The Fearlessness of the Ignorant!

Natsume Chikage glanced down at the navigation map on his phone screen and confirmed that he had arrived at his destination.

He slowly raised his head, and the massive Tokyo Shogi Hall came into view.

This Rising Star Shogi Tournament was being held in this hall, a gathering place for shogi players.

Natsume Chikage walked inside.

The interior was spacious and bright, with a faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.

As soon as he entered the lobby, he saw small groups of people lining up at the reception desk, preparing to enter the tournament.

Since it was the final day of registration, there were not many people left in line at the hall.

Natsume Chikage quietly walked to the end of the queue and waited patiently.

There were not many staff members handling registrations at the moment.

Only one female staff member was busy at work.

The rather attractive staff member, Horikawa Kaori, was currently a first-dan women's shogi player.

Though her skill was not particularly outstanding, she had a sincere love for shogi, which was why she had chosen to work here.

Several consecutive days of intense work had left her with barely any rest.

By now, obvious fatigue showed on her face.

Even as she processed the registrations of those in line, her movements seemed somewhat sluggish.

"Please fill in your name, contact information, and whether you hold a shogi rank here..."

As she explained, she could not help covering the corner of her mouth with her hand as she let out a small yawn, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Soon enough.

It was Natsume Chikage's turn.

The instant the listless Horikawa Kaori saw Natsume Chikage, the weariness vanished from her expression. She immediately straightened in her seat.

She considered herself to have met quite a few shogi players.

Amateur players, Shoreikai players, women's shogi players, and even renowned professional players.

Moreover, most shogi players had begun competing from a young age.

Having often worked at the Shogi Association, she was familiar with nearly every player in the Tokyo area.

After all, the shogi world was only so big, and the same familiar faces came and went.

Yet Horikawa Kaori had never seen Natsume Chikage anywhere in Tokyo.

She was delighted to encounter such an exceptionally handsome boy, but she was also curious about his playing strength—whether he had come all the way from another region to Tokyo specifically to enter the Rising Star Shogi Tournament.

This tournament was open to all of Japan.

As a result, many players from outside the area had come specifically to take part.

Even on the final day of registration, people were still arriving one after another, which was enough to show how popular this tournament was.

Ordinary shogi tournaments tended to be much smaller in scale.

Most of the time, players only competed within a limited area.

The number of participants rarely exceeded a hundred.

But this tournament was expected to draw more than two thousand participants, an unprecedented scale.

Therefore, the moment she saw Natsume Chikage, Horikawa Kaori concluded that he was definitely not an amateur, Shoreikai, or professional player from the Tokyo area.

And judging from his high school uniform, he had most likely traveled a long way from another region.

Horikawa Kaori stood up, completely shedding her earlier languid state. A warm smile blossomed across her face as she handed Natsume Chikage an application form.

"Hello, please fill in your name, contact information, and shogi rank here..."

Horikawa Kaori explained everything with exceptional patience and care.

Natsume Chikage nodded, accepted the form, and began filling it out seriously.

Before long, he had completed it and handed the form back to Horikawa Kaori.

Horikawa Kaori took the form, but the moment she saw what he had written in the "Rank" section, she froze.

[Amateur Rank: None]

[Shoreikai Status: None]

[Professional Rank: None]

Thinking she had misread it, Horikawa Kaori carefully confirmed, "Natsume-kun... Have you never registered with the Shogi Association or participated in an amateur ranking tournament?"

Natsume Chikage paused slightly. "No. Do I need an amateur rank to register for this tournament?"

"Not exactly..." Horikawa Kaori did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Now she understood. This Natsume Chikage had never participated in any official tournament, so he did not hold any rank at all.

He did not even have the most basic amateur rank.

Under those circumstances, entering the Rising Shogi Tournament looked like a guaranteed first-round exit...

After all, every participant in this tournament possessed at least an amateur rank.

It was the first time an ordinary person with absolutely no rank had entered!

Although shogi tournaments appeared to be open to everyone by the rules, the actual skill requirements were extremely high.

If one was unlucky, they might run into a Shoreikai member in the very first round, or even face a professional player.

Generally speaking: amateur player < Shoreikai player < professional player < titleholder.

Ordinary people could not even beat amateur players, let alone opponents of a higher level.

Moreover, entering this tournament required a 20,000-yen registration fee.

It was neither an especially large sum nor a trivial one.

But it was certainly not an amount that could be casually wasted.

That was why ordinary people basically never entered tournaments like this.

Knowing they would lose and still coming to throw money away—wouldn't that make them idiots?

Horikawa Kaori unconsciously scratched her cheek, silently considering how to dissuade him tactfully.

Still, she held onto a sliver of hope and asked tentatively:

"Um... Natsume-kun, have you been studying shogi since you were little?"

If he had learned from childhood, some people might never have entered an official tournament yet still possess skills no worse than amateur players.

She had met quite a few players like that, and hoped Natsume Chikage was one of them.

Natsume Chikage shook his head.

"I didn't play much when I was little."

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Horikawa Kaori's forehead as she pressed on.

"Then... about how many games have you played?"

Natsume Chikage looked puzzled.

"Do I have to answer that?"

Horikawa Kaori gave a dry cough.

"I'd like you to answer, please..."

Hearing that, Natsume Chikage had no choice but to do a quick calculation.

"I played a few games as a kid, but yesterday I played more than ten games with my sister. Altogether, probably around fifteen games."

Horikawa Kaori's heart sank.

Only around fifteen games in total?

Wasn't he a complete beginner?

A beginner coming to enter a tournament like this—wasn't that ridiculous?!

Horikawa Kaori wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and hinted tactfully:

"Um... Natsume-kun, most of the people entering this tournament are very strong players."

"In fact, very few unranked players participate, because the registration fee really isn't cheap."

"And this tournament's format is unusual. Unlike ordinary shogi tournaments, it uses single-elimination. If you lose in the first round, there won't be another chance."

"Are you... sure you want to enter?"

Natsume Chikage nodded firmly.

"I'm sure!"

Fukuda Tsukasa was around thirty years old, with noticeable stubble on his chin.

He was a fifth-rank Shoreikai player and somewhat well-known in Tokyo's shogi circles.

Originally, he had been standing in line behind them and had not intended to say anything, but after hearing about Natsume Chikage's situation, he could not hold back a laugh.

After all, which player in the Shogi Association had not studied shogi since childhood?

Everyone had worked hard for so many years before gaining the confidence to enter a major tournament like this.

And this Natsume Chikage dared to compete after playing barely more than ten games?

Truly—ignorance was fearless, and his ignorance was laughable!