The work of the Go master

"Quickly, you guys prepare your wishes. The wishes are only valid for one year, so try not to exceed that time limit," Ke Zhiguang said. He remembered that when he received the Rising Star title, a dialog box popped up saying, "[In the coming year, your wishes will come true!]", which was likely hinting at the expiration date of the wishes.

"Huh? Is there such a rule about making a wish on a meteor shower? Can you only make a wish for one year?" Bai Meng asked, puzzled.

Shao Gong nudged her with his elbow: "Having one year is already good; it's just enough for our entrance exams next year."

"You guys accepted this setting way too quickly! You think a meteor shower is something you can just conjure up with a few words?" Shizuka looked around and realized that everyone was indeed seriously considering their wishes.

"You'll find out soon, Little Deer. Although Hikaru often says things that are a bit whimsical, he's generally right. We just need to wait and see." Mizuki smiled, tilting her head to the side, and even reached out to pat... well, touch Harushima Deer's head.

Inoue also made a wishing gesture: "Since everyone is in such a good mood, I'll make a wish too."

"What? You believed that too?" Harujima Kaoru was shocked, feeling like she had been betrayed by her roommate.

“Don’t forget, my family are shrine maidens, so of course I have no resistance to wishes,” Inoue said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, Harushima, don't be shy with me, make as many wishes as you like."

"This...the way you're talking, it's like you really consider the meteor shower your own..."

Harushima Deer looked around and, finding no teammates, decided to join in the wishing process.

Once the deer on the island settled down, the entire space became quiet.

Because the lights were off, the huge, luxurious gaming room was dimly lit. Waterfall-like moonlight streamed into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a tranquil underwater world, with the carpet shimmering in the sunlight.

A sense of tranquility surrounded everyone, and the only sound they could hear was their expectant breathing. Harujima Deer also fell silent, completely immersed in her role.

The feeling is like holding your breath and waiting for the sunrise. Every year, many Japanese people wear winter coats and ride bicycles to the 5th station of Mount Fuji, which is at an altitude of over 2300 meters. They wait for the sunrise in this open area and stay for several hours just to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking moment when the sun rises in the east, as if a golden crow is flying out from the horizon.

Everyone feels the same way now, just like the tranquility before sunrise, or the tranquility before a meteor shower.

10, 9, 8, 7... The countdown appeared in Ke Zhiguang's field of vision, giving him the illusion of a clock counting down the seconds.

“Here it comes.” Ke Zhiguang said as the countdown reached zero.

At that very moment, a silver streak streaked across the sky, making everyone blink and be captivated in that instant.

Meteor showers really do come out of nowhere.

Chapter 98: Wishes for the coming year

A streak of fire flashed across the horizon, followed by a vast expanse of blue light emerging from the clouds, then a dense array of points of light, each trailing a graceful trajectory as it flashed by.

A vast curtain of meteors appeared in the sky above the Earth, rubbing against the atmosphere to create dazzling sparks, transforming into the divine aurora borealis.

The scale of the rain shower was far greater than anyone had anticipated. It resembled a fish migration, with massive schools of fish swimming freely in the ocean currents, creating a flowing galaxy. The scales of the fish reflected colorful light, combining the magnificence of nature with the miracle of life's birth.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at this scene on the horizon; it was more breathtaking than a sunrise and more beautiful than a rainbow.

Although meteor showers appear in movies and TV shows every day, illuminating the lives of countless happy couples, in reality, who has ever actually seen one!

"A meteor shower really happened!" Shao Gong exclaimed after a moment of stunned silence.

At first, I thought it was just a meteor shower that Ke Zhiguang had read about from some local magazine. Even if there really was a meteor, it would probably just be a lone, fleeting meteor. There was no need for such a large group of people to rush to such a high place to watch it. But who knew that such a huge meteor shower would actually be coming.

How come there was absolutely no news about such a large-scale meteor shower beforehand?

"Wow, amazing! It really is a meteor shower!" After a moment of surprise, Bai Meng quickly rubbed her hands together and whispered her wish, "To get into the University of Tokyo next year, lose 2kg, increase my bust by 2cm, and... well, with Hikaru-kun..."

