All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 167: I Pledge the Future of Hinatsuru Ai

After chatting for a while with the maid girl and the mischievous little kid in the audience—

The second round of the preliminary quickly began.

Yukima Azuma's opponent in the second round was a professional 4-dan shogi player.

But the opponent's dan rank didn't really matter.

To Yukima Azuma—

There were only two types of shogi players in the world.

One type was "Meijin," the other type was "the rest of the players."

As long as they belonged to "the rest of the players"—

Yukima Azuma would crush them absolutely.

His level 9 shogi skill encompassed all playing styles and techniques, reaching a near-peak level.

If this were a different setting—

A character like Yukima Azuma would almost certainly be a deceased shogi master, whose soul was bound to a ring, appearing as an old master to train a genius disciple on a quest to find "The Hand of God."

After swiftly advancing through the second and third rounds—

Yukima Azuma officially entered the main tournament of the Ryuou Championship.

The main tournament of the Ryuou followed a standard single-elimination format.

A total of 32 players qualified for the main bracket.

From the round of 32, each round eliminated one losing player.

There were six rounds in total, with the finals being a best-of-all match.

As long as he kept winning—

He would become the Ryuou.

The Ryuou title was the most fiercely contested among all shogi titles.

It also had the highest prize money.

This year, with additional sponsorships, the total prize pool reached 300 million yen.

As Japan's national-level championship, the Ryuou tournament received attention from the entire country.

However, Yukima Azuma didn't expect—

The level of attention to be this high.

Just after finishing an interview following his qualification for the main tournament—

As he stepped out of the Shogi Association—

He came face to face with a beautiful woman and a middle-aged man.

The beautiful woman wore a traditional Japanese kimono, predominantly deep blue.

The kimono had no visible brand, but anyone knowledgeable about clothing could tell that the fabric was extraordinarily expensive.

Although she was a stunning beauty, standing there, she did not evoke any frivolous thoughts.

The aura of this woman was overwhelmingly strong, carrying a sense of superiority—without needing to express anger, she exuded authority.

Seeing these two—

Hinatsuru Ai's eyes immediately widened, and even the ahoge on her head drooped.

She wanted to hide behind Yukima Azuma.

But in the end, she didn't move, standing frozen in place.

"Dad, Mom..."

Hinatsuru Ai softly called out.

These two—

Were Hinatsuru Ai's parents.

"Hello there, I am Hinatsuru Takashi, Ai father."

"I am Hinatsuru Akina."

Of course, they couldn't just stand and talk in the middle of the street.

After a simple introduction—

Everyone moved to a nearby private tea house.

This tea house seemed to be a members-only establishment, where only those with a certain account balance could enter.

And to use a private room, an even higher balance was required.

This place was typically a venue for the upper class to discuss business.

Yukima Azuma wasn't sure if Laplace Corporation had a membership here.

But the Hinatsuru family certainly did.

The group went up to the second floor.

"Our daughter has been troubling you all this time. We sincerely apologize."

"We've heard about her apprenticeship, but we still have some objections."

Hinatsuru Ai's father calmly spoke.

Hearing this, Hinatsuru Ai immediately became agitated.

"Dad!"

She called out, then quickly turned to look at her mother.

Hinatsuru Ai understood clearly—

Even though her father was the one speaking—

But... the one making the decision—

Was her mother.

After all, her father was merely a son-in-law who had married into the family.

Hinatsuru Akina.

A name that carried significant weight even within Japan's upper class.

The current head of the Hinatsuru family.

The person in charge of Hinatsuru Ryokan.

In Japan, anyone involved in the ryokan (JP inn) business at a certain scale—

Could not ignore this woman.

Her daughter was staring at her with pleading eyes—

But Hinatsuru Akina's expression remained unchanged.

As still as a tranquil lake.

She shifted her gaze to Yukima Azuma and slowly spoke:

"Before making a decision, we conducted an investigation."

"Currently, in the world of shogi, no female player has ever become a professional player."

"While it is possible to become a female shogi player, unless one wins a title, their status remains unstable."

"Yukima-sensei, you are still just a high school student, and you likely have no teaching experience."

