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

Ashihara suddenly realized this and his face turned pale: "Oh no, as a newly promoted first dan, I also have to participate in this year's Young Lions Tournament."

Sasaki, standing to the side, laughed and said, "Hahaha, are you afraid of losing to Akira as a professional Go player?"

"I'm sure all the new first-graders will be paying attention to Xiaoliang, okay?"

Ashihara argued, "Besides, I might not necessarily lose. I've won a few games against Akira before."

Ogata Seiji glanced almost imperceptibly at the silent Touya Akira.

“That’s right. Previously, Ashihara and Akira were evenly matched, but things are different now. Akira is different now than before.”

"He was growing up rapidly under the heavy pressure of those two boys named Su Ran and Hikaru Shindo."

Ogata Seiji habitually pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Today's Akira Touya is not the same as before, and tomorrow's Akira Touya will be even less the same as today's Akira Touya."

"With each passing day, Xiao Liang's chess skills are increasing rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye..."

"Even I don't know what level Xiao Liang has reached now. I'm really curious... Cub Battle... Is that boy named Su Ran also there?"

"I'd like to go and take a look."

Thinking of this, a slight smile quietly appeared on Ogata Seiji's lips.

At this moment, Akira Touya suddenly laughed and said, "Actually, I also want to spar with everyone in the Lion Cub Battle."

"I'm here too, looking forward to the Cub Battle."

Upon hearing this, Sasaki suddenly remembered something and looked at Ashihara: "By the way, Ashihara, how did the young lions perform in the past?"

Ashihara thought for a moment and replied, "Some people can make it all the way to the third round, but by the time they reach the semifinals, only professional players are left."

"Of course, but this year, maybe Xiao Liang will create a miracle."

Ashihara nodded: "That's true, but, Ryo, if we run into each other, I won't hold back."

Akira Touya smiled and nodded: "Of course, Ashihara-senpai, but my goal is not to advance to the semifinals."

Akira Touya gazed at the chessboard in front of him, as if Su Ran were sitting opposite him.

"I……"

"I want to advance to the finals, and then, win the championship!"

Akira Touya's words were firm and powerful.

……

The first battle before promotion to class 145! I'm going to have a showdown with you!

The next morning, Su Ran arrived at the chess academy. After taking off from the elevator, she changed her shoes and entered the academy.

"Su Ran-jun, today your opponent is me, me!"

Afu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, laughing loudly as he held up the match schedule: "I've been wanting to play against you for ages, and today is finally the day!"

He Gu, standing to the side, sighed, rubbing his forehead, "How do you plan to lose, Afu? Su Ran-kun won't hold back."

"Hahahaha, you can't beat Su Ran-kun, but I might not. You often lose to me, Kazuya."

Hearing what He Gu said, Afu didn't take it to heart and smiled optimistically.

Su Ran smiled, sat down at a chess table, took out a can of cola, and started drinking.

It wasn't time for the morning matches yet, and many people were secretly observing Su Ran.

Su Ran and Touya Akira advanced to Class 1 at an astonishing speed, which was both reasonable and expected.

"They... all advanced, while I'm still stuck in Class 2."

Sato sighed, "When will I be able to become a professional Go player? I also want to participate in the Young Lions Tournament and play against the new first dan players."

"They're amazing! They broke the record for the interns, didn't they?"

"When Kurata was a 5-dan player, it took him three weeks to advance to the first class, and he lost some games, but they never lost a single game."

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Afu sat down opposite Su Ran.

"Congratulations on your promotion to Class 1, Su Ran."

At that moment, Isumi walked over and congratulated him with a smile.

Su Ran nodded politely and smiled, "From today onwards, my opponents will be you from Class One."

"Although Su Ran-jun, you are very capable, you should not underestimate us."

Isumi smiled and said, "We are also catching up with you and Akira Touya."

Soon, Akira Toya also arrived at the Go Academy. He also sat in the first class seat, and responded to the congratulations with a smile and a polite nod.

