The work of the Go master

Having stayed in Hokkaido for so long, he had never actually snuggled up in a kotatsu. After all, he was busy enjoying different hot springs every day, and coming out of the hot springs with the heat still lingering, he naturally had no interest in snuggling up in a kotatsu.

Even if your cold resistance is very high, it doesn't mean you can't feel the joy of the moment when the cold turns into warmth.

Snuggling up in the kotatsu, you can truly feel the warmth of family life.

The room was decorated with small Japanese-style ornaments, and a low-profile camera was placed in front of the kotatsu, creating a low-angle view. If it weren't for the sign that read "Explanation Room," Ke Zhiguang would have thought he had come to the wrong place.

There were only Harushima Kaoru and Reiko in the room. The rest of the work team members were mainly busy with the situation in the control room, so that the two of them could relax and give a live commentary. Reiko would also fix the camera if there was a problem.

Ke Zhiguang introduced himself to the camera: "Hi everyone, I'm Ke Zhiguang, a new commentator. Today I'll be bringing you the second game of the round-robin finals of the 'Famous Players Tournament'..."

As we were talking, the match on the screen had already started.

After the previous game ended, Xuan Yuzhi went for a walk in the courtyard to relax before returning to the house and sitting down at the game table.

"Oh, after the coin toss, Bamboo Sword got the white pieces, and Black Jade got the black pieces."

"After the defeat in the last game, Xuan Yu chose a high-center opening... Qing Shima, this is an opening you are very good at, is there anything you want to say?"

"N-nothing..." Harushima Shika buried her face in the table and mumbled incoherently, strange steam rising from her head.

The situation was somewhat unusual; her behavior had been strange from the moment she entered.

Although she often exhales steam, this time it seems more intense, as if she's completely exhausted...

Hmm... that's true, it seems a bit rude of me to have just abruptly entered the girl's kotatsu.

Ke Zhiguang pulled his legs out from deep within the kotatsu and sat cross-legged, deliberately creating some distance between himself and the kotatsu.

"Well!"

As he sat cross-legged, Harushima Shika suddenly seemed to choke and let out a strange cry.

"What's wrong with you?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

Miss Reiko spoke up on his behalf: "It's nothing, maybe he just ate too many oranges and got hiccups."

Upon closer inspection of the coffee table, a large pile of orange peels was indeed visible.

Well, never mind, let's just watch the game.

The game on the screen was proceeding normally, but Shiori Shima, who was providing the commentary, seemed to have gone offline and suddenly fell silent, leaving only Koji Hikaru's mouth chattering away.

Harushima Deer had half its body tucked into the kotatsu, not daring to move an inch, for fear of revealing its important secret.

I couldn't bring myself to say that because I knew in advance I would be staying in a kotatsu today, I wore very light clothing on my lower body.

Of course, just in case, she brought a pair of thick trousers with her and put them in the kotatsu (heated floor warmer). If she needed anything, she could just crawl under the kotatsu and put them on.

We asked Miss Reiko beforehand if this was okay, and she replied that it was no problem at all. Today, this explanation room is their private room.

Then she turned around and said, "Players who are resting can come in"—that's a trap!

To make matters worse... Ke Zhiguang sat on those pants.

Just now, when Ke Zhiguang crossed his legs, Harujima Kashima's heart suddenly raced. He was terrified that Ke Zhiguang would suddenly discover that there was something strange sitting under his butt.

If Ke Zhiguang really found something sitting below, and pulled it up to find it was a pair of pants, then... how would he look at the two people in front of him?

If Reiko then generously stands up and helps to tuck the pants away, then...

It's over. It's over.

Harushima Shika raised her eyes and gave Reiko a couple of subtle hints—get him away quickly!

Reiko pretended not to have received the other party's signal at all.

To be honest, everything was part of Reiko's plan.

No staff will come to this room, and players who are resting can indeed come in and join the commentary team.

But upon closer analysis, Xuan Yuzhi and Zhu Daoduan would never come to a place like this. They are the type who would seize every moment of rest to play chess. Only Ke Zhiguang would have the leisure to sneak over and act as a professional commentator.

Although Reiko joined the Koichi Hikaru fan club under Naosaka's influence, the organization she joined was not one that appreciated Koichi Hikaru's Go skills and talent, but rather one that researched who could be paired with him.

Within this group, Harushima Kashima has consistently ranked second in popularity as a potential pairing.

By the way, the number one pairing is Koji Mitsuaki x Saito... I wonder who came up with this insane combination.

In short, the current situation is...

—In short, I'm totally shipping this couple!

First, she tricked Harujima Kaoru into wearing something cool, and then waited for Ke Zhiguang to come over before she herself tucked him into the kotatsu.

