Hikaru no Ghost

Chapter 7: Hikaru the (Grand) Teacher!

Sai wandered into the kitchen, sleepy and still dressed in his pajamas.

"Good morning." Sai yawned as he took his customary seat at the table.

"Good morning, Sai!" Hikaru cheered as he floated over to the table, setting the last of Sai's breakfast in front of him.

It was an occurrence so normal now that Sai had come to expect this routine in the morning.

Ever since Hikaru had returned from his weeks-long disappearance, and they had sat down and had a long conversation (ie. Sai had angrily lectured) on not disappearing for weeks on end, Hikaru had dutifully appeared every day.

As Sai chewed on a piece of toast, he glanced over at his Heian roommate.

Hikaru was dressed in full Heian regalia again, this time in silk robes of bright orange and dark blue embroidered with colorful white and black cranes. The outfit was made even more ridiculous by the kitchen apron Hikaru donned when cooking. (It was pale pink, decorated by a sakura tree scattering petals everywhere, and lots of ruffles.)

Sai watched as Hikaru easily floated over the tiled floor of the kitchen, humming cheerfully as he wiped the countertop.

"Do you ever need to eat?"

Hikaru's head dipped backwards. Yet, the black hat atop his head stayed perfectly in place. Either by the two long black ribbons that tied it under Hikaru's chin, or some kind of ghost gravity, Sai didn't know.

In response to Sai's question, Hikaru thoughtfully placed his hand under his chin, his socked feet continuing to dangle in the air.

"I don't have to." Hikaru finally answered him. "But I do enjoy the indulgence occasionally."

Sai glanced down at his breakfast.

"I've been wondering… How did you learn how to cook? I didn't think Heian nobles had to do that."

"Ahh," Hikaru stretched like a starfish in the air, laying back with his hands behind his head. "Truly, I had not been required to learn such skills as a nobleman. But it's really boring to continue existing for a thousand years."

Hikaru pouted, looking put off by the reminder.

"My education has expanded greatly in my long lifetime, Sai." Hikaru sat up in the air. "You need no longer fear many things, for I am a capable man!"

Sai sighed. And glanced down at his breakfast again.

"Are you ever going to tell me how you managed to convince everyone that you actually lived here?"

Hikaru grinned, throwing Sai a V for Victory hand sign in reply.

Sai sighed, again.

Whatever and however it had come to this, Sai had never sat at this table so regularly or so often. Truthfully, he had no idea how to use his kitchen. He had mostly just left that room alone since he had moved in.

And even more truthfully, Hikaru's cooking was delicious and he knew all of Sai's preferences.

Done with his work in the kitchen for now, Hikaru floated to sit in seiza atop the other end of the long dining table. There was a poof of smoke, and suddenly, an antique lacquered Japanese-style desk was atop the table.

Sai took a sip of his tea, no longer perturbed by this particular display.

Hikaru ceremoniously untied and unrolled one of the set of different-sized silk scrolls atop the desk. This was the green one, imprinted with seals of flying bats for some reason.

"Your schedule today: the next in the series for the Oza title match, convening within the Room of Profound Darkness." Hikaru announced somberly, in the way one announces battle plans.

Hikaru then lowered the long silk scroll just enough to look Sai in the eye.

"Have you prepared dutifully to meet the challenge?" Hikaru demanded.

Sai nodded with confidence.

"I have, General."

"Well, you better have!" Hikaru shouted, slamming the scroll atop the desk with a loud thunderclap. "Losing to the likes of such a despicable opponent is unacceptable!"

"I've won in straight games!" Sai reminded Hikaru.

"And yet!" Hikaru stabbed his suddenly-appearing war fan at Sai's face. "The enemy has managed to give you a challenge in the last meeting! Why has such occurred?"

"We stayed up late playing go! That was your fault too!" Sai protested, slapping the war fan away. "And I won that game anyway."

"Pft!" Hikaru allowed the fan to disappear in a puff of smoke. "You shall face punishment for your insolence, Horse!"

The bat-covered scroll quickly floated up, folded itself, tied its own ribbon, and returned to its place atop Hikaru's desk.

And the yellow silk scroll imprinted with a seal of dragons floated open instead.

Sai groaned into his hands.

It was the largest scroll. And inside, listed after the ink illustration of the game, there were a set of numbers elegantly transcribed by Hikaru's own hand.

"I shall start at the beginning." Hikaru announced solemnly, settling comfortably at the desk for a long session.

Sai grimaced. Hikaru looked like a very grim judge, preparing to pronounce Sai's fate.

"Oza Title Match. Best of five games. Second game of series, played between Title Defender (Sai) and Title Challenger (Zama)…"

Sai would be forced to sit there as Hikaru relentlessly recited all of the moves of his last game, ruthlessly questioned Sai on his play, and then ended it with his harsh final critique.

