The work of the Go master

After finishing the last sip of green tea, Harushima wiped her mouth and said, "I won't be coming tomorrow. I'm leaving."

"Your vacation is over just like that?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"I've rested for almost a month now. I've figured out what I needed to figure out, and it's time to go back to where I belong," Harujima Kashiwa said weakly, like a student forced to go to bed at nine o'clock on a weekend night.

But with just that one sentence, she created a distance between herself and everyone else.

A place that belongs to her, which means that this place does not belong to her.

Although her performance today was no different from that of ordinary people her age, acting silly and cute, and perfectly blending into the low-level chess pool, she is still a true princess of the chess world, as long as she returns to her own palace.

"Ke Zhiguang, you're participating in the professional ranking tournament at the end of July, right?"

"We guarantee it will be at the second stage."

“That’s good. If it’s confirmed, then you’ll definitely participate in the Rising Star Title competition at the end of October. If you’re unlucky, there’s a high chance that you and I will run into each other in that competition,” said Harushima Shika.

Ke Zhiguang quickly replied, "Actually, I think it's a lucky result that I was able to run into you."

"You're certainly very confident. Well then, be prepared to meet again."

"Goodbye."

After saying goodbye, she decisively went to the entrance, put on her shoes, and went out.

I also grabbed a bag of potato chips.

I thought she would be the last one to linger on the game console, but to my surprise, she was the one who left the most decisively.

"I think Xiao Qingdao might have become anxious about being surpassed by you after watching your game with Bai Meng, so she left early," Shui Cheng said from the side.

Is that so?

“I’ve been observing her expression. She must be thinking something like this: she doesn’t want to indulge in the pleasure she’s in front of her, and she wants to get out of the hot spring as soon as possible and return to the battlefield.” Mizuki’s voice was very soft and delicate.

"No way, can you really understand it like that?" Ke Zhiguang was momentarily speechless, slightly updating his understanding of Shuicheng.

“It’s not just Xiao Qingdao Island, I’ve noticed you have the same expression on your face lately,” Shuicheng said.

"Is that right?"

"I'm just stating what I've observed; whether it's true or not is up to you to judge."

As the sound of Qingdaolu's footsteps receding into the corridor echoed, the vice president spoke regretfully, "What a pity. I thought I could add another young lady to my social circle. It seems we're not meant to be... Let's go, Baimeng, that's enough for today. We can arrange tomorrow's activities over the phone."

"Well then, I'll take my leave now." Bai Meng nodded politely, feeling like she had returned to her original self after Qingdao left.

And so, the day off ended just like any other.

Although Shiro's departure at the end seemed a bit like a forced overturning of the table, after Mizuki's explanation, it actually makes sense.

“It doesn’t belong here… Same expression.” Ke Zhiguang repeated what Qingdao Shika had just said, and he felt quite a connection to it.

After beating up all sorts of scoundrels in the past few days, he increasingly felt that he should move out and make a living on his own.

It's not that he's unwilling to share living space with others; in fact, he really enjoys living in a home where there are other people besides himself.

But more often than not, he does need a larger and quieter private space to think and reflect on many things, even if life is a little more troublesome.

What you like and what you want to do are not the same thing.

What I want to do leans more towards a sense of mission and necessity.

He and Harujima Kashima are both people with extraordinary talents, so they naturally have many similarities in their thinking.

While pondering the idea of ​​moving out, Ke Zhiguang fell asleep quickly tonight.

......

......

The next day, I woke up on time and checked the chessboard.

While having [Insight] is very convenient, it also reduces some of the fun of unboxing and discovering the unknown.

Lift the curtain on the chessboard, and you'll find all three essential elements.

Washing machine coupons.

A box of rice crackers.

There are also so-called claw machine skill scrolls.

but.

There's a fourth thing?

A videotape.

The unknown has descended once again!

Videotapes naturally evoke a sense of story. When the plot seems to stall, sending the protagonist a videotape is always a safe bet, and the protagonist will start moving again.

[Special Item: Rare Footage of the Deer of Harushima]

Ok?

Something's wrong with this title!

[Quest Rewards for Defeating the Dragon-Locking Pillar]

this.....

I almost forgot, this is also a main quest, and my first one at that.

According to the timeline, it should have been released at the same time as the Demon Dragon's Treasure Chest, but it took almost four days to arrive. I don't know if there was a problem with the courier service.

It's also possible that you triggered some event, which caused it to appear.

