The next morning, Sora Ginko arrived at the bathroom with heavy dark circles under her eyes, yet her spirit was remarkably vibrant.
She had pulled an all-nighter.
Don't misunderstand—her body hadn't fully recovered yet, so she wasn't reckless enough to follow Mashiro's example and attempt a "night raid." Although she had grown quite fond of that sensation, she had something else she wanted to do even more.
She wanted to flex.
Originally, she thought Hatsune Miku's "method" was just a joke—that doing that was simply a way to make Su Mo willing to teach them.
But it wasn't until she took matters into her own hands—and, well, into her mouth—that she truly understood what was meant by the "Source of Life and Wisdom."
A sense of trance, like an awakening of her very origins, had made her feel reborn. Her calculation power, which previously could only look four or five moves ahead at most, had seen a massive leap.
To put it bluntly—she'd leveled up her brain.
To ensure what she had experienced wasn't a hallucination, she decided to verify it herself as soon as she had rested enough to regain some focus. Though she lacked physical strength and found walking difficult, her hands still worked. At the very least, she could use a mouse.
And so, she logged onto a Shogi website. With Hatsune Miku's assistance, she connected with several top-tier players online, including—but not limited to—the holders of the seven major Shogi titles: the Osho, Kio, Meijin, and even the Ryuo.
The Ryuo (Dragon King) was the most prestigious title in the Shogi world. Before Su Mo's arrival, it was the highest honor a player could achieve.
That changed when Su Mo emerged. He swept every single title with such overwhelming dominance that it created a "dead zone" behind him. To prevent these titles from being held by one person indefinitely—which would stifle the growth of new talent—the title of "Kisen" (Shogi Saint) was established above the Ryuo to serve as Su Mo's eternal throne.
Only a player who could successfully defend the Ryuo title for three consecutive terms would even earn the right to challenge Su Mo.
In the past, Sora Ginko wouldn't have had the ability to challenge a Ryuo, nor even the lowest-ranked Osho. She wouldn't have even had the right to try.
Despite her titles as "Queen" and "Female Gyokuza," and her reputation as a rising genius, one had to remember: she was only a genius in the women's division.
Just like in most sports where there is an "Open" division and a "Women's" division (rather than a strictly "Men's" and "Women's"), there was a massive chasm in skill between the Open division and the Women's division in Shogi.
Shogi is a mental battle, but a long match is a test of physical endurance. History was full of cases where a slightly weaker player "starved out the eagle," outlasting a stronger opponent through sheer physical stamina.
Ginko was a star in the women's circuit, but in the Open circuit, she couldn't even guarantee a win against an average male professional. The gap was that staggering.
Given that reality, she naturally had no business challenging the top titleholders.
But now, things were different.
It might sound a bit embarrassing to say, but her status as a "maid in the household of the Shogi Saint"—especially one who had received "personal guidance"—held far more weight than any fame Ginko had earned previously.
Every major titleholder had studied or simulated Su Mo's past matches. Without exception, they all held the Saint who had redefined Shogi history in the highest regard. They viewed him as an unscalable mountain and lacked the courage to challenge him personally. If a grand Ryuo couldn't even last three minutes before being stripped of his defenses, it would be a career-ending humiliation.
More importantly, they simply weren't qualified to challenge him.
If one counted the people who wanted to play a game with Su Mo, the worlds of Go, Xiangqi, and Chess were filled with candidates. The tiny Shogi world didn't even rank in the queue.
Thus, Sora Ginko's appearance piqued their interest.
Looking at her record, she wasn't too strong. Even with the Saint's guidance, she should, at most, be slightly better than a standard pro. There was no way she could beat the top titleholders. At the same time, as a professional player, she wouldn't be a pushover. As long as she had the fundamentals, they might be able to learn something from her.
If they played her, they might catch a glimpse of the Shogi Saint's logic through her moves. With enough analysis, they might even master a fraction of his technique.
The entire Shogi world salivated over Su Mo's playstyle, which famously surpassed even the most advanced AI.
Shogi players are mostly night owls. Very quickly, the current "Meijin" (Master) accepted her invitation and made the match public.
Shogi enthusiasts who followed the Meijin's activity immediately swarmed the stream.
