March Comes in Like a Lion (３月のライオン)

Silver Wings

"If you believe, your dream will come true."

That's probably true.

UPPER RANK

However, one part is missing.

"If you believe and keep working hard,"

"your dream will come true."

That's the correct one.

But I could go on.

"If you believe,"

"and work hard at it every day, for even an hour longer than all of your rivals,"

"there's a good chance your dream will come true to some extent."

The shorter version works better as a catchphrase.

"IF YOU BELIEVE, YOUR DREAM WILL COME TRUE"

But I think that's too abridged.

That way, it sounds like

you don't have to do anything, but just believe and your dream would come true.

I'd like to ask whoever chopped it down to a short length

what they were thinking when they did it.

Hey, Junkei!

What dan are you right now?

Were you a professional now?

Fifth dan.

Huh! Really?

I don't really know what that means, though!

So, do professional shogi players make bank?

But hey, can you like, get famous and be on TV?

Don't they have that on Sunday mornings?

And hurry up and become meijin!

Whenever I go to some kind of gathering,

I'm always asked the same questions.

And I always think these are like...

Huh, so you're a manager! I don't know much about it, though.

So what's a manager's annual salary?

Or forget that, hurry up and become section chief or company director!

All while you're still in your 20s!

It's cooler that way, you know?

SPLOOSH

I'd like to ask them the same kind of boorish questions they ask me.

At first, I would try to explain to them, but that seemed to be a buzzkill,

so I just keep my mouth shut and let it slide.

I realized they didn't really want to know about it,

ALL FOOD ORDERS, 500 YEN FOR TWO HOURS

but only asked me as a stock question, the way you'd say, "Nice weather now, isn't it?"

It doesn't mean anything.

I'm just here as a foil, as I take the minor stings from their questions.

I just remembered! Junkei, do you still raise pigeons?

What, pigeons?

Oh, that's right! He used to raise them! Racing pigeons!

What the hell? Shogi and pigeons? You're such an enthusiast, Junkei!

I have to go take care of the pigeons.

Man, that Junkei's so amazing.

He's as scary as always.

He's got this strong aura...

He always has been an oddball.

I got into shogi and racing pigeons because of my grandfather, who loved both. He taught me.

With shogi, the more effort you put into it, the better the results.

With pigeons, the more love and care you give them, the more they respond.

I became obsessed with both.

But right now, both of them are slipping through my fingers.

I finally managed to get promoted to C-1,

but then this spring I was downgraded for the second time.

And Silver, my favorite racer, which I'd put my heart into raising,

never came back after the 500 km race in late spring.

Did it fall prey to a falcon? Did it hit a power cable?

Was it because of the weather?

Just imagining it lying wounded and suffering somewhere

was enough to make me feel overcome with grief.

It felt like those dark clouds would swallow up everything.

Trying to predict moves ahead

is like diving to the bottom of a pitch-black sea.

The "answer" is only found there at the bottom

and as you move forward, the next "answer" can only be found at an even deeper area.

It used to be that the more I dove, the more "answers" I would get

and "desire" would triumph over fear.

But now, six years after I've turned professional,

SHOGI HALL

I feel like I can't make any progress at all.

Even when I dive down and feels like my body is going to be torn apart,

I now mostly come back empty-handed.

Ever since the thought,

"I doubt I'll find something," won out over "I may find something,"

my efforts have been inhibited.

But as if looking at me with disdain,

Kiriyama and Nikaidou plunge back in again like it's nothing.

Over and over.

It's insane.

Even when they come back with nothing again and again,

they keep coming up with new strategies and try them over and over.

Unconcerned with the anguish,

they repeatedly throw themselves in

over and over again.

Terror has won out and left me behind.

SHOGI HALL

I wanted to win, no matter what.

I didn't want to let anyone else have the one title I could still cling to.

I heard he was sick.

But I also knew that his will was much stronger than mine,

and that he was someone who would go much further than me.

That's right. At that moment...

There has been a threefold repetition.

A new game will begin in 30 minutes.

He smiled. I remember that.

And then...

KING

I felt it distinctly.

I wanted to go back to the world they were in, once more.

Silver.

Idiot...

I swear I'll beat you next time.

Okay, it's okay. Good boy.

Here's a special stamina meal.

Fill up, Silver.

You've become as light as paper.

But you'll be all right. I'm with you.

You'll be healthy again in no time.

And then you'll be able to really stretch your wings and fly.

But first I'm going to do my best tomorrow.

12TH LION KING TOURNAMENT Rei Kiriyama 5th-Dan VS Takeshi Tsujii 9th-Dan After 187 moves, Victory for Rei Kiriyama 5th-Dan

Let's make it a race to see who flies first.

Silver Wings

River Scenery

I thought maybe it was a dream.

I was in a strange town, all alone,

and didn't know where I should go.

When I was feeling lonely, and about to cry,

you came running over, out of breath, and with wind-tousled hair,

and stood before me.

SWEET SHOP MITSUYOSHI

Kiriyama.

GLEAM GLEAM

SERIOUS

A-Are you sure about this?

NOD...

Of course.

Please feel free to add any toppings you like.

But we're supposed to be celebrating your Newcomer King title, Kiriyama.

Is it really okay for you to treat us to this...

I promised. So please, order away!

Whoa! O-Okay then, here we go!

I-I'll have mine with syrup-covered bean jam and fruit with extra beans and fresh cream!

I'll have mine with green tea Bavarian cream and sweet red bean paste!

HUFF HUFF

A-Also, double apricots and rice flour dumplings! Three, no, four!

And condensed milk! Condensed milk on top!

A-And another with green tea Bavarian cream, chestnuts, and fresh cream!

And I want apricots too! Oh, and I almost forgot.

On both of those, I'd like two small scoops of vanilla ice cream and sweet red bean ice cream!

That's right, Sis! Thank you! I forgot the ice cream, and that's essential!

Oh, right, what about you, Momo?

The same as Hina!

Fwha-haa!

Then half of that for a kid's version!

Oh dear, I've run out of room.

SHIVER

SHAKE

C-Can you really eat all that?

Oh yeah, Grandpa. Grandpa, what are you going to have?

Me? Let's see here. I'm fine with fried mochi.