The work of the Go master

Ke Zhiguang went to the front desk and, after mentally preparing himself, took the phone call.

The sound of my own voice coming from the other end of the phone felt strange and surreal.

"Yes, yes, I won... What? You're asking how I won? I can't really say. It was a quantum mechanics phone call. Even if I told you how to win, you'd forget everything after the call..."

Ke Zhiguang patiently explained to himself on the other end of the phone.

So here's the question... is this really all there is to it?

Can telling your past self that you will win give you courage, hope, and light?

Just as they were pondering how to phrase it, Harushima Deer's head popped out from the corner of the wall.

"Whose call is this?" Harujima Shika narrowed her eyes warily, her invisible antennae twitching.

"This is..." Just as Ke Zhiguang was about to casually say that this was a media interviewer and try to send Qingdaolu away, he seemed to think of something and stared at the other person for a few seconds.

"Lu, are you... interested in answering this call for me?" Ke Zhiguang asked, looking at the other person.

"Answer it for you? Who's calling this number?"

"This...this is my younger brother calling. He just had a setback at the school sports meet and needs a caring older sister to encourage him and his brother." Ke Zhiguang said seriously, "Yes, we really need that."

"Huh?"

Chapter Ninety-Two: Welcome Home

"Your...brother?" Harushima Shika twitched her eyebrows in confusion, feeling that this person was trying to fool her again.

"Yes, he's very confused right now. He made a long-distance call here, but my attempts to comfort him didn't work. He keeps insisting that a gentle older sister can come and comfort him... That's right, Sister Lu, we're counting on you."

The title "gentle older sister" struck a chord with Harushima Kaoru, making her chuckle like steam.

"Ahem, well, there's really nothing I can do about it. I'm the older sister, and I'm so gentle. Since he's your younger brother, I'll help you out this time."

Harushima Shika, adopting a mature demeanor, answered the phone: "Hello, is this Hikaru-nii?"

There was no response on the other end of the phone, only the sound of someone holding their breath.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

There was still no sound, but there was definitely a presence of someone over there.

Why isn't your brother saying anything?

"Maybe it's because he's shy. That's just how he is. Even though he shouts loudly about wanting an older sister, when the older sister actually appears, he's so shy that he doesn't dare to utter a sound... In short, he's a brother who loves his older sister." Ke Zhiguang explained seriously.

The person on the other end must have been stunned when they heard themselves suddenly calling for outside help, unsure whether they should reveal their identity.

Or perhaps it's a tacit understanding between oneself and oneself, performing this silent play together.

"Oh, I see. Kids are kids, it's understandable to be shy." Harushima Shika continued to act like an older sister. "Little brother, I heard you had a setback at the sports meet, but don't worry, I believe in you. You'll be able to get back on your feet soon."

Harujima Kawaimitsu said so.

"Hey, can we get some more realistic lines?" Ke Zhiguang complained from the side.

"Tch, stop nagging. I'm trying to comfort my younger brother, what's it to you?"

Ah... never mind.

Harushima Shika thought for a moment before continuing, "Just like your brother, he had just climbed out of the mud before he defeated his opponent."

Ke Zhiguang was taken aback.

“That’s right. Although your brother thinks he’s the best chess player in the world and doesn’t care about anyone, even he can experience defeat and was once in dire straits. He stood alone on the deck of the ship for a long time, making us all think he was going to jump into the sea... However, we all had his back and believed that he could make a full recovery.”

Harushima Kashima spoke very seriously, and although it still lacked logic, it inexplicably gave people a sense of power.

"It was a very dark night. We were all scared, lacking hope and light. But thankfully, we found courage. All we had to do was stick together. What's that saying again... courage is the most precious and noble thing for all mankind... anyway, that's the gist of it!"

"What grade is your education level, sister?" Ke Zhiguang asked in a childish voice.

"Go away! I, your older sister, have finished elementary school and have a strong command of Chinese. If I can't beat a high school student, I can't beat an elementary school student!" Harushima Kazuya said fiercely to Keji Hikaru.

"Believe in yourselves, and believe in your companions. Hope, courage, and light—that's the secret to our victory!" Harujima Shika didn't know how to phrase it, so she simply raised her voice, making a resounding statement, and trying to sound incredibly inspired.

So... the source of courage, hope, and light is here...

"Thank you, Harushima, I know what to do now," came the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hmm?" Shiori Shika's pupils flickered.

That voice just now... wasn't that Ke Zhiguang's?

The call was immediately disconnected, leaving only a blank dial tone.

She turned her head and looked at Ke Zhiguang with wide, questioning eyes.

Ke Zhiguang then whistled to the other side, as if casually admiring the scenery.

Outside the window in the distance, brilliant pink fireworks rose and bloomed between the two of them.

This is Hawaii, and there are celebrations like this almost every night, with hula dancing, fireworks, and the like.

"Alright, the comforting is over. Let's go back for dinner now." Ke Zhiguang turned around and smiled, giving Qingdao Lu a "let's go" gesture.

The final foreshadowing has been resolved.

Courage, hope, and light have arrived; please acknowledge them as your present self. What awaits you now is the strongest opponent you have ever faced.

