Chapter 16
The Chink in the Armour

One question, sharper than the rest, halted Takeshi in mid-stride. There's talk of a game of ōgi on the train last night. The voice came from a journalist with the national sports channel, his measured tone contrasting with the usual greed of his peers.

The champion turned, towering over the crowd. A fleeting grimace crossed his face, like the ghost of a memory he would have preferred to master. The fluorescent lights of the lobby cast shadows on his features, accentuating the hardness of his jaw.

A game... His voice, deep and controlled, broke the silence. He looked the gathering up and down, as if gauging their capacity to understand. Some defeats are worth all the victories. The concession cost him, but he delivered it with the arrogance of one who never doubts for long.

The lobby held its breath. The journalists' pens stopped moving, their eyes riveted on this unexpected moment of weakness from a man they were used to seeing as invincible.

A flash of defiance crossed his eyes. Victory is not always where one expects it. The champion turned away from his audience, his haughty bearing betraying his refusal to elaborate. Questions burst out behind him, but he ignored them with the same indifference he usually reserved for opponents who dared to challenge him.

His figure moved off with an assured stride, leaving a wake of murmurs and speculation behind him. The champion of Japan had perhaps just admitted a defeat, but his way of doing so was still a victory over humility.