Hikaru no Go: I taught you Go, and you made the Kisei cry?

But in the end.

He resolutely led his men away in a military helicopter.

……

Neptune Middle School.

Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd and the clamor of discussion, the final of the middle school Go league is about to begin.

"I really didn't expect that such a strong team like Neptune Middle School would be defeated in the second round."

"Don't even mention it, I still feel like I'm dreaming."

"Who will win between Kawawagi Junior High School and Yase Junior High School?"

"It's definitely Kawaogi. It's Yese's first time participating, she's probably just lucky, right?"

"That's right, Kawage defeated Kaiou Middle School, the team with the highest hopes of winning the championship, head-on. It seems that they are unstoppable."

"Really? Kato-sensei, what do you think, Kawao?"

Kato Masao sat upright at the head of the referee's table, gazing at Shindo Hikaru, who was already seated at the chessboard.

"Not necessarily. That child is my last disciple. To be honest, I don't think there is a genius at Kawaii Middle School who can rival Hikaru Shindo."

what! ?

A disciple of Kato-sensei!?

Seeing that Kato Masao had kept it a secret for so long before revealing that Shindo Hikaru was his only successor, all the guests on the judges' panel couldn't help but cast their horrified gazes at Shindo Hikaru.

Everyone's gaze was incredibly complex.

There was envy, jealousy, and curiosity.

As the only senior master who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Kato Masao, Otake Hideo was extremely gratified that his old friend had such a talented student in his twilight years. He patted Kato Masao on the shoulder and said:

"Old man, you've been keeping this a secret for a long time... No wonder you predicted that Yese Middle School would win the championship, so there was another way to say that."

"No doubt about it. If your disciple wins the championship today, you must treat me to a good drink tonight."

"It's such an important matter of taking on apprentices, and they didn't even tell us in advance. It's simply disloyal."

It's no wonder that Otake Hideo complained. At their age, if they could find a good talent, which one wouldn't want to recruit them and train them themselves?

As for that Hikaru Shindo, he had been watching him earlier. His playing style was so steady, it was as if the Honinbo was alive again!

If Kato Masao hadn't announced this news now, he would have even been prepared to wait until the end of the tournament to personally go and have a "heart-to-heart talk" with Shindo Hikaru.

What a pity, what a pity!

Just as the referees were discussing Hikaru Shindo.

the other side.

Mr. Yin, who is also a professional high-level Go player, was persuaded by the organizers to stay and join the referee team.

"Mr. Yin, you are a new-style Go player. In your opinion, who will win this match between Kawai Middle School and Yase Middle School?"

In Japan, South Korean Go players are collectively referred to as "new-style Go players." Initially, this term carried a derogatory connotation, but as South Korea has gradually gained strength in Go in recent years, the term "new-style Go players" has come to be used with respect.

Faced with a group of senior colleagues, Teacher Yin hesitated to express her opinion. After pondering for a long time, she gently shook her head.

"I can't say for sure."

However, the Go instructor from Sawara Junior High School suddenly said in a deep voice, "Kawagi will win."

"Eh? You think highly of Kawaogi?"

“I’ve seen the games played by the students from Yase Middle School. Apart from that kid named Kaga, the other two are not very consistent.”

At this point, he glanced at Kato Masao's expression, and seeing that the other man showed no anger, he continued with renewed courage:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kato, I must say that your student is indeed very talented in the way of Go, but..."

"To be honest, his previous games were a bit frivolous."

"Such a mentality might work in casual situations where winning or losing isn't the main concern, but in the high-pressure arena of a competition, it's very likely that the opponent will find a weakness and cause you to collapse in one blow!"

Upon hearing this, Kato Masao nodded slightly. He had also watched the first game of Shindo Hikaru's game, and it was simply ridiculous.

The teacher at Sawara Junior High School wasn't lying.

"However, it is different from Yase Junior High School."

Seeing that no one refuted his opinion, Mr. Sawara became more and more confident as he spoke:

"that."

He pointed at Su Ran.

"That Sansho from Kawaji Middle School, his strength is very consistent, and his playing style is extremely ruthless!"

"Honestly, I have serious doubts..."

"His chess skills are probably already on par with professional players..."

His words stirred up a huge wave of discussion.

……

The demon sword reappears! The boy who terrifies Kato Masao!

As soon as instructor Sawa Ryo finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing astonishment.

But instantly, a cacophony of voices erupted.

"How could that be? Morii-sensei, you must be joking, right? That child is only thirteen years old."

"Nothing is impossible. Akira Touya is only thirteen years old, isn't he?"

"How can that be the same? Akira Touya is a genius that comes along only once in a century, and he's also the son of Meijin Touya!"

"So, that kid named Su Ran is actually comparable to Akira Touya?"

"How incredible!"

Teacher Yin nodded slightly and said, "I haven't seen Akira Touya's game records, so it's hard for me to make a judgment. However, that young man from China is indeed very strong."

Upon receiving Teacher Yin's reply, everyone was even more astonished, speechless, and filled with mixed emotions.

"By the way, Ms. Yin, I heard that Akira Touya is already attending Kaiou Middle School, is that right?"

"I've heard about this too, Mr. Yin. Will Akira Touya participate in the next Go league?"

"How could that be? In the eyes of a genius like Akira Toya, the middle school Go league is completely insignificant, isn't it?"

"Furthermore, if Akira Touya joins the next Go league, what hope will other middle schools have?"

"Aren't there Kawaogi Junior High School and Yase Junior High School?"

"Yes, one is Kato-senpai's last disciple, and the other is a mysterious young man with a skill level comparable to professional players. Among the three of them, who is stronger?"

"If these three teenagers can face off next time, it will definitely be very exciting!"

"I'm suddenly really looking forward to it!"

The crowd began to discuss amongst themselves.

At this moment, the contestants from Yase Middle School finally walked up to Kawaji Middle School. Kaga pulled out a chair first and plopped down on it.

His opponent is Naruto Hirosue.

Tsutsui, to Takeshi Gouda.

Hikaru Shindo, yes, Su Ran!

Su Ran looked at Hikaru Shindo sitting opposite her and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Long time no see, Hikaru Shindo."

Hikaru Shindo remained silent and did not respond to Su Ran.

On the referee's stand, the middle-aged referee glanced at the time on his watch.

"So, are all the players here? Time's up, the final will be overtime, each person has one hour. Kuroko has six and a half points, they go first."

"The match begins!"

Everyone surged forward like a tide, instantly surrounding the three chess tables.

People held their breath and waited quietly.

Su Ran grabbed a handful of chess pieces from the chess box and then let go.

"Two, four, six, seven."

Hikaru Shindo released the piece in his hand; there was only one black piece left.

"I will play black first."

Hikaru Shindo took the black Go stone box to his side and said softly, "Nice to meet you."

"Please give me more advice."

Su Ran returned the greeting, took the white chess piece box, opened the box, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Su Ran could feel a faint gaze fixed on her from across from Hikaru Shindo.

That gaze made Su Ran's blood boil.

"Fujiwara no Sai, are you watching me too?"

"Come on, Sai, come on, Honinbo Shusaku, a battle between us is inevitable."

"I never imagined that this battle would come so soon."

Even now, I am far from being able to compare with my father.

"But you're definitely not at your strongest right now, are you?"

"You haven't even started learning modern opening moves yet, so you're far from reaching your peak in chess."

"But even though we are imperfect, we will definitely do our best!"