The work of the Go master

"This..." Harushima Shika was speechless for a moment, clearly having been asked the right question.

Sometimes it's like that; you don't even know what question you want to ask, but the person being asked usually does.

"The afterlife... let me think." Ichishin leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and gazed at the sky.

"I don't know either. It feels like I just fell asleep and woke up to find that several years had passed... That's the feeling." Isshin smiled slightly, and with this persona, it really did look like the smile of a kind older sister.

Incidentally, Xingjia is not in this category; she is categorized as a scheming woman.

"Will it be a very dark place?" This was the question asked by Koji Mitsuaki, but it's clear that Shinobu Harushima would also ask this question.

"I told you, it's not a scary place. On the contrary, it's a nice place. It's like falling asleep, safe and secure, and then waiting to wake up again," Yixin said with a philosophical tone.

"Will there be a next time?" Harushima Shika raised an eyebrow.

"Well... that's hard to say, and who knows when I'll wake up again..."

The topic suddenly turned metaphysical, pointing directly to the ultimate question of life and death, which left the three of them feeling lost.

"So, when the time comes, Lu Zi, please don't think about going easy on me, because I... will definitely do my best."

That dangerous aura emanated from her again, and her eyes turned crimson.

But she quickly realized that her emotions were too volatile, so she coughed twice and said in a summarizing tone, "Alright, in short, there's a game we have to play between us. Doesn't that make things clearer?"

“That’s right, it’s precisely because we belong to different camps that our gathering today is meaningful.” Ke Zhiguang looked directly at the other person.

Yixin nodded in agreement: "Yes, it is precisely because we are opposing forces that this gathering is so precious. Conversely, if we were on the same side, wouldn't a gathering be a matter of course and something we could do anytime?"

Her mood seemed to improve, and her tone became lighter.

"So let's enjoy life to the fullest today!" She raised the bright yellow champagne glass high, poised to drink it heartily.

"Hey! This is someone else's body! No one can withstand that kind of drinking!"

Lunch took place in such a relaxed atmosphere, a stark contrast to the previous two night battles against the ancient army and the meeting with Stoneheart last night.

After every major battle, a vacation like this is needed to recuperate and heal from exhaustion.

Lunch was expensive; everything on this street, where land is incredibly valuable, is pricey, especially since we ordered a luxury item like the Royal Parfait.

However, for Ke Longzuo, there was no need to count the odd amounts on the bill. Just as he was about to pay, Yixin generously handed over her credit card, indicating that she would cover the entire bill for the day.

"Don't worry, I won't use the original body's money. This is all sponsorship from Ye Shen Guojing. I'll spend as much as possible today and bleed him dry!" she said shamelessly.

Yes, I like her shameless attitude.

As the afternoon hours begin, the world slowly turns a warm, yellowish hue, and the temperature difference between day and night begins to widen.

"Alright, where to go next?" Harushima Shika asked.

"Of course it's up to you, Lu Zi." As he said this, he shook the car keys in his hand. A cool Mercedes was parked on the side of the road, which was probably another one he had gotten from Yagami Kyoto.

"When it comes to family-friendly activities, the only options are zoos or amusement parks," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Tch, I'm tired of going to those kinds of places... Wait, I think you just want to go to the amusement park!" Harushima Deer seemed to have discovered something.

"Oh no, we've been found out."

Yixin said thoughtfully, "These two places are nice too. There's nothing more enjoyable than walking with Luzi on familiar streets and reminiscing about the past!"

So the group set off, heading to this somewhat old-fashioned place. Besides trying something new, nostalgia was also extremely important to them.

Our first stop in the afternoon was the zoo, the famous Ueno Zoo, home to pandas, one of the "Nine-Square Grid" families of Go. We used the most expensive VIP tickets to get in early.

Ke Zhiguang walked a little behind, watching the two of them excitedly walking ahead, leaning on the railing and pointing at the animals inside, their eyes sparkling with all sorts of light... just like sisters.

