AN: I don't really know how to write stories but I'm going to give it a shot. I hope I don't bore anyone... Also I welcome any tips or ways to improve my writing!
Synopsis: Sai, Ogata and Hikaru are aquaintances on NetGo, and together they'll revolutionize the Go world (literally)... A world where Hikaru learnt to play igo through the internet and through his grandfather, hiding behind the handle 'Kou'. Unconfident and unaware, a storm is brewing both in the go association and on the net.
As a child, Hikaru's parents were never really home. He remembered his father came home once or twice a week, while his mother came home every night for dinner but would be gone before Hikaru woke up. Due to this, he was often left at his grandparents' house during the day or even for weeks on end depending on the time of year. He barely remembered what his address was, and he could not recall the color of his father's car. He couldn't recall the brand of ricecooker that was in the kitchen, nor could he recall what his mother liked to eat. He had been away from his parents and his home for so long that it was no wonder he took after his grandfather, somewhat in personality and in tastes.
His grandfather's name was Shindou Heihachi and was currently in his sixties judging from appearances alone. He loves his cat, his wife and his grandson, and he did not own a car as he commutes by public transport. Hikaru thinks he knows more about his grandfather than he knows about his parents or even his classmates. Personally he thinks it's the perks of being a borderline shut-in, but his grandfather told him the word was 'introvert'; someone who prefers to think to themselves over running around and playing soccer with friends; someone who prefers to interact with those they're already close to as opposed to floating around and introducing themselves to new people. Hikaru was inclined to agree. He didn't really hate his classmates, nor did he find them particularly annoying per se, but he couldn't find the courage nor necessity to approach them out of the blue. When his classmates chatted at each others desks at lunchtime, Hikaru merely looked out the window or slept. If he had received homework for the day, he would try finish it while the other students were loitering around or participating in club activites.
He would rather not do it at home though. He wouldn't make his grandfather wait all day for nothing.
There was one thing he looked forward to each day as he pushed open the wooden doors and took off his shoes at the entrance. His grandfather's house was quite the traditional one, despite being in the middle of Tokyo; a city famed for its moderness and fast paced lifestyle. The doors were either made of wood, bamboo or paper, and the outlook of the house made one imagine a dojo. In many ways, you could say the Japanese culture was quite strong.
Stepping up into the house Hikaru made his way towards the kitchen popping his head around the corner to mutter a quick "Tadaima" to his grandmother before sliding the shogi doors that led to the living room.
*paku*
*paku*
Dull sounds of stones on wood entered Hikaru's ears as he slid the door closed behind him. He left his bag at the side of the door before heading to the middle of the room.
"Jii-chan, why are you using the foldable board when we have a kaya board? Don't tell me your knees are going bad this early?"
Inside the room Hikaru's sight was met with his grandfather snuggled up under the warmth of a kotatsu, eyes focused on the foldable go board placed on the table. Both the black and white stone goke were placed on the floor to his right while an intricate pattern of monochromic stones could be seen taking form on the wooden grid.
Ahh, it's looks like one of Sai's games, Hikaru concluded after a glance.
"Ah Hikaru, you're back! Quick quick, get under so we can play a game! I need to take back my winning streak!"
Quickly abandoning the game he was recreating Shindou Heihachi gave no sign of suprise and signalled his grandson over. His left hand waving him over while his right began to recollect the stones. Hikaru hurried over, pulling up the thick fabric of the kotatsu and sitting crossed legged beneath the warmth. He reached for the white stone goke and pulled it over to his side before helping his grandfather in returning the stones. Using his knuckles he tapped the board a little, and he listened to the flat sound plain wood before giving a slight cringe.
"Why aren't we using the kaya board? This sounds like wet cardboard and...urgh...and the hinge is crooked too"
Normally, he and his grandfather would pull out the kaya board from the storage room, which his grandfather had left in attic for ages, but that was before Hikaru managed to convince him that the superstitions attached to the board were ridiculous, and the board soon became their board of choice. Clearly Hikaru prefered the 'haunted' board far more than the foldable one that was set up on the kotatsu, and the neglected kaya board at the side of the room poked at his heart.
"'Cos we're in the middle of winter you idiot. The kaya board can wait till summer! The ground is cold and this old man's bones will go bad if I don't use the Kotatsu!"
Jii-chan...I know your bones are fine. Just admit that you just want to use the kotatsu!
Seemingly noticing he wasn't convincing anyone he started again.
"A-and besides, I don't want to hear from someone who has replaced the the go board with a computer! Wet cardboard beats clicking noises anyday!"
"H-hey! Isn't Jii-chan the one who introduced netgo to me!? You replaced it first!"
"I just wanted you to play people other than me since you won't come with me to the salon!"
"The salon is full of smoke and weird smells! And I don't want to pay to play go!"
Or to be paid for that matter.
