The work of the Go master

“Although I don’t know who Ke Zhiguang is, if I’m not mistaken, your recent changes should all be because of him.” Xiong Ying leaned against the window, the setting sun making her ponytail look even redder.

"Have I changed at all recently?" Harushima Shika asked.

"Have you forgotten? You weren't this talkative before."

"that's it?"

"if not?"

Just then, the sound of an ancient bell rang out, reminding Harushima Shika that her last match of the day was about to begin.

"Alright, then go for it! Take down the shrine maiden, and our entire girls' dormitory will be your strong support!" Xiong Ying made a gesture of greeting to her comrades, then smoothly backed away.

To be honest, her rugged persona doesn't quite match her exquisite suit.

Harushima Deer took a deep breath, adjusted her state, and expelled all the miscellaneous thoughts from her mind.

"Alright, time to go."

She turned around and pushed open an antique-style door, entering the quiet and secluded match room. Her opponent, Inoue Hoshino, dressed in a shrine maiden's attire, was already seated, looking at Harushima Shika with a misty smile and a kind yet mysterious expression.

"Ryuu, are you in such a hurry to go back to see that man?" Inoue Hoshino suddenly spoke, her lips curving up like cherry blossoms.

"Why...why are you saying that too?" Harushima Shika's face darkened.

"This is the result of my divination just now. Lord Inugami said that you have been lovesick lately and will raid a man's room tomorrow night and stay there all night... Sigh, you know, I have never been able to resist the obsession of a girl who has fallen in love. I even wanted to deliberately lose to you and give you a chance." Inoue Hoshino sighed with a flushed face.

"Seriously, play the game!" Harushima Kashima snapped. "And how could I possibly do something like sneaking into another man's room at night, or even spending the whole night in someone else's house!"

"Just kidding, how could I possibly let you win on purpose? You should think of it this way: if you win, you can leave tomorrow. But if you lose, does that mean you can't leave tomorrow?" Inoue Hoshino raised her eyebrows charmingly, every word making sense.

After such a long conversation, Harushima Kashima felt like he had been tricked by underhanded tactics before the match.

The strongest impression Inoue Hoshino gave her was that she was mysterious, just like the ever-present smile on her face, as if she saw through everything, as if she really was a priestess.

—No! There's no such shameless shrine maiden!

"I've had a question for a long time: why do you keep calling me Dragon? Shouldn't a woman be called Phoenix?" Shinobu asked. Although it felt good to be addressed as Dragon, it still felt a little strange, since her princess title trophy was Phoenix.

When asked this question, Inoue Hoshino slightly raised her gaze, as if looking behind Harushima Shika.

Then he just laughed it off.

"I'll just consider this my personal preference," she said.

"Fine, call me whatever you want."

Soon, the game of coin toss began. After the first piece was placed, the symbolic spirits of both sides rose up like substitutes, their oppressive aura covering the entire game room.

And so, the fifth day of the new Star Wars arrived.

Chapter 82 Why are you taking off your clothes?!

The sea breeze blows comfortably from the Pacific Ocean, and the hotel bed is softer than pudding; without an alarm clock, one could easily lie there all day.

After getting up, Ke Zhiguang first went to the balcony and gazing at the sea for a moment.

After waking up, a person needs a recovery process to allow their body temperature to gradually rise.

Today is the second to last day, and we've reached the twenty-fifth floor. The number of people has shrunk from the initial sixty-four brave souls who entered the hotel to just four.

He also has An Yongxin, a fourth-dan player named Kanaya Minoru, and a fifth-dan player named Takeda Yuta, which makes up a lineup of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-dan players.

Yesterday, Ke Zhiguang studied the game records of An Yongxin that Inoue had given him with a relaxed and curious mindset. Indeed, just as Inoue said, his level was unexpectedly high, and even his playing style had changed a lot.

People have moments of exceptional talent, but if even their playing style changes, that's not quite right.

What Ke Zhiguang wants to do most right now is to contact An Yongxin before the competition to confirm his color level and the feeling he gives off, whether he is still a lackey or a henchman.

Of course, he can't do that right now. He needs to hurry up and have breakfast, warm up, and then get to the game.

After tidying up his clothes, he went out.

As you walk from your room to the restaurant, you'll encounter quite a few tourists along the way. Some are simply wealthy people on vacation, while others are chess enthusiasts who come up to ask for autographs. The atmosphere is quite relaxed.

In the martial arts world, such a relaxed atmosphere can dull a sword, but in the world of Go, a relaxed, vacation-like atmosphere before the game can make the moves sharper and more precise.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, they found that many eliminated players were still lounging there, taking advantage of the discount facilities offered to chess players. When they noticed Ke Zhiguang's arrival, they all became uneasy.

"Kosan, keep it up." Someone patted Koji Hikaru on the shoulder and then left.

"Play your best and don't let the opponent intimidate you."

"Try to drag the game into the later stages; she'll make a mistake."

Many people encouraged Ke Zhiguang in a farewell tone, as if he were about to face a very tough opponent.

In short, everyone looks at him differently.

If I remember correctly, his opponent today is Kanaya Minoru, whose strength is just so-so. If this group of people are encouraging him in this way of saying goodbye, then it is easier for Koji Mitsuhiro to understand.

what does it mean?

Does this mean that this guy surnamed Jin also suddenly became incredibly successful overnight?

Not only did they suddenly become powerful, but everyone except me found out?

But there was one thing he had felt since yesterday afternoon.