"Hmm, Akira Touya goes to Kaiou Middle School, right?"

Kazuya seemed to remember something: "I remember there was a student from Kaiou Middle School who was promoted to the first class before, Isumi, do you remember?"

Izumi paused, then asked, "Really?"

Kazuya nodded firmly: "Yes, that's the one who likes to drink black coffee."

Upon hearing this, Yijiao suddenly realized: "You mean him? I remember now, he was promoted to Class 1 once, but he quit after a year here."

“I remember playing chess with him.”

Kazuya recalled, "He's completely no good. He can't compare to Su Ran-kun and Touya Akira, but he has good grades. As for Kaiou Academy, I wonder if Touya Akira even knows him."

At that moment, Afu also remembered.

"Oh, I've played against him too. His chess skills are just average. I crushed him in no time! Haha!"

"What was his name again?"

He Gu couldn't quite remember.

"He should be a few years older than Akira Touya. I wonder if Akira Touya knows him. Hmm... he's very tall and wears glasses..."

"Shall we call him Kishida?"

Suddenly, Afu remembered something and asked.

"Ah, right, right! His name is Kishida! It's kind of you to remember, Fuku."

He Gu was somewhat surprised that A Fu actually remembered this ridiculously weak second-class student.

"I have a good memory; I can set up a chess game again after just one glance."

Hearing He Gu's praise, A Fu also felt a little proud.

Su Ran remained silent throughout, having guessed from the beginning who the student everyone was talking about was.

That person was Kishida, the captain of Kaiou Middle School, who was considered by the students of Yase Middle School to be as strong as a god and invincible.

However, he was at the bottom of the class among the students and only stayed for a year before leaving the chess academy in disappointment.

The village teacher suddenly interrupted everyone's discussion.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's get started on the game, time's up!"

Upon hearing this, everyone scattered and found their opponents according to the positions on the match schedule.

"Please give me more advice."

"Please give me more advice."

After Su Ran and A Fu exchanged greetings, they began guessing who would go first.

"Two, four, six, seven..."

After Afu finished counting the pieces, Su Ran opened her hand, revealing only one black piece in her palm.

“Okay, Su Ran, you take black, and I’ll take white,” Afu said with a smile.

Across from him, Su Ran nodded, opened the chess box, reached in, and picked up a black piece.

Three columns and four rows, small eyes.

When Afu picked up the chess piece, he seemed like a different person. He didn't look like a primary school student, but like an adult. Although he always had a smile on his face, his demeanor had changed.

First move, sixteen columns, four rows, star.

Afu glanced at Su Ran furtively, then immediately lowered his head and continued looking at the chessboard.

"I'm going to perform at a first-class level!"

He chose to occupy the star position, and facing Su Ran's first move, which was a move that waited for an opportunity, he chose a straightforward star position and played steadily.

After all, Afu may seem naive, but when it comes to Go, you can't be naive at all.

He knew all too well what a formidable enemy Su Ran was, sitting across from him.

Su Ran's first two moves both landed on small points, opening with a small point mistake.

Afu picked up the chess piece and quickly placed it down!

This move should be a crucial decision point; generally speaking, this move determines the fate of all subsequent pieces.

They chose to attack from the corner, seeking a fierce battle.

We should occupy a corner and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

In the strategic deployment of hanging at a corner or occupying a corner, a normal person would think about it for a while.

However, Afu quickly placed his piece!

With a snap, the chess piece fell to the ground.

Four columns and sixteen rows, a star!

Unlike Su Ran when facing the door, A Fu chose Xing again.

"Su Ranjun is under pressure, so he can't choose to fight head-on in the corner. He should occupy the corner and wait for an opportunity to make a move."

Therefore, Afu did not go to hang in the corner, but instead went to occupy the corner, which is a way of seeking change while maintaining stability.

In the Edo period, this method of playing was unimaginable, but nowadays it's a mainstream Go game because of the komi rule, meaning White doesn't need to waste komi! (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Hey.