Ok?

Why do I keep feeling like she mentioned my name?

Never mind, I'll just make a serious wish.

"That meteor flew by so fast, it was gone in a flash!" Shizuka Harushima was stunned. In her opinion, meteor showers were things that flew slowly through the sky, at the same speed as an airplane, leaving behind a trail of clouds.

"Senior, hurry up and make a wish!" Inoue kept his eyes fixed on the window, avoiding any gesture of prayer, looking quite professional.

"Yes, yes, make a wish!" Shiori Shika quickly clasped her hands together tightly.

The six people in front of the floor-to-ceiling window are all making wishes for the coming year upon seeing a shooting star.

They were undoubtedly the luckiest people on the night of the meteor shower, having secured the best viewing spots in advance and prepared their wishes beforehand.

No one can say for sure how meteor showers became associated with wishes, and it doesn't seem like malicious marketing by businesses.

But that's what makes it so magical. Despite the lack of convincing evidence, everyone unconditionally believes in it, believing that when a meteor passes by Earth, it carries a wish list with it to another place filled with metaphysical meaning, where the wishes are fulfilled.

Meteors travel across the sky, below which lies the dazzling night of Tokyo. Countless people, in a daze, look up and witness this magnificent spectacle in the heavens.

Office workers stopped what they were doing and came to the windows of office buildings to look up at the stars. Parents took their children on the balcony and told them what the things flying in the sky were. Couples tried to chase after shooting stars and shouted. For a moment, the whole of Tokyo was bathed in starlight, as if it were snowing.

The notice also scrolled down the TV program, informing citizens that they could see a once-in-a-century high-definition meteor shower if they went out onto their balconies.

A light and breezy tune, as tranquil as the night sky and as serene as the starry night, drifts through every corner of the city. It's as if a girl in a white dress is moving forward to the beat of a drum, her porcelain-like toes creating ripples on the surface of a lake. The notes purify the noise in everyone's heart.

For a moment, the entire city was making wishes to the sky.

Meanwhile, in a Japanese-style restaurant near the coastline in Tokyo's Minato Ward, two old men were also gazing at the miracle from the same excellent vantage point, clinking glasses.

"The night he won the championship, a meteor shower immediately came to celebrate him. This is really... I'm starting to seriously believe that there really were celestial phenomena on the nights when ancient emperors were born."

The speaker was Saito. As he spoke, he swirled the sake in his cup, savoring the moment, before finally downing it in one gulp.

He continued, "If Go really has dynasties, then it's time for a change of dynasty, don't you think, senior brother?"

The person sitting next to Saito, separated from him by a wine tray, was none other than Suga Seiichi.

In contrast to Saito's casual and carefree posture, Suga Seiichi's posture was extremely restrained, with his wine glass held rather unnaturally in his hand, and he kept his head down and remained silent.

Not far behind the two, there was an already finished game, with a timer next to it.

About an hour ago, Saito entered this Japanese-style restaurant, a place that Suga Seiichi frequented, which could be considered his second dojo.

He said at the time, "Yushiro has already told me about Yabu's current situation. I also know that you were coerced by your deadly disciple and had to tamper with the Rising Star Trophy. But I'm not here to punish you. I'm here to help you defuse the bomb."

Saito's appearance with these words gave Suga Masaru, who was sitting uneasily at the time, a slight shock.

The master-disciple relationship is the only interpersonal relationship in the Go fortune system. The flow of fortune is transmitted through this link. Yabu coerced Suga Seiichi to manipulate the New Star Cup by relying on this relationship. The only way to dismantle this "manipulation" is to have someone who is in the same master-disciple relationship as Suga Seiichi defeat him once.

So Saito came. He was the only person on the other side who could be considered a disciple; the other senior and junior disciples had all become seasoned veterans who rarely played Go anymore.

After who knows how many years, the two faced off again in their fateful duel, returning to the passionate seven-game match they played back then.

"Let's play something exciting, something I just learned, a super fast chess game with ten seconds per move." Saito set the timer to its lowest setting and placed it between the two of them, and Suga Seiichi accepted without hesitation.

