The work of the Go master

At noon, Harushima Deer returned to room 2509 in the Women's Dormitory.

Almost two months later, she finally returned to her familiar little home, where her Border Collie named Kata excitedly licked her.

Although Xingcai was the one taking care of it during this period, in its mind, the Shimmering Island Deer was still the master.

"Senior Harushima, it's been a long time." Hoshino came out of her room. It was Sunday, and she happened to be home.

"Long time no see! I'm going to have dinner soon. You want to come... wait, you can't come. This is a gathering for adults who are level six or above!" Harushima Shika suddenly stopped her invitation.

"Are you rushing to attend Senior Ke Zhiguang's victory celebration banquet?"

"Well...yes, after all, he finally won a championship, and...and he even begged me very earnestly before I agreed to go." Harushima Shika coughed reservedly.

"Stare—" Xingcai's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Woof woof," the Border Collie barked twice.

"Hey! What do you guys mean by this? While I was gone, your synchronization rate has been this high?!"

"Yes, yes, I believe you, Harushima-senpai. You didn't actually want to go, but you were begged, so you had no choice, right?"

"This...where did you learn that tone of voice from?" Harushima Shika choked up.

After thinking about it, I realized it was a stupid question. Isn't it obvious who he learned that from?

"Alright, Senior Harushima, go change your clothes. You rushed back for this purpose, right? If you're going to change into new clothes, remember to cut off the tags. At least don't let Senior Keiji find out that you changed into new clothes specifically for this banquet."

"Yes, I understand!"

Then the door to Harushima Kashima's room was closed, and the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from inside.

Xingcai sighed helplessly, feeling exhausted just looking at the other person.

She returned to her room, sat down at the chessboard, and began practicing by studying chess scores.

She has been training at the chessboard recently, showing exceptional diligence.

"How can I possibly get past the senior's two-son barrier?" she muttered to herself, stroking her chin.

Chapter 52 The venue is all set up for you

Ke Zhiguang returned to Peach Blossom Studio carrying a knife.

"Hey everyone, I'm back." As soon as Ke Zhiguang stepped across the threshold, a group of fellow Daoists were so frightened that they scurried into the house, making the whole apartment noisy.

"At least put the knife down!" Yamaoka was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.

"Oh, so that's what it is. Actually, I just came to show off the trophy. It's not even sharpened yet." Ke Zhiguang drew the short sword from its sheath, revealing a flash of white light.

Yamaoka, adjusting his glasses and looking embarrassed, said, "No, it's not mainly about the knife. It's mainly because it's you holding it, which makes it more intimidating than if someone else were carrying it..."

"Alright, you hold onto that knife for me. Let's go show it off to each of our fellow Daoists' rooms."

"No way! Who would do something so menial?"

"Perhaps An Yongxin would agree."

"This...this is truly undeniable..."

Soma Masae happened to pass by and said, "Hey, Koji Mitsuaki, congratulations on winning the title of Master of the Tournament. You played exceptionally well."

Yamaoka also sighed, "Come to think of it, you've already won two consecutive championships as a rising star and a veteran. Suddenly, you seem so distant."

"There's also the Autumn Cup and the Rapid Chess Cup in between, making it a four-peat."

"You...would it kill you to shut up a bit!" Yamaoka yelled, as if he had choked, and then became breathless and weak all over.

Soma Masae asked, "So, are you going to hold a victory celebration next?"

"Yes, would anyone like to join us?"

Yamaoka shook his head decisively: "No, we can have some skewers by ourselves if we have the chance, but let's skip the group gathering."

—Everyone knows who's going to your victory celebration party! Anyone else going there would be asking for trouble!

“Since Yamaoka isn’t going, then I’ll just let it go too,” said Masae Soma.

Ok?

Why do I have this vague feeling that these two are having an affair?

Not long ago, Yamaoka was sent home by Soma Masae in the second round of the Meisho Tournament, a disgrace to male Go players. The Black and White Comedy Club even came to collect some material.

So that's how it is. In this pairing, Yamaoka is the bottom.

Ke Zhiguang rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully and nodded.

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling you're thinking of something sarcastic again, and it's probably me." Yamaoka clenched his fists, his eyes bulging so much they almost rolled back.

"Well, that's all for now. Goodbye, let's have dinner together sometime."

Back in the room, it was as clean and tidy as ever.

A clear area has been cleared out on the trophy rack specifically to hold this knife-shaped trophy.

It's a pity it lacks a knife stand, which makes it less classy. For example, Xuan Yu's knife-shaped trophy is displayed on a stand, with a painting hanging behind it.

