All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends-Chapter 292: Meijin-sen

Chapter 292: Meijin-sen

"That glare from the fat Kasumigaoka Utaha in black tights is scary."

(ó﹏ò｡)

Eriri whispered to Yukima Azuma.

Yukima Azuma glanced at the long-haired black-haired senpai who was furiously shaking her leg.

He silently patted Eriri's shoulder.

"Young maiden, Gambatte ne."

Eriri: ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ??

...

After finishing the cookies—

When everyone returned to Eriri's room,

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly made her move, pushing Eriri down onto the bed.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha, you fatty! What are you doing?!"

"Wait—don't tickle me!"

"Yame--YAMEROOOOOOOO!!!"

༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

Eriri had a lot of ticklish spots.

Among them, her waist was considered a critical zone.

Kasumigaoka Utaha held her down and launched a merciless tickle attack.

Eriri rolled around on the bed from the tickling, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

After venting her frustrations for a while, Kasumigaoka Utaha clapped her hands and prepared to retreat in triumph.

Unexpectedly—

Though she looked exhausted from laughing, Eriri...

Suddenly sprang back, turning the tables.

"Damn you! Take this!"

( ✿◞•̀д•́)◞◟(•̀д•́◟✿ )

Kato Megumi looked at the two girls wrestling,

Then looked over at Yukima Azuma, who was watching the girl-on-girl battle with great interest.

( •͈૦•͈ )

"Azuma-san, when you gave Sawamura-san the idea for her manga..."

"Were you imagining something like this?"

Hit right where it hurt, Yukima Azuma felt a bit guilty and immediately averted his eyes from the match.

Azuma: ( ͡° з ͡°)~~~

Looking at Kato Megumi, Yukima Azuma said earnestly:

"How could I possibly?!"

Kato Megumi pouted.

"Azuma-san is so sly."

...

That evening, Yukima Azuma helped Sayuri cook dinner in the kitchen.

The three girls ate happily.

At first, Kato Megumi had been a little worried, thinking Sayuri had invited them over...

So she could involve them in some kind of dinner party.

In reality, Kato Megumi wasn't great at handling upper-class social events.

Especially when she had to talk to people of status and influence.

Because there was no actual relationship, the pressure was overwhelming.

It wasn't fear of strangers—Kato Megumi just didn't want to associate with people whose ties were purely transactional.

However, a visit that passed this peacefully...

Kato Megumi, being sensitive and observant, sensed something off.

Especially when she happened to see Sayuri watching the "Azuma Harem" and smiling subtly at the corner of her lips—

( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)

Kato Megumi was utterly shaken.

Even though she knew Sawamura Sayuri was a free-spirited woman...

She didn't expect her to be this unrestrained.

Moreover, after further observation, Kato Megumi noticed—

This Sayuri oba-san didn't seem to place much hope in Team Eriri, her daughter.

On the contrary, she had high expectations for Team Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Sawamura-san...." Right before leaving, Kato Megumi looked at Eriri, as if wanting to say something but holding back.

Eriri tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

( ╹ -╹)?

Seeing Eriri's dazed expression...

Kato Megumi quietly patted her on the shoulder.

"It's nothing. As long as you're happy."

A big question mark popped up above Eriri's blonde head.

∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Was this... a riddle or something?

Also, she clearly came today just to show off.

So why did it feel like... after showing off, she wasn't all that happy?

...

The next week.

The third week of spring break.

The Meijin Tournament entered its most anticipated match.

Not the finals—

But from the looks of it, the drawing lots really wasn't rigged.

Yukima Azuma faced Meijin in the semi-finals.

Even though it wasn't the finals—

The level of attention this match received far surpassed that of any previous shogi game.

The strongest genius versus the strongest player.

Genius One vs. Honored One.

[ง •̀ ہ •́)ง✘ผ(•̀.•́ผ]

Who would emerge victorious?

Anyone with even a slight interest in shogi—almost no one wasn't paying attention.

This match even broke through the boundaries of the shogi world.

Even those who didn't understand shogi were curious to see who would win in this clash of titans.

A player who had claimed 98 titles—aside from Ryuuou, had earned every single Eternal title.

The strongest modern-day player—Meijin.

Versus the youngest Ryuuou in history, an unprecedented prodigy in the world of shogi.

And in contrast to the hype from the public—

Yukima Azuma himself didn't feel particularly emotional.

He had faced Meijin once before, back when he hadn't yet obtained the System.

Though he had been completely overwhelmed back then...

Yukima Azuma had still been able to feel the true strength of Meijin.

A person who had already reached the realm of "understanding the Great Way", just one step away from becoming a true peak master.

Who wins and who loses wasn't particularly surprising either way.

Although he was competitive by nature, he approached the match with a calm mindset.

His main reason for entering the Meijin Tournament this time—

Was to refine his technique. frёeωebɳovel.com

After countless pre-match interviews and promotional campaigns—

Yukima Azuma finally sat down in the match room.

There were livestream cameras, a large screen for replays.

A referee, a timer, and a traditional 7-inch shogi board.

And yet, Yukima Azuma felt as though the only things before him—

Were the man sitting on the opposite side of the board—

And the shogi pieces.

Such a surreal sensation had never occurred to him in any previous match.

Meijin, seated on the far side of the table, seemed to sense something as well and looked up.

He looked like an utterly ordinary man.

Nothing about his appearance stood out.

He wore a pair of square glasses.

Whenever light hit the lenses, his eyes behind them were impossible to make out.

Yet when such an ordinary man sat in front of shogi board—

He exuded a pressure that made one's heart clench.

The match began.

Perhaps it was due to memory, or perhaps something deeper...

Even though he had already mastered all techniques and strategies in shogi—

Yukima Azuma chose one of the oldest, simplest openings in the game—Aigakari.

Aigakari: one of the fundamental openings every beginner learns.

Passed down through generations, a long-standing path. Easy to pick up, yet with incredibly high potential.

As expected, Meijin also chose Aigakari.

He had been researching the differences between going first and second.

In recent matches, he had often selected the same opening as his opponent.

Right from the start, the shogi pieces clacked onto the board without pause.

The two barely had to think.

The optimal move path was quickly established.

Only after a hundred moves did deviations from the standard path begin to appear.

After three hundred moves, every piece played became painstakingly difficult.

In the end, Yukima Azuma won the first game.

The next day—Game 2.

Still Aigakari, this time with Yukima Azuma playing second.

Game 2: Yukima Azuma lost.

( ･•`ツ´•･)┌θ☆(ﾉ´ᗒoᗕ)ﾉ