"You're not even the one paying! And where do you think the wifi comes from!?"
"Obviously from th-mnphh"
He was cut off when something flat and crispy was shoved into his mouth. Taking a bite, he realised it was his grandmother's homemade senbei.
A basket of freshly fried senbei was placed beside the go board, followed by a small pile of baking paper so that one's hands wouldn't get oily while eating. That's right, Ojii-chan's favourite food is naturally Obaa-chan's senbei... Hikaru thought, nibbling on the rest of the crunchy snack.
"While riling up Karu-chan is fun and all, don't you have a game to play?" Hikaru's grandmother asked while entering the kotatsu as well. Although she too, could play go, unlike both her grandson and husband, she found it quite satisfying to simply watch a game between her family than play herself. Between the three of them, her role was more of a scorekeeper than a competitor.
"So let's see...currently Karu-chan is in the lead by about 563 games..." she muttered, flipping the page of her small notebook.
Ever since he got into igo, Hikaru fell into the routine of prioritising his time. And thankfully as a first year student at Haze High, he didn't have to take any career impacting examinations yet, nor was there stacks of homework each day as long as he doesn't leave it to pile up. Perhaps it's due to the determination to understand what the teacher's explaining the first time round that he is able to finish homework quite quickly, opening plenty of free time afterschool and after dinner. Hikaru tends to save the afterdinner slot for netgo.
During Hikaru's go learning slump in primary school it was through his grandfather's urging that he made an account of NetGo. As its name suggests, it was basically a way to play igo through the internet, challenge players across the net, and also discuss go related issues. At first, it brought upon more harm than good, as there were plenty of users that didn't hold back the insults or liked to instill their authority as the better player, but eventually NetGo became a crucial part of his daily routine. The idea of going into a game expecting to lose, and shortening the time in which he can recognise when to resign was drilled into him through thousands of losses, and it's only due to his love of studying Shuusaku's games that he realised that when you couldn't find the necessity to resign, you might as well go for the win. It was hard to come by a kifu where Shuusaku was pushed in the corner after all, and Hikaru made it a habit to get into Shuusaku's shoes and figure out what he was thinking when he made certain moves. He also tried to figure out how a game was played in old and unnumbered kifu scans. To him, looking at Shuusaku's kifu was like witnessing the creation of a new galaxy. Discovering the meaning of enigmatic moves was like uncovering new techniques, figuring out how a game was played was like understanding the workings of a genius, and all in all, just studying Shuusaku's kifu made him realise that just sometimes, learning could be fun.
However learning something new was by no means easy. And it's for that reason that he adored new users on NetGo rather than the veterans. It was the will to learn and improve that fascinated Hikaru. The outcome wasn't necessarily important, and he was well aware that no matter how hard people work, there were always those they could never catch up to. The problem with learning something new, is that without an adequate teacher, you would be uncertain whether you're following the correct process for improvement. Hikaru was greatful to his grandfather for teaching him the basics of go, but he was by no means an amazing teacher. There were limits to how simply writing down the rules and crushing you in games with no mercy could help you grow, and gradually Hikaru turned to the internet.
On the laptop, the NetGo server consisted of an anonymous system forum, the game server and a chat on the sidebar. The forum wasn't something Hikaru looked at often, but occasionally some pretty good game discussions would take place there, and it made Hikaru wonder whether it was a similar experience to a study group. In the news section of the forum, timetables for pro games or events in the go world would be posted by the administrators. Since Hikaru's grandfather was suscribed to weekly go, he had no need to check those threads either. His grandfather had a habit of running his mouth everytime he read something exciting. So what he reads, everyone reads.
Personally, Hikaru prefered the mobile app version of NetGo as there were no constant movements on the screen. The sidebar which held the chat was to be hidden to save space. And it was precisely for that reason that Hikaru didn't know people watched his games until middle school. He remembered opening the sidebar tab on his phone by accident, and then his phone suddenly froze from the sudden influx of comments. It didn't match up to the fuss when the Sai first started NetGo but nevertheless, it was quite enlightening. He made a mental note to never open the sidebar again. He liked his phone functioning properly thank you very much.
Taking out his smartphone and keeping his fingers as far from the sidebar tab as possible, Hikaru entered his usual routine. First was to check if any of his friends were online. Although the term 'friend' was thrown around quite easily on the net, the people who he registered as friends on NetGo were people truly wanted to be friends with. This list was fairly short however, and the scrollbar on the side was greyed out as there were not enough names for the page to need scrolling. His list consisted of six names. One of which was his grandfather. Of course Jii-chan's handle was glowing a faint aqua, he was using the laptop under the kotatsu after all, but he was suprised that the name Sai was also dyed in the same color.
Huh, that's strange. Doesn't he usually eat out with his friend at this time...
