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

Kouhiro Touya stood up.

"THESAI... won, Ichimoku."

A window also popped up on the computer at this time.

SAI: I've submitted it.

Staring at the computer screen, Akira Touya swallowed hard, then looked at his father.

"Father, if you were to face THESAI, do you think you could win?"

After a moment of silence, Touya Kouhiro replied, "The reason SAI lost is because both sides used the default, old-fashioned opening moves. As Black, SAI had to constantly bear the pressure of six and a half points, which caused his moves to focus too much on defense in the middle game, leading to a weakening of his position..."

After a moment, Touya Kouhiro continued, "If it were me, I could win by adopting a more head-on, confrontational style of play!"

These words sent a chill down the spines of Ogata Seiji and Touya Akira.

"However, unless I play against him in person, I cannot know his strength accurately."

Touya Kouhiro slightly turned his body.

"Father, don't you want to play another game with THESAI?"

Suddenly, Akira Touya looked up abruptly, turned back to the computer, and asked a question.

"Here they are! You said they have the strength to challenge you, but now, right now you can play against them, against SAI, or THESAI!"

"You've always wanted to play against strong opponents. Can I send them match invitations for you?"

Touya Kouhiro remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, I won't play chess with them online."

Upon hearing this, Akira Touya was visibly agitated: "Why, Father..."

"I'm telling you, SAI and THESAI are very strong, and it's true!"

Kouhiro Toya interrupted his son: "But if they really want to play Go, one day they will appear before me in person."

"teacher……"

Ogata Seiji stood up, trying to persuade the father and son to stop.

"Why hide behind the internet? What is THESAI called? What is SAI called?"

Touya Kouhiro closed his eyes.

"I think it would be good to play against strong opponents."

He paused, then continued, "However, hiding my true identity makes me very uncomfortable."

"A true chess player is one who sits down in front of his opponent, picks up the pieces, and starts playing the game."

Touya Kouhiro opened his eyes and put his hands into the sleeves of his kimono.

"If they show up in front of me, I'm ready to fight anytime! But not online! And..."

At this point, Touya Kouhiro hesitated, his chaotic thoughts inevitably returning to a certain morning three years ago.

"Mr. Touya, promise me that no matter what, you will never... never reveal your playing style online."

"There are some things I cannot tell you outright, but in any case, to preserve humanity's last hope, I beg you... please!"

"Don't play chess online!"

Thinking of this, Touya Kouhiro ignored his son's unwilling gaze behind him, turned around and opened the study door.

but.

Just before he was about to step out of the study, he paused slightly and sighed:

"Moreover, I promised someone that I would never play chess online with anyone in my life."

"Therefore, I can only hope that those two extraordinary opponents will one day personally challenge me!"

He finished speaking.

Without lingering any longer, Touya Kouyo strode out of the study.

……

"We lost..."

Someone sat on the ground, stunned: "SAI lost... THESAI won again."

"This game of chess was absolutely brilliant..."

"Who...who are they?"

“SAI, THESAI…”

"Two people, two people, compared to Mr. Touya, who is stronger or weaker?"

"Every single one of them is ridiculously strong!"

Even though SAI lost, he is still incredibly strong!

"Is this an online player? Even professional players without titles aren't this good, are they?"

"Those who can rival them are probably only the top-ranking holders of titles in each country!"

"For example, Touya Meijin..."

……

"Big news!"

A reporter was writing his article with great enthusiasm.

"The mysterious online chess players, THESAI and SAI, engage in a peak match; who will prevail!"

"I really want to know, if these two appeared in a professional competition, would one of them be able to win the title of Chess Saint?"

……

Yingzhou Chess Academy.

"Who exactly are SAI and THESAI? Are they chess gods?"

"Says to forget about Thesai. It wouldn't be surprising if a peerless master appeared online by chance, but this SAI is actually this strong... And then there's YUAN and YIXING, who also have a 99-game winning streak..."

"These powerful figures have been appearing online one after another lately, as if they had made a pact... It's truly a feast for the eyes!"

"I have a feeling that this year's Tianyuan Tournament will be exceptionally fierce... It's truly something to look forward to!"

They remained around the chessboard, watching the game that had ended, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

"I really want to see what these four top-notch online chess players will look like in a professional tournament. The four of them are like destined rivals."

……

Bisheng Internet Cafe.

Su Ran removed her hand from the mouse and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Fujiwara no Sai, as expected, lives up to his reputation."

"I look forward to playing against you again after you have fully mastered the modern set patterns, but... I will be stronger then!"

"And haven't I been constantly improving and perfecting my superb chess sense?"

……

If you love it, then face defeat with a smile! That's the true essence of Go.

Inside an internet cafe.

Su Ran rubbed his forehead. The game of chess he had just played with Zuo Wei had left him feeling dizzy and his whole body tense.

That game of chess, every move it made, gave him a thrilling feeling, and fascinated him completely.

"Also, there were a few moves I made that were too forceful. I should have played according to my intuition, which is based on my super strong sense of the game. That way, my winning percentage would probably be higher..."

"Those two moves were too risky. We should have proceeded more cautiously, even if those two moves didn't ultimately affect the overall situation too much."

"However, at least I've come up with my own idea."

Su Ran began to summarize what she had learned from this game.

"And I'll be reporting to the graduate school soon, I'm really looking forward to it..."

Su Ran stood up, stretched, greeted Sister Youzi, and prepared to leave.

For him, being able to play such a thrilling game against Sai was already exceeding his expectations for the day.

As for other online chess players, to be honest, Su Ran has lost interest in playing against them.

At least, that's how it is today.

"Little brother Su Ran, aren't you going to play a little longer?"

Seeing that Su Ran was about to leave, Yuko Mitani couldn't help but ask in surprise.

You know, this kid usually plays until the early hours of the morning before leaving.

Little did she know that just moments before, her beloved younger brother, in the name of THESAI, had played a game that would shock the world.

"Yeah, I'm a little tired today and I want to go home early."

Su Ran smiled and was about to leave the internet cafe, but after thinking for a moment, she came back: "How about I wait for you for a while, and we can have dinner together later?"

Ah, no need.

Yuko Mitani waved her hands repeatedly: "I'm very busy with work today, how can I keep you waiting? Besides, if anyone should be treating, it's my turn to treat you this time."

At this point, Yuko Mitani seemed to remember something, her crescent-shaped eyes suddenly narrowed, and she covered her face, saying:

"Oh my, are you going on a date with me? I'm so shy!"

elder sister!

Su Ran looked helpless: "Please, don't be so pretentious... it's so fake!"

"Haha! You figured it out!"

Yuko Mitani's previously shy face instantly returned to normal, and she smiled as she said: