The Flowers of Hard Blood

Shion no Ou follows Yasuoka Shion, a 13-year-old shogi player with a tragic past. When she was five, her parents were murdered in front of her. The killer then sat with her, played a game of shogi, and told her to forget how to speak and the events of that night if she wanted to survive. Now a rising star in the female professional shogi world, Shion remains mute but determined. As her skill draws attention, so do the unanswered questions about her past and the horrific crime she witnessed. Piece by piece, her memories return, and the mystery starts to unravel.