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

As for that completely unrelated THESAI, let's not even talk about whether he is an artificial intelligence or not. Even if he is a real person, it's impossible for him to happen to be in Kyoto.

I really don't know if Teacher Chishang is getting senile, because he completely overlooked such a strong disciple as Su Ran.

Akira Toya never imagined that, in fact, it wasn't Harada Ikegami who intentionally ignored Su Ran.

The truth is...

Mr. Ikegami had no idea.

Su Ran's chess skills at this moment are vastly different from those of last week.

However, this cannot be blamed on Harada Ikegami being careless.

after all.

Who could have imagined that Su Ran, who was a beginner just last week, would suddenly become a chess master this week?

We saw off Mr. Ikegami.

Soon, only Hikaru Shindo and Su Ran remained in the ward.

The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive for a moment.

After a long silence, Akira Touya finally broke the stillness:

"Su Ran, you... will participate in the middle school Go tournament in two months, right?"

Upon hearing Akira Touya's words, Su Ran paused slightly, then nodded: "Probably."

Oh.

Akira Touya fell silent again, his thoughts unknown.

Su Ran ignored him and took out her father's chess manual, looking at it again.

Time passed by, second by second.

Soon, it was 10 p.m.

"Touya, I have to go back now."

Su Ran glanced at the wall clock in the ward, put away the chess manual, and said:

“My father is also in a coma, but he’s not in this hospital. I have to go back to take care of him.”

Oh.

Akira Touya absentmindedly responded, but then, as if remembering something, his face flushed red as he said:

"Su Ranjun, Uncle Su... he wasn't killed by my father!"

I know.

Su Ran nodded earnestly:

“My father never blamed Touya Meijin. I trust my father’s judgment. I will investigate that matter myself.”

After saying that, Su Ran smiled at Touya Akira, then turned and left the ward.

As he watched Su Ran's departing figure, Akira Touya's mind involuntarily drifted back to the scene of their first encounter:

"Su Ran, Hikaru Shindo!"

"I will not admit defeat!"

"Wait for me. When I appear before you again... when I reappear next time, I will give you... a real surprise!"

"I will catch up with you, even though the distance is very, very long, I will definitely catch up with you!"

"Then, surpass them one by one!"

……

Sixty-four, aiming to surpass the Go Saint! I am SAI!

night.

In a rather luxurious villa in Kyoto.

"Hasn't Xiao Liang come back yet?"

Wearing a loose-fitting kimono, Touya Kouyo sat calmly at the chessboard.

While staring intently at the chessboard in front of him, deep in thought, he casually asked Ogata Seiji, who was sitting opposite him playing chess.

"Oh, I heard from Mr. Ikegami that Xiaoliang is at the hospital with Shindo Hikaru... That boy played Go with Kato 8-dan today, and apparently he overworked his brain and fell into a coma."

I see...

Touya Kouhiro nodded, pondered for a moment, and placed a piece:

"Let the driver pick them both up later. It's not a big deal for chess players to overuse their brains; it's better for them to rest at home."

Yes, teacher.

Ogata Seiji nodded respectfully, got up and went to the landline, casually dialed the driver's number, and gave a few instructions to the person on the other end of the phone.

Then he returned to the chessboard.

While continuing to place his pieces, he chatted casually with Touya Yukihiro:

"Teacher, did you know that Kato 8-dan also lost to that online THESAI yesterday?"

Ogata Seiji lit a cigarette, flicked off the ash, and said:

"And Kobayashi 8-dan, Kura Atsushi 7-dan, none of them could last a hundred moves against Thesai."

Ok.

Tashiro Yukihiro's expression remained unchanged as he continued placing his pieces:

"I saw it on the news this morning. That THESAI has a very strange playing style... sometimes aggressive, sometimes very calculating..."

Kouhiro Touya thought for a moment:

"It felt like every move the opponent made was exactly what he had anticipated."

At this point, Touya Kouhiro stroked his chin, a hint of confusion flashing in his deep eyes:

"Many of his ingenious ideas are things that even I might not be able to come up with in a short time. In short, they are not moves that a normal chess player would make."

You mean...

Ogata Seiji looked horrified:

"Is this THESAI even stronger than you?"

Touya Kouhiro did not answer, silently staring at the chessboard in front of him, his eyes flickering slightly, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Just then.

The sound of a door opening came from outside; Akira Touya and Hikaru Shindo had been picked up by the driver.

Hikaru Shindo was still unconscious and was being carried by the driver to a guest room on the second floor.

“Dad, Mr. Ogata.”

Hikaru Shindo bowed politely to the two of them and was about to go upstairs when Ogata called him back.

"Xiao Liang, I heard that Kato-sensei played a handicap game against Shindo Hikaru today, but it ended in a draw?"

Ogata Seiji's tone clearly carried surprise.

Obviously.

Even for a 9-dan Go player like him, a draw is a rare occurrence.

Not to mention, the player who drew the game was none other than the renowned Masao Kato.

Even in a handicap game, it's still extremely rare.

“Mr. Ogata, I was just about to ask you a question.”

Akira Touya, too lazy to even wash up, went straight to the Go board, sat down, and took out a brand new Go set, saying:

"Perfect timing, since you and Dad are both here, why don't I give you a recap of the chess game we saw today?"

Ogata Seiji nodded, while Touya Kouyo remained noncommittal.

Seeing that the two elders did not object, Akira Touya recalled for a moment, and quickly picked up three black stones and placed them on the board.

……

The second floor of the villa.

Hikaru Shindo, who had been unconscious for nearly ten hours, finally woke up slowly.

He was awakened by thirst.

but.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he found that the environment in front of him was completely unfamiliar.

"Sai, where are we?"

Hikaru Shindo rubbed his eyes, looking very curious:

"Wow, the bed here is so big and soft, much more comfortable than at home!"

Sai opened his folding fan, covered his mouth, and looked at him with a smile:

"Hikaru, this is Touya Kouyo's house. What do you think? Being a professional Go player is quite lucrative. When you become famous, you can buy a big house like this too."

This is Touya Meijin's house!?

Hikaru Shindo was startled and asked in surprise:

"I clearly remember playing Go with Mr. Kato. How did I suddenly end up here?"

Sai laughed:

"How dare you say that? It's all your fault for suddenly fainting, which prevented me from playing chess all day!"

Hmm? That seems to be true...

Hikaru Shindo scratched his head sheepishly, remembering that he had indeed promised Sai that he would take him online to enjoy some Go today.