The work of the Go master

"Just got back from vacation, and you're already in a rush to work?" The driver chuckled wryly. He had overheard the conversations of the people in the back seat and learned that the driver was a professional Go player.

"It's 5:30 now. If I rush over there right away, I can catch a small snack... I heard I've become public enemy number one. I want to see just how I am."

......

......

At 6 PM, in the training hall of the Go Institute in Chiyoda Ward.

Logically speaking, this time should be within the nightlife rhythm of chess players, especially since it is strictly speaking still a holiday period.

However, with the battle of the masters approaching, the prelude to the war has begun early, and the players have entered a state of intense competition much earlier than expected.

The training hall was filled with a somber and silent atmosphere, with scorching blue flames burning everywhere.

"Do you see this shape? It's the one that Koichi Hikaru played against 8-dan Oki Takayuki in the last rapid chess tournament on TV Tokyo..."

At a chess table, a group of chess players are studying game records and analyzing chess positions.

"Faced with this situation, most people would probably think of escaping or staying put, but Ke Zhiguang placed the chess piece in this strange place, thus turning the tide of the game in one fell swoop."

"That's really impressive. An ordinary player wouldn't even think about this point for a minute, but he occupied it without hesitation in this rapid chess game. That's an amazing sense of the game."

"Damn it! Why is this guy so strong?! Someone come quick and punish him!"

After some complaining, the group continued their research in silence.

We're all adult professional Go players, so a little complaining will pass.

"Hey, have you guys seen the latest issue of 'Between Black and White'?" Sasahara Noriyuki walked over to the small group, his gaze meeting theirs from left to right.

“I’ve already read it. It’s a good joke, another classic that will be passed down through generations.” Narita Shunji nodded, but his expression was extremely solemn.

"It's less of a joke and more of a declaration of war. It's like they're saying they can win the title of Grandmaster even without putting in much effort," Sasahara Noriyuki said with a battle-ready smile. "Yasuhiro, what do you think?"

Suddenly being called out, Yasuhiro Yamaoka, who had just returned from vacation and was quietly studying the score, shuddered, feeling as if he had been given a hot potato.

"This was probably just something the magazine editors wrote casually; it certainly wasn't Koji Mitsuaki's own idea," Yamaoka said with a laugh.

Provoking opponents is an essential skill for chess players, and an essential skill for media professionals is to stir up trouble, instigate conflict among chess players, and generate more eye-catching topics.

"That's what they say, but... I think that Koji Mitsuhiro himself doesn't object to this unscrupulous declaration of war, does he?" Narita Shunji maintained his host-boyfriend-like smile.

"What do you mean?"

“This joke is like a double-edged sword, one end pointing at him and the other at us. He definitely doesn’t mind holding the blade. Since that’s the case, we can play along to the end. Otherwise, wouldn’t we lose face?” Narita Shunji clenched his fingers, making a gesture as if he was about to punch someone.

Sasahara Kiyuki chimed in, "That's right. We've already formed an alliance to deal with Koji Mitsuaki, called the 'Koji Mitsuaki Operation Research Association.' Yasuhiro, would you like to join?"

"There's such an association?" Yamaoka was taken aback.

"Of course there are. The association now has more than fifty members. By the way, the predecessor of this association was called the 'Being Upset Association,' which was a group of people who were upset every day who gathered together to exchange their experiences of being upset."

"What a weird name! What are these people researching all day long?!"

There are many small associations within the chess academy, mainly for technical exchanges. There are associations that specialize in the research of certain joseki, such as the Avalanche joseki association and the Demon Blade joseki association.

There are also research associations that specialize in specific layout styles, such as the High and Low China Style, the Three Stars Style, the Kobayashi Style, and so on, as well as the latest and most fashionable Light Style Research Association... although Koji Mitsuhiro himself is not in this association.

But this kind of association that shares experiences of being turned around in a game is really... the first time I've ever heard of it.

It sounds absolutely ridiculous!

If you hang out with a group of people who get upset every day, the chances of you getting upset will only increase!

“We have so many associations, there’s the Old Man Pushing a Cart Association, the Double Live Association, the Double Flying Swallow Association, the Tortoise Shell Association, the Self-Touching Association… and so on.” Narita Shunji spoke animatedly, as if he were a member of all these associations.

"Oh, sorry, I just remembered. The Self-Touch Association is a project of the professional mahjong players next door, but I am indeed a member of this association."

Although the name "Old Man Pushing a Cart" sounds strange, it is actually a Go term, just not very formal. The specific shape is a string of stones pushing the opponent's stones forward.

The double swallows are a star position where both sides are simultaneously hung at the corners.

As for the Double-Live Association and the Tortoise Shell Association, they are just as their names suggest.

If it's a self-draw, then there's no need to even mention it.

These technical terms are perfectly normal, but for some reason, when they appear together, they always feel strange, even making Yamaoka deeply doubt whether the industry he was in was actually Go.

Why do these people manage to come up with so many creative ways to play Go?

"Wait, why is the Association that was overturned the previous one the predecessor of the Association for Research on Optical Warfare? What is the connection between the two?" Yamaoka keenly noticed this question.

Narita Shunji said, "It's probably because he's visited too many people's sites, so these people flocked to the association, took over the place, and eventually even changed the association's name."

this.....

This is just a bunch of defeated opponents huddling together for warmth!

Wouldn't joining such an association actually improve my chess skills?

"So you guys have started creating groups to deal with me?"

"Yeah, after all, you're not so easy to deal with—ah! How did you suddenly appear!" Narita Shunji was startled by the way he suddenly appeared and took several steps back.

