March Comes in Like a Lion (３月のライオン)

Where the Sun Shines

SHOGI HALL

Hey, Kiriyama!

WAVE WAVE

Over here! You got a moment?

Here, have a seat.

Kishou Yanagihara. Good evening.

Hey, Kiriyama. Congrats on becoming the Newcomer King.

Thank you.

KABUKI AGESEN

A commemoration match?

With Meijin Souya?

Just saying his name out loud

gave me goose bumps.

In our country, he's the child of God.

Um, it won't be at the Shogi Hall, as usual?

Usually we do. But this year is different!

We'll invite people, get the press to cover it,

and make it a huge event! Like boom, bam!

In fact, on the same level as a title match.

But, um, why make such a... Why so suddenly?

Speaking frankly, Kiriyama,

you're aware of cases

for the person who becomes the Newcomer King goes on to become a meijin?

I won it before.

So did I.

And then, you're the fifth middle school student in shogi history

to become a professional right after Souya.

Everybody's rooting for you to become a meijin too, Kiriyama.

A star showdown! The current meijin versus the future meijin!

How can he say that so lightly?!

But unlike our era, you've got Souya to contend with,

so I feel sorry for you young guys.

Yeah. He wasn't around in our day.

Yep. Sure am glad I was born a long time ago. Kidding.

Still, he used to be cute.

Back when Souya won his first title.

He's already an old man now.

Hey, Souya's no old man.

Sure he is.

I mean, he's the same age as Shimada.

Well, it's a mystery how those two could be the same age.

I know. What the hell happened in Shimada's life?

SHINY SHINY

DIM...

I would swear that Shimada's the same age as Gotou.

But Shimada's still in his 30s, right?

Um, can we change the subject?

Anyway, what are we going to do about this year's Kishou championship?

My plan was to bill it as, "Sakurai 7th-Dan taking on his first title championship!"

Shogi Association's Mountaineering Club

Top Alpinist

>Invites people he likes to the mountains

We had full media coverage ready, demonstration board commentary,

but then that moron Shimada...

Somebody must be talking about me.

Even though he already lost once, he just couldn't take the hint.

Like an underdog, he clawed his way back up,

and then, in the third match to determine the challenger, he crushed it with an upset win.

It's like, would you give me a break?

B-But Mr. Shimada has been making an incredible effort too, um...

Just imagining what the posters might be like gets me down.

KISHOU CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST MATCH

MENTAL IMAGE

Could it be any drabber?

The close-up profiles of two homely old men...

I wouldn't even want to go!

Yeah, I can picture it.

My heart won't even throb one bit.

He's not young or flashy, but his playing is strong and tenacious.

It doesn't have a single thing going for it.

I have a feeling someone's saying terrible things about me.

If people don't talk about this event, we'll lose sponsors.

The Kishou Championship will be canceled.

Well, yeah, reality is harsh.

TURN

So you're doing us a solid here, Kiriyama!

Good luck!

Doing you...

...a solid?

It means we're counting on you!

Hey, Kiriyama, what's wrong?

You suddenly froze up.

Your face is red.

Are you hot?

SHOGI HALL

Want some barley tea?

How did I get home that night?

All kinds of things went in and out of my head.

It felt like I was floating, so it was hard to walk.

Even after I got in bed,

the lights reflected on the river kept glimmering and swaying in front of my eyes.

Gently swaying...

And the next day...

After School Shogi Science Club Now in Session!!

Sorry for being late.

Excuse me...

Congratulations, Newcomer King Kiriyama

Congratulations, Newcomer King Kiriyama

Okay, now I'd like to...

have a toast to Kiriyama, for winning the title of Newcomer King.

Cheers!

Thank you.

And now I'll explain the menu, a cornucopia of the Shogi Science Club's scientific successes.

First, the soft drink we just made a toast with...

is homemade ginger ale!

We used fresh ginger that was growing behind the gym.

Next, Caspian Sea yogurt, we spared no effort to grow it in the physics prep room's refrigerator.

And freshly-gathered natto with rice flour dumplings.

Plum jam made from the plums off the tree in front of the principal's office.

And finally, of course, our ramune.

WAFT

Still, you did great, Kiriyama.

Man, Yamazaki was good!

But you really stuck it out, Kiriyama.

I'm impressed you endured that.

Mr. Hayashida was watching the live internet broadcast and he was so worked up over it.

He was yelling and cheering.

They were about to kick us out of Mec's.

Of course I was excited!

It was a broadcast of my student's game, with a title on the line!

What is this? It's pretty good.

What do you mean by "pretty"?

But still...

that Pawn to 7-5 was a cool move.

I was on the edge of my seat there.

I never thought we would get a Newcomer King from the Shogi Science Club!

When I think about one of my comrades is fighting a battle, I feel so proud!

I'm still not great at shogi, but I got so nervous just watching!

What's up, Kiriyama?

Um... I need to go to the bathroom.

I bet their weird food is giving you stomach pains!

How rude!

- Well, I mean... - Sheesh!

I wonder what this is.

When did I get here?

To this...

warm place.

Dang it.

It won't stop.

And everyone's waiting for me...

It means we're counting on you!

Congratulations. You worked really hard for it.

Rei, thank you.

I wonder if what I suddenly gained...

will be lost just as suddenly.

But for now, I'm just happy.

I'm so happy...

That's it.

Even if it all does eventually disappear, I'll never forget.

I'll never forget there were days when I was truly happy.

There's Kiriyama. We meet again. Even though we already said goodbye.

Looks like he's concentrating on choosing something.

DIARY CORNER "Preserve Your Memories"

How embarrassing!

L-Let's leave him be!

It's the first page in the springtime of his life.

Come on, let's go.

Well, I think I'll get one too.

Hey!

Noguchi!

Maybe I'll go with this ten-year one.

So I can take it out and remember anytime, any number of times.

Where the Sun Shines

Small World

Here. You should drink this.

It'll warm you up.

Take it.

Th-Thank you.

Here, sit up a little more.

You'll get burned if it spills on you.

Sorry.

If only I hadn't gotten sick, we'd be off the mountain by now.

I've been a drag on you all this time.

And I've become such a nuisance to you, Gakuto.

You're not a nuisance.

In the mountains, we have to bear the burden of each other's lives.

If I didn't think you were up for that, I would never have invited you.

That aside, I'm moved by the tenacity you displayed today.

You put up a nice fight, Issa.

Gakuto-senpai...

He taught me something that day.

SHOGI HALL

He taught me that the most important thing is to not give up.

So...