Mash-Up: Anything for Money

"Using Static Rook against you is pointless."

Yaichi shook his head slightly. He had heard Hakuto's name many times from Ginko, and every mention was accompanied by the word genius.

But Yaichi didn't believe that an untrained amateur could pose any real threat to him. There was no need to use Static Rook.

"Not gonna lie, I just love attacking!"

The moment his words fell, the crisp sound of a piece landing on the board echoed, signaling the start of Hakuto's relentless offense.

For the next several dozen moves, Hakuto played with an all-out assault, throwing defense out the window.

Shogi, Go, Chess—any board game, beyond strategies and recorded games, ultimately boiled down to one thing: calculation.

Hakuto wasn't recognized by Ginko as Jörmungandr because of fancy strategies. His greatest weapon was raw, unadulterated calculation.

Simply put, even the most skilled martial artist would still fall to a single bullet.

As the game progressed, Hakuto gradually seized the advantage.

Unlike Hakuto's lightning-fast moves, Yaichi, now at a disadvantage, carefully considered every step.

And every time he hesitated, Hakuto would gently remind him—

"Hurry up!"

"Hurry up!"

"Hurry up!"

With every move, another impatient prompt followed, and soon, beads of sweat formed on Yaichi's forehead.

"Impossible! How could this happen?!"

"How am I falling behind?!"

He stared at the board, his thoughts in turmoil. Yet every time he hesitated, Hakuto's voice would ring in his ears—

"Hurry up!"

Yaichi glanced at the worsening situation on the board and then at Hakuto, who sat calmly across from him.

At that moment, Hakuto spoke once more, this time with a hint of amusement—

"Kuzuryuu-kun, if this were an official match, your time would've run out by now."

"What?! No way!"

Instinctively, Yaichi turned to his master, Kousuke, hoping for some kind of denial.

But Kousuke said nothing—he simply nodded.

Just then, Keika emerged from the kitchen and sat down beside Kousuke.

Looking at the board, she hesitantly asked, "Is Yaichi going to lose?"

Kousuke shook his head. Then, after a pause, nodded again, indicating that even he wasn't sure anymore.

He had only invited Yaichi to test Hakuto's skill. Losing had never even been a consideration.

"What a blunder. This kid really is just like Ginko said."

"But Hakuto-kun keeps pressuring Yaichi..."

Keika's words were cut short by Kousuke.

"Yaichi's opponent is someone who plays shogi as a casual hobby."

"A professional against an amateur—that should never be a fair match."

Kousuke understood all too well: if Yaichi didn't find a way to break through soon, he might actually lose.

Meanwhile, at the board, after receiving his master's silent confirmation, Yaichi's frustration grew. 

He was already close to reaching his breaking point.

"Kuzuryuu-kun, even though this isn't an official game, I still must ask you... to hurry up."

Keika studied the board carefully and voiced her thoughts.

"Yaichi still isn't preparing to defend?"

From the board's current state, Hakuto's offensive was overwhelming—it was a battle to the death.

The best way to counter such an offensive playstyle is through defense—steadily expanding your advantage before delivering the final blow.

But just then, a cool, composed voice rang out.

"He can't defend."

"Why not?"

"He'll die."

As the person who understood Hakuto's playstyle better than anyone, Ginko had every right to make such a statement with absolute confidence.

At that moment, Yaichi held a shogi piece in his hand. Under the crushing pressure and Hakuto's relentless urging, he slowly moved his piece... backward.

"You should've gone with Static Rook from the very beginning."

Hakuto watched Yaichi's move and spoke calmly.

Yet, for some reason, despite the simplicity of his words, they dripped with sarcasm.

With each additional move, Yaichi was forced further and further into a corner until he could no longer place his pieces effectively.

"I... lost..."

"Thank you for the game."

Hakuto slowly stood up. Only now did Yaichi truly understand the meaning behind the words engraved on Ginko's folding fan.

It turned out that the person who understood Hakuto's strength the most wasn't Hakuto himself—it was Ginko, his "opponent" for over a decade.

To utterly crush a professional 7-dan shogi player who had underestimated him, Hakuto estimated that his own skill had to be at least 6-dan, if not 7-dan.

"No way! One more round! Again!!"

"Why are you standing up? Sit back down! The match isn't over!"

The overwhelming pressure from the game, combined with the bitter taste of defeat, shattered Yaichi's composure. 

He refused to accept reality—all he could think about was winning the next game.

He didn't even want to review the match.

"Enough, Yaichi. Do you want to embarrass yourself even more?"

Ginko stepped in front of Hakuto, shielding him. Losing wasn't the issue—being unable to accept defeat was.

Yaichi had reached professional 7-dan at just 16 years old and was even competing for the Ryuuou title against top players. 

His pride was naturally far greater than the average person's.

And that pride was precisely why he couldn't accept losing—especially not to Hakuto.

"Move aside, Senpai! If I had used Static Rook from the start, I wouldn't have lost!"

"You're being ridiculous..."

"No one stopped you from using Static Rook in the first place."

Ginko knew that Yaichi was just making excuses—excuses for being unable to accept his loss.

At that moment, Hakuto gently patted Ginko on the shoulder, then stepped forward to face Yaichi.

"Kuzuryuu-kun, about that rematch you mentioned—I'm fine with it."

"R-Really?! Then what are we waiting for?!"

"However, I have one condition."

"Fine! Whatever it is, I accept!"

Hakuto smiled slightly. Then, in the next second, he spoke his demand—

"If you lose, you must immediately withdraw from the Reward Association and never touch shogi again for the rest of your life."

"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me. If you accept, we'll start the match right now."

The moment those words left his mouth, it wasn't just Yaichi who was stunned—Ginko, Keika, and Kousuke were all equally dumbfounded.

"Hakuto, what are you doing?"

Ginko stood behind Hakuto, tugging at his sleeve and whispering.

"Hahaha, it's just a simple game. No need to make such a big deal out of it."

"Yeah, yeah."

___

Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~ [5 bonus chapter if we reach 10 reviews]

___