Aibou TV Season 7 Episode 6 - The Endgame of Hope(希望の終盤)

Subtitle: Aibou TV Season 7 Episode 6 - The Endgame of Hope(希望の終盤)

 Yukio Nishikata(西片 幸男), the challenger for shogi's Ryūba Tournament title, is found dead on the ground at an inn where the matches were being played. He fell to his death from the inn's rarely-used rooftop, but the CSIs discover two pairs of footprints on the roof, and someone trashed his room. Who killed Nishikata?

Locations

Ōme(青梅) - Ōme, city in Tokyo

Suzuya Ryokan(寿々屋 旅館) - Suzuya Inn, located in Ōme. Yukio Nishikata(西片 幸男) and Takashi Murata(村田 隆) are playing the matches to determine the winner of the Ryūba Tournament at this inn.

Characters appearing/mentioned in the story

Eguchi(江口) - One of the reporters covering the Ryūba Tournament matches. Inspector Ukyō was watching her report before the final game when someone discovered Yukio Nishikata(西片 幸男)'s body.

Yukio Nishikata(西片 幸男) - 35 year old professional shogi player and current holder of two of the seven major shogi tournaments, He barely made it through the shōgi training program, turning pro at a late age of 29. However, he won matches and tournaments right and left after starting his professional career.

Though he was extremely concerned about how he carried himself as a shogi master, he was also sensitive to little details such as people walking in and out of the room during his matches. He hated to talk to the media, and Hata was the only reporter he talked to. He was known for emphasizing the psychological aspect of the match, trying to read his opponent by observing the opponent's face and gesture. He was sensitive to smell and kept 10 yen coins in his shoes for their antibacterial effects.

He was the challenger in the Ryūba Tournament who tried to win the crown from the current defending champion Takashi Murata(村田 隆). The best of seven match started out in a shocking way, with  Nishikata losing his first match by breaking a simple rule of placing two pawns in the same column - in shogi, a player can use a captured piece by placing it anywhere on the board unless two pawns end up in the same column as a result from that move. Nishikata continued to lose the next two games before he recovered and won games 4 through 6. He left in the middle of the reception held the night before his final match to see Ōnogi and did not return to the reception.

On the morning of the final match, members of the press discovered Nishikata's lifeless body on the grounds of the inn. The coroner determined that he died between midnight and 2 AM, Two pairs of footprints were discovered on the rarely used roof: one belonged to Nishikata and the other matched slippers used at the inn. Someone had wiped the fingerprints away from the handle of the door leading to the roof. A pair of 10 yen coins were found next to the body. No prints were found on those coins.

His room at the inn was ransacked the night he died. The perpetrator knocked over a vase in the room, and the water from the vase spilled over onto the wall and a hanging scroll. A priceless shogi board apparently also got wet, but someone moved it away from the wall and wiped the water and fingerprints away. His wallet was still there, along with all the money inside. Sergeant Kaoru noticed a particular smell from Nishikata's hand fan and a stack of writing papers.A stack of envelopes was placed together with the writing papers, but one envelope was missing. No one heard sounds coming from the room that night.

Takashi Murata(村田 隆) - 19 year old shogi master who currently holds three of the seven major shogi tournaments, He is trying to defend Ryūba Tournament crown from Nishikata. He won games 1 through 3 before dropping the next three games. The CSIs discover his fingerprints in Nishikata's room. He claims his fingerprints probably got there when he visited Nishikata's room before the reception the previous night to ask Nishikata to stop using the fan, which smelled "like an old man" and distracted him. He explains that he did not mention this to the police earlier because he did not want the police to suspect him of killing Nishikata.

Kazuki Hata(畑 一樹) - Reporter for Shogi Newspaper(将棋新聞社 Shōgi Shinbunsha) observing the Ryūba Tournament matches. He is the only member of the press Nishikata talks to.

Hata, Nishikata, and Ōnogi joined the Shogi Developmental Association(新進棋士奨励会 Shinshin Kishi Shōreikai) around the same time and were the same age. Under normal circumstances, they would have to either turn pro or leave the association when they turned 26 years, but the three of them earned a chance to stay in the association for three more years because they had winning records during the matches for becoming a professional(三段リーグ San-dan rīgu). They were not able to turn pro during those three years and were playing in the final tournament to determine whether they turn pro or give up that dream. Hana and Ōnogi lost out early. Nishikata still had a chance and was watching Nishikata and Ōnogi when a shogi reporter asked Hata to record the moves from that match. If Nishikata won that match, Nishikata would become a professional. Ōnogi ended up losing that match by the two pawns rule, the same say Nishikata lost the first game in the current Ryūba Tournament.

Ryō Ōnogi(大野木 亮) - Makes a living by challenging amateur shogi players for money On the night Nishikata died(10/26/2008), the inn's security camera caught him entering the premises at 7:14:17 PM but was recorded leaving at 7:20:05 PM. The Tokumeigakari pair find him at a shogi salon. He says that he went to the inn to see Nishikata the night he died, but he also called Nishikata the first day of this match. In that phone call, he told Nishikata that he will drop by the inn if the match goes to seven games. But when he saw Nishikata for the first time in six years, he was unable to voice any words and left without saying a word.

He says that Nishikata is the hope he left behind.

Fumikazu Satomi(里見 二三一) - He is the scrutineer (referee, judge) for this match. Shōgi rank 9.

Satoru Yamana(山名 悟) - He is the match's recorder (records the moves). Shōgi rank 5