Chapter 499

If he could join the Shogi Association and get a stable income...

Then, some of the realistic obstacles standing in front of him might be removed.

Asahina Akatsuki’s heart trembled slightly because of this proposal, and then a secret joy surged up.

If Xia Xia Xia Mujun joins the association...

Then wouldn't I have more legitimate reasons to see him and spend time with him often in the name of discussing shogi and exchanging skills?

One thing leads to another... opportunities would naturally increase!

She seemed to have already seen a beautiful future, her cheeks slightly hot.

Tanabe Yuto and Suzuki Takayuki, although their moods were complex, their thoughts at this moment were eerily synchronized.

They were also "looking forward" to this picture—Xia Xia Xia Mujun’s financial situation improving, obstacles cleared, and then... logically getting together with Akatsuki.

Although their hearts would ache, it seemed... this was the fastest path to let Akatsuki be happy and also let themselves be "relieved."

Therefore, they all defaulted, and even secretly hoped that Xia Xia Xia Mujun would agree.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun looked at the eager, expectant, and encouraging gazes of the circle of people around him, feeling a bit helpless.

He really couldn't say he had much interest in shogi.

But for money, his interest was real.

He thought for a while and decided to ask for the details first.

"If I join the Shogi Association..."

"Salary... or rather income, how is it calculated specifically?"

Horikawa Kashiori saw that he seemed interested, her eyes lit up, and she immediately explained happily as a professional staff member:

"Income is mainly awarded based on match results and match performance."

"Simply put, the more you win, the more prize money you naturally get."

She changed the subject and reminded:

"However, the internal operating mode of the association is completely different from this 'Newcomer Shogi Tournament'."

"The Newcomer Tournament is a public audition open to everyone, and you only get prize money if you keep winning, the format is very cruel."

"And the Shogi Association internally is more like a professional league system."

She raised a finger.

"First of all, as long as you have a match, regardless of win or loss, you can get a basic 'match fee'."

"This fee is linked to your rank and past match record."

"The higher the rank, the higher the base of the match fee."

"Similarly, winning more recently and having a high win rate can also increase your match fee coefficient."

"In other words, as long as your rank and record go up, even if you lose occasionally, you can have a good guaranteed income."

"Conversely..."

She paused.

"If your rank is very low, even if you luckily win one or two games, the income is... negligible."

Xia Xia Xia Mujun understood the key.

"So... if I want to join the Shogi Association, I have to take a rank exam first?"

"Start from a very low rank?"

Horikawa Kashiori nodded affirmatively.

"Yes!"

"This is a necessary process."

Xia Xia Xia Mujun thought of the strength he had shown so far and asked:

"Can I... skip ranks?"

"For example, directly certify a relatively high rank?"

Asahina Akatsuki beside him shook her head, her smooth long hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"No."

She explained, her tone carrying a hint of regret.

"The association’s rules are very strict, even if you have quasi-professional strength now and the supporting documents are complete, you can only start climbing from the lowest rank."

"There is no shortcut like directly 'skipping ranks'."

Suzuki Takayuki nodded in agreement from the side, he had the most say in this.

"Yes."

"Every rank requires promotion through formal matches and enough wins, it cannot be skipped."

Xia Xia Xia Mujun thought for a while and asked a more practical question:

"Then... about how long does it take?"

"With my current strength, how fast can I reach... for example, a rank with stable and considerable income?"

He probed:

"One month, is it possible?"

"..."

As soon as this was said, the surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Everyone’s complexion turned somewhat strange in unison.

Fukuda Tsukasa couldn't help but twitch his mouth and grumble:

"How could it be that fast!"

"What are you thinking, kid!"

He held up two fingers and shook them in front of Xia Xia Xia Mujun.

"Even if you start from now, all the way with a crushing momentum of all wins, from no rank to the 'quasi-professional' (reward 3-dan) level..."

He emphasized his tone.

"It takes at least two years!"

"And that’s in the most ideal and smooth situation! If you get stuck in the middle, or have fluctuations in state, three or four years is very normal!"

Two years?!

Xia Xia Xia Mujun widened his eyes slightly.

If it were one month, he might consider it, after all, money comes fast.

But two years...

In two months, the money he could earn from serializing novels would probably be quite considerable.

Two years later?

He should have long since not needed to rely on the prize money of shogi matches to make a living.

By then, shogi for him might really just be a hobby for occasional entertainment.

There was simply... no need to invest such a long time for this, to walk a professional path.

However, he also knew that these people around him were all out of kindness and concern that they were so enthusiastically proposing this.

He didn't want to dampen everyone’s spirits, and even less did he want to explain too much about his future plans.

Therefore, a somewhat vague but polite enough smile appeared on his face.

"Haha... so that’s how it is."

"Thank you all for your suggestions, I will... seriously consider this matter."

He cleverly didn't give any promises.

However, everyone seemed to automatically understand his "seriously consider" as a positive signal.

One by one, their faces showed relieved and happy smiles, as if they had already seen Xia Xia Xia Mujun fighting on the professional arena.

Asahina Akatsuki was even more overjoyed.

She felt that Xia Xia Xia Mujun had won the match and was in a good mood, and now was a good time to close the distance.

She took a deep breath, her fair cheeks flushed with a shallow red, her hands somewhat nervously behind her back, her fingers twisting together unconsciously.

She raised her moist eyes, looked at Xia Xia Xia Mujun, her voice soft and carrying a hint of shyness:

"Xia Xia Xia Mujun... you should be free after the match, right?"

"Since you won such an important game..."

She gathered her courage and made the invitation.