The work of the Go master

Harushima Kashima won the Women's Cup, and he also made it to the finals. Everyone has a bright future ahead of them.

The only pity is that the outcome was never truly decided.

But there will always be a chance to make up for this regret in the future.

He sighed and continued drinking his hot chocolate.

"Congratulations! You've made it to the finals. You're ready to carry out the last part of your mission to save the world. Your opponent is An Yongxin." Inoue walked over and sat down opposite him as if nothing had happened.

"How is Qingdao...?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

After the game ended, Harushima Kashima instantly collapsed onto the chair like a salted fish, entering a half-dead, lifeless state with a dark complexion and his calves resting heavily on the chessboard.

It's like they're about to lie on the carpet and throw a tantrum at any moment.

So, how can I subtly remind her that this position is dangerous?

Just as Ke Zhiguang was about to go up and comfort Harushima Kashi, Inoue appeared.

"I'll leave Harushima-senpai here for now. Once she gets into this state, it takes a while to coax her out of it."

So Inoue carried her back to her room.

"Of course Harushima-senpai is fine. Her mentality is much better than you think. Besides, her purpose in coming here was not to win the championship, but to play against you. Although there was a predictable mishap in the final stage, her main goal has been achieved. This time... it's just like a regular training match where she got upset." Inoue said easily, his expression natural and without any concealment.

"Really? That's good." Ke Zhiguang sipped his warm chocolate with relief, feeling much more at ease.

Although it's human nature to spill food, it can sometimes really make the relationship between two people awkward, leaving them staring at each other blankly the next time they meet.

Ultimately, he was very touched that Harushima Kano had traveled all the way from Nagoya to Tokyo overnight to play this game with him, and he was also very happy that Harushima Kano had won the Women's Cup and was in top form.

It evokes a feeling of being sacrificed for someone else, which is both touching and exhilarating. It's like a scene from an execution, and although it's cliché, it's still very moving.

"That's all for today then. I won't disturb your rest any longer. Good luck tomorrow." Inoue had only been there a short while before leaving.

"Okay, goodbye."

Farewell, Inoue. Koji Hikaru lay alone on a beach chair in front of the night sea, still wearing a comfortable and loose yukata.

Today's match was exceptionally intense, far exceeding the intensity of the previous days, leaving him utterly exhausted and in dire need of nature's cleansing to recover.

However, his condition was also activated by this battle, and he will only be stronger tomorrow than he is today.

Tomorrow will be the appointed day, the day of the mysterious enemy, the mysterious dragon.

That was the enemy he truly needed to defeat.

As I was thinking this, the night wind suddenly picked up and became strong, carrying a biting chill that made the beach umbrellas flutter loudly, the sound of the wind conveying a sense of unease.

The dark clouds also obscured the moonlight.

There are no stars or moon tonight, and it looks like tomorrow will be another rainy day.

With the adjustment of the environment, Ke Zhiguang gradually adjusted his mindset.

The dragon is coming again.

......

......

At nine o'clock, Ke Zhiguang finally returned to his room.

The first thing to do, of course, is to check the chessboard. What exactly is it that can be obtained from the deer on the island of Harushima?

He was extremely interested in this, far more than ever before, and he hoped to acquire a magical skill that would prevent him from gaining weight.

But suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor—

"You... don't go to sleep yet, I... I'm not done with you yet..."

When Ke Zhiguang turned around, he was surprised to find Qingdao Lu standing outside the door, panting heavily, clearly having run all the way there.

She was still holding the chessboard and pieces, and... wearing a yukata and slippers.

During her sprint, her top came undone, falling down to reveal half of her smooth, rounded shoulder, which was a mysterious warm red.

It is well known that girls' knees and shoulders often have this warm, reddish hue.

Moreover, the corners of her eyes looked as if she had been crying, with a blush of being bullied, showing resentment, yet also a sweetness that might be palpable if you took a bite.

She looked at Ke Zhiguang with that gaze in the hotel corridor, facing the door.

"You... Good evening, Qingdao?" Ke Zhiguang was stunned by the scene.

Although he understood that the other party was unwilling to accept their earlier defeat and had come specifically to seek revenge, given their demeanor...

Is this considered a night raid?

Chapter 86 The night before the great battle was so peaceful

In his previous life, Ke Zhiguang had heard some chess players who were active in the 1980s and 1990s bragging about how they accidentally lost to their opponents during the day and then angrily stormed into their rooms with the chessboard and beat them up to vent their anger.

These people also specifically emphasized that regardless of whether the opponent's room has chess sets or not, they must personally bring another set of chess sets, so as to show more sincerity and more momentum, and the opponent will most likely not refuse.

It wasn't until Harushima Kashima shoved him in the face that Ke Zhiguang realized this was real; there really were people who would do such a thing...

"It's already 9:30. Don't you really want to take a nap and come back tomorrow?" Ke Zhiguang asked, turning his head to the side with a hint of annoyance.

"No, now is the perfect time, we can't miss it!" Harujima Shika declared resolutely.

