Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Just then, Keika, who had been standing at the entrance, suddenly froze for a moment before sprinting back into the living room, shouting as she ran.

"Ginko brought her boyfriend home!"

"Father, Ginko brought her boyfriend to meet you!"

B-boyfriend...?

Standing at the doorway, Hakuto was stunned. His mind was already racing, formulating how he should defend himself when he inevitably ended up at the police station.

"Officer, please hear me out. I swear, I was just here to have a meal at a friend's house, nothing more."

"Mhm, I'm listening."

Snapping back to reality, Hakuto glanced at Ginko beside him and pointed toward the departing Keika.

"Ginko, aren't you going to explain?"

"Why? Are you saying it's embarrassing to be my boyfriend?"

"No, I'm just worried about your reputation, that's all."

Terrifying. ⊙﹏⊙ Suddenly, he realized—this whole dinner was a trap! He never should have come.

—

"Hahaha! So this is Ginko's boyfriend? He's at least half as handsome as I was in my youth. Not bad at all!"

Hearing Kiyotaki Kousuke shamelessly praise himself, Keika, sitting beside him, couldn't help but hold her forehead in exasperation.

"Please don't mind him. He has a phase like this every month..."

"What do you mean? I'm just speaking the truth."

Sitting across from Keika and Kousuke, Hakuto nodded repeatedly. Half as handsome? Forget that—he'd even accept 1/10 without arguing.

"I told you, he's not my boyfriend."

Despite Ginko's repeated attempts to explain, Kousuke completely ignored her and continued speaking to Hakuto.

"Shiratori Hakuto, right? Ginko talks about you all the time."

"She does?"

"This is actually the first time I've ever heard her genuinely praise someone's shogi talent without hesitation. So naturally, I've been quite curious about you."

"Hahaha..."

"Kid, let's have a match. I want to see if you're qualified to be Ginko's boyfriend!"

"So... you're just not going to listen to anything I say, huh..."

And just like that, before Hakuto could even process what was happening, Kousuke had already dragged him over to the board.

"Do I... really have to play this game?"

"Uh, Kiyotaki-senpai, you are a professional 9-dan player. Isn't it a bit unfair to bully a mere amateur like me?"

Hakuto cast a pleading look at Ginko. 

No matter how much he believed in his talent, there was no way he could just walk out of the beginner village and immediately take on the final boss.

But instead of helping, Ginko simply opened her folding fan and pointed the side with "Victory is Certain" written on it straight at him.

Victory is certain? 

Yeah, right. I'd rather go eat some Pizza Hut.

Unlike Hakuto's internal screaming, Kousuke remained relaxed, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"Hahaha, don't stress too much."

"Besides, I never said I was the one playing against you."

Just then, the door slowly opened, and a boy dressed in casual clothes stepped inside.

Kuzuryuu Yaichi —the main character of today's gathering. A shogi prodigy, already a professional 7-dan.

If he managed to claim the Ryuuou title next week, he'd likely be promoted straight to 8-dan. His talent was nothing short of terrifying.

"Since Yaichi is here, I should head to the kitchen to start preparing."

"Good morning, Keika-nee."

"Good morning."

Keika hastily greeted Yaichi before quickly retreating into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

"Yaichi! Perfect timing! Come over here."

"What is it?"

As Yaichi passed by Hakuto, the two instinctively exchanged glances.

Kuzuryuu Yaichi : Who is this guy?

Shiratori Hakuto: Not bad, but definitely not as handsome as me.

"This is Shiratori Hakuto. You've probably heard your senpai mention him."

"Come on, the board is ready. You two will have a match."

Hearing this, Hakuto could only applaud the irony in his heart. He had just complained about a 9-dan bullying him, and now they sent in a 7-dan instead.

He seriously considered saying "bullying" one more time—maybe they'd just let Ginko play instead.

Meanwhile, upon hearing his master's words, Yaichi's eyes gleamed with interest as he locked his gaze onto Hakuto.

"Understood."

Kousuke patted Yaichi on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"He's just an amateur. No need to go all out."

Yaichi nodded.

It wasn't surprising that Kousuke would give such advice. After all, aside from Ginko, no one in the room really believed in Hakuto.

Even Hakuto himself wasn't confident—his opponent was a professional 7-dan! By comparison, Ginko was a full five ranks lower!

Sure, Ginko was regarded as the strongest female player of her generation, but only among female players.

Hakuto glanced at Ginko again, silently begging for help.

This time, Ginko picked up a different folding fan and slowly opened it. The words "Unrivaled" appeared in his line of sight.

Ridiculous!

Left with no choice, Hakuto braced himself and sat down. He could only hope to last at least a few dozen moves. If possible, maybe even a hundred.

Yaichi sat down across from him, his posture serious. For some reason, Hakuto sensed a faint hostility emanating from him.

"Hakuto, my senpai talks about you often."

"Haha... is that so...?"

Hearing this, Hakuto glanced at Ginko again. 

But instead of helping, she simply flipped her fan once more, revealing the words "Focus. Confidence."

"Senpai has a lot of talent. She shouldn't be wasting time on pointless distractions."

The moment Yaichi said this, the smile on Hakuto's face disappeared. No wonder he had felt hostility just now—this guy was openly treating him as a rival.

Trying to steal my client? You brat, you must have a death wish.

Hakuto immediately abandoned his previous mindset of just trying to survive a few more moves. He was going to crush this arrogant guy with an overwhelming offensive.

Yaichi: "Let's settle this on the board."

Hakuto: "Fine..."

After a brief bow, the match officially began.

Thanks to Kousuke's teachings, Yaichi specialized in Static Rook strategies and favored bishop exchanges.

Simply put, he was a defensive player—a turtle shell strategist who forced opponents into attacking, only to capitalize on their mistakes and end the game in a decisive counterstrike.

But this time, Yaichi didn't opt for his usual defensive style. 

His pride as a professional 7-dan was on full display as he launched a sharp and aggressive offensive right from the start.

"So impatient, just like a kid..."

If Yaichi had chosen his usual turtle-shell defense, Hakuto would have had a much harder time.

But since his opponent had abandoned defense and was attacking directly, Hakuto now had plenty of opportunities to strike back.

"I've heard that Kudou-kun's specialty is the Static Rook strategy. But with such an aggressive approach... it seems the rumors weren't entirely accurate."

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