The work of the Go master

Hmm... this is surprisingly easy to understand.

If Hoshigami and Hoshino are like unpredictable cat-like girls, then Harujima Kaoru is undoubtedly the dog-like type; everything she's thinking is written on her tail.

Ke Zhiguang turned his head and glanced at the breathtaking sunset over the sea. The orange sun was half-submerged on the horizon, like a lukewarm egg yolk, making one want to take a bite.

I had this urge to watch it sink deeper and deeper, until it turned into the sunset and then into the night.

For Shireshima Kashima, being able to say these words brought a great sense of relief, putting one of her worries to rest.

After all, there haven't been many opportunities to be alone these past few days... it's all been family activities together.

Although both teammates are aware of this matter as members of the same team whose names are engraved on the "Witnesses of History" list, it's probably better for each person to express their gratitude individually.

“Then… let’s switch,” Ke Zhiguang suddenly said.

"Exchange??" Harujima Deer shuddered slightly and plunged headfirst into the mud. Just then, a wave splashed over her, washing her face in the process.

"What's wrong?" Ke Zhiguang asked with concern when he saw the other person suddenly fall flat on their face.

"You're asking me what's wrong! Are you going to change this or something...?" Harushima Deer spat out the dirt in her mouth while grooming her fur, mentally calculating how much the dowry and diamond ring would cost.

"I mean, to exchange fans."

"Huh?" Harushima Shika was taken aback.

"The folding fan I'm using now is the one you first gave me, the chess master's folding fan. You said that one day after you defeated me on the chess field, you would return it to me, but now it seems that this folding fan can only stay with me," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Hey! You're just trying to get something for nothing! That's a fan that Mr. Hanno personally signed!"

"Well, at worst I'll talk to him and sign another one."

"Well... judging from your tone, it sounds like you two are quite familiar..."

That's right, we really are very familiar with each other.

"Besides, if I'm going to return your folding fan, I'll have to return yours too, but yours already has the words 'Number One Woman' written on it, so I can't use it," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Hmm... alright then, you can have this advantage for now, but I'll definitely get my revenge later!" After her cheeks flushed red, Harushima Kakashi pointed at Koji Hikaru and declared her intention to take advantage.

Ke Zhiguang scratched his head.

"Okay."

"Hey! What's with that attitude? Don't you believe I can get my money back?"

"No, no, no, I believe, I believe, I really believe, I really believe."

Harujima Shika choked, baring his teeth: "That damned use of reduplication..."

Hmm, so she's already aware of this sarcastic way of speaking.

But she quickly recovered, her chest heaving as if she were about to make a more significant declaration:

"Hey, don't you think our way of addressing each other is a bit strange?"

"Is there a problem?" Ke Zhiguang didn't quite react for a moment.

"Nonsense, of course it's my name! You're still calling me Harushima, don't you think that's weird? You've only just met Kuma Sakura and Takami, and you call them by their first names, but you still call me by my surname!" Harushima Shika said, clearly annoyed.

This...this seems to really be true.

There's no way around it, it's mainly because these two people's names are funny and sound unexpectedly comical.

Actually, he had always called Hoshino Inoue, but after Hoshino joined the team, it was not appropriate to call her Inoue anymore, so as not to cause confusion.

"That...deer?"

The Japanese pronunciation is xika, which is surprisingly stylish, like calling someone Shika.

The moment the name was mentioned, the sea breeze seemed to become more pleasant, and two ponytails fluttered behind the deer's head, while the sound of waves falling in a colorful chorus.

After a few seconds of silence, Harushima Kashima finally spoke: "What... at least you can call people by their names properly..."

Her lips curved into a contented smile in the sunset, her silhouette slanting downwards.

She puffed out her chest again and shouted, "Light!"

The Chinese pronunciation of "guang" is clear and distinct, without any of the Japanese-style rolled sounds. Although many friends also call him "guang" (光), it is the Japanese word "guang" (光), a string of Romanized syllables.

Ke Zhiguang's heart stirred quietly.

A different kind of emotion arose.

Light, and deer.

“I see, I understand now…” Ke Zhiguang nodded, seemingly having gained some profound insight. “When we combine, we become… Cenarius!”

"What the hell is that?! It sounds like something out of a game! And the atmosphere just doesn't stop like that!" Harushima Shika spat out a mouthful of blood, as if he had been hit by a sudden storm of art and lost 10,000 points of health.

