Chapter One:
Mr. Brightside
—
Shindou Hikaru patrols the Tokyo streets, looking for something to help him out with the cost of the Insei Exam. He had already hit all of the Go salons he knew of, betting that he could win—which he did—and then went to another salon making the same bet.
His mother won't help him—she's already concerned about why exactly her son wants to pour all of his concentration on something that he's considered a pastime—so parental funding is out. He could beg to his grandfather—which the old man will probably dish out the money that it takes to take the test plus some—but the oldest Shindou will probably spill the whole, lending your son cash to play a game for a living thing, and therefore earning him a punishment.
He glances at a pole, then stops.
A Go salon is in this building.
Excited at the chance to get more money, Hikaru bolts up the stairway to the floor the salon would be on. He pushes through the automatic door before its done opening and glances around at the salon's occupants.
There's a woman resting against the counter, and a few old men playing here and there. A boy, about his age is looking wistfully at the goban, seeming oddly out of place around the old men.
"Hello there," the woman greets, and Hikaru pulls out the necessary 500 yen to get in. She smiles and says, "You can play anyone you want."
He nods and makes his way over to some old men, rambling on about something. "Do you want to play a game?" he asked the men, and they both look up from their conversation.
"Sure, sure," one says, and his friend gets up to observe, gesturing to Shindou to take his seat.
"Thanks," Hikaru mutters, then sets himself down in the chair, looking at the older man. "You wanna set a stone handicap, old man? I may not look like much, but you might want to put down four or five stones."
The old man blinked, surprised. "Handicap?" he sputters, then he viciously digs his hand into the go ke. "Nigiri, brat. We're playing even."
—
"I'm losing."
"Thank you for the game," Hikaru bows his head a little, feeling guilty that he crushed the man in the beginning game. The whole battle only lasted half an hour.
Hikaru cleans the board, and stands up, walking past the other man, and makes his way over to the kid his age. "Excuse me, but do you want to play a game? That old man wasn't much."
The other boy glances up, then he smiles a bit. "Sure. Why don't you place few stones."
"We're playing even," Hikaru insists, and the other boy looks surprised.
"Alright." He dips his hand into the bowl, drawing out a number of stones. Hikaru places one stone on the board, and he counts out the stones.
"Please," they said simultaneously.
Hikaru places the first stone, and they both launch into a game beyond their expectations.
—
"With komi, black is 70, and white is 69."
Hikaru looked up at the other boy, who was still engrossed in the board. It had been a close game, but Hikaru had managed to squeeze past with a half a moku win. He ran a hand through his bleached bangs, finally noticing the murmurs of the crowd that had gathered during their game.
"Hey, that was a great game. I can't remember how long it's been since I've gone all out. I'm Shindou Hikaru," he stuck out his hand, and the other boy finally looked up and looked at his hand before clutching it with his own.
"Touya Akira," he introduces, then he glances over Hikaru's shoulder and gasps. Hikaru glanced over his shoulder to see who had Touya gasping, and he looked over the man.
"Touya Kouyo…"
"Akira, please allow me to talk to this young man alone," the Meijin said, and his son, Akira, nodded and got up slowly. He finally looked at Hikaru once the crowd of old men dispersed and Akira had gone elsewhere. "That was a good game; my son didn't see your trap though."
"Hai, Touya-sensei. Akira-san did well, but I did manage to gain territory from the battle here." Hikaru said, pointing slowly to a cluster of stones. The Meijin glanced at the shape of the stones before chuckling.
"That's right. Shindou-san, are you an insei?"
"Iie. I'm trying to raise money for the fee. I don't have enough and my mother says that she can't give me the money needed." Hikaru hung his head.
"I'll pay for it," the older man offered, and Hikaru's head bolted up.
"Really? Thank you, Touya-meijin!"
"If… you play a game with me."
Hikaru fell back into his seat. Playing a game with the Meijin… in exchange for the funds for his exam fee? Hikaru couldn't help but feel a bit excited, playing a game with an accomplished pro—especially one with four titles—was a great opportunity.
"Hai!"
Hikaru cleared the board, placing the glass stones in their respective bowls before turning to the Meijin. "Are we playing even?"
"Iie. Place two stones." He ordered, and Hikaru hastily placed to black stones, thankful for the slight handicap. An even game with the title-holder would be suicide.
Hikaru bowed his head, "Please."
The Meijin gave a slight tilt of his head in return and gestured for Hikaru to place his first stone.
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There. Hikaru plays the Meijin for his exam fee.
Short chapter, but hey, take it or leave it, alright?
The Killers own 'Mr. Brightside.'
