The work of the Go master

For a moment, the entire team watched her triumphant return.

Walking slowly to the ground, Xingcai seemed somewhat smug: "What time is it now?"

"At 10:36:53, you have been watching TV for an hour and a half," Ke Zhiguang accurately reported the time.

So you mean we're still free to celebrate tonight?

"Of course, tell me quickly, what do you want to eat? I'll take you there."

"I'll pass on the food. I don't have the kind of physique that allows me to eat whatever I want without gaining weight... I just want to make one request."

Xingcai took a deep breath and then bowed deeply.

The sea breeze after the rain rose just in time, stirring up a beautiful wave.

"Please let me join your team, please."

"No problem." Ke Zhiguang readily agreed this time.

If the other party's previous request to join the team was just a momentary impulse, then this time they must really want to join the team, right?

At this point, the five-person team was complete.

We can board the ship now.

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Castle Keep

The second day arrived after the rain, and the smoke of yesterday's battle had completely dissipated.

The deer on Sunny Island naturally woke up around noon.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry..." she yawned groggily.

The temperature was quite warm today, so she easily crawled out of bed and went to the living room in her panda pajamas to see if Xingcai had left lunch for her when she left this morning.

The moment I stepped into the living room, my feet wouldn't move, and I was instantly wide awake.

His expression gradually turned to surprise, or rather, as if he had been startled awake.

Today is Monday, and Xingcai should still be at school, but she is currently fast asleep on the sofa.

The key point is...

—What's with this uniform that looks like it's been worn all night at a nightclub?!

As a model student whose aesthetic sense leans towards children's tastes, there's something about her that's hard to look at.

"Are you... alright?" Harushima Kashima approached cautiously.

Xingcai also regained some of her senses at this moment: "Senior Qingdao..."

As they approached, Harujima Deer could smell the alcohol.

this......

Harushima Kashiwa imagined certain scenarios.

"Quick! Tell me, which bastard did this!" Harujima Shika asked righteously, showing great concern for Hoshia's current situation.

"Huh?" Xingcai was stunned.

"Damn it, how could they do such a cruel thing to our Xingcai? If I catch them, I'll definitely scatter their ashes!" Qingdaolu made an angry gesture of shoveling ashes.

"Should we call the police? Wait, think about it. This seems to affect your reputation, so it's not advisable to make a big fuss about it... Let's just retaliate in kind. I'll call for help right now!"

Harujima Kashima promptly went to the phone and pulled out a contact list containing the numbers of acquaintances.

After looking through it, I realized that with my current network of connections, it seems I can't find any powerful thugs...

"Never mind, let's call Ke Zhiguang over first. Although I've never seen him fight, he always gives off the feeling that he's quite strong." So Qingdaolu decisively dialed Ke Zhiguang's number.

"Wait, wait! I haven't become some kind of fallen girl!" Seeing the other person's series of confusing behaviors, Xingcai was immediately startled back to reality.

After everything was over yesterday, he and Ke Zhiguang symbolically went to an izakaya they occasionally visited for a while before returning.

Because of the effects of the Empress Pool, she confidently declined Ke Zhiguang's offer to take her upstairs, stating that she was perfectly sober.

As soon as she got home, the effects of the Empress Pool began to wear off, and she simply collapsed onto the sofa.

Looking back now, a million things happened yesterday, it felt like I stayed up all night watching an entire season of anime.

In a state of complete clarity and calm, she... submitted her application to enlist.

Ke Zhiguang agreed.

this......

"Ugh, really, what did I do yesterday?" Xingcai frowned and rubbed her forehead.

I wish I could rewind time and knock myself out before I make that request.

The most ridiculous thing is that Ke Zhiguang actually agreed...

It's practically forcing myself onto a pirate ship.

But I do actually want to join this team.

A strange contradiction was brewing in her heart.

Upon seeing Hoshino suddenly groan, Harujima Deer became alert again: "Sure enough, something happened yesterday! Tell me who that bastard is! Also, you need to go to the hospital for a checkup, be careful not to catch any diseases!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Xingcai made three traffic police gestures to stop the car before speaking slowly, "This is what happened yesterday..."

