What Lies on the Opposite Shore
After the third day of the new year, my health was restored.
A few days passed since I came back home.
It feels strange.
Until the day before yesterday,
it was... it was so...
Hey!
It was so lively...
Huh?
Has the air conditioner always been this loud?
Has the clock always been so noisy?
Oh no...
Walk.
This is bad.
I know this feeling.
But I can't meet eyes with it.
Walk.
I know it, but I mustn't think that name.
If I say that name,
I'll be dealt a blow that tears up my insides.
Don't think.
Walk.
2-e-Pawn.
8-h-Bishop+.
Same-Silver General.
2-b-Silver General.
4-h-Silver General.
3-c-Silver General.
7-g-Silver General.
If I stand still,
I won't be able to move again.
Shoot. We're out of milk.
Darn it. Why didn't I buy more?
What should we do? I bet it's freezing outside.
I can go buy some.
No way. Your cold would come roaring back.
The kotatsu is scary, huh?
Once you sit under it, you can't leave.
When you're under it, it really warms you up,
but it's three times as cold when you get up.
You know it, but you can't stay away from it, huh?
Right? After all, it's so warm.
And it makes you happy...
That's right. Their house is like a kotatsu.
When I'm inside, it's so warm and comfortable, I almost melt.
But when I leave, I realize the daily life I was fine with before
is actually freezing cold, and I'm painfully reminded of that.
If I think deeply about it, I get so scared that my whole body gets the chills.
But...
What should I do?
I don't know, but I have to think.
Calm down.
That's right. First, sort out the current situation.
Right now, if I stop thinking and stand still, I'll be stalemated.
I have three more rank-deciding matches this season.
At the moment, I have four wins and three losses.
I can't rise in rank this season,
but I need to get back on track, and connect that with next year.
And then, the title matches.
The only thing I'm continuously winning through is coming next week.
The Lion King Tournament: the qualifier tournament.
For now, I need to focus on that.
If the number of my victories decrease,
I'll eventually lose my place, just like that.
That's the one thing...
...that I won't let happen!
Shogi Hall
The Lion King Tournament.
19th Lion King Tournament
It's the shogi tournament sponsored by the biggest newspaper in Japan.
This and the Master Tournament are the two major title-tournaments.
The tournament has six groups of players, split according
to their records from the previous year.
The top-ranking players of each class can participate in the main tournament.
Good morning.
Because it has such huge sponsors, the scale is much bigger than other shogi tournaments
and it gets a lot of media attention.
So of course, this raises the spirits of the players, too.
But what gets the shogi players even more excited is...
One win nets you 600 thousand!
Glass Heart
Grab
Two wins gets you 1.2 million!
...the generous prize money.
The Lion King Tournament sure fires you up!
Tap Tap
Squeeze
In golf, it would be the Japan Open!
In tennis, it would be the U.S. Open!
So let's get some, Kiriyama!
Get what?
Idiot. It's obvious.
Status, glory, money. All of it!
My opponent is Takeshi Tsujii, 9th dan.
Come to think of it,
"three clauses" and "Santa Claus" sound similar, don't they?
They don't?
I see.
Icy... roses are beautiful, you know?
Just... kidding.
Help me!
Super Cold
He's a shogi player with strong offensive power...
...in more ways than one.
But the most amazing thing is that even while cracking lame jokes, he plays a strong game.
H-He's strong!
As expected from a 9th dan, Rank A for eight years!
To kill a man on Kilimanjaro.
See what I did there?
You see...
I really don't want to lose!
I don't wanna lose!
What is this feeling!
He's bringing out the bishop?
Smith's Opponent Okuyasu Yokomizo, 7th dan
What is this? A trap?
It may or may not be.
It's nagging at me, but...
above anything else...
if I use my Bishop to take his Silver, his Gold will take my Bishop.
That knight could be mine too?
Dangle-dangle!
And in the enemy camp!
Rook
I can promote my rook!
Dragon
I have to take his knight here, right?
