Chapter 598

“I want to do it again! This time I’m sure…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou, who had been waiting on the side and rubbing his hands, couldn't wait to rush up, grabbed Nomura Tomohiro’s arm, and half-dragged him from his seat to “invite” him up.

“Alright, alright! Old man, losing is losing, stop making excuses here!”

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou was impolite in his words, but his face carried the excitement of finally being his turn.

“Get up quickly! It’s my turn now! Let me meet Xia Xia Xia Mujun!”

The two of them, one wanting to linger and the other trying hard to pull him out, “pinched” for a while.

Finally, under Araki Jueai’s “gentle” gaze, Nomura Tomohiro let go unwillingly and was successfully “driven” off the battle seat by Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou let out a long breath, tidied up his school uniform collar, and then sat steadily opposite Xia Xia Muchun.

He first glanced at Nomura Tomohiro, who had already been defeated and still had a somewhat depressed face, and then looked at Araki Jueai, who was hugging her arms with a look of watching a good show.

He cleared his throat, trying to strike a cool pose, raised his chin, and said in a confident, even slightly stuck-up tone.

“Watch closely, Jueai, old man.”

“The game I play next will be very cool!”

Nomura Tomohiro and Araki Jueai looked at Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou’s deliberate attempt to be cool and his chuunibyou-like behavior, and they rolled their eyes in unison, their faces full of speechlessness and the disgust of “this guy is at it again.”

However, both of them knew in their hearts that Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou was just pretending, and he really liked to be cool, but his strength in shogi was indeed there, and he was the strongest in the club after the president.

And he was at the age of seventeen, when his thinking was most active and agile, and his calculation speed and reaction ability were indeed not something that Nomura Tomohiro, who had retired for many years and was over thirty, could fully compare with.

According to the decision method of the first move (furigoma), the result was that Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou got the first move.

He picked up a piece, the playful expression on his face converged a lot, his eyes became focused and sharp, staring at Xia Xia Muchun.

“Xia Xia Xia Mujun, it seems luck is on my side; I’m the first move.”

His voice became steady.

“You have to be careful; I won’t be as ‘polite’ as the two just now.”

Xia Xia Muchun met his gaze and nodded calmly.

“Mm, please give me your guidance, Senior Yasui.”

Thus.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou concentrated, put all his attention into the chessboard, and began to pick up the pieces, landing them decisively and precisely on the board, making a crisp sound.

Xia Xia Muchun was the same, his gaze calm, his moves fast and stable.

At first, both seemed quite familiar with each other’s opening routines, and their moves were very fast, basically not needing much long thinking; the pieces spread out quickly on the board, making a continuous “pat-pat” sound, like raindrops.

But as the game deepened, there were more and more pieces, and the situation became more and more complex.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou’s brows also began to furrow tighter and tighter without knowing it.

His speed of moving pieces changed significantly from fast at the beginning to slower and slower.

His fingers often hovered above the piece box, hesitant, his eyes scanning the board repeatedly, calculating various possible changes.

Looking at the signs of disadvantage that were gradually appearing on his side, his forehead also began to seep with a little thin sweat.

The thinking time was longer each time.

And Araki Jueai and Nomura Tomohiro, who were watching the battle on the side, were also leaning forward, watching very seriously, and even their lips were moving slightly, their fingers gesturing silently on their knees, clearly performing tense deductions in their hearts.

Both were experienced players, so they naturally saw that Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou was gradually falling into passivity and disadvantage.

However, they were too familiar with Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou and knew this guy’s style very well.

When playing against them, Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou often fell into a seemingly unfavorable situation in the middle game, but he could often rely on his outstanding middle-game twisting power and keen ability to capture opportunities to achieve a reversal in the later stage and finally win.

This was his consistent style of playing, liking to take risks and being good at finding opportunities in chaos.

Thus, the two began to deduce the possible direction of Xia Xia Muchun and Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou based on their understanding of Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou.

Analyzing from the current situation, although Xia Xia Muchun had the upper hand, Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou was not without a chance.

They still felt that, relying on his specialty in chaotic battles and his youthful vigor, the probability of Ryoto Yasui winning was not zero, and could not even be considered low.

And just when these three were fully focused and immersed in the world of the game.

Xia Xia Muchun had time to glance at the clock on the wall from time to time during the intervals when Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou was thinking for a long time.

He had slept in class once before and had asked for leave several times because of shogi, and had already been lectured by several subject teachers about paying more attention to his studies.

