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

"I know this is Go, and I'm really good at it!"

Su Ran blinked and said seriously.

"Alright, alright, Uncle doesn't have time to play with you anymore. You'd better get out of here, or the security guards might kick you out when they come!"

The uncle was quite kind to a handsome young boy like Su Ran.

"Has contestant number nineteen, Su Ran, arrived?"

Just as Su Ran was trying to figure something out, the host's voice came through the microphone.

"Here I am! Here I am!"

Su Ran raised her little hand and waved, seemingly afraid that the host wouldn't see her, and even jumped a few times.

"Haha, this little guy, he's really putting on a convincing act!"

The uncle chuckled, and everyone else joined in the laughter.

"Oh, Su Ran, because of the restrictions for new first-dan players, if you want to participate in this kind of title match, you can only play a ten-game match against your opponent for the time being... I think someone has already told you about this rule before, right?"

Having received prior notification, the host showed no surprise at Su Ran's status as a child.

The uncle who had just made fun of Su Ran was now wide-eyed with surprise.

What?

This kid is actually a contestant?

And he's a newly promoted 1-dan this year!?

Just like the uncle's reaction, most of the chess players present also showed expressions of surprise.

However, they didn't have time to be surprised for long.

With the sound of a gong, the competition officially began.

"Contestant number 19, Su Ran, will face off against contestant number 28, Hashimoto Yutaro."

The host came to Su Ran's side and put a sticker with the number "19" on his clothes. Then, he started looking for contestant number 28.

"Is Hashimoto Utaro here? Please raise your hand."

As the host read out the name, the middle-aged man had no choice but to raise his hand with a helpless expression.

I never imagined that I, a dignified 7-dan Go player, would have to play house with a little kid...

Hashimoto Yutaro never expected that he and Su Ran would be so destined for each other. They had just been teasing each other, and now they were rivals.

This is...so embarrassing!

"Hashimoto-senpai, please take care of me!"

Su Ran was much more carefree than Hashimoto, not taking the misunderstanding to heart at all, and still politely bowed to Hashimoto Utaro as a junior.

"Uh, please give me your guidance as well..."

Give me some pointers? Give me some pointers my ass!

What can a little kid like you possibly teach me?

Although he inwardly complained, Hashimoto Utaro maintained a very professional demeanor as a Go player.

After exchanging greetings, both sides set up their timers, preparing for the upcoming match.

"Hey, Hashimoto, don't be too rough with kids. If possible, let them have a few extra points."

Another player next to him, taking advantage of the lull in the game before the result of the coin toss, jokingly said something to Hashimoto.

Too lazy to pay attention to the other person's teasing, Hashimoto simply shrugged helplessly and said:

"Sigh, I really envy you guys who can decide a winner in just one game, while I have to play ten games with this kid..."

Upon hearing this, the other chess player immediately laughed and scolded:

"Tch, you're really getting a good deal and then complaining. Facing a new first-dan player like this, even though it'll cost more money in the application process, at least it guarantees you'll advance to the next round. I'm in trouble; my opponent is Okabe Hiroshi, an 8-dan. Just thinking about it gives me a headache..."

"That's true."

Hearing the man's words of comfort, Hashimoto felt much better.

Even his mood inexplicably improved, and he immediately said to Su Ran in a gentle voice:

"Um, do you need me to let you have a turn?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ran frowned:

"Uncle, stop messing around! This is a formal competition... Although I'd love to give you a few points, the rules don't allow it!"

Hashimoto Utaro: ? ? ?

Since the other party had clearly rejected his offer, out of respect for Su Ran's status as a Go player, Hashimoto did not bring up the matter of giving Su Ran a handicap again.

Soon, after both sides adjusted their timers, the ten-game match officially began.

Half an hour later...

Hashimoto Utaro stared blankly at the chessboard in front of him.

We lost?

We've already lost?

In just 30 minutes, I lost four games to a... well... a little kid?

Full of disbelief, full of resentment, full of... doubt about life.

"Contestant number 28, please leave your seat. There are other contestants who will be playing against contestant number 19."

Seeing that Hashimoto was completely dumbfounded, the host couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

After reviewing the internal documents sent by the Yomiuri Shimbun, he naturally knew that Su Ran was very likely THESAI himself.

Therefore, I was not surprised at all by Hashimoto losing four games in thirty minutes.

However, to save face for Hashimoto 7-dan, he couldn't bring himself to announce Su Ran's victory in public.

She simply whispered in Hashimoto's ear, "It's time to leave."

Ugh!

With a deep sigh, no matter how unwilling he was, Hashimoto could only give up his spot and move to watch the match with other players.

He was too ashamed to stay there and watch Su Ran's next match.

Although Su Ran's chess moves were indeed very exquisite, he really wanted to learn a few tricks from his opponent.

But in the end...

I just can't bring myself to do it!

As soon as Hashimoto stood down at the other players' tables, the two players who were playing a game looked at him with envy and said:

"Huh? Hashimoto, you finished so quickly? As expected, it's always good to have a weak opponent..."

"Yes, I wish I could be as lucky as you. But speaking of which, Hashimoto, your Go skills must have improved quite a bit recently, right? You've won four games in just thirty minutes. Even if your opponent was a child, that's still amazing!"

While they were playing chess, the other two players chatted casually with Hashimoto.

Ha ha.

Want to be as lucky as me?

Then I really wish you good luck in the next game and hope you run into that kid!

He secretly cursed the other person in his mind, but Hashimoto forced a smile on his face:

"Haha, it's all just luck. I'm sure you'll have similar good fortune in the future..."

The three chatted for a short while before the game came to an end with one player resigning.

And just as their game ended.

the other side.

Su Ran also eliminated another opponent in the ten-game match with a score of 4-0.

Quite tacitly, the chess player who was defeated by Su Ran did not make a fuss.

Instead, they stood aside with schadenfreude, wanting to see who the next unlucky soul would encounter Su Ran.

"Contestant number nineteen, Su Ran, is facing off against contestant number thirty-one, Ota Shozo."

Seeing that Su Ran had defeated another contestant, the host quickly announced his next opponent.

"Huh? It's my turn again so soon? I haven't even had a break yet..."

Ota Shozo was the player who had just finished his game and envied Hashimoto Utaro.

"Ota-kun!"

Hashimoto called out to Ota Shozo, his face practically beaming with joy:

"You should try buying a lottery ticket tonight. I think you're having a really lucky day, especially with your mouth—it's like it's been blessed by a master!"

Completely failing to pick up on the sarcastic tone in Hashimoto's words, Ota Shosan genuinely believed that the other party was sincerely praising him.

He immediately laughed heartily and said:

"Right? I also feel like I've had exceptionally good luck today. Not only did I advance successfully in the first round, but I also encountered a relatively unknown new first-dan player in the second round. Now I'm already praying that I won't run into a master like Ogata 9-dan or Touya Meijin in the next round, haha!"

Upon hearing this, Hashimoto muttered under his breath:

"Actually, I'd rather you ran into Ogata 9-dan or Touya Meijin. At least against them, you might have a chance to fight back..."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Hashimoto's voice was too soft, and Ota Shozo couldn't hear it at all.

"Uh, it's nothing, I was just wishing you well."

Hashimoto told a white lie.

"Hey? By the way, Hashimoto, it's been so long, why haven't you gone to play against the next round's player yet?"

Finally noticing Hashimoto's unusual behavior, Ota Shozo asked curiously.

"Ah, well... I had a stomachache earlier, so I asked the referee for a timeout to go to the bathroom, which is why I seem to have nothing to do right now..."