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.
Child of God (Part Three) Continued
Stare
He's staring at me. He's totally staring at me!
He's huge... I'm scared!
Um... What's your name?
U-Um... I'm Kiriyama.
And your first name?
It's Rei. Rei Kiriyama.
I thought so. You became a professional shogi player in middle school.
Nice to meet you. I'm Yuusuke Takahashi.
I play baseball and hope to become a professional in the future.
I wasn't sure if I should rely on a baseball referral to enter a local high school,
or go to a rural school that has a chance at entering the national high school championship.
Then, my dad told me about you.
In this world, there are kids like this
who decided his own path in middle school and then became a professional.
If you want to become a professional, you need to be courageous and make a decision.
So I decided to go to a high school in Shikoku.
A coach who helped me at a junior tournament invited me there.
But I wanted to ask you.
Mr. Kiriyama, after becoming a professional, you went back to high school a year later.
Um... Why did you do that?
Looking at his serious expression,
This was a question that needed more than a superficial answer. It needed sincere words.
I realized that.
But...
...what should I convey to him?
Um...
I really only specialize in shogi.
I'm not really good at socializing.
I like studying, but I couldn't fit in at school.
I don't regret deciding on the direction of my life so early.
But...
I think I wanted memories of not running away.
Probably.
N-Now I'm getting embarrassed!
Why am I giving such a speech?
He's a middle school student whom I just met.
Blush
I see.
Only I will know my own memories of "running away" and "slacking off".
But at critical moments, my coach often tells me to "believe in myself."
But if you have even one memory of "running away" or "slacking off,"
you'd think, "But I slacked off that time after all."
Then, you can't do it.
So... I can't explain it well,
but you wanted to get rid of things like that, right?
It got through.
Yeah.
Oh, no...
What is this?
I'm really happy.
It felt like...
...if I let my guard down,
tears would stream down my face,
so I panicked.
That's how happy I was.
Hey, Takahashi!
Sorry we're late. Let's go!
Right. Oh, but I wanted to talk a little more...
Um, if you don't mind, let's talk again.
Is that okay?
You can get in touch with me through Hina... I mean Ms. Kawamoto.
Okay, got it. I'll call you soon, Kawamoto.
R-Right!
Shrivel
Thump
- Thank you, Hina! - Thank you, Kiriyama!
He's kind of a cool guy.
I know, right? He's really got his act together.
So what did you two talk about?
Eh? Well, uh...
Pshnore... Pshnore... Ps...
I can see time...
Thank you for the meal!
Let's see... I made salted rice balls out of all the rice.
There's also tempura, a boiled egg, pickled vegetables...
Thank you. I really appreciate it.
Thanks, Rei!
See you later!
That night, the warm dinner and the various events of the day
made my stomach feel fluffy.
I couldn't fall sleep easily...
...so I stayed up late solving shogi problems.
Suddenly, the smell of the water and the sound of the waves
climbed up to my room on the sixth floor.
I wanted to ask you.
Just like how he asked me...
If a day comes when I'm able to ask someone...
Someday...
The scenery reflected in those eyes...
The stories that exist on the other side of the storm...
That's right.
I still don't know the stories that are told on the other side of the goal.
Child of God (Part Three)
Important Things. Important Matters.
U-Um... Maybe we should have dinner?
Y-Yeah...
Right now, Hina is extremely nervous.
Normally she's energetic like a ball of light,
or get dejected like a dark cloud,
or angry like a bolt of lightning.
She's lively, in more ways than one.
I think of it as a good characteristic of hers.
But she's as stiff as a board.
And that's because in front of her,
Takahashi is right there.
Nervous Nervous
Freeze
Man, it's been a while since I've come here.
Freeze
Since second grade?
Freeze
Um, Hina?
Freeze
Hey, let's have curry already.
Freeze
Ughhh
Ahhhh
Come on, Hina. Get it together.
Is this enough rice?
Do you think curry will be enough?
Maybe a fancier dinner would've been better.
Curry is too ordinary. It won't make him happy!
It'll be fine. It came out really well.
Received Messages From: Takahashi Title: It's Takahashi. Mr. Kiriyama, are you free on Saturday?
1 New Message
I just got a message from Takahashi, asking if I'm free on Saturday.
Can we both go to your house, Hina?
Fuhpoof
Umm...
I feel kind of bad now, to get her so nervous.
Rei, Momo is hungry.
No way! Why aren't you going to be home Saturday night, Sis?!
I asked him to eat dinner with us!
This is problematic.
I was suddenly asked to work at the store on Saturday.
Let's see...
Why don't you make curry?
You can make it in advance and just warm it up when he gets here. Easy, right?
