The work of the Go master

The deer on the island of Harujima were inspired by this.

"Letting you deal with more dangerous male players, while letting her take on female players of equal rank in the vice-captain position, is a sign of great trust in you. The outside world will definitely praise your actions and may even label you as a feminist," Ke Zhiguang continued to persuade.

"Oh, I see. Well then, what can I do when I'm so amazing?" Harushima Kashiwa agreed, feigning reluctance, and puffed out her chest.

Hmm... she's unusually easy to talk to today.

Normally, they would definitely try to save face for the deputy general.

This is perhaps the special effect of [commanding teammates], which can subtly give teammates a psychological suggestion effect of "why not go along with it".

Immediately afterwards, Harushima Shika confidently said, "So, you're asking me to play a position other than vice-general, are you planning to give me the captain's position?"

Well... it seems there might be some deviation in the execution of this special effect.

"Okay, here you go."

"Hey, you actually agreed!"

"Oh? So you weren't planning on having any? Well then, I guess I'll just have to sit tight."

Taking a step back to advance at crucial moments can be quite effective.

"Alright, this time, I'll give you the position of commander. After all... it's such an important position, it just doesn't feel right if it's not handled by someone who is particularly reliable."

Although this Dragon Throne event is a team battle, it is not a ring tournament, so there is no situation where one player is strong enough to wipe out the opponent with one blow.

However, it is not a typical team battle where all positions are balanced; instead, it reserves all the main events for the battle of the main general.

“I’ll play this position well… By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask you.” Ke Zhiguang suddenly said.

"what's up?"

"Can I bark?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Huh? Woof? Like a dog barking?"

"A meow is fine too, it's not mandatory," Ke Zhiguang said, feigning seriousness.

Explore the feasibility of [directing them to do things they wouldn't normally do].

"This, this, this is so embarrassing!" Harushima Shika didn't even ask for a reason and immediately started complaining.

"Well, Xingcai isn't here anyway."

"Then I really did call out."

"Yes, I'm listening."

"Meow!" Harushima Deer suddenly made a fierce sound.

Like a roaring, hungry dragon emoji, a cute syllable that sounds like a hiccup floats out.

Hmm... it seems this strange skill is more useful than I imagined.

Speaking of the [Talent of a General] effect, it seems there's no time limit or number of uses specified, right?

Since that's the case, hehehe...

However, several subsequent attempts to persuade her failed. For example, she was asked to imitate a sheep's bleating, a cow's mooing, or a man's whimpering, and she was ruthlessly rejected each time.

And so, dusk fell.

Chapter Sixty-One: Emotions Have Arrived

At 7 p.m., Tokyo came alive with its own vibrant lights once again, and the streets were bustling with people on the weekend.

The cold rain of March struck again, and pedestrians on the street opened up umbrellas of various colors, like a flowing rainbow.

After dinner, Xingcai strolled along the bustling street with an umbrella, looking at the dazzling array of shop windows around her, in which her own image was reflected.

Before I knew it, I was back on my usual commute to and from get off work, or rather, my way to and from school.

That's often how life is. You want to take a different path, but you always end up inexplicably circling back to the old one.

Since we're already here, we might as well buy a matcha latte, which is what we usually buy.

However, upon arriving at the beverage shop—

"Oh, what a coincidence, to run into you here."

A familiar voice came from in front of me.

Under the eaves, Ke Zhiguang leaned against the entrance of the beverage shop, squinting at the steaming hot strawberry milk, deliberately making a hissing sound of delicious satisfaction.

“It’s not a coincidence at all. It’s obvious that you deliberately waited for me here, pretending it was a chance encounter.” Xingcai remained unmoved.

"Oh? Then what about the evidence?" Ke Zhiguang asked calmly.

“You didn’t have an umbrella, which means it wasn’t raining when you left. You weren’t wet either, which means you’ve been here for a while. And you know this is a shop I frequent. I have enough reason to suspect you’re here to wait for me.” Xingcai said with a bit of pride, thinking she had made a pretty good deduction.

She picked up a matcha latte and leaned against the side, munching away.

It's a pity it wasn't the dead of winter, so the warm latte lacked a bit of its charm.

"So, what brings you here, senior? You talked on the phone with Senior Harushima all day, and now you can't wait to chat with another girl tonight?" Hoshino raised her eyes, giving me a "fixed" look.

Just as she said, that phone call this morning inexplicably lasted all day.

However, this happens often; we might chat for no apparent reason all day, but upon reflection, it seems we didn't talk about anything at all.

But at least I managed to have lunch. I sat by the landline, eating my food while holding the receiver.

After a full day of testing, this "Talent of a General" is indeed quite useful. Maybe next time I can trick Harushima Kashima into cooking, making her realize that her culinary talent is at its maximum level.

Now, it's time to use this on Xingcai.

Although this skill can only be used on teammates, there's no hard and fast rule that it has to be a teammate in this team battle to be considered a teammate.

In a broad sense, anyone you consider a friend can be categorized as a teammate.

As long as you believe it yourself.

So now, the command skill is activated...

"Inoue, you have an enemy you want to defeat, don't you?" Koji Hikaru asked in a deep voice, as if asking the night sky.

A thought quietly stirred in Xingcai's heart.

“I can feel your strong obsession in your chess. If you didn’t have a particularly strong vision and an urgent desire to defeat someone, you wouldn’t have such a thorny determination,” Ke Zhiguang said with a straight gaze.

