March Comes in Like a Lion (３月のライオン)

Kingdom (Part 1)

COMFY

Wow!

Rei.

Good luck at the Newcomer Tournament finals tomorrow.

And so...

Here. Pork Cut'let's win!

PORK CUT'LET'S WIN

TA-DAA

Thank you for the—

Delicious!

It's crispy!

And juicy!

Momo's cutlet is cut in cubes.

Yummy!

I know, right?

I cracked a raw egg on top of the hot pork cutlet.

So you're going to Osaka tomorrow?

For events like that, you arrive the day before, right?

Yes. The Kansai Shogi Hall has a few rooms available, so I'll be staying there.

And Hina, your bullet train leaves at eight tomorrow, right?

You have to be at school by seven?

NOM NOM

You have an early morning, so why don't I draw the bath?

Uh, okay.

Hina, buy me a souvenir!

Sure.

That's right. Hina's school trip is from tomorrow.

Two nights and three days in Kyoto.

Thank you for dinner.

Oh, what's wrong? You're done already?

I don't know what it is, but my stomach hurts.

Are you all right? Maybe it was too greasy.

It's unusual for you to have a stomachache.

Want some medicine?

Yeah.

Hina, that's...

You said your stomach hurts?

There. Lie on your right side.

Warming your back like this may make you feel a little better.

Yeah. Thank you.

Is she sick?

HMM HMM

Are you okay, Hina?

When I thought about her situation at school,

I can imagine how this three-day, two-night trip would be painful.

It was plain as day.

Are you okay? You know, you don't have to go to Kyoto.

No, I'll go.

I have a feeling that I need to go.

It feels like if I don't,

I'll regret it down the line, years from now, even after becoming an adult.

I think I wanted to have memories of not running away.

So, I can't explain it well,

but you wanted to get rid of things like that, right?

That one time, Takahashi immediately said he understood.

Hina...

I'm going to win.

I swear I'll win.

Nikaidou kept playing until he collapsed.

And the girl in front of me...

...is also fighting.

I swear I'll win before I come home.

When your stomach feels better, let's all go to a sweets shop.

You can have whatever toppings you like.

Thank you, Kiriyama.

They're all fighting to win...

...their one little place in the world.

Huh? Where am I?

Oh, that's right.

It's Osaka.

I came here to fight.

The Newcomer Tournament is open to shogi players who are 26 and under,

and 5th dan and under.

Each player is given five hours.

The match will probably continue until night time.

To be on the safe side, I'll buy breakfast, lunch,

and plenty of drinks.

Kiriyama is coming today, right?

Yeah. He's the guy who made our Hachi cry.

It's too bad what happened to that rich kid, but Yamazaki was going all out, too.

Yeah. After all, his unprecedented title of "Eternal Newcomer King" was on the line!

You can't blame him. Maintaining your health is part of the game.

Doing everything you can to beat your opponent,

no matter what condition they're in, is just etiquette.

Junkei just fought the way you're supposed to fight.

I suddenly recall what he said.

I'll have my shot at the title.

If I didn't think that, how could I go on?

I wonder how strongly Nikaidou felt...

when he said those words.

You're not mistaken, Rei Kiriyama.

Look to nature for the way of life.

This is the final match of the Newcomer Tournament.

I'm Junkei Yamazaki.

SHOGI HALL

It's quiet.

Only the sound of our pieces disturbs the air.

He's gunning for a Ranging Rook Castle.

He'll lock himself in, and intend to make this a drawn-out war.

While playing...

the question "Why?"...

keeps swirling around in my head.

When I looked at the game records, I sensed it.

You had plenty of moves that were open.

So why did you force a draw by repeating moves?

Because I didn't have a winning move.

You can't blame him. Maintaining your health is part of the game.

Doing everything you can to beat your opponent,

no matter what condition they're in, is just etiquette.

Junkei just fought the way you're supposed to fight.

The guys in the store said he fought the way you're supposed to fight.

But if you're not conquering your weakness of failing to read your opponent,

and then you would put that burden on someone else saying it's justified,

then I have just one reply.

Kingdom (Part 1)

Go to hell!

Two eyeballs in the dark.

They're examining my situation.

Waiting for me to make a mistake.

Waiting with bated breath...

for the moment I make a wrong move.

He waits patiently.