@Omegax That isn't really new. He's had a . . . complicated relationship with shogi from the start. It was all he had, but also a very dark thing. A place in life, some kind of acceptance, was a trade for the lie "I like shogi".
What's different is that, for a while it seemed like the good people in his life were pulling him out of the darkness, giving him a base, a place of life to operate from, but now something's fucking that up too. I don't really understand why.
At the same time . . . holy shit. He beat that guy! Only in 3-Gatsu no Lion would beating an experienced player, higher dan than him, with a recently reinvigorated playing style, in an important match, be a minor point mentioned in passing amidst the main event of internal psychological issues. Normally it'd be like big fanfare, digging deep, guts, psychological turnarounds, building finally to triumph and sweet, sweet victory yeah! Here it's like he was apparently a cross between panicking and deep in a dark fugue the whole time and oh, by the way he won. Chica Umino is incredible. This kid is becoming a shogi monster--if he can just keep his sanity while he does it.