Hikaru no Pro Go
Chapter 10: The nerve-wrecking pro exam, stage one
(I DON'T OWN THIS)
Nase Asumi swung her cream-coloured tote bag over her shoulder and walked out of the Go Institute alone. This was highly unusual as Nase was always surrounded with either her friends or fellow inseis, what's more is that a knitted brow and a frown replaced her usually bubbly face.
However, for those who had been insei for a pretty long time are pretty much doing the same thing as her; giving themselves space. The one and only pro exam is looming nearer by the day and every insei fends for himself (or herself), everyone is going to be rivals. If you stumble, no one is going to smile and help you up since their futures are on the line. That's the pro exam.
Soon, all her loving friends are going to be rivals as well, she always felt sad and insecure during these times, knowing that you'll have to battle it out with the very friends that supported you all the way. What's worse is that if they pass, they'll either sever ties with you or make half-hearted attempts to stay in touch. She has had plenty of that experience thank you very much.
Nase plugged in her earphones and listened to her favourite band as she was lost in her thoughts. This year will be her last; she's turning into an adult next year…better start looking for a proper university. Her academic results were good enough to get into a decent university and her parents only gave her one last chance.
'Gee, thanks mom, dad. That really lessens the pressure' She let out a deep sigh. She was eighteen. Time passes so quickly…it almost seems like yesterday that she took the insei test.
Well, she had one week to prepare herself, and she was going to use her time fruitfully. In four months time, she'll either be weeping or whooping.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Makemashita" Nase whispered in a raspy voice, head bowed so low that her nose nearly touched the goban
"Arigato Gozaimasta" her opponent, a scrawny boy said smugly, pushing his oval glasses which were slipping off his long nose
Nase felt tears threatening to escape but forced it back; the last thing she needed now is pity and all the sympathetic gazes towards her were not helping.
Today was the last day of the prelims, which means that the outcome of this game determined whether or not she will participate in the pro exam
She failed…Nase trudged out of the institute with a zombie-like face. Her fringe covered her sore eyes and her clothes were instantly wet.
'Oh great, now my new shirt is soaked' Not that Nase cared, but she didn't want to hear her mother's nagging today.
It did occur to her to wait until the rain stopped or share an umbrella, but she wanted to hurry and curl up in bed alone…and cry.
She wasn't strong enough. Not even from being 4 years as an insei, all of her friends were either in the upcoming pro exam or have already passed.
Waya and Shindou…they had been so helpful, patiently giving her tips and sparing their precious time to help her when she asked, especially Shindou who should be preparing for the Meijin league. She could not bear to imagine their faces when they heard the news.
She might have thought that it was good that it rained because it covered her tears, but it was not so good anymore when she slipped on the muddy pavement and landed on her butt on the road. Things couldn't have gotten any worse with the traffic light turned green.
The last thing she remembered was a woman screaming…
"Asumi! Asumi!"
Nase woke with a jolt and saw her mother shaking her awake. She realized that her face was covered with sweat and tears and her pajamas were sticking uncomfortably to her skin.
"I heard you screaming, bad dream?" her mother asked while gently stroking her unruly brown hair.
Without warning, she burst into tears and hugged her mother tightly.
"I-I dreamed that I-I-I f-f-f-failed!" she sobbed into her mother's nightdress.
"It's ok, it's ok, you haven't taken the exam yet" her mother soothed, returning the hug with equal force.
It took a while to calm the girl down and she fell asleep on her mother's lap while listening to a lullaby. The middle-aged woman laid her daughter back on the bed and stepped out of the room, careful to not make any noise.
*7 hours later*
Nase fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as one by one, the candidates drew their opponent for today. Candidates are required to draw a number for each day for the preliminaries. When the instructor boomed out her name, Nase scurried over to the dreaded cardboard box and stuck a trembling hand inside.
She prayed silently as she unfolded the paper that decided her fate. She saw a '11' printed in the centre and gave it to the instructor who wrote her name and number on his clipboard. Still praying, Nase sat back in her original place and continued fidgeting with her skirt.
Finally after what seemed like a millennium, all the candidates had drawn a number and were finding their respective gobans. Nase stopped at hers and sat down, willing her fingers to stay still.
Her opponent was a mousey-haired boy around her age with loads of acne. She hasn't seen him before so she assumed that he was an outsider. A few minutes later, the buzzer sounded and she grabbed a handful of white stones to nigiri. Her fingers had stopped shaking.
XxXxXxXxXx
Second Day
Nase strolled along the curb, going in the same direction as many youngsters were heading; the Go Institute. It was the second day of the pro exam preliminaries. She hummed a tune, slightly happier than she was twenty-four hours ago. Why? Because she had snagged a win from the mousey-haired boy by resignation yesterday. He resigned way too quickly, not that she was complaining, but if her fellow top insei had taken over from then on, she would have just barely won.
Procedures were exactly the same as yesterday, except that she got number seven this time. She sat down on one side of goban number seven and a chubby girl with short flaming red hair slumped down opposite of her. She recognized the redhead to be an insei in second class, having played her just a few weeks ago.
Now Nase is not the type to underestimate opponents just because of their rank, after all, Shindou Hikaru, her former insei friend is a good example as to why, but she could not suppress a grin. She had trounced the girl when they played each other and she nearly left in tears, but no, Nase thought as she mentally slapped herself, she could have improved.
The buzzer sounded and the two girls nigiri-ed. To Nase's delight (and the redhead's horror), she had gotten black. Feeling her confidence shoot up immensely, she slammed down her first move with more force than necessary.
XxXxXxXxXx
Third day
10th rank insei Nase Asumi thought that this must be her lucky week, she woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and wasn't even nervous, unlike the past two days. If all goes well, she'll be celebrating and probably kissing everything in sight the next few hours.
She drummed her fingers on her knees, waiting for her turn to draw a number. After what seemed like forever, the matches started. She sat down on goban number 22 and came face-to-face with a young girl who looked like a middle school student.
She looked cutesy and adorable with shoulder-length hair that framed her face. Nase immediately dismissed her as another outsider.
The buzzer sounded and Nase plucked out a black stone from the goke. She watched her opponent count the white stones and her face fell.
The two swapped gokes and Nase waited for the first move. It came with a loud descending clack.
Time flowed really slowly as the players were lost in their own little world, Nase winced as the younger girl sealed the fate of the white clusters on the upper right corner.
'How the hell have I managed to overlook that?' Nase felt like boxing herself
A couple of hands came and went and Nase managed to turn the tables, her opponent seemed to have become agitated because she was slamming he stones in random places without thinking. Unsurprisingly, her opponent resigned with a face that looked like a three-year old who didn't get his candy.
Nase blinked, she blinked again, she slapped herself and poked the goban; it was solid. She had done it! She passed the prelims! Nase breathed deeply and a smile crept onto her face.
XxXxXxXxXx
Author's note
. . . . . .Well, I finally reached two-digit chapters! Sorry for the delay, I finished the plot long time ago but never got round to typing it until yesterday. Next chapter will be uploaded quicker though because I'm halfway done.