Some say the best relationship between father and son is that of brothers. If we apply that model... this couple truly is a model family...

After the zoo came the amusement park, with its carousel and roller coasters. Thanks to the fast-paced VIP pass, the queuing process was skipped. As dusk fell, the lights came on, and the iridescent colors flashed before our eyes, making us wish that daytime would never come.

"I'm going to the restroom, wait for me," said Harushima Kashima.

"Okay, deer, do you need...?"

"Pervert, get lost!" Harushima Kashiwa immediately launched an attack.

"Uh... what I meant was, do you need me to buy you ice cream while I'm at it...?" Ichishin suddenly felt wronged.

"Ah... okay."

Ke Zhiguang quietly raised his hand: "I want strawberry flavor."

"Get lost! Why do you so naturally interrupt other people's conversations and ask them to run errands? Won't you get beaten up at the chess academy for doing that?"

"They can't beat me."

"Pfft—" Yixin almost coughed up blood.

And so, for the time being, only Ke Zhiguang and Yixin remained, surrounded by a bustling crowd, with hazy light and shadows spreading in the distance.

"So, is it time for the two of us to talk alone?" Isshin said, as if he had been expecting this.

“Yes, that’s what I think too,” Ke Zhiguang said.

Chapter Thirty-Four is a bit irritable; you'll only understand that once you become a father-in-law yourself.

Night fell from the horizon, the sky seemed to be covered with black velvet, and the city skyline was inlaid in the night sky.

It's the weekend, and the amusement park is filled with the laughter of families, with children running around everywhere.

While Harushima Kaoru was in the restroom, Koji Hikaru and Isshin sat on opposite sides of a bench, separated by a mysterious distance.

After a long silence and careful consideration, Yixin finally spoke: "What...what is your relationship with my daughter now?"

Her opening remarks had a coughing sound, which is a long-standing tradition of Lu's style.

She continued, "Forget about the nonsense like 'we're just ordinary friends.' I'm an adult. A child's shy excuse won't fool a hundred-year-old man like me."

"You previously said you were a beautiful 26-year-old girl..."

"Get lost! Forget it, forget it, and there's also me... Pah! I only said I'm twenty-six, I didn't include any pretty girls in the list!"

After a moment's thought, Ke Zhiguang replied, "She lives next door to me."

"Pfft—" Yixin suddenly felt a lump in his throat, his psychological expectations abruptly shattered.

"W-This is too fast? This is just living together! You two have only known each other for a little over a year!" Isshin suddenly roared.

"Oh, so in your opinion, senior, how far should our relationship progress?"

"Well... I thought it would just be holding hands or something like that. After all, Lu Zi might be like you, not the type to be too attracted to the opposite sex. She's a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to feelings, so things might progress a little slowly..."

"I've never actually led a pair of hands with one before."

Yixin was even more shocked: "Hey! Is this how young people play nowadays? They haven't even held hands, and they're already living together? At least go through the proper procedures!"

After the intense rant, a profound sense of exhaustion immediately enveloped me.

Before extending this invitation, he had been pondering what to say to Ke Zhiguang and had prepared a lot of "manly vows" in his mind. But when the time actually came to a head-on confrontation, all that came out of his mouth was a sarcastic remark.

After a moment of silence, Isshin sighed and asked, "Do you really like Kazuko?"

After much thought, she decided to speak directly.

The evening breeze began to stir, and for a moment, the surrounding noise suddenly turned into ethereal, silent white noise, and the scenery became just a backdrop.

The moment has finally arrived, the moment when we have no choice but to choose yes or no.

Ke Zhiguang meditated for a moment, then looked up at the sky, his thoughts drifting back to the past.

From the moment she came into this world and first encountered Go, her presence has always been around her, making it impossible to tell whether Go was the beginning of everything, or whether she was the beginning of everything.

