All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 165: Waking Up in a Panic, Seeing Sora Ginko in a Maid Outfit!

Morning.

Yukima Household.

It was already 9:30 AM.

The sun had risen high, and its golden rays streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright streak on the floor.

On a normal day—

With Yukima Azuma's biological clock, he would have been awake by now.

He might have even finished his morning jog.

But perhaps due to overexerting himself the day before, Yukima Azuma was unusually exhausted today, sleeping all the way until now.

In his drowsy haze—

He vaguely heard someone calling him.

His consciousness gradually returned.

Yukima Azuma woke up.

Beside him, sure enough, someone was calling him.

A girl's voice—so clear and pleasant, like the chime of silver bells, carrying a captivating allure.

"Wake up... it's time."

Hearing that voice, Yukima Azuma reluctantly opened his eyes.

As his vision adjusted to the light, a breathtaking sight entered his view.

A beautiful girl with short silver hair was leaning over the edge of his bed, reaching out, seemingly about to wake him.

Her fair face was slightly flushed.

That shy, bashful expression sparked an irresistible urge to tease her.

Moreover, she was wearing a black and white maid outfit.

The soft frills and delicate lace swayed gently with her movements.

She was like a little maid straight out of a dream!

Yukima Azuma gradually widened his eyes.

"...Ginko-senpai?"

Hearing him call her name, Sora Ginko's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

The hand she had extended was about to pull back.

"...Y-you're finally awake. That's good. Hurry and get up..."

Sora Ginko spoke while attempting to retreat from the bedside.

A glint flickered in Yukima Azuma's eyes.

The next moment, he reached out and grabbed Sora Ginko's retreating hand.

"Mm!"

Caught off guard, Sora Ginko let out a soft whimper.

Yukima Azuma used the momentum to pull her into his embrace.

Originally, half of Sora Ginko's body was leaning over the bed.

Now, with a single tug from Yukima Azuma, she lost her balance completely.

And just like that—she tumbled straight into the blanket.

By the time Sora Ginko lifted her head again—

Yukima Azuma's face was right in front of hers.

The overwhelming shyness and unexpected situation rendered Sora Ginko utterly defenseless.

Her entire body curled up in his arms—

Like a startled little white rabbit.

Her soft lips parted slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.

At that moment, Yukima Azuma, "still groggy from sleep", narrowed his eyes and mumbled:

"Senpai in a maid outfit... so cute... This must be a dream..."

As he spoke, he tightened his embrace around Sora Ginko.

And then—

He casually planted a kiss on her cheek.

Muah~.

With just that soft sound—

Sora Ginko's rationality instantly evaporated.

Her body went completely limp, melting like water—

As if she was ready to be at his mercy.

Just then—

"Oba-san, what's taking so long? We're going to be late!"

The bedroom door suddenly swung open.

A long ahoge strand peeked in first.

Then, Hinatsuru Ai's small head followed.

When she saw the scene on the bed—

Her eyes widened in shock.

For a child like Ai, even though no one was undressed, this level of intimacy was already scandalous.

However, this time—

Hinatsuru Ai didn't scream.

She squeezed through the doorway and swiftly shut the door behind her.

Then, she sprinted toward the bed.

With a small leap—she wedged herself right between the two of them.

"Ai wants to be hugged by Shishou too!"

And with that declaration—

Hinatsuru Ai proudly claimed her fair share of the benefits.

The little girl's sudden leap finally pulled Sora Ginko back to her senses.

"Azuma! This isn't a dream! Wake up already!"

She struggled to lift her arms from between the two of them.

Then, grabbing Yukima Azuma's shoulders, she forcefully shook him.

Yukima Azuma realized he could no longer keep up the act.

So he pretended as if he had just awakened from a wonderful dream.

He released Sora Ginko from his embrace.

Then, feigning surprise, he asked:

"Senpai? Why are you here?"

Freed from his grasp, Sora Ginko immediately jumped off the bed.

She retreated straight to the door—

Not forgetting to grab Hinatsuru Ai along with her.

With a loud bang, she flung the door open and dashed out.

Only after the door closed did her voice ring out from outside:

"Today is the Ryuou Match! Hurry up and get dressed! If you don't hurry, you'll be late!"

Yukima Azuma sat up.

He stretched his arms.

Only now did he remember—

Today was the first day of the Ryuou title match.

Lately, he had been so busy with matters in Itomori that he almost forgot about the tournament.

But then again, even if he lost one match today, he would still claim the Ryuou title as usual.

That said, since Ginko and Ai had already come for him, it was best to get ready quickly.

...

Yukima Azuma entered the changing room.

He took out his professional shogi attire and put it on.

When he stepped out of the room—

The red on Sora Ginko's face had yet to fully fade.

But her expression carried a trace of urgency.

Clearly, due to the tight schedule, she had tossed aside the events from earlier.

Seeing Yukima Azuma step out—

She quickly approached him.

She reached out and adjusted his collar and belt.

She straightened the collar properly and tightened the belt neatly.

Then, Sora Ginko took Yukima Azuma's hand and pulled him toward the entrance.

"Awawa~, holding hands!"

Hinatsuru Ai, standing nearby, widened her eyes in admiration.

As Yukima Azuma was pulled along, he casually grabbed Ai's hand as well while passing by her.

Hinatsuru Ai immediately showed a satisfied expression—

Just like Yukima Azuma, she too was pulled along.

Early in the morning, the three of them hurriedly took a taxi toward the Tokyo Shogi Association.

Fortunately, the Ryuou Tournament's opening ceremony was held in Tokyo.

Otherwise, they might have really been late for the first match.

Only after getting into the car did Sora Ginko finally breathe a sigh of relief.

It was only then that she realized—

She was still holding Yukima Azuma's hand.

She hurriedly let go.

However—

Even though she let go, Yukima Azuma had no intention of doing the same.

Her fair, slender fingers remained firmly clasped in his, their fingers intertwined.

Sora Ginko bit her lip lightly—

But said nothing.

"Ginko-senpai, you were so adorable in that maid outfit, like something straight out of a dream."

"But why did you dress like that to wake me up today?"

Yukima Azuma first offered the highest praise for Sora Ginko's maid attire.

Then, he voiced the question lingering in his mind.

Sora Ginko hesitated.

Her fingers instinctively tensed.

"That… it's because I lost a bet with Master... Hmph!"

As she spoke, she lowered her head.

Even the tips of her ears, hidden beneath her beautiful silver hair, were now flushed red.

Hearing that, Yukima Azuma immediately understood.

Deep in his heart, he sincerely thanked the one Sora Ginko called Master—Shakando Rina.

The Master Sora Ginko referred to wasn't the same Master that both of them shared.

It was a female shogi player named Shakando Rina.

For nearly 20 years, she had held the title of Jouryuu Myouseki.

She had achieved the status of Eternal Four-Crown in women's shogi, once dominating every single title, thus earning the name "Eternal Queen."

She was an incredibly formidable senior.

She often studied shogi with Sora Ginko.

And was someone Sora Ginko deeply respected.

On a side note—

Despite being so powerful—

She was still only a women's shogi player and had never attained professional status.

This fact alone showed just how difficult it was for a female player to become a professional in the world of shogi.

Shakando Rina believed that Sora Ginko had the highest potential to become a professional female shogi player.

It could be said that she had placed great expectations on her.

Therefore, she wholeheartedly mentored her without expecting anything in return.

Thanks to this, the two of them shared a very close relationship.

And naturally, this Master was also well aware of Yukima Azuma's existence.

In the past, she had proactively helped with Sora Ginko's matters on multiple occasions.

This time was no exception.

Yukima Azuma thought for a moment—perhaps he should buy a small gift and personally visit Shakando Rina later.

Just to thank her in person.

After all, he had just witnessed an unbelievably beautiful sight.

As for the little girl sitting beside him—

Hinatsuru Ai was currently using her phone to search for maid outfits on Amazon.

But after browsing through several stores, none had sizes suitable for children.

In the end, she had no choice but to give up in frustration.

....

About fifteen minutes later.

The taxi stopped in front of the Tokyo Shogi Association.

The three of them got out and quickly walked inside.

By now, there weren't many people outside the association.

However, quite a few reporters were gathered at the entrance, waiting for news.

The moment they saw Yukima Azuma approaching, the reporters immediately swarmed around him.

The association staff quickly stepped in to disperse the crowd.

The opening ceremony of the Ryuou Tournament had already ended, and the first preliminary match was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM.

Late players would be given a maximum grace period of five minutes.

If they were still absent after five minutes, they would be declared an automatic loss.

Right now, it was already 9:55 AM.

In truth, these association staff members were waiting here specifically for Yukima Azuma.

"Yukima 7-dan, please follow this way."

Under the staff's guidance, Yukima Azuma quickly made his way down the tournament hall corridor.

Sora Ginko and Hinatsuru Ai stopped walking.

Both of them checked the time—then let out a sigh of relief in unison.

"We finally made it… Shishou, mou~…!"

Hinatsuru Ai puffed up her cheeks and grumbled.

She had been looking forward to this match for a long time.

As long as Yukima Azuma won the Ryuou title, as promised, she would officially become his disciple.

"Rather than worrying about Azuma, you should be more concerned about yourself."

Sora Ginko gazed at Yukima Azuma's back as he walked away.

She knew he had been extremely busy lately.

The fact that he overslept today was clearly due to sheer exhaustion.

She wasn't good at explaining these things—

But she also couldn't stand hearing anyone complain about Yukima Azuma.

"When Azuma wins the Ryuou title and officially takes you as his disciple—"

"You'll be stepping into the world of professional shogi."

"As the disciple of Ryuou—of Azuma."

"If you don't become a professional female player within three years, wouldn't that be a disgrace to Azuma's name?"

Hearing that, Hinatsuru Ai suddenly tensed up.

She played shogi because she loved it and admired Yukima Azuma.

So she had never been too concerned about titles or ranks.

But if it meant tarnishing Yukima Azuma's reputation…

That was something she could never accept!

"Ai won't bring shame to Shishou!"

Hinatsuru Ai whispered in protest.

But deep inside, she felt a little anxious.

Right now, she was simply learning shogi from Yukima Azuma.

The only people she regularly played against were Yukima Azuma, Sora Ginko, and Kiyotaki Kousuke.

So when it came to her actual skill level…

Hinatsuru Ai had absolutely no confidence at all.