The work of the Go master

This scene is both sacred and fairytale-like, like a re-enactment of a Miyazaki Hayao painting, where an elfin life descends through the chessboard.

A clean and lovely hand, as white as porcelain, lifted the curtain from the inside out, followed by a girl's voice as clear as a transparent glass: "Finally, I can see you in this form, my dear... master."

Ke Zhiguang stared wide-eyed at everything before him.

The sense of déjà vu is... really strong.

Just like in the first episode of "Hikaru no Go", Sai, draped in a curtain, appeared before Hikaru Shindo in an almost sacred manner. That was the first impression that drew countless people into the series.

And at that moment, a similar girl appeared in front of him in the same posture.

There are good reasons to suspect that she just wanted to play with the meme and recreate a classic.

Incidentally, she actually does have dog ears on her head...

Chapter Fifteen Zero

Tokyo after the two title matches seemed even more attractive at night than usual, with a golden, materialistic atmosphere flowing in the shadows.

On a seashell-like floating island by the sea in Gangdong District, a celebratory banquet for two crowns is being held.

"Come on, let's eat and drink as much as we want today! One-sixth of the bill is on me, and the other five-sixths is on Ke Zhiguang's head!" Qingdao Lu said incoherently, as if he were drunk.

For her, fruit wine was as intoxicating as ever.

This ratio of one-sixth to five-sixths is calculated based on their respective prize money ratios: 900 million to 4500 million.

This restaurant was where Ke Zhiguang and his group celebrated their victory last time, and after a year of twists and turns, they've returned here this year.

The banquet guests also saw an update, with Xiong Ying and Ying Mei joining in, as well as Fuchigami Shizuru, who was forcibly pulled into the group by Hoshigami.

Not long after, a knock came from the door of the private room: "Hey, is that you, Guang-kun? I've come to the banquet as agreed."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xingcai choked on her soda.

"Is this... the former president?" Hoshino asked Harujima Shika in a low voice.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it, and I think it's better to bring her in. I feel like it'll be lonely without her," Harushima Shika nodded.

Harushima Kaguya went to open the door herself: "You're here, you're here. Stop being so coquettish, I'm the star of today's banquet."

The door was pushed open, and the new banquet guests walked in, giving the entire room a renewed and vibrant atmosphere.

Bai Meng walked in, wearing high heels, looking more mature and elegant. She entered with a smile on her face, her light makeup adorning her eyes and lips, as if a backdrop of blooming flowers were behind her.

“You…” Harushima Deer opened her jaw.

She hadn't seen Bai Meng for a while. The last time she saw her was at the celebration banquet for the Ke Zhiguang World Championship in February of this year. At that time, Bai Meng had just been admitted to university and still seemed like a naive high school girl. But after a few months of university life...

How should I put it?

Surprisingly, the allure of this mature woman is captivating.

—Pah! What nonsense are you thinking!

Harushima Deer quickly shook her head, mentally slapping herself a few times to banish this dangerous and taboo thought from her mind.

Bai Meng, who was all smiles just a moment ago, turned ashen-white upon seeing the scene inside the private room, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She turned around, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Shao Gong, who had silently followed her: "What...what should we do? She...she has even more rivals now..."

Shao Gong yawned wearily: "I told you beforehand to be mentally prepared before you came. But don't worry, once the competition reaches a certain number, you won't have to worry about your position declining. Anyway... anyway, you don't really have much of a chance..."

"No, I don't care! Where is Guang-jun? Where is Guang-jun?" Bai Meng looked around but couldn't find the person.

"Stop looking, he's not here today." Harushima Kashima calmly took a sip of her herbal tea.

"What? Isn't this his victory celebration? I watched the entire Dream Paradise match from beginning to end."

“He said he had something very important to take care of tonight, so he wouldn’t be coming. He’s probably off on another secret mission to save the world. Besides, I’m a champion too,” said Harushima Kashima.

"Miss Harujima...you're far too careless!" Bai Meng suddenly raised her voice, startling Harujima so much that she choked on her water.

Why are you yelling so loudly!

Bai Meng put her hands on Qingdaolu's shoulders and shook her vigorously: "Think about it carefully. With Guangjun's terrible luck with women, what do you think he's most likely doing by choosing to disappear during such an important celebration?"

After being enlightened, Shiro Shima realized something, and her pupils widened.

"Damn it! Bring him back! We have to drag him back no matter what!"

"Let's form an alliance this time!"

"You two, stop being silly and eat your food." Shao Gong gave each of them a chop to the head, calming them down.

Xiong Ying suddenly slammed her hand on the table excitedly and stood up: "Since we're all girls, then we can legitimately start a strip mahjong game! Tonight, I'm going to make you all my wings! Hurrah!"

"Don't be silly. If this kind of thing is all about women, then it's meaningless," Yingmei retorted coldly.

The banquet was as lively as ever, with everyone having their own circle of friends, and these circles overlapping with each other, making the Rising Stars Championship trophy pale in comparison.

Shizuru Fuchigami quietly cracked sunflower seeds on the side, seemingly detached from the crowd.

Xingcai sat down next to us: "I'm sorry, but we're forcing you to come with us."

"It's okay, this feeling is quite nice. It feels like I have friends, and I'm not lonely at all," said Shizuru Fuchigami, nodding.

"You...don't have many friends?" Xingcai asked.

