[Akina]: Maybe I should contact the authorities after all. My daughter's recent obsession is honestly scary.
[Kaito]: Ahem, Mrs. Hinatsuru, how old is your daughter? Is making such a big fuss necessary?
[Akina]: Hello, Kaito-san. My daughter Hinatsuru Ai is currently 9 years old. My avatar is her!
[Kaito]: I see. Your daughter is really cute.
[Akina]: Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Kaito-san. I'm just a bit troubled by her hobbies right now.
The plot hadn't deviated, but the deviation was Akina herself joining the chat group.
Logically, Kaito shouldn't have the right to interfere in these matters. But thinking about how much he liked Ai, and to prevent Yaichi from getting pretty but cold silver bracelets...
'Sigh, good buddy! I'll help you out this once!'
'You're welcome!'
"Ahem!"
[Kaito]: Actually, why not try letting her learn other types of board games? Like Xiangqi or Go? Those two are also very well-known. (T/N: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi.)
From the Anime, Ai's talent for Shogi was genuinely high. After only 3 months of study, she could compete against Sora Ginko. Although she ultimately lost, Ginko in the plot went all out and at full speed still couldn't completely suppress her.
It's like a Diamond player soloing a Bronze player in LoL. The result should be a total stomp in every aspect: game knowledge, positioning, last hitting, everything.
But then, the Bronze player, through sheer tenacity, drags a 15-minute game out to 50 minutes before finally losing.
How would you feel? Wouldn't you be tilted?
[Akina]: Uh... still board games? Why would Kaito-san suggest that?
[Kaito]: It's simple, nurturing an interest. A parent can't just outright stop their child's interests, right? Sometimes, the more you forbid it, the more the child will rebel.
[Kaito]: So, since that's the case, guiding is better than blocking. If the child likes board games, just nurture it properly.
[Kaito]: If she has no talent, she'll likely give up quickly. But if she has talent, she'll definitely persist.
To be fair, what Kaito said were reasonable suggestions. Shodai also chimed in the group, agreeing. For instance, wasn't she teaching her daughter, Izumi Sagiri to draw?
It's just the content of the drawings… well...
[Akina]: I see... nurturing my child's interest. But I...
[Kaito]: You're worried she'll end up like your father?
[Akina]: Yes, that's exactly why I don't really like Shogi and such.
[Kaito]: That's understandable. However, in this process, you need to accompany and guide her.
[Kaito]: Nurturing a child's interest, like in board games, can exercise their logical thinking and improve their overall abilities.
In the future, when she faces difficulties in life, she'll also have strong and calm coping skills.
Kaito actually admired strong board game players, like Ke Jie. (T/N: A famous Go players.)
The Ryuo, Yaichi, was basically his parallel.
Kaito didn't continue after this, as Sephie, Irisviel, and others all jumped in to persuade and comfort her.
As mothers themselves, their words were far more effective than his.
Ultimately, Akina agreed to let her daughter like Shogi. But regarding the choice of teacher, she rejected that sixteen-year-old "Ryuo" or whatever.
She didn't know how high or powerful the Ryuo's status was, or how famous…
What concerned her was her daughter's personal safety.
Not knowing Yaichi's character, she dared not let her daughter actually go to him.
After much consideration, she decided to wait and see for now, and specifically bought Ai a tablet to play online against others.
But she also set a condition for her daughter: she could only play in her spare time. If her grades dropped, Shogi would be banned until they recovered.
For now, Akina could only do this.
Seeing this outcome, Kaito wasn't too surprised. For now, he regretted being unable to travel to the various worlds of his group members.
"M-Master... Shall I start making lunch now?"
"..."
'Spread the word, my wife, the Raiden God Baal, has the longest legs!!'
'She wasn't wearing any of the other clothes, just ordinary casual loungewear.'
'But wearing short women's athletic shorts perfectly showcased her long-legged figure!'
'Wonderful, wonderful.'
"Master, please stop staring at me..."
"Ahem! So, Baal, make lunch. I'm hungry after walking all morning."
"Okay, Master."
Baal nodded shyly, took the new apron hanging by the kitchen door, and skillfully put it on.
"Whoa!!"
+1 point +1 point +1 point +1 point...
'Indeed, the charm of an apron is everywhere.' Kaito came to the kitchen door and watched Baal's skilled cooking form, unable to stop the tears from flowing from the corner of his mouth.
So fragrant.
Ah, that refers to the dishes Baal was cooking, you understand.
After a while, it was the same perfectly sumptuous, glowing meal.
As delicious as ever, Kaito suddenly felt he might never be able to eat food made by anyone else again.
The way to a person's heart is through their stomach, and Baal had undoubtedly perfected it.
After they finished lunch together, before Kaito could even get up, Baal proactively began clearing the dishes and even brewed him a pot of tea.
'Hmm...'
For a moment, Kaito felt that if this continued long-term, she might spoil him into uselessness.
'Well, let's handle Hinatsuru Ai's matter first.'
Sitting at the computer desk on the living room balcony, Kaito turned on the computer and started downloading a Shogi platform.
Like Xiangqi and Go, he downloaded the international version. With a VPN, he could play against people overseas.
"Oh? Master, are you playing Shogi?"
"Yes. To save a youth about to go astray, to prevent him from getting silver bracelets, I'm brushing up on my old skills and waiting for a disciple to come apprentice under me."
"Huh?"
The dishcloth Baal was holding slipped from her hand.