Ten minutes later, the Meijin was defeated.
The Shogi world instantly exploded.
The "Snow White of Naniwa," who previously only had the strength of an average pro, had absolutely demolished the "Meijin" after just one day of "tutoring"?
Looking at the wreckage of the board, even a complete amateur—or someone who didn't know Shogi at all—could see that this wasn't a close struggle. It was a massacre.
The prestigious Meijin had been crushed by a teenage girl. The result shocked the spectators and both players alike.
"How is this possible? How can she be this strong?!"
The Meijin stared at the digital board in disbelief, unable to trust his own eyes.
"Is the Shogi Saint ghostwriting for her? No, impossible! If it were Lord Su Mo, I wouldn't have lasted five minutes. Besides, the opponent's style is a bit too... cautious. It lacks the Saint's absolute pressure!"
Su Mo only played for the prize money, so his style favored "speedrunning"—forcing an immediate resignation. This was a far cry from Ginko's approach.
In other words, the person who had just defeated him was truly Sora Ginko herself.
"She only studied for one day... how..."
His fists clenched. The Meijin didn't give up. After several seconds of silence, he sent a mass message to his group of professional colleagues. Then, with a trembling hand, he reached for his mouse and sent another challenge invitation.
Unlike the last match, this time he was the challenger.
"Am I really this strong now?"
Ginko stared at her screen, equally stunned.
She swallowed hard and instinctively touched her slightly bloated belly.
"No... it's Master's grace... Is it really that powerful?!"
She had sensed that she'd become much stronger, but after resting yesterday afternoon, she had asked Su Mo for a practice game and was still utterly destroyed. That made her think there was still a massive gap between them.
She never imagined that being "only" at this level was enough to slaughter a Meijin.
Faced with the Meijin's second request, she didn't hesitate. She accepted, wanting to find out where her true ceiling was.
In the meantime, the spectators realized they were witnessing history. They began calling friends, family, and even contacts in the Go world to spread the news.
As word traveled, the viewer count quickly surpassed ten thousand. Almost half of the entire Shogi community had surged into the room.
Media outlets caught wind of the story and began broadcasting and posting updates, drawing in the general public.
Under this intense spotlight, the two played three consecutive matches.
The Meijin lost three for three.
Furthermore, as Ginko regained her confidence, the duration of the matches grew shorter and shorter.
The Shogi world was in an uproar; the news cycle was hit by a tidal wave.
The Shogi Saint's maid easily defeated the Meijin. What could possibly grab the public's attention more than that?
Actually, there was one thing.
And that was the fact that this maid didn't just stop at the Meijin. She went on to defeat the man who sat at the conventional peak of Shogi honors (excluding the "outlier" Su Mo)—the Ryuo.
Indeed, after the Meijin's three-match loss, the other top titleholders received the news and wanted a piece of the action.
And then, Sora Ginko swept them all. It was a total rout.
Whether it was the Ryuo, the Kio, the Osho, or the Eio—all were mowed down by Sora Ginko alone.
It was a repeat of the miracle Su Mo had performed years ago. Once again, someone had appeared who could effortlessly sweep the entire Shogi world. And her identity? She was merely a maid in the Shogi Saint's manor.
Outsiders suspected Su Mo was ghostwriting, but the Ryuo, the Meijin, and even the "AlphaGo" authorities issued statements debunking the rumors.
Most importantly, Ginko herself admitted it. She stated she was merely a "humble maid" serving Su Mo.
Clearly, the Shogi Saint had no reason to lie about such a thing.
That night, having crushed the entire Shogi world, Sora Ginko finally found her confidence again.
The Shogi community was left in shambles, and the shockwaves naturally reached the ears of other enthusiasts. Without Ginko's knowledge, a small ripple was beginning to form.
Thus...
"Sora Ginko. A trainee maid will be coming for an interview today. You are responsible for receiving her."
"Yes! Miss Hatsune!"
Hearing Hatsune Miku's voice, Ginko reflexively answered the command.
But after she spoke, she realized something. The voice didn't seem to come from a speaker—and there was no audio equipment in the bathroom.
That voice... it had vibrated directly inside her mind.
"Wait... Huh?!"
The silver-haired girl's pupils shook with massive shock.