Sai would be lucky that Hikaru didn't throw penalties at him. Those wooden tablets really hurt when they hit you.


"What are you doing here?" Mitani asked flat out.

Hikaru pouted.

"This is your moment of achievement!" Hikaru declared loudly. "You have become Sai's student, and won the junior high level tournament for the Haze Go Club to great credit to your sensei. And today, you move ever forward in your chosen path by accepting a place amongst the profession!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Mitani hissed.

The people passing by the automatic glass doors of the Japan Go Association all stared at the two boys as they passed on the sidewalk.

Mitani grabbed Hikaru by the collar and forcefully tossed the embarrassing ghost into the lobby.

"I've come to share in your success at becoming professional, Mitani! I have done nothing wrong." Hikaru waved both his arms in the air as he was manhandled.

"I'm a long way from turning pro." Mitani seethed with rage, fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I'm just turning in my application for the insei program."

Hikaru pouted. "But Sai was already a pro before he was in junior high."

"Yeah, well, Sensei is a genius who never needed the insei program." Mitani mumbled, his frown penetrating deeply enough to cause a wrinkle between his eyebrows.

Hikaru recognized Mitani's bad habit immediately.

"Comparison between oneself and others is no true measure of growth, Mitani." Hikaru stated in a scholarly fashion. "We all progress at our own pace."

Mitani glared at him. For talking.

Hikaru gazed thoughtfully into the distance for a moment.

"Longevity—"

"Do not start one of your useless poems to give me a weird lesson again!" Mitani snapped. "I don't even understand them."

"Mitani, the composition of poetry is a vaulted skill amongst the high court!" Hikaru gasped, before shaking his head in disappointment. "Really, the education of today."

"Stop acting like an old man! And why are you dressed like that?!"

Hikaru's kimono was black, with a design of two large white-and-black-feathered cranes standing atop a rock in the sea. Waves splashed across the bottom of the robe and across Hikaru's sleeves. The red-crowned birds perched just behind Hikaru's knees, their bodies decorating his back.

"Sai is defending his Oza title today. I have dressed formally for the occasion." Hikaru announced proudly.

Mitani frowned at him. "You look like a little boy going on your first shrine visit."

Hikaru huffed, nobly folding his arms within the voluminous sleeves. Really, Mitani had a complete lack of fashion sense sometimes.

"If you're going to Sensei's match, why are you here?" Mitani demanded. "I told you that I could do this myself at least three times yesterday!"

"But this is your moment of achievement!" Hikaru protested. "You've come so far in the few months we have been acquainted."

"I'm just turning in a packet of papers!"

"As your friend, I'm showing my support of your endeavors." Hikaru nodded nobly.

"We're not friends!" Mitani snapped.

Then he turned on his heel and angrily marched off.

Hikaru pouted behind him. But did not let that deter him in the slightest as he followed Mitani.

"But Mi-ta-ni!" Hikaru whined. "We are more than just friends! You're Sai's student. And Sai is my student. In a way, I'm your grandpa!"

Mitani nearly tripped.

"YOU'RE NOT MY GRANDPA!"

"Oho!" Hikaru sneakily grinned into his hand. "My cute grandson is embarrassed."

The flustered volunteer behind the Go Association's welcome desk had no idea what to do as the two boys somehow ended up wrestling each other in front of her desk.

It wasn't until the elevator dinged and the metal doors slid open and the volunteer saw salvation.

"Ogata-sama!" She called out, full of hope.

The tall, blonde go pro turned with faint interest.

"Ahh, it's you." Ogata remarked with mild surprise.

He hadn't looked at the young woman who had called out to him at all.

Hikaru abandoned his wrestling match with Mitani. Mitani fell off balance, rumpled and red from anger. Hikaru appeared completely unaffected.

"Announcer-pro!" Hikaru recognized him.

He grinned at Ogata and gave the go pro a wave.

Ogata just blinked back at him. But stepped closer to where Hikaru and Mitani stood.

Mitani huffed, glaring suspiciously at the approaching man in the white pants, a white dress shirt, even white shoes.

Mitani made sure he was positioned between Hikaru and this new weirdo. As weird as the other boy was, Hikaru was also an idiot who probably didn't recognize the threat of potential predators.

"What are you doing here?" Ogata addressed Hikaru.

"Ogata-sama!" The volunteer behind the desk cried out in distress. "These two boys have been fighting in the lobby!"

Ogata looked even more intrigued.

"Really?" He asked thoughtfully, looking at Hikaru before noticing Mitani for the first time.

Hikaru nodded, having no fear of honesty. Mitani just glared at Ogata.

Ogata continued his study of the both of them, unperturbed.

"Who won?"

"Ogata-sama!" The volunteer began to look completely confused.

"You, right?" Ogata indicated Mitani. "You look like you would win in a fight."

