in a room without curtains or a TV,
it was like my battery had run out.
Other than matches and sometimes going to school,
I would spend the days sleeping it away.
For some reason, I would get so sleepy every day that I couldn't help it.
In my previous home, I helped out with the chores, so I continued it more or less,
but if you're doing it for yourself, it's just a hassle to even cook some rice...
...so I stopped doing it.
The first year was fine.
I moved forward with the money I saved until then.
There are currently 30 people in Rank C-1.
Each person faces off against ten opponents in the class.
The two people with the most wins can advance to Rank B-2.
Advancing requires all wins, or at least the closest to it.
But in my second year, this year...
...I lost two matches in a row for the first time.
And while I sat dumbfounded...
...I lost my chance at advancement.
I swam...
...and swam...
...and swam to the end.
I finally made it to the island.
If I come this far, I should be okay.
As long as I get here...
As long as I could stay here...
As long as I didn't wish for this or that...
As long as I accepted stagnation...
As long as I stopped thinking...
...then I reached my goal.
And I didn't have a single reason anymore
to plunge back into that stormy sea, and head for the next island.
Child of God (Part One)
Child of God (Part Two)
He had such a cold name.
That's what I thought when I first saw him.
But I can't remember when that "first time" was.
He just naturally existed there for that long of a time.
Touji Souya.
In our land, he was the child of God.
You don't have that soccer-ball like rice ball today.
Mr. Hayashida...
It's too cold to sit outside, huh?
But it's pretty cold here too, isn't it?
Kiriyama, take a look at this.
The new Modern Shogi.
Tokyo, Takashi Hayashida, Intermediate Level
I'm on there. Magazine Shogi Intersection!
Oh, yeah. That's great.
Ah, it's set up very neatly.
3-a-Bishop, 2-c-King, 1-c-Gold, same-Knight, 3-c-Dragon Horse, 1-d-King, 1-c-Dragon Horse,
same-King, 2-c-Gold, 1-d-King, 2-f-Knight, same-Gold, 2-d-Knight.
In 13 moves, checkmate.
Easy-Peasy
Waaaaah
That was fast! A week to create, yet a moment to solve?
I-I guess so, since you're a p-professional.
Oh, Master Souya.
He's doing great this season, too.
He's already successfully defended his Kishin, Seiryuu, and King titles.
What's he like?
I wonder that, too.
You've never met? Even though you're both professionals?
I haven't met him, but I have seen him around.
Special Match Room
We're in different ranks, and Master Souya currently holds most of the titles.
Even at tournaments, I rarely see him.
This person's the same age as me.
But his looks haven't changed since he was a teenager.
It's like time has stopped for him. Such a strange thing.
I think the first time I saw him was in middle school,
in a special feature called, "A Middle School Professional is Born".
Oh, that's right.
Come to think of it, the first time I saw you was in the same kind of feature in this magazine.
The 5th in History A Middle School Professional
Oh, I see.
When you're right in front of me, I tend to forget,
but you're actually an amazing person.
Even though you sit here all alone eating lunch.
And even though I don't know if you're here at school or not.
Again, Mr. Hayashida, if you would be a little more tactful.
In the history of shogi,
there has only been four players who became professionals as middle school students.
And afterwards, those four either became a "Master" or won other titles.
But as the fifth such person...
We anticipate great things. They're already calling you the "Future Master."
Sometimes even prodigies have a slump.
Hey, what gives? You better get it together.
Remember, you're the "Future Master."
Did you get full of yourself after people called you a "prodigy"?
I'm...
...not amazing.
I'm not amazing at all.
Flap
Here. I'll give this to you. Cutlet!
You know, it's that.
Cut-let yourself to victory!
Maybe not.
Maybe in this case...
you need to win from yourself. Yeah.
Oh, I see. Mr. Hayashida is referring to my consecutive defeats.
Well, you know, Kiriyama, it'll be even colder next month.
You should start eating in the classroom...
Although, I guess you'd stand out if you ate by yourself in class.
That's tough.
Thin
See, Mr. Hayashida, if you could candy-coat it a bit...
Thin Smile
Oh, I get it. Your sense of subtlety must be broken. For sure.
Oh! I could eat lunch in class with you.
Mr. Hayashida, I think I would stand out even more.
Kiriyama, you get good grades on exams,
but you didn't come back to high school because you wanted to study.
I think.
He guessed it correctly, so I couldn't say anything back.
In November, after getting my third black star,
I felt like I swallowed black ink.
I understand it in my head, but why can't I move?
I say I have no reason to win, but why is it so painful when I lose?
It's always a half-measure...
...with everything.
Rei?
Hina.
Are you going to the shopping area, too?
Me too. I'm going to the bookstore.
Want to go together?
You haven't come over recently, huh?
We had dumplings last night. Homemade, even the wrappers.
They were delicious. You should've came over.
Yeah. I see...
How about I buy it for you?
- Oh, no, I'd feel bad! - That's alright, it's 100 yen.
Alright. Here you go.
First time being treated by a guy.
Th-Thank you!
Sip
It's cold! And really thick! But yummy!
As I thought, Rei...
...looks glum.
Rei was crying.
Big tears drip-dripped down his cheeks.
I'm sure it's because he remembered.
Rei hasn't come over recently, huh?
True. But let's give him a little space for now. Everyone has times like that.
That's what Sis said, but...
But!
- Want some?! - What?
Listen, we're having tempura tonight.
Pumpkin and onions, and when Sis deep fries them, they're so delicious!
So...
Rei is always quiet and mature like an adult...
...but I know he cries sometimes, so I worry about him.
So... So...
...you should come over!
Let's eat dinner together.
Child of God (Part Two)
Child of God (Part Three)
You should come over!
Okay.
That's good.
It struck me again how this tiny Hina is so kind and level-headed.
Still, a middle school student worrying about a high school student...
What the heck...
But that's right.
Hina takes care of her little sister, helps with the chores and also at the store.
Even Akari properly takes care of all of them.
She helps out at both the sweets shop and her aunt's hostess club in Ginza.
Everyone is working so hard...
That's right.
How is it that my head fills up so fast...
...with only my own problems?
It's pathetic.
Gerrg
Blush
Hina?
Gerrg?
Crunch
Hey, Kawamoto.
The guy from the...
Who Hina has a crush on...
Zumomomo
Um, this must be your friend?
Please, have my seat.
I was just about to leave.
Squeeze...
Kablam
Massive already around 180cm
This is awkward...
Um... Uh...
Silence...
Wh-What do I talk about? I've never talked to a sportsman before.
Stare
To Be Continued
Next Episode Preview
Episode 7
I haven't been to the Kawamoto house in a while.
He's huge... I'm scared!
Was curry really the right thing to make?
Okay, how about fried chicken as a bonus?
Thank you, Sis!
It's so "springtime of life"!
Hey, let's eat the curry already.
I hope you watch the next episode of "March Comes in Like a Lion"!
The beach is nice too, but I also want to go to a hot spring!