Ke Zhiguang remained silent for a while.

[High Definition, Uncensored 24K]

this.....

The silence was immediately broken.

Ke Zhiguang glanced around warily with a cunning look, then immediately drew the curtains.

Then he took the videotape to the living room, turned on the VCR, and inserted the tape to play it.

Without a doubt, it contains perfectly healthy and positive content; it's just that the language in the dialogue box is too unconventional. Those who know, know.

So what information about the Shimmering Deer is in it?

The video recorder ran slowly, emitting a sound that had a distinctly vintage feel.

The image is now displayed.

It turned out to be the venue for a Go tournament. Harushima Shika sat upright in his seat, waiting for his opponent to arrive.

The name of the match was displayed at the top of the screen.

The 34th Princess Title Contest

Her coronation battle.

Chapter Six: So You're Also the King of Quilts?

The venue for the competition was exceptionally solemn, as if it were held in a palace. Vermilion railings surrounded the chessboard, and peach blossoms and green bamboo were placed at the four corners, creating a strong traditional Chinese palace style.

A gilded phoenix trophy was placed under the spotlight, its golden feathers gleaming. Although this was a Panasonic television from the mid-to-late 80s, the entire picture displayed a 10M Blu-ray effect from over forty years later, far exceeding the operating limits of this VCR, and was simply blinding.

In every sense, it is indeed high-definition, uncensored 24K...

Damn it, with such high-definition quality, why don't you release some other videotapes?

Having grown accustomed to the 480P resolutions of this era, Ke Zhiguang suddenly encountered the Blu-ray Ultra HD of his past life, and felt a deep sense of nostalgia.

For the first ten minutes of the entire scene, Harushima Deer sits motionless on the carved bench, resting with his eyes closed.

Her persona today can be described as being both glamorous and elaborately made up.

His age was enhanced by the makeup, making him appear several years older. A blue velvet shawl, reminiscent of ancient Chinese aristocracy, was draped over her body, embroidered with exquisite dragon patterns.

This kind of women's attire seems to appear frequently in period dramas, but it seems no one dares to show off dragon tattoos.

This outfit reminded Ke Zhiguang of the King in "My King". In various flashback scenes, the King always wears a thick blue cloak, like a quilt. No matter how hot the weather is, no matter how lightly others are dressed, the King is always covered by his quilt.

So Harushima Kaoru is also a queen of blankets? Does she always wear such a blanket-like outfit when she plays matches?

Upon seeing the dragon pattern on this quilt... oops, shawl, Ke Zhiguang naturally thought of the Shura Path that Zhu Dao had forged, and could roughly judge that this shawl was also a spiritual object.

It is very likely a spiritual object belonging exclusively to the deer of Sunny Island, and it is possible that it is an heirloom.

In that case, it should only have a positive effect on the Shimmering Deer, and won't make her feel stuffy.

Suddenly, in the scene, Harushima Kaoru wiped the sweat from her brow and asked the staff around her if they could give her an electric fan to cool down, as she was wearing such hot clothes.

this.....

Ke Zhiguang suddenly heard a sound on his face.

If you're hot, why don't you take off that blanket?!

Ke Zhiguang almost wanted to retort on behalf of the staff.

But the staff didn't ask any questions and thoughtfully placed an electric fan next to her, just for her.

Not long after, Harushima Kashima's opponents also arrived.

Kiko Seinoka, the holder of the title of princess at the time, was the former queen of women's dance.

Although her title is princess, she is 56 years old this year and has been a princess for 30 years.

Ke Zhiguang almost wanted to provide a voiceover for her—"Is there such a thing as a princess who lives for thirty years?!"

But there's nothing we can do; for women, princess is already the highest title, there's no such thing as empress.

According to Ke Zhiguang's understanding, the turnover of female Go players has always been very slow because there are very few women willing to engage in Go, resulting in very weak internal competition. Moreover, the main role of female Go players is that of "flower vase" (a derogatory term for female players), with off-board strategies being more important than skillful play.

Even so, it is no easy feat for Kiko Seinoka to maintain her position as the top female Go player for 30 years, and she is worthy of being called a contemporary female Go master.

Although she is over fifty years old, she still retains her charm. Today, she is dressed in a full-length, fitted furisode dress, a formal gown specifically for important occasions.

The sleeves were embroidered with patterns of a court banquet, and the dignified empress sat behind the curtain, listening to the music played by the palace maids.