Episode 20: “Demon Killer”
Summary: After questioning Sasakado, Detective Yokoyama has now added Hani-meijin in his list of suspects. He believes that Satoru holds the key to this case, so he orders Detective Tachikawa to keep track of Satoru while he re-traces Hani-meijin’s steps before and after the murder. It’s finally the day of Shion’s match against the Meijin. Ayumi drops by Shion’s house and meets with her outside. He gives her a little present and wishes her good luck, encouraging Shion to play her own kind of shougi, even if it’s against the meijin. Meanwhile, Satoru gets a call from Sasakado, informing him that the police have been asking him questions so he won’t be doing any more snooping around the murder case, adding that he thinks the detectives are now suspicious of the Meijin as well.
It’s finally game time. At the Association, Shion arrives with Hisatani. Saori says that since she’s a female kishi, she’ll be cheering for Shion this time around instead of Hani-meijin. It’s the first time that Shion will be actually playing against the meijin. Hani-meijin then arrives. The media have been all over this event. When asked about the turn of events in this final match, Hani-meijin bluntly replies that he has indeed expected Shion to be his final opponent since she is different from the male and female kishis that he has ever played against, adding that Shion has the potential to be a really strong kishi. Shion goes ahead in the match room and takes her seat. As Hani-meijin walks in , his footsteps suddenly reminds Shion of the night 8 years ago when her parents were murdered. His movements and his way of handling the pieces also reminds Shion of the murderer who she played against back then.
Meanwhile, Ayumi is sitting anxiously by himself at Hani-meijin’s house. We learn that he was asked by Hani-meijin to not attend the match since Ayumi’s presence would only encourage Shion to do her best, making it more problematic for the meijin. Ayumi then gets a call from Satoru, who informs him that he is on his way to visit Kamizono-sensei to inquire about the match he played against Hani-meijin 8 years ago. Satoru notes he figured that his brother would leave Ayumi at the house. Satoru says that Shion needs someone by her side because they don’t know what’s going to happen next during the match, insisting that “If you don’t protect Shion, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life just like me.” Getting what Satoru means to say, Ayumi immediately leaves for the Association. Back in the match, She wonders why she is suddenly getting flashbacks from that night at this crucial time. She gets her act together and focuses on the match. Shinji and Kamizono are watching the game online, though at different places. Satoru arrives at the hospital. Even Kamizono noticed that Shion and Hani-meijin’s shougi resemble each others, “like father and daughter. They’re both demons.” Satoru presents him the kifu (a record of the shougi moves from a particular match) and says he’s there to ask about the match Kamizono played against his older brother 8 years ago, particularly asking how Hani-meijin was acting rather than the match itself. He tells Kamizono that the night before their match was when Shion’s parents were killed, a revelation which surprises Kamizono.
Meanwhile, Shion keeps making surprisingly strong and unusual moves in their shougi match while Hani-meijin keeps making creepy and suspicious facial expressions. He notices that Shion is becoming hesitant with her moves, he then says to Shion “Listen to the sound of the pieces. Listen carefully, Shion. The pieces will tell you everything.” Shion is completely shocked to hear this , as those were the exact words the murderer uttered during that unfortunate night 8 years ago when she played shougi against the culprit.
~ end of episode.
Impression: Holy snaps! With all the serious, creepy and suspicious facial expressions he keeps making, plus that “… the pieces will tell you everything” statement, Hani-meijin is obviously the culprit now. The detectives are also finally suspecting him regarding the murder. Naturally, they’re trying to figure out what the heck his motive is. As I’ve mentioned before, that’s my main question too, add in a number of other questions too. What is the motive? WHY did he do it? Why Shion? Why kill her parents? Why keep her alive? I don’t think he’s prophetic or anything to foresee that Shion would grow up to be an excellent kishi at such a young age. What made him think so? Why is he so eager to play against her? He told Ayumi that in order to become strong, you have to lose everything. What did he mean by that? Why did he take in Ayumi as his apprentice? Why did he have to involve Kazumi too? How much did she know? What information can Kamizono offer to help out Satoru? I also wonder if Saori would have a role in the upcoming episodes, same thing goes for Kamizono. Would he be able to tell anything significant about Hani-meijin’s behavior back then before their match? Satoru and Ayumi would obviously have a big role in the coming revelation. The detectives are on the right track as well. Ugh. So many questions and speculations, but I don’t mind at all. It just makes me even more eager to watch the next episode and see what happens next. Two more episodes to go before the finale!
On a lighter note, I loved that Ayumi gave Shion a visit early in the morning to wish her luck. It’s so cute! ^_^ They’d make such an adorable couple. But don’t let Shinji hear me say that. ~LOL. Did you see Shinji’s reaction after taking a peek at who Shion was meeting in front of the house? Haha. He got panicky and immediately went into protective father mode. Priceless look on his face! xD