"In such a situation, we cannot entrust Ai to you."

Her words were firm, leaving no room for retreat.

Even somewhat harsh.

Hinatsuru Takashi, standing beside her, cleared his throat lightly.

"Ahem, dear, saying that is a bit disrespectful to sensei."

But Hinatsuru Akina did not even turn her head as she coldly replied:

"Silence."

Hinatsuru Takashi immediately fell obediently silent, lowering his head.

Hinatsuru Ai also lowered her head.

She pouted, refusing to speak.

Seeing her puffing up her cheeks like she was sulking—

Yukima Azuma reached out and gently patted Hinatsuru Ai's head.

To an ordinary person, the words just spoken might have been difficult to hear.

But to Yukima Azuma, he could understand them.

In fact, he even felt that the head of the Hinatsuru family in front of him was already being both indulgent toward her daughter and reasonable.

One had to understand—Hinatsuru Ai was the heiress of the Hinatsuru family.

Moreover, if Hinatsuru Akina did not have any other children—

Hinatsuru Ai would be the sole future successor of the Hinatsuru family.

In such a situation—

The heir suddenly declared she didn't want to inherit the family business but instead wanted to pursue shogi.

This was no different from Musk clan son saying he wanted to drop out of school to become a professional eSports player.

And not even joining the youth division of a well-known team—

But going to some obscure "training camp."

Agreeing to such a thing would be absurd.

If this were Mrs. Yukinoshita—

If Yukinoshita Haruno had said she wanted to play shogi—

She would undoubtedly have been locked in a dark room immediately.

For this reason—

Yukima Azuma had originally planned to win the Ryuou title first before meeting Hinatsuru Ai's parents.

After all, if she was going to pursue shogi—

What could be more convincing than learning from one of the very best in the field?

At the very least, it would carry some weight when spoken.

But—

It seemed that plans could never keep up with unexpected changes.

Yukima Azuma continued to pat Hinatsuru Ai's head.

He had promised to take her as his disciple—

And he would definitely keep his word.

However, he also needed to make additional commitments.

"Hinatsuru Ai is a child I truly like, and I want to take her as my disciple."

"You two are Ai's parents, so it's understandable that you're worried. I completely understand."

"Therefore, in order to take Ai as my disciple, I am willing to offer a corresponding guarantee."

Yukima Azuma did not speak much about Hinatsuru Ai's talent.

To Hinatsuru Akina—

That factor held little value.

Hinatsuru Ai might become a female shogi player who wins a title.

She might even become the first female professional shogi player in history.

But—

All of that was merely a possibility.

As long as Hinatsuru Ai remained within the Hinatsuru family—

Her future was almost certainly set as the heir to the Hinatsuru Ryokan business.

Even if she did not manage it well, "a dead camel is still bigger than a live horse."

Even if Hinatsuru Ryokan's scale were reduced by half—

Its heir would still hold a status far higher than a female shogi player.

On one hand, there was a gamble on probability, with a reward that wasn't particularly ideal.

On the other, there was a massive and stable profit.

Hinatsuru Akina had no reason to choose the first option.

Unless there were additional conditions attached.

Yukima Azuma reached into the pocket of his coat, pulled out a golden business card, and placed it in front of Hinatsuru Akina.

"If Hinatsuru Ai does not achieve any notable results in her shogi career—"

"I am willing to guarantee her future—both in terms of material wealth and status."

Hinatsuru Akina picked up the business card from the table.

On the front was a single symbol.

Flipping it over, the meaning of those characters became immediately clear.

Laplace Corporation.

She carefully put the business card away.

Then, after taking a deep breath, she nodded slightly.

"I see. If you are willing to go this far for Ai, then refusing any further would be truly discourteous."

"May I ask one impolite question—what is your company's revenue this year?"

Hinatsuru Takashi lifted his head. "Isn't that a bit too much?"

Hinatsuru Akina shot him a glare.

The live-in son-in-law immediately lowered his head again.

Yukima Azuma, however, remained unfazed.

"Laplace was founded this spring. Over the past six months, our total revenue is approximately..."

"The total stock and cash assets currently held by the company are estimated as follows..."