The Saga of Tanya the Evil: Everyday Frontlines ー12 Peaceful Days of Tanya and Vishaー

Episode 3: The Major vs. The General, A Shogi Showdown

A heavy silence filled the Ministry of Military Affairs conference room. A crucial meeting on the future of the Empire had concluded, and Lieutenant General Zettour calmly addressed Major Tanya Degurechaff.

"Major Tanya. A little break is necessary now and then. What do you say to a game?"

With that, Zettour placed a shogi board on the table. Tanya’s brow furrowed for a moment. She had no interest in shogi as a hobby. But the board before her immediately took on a different meaning in her mind.

[ENTRY] SHOGI BOARD, CONFIRMED. THIS IS NOT A GAME. IT IS A VIRTUAL COMBAT SIMULATION AGAINST AN INTELLIGENT ADVERSARY.

Lieutenant General Zettour. This man was the very intellect of the Empire. A match against him meant a shogi battle… no, a board-based war against a future hypothetical enemy state.

“I humbly accept.”

Tanya answered solemnly. Zettour smiled and arranged his pieces. His casual movements looked to Tanya like he was marking out the positions of an enemy army.

"Shall I take the first turn?"

"As you wish."

Zettour’s first move was the pawn in front of his Rook. It made a light clicking sound as it was placed on the board.

[ENTRY] ENEMY HAS DEPLOYED INFANTRY ON THE FRONT LINE. TRANSITION TO HIGH ALERT IN PREPARATION FOR A SURPRISE ATTACK.

Tanya moved her own Rook. The Rook, which attacks from a distance, represented her “Air Mage Battalion.”

[ENTRY] OUR AIR MAGE BATTALION HAS DEPLOYED TO THE FRONT. THREATENING THE ENEMY'S REAR LOGISTICS.

In response, Zettour moved his Bishop. Its diagonal movement struck Tanya as odd.

“...That’s a peculiar move. Could you possibly be simulating an internal conflict?”

Tanya asked with a straight face. Zettour tilted his head in confusion.

“No, it’s just a standard opening.”

Tanya’s mind log began to spiral further.

[ENTRY] ENEMY DECEPTION OPERATION. THIS MOVE MUST BE A TRAP DISGUISED AS A STANDARD OPENING. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO LURE OUR HEADQUARTERS INTO AN UNGUARDED POSITION?

The two continued their match quietly, but in Tanya's mind, the battle raged fiercely. The sound of their pieces clashing sounded to her like gunfire on the battlefield.

Zettour moved his Gold General. It was a direct threat to Tanya’s King… that is, her headquarters.

[ALERT] ENEMY HAS ADVANCED A POWERFUL ARMORED UNIT. DIRECT THREAT TO OUR HEADQUARTERS.

"Major Tanya. Your defense is quite firm."

Zettour said in a calm tone. But Tanya didn’t agree.

“The core of an army lies not in defense, but in offense. I am arranging my forces to maximize our unit’s attacking power…”

She made a move to flank Zettour’s Gold General by coordinating her Silver General and Knight.

[ENTRY] ENCIRCLEMENT AND ANNIHILATION OPERATION, INITIATED. ISOLATE THE ENEMY ARMORED UNIT AND DECIMATE THEM WITH THE AIR MAGE BATTALION.

Zettour didn’t retreat an inch, moving his Rook instead.

“Well then… Major.”

At that moment, Tanya’s thoughts accelerated to their limit. Zettour’s Rook, with its straight-line movements, raced across the board. In her mind, it meant a surprise attack by an armored train or a high-speed advance by the enemy's main force.

[ALERT] ENEMY MAIN FORCE HAS REACHED OUR SUPPLY ROUTE. OUR AIR MAGE BATTALION IS TACTICALLY ISOLATED.

Faced with this desperate situation, Tanya's mind log spat out an error. A cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

[ALERT] SITUATION: UNANALYZABLE. THIS MOVE TRANSCENDS THE RULES OF SHOGI… NO, IS THIS MAN'S STRATEGY OVERTURNING MY VERY CONCEPTION OF SHOGI ITSELF!?

Zettour calmly moved one more shogi piece.

"Do you surrender, Major?"

Tanya stared at the board. Zettour's victory was inevitable. She had no choice but to admit defeat.

"...I concede, Lieutenant General."

Tanya quietly bowed her head. But in her mind, the AFTER-ACTION REPORT of her defeat had already begun.

[ENTRY] TODAY’S EXERCISE RESULT: COMPLETE DEFEAT. CAUSE: UNDERESTIMATED THE INTELLECT OF THE VIRTUAL ENEMY.

She looked at Zettour as he began to clear the board, asking with a straight face,

“...Lieutenant General. Why did you move your Rook after your Gold General? You must have read my intention to build an encirclement. Why did you take that risk?”

Zettour smiled at Tanya's question.

“Just a whim. Sometimes, it’s fun to deviate from the standard.”

“A whim…”

Tanya’s mind log spat out an error.

[ALERT] UNKNOWN THOUGHT PATTERN, DETECTED. CODE NAME: WHIM. ANALYSIS IMPOSSIBLE.

Tanya chewed on the bitterness of her defeat, facing a tactic from Zettour that she still could not analyze.