Sai was somewhat of an international celebrity on NetGo, or at least back when he was still anonymous and crushing both pros and ameteurs left and right. It was mere chance that the two got a game against one another, and Sai's polite yet cheerful conversations were a far cry from the bullying he recieved from the other players at the time. The two bonded after seeing each others play styles, and while the inexperience could be seen in Hikaru's go, Sai's go could be seen as a replica of Shuusaku's go, only with a modern twist. Both styles were given birth to by Shuusaku's old joseki, and it wouldn't be wrong to call the joseki 'brothers'. Naturally, Sai's go was far more developed than Hikaru's at the time, which Sai believed was a sign that he was the elder brother. How Sai's mind worked, Hikaru would never know.
Sai: Kou-chan konbanwa! o(*´▽｀*)o You're early today!
I get on this time every day! You're the one that's early! ...were his thoughts, but Sai was older than him both go wise and in age so he couldn't be rude.
Kou: Sai-nii, konbanwa. You didn't eat out today?
Sai: Ahh~ I'm so happy to have a little brother! Father would be so proud! (＞＜)
And I'm actually on my phone at a restaurant.
Wa-wait, stop right there! Did you just call Shuusaku 'Father'...
Kou: Oh how strange, Sai-nii using his phone. And is it really okay to call Shuusaku-sensei 'Father' ∑(;´ v｀)
Sai: My food hasn't come yet and my friend started eating without me（｀Δ´）！
I'm in the process of ignoring him, so I took out my phone. Here, I'll show you.
Sai has sent an image
The image showed a blonde man wearing rectangle framed glasses casually cutting what looked like steak. Hikaru didn't imagine Sai's friend to be such a strict looking person but hey, looks could be decieving...though he kind of looked familiar.
Kou: Ahh! Are you really alright with revealing personal details with me...But you're right. He looks like he is enjoying your suffering...but the good thing is, he'll have to watch you enjoy your meal too! (＾ｖ＾)
Sai: Ohhh you're right! And my food is here! I'll tell you how it goes later! Btw, did you watch Ogata-san's game?
Kou: Err no, I don't really watch TV and the kifu hasn't been printed in Go Weekly yet. Why? Was it a good game? And enjoy your food! I'm going to play a few games (´・ω・｀)
Speaking of Ogata-sensei, Jii-chan mentioned that he seemed like a serious person. I wonder if Sai has played him before...with such offhand thoughts, Hikaru switched to the game server tab.
According to Sai, when he first joined NetGo, the game requests windows flooded his screen to the point his computer almost crashed. Due to this, the administrators made it so that only the first twenty or so requests would be delivered while the rest were denied. Although the situation was eeriely similar to his game comment/chat incident, Hikaru was pretty sure his popularity was nowhere near that of a pro such as Sai would have. Sure, he received twenty or so game requests, but surely if the administrators retracted the game request update, he would recieve no more than thirty requests. And considering how there are millions of players registered on NetGo, with many who are eager to find an opponent regardless of skill, twenty to thirty requests was probably not a number to be proud of.
Hikaru scrolled through the list of game requests, silently noting that some of the names belonged to users that he had played before. He was quite amused to find that user SDHH had requested a game when they were both under the same kotatsu.
Finally, he decided to choose a random user from the list and accepted the request from a user named Hiro86.
At beginning, Hiro-san seemed to have a style similar to a user name Zelda, making Hikaru question whether he was an insei, but after a few hands in, the ply style started to change and the stones were placed in an erratic pattern. Hikaru couldn't make heads or tales of what this Hiro person was doing, but he did understand that the game wasn't one that where he needed to resign. The player didn't actually have a play style and seemed to be someone who was randomly putting stones without much knowledge of the go aside from the start game. After a few minutes, it became more and more clear that the other party had no idea what he was doing, and the random stones continued until the system declared to winner. Hikaru did like new players so he didn't mind players challenging others without full knowledge of the game. He was like that once, so he could understand that learning through experience was much more effective than trying to understand beginner kifu. Back then, kifu was on the same page as hieroglyphs, so he could relate to what Hiro86-san had done.
Remembering his manners Hikaru opened the private chat between players and typed his usual phrase.
Kou: Thank you for the game
Hiro86: What do you mean by 'thank you'!? You didn't hold back at all! I bet you were still laughing at me when you wrote that! I don't need your 'thanks'!
Kou:I didn't mean it like that! I'm really sorry
Hiro86 has logged out
...I really didn't mean it like that...though... Hikaru sighed. It had been a while since such a thing had happened, so Hikaru was quite taken back by the suddent outburst. To distract himself, he decided to play another game. Hikaru opened the game request page, and scrolled through the game requests again. As he had accepted Hiro86's request previously, a new request took its place.
Seiji requests a game with you.
-Accept- -Decline-
Senbei: Japanese rice cracker snack
Kotatsu: A low square table with a heating system below the tabletop and a quilt that keeps the warmth in
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