She continued, "Besides, if you really win the championship tomorrow, I'm afraid I won't be in the mood to play chess with you anymore. Who knows... who knows, you might drag me to the celebration party..."

She spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard, yet also afraid of not being overheard; this strange contradiction made it hard to refuse.

After thinking about it, Ke Zhiguang understood this feeling.

Who cares, a night raid it is, let the dragons come!

Ke Zhiguang let the deer into the hotel, then closed the door behind him. After all, this was a hotel frequented by the media, and to prevent a group of unscrupulous reporters from breaking in, he also locked the door with a click.

As Harushima Kashima was angrily pushing her way in, she suddenly heard the sound of a lock being put on. Her shoulders trembled violently, and she let out a strange cry that sounded like a hiccup.

"What's wrong? Did you eat too much?" This was Ke Zhiguang's first reaction.

My second thought was, why do I feel like locking the door is bordering on committing a crime?

"No, I would never eat that much at night..." she said, blushing.

No, even if you eat that much, it's okay, you definitely won't get fat.

"At most, I'll have a small Black Forest cake before bed."

Okay, forget I said anything.

The game resumed, and the two sat on the carpet, separated by a chessboard.

The rooms are quite small, which is a characteristic of Japanese hotels. Land is extremely expensive, and the soundproofing is terrible. If you're watching a strange movie or doing something strange, your neighbors will most likely hear you clearly.

The hotel, which boasts a sea view, is slightly better equipped and has much more space, but it still feels cramped for two people.

You can hear the other person breathing.

His own chessboard on the table was still covered with a curtain, and there were miscellaneous pieces of luggage piled up next to it.

We can only open the box and inspect the goods after the deer on the island leaves.

"Come on, let's review the game. Let's take out that game from before and continue playing it," Harujima Kakashi said angrily.

The game resumed from a few hours earlier, just before Harushima Shika made a mistake in the ko fight, as if a save file had been reloaded and the game was over.

This behavior suddenly reminded Ke Zhiguang of the first month when he met Qingdaolu. They also played a game like this, saved the game, and called it "fighting cheats by following ancient methods." Now it was finally her turn to load the save file.

Ke Zhiguang also became more serious, making his moves according to the procedure, and continuing the ko fight.

Three robbery materials.

Two calamities.

The last one.

After exhausting all his ko threats, he finally threw out the hidden weapon, placing it on the second line of the black pieces' territory.

If this were a few hours earlier in the game, with both sides facing off on the edge of a cliff, then this move would undoubtedly be like an arrow shot towards the board, unleashing a powerful determination.

But in this quiet and relaxed night, with the outcome of the game already decided, the chess piece, which had flown through the air like a butterfly, leisurely and slowly settled on the chessboard, as if it were asleep.

On the surface, this move seems like a blind ko, but if you look upwards and to the end, you'll find there are still some options in the corner. White can climb all the way up and start a second ko fight. If successful, it can also live a large group.

After some thought, Harujima Shika cautiously swung his sword, and the butterfly's wings turned into colorful dust in the flash of the blade.

"Alright, you win."

"Yay! I won!" Shireshima Kashi immediately burst into cheers.

But Ke Zhiguang didn't react much, he just clapped "Siguoyi Siguoyi" with a blank expression.

"Hey, is that all you're going to do? I defeated your woman fair and square with my own strength. As for mentioning the wrong person... well, that doesn't count. This is my true strength now." Harushima Shika said, hands on her hips, making a declaration of her hard power that "you stole my victory."

"Oh, really?" Ke Zhiguang propped himself up on the bed and dozed off.

He continued, "Normally, you should have won, but... things on the field are never normal. For example, with your condition at the time, you might not have been able to tell that my last move was a Zed, right?"

Ke Zhiguang tapped the chess piece on the chessboard, making a crisp tapping sound.

"The pressure of counting down the seconds, the urgency to win, and even the posture while playing chess are all things that affect your state at the time. In other words, even if you don't make a mistake, the you back then... and the you now might not be the same person, right?" Ke Zhiguang said in a casual, conversational tone, calmly and patiently guiding the conversation.

In short, it's pointless for you to beat me now.

A bucket of cold water was poured over Qingdaolu's head, instantly extinguishing her arrogance, and her eyelids and shoulders drooped.

This is perhaps the beauty of imperfection in Go; some things can be discovered after the game, but not on the playing field.

The hidden weapon had missed its only chance to be launched and turned into a cluster of cherry blossoms that drifted away with the wind.

The outcome of the match between Kashima and Harushima remains unresolved.

Of course, Shizuka Haru knew that it was pointless to beat Koji Mitsuko now; no matter how much she won, she couldn't go back to how things were a few hours ago.

But you have to let off some steam eventually.

After venting her anger, Harushima Kaoru relaxed completely, slumped into a chair, and looked out at the night view, the neon lights of the artificial island shining into her eyes.

It's as if the god of revelry revealed his emptiness after indulging.

Suddenly, the sound of raindrops pattering outside the French windows filled the room. The rain came and went as it pleased; that's how unpredictable the weather is by the sea. With the sound of rain, the room became even quieter, so quiet that it made one sleepy.