The work of the Go master

Ke Zhiguang nodded repeatedly as if he had been enlightened: "That's right, you can do it like that! As expected of Qingdao! You really know how to do it."

As Ryoma Echizen once said, defeating your opponent in their area of ​​expertise is undoubtedly a very satisfying thing.

Although rapid chess is also one of my strengths.

Harujima Deer felt a bit choked up, as if she had been falsely accused.

—No matter how you calculate it, you've successfully installed it more times, so you must be more knowledgeable about this area!

Ke Zhiguang opened the magazine and began browsing its contents.

The first page of the magazine featured recent games played by Taketo Tsubaki in the Go Academy. These internal training matches are usually not published unless both players agree, especially the winner, because they are often used as material for criticism.

However, Zhudao Forging posted more than a dozen chess scores in one go, all of which were his own victories. Each score was accompanied by some explanation, taking up almost half of the magazine, which could be described as dominating the page.

His actions were undoubtedly a way of demonstrating to the public his formidable strength after his seclusion.

"This guy is as crazy as ever, posting so many chess scores all at once," said Harushima Shika, watching from the side.

"I've heard that Bamboo Sword Forger is a battle maniac, is that true?"

"Yes, he's a tough guy. If you get caught by him, it'll be a real problem. If you actually beat him, he'll definitely keep you on the defensive. But the good thing is that he has a bit of gynophobia. He avoids female players in the hallway, so you don't have to worry about him picking on you. Besides, he's died suddenly in several matches because of female players."

puff--

I got the unexpected laugh.

If you were to fight him later, you would see a description of "gynophobia" on his symbolic spirit.

Since there is no chessboard recording available, we will skip the chess scores and proceed directly to the interview segment.

The question that chess fans are most concerned about is naturally the reason for his seclusion.

"I suffered a devastating blow that day, but at the same time, I was reborn."

"My dark history is not failure, but a moment when I was afraid of failure."

"I have returned from purgatory, only to defeat that opponent on the field and extinguish that light that once shone so brightly that I could not open my eyes."

.......

In short, a whole string of similar lines followed.

This guy is a master of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) too!

Ke Zhiguang shook his head and frowned as he looked down, as if he was overwhelmed by the smell and had to pinch his nose to keep looking.

However, Ke Zhiguang quickly got used to this chuunibyou feeling, because upon closer reflection, this was just the daily routine in the chess world.

As he flipped through the magazine, Ke Zhiguang gradually adjusted his mindset, like a machine that hadn't been running for a long time slowly warming up.

Turning the page again, I finally arrived at this issue's chess jokes—

The first paragraph reads: "Ke Zhiguang is a rising star in the chess world. His fans decided to crowdfund a painting for him called 'Ke Zhiguang on Vacation.' The painter reluctantly accepted the job."

Ok?

It's actually a joke with himself as the main character?

Although this joke column is full of sarcasm and ridicule, one thing must be admitted: the chess players who can be featured in this column are all extremely famous and strong. As the saying goes, there are two things that are most terrifying for chess players: the first is that "Chess Jokes" does not write about you, and the second is that "Chess Jokes" does write about you.

Furthermore, the jokes are all very well-written; sometimes you have to read one several times to fully appreciate its meaning.

The next few paragraphs—on the day of the inspection, the paintings that the fans saw showed the interior of the chess academy, where a group of well-known chess players were practicing games diligently.

Fan: "Who are these people?"

Artist: "A well-known Go player."

Fan: "What are these people doing?"

Artist: "They are actively preparing for the tournament."

Fan: "What about Ke Zhiguang?"

Artist: "Ke Zhiguang on Vacation"

That concludes this episode of jokes.

this......

That's impressive!

Ke Zhiguang wasn't quite sure for a moment whether this thing was a dig at him.

It might be trying to mock itself for taking vacations all the time and not doing its job, but then it thinks again that if it really wins the championship in the Meisho Tournament, then the ones being criticized are those who are training hard in the Go academy.

Therefore, it was as if they were blowing on a ray of light.

At this rate of joke-making, it will eventually become a treasure of human civilization.

"Ugh! How come when it's your turn to be the laughingstock, everyone's praising you! I'm not happy about it, I'm not happy about it!" Harushima Shika pouted unhappily, like a squirrel whose pine cone had been stolen.

In short—damn it, he got away with it again!

But which side this joke will lean towards depends entirely on Koji Mitsuaki's performance in the Meisho Tournament.

If he wins the championship, then this joke will be a slap in the face to everyone.

If he were eliminated in the first round, this joke would become a meme.

Given the circulation of "Between Black and White" magazine and the widespread acclaim of the "Chess World Jokes" series, this issue of jokes... could also be described as a powder keg, already ignited by many.