"I really don't have many friends. When I was learning piano as a child, I would always envy my peers who were laughing and playing in the park outside. I would think how wonderful it would be if I could be with them."

At this point, she suddenly took a deep breath and paused: "Okay, actually I didn't think that way. My real thought at the time was to throw the piano over there and drive them all away so the world would be quiet."

Hearing this change of heart, Xingcai felt relieved: "That's right, that's more in line with your persona. You just said you wanted to play with people your own age, that really scared me."

"Right?" Shizuru Fuchigami's lips curled up slightly.

To be honest, Xingcai didn't know exactly what the other person's character was like, but she had a vague feeling that... she must be an unconventional person, and her ideas must not follow the usual path.

"Actually, everyone's personality is quite unique," Shizuru Fuchigami muttered to herself.

"Yes, they are all quite unique."

"So, why is Ke Zhiguang giving up the opportunity to kiss, hug, and mingle with all of us girls tonight? What important thing is it that he has to do?" Yuan Shang Jingliu asked calmly.

"Hey, even if it's free, you should at least show some restraint and put on a show, resist a little. Even the former president didn't offer himself up so quickly," Xingcai complained regretfully.

"No, I just noticed that you all seem to have a good relationship with him, so I'm just going with the flow in my wording. Compared to Ke Zhiguang, I'm actually more interested in you sweet and gentle girls." Yuan Shang Jingliu said expressionlessly. In terms of being emotionless and detached, she and Xingcai did have some overlap in their personas.

"If you're talking about seniors... who knows, you might actually be saving the world tonight while also having a great time with other girls," Xingcai said listlessly, already used to this kind of situation.

Time slipped away like sand through an hourglass within this enormous bubble, and everyone was immersed in the atmosphere of the banquet.

And on the other side-

......

......

Ke Zhiguang held his breath as he watched the scene unfold before him.

A wondrous shimmer of light filled the room, creating a fairytale-like atmosphere reminiscent of an underwater world.

The petite girl sat on the chessboard like a duck, draped in a black curtain, as if she had suddenly appeared from under the covers, startling everyone.

What she was wearing... was indeed a maid outfit, a dignified and elegant black and white long dress that covered her knees. Although it was a maid outfit, it had absolutely no hint of pandering to otaku.

The scene before me looks exactly like the last few minutes of the first episode of the first season, where the Master and the Heroic Spirit meet, marking the beginning of a legendary story.

As for the current stage... it's not unreasonable to say it's at least the third episode of the third season, right?

The moment Ke Zhiguang saw the other person's face clearly, his expression immediately changed from reverence to astonishment: "Hey, what do you look like..."

She closed her eyes and smiled, speaking in a clear, bright voice: "Surprised? You never expected my physical form to be like this?"

Then, she lowered the curtain behind her, revealing her face to Ke Zhiguang in its entirety.

Her appearance... is exactly the same as Harushima Kashima's.

However, all her hair was painted silver-white, with two silver-white ponytails hanging down the sides of her head. Her hair was also thicker than the original owner's, reaching all the way down to the chessboard and coiling around her calves.

Her eyes were a deep sea blue, like those of a mythical elf, with data-like patterns of light flowing within them, and her skin was a porcelain white like that of Northern Europe.

It's practically... like the alternate version of Harushima Shika's personality.

“I originally had no physical form, so I needed a medium to meet you. Harushima Kashima is the most powerful female Go player in the world, so using her as a medium is the most suitable. The [Humanoid Medium] you obtained after defeating her last year is for this purpose.” She explained with a smile, her eyes filled with all-knowing wisdom.

Then she shook her back, and a pair of shimmering butterfly wings appeared behind her, making her feel so light that she could float away at any moment.

The scene is becoming increasingly fantastical.

These butterfly wings are probably the [Butterfly Wings] that fell off Xingjia's body.

"See?" She stretched out her hands, displaying the backs of her hands in front of Ke Zhiguang.

The left hand holds the proof of entry through the door.

The right hand is marked with the [Mark of Despair].

At first glance, it really does have everything.

"What about the Dream Paradise title trophy?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Consider that a sacrifice; the fortune attached to this trophy is my favorite kind of luck."

"Okay, I understand." Ke Zhiguang sighed and nodded. Whatever she said, goes.

After calming down from his excitement and astonishment, Ke Zhiguang looked at the other person again, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

She is the embodiment of quantum mechanics, the one who always follows behind, giving various hints, helping with housework, and sometimes even acting like a big bad wolf to intimidate opponents.

He had thought that after seeing the other person in person, he would have a lot to say and a lot of questions to ask, but when the moment actually came, Ke Zhiguang didn't have any particularly special feelings.

After all, they had spent so much time together, even in silent interactions, and had developed a tacit understanding. This understanding told him... Don't rush, the issues that need to be clarified will be clarified in due course, just take it slow.

To be honest, it's still quite bizarre, especially since she's using the appearance of a deer from the island, sporting adorable Border Collie-style shoes, and even wearing a maid outfit.

I have a feeling that my gaze towards Harushima Deer will change from now on.

She continued, "By the way, the reason I look like I have European ancestry is because I was born in the United Kingdom and have a passport and voting rights from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Do you believe that?"

After she finished speaking, she winked playfully, her silvery-white eyelashes fluttering like butterflies.

Ke Zhiguang stood there, stunned.

"Is it...is it really that big?"