Don't Let King and Rook Get Close Together

Don't Let King and Rook Get Close Together
王飛近づくべからず Ō hi chikazukubekarazu
Chapter Info
Chapter	FLAG.77
Volume	Volume 9
Arc	Shogi Girl Arc
Chapter Guide
Previous A Flying Knight Falls Prey to a Pawn	Next All is Fair in the Endgame

Don't Let King and Rook Get Close Together (王飛近づくべからず, Ō hi chikazukubekarazu) is the 77^th chapter of The World God Only Knows.

Synopsis

Keima Katsuragi asks Tenri Ayukawa, who was hiding behind the cafe sign in front of his house, what she was doing. Tenri reveals that she was being followed these past days, to which Keima questions "Again?". As he tries to ask whom is following her, someone shouts that they finally found Tenri. It was none other than Nanaka Haibara, who was the holder of the next spirit Keima has to capture.

Nanaka brings out the shogi game board from her bag and demands a rematch, as she lost to Tenri on their previous game, resulting in a gap to be open in her heart. Keima asks if she really did, but Diana comes out saying it was her doing. As Nanaka was in the same class as Tenri but as she was always being mean to Tenri, she swapped places and put her in place. Keima asks if Diana was strong at shogi, where Diana say since she is a goddess, she won't lose to a human. Elsie asks Keima if the Nanaka's gap opened because of losing to Diana. Whereas Keima was thinking how thoughtless Diana becomes when it involves Tenri.

The conquest begins

Nanaka became impatient and demanded a rematch, but Tenri wanted to apologise instead. But Keima stops her and tells Nanaka that she's 100 years too early to face "Master" Tenri. Saying that he will take her place as the disciple. But when Nanaka refuses to battle Keima, he shows her the keima and threatens her. Nanaka reluctantly accepts and asks if Keima is strong. Keima tells Nanaka that shogi is a game too and he won't lose in games.

Nanaka is making things easy for Keima

But as they were about to begin, Keima requests Nanaka to arrange the pieces as in the games they were all prearranged. As they were playing, not minding the passers by, Keima asks what's so big deal about one loss. Nanaka calls Keima an idiot and says that in the world of shogi, at the top hierarchy, all the players show an devastating display of power. And as she aims to become a pro, if she were to lose to someone like Tenri she cannot climb higher. Touching Keima's heart.

Keima tells Nanaka that she is a kind girl who blabbers everything that is needed for the conquest and hopes all other girls to be like her so that other conquest would be a lot easier. But Nanaka, who doesn't understand a single word of Keima took it as that she talks too much and apologizes. To which Keima tells her its okay and speak a lot more, saying that he is starting to like the kansai dialect.

After the 82nd turn, Keima was the winner. Nanaka is in tears after another loss. Keima hurries to Tenri's house for the next step. Keima had planned that because Nanaka easily opens a gap in her heart with one loss, there is hardly any impact with just winning Tenri. Therefore, Keima planned an extravagant event where Keima comes victorious against Nanaka and Tenri then come victorious against Keima. Overemphasizing Tenri's strength, so that when Nanaka defeats Tenri, it becomes far more satisfying. As Keima explains his plans to Tenri, Diana steps forward and wanted to volunteer. Adding that she wanted to confirm something about the runaway spirits. Just then, a doorbell rings. Nanaka calls the two out saying she won't lose while in tears.

Elsie let the cat out of the bag

Inside Tenri's house, Diana asks for confirms one more time about their plan. Elsie further explains that after all that, both Keima and Nanaka has to kiss to release the spirit, shocking everyone. When Elsie realized her mistake, it was too late and Diana, while displaying an ominous aura, asks Elsie one more time. Elsie trembles and tells Diana that Keima has to make a girl fall in love with him to release the spirit.

"Come and try!"

As soon as Elsie finished, a sound of breakage can be heard and Keima got kicked out from Tenri's house. It was Diana, furious about discovering Keima's "infidelity" to Tenri. As Keima tried to explain his situation to her in vain however, she accepted his plan but challenged him, saying that there's no way that a mere human could be stronger than a divine being and that she'll deliver divine punishment upon him. Keima, being himself a "God" gladly took up the challenge while apologizing to Nanaka, because he couldn't take the "shortest route" anymore.

The chapter ends with both Keima and Diana ready to play their match.

Trivia

• The phrase 100 years too early is a Japanese idiom meaning that someone is too much of a novice to face someone who is an expert at something.
• The term keima refers to a piece in shogi which is similar to the knight in chess.
• Kansai dialect is a form of speech that is mostly used in the Osaka and Kansai regions of Japan.
• One of Zero's poses from Code Geass, played by Keima. (chapter 77, p.8)