No worries about messing up either.
But that's too ordinary!
It has to be, let's see, fancier and more elaborate!
You haven't learned your lesson at all, have you?
Have you forgotten about the bento already?
Sheesh...
Look, when it comes to making dinner...
Ping!!
What? Dinner? Did you just say dinner?
- Right, right? - Yeah Senpai, I totally heard it.
Oh, no! The "dinner" I'm talking about isn't your "dinner"...
Oh, I just said it twice!
Dinner? Dinner? Sis, are you making our dinner?
Snack
Looks like she lost
Meow Nom Nom Meroweow Delicious Crunch Crunch Mrawrawr
Okay, then how about deep-fried chicken as a topping bonus?
Curry (Tasty)
Deep-fried Chicken (Tasty)
Deep-fried...
Super Tasty
And what would you say to adding a hot spring egg on top of that? Well?
Well!?
Super Tasty
Hohohohoho
A hot spring egg, too?
Tasty
Mega Tasty
Looks like that's settled.
Phew
And as for Takahashi...
There's a hot spring egg on top.
Thump Thump Got effected by it
Thump Thump Thump
Thank you for the meal!
Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump
He's eating it in such a delicious way.
Kawamoto, your curry is awesome!
The deep-fried chicken topping alone is great, but then hot spring egg, too? Pretty fancy!
It's like at a restaurant!
Really? You can have seconds, too!
Yes! Thank you, Sis!
Oh, that's right.
I wanted to ask Mr. Kiriyama something.
- Kawamoto, can I borrow your VCR? - S-Sure.
57th NHK Cup (7)
Um... It's this...
Crisp
- That's the guy who came over last time! - B-Bodoro!
Wh-Wh-Why?
What? Nikaidou 4th-Dan has been here, too?
Incredible!
I-Incredible? He's a person on TV? He never said anything like that.
Oh, I see. He's your best friend, right, Mr. Kiriyama?
Best friend? H-How did it get to that?
You two are close, huh? Mr. Nikaidou often says that, in interviews and stuff.
Wait a second. If Nikaidou is commentating...
Hey, why don't we save this video for next time?
Black, 6-f-Gold General. White, 3-d-Bishop+.
Black, 6-d-Dragon Horse.
Kiriyama 5th-Dan, has seven minutes left.
Um... Thank you for dinner.
R-R-Rei! Why are you on TV? You said you're in a shogi club, at school, right?
- Rei, no run away! - Momo, you're heavy...
Oh shoot.
Crap. I didn't know Mr. Kiriyama was keeping it a secret.
What's up, kid? Your secret's been disclosed?
Hello. Thank you for letting me come over.
Hey, Takahashi's kid. You've gotten big!
How's your old man and granddad?
They're both well, sir. They were playing shogi and fighting over it again last night.
So they wanted me to ask Kiriyama 5th-Dan a question.
The NHK Cup?
Which part? I was watching it, too.
Oh, it's right here.
Black, 4-b-Dragon Horse.
What? What are you doing, Kiriyama?!
I don't know if he went in for the kill or to be killed!
Nikaidou 4th-Dan? Nikaidou 4th-Dan?
Now that's some passionate commentary!
My dad and grandpa said they didn't think that was the losing move.
They wondered what Nikaidou 4th-Dan was going on about.
Same, King, Black. 5-e-Gold General.
No, he's right. That was the losing move.
Seems like he lost
Dad and Grandpa didn't think the move was that bad.
In fact, they said it felt like an aggressive move with manly spirit.
After my opponent surrounded me, he waited for me to make a mistake, and didn't attack.
So I thought, "All right, let's see if this is a mistake or not."
Don't try to act cool, Kiriyama!
NHK Cup Tournament
If you really want to win, then persevere! Don't just attack, you have to defend!
You've been acting a little weird lately!
Mr. Nikaidou, we can't see the board!
You used to be more careful and single-minded back in the 3rd Dan league!
Bravery and recklessness are similar but different!
Kiriyama, can you hear me?
Nikaidou 4th-Dan, you're too close to the camera!
Take better care of your shogi, and yourself, Kiriyama!
You're way too close! Nikaidou 4th-Dan, they're playing on the 4th floor.
He can't hear you! Please calm down!
You heard him, kid.
You got yourself a good friend there.
I'm a little envious.
I'm saying this as your best friend!
Your best friend, he says!
Ah, youth! I'm jealous, dammit!
Bodoro...
Listen! I'm only going to say this once!
But it's kind of important.
Listen, Kiriyama!
In fact, get this on video so you can watch it over and over again!
- Wow, that's amazing. - They're BFF's after all.