Ke Zhiguang said this to his past self.

Harujima Kaguya seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all. She simply smiled with relief and then followed Ke Zhiguang back to the restaurant's private room, as if nothing had happened.

This is also a tacit understanding.

Ke Zhiguang had to admit that he and the other party seemed to have developed some unexpected tacit understanding.

The holiday is still going on.

The first day was a barbecue, the second day was building sandcastles, and on the third day, Saito, as agreed verbally, used a yacht to tow them all to a nearby small island. A large white villa stood in the center of the island, and a group of old men were lying under a parasol reading newspapers.

A net was laid across the beach, clearly for playing beach volleyball... These people really know how to have fun. They're all so old, yet they're still so enthusiastic about discussing the topic of "life and death."

This is the Hawaii branch of the Go Academy, a private retreat for 9-dan players. Every summer, they gather on this wide beach to discuss the allocation of spots for the professional ranking tournament, how to fight the title matches, and how to secure sponsors.

Actually, this isn't a difficult issue to discuss. We could just book a hotel and finish the discussion in three days. But with this group's meeting efficiency comparable to that of the Ents in "The Lord of the Rings," and if they slack off a bit, the battle could easily drag on for more than half a month.

"Next summer, will I be able to lie here legitimately?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Hmph, you can lie down all you want, but if you want to make important decisions, wait until you're a few years older. But you can listen in, though," You Jiudan replied with a grin.

For the next few days, the entire team spent their time in this sparsely populated place with its azure sea view, playing in the water during the day and playing mahjong at night.

Indeed, fewer people are the best catalyst for travel; having no destination is the best destination.

One day, Xia Fuying stood up and said, "I say, although you are all the winners of the Dragon Throne team battle, the specific ownership of the Dragon Throne title still needs to be settled, right?"

His meaning was very clear, the gist of which was... you five, officially decide who will hold the Dragon Throne!

Ke Zhiguang readily accepted the proposal.

Although the Dragon Throne title is shared by the team according to the rules, the brilliance of the main general's battle is so dazzling that it easily overshadows the brilliance of other positions, leading many to assume that Ke Zhiguang is the holder.

And having just taken such a long vacation, my hands must be itching to get a beating.

Bamboo swordsmith happily followed suit, while Harujima Shika angrily overturned the mahjong table, and the three of them started a round-robin mahjong game.

The Inoue sisters quietly chose to withdraw from the world, living a life of relative peace and quiet.

Xingjia wasn't particularly interested in this position, and Xingcai was too lazy to join in the fun.

After the three rounds, Koji Hikaru continued to hold the top spot, Harujima Shika was second, and Taketsugi was at the bottom.

"Damn it! Why am I last in line?!" Bamboo Blade angrily pounded the beach.

The reason is... well-known...

During the match against Qingdaolu, Kezhiguang also noticed that only the last chain remained on the [Dragon Lock Pillar].

Ke Zhiguang didn't know exactly how the other chains broke, but he could guess that they were broken during the match with the Empress.

The dragon became even more powerful after the chains were broken, with burning patterns flowing across its scales, and its breath cooldown time was shortened.

Most importantly, it now displays this message: "I'm never using a ladle again!"

Hmm... what a declaration full of resentment! Although it's a good thing for her, it feels like she's missing a cute element, which is a shame.

Just as Ke Zhiguang had predicted, her strength gradually increased as the chains broke. However, she didn't know what caused the last chain to break, or what would happen after it did.

This last chain, bound to the dragon's tail, was the one that least affected its combat power. In reality, its full strength had already been unleashed, but in form, it was still missing this final touch.

This mystery remains with her.

After the final outcome was decided, the chessboard was pushed aside and the mahjong table was set up again.

Sure enough, playing mahjong is so much fun, why bother playing chess?

Finally, my last days in Hawaii ended with playing cards, and it was time to go home.

After a long flight, we arrived in Tokyo.

"Everyone, our team-building journey ends here. If we encounter each other on the field next, then it's just a matter of continuing to hammer each other," Ke Zhiguang said.

"No, you definitely won't see me on the field. You'll only see me in the commentary booth," Xingcai said calmly, rubbing her tired cheek.

“Me too, the chances of you all encountering me on the field are very low, but Long’er is an exception,” Xingjia said.

"So what are your plans next? Are you going home immediately, or..."

"Of course I'll stay in Tokyo and play for a while longer. It's a rare opportunity to skip work, so I'll definitely have to enjoy myself before going back... Please take good care of me during this time, Ryuu." Hoshigami looked at Harushima Shika with bright eyes, her antenna-like ahoge (cowlick) on her head swinging back and forth.

"Don't come and freeload at my place!"

"Come on, in return, I can do a free fortune telling for you... Oh, and I can also help you train Kata, I'm very popular with animals."

"You, you bastard, you even prey on dogs!"

So, after a sweet and clingy offensive, Xingjia successfully snuck into Qingdaolu's house, successfully forming a mahjong lineup of three people and one dog.

Not long after, the bamboo swordsmith also got off the vehicle.

"Goodbye, Ke Zhiguang. I will be stronger next time." He said as he left, his voice trailing off.

"Report, you ran a red light."