That is, his path to the finals may be blocked by an unknown force.

This idea had no basis whatsoever; it was as if a psychological suggestion had been imposed out of thin air.

He calmly finished his breakfast of milk, eggs, and bread, and then stepped onto the elevator leading to today's match.

The elevator ascended quietly and finally stopped on the 25th floor.

The elevator doors opened to the left and right, revealing a luxurious corridor. A colorful carpet stretched to the end, and pastoral-style oil paintings hung on both sides of the walls, giving one the illusion that following this path would lead to a palace.

Under the camera's lens, Ke Zhiguang strode forward, reached the door at the end, and placed his hand on the doorknob.

This was a gesture required by the production team: press your hand on the doorknob for a while, wait for the work team to nod, and then push the door open in one go, saying that this would make it seem more ceremonial.

It gives the impression of welcoming a bride.

The working group members gave an OK sign, and Ke Zhiguang took the opportunity to push open the door.

"You're so slow! I've been waiting for you for so long." A familiar voice came from inside the room, a proud and childish tone.

Ke Zhiguang stood frozen at the doorway.

In the artistically designed polygonal chess room, Harushima Shika sat upright behind the chessboard, draped in her ancestral cotton shawl. Seagulls flew past the window behind her, parting the shadows, and beyond that, a fine harbor, white sailboats, and sunlight cast a warrior's resolute hue on her face...

*Snap*, Ke Zhiguang closed the door again.

--Um???

Harushima Deer was dumbfounded.

The production team was also stunned. In their script, the camera was supposed to follow Ke Zhiguang from behind with an over-the-shoulder shot, waiting for him to ceremoniously push open the door, and then zoom in on Princess Qingdao, who had been waiting for a long time, creating a perfect atmosphere of boy meeting girl.

Why is it that Boy's side is closing the door as soon as they see Girl?

Ke Zhiguang closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.

Okay, there was something wrong with how I opened it just now, let's try again.

When I opened the door again, I found that it was still the same deer on the island.

Open it again, close it again, open it again, and so on—

"What are you kidding me! No matter how many times you open the door, it will always be me!" Harushima Shika shouted in a haughty voice.

"Oh, so it really is you, Harushima. I thought my mental system was malfunctioning before." Koji finally stopped pacing back and forth in front of the door.

To be honest, it had been more than two months since he had seen Harushima Kashima in person, and seeing her again now inevitably gave him a dreamlike, unreal feeling.

But one thing must be admitted: the air automatically became cheerful the moment she appeared.

"Why...why are you here?" Ke Zhiguang was extremely puzzled. Logically speaking, shouldn't the person who should be in this game room right now be that guy named Jin Gu Shi?

At that moment, Naoka Kuranosuke suddenly walked over: "Kazuhiro, aren't you a little too careless about keeping up with the news? Everyone except you knows about it."

"Specifically?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"It all started last night when Princess Harushima requested Inoue Hoshino to move the third game forward..."

Last night, the third game of the Nagoya Women's Cup final was held ahead of schedule, with the female dragon and the shrine maiden battling it out from 6 p.m. until midnight before the match finally came to an end.

In the end, it was Shiorishima Kashima who lifted the trophy symbolizing the women's cup championship.

Taking advantage of the award ceremony, Harushima Shika also asked Hanno Ken, "I hope to play against Kazuhiro Kazuma in tomorrow's Rising Star Cup."

"You're so eager to play against him because you have an agreement, right?" Mr. Hanno sat in his wheelchair, smiling like a grandfather who could fulfill any request of his grandchildren.

"Yes, I told him before that if we're lucky, we'll meet at the New Star Wars, and now I want to fulfill that promise."

This is precisely why Harushima Kazuya insisted on playing a third game tonight. If the tournament were to proceed as scheduled for a whole week, even if she won the championship, Koji Mitsuaki's match would already be over, and the next opportunity to meet her again would be delayed for a long time.

Moreover, what she wanted to do was not just to face Ke Zhiguang once in a formal competition.

Instead, riding the momentum of their championship, they charged straight at him!

In the end, Mr. Hanno nodded in agreement. As an extra gift for the Women's Cup champion, all the prominent figures in the Go world present got involved.

Kojiro's original opponent in this round, Kanaya Minoru, also nodded in agreement. He estimated that he would not be able to beat Kojiro anyway, and he had also made an agreement with Harishima Kashiro that if Harishima Kashiro could win against Kojiro and take the championship, the prize money would be his. Hearing that there was such a good deal, he readily agreed and left his spot to Harishima Kashiro.

So she flew to Tokyo overnight, and after a short rest, she sat back down at the Go board and waited in the game room, anticipating the agreed-upon match.

“That’s it. Be prepared, Koji Mitsuaki. I’m your opponent this round!” Harushima Shika placed her hand on her chest, then pointed her other hand menacingly at Koji Mitsuaki.

With a passionate flick of the finger, flames rose invisibly, and for a moment, the entire gaming hall was dyed orange-red, with sparks of the battlefield drifting outside the window.

It was only then that Ke Zhiguang noticed the warning colors on the Qingdao deer.

It has turned into alternating red and purple, and even the punctuation marks have been transformed into the shape of flowing fire.

[Champion's Aura: The Women's Cup Winner]

[We're already in a state of high spirits!]

【10h/24h】

Oh, I see. It's because they won the championship and are on a roll.

Or rather, this is what it means to be in perfect form; you can do it by eating Amakusa Maru, and you can do it by winning a championship.