| Shogi Girl Arc | |
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| Arc Info | |
| Manga Chapters | 76-79 |
| Arc Guide (Manga) | |
| Previous ← Ramen Girl Arc |
Next Body Switch Arc → |
The Shogi Girl Arc is the 16th Arc of The World God Only Knows. It contains the heroine, Nanaka Haibara.
The Arc[]
Advance of the Pawn[]
Keima Katsuragi, who realized that school was a much better place to play his games than in his house during the holidays is happily playing games during the class. Just then Elsie comes and asks Keima to join Chihiro's band and become the drummer. Keima dashes off but Elsie captures him with the celestial robe, and begs for him to join. Keima tells Elsie to only bother him when it involves the runaway spirits and as he leaves, Elsie's spirit sensor activates, indicating a spirit is nearby. Keima wants to believe she's doing it on purpose.
The two look around their surroundings but finds no-one, until they hear someone calling keima (knight). Keima spots a girl under a bench looking for keima (knight). As she gets up, she notices Keima and Elsie and asks if they have seen keima (knight). Elsie tells the girl that Keima is here but the girl then replies that she's looking for keima (knight). Their conversations was soon interrupted by a group of three guys who are from the shogi club. The three came and are looking for the girl who came to pick a fight with the school's shogi club where the girl introduces herself as Nanaka Haibara from 2nd year Maijima Municipal Misato East High school.
The three guys then introduce Tasaka who is the chief of Maijima high shogi club. The battle between the two initiates. While Tasaka was continuously mumbling, Nanaka quietly plays and crushes Maijima's chief. As she leaves, she comments her opponent is only "that person". Late afternoon, Keima and Elsie are walking home and discuss about how it looks to be tough conquering Nanaka. But Keima view this as a bonus stage as there's limited choices to choose from plus she is a shogi player. But the main problem was that she's in a different school. But Keima recalls he saw someone wearing the same school uniform.
As Keima nears his house, he spots Tenri Ayukawa hiding behind the Cafe sign, who was surprised to see Keima behind her. Keima also realizes that Tenri has the same uniform as Nanaka.
Her Enemy was a Hidden Queen[]
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.
Nanaka became impatient and demanded a rematch, but Tenrii wanted to apologize 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(knight) she owns 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. 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 as it touches 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 conquests 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 apologises. To which Keima tells her it's 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. 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 in tears. While inside Tenri's house, Diana 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 realised her mistake, it was too late and Diana displaying 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.
As soon as Elsie had finished, a sound of breakage can be heard and Keima is kicked out from Tenri's house.
Promotion to a New Piece[]
The plan to capture Nanaka's heart at first goes smoothly, but after Keima defeats Nanaka and when Diana provoked him. He intends to go all out with Diana and does not plan to lose to Diana at shogi. The match begins with Diana goes first and makes a strong move, impressing Nanaka, who is looking at the game from the sidelines with Elsie. Keima is also very confident and plays a strong counter, which amazes both Diana and Nanaka. But then Diana comes back with another strong move which pushed Keima back to the defend stance, before defeating him, much in Keima's despair.
After defeat Keima, Diana replied that she will leave everything else to Keima's hand before entering the house. Nanaka, after witnessing Tenri (Diana)'s victory over Keima who defeat her previously, began to regain her motivation. She then vows to defeat Tenri while Keima also promises to help her. And with that, Keima's plan moves on to the next step, which is to train Nanaka to be strong enough in shogi to defeat Diana. They then begin the special training, at first Nanaka continues to lose against Keima and begins to lose her spirit. But Keima motivates her in several way including Elsie cosplaying as Tenri so that Nanaka can maintain her spirit.
After two weeks of training, including five all-nighters of "special training", the two eventually exhausted but they continue to duel much to Elsie's surprise. but then Nanaka collapsed. Keima then comments how scary Nanaka is before grabbing his PFP, but he also collapsed. The day after that, Keima begins to count the number of wins that Nanaka managed to, he was then surprised with the results and complimented her. She then reminded Keima that how different between the games and the real world before forcing him to have another all-nighter training.
The next day, while Tenri was wondering what Keima and Nanaka were doing. An exhausted Keima suddenly caught her attention. He then challenges Tenri to a match to be held the next evening. He also tells her that Diana has no need to hold back in her shogi match against Nanaka since he and Nanaka already has 5 days of all-nighters of training. Tenri then asks Keima if Nanaka has a chance to win against Diana. Keima replied to her that he doesn't care if Nanaka wins or not, because he want Nanaka to accept the defeat when it comes so that she won't create another gap. Keima then wonders how humans can create gaps in their hearts so easily and why do they intentionally wish to be unhappy. Tenri then corrects him, saying that everyone is just chasing happiness. That's also the reason why humans want to be happier than how they currently are, but humans get disappointed when it doesn't happen. Tenri also mentions how she is a bit envious of Nanaka, because she (Tenri) has never thought about what might await her in the future.
Tenri then enters her house and says that she'll see Keima the next day much to Keima's surprise about the conversation he had earlier. Meanwhile in the Katsuragi household, Elsie is watching over a sleeping Nanaka.
Checkmate with the Third Knight[]
Elsie gives a report of a fierce battle between Nanaka Haibara and Tenri Ayukawa (Diana) commences. Keima Katsuragi, watches the match as the representative of the onlookers. Keima sees that the match is one sided to Diana's advantage.
With each move Diana makes, Nanaka becomes more uneasy and begins to shed tears. But Keima tells Nanaka that she hasn't lost yet. Nanaka replies that she is aware and wipes tears, saying how the match isn't going as her thoughts. As Diana makes her next move, Nanaka's king is in danger. Keima thinks that this time, the result doesn't matter and that she has to reach something beyond that. Nanaka makes her next move not wanting to lose. Giving Nanaka a good offence and defence all together, however, Diana doesn't even flinch. Nanaka thinks to herself that she must continue to attack or else she will definitely lose.
But as Diana continues to make her move, Nanaka becomes anxious and begins to shed tears again while holding onto Keima's right hand tightly. Keima tries to encourage Nanaka and tells her to win as they've been training all night. Diana who was watching two being so close becomes irritated and messes up. Allowing Nanaka to call checkmate.
Diana tries to think of her next move, but is unable to find it. Nanaka is overjoyed and hugs Keima and rolls on the grass. That night, Nanaka celebrates her victory at Keima's house. But Keima tells her to go home, and walks Nanaka home. On their way home, Nanaka states that she knew she would win, because she had a third 'knight'. She tells Keima that she thinks she's just drunk. Still she thanks him and gives him a kiss, releasing the spirit within her. Back at Tenri's house, Diana asks Tenri if she's not worried about what Keima is doing. Tenri is not, for she is beyond happy, being next door to him again.
Later in the night, in Keima's room, Keima wonders why he supported Nanaka, when it wouldn't have mattered if she won or not. As he is thinking this, from the window, Diana appears, asking if she can talk with him.