"What does that mean?" Mitani ground out through his teeth, both jaw and fists tightly clenched now.

"Or maybe Hikaru." Ogata hummed to himself thoughtfully. "He won the game against Akira at the Children's Go Tournament."

"What does that have to do with physical fighting?!" Mitani demanded.

Rather than question it, Hikaru only nodded in apparent understanding.

"Don't nod! You don't understand it either!"

"Ogata-sama! Please escort these two off the premises!" The volunteer tried again, desperate.

Ogata looked from her, back to the two boys, and then at the clock behind the desk.

"Do you two have official business with the Go Association?" Ogata asked them conversationally, totally at ease. "Lunch is almost over. That's a good time."

Both Mitani and the volunteer stared at him.

"We're here to turn in an application!" Hikaru announced cheerfully.

"Job application?" Ogata asked, completely serious. "I can put in a good word for you, depending on the position you're seeking."

"INSEI!" Mitani shouted, frazzled out of his mind.

"Ahh." Ogata nodded in understanding. "Insei application."

The poor volunteer behind the desk was about to start crying.

"I do believe that the insei application deadline has passed." Ogata belatedly remembered, consulting his mental calendar.

"Yes…you are…correct…Ogata-sama…" The volunteer struggled to hold back her tears. "The…insei application…deadline…has…sniff…passed."

"I'll sponsor you of course." Ogata gave a decisive nod. "You have my full recommendation. Though,"

Ogata addressed Hikaru.

"In my professional opinion, it would be better for you to skip right to the pro exam rather than take the insei exam."

Ogata then glanced at Mitani.

"I've only just met you," Ogata addressed Mitani. "So I'll have to trust your judgement on your own skills."

"We've only just met!" Mitani shouted. "You don't have to do anything for me!"

"Mitani!" Hikaru hissed as he grabbed Mitani's arm. "He's helping us!"

"He doesn't have to!" Mitani shook him off. "And we don't even need it!"

"Ogata-sama!" The volunteer had started openly sobbing now.

"I don't see any problem here. I'm well within my rights as a pro to sponsor prospective insei." Ogata stated with only mild bafflement.

Mitani gave an incredulous look at both the sobbing receptionist and the unaffected go pro dressed all in white.

"No need!" Hikaru announced cheerfully. "Mitani is correct. Sai is already sponsoring Mitani! Mitani is his treasured student!"

For the first time throughout this entire encounter, Ogata looked at Mitani with sharp eyes.

"Fujiwara-pro has another student, does he?" Ogata studied Mitani carefully.

Mitani wasn't sure whether to give Ogata a death glare or a very wide berth.

"No, Sai only has the one!" Hikaru answered obliviously. "That's why Mitani is his treasured student!"

"Are you saying that I wouldn't be if Sensei had another student?" Mitani's hands itched to choke the ghost.

"I thought you were Sai's student." Ogata interrupted, pointing at Hikaru.

"Pft!" Hikaru crossed his arms into his large sleeves. "Certainly not. I'm the general!"

Ogata nodded in complete acceptance, filing away this knowledge.

"Ahh. So, you're the general."

Hikaru nodded at Ogata with satisfaction.

Mitani just stared at all of this incredulously.

"Here's my application. Everything's there. I don't need a receipt." Mitani decided to end the insanity, sliding the packet of papers across the reception desk.

The receptionist nodded and accepted the papers dutifully.

Mitani then turned back to Hikaru (who was now actively cheering for him) and then looked over at the completely stoic face of Ogata.

"If you kidnap him, I know your name and your face." Mitani glared directly at Ogata.

Ogata only blinked back at him.

Mitani then turned back to the pest that always seemed to be around these days.

"Hikaru, it's done and I'm leaving."

"Goodbye, Mitani!" Hikaru waved happily to him as Mitani headed for the door. "Congratulations on your latest achievement!"

"Don't talk to me!" Mitani called out, disappearing out the doors.

Hikaru was unaffected. He cheerfully turned to Ogata.

Ogata just stared down at the enthusiastic child he had been left with, not making any move to actively interact with it.

"Sai's playing his Oza game here." Hikaru grinned. "I'm returning there."

Ogata nodded with understanding.

"Perhaps I'll join you." Ogata suggested with idle interest. "My schedule is free today."

Hikaru gave Ogata a thumbs up.

"It's a massacre! Sai is in top form!"

Ogata nodded with satisfaction and followed alongside Hikaru as they headed for the elevator, Hikaru chattering excitedly about the Oza match the entire time. Ogata was satisfied by this as well; he couldn't stand the useless talk of children, but go was ageless.

And on that day, a certain volunteer's crush ended as she finished her shift crying silent tears.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait between updates. (I don't know which one I was more obsessed with: Pokémon Go or the Olympics.)

2016.08.24