So she angrily stepped into the sea and frantically splashed water at Ke Zhiguang.

Ke Zhiguang also joined in for a sparring match, and their laughter echoed playfully in the sea.

Dusk turned into sunset, and pink floral patterns scattered across the sky.

The two of them also came out of the sea and joined the other friends on the beach, and together they headed to the restaurant for dinner.

"Hey! The latest issue of 'Between Black and White' is out!" Someone noticed it on a bookshelf as they passed the restaurant entrance.

"No way? This lousy book can still be published here?" Qingdao Lu's face darkened.

"Don't forget, this is one of the important bases of the Chess Academy."

"Quick, turn to the last page, we want to see a joke!"

A group of people rushed over excitedly and took "Between Black and White" off the bookshelf.

"Damn it! You can look, but you're not allowed to flip to the last jokes section!" Harushima Shika shouted.

The latest issue's cover indeed features the final scene of the Dragon Throne match, with a close-up of Koichi Kō holding up the trophy – a moment destined to be recorded in chess history textbooks.

As I turned the pages, memories of the past ten days or so resurfaced: winning game after game, overcoming hurdle after hurdle. Sometimes memories are like that—the more you recall, the more there are, and the more precious they become.

"Look, this is me!" Shinobu Harushima set the page to the game she played against the Empress.

The comments below the game screenshots were full of praise; the editorial team, contrary to their usual behavior, had all turned from haters to true fans.

Turn the page again, and the joke begins.

After the first round of the competition, the tile lady from Seto landed on the Ryugu.

[After the second round of competition, the unspoken Queen of Scooping is approaching the third round.]

After the third round of competition, the princess, whose title was questionable, stole the victory in the third round.

After the fourth round of matches, Harushima Shika 9-dan won the fourth game against his opponent.

After the fifth round of matches, Princess Harushima swept aside most of the female players' starting hands.

[Having defeated the Empress, the supreme princess has earned the title of the true number one woman today.]

—This is how the Black and White Jokes Editorial Department reported.

"Hahaha, those stupid editors finally realized their mistake. Now they finally know how powerful I am, right?" Harushima Kashiwa laughed triumphantly, bending over with laughter.

Well... it's not that the editorial department admitted their mistake, but rather that they were telling a joke in a self-deprecating tone.

As expected of the top writing team in the industry, they're so ruthless they even use themselves as material.

Just when you think the jokes are all over and there won't be any more—

The second joke also has an ending.

During the Dragon Throne Battle, the Ryugu suddenly encountered a shipwreck. The entire ship was rocking precariously and slowly sinking. Everyone had to hold on tightly to the nearby fixed objects to ensure that they would not fall into the water.

Xingjia shouted, "For everyone's safety, she let go and fell into the water. The boat's sinking speed slowed down a lot, but it was still sinking.

Xingcai shouted, "To continue my sister's belief," and also let go, falling into the water to slow down her descent.

Ke Zhiguang shouted, "For a better tomorrow for the Go world!" He then kicked his bamboo sword into the water, slowing his descent.

After the joke was over, everyone stared at Ke Zhiguang with disappointed looks.

It roughly means...I'm absolutely certain you're capable of doing this...

"Great! You're the one who got roasted this time!" Harushima Kashima said happily.

"Oh, there's more to come."

Turn the page, and the joke continues—

Harushima Shika shouted, "I am now the number one true female streamer!"

Then all the fans of Harujima Deer on the ship started to applaud.

Finally, thanks to the reduced weight of thousands of people, the ship successfully docked.

That's the end of the joke.

This... is truly a treasure.

"What does this mean?" Harujima Shika asked alertly, not understanding at first.

"The gist is..." Xingjia secretly explained the meaning of the last paragraph.

After the explanation, Harushima Shika paused for two seconds before she understood.

"Damn it, these bastards! They're all masters at making fun of me!"

Laughter erupted from the private rooms of the restaurant.

The moonlight tonight is exceptionally serene, and all the laughter and joy are immersed in bubbles.

"Mr. Ke, you have a phone call." The waiter suddenly came in and said.

"My phone?"

Ke Zhiguang was puzzled at first, but immediately understood.

This is most likely a call made by myself.

And judging from the waiter's expression, like he'd seen a ghost, maybe the caller ID on the phone wasn't even showing up...

When I made that call, I couldn't choose a specific time; I could only choose a general "me after this game of chess."

He wasn't sure whether he would win or lose the game.

"Okay, I'm coming."