Ke Zhiguang was nonchalantly munching on a strawberry-flavored Häagen-Dazs, listening to these people brag.

Why are you eating ice cream in the middle of winter?!

"I just came back from Hokkaido, and it suddenly feels so warm here, so I couldn't resist having something icy to calm my nerves."

High cold resistance means you can do whatever you want.

I bought the Häagen-Dazs ice cream casually from the chess academy's internal shop.

He's never been particularly interested in expensive stuff from world-renowned brands, but he recently tried Häagen-Dazs from a food review site and found it surprisingly good, so he decided to give it a try.

As for the vodka that was bursting out with Häagen-Dazs, it was kept hidden in the suitcase, waiting for the next celebratory occasion to open it.

"The Emperor returns to court!" It was unclear which chess player shouted this, but the entire chess academy knew about it.

When did I get given the title of "King of Kobe"?

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be An Yongxin who had shouted it.

This makes it much easier to understand. Recently, there have been more and more science fiction enthusiasts, and Ernst & Young's Xin is undoubtedly one of the best among them.

While it feels good to be praised by one's peers, Ke Zhiguang never felt comfortable being praised by them.

I strongly suspect this person is "born to bring misfortune to their elder brother," just like some people are born to bring misfortune to their husbands or masters. This is how Shi Wu died.

Instantly, numerous aggressive, scarlet gazes shot towards them from all directions.

It felt like stepping into a bat cave—dangerous yet thrilling.

Ke Zhiguang quickly sped up his pace, devoured the Häagen-Dazs in a few bites, and then, with a fadeaway shot, accurately hit the box into the trash can.

Shooting skills can be used in this way too.

"I thought you were going to stay in Hokkaido for a month. I didn't expect you to come back so soon." Narita Shunji was the first to come to his senses and calmly sat down opposite Keiji.

Since we're all acquaintances, let's just get it done.

"After thinking it over, I still think playing chess with a hammer is more fun. If I really stayed in a place like Hokkaido for a month, my joints would get rusty." Ke Zhiguang also sat up straight and reached into the chess box to hold a chess piece.

I'm ready to guess the winner.

Actually, there was a bit of boasting involved in what he said. His original tactical plan was to stay in Hokkaido for a full month and set up the newly acquired villa.

But after carefully weighing the pros and cons, he decided against it. The bamboo sword forging was putting a lot of pressure on him, and this person did not seem to be someone who could be defeated easily.

At the very least, you need to sit up straight and give it your all.

But this is something that can't be known by others, so you have to pretend to be in complete control.

"Are you ready, Kojiro? You just got back from Hokkaido, so you're still a bit rusty. Maybe I should give you a game to warm up?" Narita Shunji opened his eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, his expression full of provocation.

Not only Narita Shunji, but everyone else was also eager to come up and play a game with Koji Mitsu.

In their view, Ke Zhiguang has been playing in Hokkaido for so long that his skills must be rusty. In addition, his playing style is quite unconventional, so now is undoubtedly the best time to defeat him.

Since the New Star Tournament, Ke Zhiguang seems to have broken through the bottleneck of his strength and reached a new level. His win rate in training matches has soared from 58% to 80%, even after he lost many games carelessly.

Once on the field, as everyone saw, he quickly won two more championships, continuing the myth of "the rising star's momentum being unstoppable in the second year".

In short, now is the best time to defeat Kezhiguang!

"No need. My current touch is better than ever." Ke Zhiguang nodded calmly.

The effects of the Emperor's Pool are still in effect, maintaining a semi-perfect state for half a year, which should be enough to deal with Narita Shunji.

"Then, let's begin!"

— Lie down.

One more time, then lie down again.

By the third game, it was already quite late, so we decided to play a fast game and then lay down again.

At 10 p.m., the day's schedule finally came to an end. On the record sheet on the wall of the chess academy, there were a few more checkmarks under Ke Zhiguang's name, indicating that he had won.

"He was supposed to be rusty after such a long vacation, right? But he's still very skilled!"

"Damn it, why is this person still in great shape even after going to Hokkaido? Is 'Ke Zhiguang on Vacation' going to become a reality?"

"I heard that he went with Princess Qingdao this time, which means the two of them had plenty of time to practice chess. It's very likely that his touch will remain hot during this period."

"What? With Princess Qingdao? Unbelievable! Could it be that all those ridiculous Go associations like 'Old Man Pushing a Cart,' 'Double Swallow,' 'Double Live,' and 'Tortoise Shell' are really going to become a reality?"

"My intelligence is even more absurd. Horie Takami and Otto Kuma Sakura are also in his group. Maybe it's a four-person team."

"Damn it! This lineup is enough to make a mahjong table! It's actually the Self-Draw Association! Anyone will do, hurry up and punish him, let him taste the bitterness of being a runner-up!"

A group of people whispered behind them, their anger growing stronger.

"Thank you for your guidance. That's all for today." After bowing to his opponent, Ke Zhiguang got up and left, bringing the "Public Enemy Experience" to a temporary close.

It feels pretty good. As we all know, the most satisfying thing is not going into a dungeon, but being the dungeon boss and slapping all the players until the screen turns gray.

After enjoying myself, I stepped out of the chess academy, and the biting cold air hit me again, turning every breath into white mist.

After a few games of Go, everything returned to normal. Tokyo was right beneath my feet, the Go Institute was behind me, and before me were fleeting, illusory images.

Yamaoka, who was also a roommate in the same apartment building, came along.

"It's so cold! The temperature difference between day and night has been huge lately," Yamaoka said, pulling his coat over his collar.

"It is said that this climate will last all year round."