Bishop
Silver General Knight
Even if I sacrifice my Bishop, I'll get his Knight and Silver in exchange.
Plus my Rook will become a dragon.
It's like my mentor said.
"Women may betray you, but stolen pieces never will."
All right.
Right. Well, that's what would happen.
Silver Dragon Knight
Satisfied
So for now, I'll pull my dragon back...
Poison chestnut!
Pawn
What is this?
Stabbed!
Don't take it
Take it
If I take the 2-g-Pawn, my Dragon would do it.
His turn, 4-i-Bishop
My turn, 2-h-Dragon
His turn, 6-g-Pawn+
Take it Don't take it
If I don't take it...
my turn, 3-h-Dragon.
His move, 2-h-Bishop, and that's bad for me!
No wait... is this already over?
The castle's on fire.
And something's stabbing me in the back?
I... I lost?
Mr. Yokomizo You died at 2h, while holding Knight and Silver.
Smith's Mysterious Dungeon
What was that? Incredible...
Thank you.
What is this?
From where? From the Bishop?
Well, well...
Or before that?
Thank you.
But aren't you guys in the middle of your own match?
Come on now, go on. Concentrate on your own board.
I was also at the end of an intense, quagmire-filled rendezvous.
Kiriyama 5th-Dan Tsujii 9th-Dan
I narrowly got a win on the 187th move.
Kiriyama 5th-Dan, wins on the 187th move
Looks like I drew... my own draw.
I wish I could say that, but today, you sealed the deal...
Sealed... sealed the ceiling seal deal?
Please. That's enough. No more...
I'm at my limit...
Too much
...in more ways than one.
Special Match Room Takao Lion King Tournament Lion King Tournament
Masamune Gotou Kenichirou Irie
Rei Kiriyama Takeshi Tsujii
Tatsuyuki Misumi Okuyasu Yokomizo
Damn.
I've got Gotou next? Wish I didn't.
I mean, that old dude is pretty scary.
I don't know what it is, but he's got a yakuza aura.
Just sitting in front of him makes you make mistakes. Yikes.
Oh crap! Speak of the devil...
Hey.
What Lies on the Opposite Shore
Black River (Part 1)
You look well.
Too bad.
I see.
If we keep going like this, you and I will go head to head.
Well, I'm looking forward to that.
It should be a little more interesting than beating you with my bare hands.
That's right.
I want you to pass on a message to your old man, Kouda.
It's about that stalker girl.
Tell him to get her off my back.
Gotou gave it to me recently.
I love him. I truly love him.
She's really annoying.
You know?
What?
Whoa! Whoa!
Hold on there, Kiriyama!
What's wrong with you?
As for you, Mr. Gotou, if there's something you want to say, please tell Mr. Kouda directly.
Please! New people like him are vulnerable.
Hey!
Is somebody still on the 4th floor?
The fortune fishing boat's back!
Chairman! Please don't take your fish out here!
Geez, at a time like this, another troublemaker.
Yes, yes, Kiriyama. Calm down, calm down.
The noisy guy's back, huh?
I'm going. Remember to tell Kouda, okay?
S-Scary. He's like, what, a heavyweight?
Heavy and tenacious.
If he's crude oil, I'm salad oil.
Nice and light.
So? What?
Did something happen between you and Gotou?
Are you okay?
He was saying some ominous things.
Hey, the tackle master is here!
Slippery
What's going on? I'm not seeing any smiles!
Japan Shogi Association
What do you think? 62 centimeters!
How about some sashimi and hot sake?
Chairman, shhh!
Some people are still in their match! Shhh!
Oh no. Whoops, sorry about that!
Slap
Avalanche
Take whatever you like!
Hey, Nakamura! Bring some bags you can put fish in!
Okay!
Also, tell everyone from Modern Shogi downstairs to come up!
Unlimited capturing!
How about this, Smith? 40 sardines!
Stuffed
I can't. A bachelor probably can't handle 40 fish.