In every subsequent event, at every crucial juncture, she seemed to appear at just the right moment.

That time with the demon dragon, it was Ke Zhiguang's last battle before he went to the battlefield. Without Ke Zhiguang saying anything, she impulsively threw the Chess Saint Fan to him, and has been using it ever since.

During the time at Peach Blossom Studio, a claw machine became the opportunity for him to meet her, and he obtained important information from her.

Needless to say, Ghidorah's time was another story. She came in from the flank with the momentum of the Women's Cup championship, and the most crucial treasure map also came from her.

Further on, it was the Dragon Throne Battle, where she again appeared in the most crucial position. While Koji Hikari was engaged in a bloody battle with Koshikawa Ryuki on the crumbling Dragon Palace, she was busy gathering reinforcements from the sidelines, transmitting beams of light to the battlefield.

And now, inexplicably, she lives next door to me.

It was as if fate had truly bound the two together, their paths intertwining at the turning points of their destinies.

If I woke up one morning and knocked on their door but there was no response, I would probably feel a little disappointed.

If I were to organize another banquet with my friends, the food probably wouldn't taste very good without her livening up the atmosphere.

After a long pause, Ke Zhiguang said in deep thought, "That's right, I just like her... But don't ask me when or what made me like her, I really don't know."

Ke Zhiguang uttered these words in a plain and simple manner, just as the implied meaning behind them was.

The passage of time, bit by bit, is like the morning sunlight shining into a simple bedroom, with tiny threads and dust floating in the air—simple yet blissful.

"I see..." Yixin's eyelashes drooped slightly, and the little twirling between her fingers stopped.

I originally thought that the moment I blurted out this answer, it would trigger some strange phenomenon, such as a few claps of thunder in the sky, or a strong wind rising from the ground, and countless passersby handing me flowers.

But none of that mattered. The world continued to function normally, the children's laughter still echoed, and the roller coaster roared through the air... From this perspective, the two of them seemed like mere background figures, completely integrated into this world.

"Okay, your answer is enough." Yixin seemed to have let go of something, and her tense nerves immediately relaxed.

"Since you've said that, it seems I can leave this world without any regrets, right?" Isshin seemed to be talking to himself.

"Don't worry, Auntie... Ugh, don't worry, Uncle..."

"Hey! You just said something to your aunt, didn't you! Don't think you can take back what you said just by spitting it out!"

Tch, it seems this trick is becoming less and less effective.

Yixin became melancholy again: "Actually, when I first woke up not long ago and heard about you, I was still very angry. I felt that some idiot who appeared out of nowhere had run away with my daughter... But later I went back to my hometown and talked with Yuko for a long time, and my opinion of you changed a lot."

Ke Zhiguang was somewhat puzzled. In his memory, he and Qingdaolu's mother were not anxious. The only time they met was during the Meijō Battle.

“There’s a saying that no one knows a daughter better than her mother. Kazuko said that although she seems a bit... well, you know, not very good at expressing her feelings, Yuko sees everything. Later, I was thinking that if you continue to develop like this, you might really become the number one player in the Go world. You might even be awarded the title of Go Saint. Your future is limitless…” Isshin’s face showed a bit of worry, as if he really saw the day his daughter got married.

"Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say... so go ahead and go for it!" Isshin gave a thumbs up, revealing his white teeth.

"Should we just go for it... Hmm, that doesn't sound like a good idea. Let me think about it carefully." Ke Zhiguang had a serious, thoughtful expression on his face, as if he were planning something difficult.

"Hey! What are you thinking? When I said 'go ahead,' I meant you should boldly confess your feelings and ask me out. You're really going to do it?" Yixin continued to rage wildly, breathing fire like a monster.

Ke Zhiguang also calmed his frightened heart: "This really scared me to death. Senior, you suddenly skipped all the procedures and stepped on the gas pedal. This suddenly made me feel that the burden on my shoulders is very heavy. So this is not what you meant by 'on'."