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

While everyone was discussing it.

Akira Toya, who had just helped Hikaru Shindo back to his seat, finally had time to re-examine the game before him.

Is it sticky?

Akira Touya crossed his arms and stared intently at the Go board before him, his mind racing with deductions about the upcoming game and pondering the purpose of his move to connect.

At first glance, Akira Touya, like everyone else, did not think this move was particularly ingenious.

but.

As his mental deductions unfolded, his initially composed demeanor gradually gave way to trembling.

"Do not."

"This 'sticky' move isn't simply blocking the white piece's attack; in fact, it doesn't even seem to be resisting!"

"This move is an attack, the strongest attack ever!"

Akira Touya's eyes blazed brightly, as if flames mixed with fire were flashing within them, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

"Just like White's pressing move earlier, Hikaru Shindo's move to connect is also a desperate charge into White's territory!"

"He was like a swordsman of ancient times, who resolutely drew his sword against Kato-senpai with his own blood!"

Even knowing that this journey will inevitably lead to death, we must…

Thinking of this, Akira Touya suddenly looked up, staring in horror at Hikaru Shindo, and uttered a whisper that only he could hear:

"Kill the enemy on the spot!"

……

In the midst of a chess game.

Kato Masao silently gazed at the chessboard scattered with stars before him.

For a long, long time.

However, he was unable to place another piece for a long time.

The onlookers were puzzled to see Kato Masao deep in thought for a long time.

Someone glanced at the clock on the wall in the classroom, covered their nose with their hand, and whispered to the classmate next to them, "Hey... it seems like Hachidan has been thinking for five minutes already..."

"Is there some unknown effect to that adhesive step?"

"I don't know, but judging from Kato-sensei's expression, this move is going to be very difficult to handle!"

"White only needs to eliminate the black pieces within the white formation to win, right? Why do we need to think about it for so long? This move didn't hinder White at all!"

"Logically, that's how it should be... but..."

Everyone frowned and began to reconsider the next developments in the game.

However, no matter how hard I try, I still can't figure out how Kuroko managed to escape.

Not only them, but also Harada Ikegami was like that.

"No matter how I think about it, I can't imagine how Kuroko could have survived."

"All Shiro needs to do is launch an all-out attack..."

"Why hasn't Mr. Kato made a move yet?"

"Could it be... that there really is some key that I haven't discovered yet?"

Harada Ikegami stared silently at the chessboard.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the chessboard in front of me is not as simple as it initially seemed.

The chessboard before him seemed like a bottomless whirlpool, pulling all his thoughts into it.

Before his eyes, the game of chess, from the first move to the last, began to appear alternately in his mind.

The Demon Blade's signature opening move...

Point 3-3, the counter-move of the Chess Saint Qingyuan...

Move 143, White's press down in the sixth column and ninth row...

Move 145, Black...

Column 7, Row 10, paste!

In an instant!

Harada Ikegami's eyes narrowed, and he looked at the chessboard again with disbelief and horror.

next moment.

To his disbelief, the black and white pieces on the intricately crisscrossed chessboard were tightly intertwined, each seemingly poised to attack the other…

Helpless!

"This, this is..."

Harada Ikegami pushed up his reading glasses, looking utterly astonished:

"It's over, there's nowhere left to place a piece in this game..."

"Even if we make ten or twenty more moves..."

"It is now impossible for Black and White to kill each other again!"

"Unexpectedly, the endgame of this game has become completely meaningless..."

"A sign of a draw!!"

Thinking of this, Harada Ikegami looked up in alarm and stared at Hikaru Shindo.

He simply couldn't imagine it.

How did this twelve-year-old boy manage to foresee this move from a seemingly hopeless situation, a miraculous stroke that turned the tide?

the other side.

Kato Masao pondered for a long time before finally bursting into laughter and lowering his right hand, which was holding the white stone.

"good very good!"

Kato Masao glanced kindly at Shindo Hikaru and smiled with relief:

“My child, you have not disappointed me! This game of chess is enough to prove to the world that you…”

Kato Masao took a deep breath, his sharp, hawk-like gaze sweeping across the entire chess room.

Then, he said in a long voice:

"You are indeed qualified to be my disciple, Kato Masao!"

Done.

Without saying goodbye to his old friend, Kato Masao continued laughing as he left the Go room, leaning on his cane and trembling with each step.

He stopped just before reaching the door, and without turning his head, said:

"You can find my home address in any newspaper. Whenever you want to learn chess, you can come and find me as your teacher."

He finished speaking.

Kato Masao seemed to wave to Ikegami Harada before pulling open the door to the Go room and walking straight out.

"Kato Hachidan... he just left like that?"

Inside the chess room, all the students were stunned.

They couldn't understand why Kato Masao had left before the game was even over.

As a professional player, Kato, the 8th Dan, is just too...

This is disrespectful to the game!

"The game is over."

Just as everyone was extremely surprised, Akira Touya, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly said in a low voice.

what?

Many students didn't hear clearly and subconsciously asked a question.

“I just said that.”

Akira Touya bit his lower lip, staring intently at the Go board in front of him:

"This game, from the moment Hikaru Shindo played that 'connect' move, it was already..."

"it's over……"

ended?

How could this be!?

The students were startled again and rushed towards the chessboard in a flurry.

They were genuinely curious as to why this game of chess, which clearly had many more moves ahead, had suddenly come to an abrupt end.

Much later.

"So that's how it is!"

"What an incredible game! With Black's move of connecting seven columns and ten rows, even Kato-senpai... has no pieces left to place!"

"What happened? Did Kato, the 8th dan, lose?" some students with lower skill levels asked.

“No, White didn’t lose, but…” another student with higher skill level replied, “He can’t extend his advantage any further.”

"At this point in the game, neither the black nor the white pieces can deliver a fatal blow to the opponent."

"so……"

"The final result of this game can only be a draw..."

hiss……

A draw!?

After listening to the analysis from those students with advanced chess skills, the other boys with less advanced skills couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.