Take better care of yourself!
Because you're not doing that, is the reason why you can't progress!
Dammit! Who cares?
Who the hell do you think you are?!
Explode
That really pisses me off!
Rei!
The kid's angry!
In the first place, what he's saying is crazy!
"I'm only going to say this once!"
"So record it and watch it over and over again!"
I don't understand it at all!
Good point! But I think Mr. Nikaidou's feelings for you as his best friend are genuine!
Wheee-ooo, you guys are sweet and sour!
There's hope for this generation yet!
Haaaa
Lucky!
Lucky? What is?
This is the first time I've heard you raise your voice, Rei!
Her words...
...surprised me a little.
This is kind of fun.
After all, nobody had ever said that to me before.
Hey, Rei. Would you please teach me how to play shogi?
Important Things. Important Matters.
Teach Me How to Play Shogi
Would you teach me how to play shogi?
I had no idea.
If someone had interest in a world I was in,
I didn't know it would make my stomach feel fluffy, and happy.
Let's see... First, what kind of board should we go with?
A plastic mat would probably be better than a wooden board.
Since it'll be used on the tea table in the living room.
And maybe we should use these plastic pieces, so they can handle it easily.
Besides, Momo often spills milk.
Ahhh
Splash
Momo's milk!
Momo's milk
Water of life, meow!
Zoom
The characters aren't in cursive, so it's easy to read.
And maybe we should have an illustrated guide, so it's easier to understand.
Let's see, which one would be good?
I recommend Taniyama and Senzaki for beginners, since they're easy to understand.
Nikaidou?
Boing
Shucks. They're sold out.
That's too bad.
Um... I'll take this.
I'm thrilled, Kiriyama!
Passionate Good
You sense the importance of spreading the word, too!
Sparkle
If it's okay with you, can I help? You don't have to, but if you really wanted, I could totally help you!
Sparkle Sparkle
Sparkle
So, who are you going to teach?
Sparkle
Well then!
Looks like he lost from the pressure, passion, and many other things
Please take care of us!
Please! Yeay, Bododo!
No problem. The pleasure is mine.
Baaam
I hope it'll be okay. I hope I can remember everything.
Don't worry! It looks difficult, but it's surprisingly simple to begin.
Bododo
Smile
If you do feel that it's difficult, Hina, it won't be your fault.
Bododo
The person who's teaching you is fully responsible.
And so,
good luck, Mr. Kiriyama!
Slap
What? It's my turn after a lead-in like that?
Gong
Okay. I'll give you a simple explanation.
On top of this board with nine rows and nine columns, you and your opponent
both use 20 pieces with eight different types.
During the game, you take pieces and your pieces are taken,
but the main point is to capture your opponent's king.
The person who goes first is black, the second person is white,
and then you go back and forth.
Each of the eight different types of pieces has its own attributes and range of movement.
Incidentally, the columns are called "files" and the rows are called "ranks."
First Player
Second Player
The rows are marked with numerals.
And all of the boxes have an address.
Next, about the movement of each kind of piece...
Wait a second, Kiriyama!
Pull
That's stiff! You're too stiff, Kiriyama!
Um... Um...
Write Write
Um Um
Her expression says, "Mmm, maybe this is difficult after all."
Black goes first...
Hey, Hina, Momo would like some yogurt.
She'll be so nervous, it'll all go in one ear and out the other!
White goes second...
It'll just be a waste.
You have to make the first impression easily understandable.
Th-Then what should I do?
All right, Hina and Momo!
This time, I'll explain!
Drawn and Written by Harunobu Nikaidou
Shogi for Beginners Picture Book
Okay, let's look at this picture book together.
Shiny
All right!
Ha-Meow
Oh, kitties!
Hungry
There's a king, too. All different kinds of kitties!
Shogi is a game in which you use eight different types of personality and pieces
like this to capture your opponent's king.
You play on this board of 81 squares, 9 rows and 9 columns.
The three rows of pieces in front of you is your land.
Your Army
The three rows on the other side are from your opponent's land.
Enemy Army
Next I'll introduce the personalities of each type of cat.
Meow
Okay!
Yes, please.
Yes! Good responses.
Nikaidou... You're amazing.
What is this feeling I have?
Answer: Exclusion
Teach Me How to Play Shogi
Next Episode Preview
Episode 8
Wow! Really?! That's wonderful!
What?!
It came out wonderfully, Young Master!
Nikaidou! Damn you!
Oh no... I'm going to cry!
You noticed?
I'll deliver you my meaty paw-punch meow!
Please watch the next episode of "March Comes in Like a Lion", too!
Shogi is fun! Let's all try it together!