If he were late and didn't go to class after the lunch break without a legitimate reason, he would probably be caught by the teachers for a “heart-to-heart talk” again.

Finally.

As the time approached the start of the first class in the afternoon, after Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou made a difficult move after thinking for several minutes.

Xia Xia Muchun’s gaze swept across the board quickly, and almost immediately, he calmly picked up a piece and landed it in a seemingly ordinary but precise position.

This step landed, like the finishing touch, instantly connecting all the seemingly loose advantages before, forming a fatal net.

“Tsume.”

He declared calmly again, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet club room.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou saw this move, his whole person was stunned first, his face showing a moment of trance and confusion, as if he hadn't reacted.

A few seconds later, his body stiffened, and then he leaned back on the chair as if his strength had been drained, covered his head with both hands, and let out an extremely annoyed wail.

“Ahhhhhhh—!!!”

“I… I made a mistake! That ‘Rook’ move in the middle game shouldn't have been played like that! Too greedy!”

“If I had chosen a more steady way to consolidate the defense at that time, I would absolutely not have lost! Absolutely not!”

He raised his head suddenly, looked at Xia Xia Muchun, his eyes full of unwillingness, his tone urgent.

“No! This game doesn't count! I was careless!”

“One more game! I’ll be serious in the next game, and I’ll definitely win!”

Advisor Nomura Tomohiro looked at Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou’s “classic” loser reaction and couldn't help but complain, carrying a bit of schadenfreude.

“Still ‘your turn’? Now it’s my turn! If you lose, just get out of the way!”

Xia Xia Muchun looked at the two of them who seemed to be starting a new round of “seat competition,” and hurriedly raised his hand, pointing at the clock on the wall awkwardly, reminding them.

“That… Nomura-sensei, Senior Yasui, the time now… is really almost class time.”

“The preparatory bell for the first class in the afternoon should be ringing soon.”

Hearing this.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou and Nomura Tomohiro both looked up at the clock on the wall subconsciously.

The hour and minute hands pointed clearly to the time when class was about to start.

The excitement and unwillingness on their faces froze instantly, and then they slumped their shoulders like deflated balls, letting out a synchronized sigh.

But soon, both of them looked at Xia Xia Muchun at the same time, their eyes lighting up again, and they said in unison.

“Although it’s really almost class time, and we can’t continue now… but after school! Let’s play another game after school!”

“Exactly! Don't think about running away after school, you rascal! I also think we can play another game! No, three games!”

Xia Xia Muchun looked at their burning gazes and could only laugh awkwardly, trying to decline tactfully.

“I want to after school too… but I really have other things to do, so I might not be able to come.”

He thought about it and found a compromise.

“How about next time? When I have time next time, I will definitely come to ask for guidance again.”

Hearing this.

Yasui Yasui Yasui Liangdou and Nomura Tomohiro looked at each other, both seeing regret in each other’s eyes, but they also knew they couldn't force it.

They could only settle for the next best thing and make an appointment with Xia Xia Muchun to fight again next time.

However, after these three consecutive games, thinking about Xia Xia Muchun’s performance of winning in a row against the three of them, and even moving quickly without thinking most of the time, all three of them couldn't help but have a clear understanding in their hearts:

Xia Xia Muchun’s strength was so strong that it probably far exceeded their previous estimates, and might even… far exceed the three of them.

No wonder he could beat Suzuki Takayuki, whose strength was publicly recognized as being a line stronger than the three of them.

Just don't know… whether Xia Xia Muchun could maintain such calmness and winning percentage when facing real professional chess players?

You have to know that professional and quasi-professional, looking like they are only a step away, seem to be within reach.

But in reality, in the eyes of many insiders, that gap is called heaven and earth.

Just wanting to be promoted from quasi-professional to professional, what you have to face is not just quasi-professional players of the same level.

More importantly, you have to defeat real active professional chess players in the crucial promotion battle!

Therefore, in the shogi industry, everyone defaults in their hearts that quasi-professional is often the “goalkeeper” of the cruel pyramid of the shogi world.

Their strength is very strong, and in levels below quasi-professional, there are basically few opponents, and they can be kings.

But when they want to cross that threshold and challenge professionals, they often realize what it means to be “beaten like a son by a father,” with a very low winning rate and being very, very difficult to win.

So, if you can’t beat a professional, you will always be quasi-professional and can’t get that “professional chess player” certificate with the highest gold content.

Just like Nomura Tomohiro himself. ===== CHAPTER 993 =====