"Wait, Ginko, you passed out in the bath yesterday. Did you forget?"
Seeing Ginko looking as if she had just been humiliated by Hakuto, Hakuto quickly spoke up to explain.
"Then... my... my clothes..."
"I swear I put them on you with my eyes closed... Do you believe me?"
As soon as Hakuto finished speaking, Ginko grabbed the clothes beside her and started throwing them at him like a rain of arrows, leaving him no chance to dodge.
"Pervert! Die! Die!"
Hakuto actually had no need to dodge. Getting hit by a few pieces of clothing wouldn't hurt him in the slightest. In fact, letting it happen might help Ginko calm down.
No one knew how long it lasted, but soon enough, a pile of clothes had accumulated at Hakuto's feet, and Ginko had nothing left within reach to throw at him.
Of course, unless she was willing to take off the ones she was currently wearing—then she would still have ammunition.
Silently, Hakuto picked up the clothes at his feet, folded them neatly, and placed them into the suitcase.
Ginko just watched from the side, staring intently at Hakuto.
"Ginko, are you hungry?"
"So you did that to me, and now you're just trying to change the subject?"
Hakuto had already expected this, but he couldn't just leave Ginko soaking in a metal tub all night.
At this point, he felt like anything he said would be a death sentence. He really had been trying to change the subject, but it seemed she wasn't going to let him.
"So it's not something that can be brushed off that easily..."
Hakuto shook his head and put on a bright, carefree smile as he looked at Ginko.
"What does Ginko want to hear from me?"
As a professional, Hakuto knew exactly how to handle situations like this. It was tricky, but not unsolvable.
Following the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes you make," he decided to let Ginko take the lead in the conversation.
"My clothes... and... what exactly did you see...?"
"I saw everything... Should I let you look back at me in return?"
Since he had dressed her, it would be obviously suspicious to claim he hadn't seen anything.
So he might as well be honest. As for the part about letting her look back at him, it was just a joke to lighten the mood.
"E-e-everything?!"
Hearing his words, Ginko was stunned. The blush that had just faded from her face now returned, spreading all the way down to her neck.
Her originally fair skin now carried a soft pink hue, like a lotus blooming in spring.
"You mean... you saw everything...?"
"If this were something proper, I'd be seeing a beam of holy light right now..."
"Die! Die!"
Before Hakuto could finish, Ginko threw the blanket covering her at him.
But because of her lack of physical strength, the blanket didn't even reach his feet.
Watching the awkward scene unfold, Hakuto wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. He could only silently pick up the blanket and gently place it back over her legs.
"Why... why is even my underwear on properly...?"
"Huh?"
Could he tell her that he had activated his super-calculation mode, cleared his mind completely, and just happened to put everything on in the process?
"Ginko, we've been childhood friends for so long. We've even shared a bed countless times. What does this even count as?"
Even as Hakuto spoke, he felt like his own words were ridiculous, but this was the best he could come up with.
Hearing him, Ginko took a deep breath, shook her head, and calmed herself down.
"Once I reach fourth-dan in my professional ranking... I'll talk to you about this again..."
Becoming a professional shogi player had always been an obsession for Ginko.
Until she achieved that goal, she wouldn't allow herself to break through that last barrier between her and Hakuto.
This was her goal and the promise she and Hakuto had made long ago.
She didn't think what had happened was particularly wrong. She was just embarrassed, which was why her reaction had been so strong.
"So Ginko still doesn't plan to let me off the hook, huh? Shouldn't it be after reaching ninth-dan instead?"
Seeing her relent a little, Hakuto took the opportunity to joke.
"Don't be ridiculous. Ninth-dan... there are barely enough to count on two hands in the entire shogi world..."
She wasn't wrong. There were only about ten ninth-dan professionals in the entire shogi world, and without exception, all of them were men.
There weren't even any female professionals above fourth-dan, let alone ninth-dan—the absolute peak!
There was simply too big a difference in talent. Just like in esports, men had an inherent advantage in this field.
"Then do you think I could become a ninth-dan professional if I joined the prize tournaments?"
Ginko didn't answer. Instead, she unfolded her folding fan and showed him the side with the words "Certain Victory" written on it.
"If you need money, joining the prize tournaments wouldn't be a bad choice..."
She had never given up on persuading Hakuto to enter those tournaments. In fact, she was quite persistent about it.
But Hakuto shook his head again. He did have an obsession with money, but it also depended on how he earned it.
If he really just wanted money, then professional shogi was far from the best option.
He could go to Macau, Las Vegas, or even manipulate the stock market.
He had no experience in those areas, but with his super-calculation ability, he didn't need any.
So yes, he liked money—but only if he earned it in the right way.
Seeing his response, Ginko sighed. She had already expected this. After all, she had brought this up at least a hundred times before.
"If Ginko really becomes a professional shogi player... then maybe, to be worthy of you, I'll go for the title myself."
"Huh?"
Ginko was stunned, and the fan slipped from her fingers.
This was the first time she had heard him consider it seriously—especially based on her becoming a professional first.
"R-really?"
"Really. But Ginko, you should focus on becoming a professional first."
With that, Hakuto walked out of the tent, leaving Ginko sitting there in a daze.
As she watched his back disappear, her heart refused to settle.
"Professional shogi player... professional shogi player!!"
Her desire for that title had never burned as fiercely as it did at this moment!
"As long as I get there... get there... then I will have everything."
Her wish, her goal, her obsession, her promise—him.
Everything would be there. Nothing would be missing.
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Brother, compared to being a lackey or the rental boyfriend with Eriri… becoming a pro shogi athlete is way more proper, wtf are you saying duh. "but only if he earned it in the right way" my ass.
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