"So, can you tell me who that opponent you desperately want to defeat is... whoever it is, whether it's your father, your mother, or even your sister... even myself, I'll help you find a way." As Ke Zhiguang spoke, the sound of rain suddenly became noisy, like white noise from some movies.

The visible psychological suggestion effect directly altered the weather conditions.

Xingcai's side also responded.

Her lips seemed to open slightly before she lowered her eyes and said, "The opponent I need to defeat... is myself."

"Could you be more specific?" Ke Zhiguang asked, not surprised by this unusual answer.

"To be specific, it's a strange curse that my father placed on me," Xingcai said.

"A curse? That's so vicious?" Ke Zhiguang was stunned.

Xingcai shook her head: "It can't be called a curse. In his view, it could even be considered a good intention. Just treat it as a strange spell... Do you think I'm being a bit out of touch with reality?"

“Not at all, I’m used to it.” Ke Zhiguang nodded nonchalantly. “As expected of a shrine maiden family, they should have these supernatural elements.”

Hmm... it feels a bit strange to say it like that, as if the other person's father was also a shrine maiden.

“Our Inoue family has been one of the leading schools of Go since the Edo period, and it is the only family that has survived to this day. If you have enough experience, senior, you should understand the dangers of antiquities, right?”

“I understand. To make a long story short, if it’s time to jump, then jump.” Ke Zhiguang nodded.

Frankly, these kinds of secret topics should be discussed privately in a small room by two people, rather than being chatted about like ordinary people on a noisy street.

"In short, our family's fortunes have declined in the last ten years, and our business is not as good as before. As one of the inheritors of the bloodline, I am just an ordinary person. I am not qualified to communicate with the gods or to have any talent for Go." Xingcai said calmly, occasionally reaching out to catch the rainwater outside the eaves.

"I've never seen an ordinary person who can achieve success in three areas—work, studies, and chess—at the same time," Ke Zhiguang said.

Xingcai shook her head for a moment before nodding: "You're right. Compared to ordinary people, I am indeed a winner in life, but most of my achievements are due to my family's support... However, my family doesn't like me much, especially my father. He doesn't like me, a daughter with no talent as a shrine maiden."

Ke Zhiguang said, "I can understand that a father might hate a mediocre son, but to hate a mediocre daughter... to be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen one."

Xingcai raised an eyebrow: "Oh? I know you have countless monstrous ambitions, senior. So, daughters are also within your sphere of influence..."

"Stop! I'm just stating a normal phenomenon in today's society: doting fathers are everywhere. As a fine young man who respects gender equality, I've always treated my sons and daughters equally," Ke Zhiguang said righteously.

"So you don't even spare your son." Xingcai's gaze deepened, and she took a step back, as if distancing herself from a group chat member. "I seriously suspect that Xun's younger brother has already been...

"Alright, you're really good at this, I surrender... Go on, I won't interrupt this time." Ke Zhiguang gave a French military salute.

As expected of Xingcai, if this were Qingdao deer, it would have been choked into a ditch and taken by Ke Zhiguang long ago.

“In such an environment, I naturally received far less love in the family than my sister, even though my sister and I had a very good relationship. A part of her sensory connection was with me.”

"Sensory connection?" Ke Zhiguang heard a new concept.

"It's about sharing the five senses. For example, if I eat something delicious, my sister can also eat something similar. When I'm watching a good movie, my sister's visual effects will also come in and watch it with me. We can even have a direct conversation."

I see. No wonder when I chatted with Xingjia yesterday, her understanding of modern culture was no less than that of an ordinary high school girl.

It turns out that she and Xingcai had always been in this fused state.

"So... are you two still connected?" Ke Zhiguang asked. If the answer was "yes," it would feel a little strange.

"No, she hasn't had much free time lately... Sometimes I wonder if it's because of my incompetence that my sister has to work so hard." She muttered to herself, her slightly dim eyes looking at the neon lights in the rain.

"And then you embarked on your rebellious journey away from home?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Yes, that happened right after the team battle. I had a clear overwhelming advantage before the match, but in the final one-on-one duel, I was defeated by the former president of the club, Bai Meng, with a single spear thrust. Then my father got angry. As the daughter of the Inoue family, he couldn't even beat an ordinary high school girl. He was so angry that he kicked me out of the house and told me to come to Tokyo to develop on my own. At most, he would help me with the transfer procedures... In the end, it's all thanks to you, senpai~?" The last "senpai" made Xingcai's voice unexpectedly sweet.

So sweet it's as if she'll be smiling and pulling a blood-stained machete from under her skirt at any moment.

"This...no, no, no, this has nothing to do with me. It's Bai Meng who's amazing, it's Bai Meng who's amazing." Ke Zhiguang quickly shifted the blame.

"If it weren't for you, former president Bai Meng wouldn't have unleashed her power at the last moment. And you were the one who personally fought your way from the vice-general battle all the way to the main general battle to turn around the huge score difference, you know?"

"Okay, even if I might be 99% to blame, doesn't Bai Meng also bear 1%?"

The atmosphere under the eaves was mysteriously cheerful. The two were clearly talking about something that made people feel very unfortunate, but the raindrops dripped down like cheerful notes.

Perhaps this is what they call turning a funeral into a celebration.

Thinking about it this way, Hoshino's defeat to Harushima Kakashi in the Women's Cup must have been a significant blow to Inoue Masakado. Who could bear to take two runner-up finishes in a row?