In fact, this space has become cramped and is gradually becoming unable to accommodate so many things.

Although the god of quantum mechanics is using various methods to save space and create a room full of Japanese-style small joys, the overall space is what it is, and that cannot be changed.

Looking at the scene before him, Ke Zhiguang suddenly recalled when he first came here. He always thought he could live here for ten years, but he didn't expect that in less than a year, the space here would already be insufficient.

Perhaps this is what growth is all about. From having just crossed the threshold of becoming a professional player before even achieving a professional ranking, I have now won two titles. I expect to be awarded an eighth-dan certificate at the Go Academy next time I visit.

With its strength increased significantly, the scenery in front of it naturally seems smaller.

After sighing, Ke Zhiguang put the chessboard back on the desk.

Then reach out and tear off a clipping from the wall.

Famous general, cleared the game, next up is the Dragon Throne Battle, three months later.

During these three months, he does not plan to participate in any other competitions, focusing all his energy on this battle.

As I was gazing at the newspaper clippings on the wall, the phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, is this senior?"

"Inoue? What do you need me for?" Ke Zhiguang asked, puzzled.

"It's just to offer my congratulations. I won't be attending your next banquet... By the way, Shuicheng has something to do at home today and can't attend your banquet, so please don't contact or bother her," Xingcai said.

"Okay, I understand... now, right?"

Why do you know about things happening in other people's homes?

"Also, the second round of tests for the former president and former vice president is about to begin. They did very well in their first unified exam and are now in high spirits, throwing themselves into the second phase of preparation. Don't disturb them."

"This is great news! It seems the wish I made on the night of the meteor shower last year was very effective."

This is how exams work in Japan: first, you take a series of standardized tests, and then you decide which university and major to choose based on your scores. The exam process lasts for nearly two months.

It's almost a tournament of major titles, which really tests the players'... well, I mean, the candidates' overall qualities.

Sometimes, Ke Zhiguang would imagine whether he would have had a smooth life if he hadn't chosen the path of Go but instead pursued a regular academic path.

Very likely, after all, he's so good at Go, his IQ must be high.

Xingcai added, "Also, senior Xiongying and senior Yingmei stayed up all night playing a really time-consuming game and are still asleep. You don't need to disturb them."

"Actually, I don't have their numbers either."

"And there's more, and there's more..."

In short, after listening to Xingcai's long-winded explanation, the gist is... everyone in the family and friends group except for Qingdaolu was in a plane crash?

So you're really just here to send your congratulations, or do you have some other purpose?

"That's about it. I look forward to seeing you at school next time. Exams are about to start, and I hope you can attend on time... If you have time, let's play chess again, with a two-piece handicap."

"That's no problem."

Ke Zhiguang was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the other party to be so diligent.

In fact, Xingcai had always given him the impression that she was someone who was rather casual about chess and focused her main energy on her studies. He never expected that she would take the initiative to challenge someone like him who was good at it.

Perhaps some mysteries surrounding her will soon come to light, especially since I recently had a face-to-face meeting with Inoue Masakado.

"See you next time then."

After hanging up the phone, Ke Zhiguang fell into deep thought.

I originally planned to have a big family gathering, but as we were cutting things up, only Harushima Kaoru was left.

Well, coincidentally, the "meal voucher" he received was for a two-person table.

On the other hand, although he won the championship in this tournament, he was surprisingly calm and did not have any intention of shouting and leading a group of people to eat and drink extravagantly. He just wanted to eat something simple and down-to-earth.

Perhaps it was because pre-match expectations were too high; I always felt that this tournament of renowned players would pull off some underhanded tricks.

Let's just make do with these two people.

So he went out.

After Xingcai hung up the phone, Qingdaolu also changed her clothes and came out, wearing an ordinary spring/winter dress and thick tights.

Although she wanted to put up some flowers, she ultimately succumbed to the cold.

Among her various fortune-boosting abilities, there is no cold resistance value.

"Starry Sky, can I borrow your tallest boots?" said Harujima Deer.

"That might not be suitable for you. It's very uncomfortable if the shoes don't fit."

"I've thought about it carefully. Bai Meng will most likely show up again. I have to overpower her in terms of momentum. Whether it's uncomfortable or not is not the issue. So lend me the boots quickly," said Qingdao Lu with high spirits.

"Then you don't need to worry. When I called to congratulate Senior Ke Zhiguang just now, he said that there would be no one else this time."

"R-Really?" Shiro's eyes lit up.

"It's true, he said it himself."

"Okay, goodbye. I'll bring you a Black Forest cake when I come back." Harushima Deer walked towards the door with great interest.

Soon, only one person and one dog remained in 2509.