As the one whose bomb is being defused, Suga Seiichi cannot hold back and must go all out; otherwise, even if Saito wins, it will be an unsuccessful bomb defusing operation. Of course, Saito will not back down an inch.

Both of them roared inwardly, suddenly transported back decades to when they were young and impetuous, locked in a fierce battle.

In the end, Saito won again, once again defeating the dragon early on.

The moment he lost the game, Suga Seika felt as if his last line of defense had been breached, and for the first time, he said aloud, "I lost."

It was at this moment that the yellow talisman beneath the Nova Trophy turned to dust, and the bomb was successfully defused.

Then Saito ordered a bottle of sake, drank it casually, and even pointed at the taste of the sake.

After a long silence, Suga Seiichi also took a cup and began to drink sake.

Time has passed, and he can no longer lift the knife. Even if he were to actually strike, Saito wouldn't bother to dodge. Time has smoothed everything over, leaving only two old men drinking alone in silence.

"With so many shooting stars, aren't you going to make a wish?" Suga Seiichi asked.

"It's already been promised. I'm allowed to win the Dragon Throne title next year."

"Hmph, you're still eyeing that title, aren't you? Do you want to relive the feeling of reaching the top again?"

“Reaching the summit? I guess so, but I’m more interested in that universe. Only by taking the throne again can I see it,” Saito said.

"The universe, ah, that sounds really grand." Suga Seiichi twitched his beard, completely unconcerned.

At this point, neither ridicule nor encouragement will work; only young people are affected by these things.

Suddenly, Saito frowned, clutched his chest as if in pain, and dropped his wine glass.

"You've reached the point where your body can't keep up anymore."

"Getting through this winter shouldn't be a problem. If I can win the Dragon Throne title, next winter should be fine too. If I can get through next winter as well, then living another 20 years shouldn't be a problem either," Saito said after regaining his composure.

The meteor shower has come to an end. After a few scattered streaks of light streaked across the sky, the night sky returned to stillness, and the night remained peaceful.

On the artificial island under the starry sky, the rosy clouds still shimmer, and the tourist ferry sails smoothly across the sea.

The citywide wishing event has come to an end.

"Is that all?" Shinobu looked around, as if waiting for the second meteor shower to appear.

"It's over. The total duration was 5 minutes and 38 seconds," Ke Zhiguang announced accurately.

"Did you time this out with a watch?!"

Well, it's displayed in a dialog box.

"But is a meteor shower really this spectacular? I thought it was just a few streaks flashing by every minute." Shao Gong said, resting his chin on his hand, feeling that it was a bit too fantastical.

"So what wishes did everyone make?" Inoue turned around and asked calmly.

Harushima Shika was the first to answer: "Of course we want to win every game next year. Even if we can't win every game, we have to win the games we're supposed to win."

Everyone looked at her, but no one spoke.

"What's with all that looking? Is there something wrong with my wish?" Harujima Kazuko felt that the way people were looking at her was a bit strange.

"No, when people ask you what you wish for, why did you actually tell them your wish?" Shao Gong complained. "Wishes won't come true if you tell them."

"Miss Harushima must be the type who believes Santa Claus is real, right? Hmm, please be sure to protect this innocence." Bai Meng smiled with concern for children.

Inoue covered his mouth and turned to the side, saying, "I was just asking for fun, but I didn't expect you to answer so readily, senpai."

"Huh? So you were setting me up here?"

"No, no, no, I wasn't targeting you, Harushima-senpai, but it turns out you were the only one who went through."

"Damn it! All that wasted my huge wish list!"

Ke Zhiguang suddenly interjected, "It's alright. I had already anticipated that you might reveal your wish ahead of time, so I also made a wish in advance that your next wish will come true."

"Really?" Harujima Shikaichi asked.

"Of course it's true." Ke Zhiguang nodded firmly.

Inoue said, "Even if it's true, it's useless, because Senior Keji also revealed his wish in advance, so the two cancel each other out, Senior Harushima's wish for next year is still not going to come true."

"Pfft!" Harushima Deer coughed up a mouthful of blood.