All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

"At ease, mongrel."

(੭ ˊ^ˋ)੭

Yukima Azuma waved his hand.

The comment section went silent for a second.

Then, a flood of "LOL LMAO BRUH" spammed across the screen.

Kugui Machi covered her mouth, chuckling " Ara ara fufufu~".

The livestream's engagement was excellent.

The preliminary rounds officially began.

The first camera shot zoomed in on Hinatsuru Ai's shogi board.

This wasn't surprising.

Despite the large number of matches in the preliminaries,

The broadcast director would obviously prioritize the most attention-grabbing games.

As Ryuuou's disciple, Hinatsuru Ai was naturally a focal point of curiosity.

Her first opponent?

A high school female shogi player.

"Hinatsuru Ai is starting with Double Bishop. Is this her specialty?"

Kugui Machi brought up a classic discussion point.

"Umu, Ai-chan excels in long games, so Double Bishop suits her well. This is also the opening she has studied the most."

Yukima Azuma nodded.

[Is this Little Ryuuou? She's still just an elementary schooler, right?]

[He called her 'Ai-chan,' tsk tsk tsk!]

[That's normal, they're teacher and student, after all.]

[Isn't Ryuuou a bit too young to be a teacher? Wait, he's only in high school himself, right?]

[Hold on, isn't Ryuuou a student at Toyogasaki Academy?]

[For real? That Toyogasaki? One of the 'Big Three' elite schools?!]

The match had just begun, with no major developments yet.

As a result, the comment section started drifting off-topic.

Japan's education system was known for its severe resource disparity.

(Note: I don't know if this is accurate, I'm just translating it as-is.)

Among the top three private academies—Toyogasaki, Shuchiin, and Hyakkou—

People often referred to them as the "Big Three Elite Schools."

Of the three, Toyogasaki had the lowest entry requirements.

But even then, getting in still required exceptionally high scores.

Graduates from these schools—aside from those who went straight into major corporations—

Were usually guaranteed admission to top universities.

So, the moment Toyogasaki was mentioned, the chat exploded with discussion.

Kugui Machi was a little surprised.

She turned to look at Yukima Azuma.

As a Tokyo-born ojou-sama, she was, of course, familiar with Toyogasaki.

Back when she took her own high school entrance exams,

Her scores weren't high enough to get into that school.

She never expected that someone standing at the pinnacle of the shogi world—

Was also a top-tier academic genius with insanely high grades.

However, after a moment of surprise, Kugui Machi swiftly shifted the topic.

After all, this was Yukima Azuma's personal life.

"The match is getting intense—Hinatsuru Ai seems to be in a disadvantageous position."

Perhaps because her opponent saw her as just a child,

The high school girl's aggression was through the roof.

At times, her defensive moves were half-hearted,

As if she were defending only to keep attacking.

But if Ai got swept into her opponent's rhythm,

She really would fall into a losing position.

"Not at all. There's a gap at 7-13. She can shift from defense to offense and overturn the situation."

Yukima Azuma stated calmly.

Kugui Machi blinked.

Of course, she had also noticed that opening.

"But Ai-chan is still young… Will she be able to see it?"

Just as Kugui Machi was wondering that—

Hinatsuru Ai placed her piece on 7-13.

The board instantly flipped in her favor.

She took absolute control of the match.

"As expected of Ryuuou-san and Ryuuou-san's disciple."

Kugui Machi clapped in admiration.

[Beautiful shogi! Even I can understand it. Believe it!]

[Is she really an elementary schooler?]

[So, Ryuuou is this strong? Not only is he a shogi master himself, but he's also an insane teacher?!]

[Excuse me, is it still possible to become his disciple?]

[No chance. Ryuuou only accepts lolis!]

[┌∩┐(๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)┌∩┐]

"Hey, You There! That's Slander!"

(◣_◢)

Yukima Azuma pointed at the last comment, his eyes wide open.

How could someone frame him so blatantly?!

If the girls in his house saw this, he'd be done for!

No doubt, by this time, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri, and Kato Megumi were all watching.

Being called out by Yukima Azuma—

The comment section exploded.

[ヾ(｡✪ω✪｡)ｼ I'm a loli! Ryuuou Daddy, take care of me!]

[(╭ರ_•́) The guy above, aren't you Curse Chef-san? Male, 23 years old, from the Heian Era?]

[( ˶°ㅁ°) !! Oh no! Nigerundayo! UWU!]

[(＾◡＾)っ✂╰⋃╯]

Yukima Azuma's mouth twitched.

These netizens… They really knew how to mess around.

Meanwhile, in the shogi match, an unexpected turning point occurred.

Hinatsuru Ai's opponent placed her piece in surrender.

After all, when you recklessly attack without thinking about defense—

Once the opponent sees through your moves, your mental state collapses.

Hinatsuru Ai was the fastest player to finish her first-round match.

Kugui Machi congratulated her—

Then, the screen shifted to the next match.

It was another familiar face to Yukima Azuma.

Kiyotaki Keika.

Yukima Azuma quickly scanned the shogi board—

And let out a deep sigh.

