Chapter 94: Alya’s Distress and Flutter
"Are you being honest?"
Yukima Azuma lightly tapped Sainokami Ika with his foot as she lay face-down on the tatami mats. Then, he sat beside her.
Sainokami Ika slowly regained her composure, the arrogance that once clung to her expression now greatly diminished.
"That girl... I just slipped up, that's all!" she snapped, clearly frustrated.
Azuma reached out and flicked her forehead with a pak!
"Be sure to thank Ai. She woke you up—gently. Far more gently than most would've."
At those words, Sainokami Ika blinked in confusion.
Azuma turned his gaze to the shogi board nearby, casually resetting several pieces.
Following his gaze, Ika saw the final position from her match with Hinatsuru Ai.
Azuma reversed the board by forty-five moves, back to a crucial turning point—when Ai had still been at a disadvantage. He picked up Ai's pieces and began to play from there.
Then, he played her own side too.