If I'm not mistaken, this situation seems to be called... being an enemy of the world?

"Never mind, I'll just lie down for a bit." After finishing reading the magazine, Ke Zhiguang lay down, closed the window next to him, and entered a meditative state.

The state has been fully entered.

The plane quickly arrived in Tokyo. As I stepped out of the cabin, a familiar yet fresh and sweet Tokyo air filled my nostrils, comparable to that of Maryland, USA, making me want to throw away all the masks I was carrying.

It smelled of war; the entire city seemed to be declaring war on itself.

Forget it, masks aren't enough, let's get oxygen tanks instead.

Tokyo, I'm back.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Emperor Returns to Court

In early January, Tokyo was still very cold, within the range of the white album's light, and snow could fall at any time.

The bus carried everyone back home, and the lingering atmosphere of New Year's Eve and Christmas still lingered on both sides of the street.

"Goodbye then, let's meet again next time we have time." Ke Zhiguang said to the others as they reached the crossroads where they were parting ways.

"There are only two reasons for us to meet again next time: either you win the title of the Grandmaster Battle, or we both successfully get into our ideal schools." Shao Gong hooked his arm around Bai Meng's, as if to say, "Now it's time to see what we do."

Bai Meng nodded in agreement: "If that's the case, then there must be a third way, where we have all achieved our respective goals."

“That’s right, this is it.” Ke Zhiguang snapped his fingers like a bingo.

If the meteor shower from a few days ago was effective, this should be achievable.

In professional internet slang, it's called "We all have a bright future..." although this line is mostly used ironically.

"And what about you, Qingdao? Aren't you going to give any thoughts on the future?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Stop talking, I have to go to work, I'm so annoyed." Harushima Deer leaned against the window and drew wavy lines of frost on the glass with her finger.

"Weren't you a workaholic?" If Ke Zhiguang remembered correctly, the other person did have that persona.

"That was summer. Now it's winter, and I'm about to enter my slump. Every year around this time, my win rate is really low."

this......

What kind of bear-like sleep schedule is this?

Isn't this really stealing Xiong Ying's character design?

—Oh, no, that's a polar bear. As everyone knows, no one can beat a Russian in winter.

Since Qingdaolu was wearing a little panda hat, I decided to give her the panda attribute.

"So, I'll let you off the hook for now in this battle of the famous generals." Harushima Shika turned around, flicked a finger at Koji Mitsuhiro, and immediately perked up.

"This... if I remember correctly, you said before that you weren't good at playing rapid chess..."

"Forget about that! It's mainly a matter of my current state! Once winter is over, that's when I'll rise again!"

The bus took everyone home one by one. When Harujima Kaoru got off at the entrance of the women's dormitory, Hoshia was already waiting at the door.

"Welcome back, seniors. Speaking of which, Senior Ke is surrounded by a bunch of soft and sweet girls again this time," Xingcai remarked expressionlessly.

this.....

Just as Ke Zhiguang was finding this statement difficult to deal with, Qingdao Lu was the first to bristle, her panda hat transforming into an angry shape: "What nonsense are you spouting? Who's being soft and sweet? Who's being soft and sweet?"

Ke Zhiguang immediately chimed in, "That's right! Harushima is clearly so tough, Inoue, what makes you think she's soft? Huh?"

"Mmm, you're right. I'm so tough, unlike the other Curtain Blades who fall over with a push and have no self-respect at all—wait! Are you praising me?"

"Of course I'm praising you."

Inoue narrowed his eyes and said subtly, "It's been a while since I've seen you guys. Your stand-up comedy has gotten better and better. At this rate, it should be just around the corner for you to appear on a variety show together, right?"

"It's okay, I'm familiar with appearing on variety shows. I'll take good care of Qingdao then," Ke Zhiguang said, leaning against the car window.

"That's fine then. I hope I can be the host and sit across from you then." Inoue sighed softly, briefly changing the subject.

Ke Zhiguang watched their backs as they entered the women's dormitory building, when he suddenly remembered that there was something he hadn't discussed with Inoue yet—about his phone call with Inoue Hoshino.

It's quite mysterious, really. Ever since that day, whenever Ke Zhiguang tried to call Xingjia using the number Xingcai had given him, the message he heard was "number does not exist," as if the number was just a mobile verification code, something that could only be used once and would be unusable after five minutes.

The mysterious contact method, the immersive sound effects, and the mystery surrounding the other party that is always shrouded in secrecy.

I must meet her if I have the chance.

Just as Ke Zhiguang was about to look away, Qingdaolu suddenly turned around and made a face with her tongue sticking out—rerererere!

this.....

This is truly child-oriented behavior.

The bus driver asked, "Is the next stop Peach Blossom Village?"

“No, it’s the chess academy,” Ke Zhiguang said.