Shukichi and the group confront the culprit,
Tanimori, at the Hotel Hyde Pride (incidentally the very hotel
Masumi is staying in). Tanimori once obsessed in winning a Shogi match against Shukichi in order to provide his wife, who was terminally ill, with better treatment. However, in his zeal to win he made an impulsive mistake, which cost him his victory due to a rules technicality. Shukichi, knowing about his emotional distress, denied him a post-match discussion to allow him to visit his wife before she died. Misunderstanding the intention behind his parting words, Tanimori became obsessed with beating Shukichi in a replay of that fateful match, kidnapping Yumi to face him alone. However, Shukichi proves that Tanimori would have lost even in a fair match, and Tanimori surrenders to the police.
Upon awakening from her drug-induced sleep in which Tanimori had kept her, and learning about her liberation by his hands,
Yumi (along with
Miike and a number of police officers who are fans of Shukichi) hurriedly escorts Shukichi back to the conclusion of his match, where she kisses Shukichi as a good luck charm, although she remains blissfully ignorant of both his true profession and the nature of the match. He returns to Yamanashi in time to win his 7th
Shogi title. Strangely, this victory also garners the undivided attention of both the
Unknown child and
Subaru Okiya.