Even the position of those pants was carefully moved by Reiko so that Ke Zhiguang could sit down comfortably.

This is Reiko's plan.

Come on, let me enjoy this up close until I'm completely satisfied!

She excitedly and enthusiastically turned her head toward Ke Zhiguang, hoping he would notice the foreign object sitting on her.

As a result, he really did concentrate on explaining, perfectly embodying the role of a professional commentator.

Reiko was met with a bucket of cold water.

—What an idiot, this guy!

......

......

On the chessboard, the two sides remained locked in a stalemate, as if frozen in place.

The corner hook, the jump, the corner stance... everything proceeded as planned.

After suffering a devastating defeat with flying knives in the previous round, Xuan Yu decided to play it safe for now and stop thinking about attacking his opponent. He wanted to secure a win first and boost morale before making any further moves.

If our side fails to throw the knife, it will further damage morale.

Stable...stable is good...

17, 18, 19, 20...

The twenty-first move: a sharp, fierce glint flashed across the pupil of the bamboo-sword-forged sword!

tick-

It was still the sound of small stones being thrown into the lake.

That was a downward strike that didn't exist in any fixed pattern.

"Another flying knife?" The referees on the side almost wanted to stand up and look at the game.

Ke Zhiguang was also stunned, and didn't notice the strangeness beneath him.

Harushima Deer, which had been in a steam state, also stopped the diesel fuel and looked up at the screen.

As if disgusted, Xuan Yuzhi unconsciously made noises while picking up the chess pieces, his chest heaving as if he was about to burst into curses.

Is this thing coming again?

Chapter 45 Let's have a passionate duel!

Time advances rapidly in ten-second increments, and the chess pieces clatter and buzz.

Both of their expressions froze, like swordsmen in the snow performing a duel while looking for an opportunity to strike.

Just as if being hit by the knife in the last round was due to adopting a cautious and retreating stance, then in this round, one must strive to fight against stronger opponents.

In his thirty-first move, the Black Knight drew his long blade and delivered a powerful strike!

"Xuan Yu has entered; he's going to kill Jiao. Let's see how Duanzi reacts."

However, the expression on the bamboo sword forging side... was already one of wild laughter.

If the expression on the face of the man wielding the cleaver after his success was the sinister smile of Kami of the New World, "The plan is complete," then the expression on the face of the man wielding the cleaver was the demonic smile of Kami of the New World, "Can anyone else do this?"

He raised the chess piece and slammed it onto a jumping point like a slice of a ball.

Even through the screen, Ke Zhiguang could see the special effects of this move... The fire is burning again...

It just so happens to be the thirty-second move, exactly the same number of moves he made in the previous round. To outsiders, it looks as if he and the bamboo swordsmith had conspired to sabotage Xuan Yuzhi.

On the chessboard, Xuan Yuzhi gripped the chess piece tightly, his fingers trembling slightly.

Thankfully, it's just a chess game. If it were a world with even a tiny bit of combat involved, the next scene would be this chess piece being crushed into a pink face.

On the sixty-fifth move, the knife was thrown, and the entire upper left corner of the chessboard was reduced to ashes, a truly horrific sight.

"Xuan Yu is really in a bad situation. How could he be stabbed twice in one day?"

"Hey, you who was writing jokes before, stop for a second. You have some new material. Quickly add the bamboo sword forging to the list."

"If some players with bad tempers were to be defeated like this, they might just flip the chessboard and rush in for a hand-to-hand fight."

Xuan Yuzhi suppressed his gritted teeth and urge to resign, and chose to continue playing.

finally--

The 186th move, the final move, was like the guillotine falling!

"The winner of this round is the 7th Dan bamboo swordsman," the referee announced.

"Great! I succeeded too!" Bamboo Blade Forging shouted, making no attempt to hide his arrogance after his initial victory.

After peeling the last orange, Ke Zhiguang decided to set off.

Halfway through his commentary, he began to immerse himself in the game and calmly reflect, leaving only Reiko speaking throughout the entire match.

After watching this match, one has to admit that it was a truly brilliant strike.

Unfortunately, it still falls short of his strike. Whether it's the risk of the strike, the success rate, or the benefits afterward, Ke Zhiguang's strike is clearly more powerful.

Well, there's no point in saying all this now. A knife can only be used once and cannot be counted in one's own hard power system.

What follows is a clash of hard power.

"Then I'll be going now..."

As soon as Ke Zhiguang got up, Qingdaolu slipped into the kotatsu like an eel and started rummaging around, making a rustling sound as she dressed.

"You...you've been acting a little strange lately?"

"It's nothing, nothing! I just developed a headache that comes out when I'm not at my hometown!"