What's the deal with the teardrop sunglasses? I thought it was some old hipster.
Never mind the fish. Please introduce me to a woman who will fillet fish, Chairman.
Blunt
Sheesh.
All of this...
Crammed
Mr. Gotou should've taken some home.
Since he's a married man...
His wife's still in the hospital.
I see...
Nakamura! Are these all the bags we have?
I'll look for more!
Well, then.
Then I'll take these bluish ones...
What's that called again? DHA?
It was popular, supposed to be good for the brain.
Well, have a good evening.
I'll eat this and come up with countermeasures against Gotou.
Oh, I'd better head out, too.
Kiriyama!
Wham
I heard from the owner at Bar Misaki.
Crunch Crunch
It seems you've been enjoying the hospitality of her beautiful niece at that house lately?
Owowow!
You should keep that a secret.
There are plenty of our association's members who are head-over-heels for her.
Heavy!
Heavy! Reek
Gross. Do you smell something fishy?
If she's taking care of you, why don't you bring her some?
The owner proudly said she's a good cook.
Heavy!
He loaded me down with fish.
Filleting them will probably be a real chore.
What if this just becomes a burden to her?
When I'm inside, it's so warm and comfortable,
I almost melt.
This house is like a kotatsu.
I'm scared that I'll never be able to leave again.
That's why I thought to stay away for a while.
But here I am.
Fwap
Really? Are you sure?
Quiver Quiver
I'll fillet the rockfish into three, fry them up, and have them for tomorrow's lunch.
I'll slice the sardines into anchovies and save them for pizza and pasta!
I'll fillet the flounder into five pieces, split it into salted fish and sashimi...
Um... uh...
How many days of food expenses will we save from this?
This is wonderful! Thank you!
Dash
We got extravagant for New Year's, so she told us to be frugal for a while.
But now we can have delicious food from tomorrow!
- Standby. - Okay!
Streamlined
Miso soup with cabbage and deep-fried tofu.
Kinpira-style lotus root and carrots.
Warm rice with raw egg.
We were already done eating. Those are the leftovers, so I hope that's okay.
Sorry we don't have anything.
D-Delicious!
Th-The egg rice is delicious!
Don't say you don't have anything!
Warm Warm
It's just seasoned with an egg and soy sauce, so how can it be this good?
In a wide- mouthed pot, a pack of soba-tea is inside
But I'm glad you got over your cold, Rei.
Your nasal voice has finally gone away.
Thank you for everything you did for me over the holidays!
I appreciate it.
Hey, Rei. Can you sleep with Momo tonight?
That's a good idea!
Let's do that! After all, tomorrow's Saturday.
You know what, the old lady next door gave us a jigsaw puzzle!
Bun-chan's Shopping
It's a 1,000 pieces!
Let's solve it tomorrow in the kotatsu!
Warm...
I have to go home tonight.
Why? Let's stay here together!
Why? Why, why, why?
A home like a warm kotatsu.
Momo.
I've got a match coming up that I just can't lose.
So I have to go home and study.
Study? Do you have a test?
Yes. That's right.
It's a test where I show my opponent and myself how hard I've been trying.
Momo.
Then you have something to tell Rei.
Tell him what?
Um, Rei says he has a test.
Right. So what do you say at a time like this?
You say, "Do your best."
Rei, do your best!
I will.
I'll do my best.
First, Mr. Smith goes up against Gotou,
while my opponent is Shimada 8th-Dan.
After that...
the two winners square off...
in the finals!
The wind whistles,
eliciting a shriek from the harp bridge.
That time, I couldn't do anything as he beat me up.
And I couldn't even give him a scratch.
But I won't be his punching bag on the shogi board.
Black River (Part 1)
Next Episode Preview
Episode 13
All right. Here we go.
Yes.
Actually, Brother, I hope you split Kiriyama's head in half.
Then don't hesitate.
Is this a show of confidence?
"March Comes in Like a Lion".
It's like, you can't miss the next episode, you know?