After this description, Harujima Deer roughly understood the current situation.

She was dumbfounded.

"You're about to become our Dragon Throne teammate?"

"That's about it... but I won't force anyone else if they disagree." Xingcai nodded sincerely.

The deer's mouth remained wide open, unable to utter a single word.

Just then, the phone call made not long ago finally received a reply at the last second: "Moshi Moshi? Is this Qingdao? What's up with you calling me at noon?"

"So that bastard was you!" Harushima Shika grabbed the phone and roared like a hungry dragon.

.......

.......

Half an hour later, the three met at the restaurant.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward, like being called in by the teacher to have parents.

"That's pretty much it. She earned this spot on the team from me through her own abilities," Ke Zhiguang said calmly, sipping his freshly ordered juice.

Harushima Shika thought for a long time before speaking uncertainly: "So, you've encountered something strange again recently, and the key to solving this problem lies with Hoshio, right?"

"That's basically it."

Harushima Shika continued nodding in reply, "To defeat your perfect self... is that really possible?"

"That's precisely why I agreed," Ke Zhiguang said.

While waiting and strolling around the cruise ship last night, he kept thinking about whether to agree or not if Xingcai continued to express her desire to join the team after she won the game.

In the end, he couldn't come up with a solution, but faced with Xingcai's solemn and calm request, he agreed based on his intuition at that moment.

His intuition told him that if he agreed, she wouldn't let him down.

Moreover, from a rational perspective, a person's chess skills often experience a period of rapid improvement after winning a crucial battle.

If we make good use of this period of rapid development, we might actually be able to elevate our hard power to a sufficiently high level.

By the way, Xingcai's current score has risen to 96 points.

It looks like the bond level has increased.

Harushima asked Hoshino, "So what about you? Do you really want to participate in the Dragon Throne Battle and... fight your old man?"

Harushima Shika looked directly into the other person's evasive and uneasy eyes.

Xingcai lowered her head and pondered for a long time, as if she was thinking about how to resolve the contradiction in her heart.

Finally, she nodded.

"Yes, I want to participate. There are three reasons. Although the reason I was able to defeat my perfect self yesterday was mainly because of that strange hot spring, I no longer have any extra anxiety. Therefore, I am confident that I can keep this perfect state sealed until the day of the competition."

"The second reason is that I have studied my father's chess very thoroughly, and I think that if I can actually play against him, I will have an extra advantage."

After a long pause, she gave her third reason: "Finally, I have already made some provocative remarks to my father. If I leave in such a sorry state now, I will forever lose the chance to hold my head high in front of him. So, please, I will do my best for the next period of time."

Xingcai bowed her head deeply to Qingdao Lu, every syllable filled with determination.

Harujima Deer found it hard to refuse, so she looked at Ke Zhiguang blankly, hoping for a yes.

Ke Zhiguang shrugged and spread his hands.

In the end, Shireshima Kashima nodded: "I have no choice but to agree for now, but I will be ready to give you a test at any time. If you fail, be prepared to pack your bags and get off the ship, understand?"

"clear."

"You absolutely have to work really hard. If you don't meet the training goals, you won't be allowed to eat or sleep! And... you'll get a beating!"

Hmm... that was a bit too much.

But if it's Harushima Kashima who's the one hitting the paddle, then it's nothing serious; it's probably just the kind of force a kindergarten teacher uses to discipline a child.

"clear......"

"Hmm, very good, but... wait a minute! Even if we both agree, what if Bamboo Knife doesn't agree?"

"That's easy. Just let Inoue play a game with him. Everyone knows that Forging Bro can't beat women. He almost lost his game against Soma," Ke Zhiguang said seriously.

Harujima choked up, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the news that the bamboo sword couldn't defeat a woman was something she herself had revealed to Ke Zhiguang.

“But, but Soma Masae is much better than Hoshino, isn’t she?” Harushima Shika retorted forcefully.

"But Inoue is more like a girl than Soma."

"Fine, I can't argue with you..." Harushima Shika retorted.

—Wait a minute, how many people did you criticize with those words?

"Just kidding, I think Inoue's strength is no weaker than Soma's after yesterday's battle," said Koji Mitsuaki.