Keika was in big trouble.

He didn't know how the match had played out from the beginning—

But just by looking at the endgame, he could guess what had happened.

Keika had played too cautiously.

Under immense pressure, she had hesitated too much in her decisions.

But overthinking—

Only led to disastrous moves.

"Looks like Kiyotaki Keika is about to lose."

Kugui Machi commented.

Even if she took over the board right now, her chances of winning weren't high.

"If she sacrifices her Knight and immediately mobilizes the Rook, she still has a chance."

Yukima Azuma analyzed.

Hearing this, Kugui Machi replayed the move sequence he had suggested—

And couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration.

Sasuga Ryuuou.

A position that seemed hopeless, and yet—

He instantly found a way out.

But for someone who had already played into such a bad endgame—

Would they have the courage to sacrifice a piece to deploy the Rook?

The answer was no.

Keika still lost.

Yukima Azuma blinked.

"Well, losing the first match isn't necessarily a bad thing."

He mumbled—

"Keika-nee, just like this game of shogi, needs to be backed into a corner before she can be reborn."

...

The screen transitioned to the next match.

This time—

Sainokami Ika.

After all, she was the Empress.

Looking at her endgame position—

Kugui Machi was momentarily stunned.

Logically speaking, based on Sainokami Ika's style—

If she faced an opponent with a clear skill gap,

She would usually play provocative or even insulting moves.

For example, in a past game between Sainokami Ika and Sora Ginko—

She had once committed an unprecedented violation in shogi history.

She deliberately placed one of her pieces into Sora Ginko's captured piece zone.

Most people wouldn't understand why she did that.

But in reality—

It was a calculated move planned many turns ahead.

A blatant provocation, purely based on her natural talent.

However, this time—

Sainokami Ika's endgame was surprisingly… normal.

Just a standard crushing victory.

Kugui Machi Was Stunned.

"Has Ryuuou-san already tamed this monster?"

She blurted out without thinking.

In the world of female shogi players, Sainokami Ika was known as a "monster."

Her talent was too overwhelming, her playstyle too unruly, and she would stop at nothing to become stronger.

However, saying this in private was fine—

But saying it on a live broadcast—

That was a problem.

[Monster? Tamed? What's going on?]

[Yamashiro Sakura is seriously chuunibyou, lol.]

[Wait a minute, isn't the 'monster' the Empress?]

[Hold on, wasn't there a rumor about Empress and Ryuuou having some kind of ambiguous relationship?]

[Oh yeah, does 'taming' mean that kind of play?]

[ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ Nice! Ryuuou.]

The comment section turned colorful real fast.

"Director, ban that guy for three days! Let him reflect on his actions before he accidentally runs into truck-kun tomorrow."

⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾

Yukima Azuma pointed at a particular comment and loudly called out to the director.

...

End of the First Round.

The first round of the qualifiers wrapped up quickly.

Before moving on to Round Two, the players had a short break.

The commentators also had time to rest, and the broadcast switched to a replay of earlier matches.

Yukima Azuma exchanged a few words with Kugui Machi—

Then left the broadcasting room.

He hadn't walked far when—

He spotted his senpai and disciple sitting in a corner of the tournament hall.

Quickening his pace, he approached them.

He found Kiyotaki Keika sitting on the steps, looking like someone had forced her to eat dirt.

"So… everyone won easily, huh?"

"Sorry… I was the only one who lost. I'm really sorry."

"I feel bad for ruining the mood."

૮(˶╥︿╥)ა

The light in Keika's emerald green eyes had completely dimmed.

"Keika-nee, don't give up! You still have the revenge match!"

Hinatsuru Ai encouraged her.

"Nee… there's still a chance."

Even Sora Ginko spoke up.

This tournament was extremely important to Kiyotaki Keika.

It was her last shot at turning things around.

If she failed to qualify and become a professional female shogi player this time—

She would only have one year left to rank up through normal means, and her chances were very slim.

"Old soldiers never die… they just fade away…"

Kiyotaki Keika muttered, leaning against the wall and sliding down slowly.

Yukima Azuma smiled helplessly.

Well, maybe this wasn't such a bad thing.

If Keika-nee kept up that rigid, nervous mindset—

Hesitating.

Overthinking.

Then she was guaranteed to lose.

But now, she had relaxed.

And that might actually help her mentality.

Yukima Azuma reached out and pulled Kiyotaki Keika to her feet.

Gripping her arm, he spoke:

"Alright, Round Two starts in the afternoon. No matter what, let's go eat first."

Hearing that, Kiyotaki Keika reluctantly snapped out of it.

She could feel the reliable presence beside her.

At that moment, she really wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry her heart out.

If not for Sora Ginko and Hinatsuru Ai—

The two kouhai from their sect watching nearby—

She probably would have done it.

The group left the tournament hall and returned to Hinatsuru Ryokan.

After forcing Kiyotaki Keika to sit down at the dining table—

Yukima Azuma headed toward the kitchen of Hinatsuru Ryokan.

At this point, saying anything to Keika wouldn't help much.

Might as well try food therapy.

Maybe delicious food would do the trick.