Izaya giggled and his eyes turned a sharper shade of red. It gave Kadota the distinct impression that he was being toyed with.
"Dotachin, are you planning on actually winning?"
For a breathless moment Kadota was sure that Izaya meant his research.
"Sure, yeah. That'd be nice."
"Hmm...you're not going about it the right way."
Another pang of borderline panic.
"What do you mean?"
"Go of course, go. That is the topic of our discussion, is it not? Or perhaps I am mistaken? You see, Dotachin, go is like life. Sounds like a tired cliché, doesn't it? But there is some truth to it. Just like in life in go you should always at all times aim to win. Not because it's 'nice'. I am sure that we understood each other."
Kadota swallowed to get rid of the uncomfortable lump in his throat. Before he could bounce back Izaya broke into a harmless and even warm smile.
"Let's play a bit to see how useful my lesson was. I'll take the black pieces. Name your handicap."
Kadota decided that he might as well take this chance. As much as Kadota wanted to keep a low profile and count on Izaya's loquacious ways, he knew that he needed to prod some.
"Do you pick black normally?"
"Of course. I prefer black."
"Because black moves first?"
Izaya picked a shiny black stone and tossed it in the air.
"Because it matches my jacket."
Kadota flailed, a bit at a loss. He felt as if he was trudging uncertain territory with shifting rules that only Izaya could fix and change at any given moment. The only thing he could do was to take in stride or at least fake it.
"You tend to dress in black, I've noticed."
"Have you now. I am flattered that my choice of wardrobe is of interest to you."
Kadota scanned the board and Izaya. It was impossible to carry on this conversation and pay attention to tactics. For Kadota, that was. Kadota knew that Izaya was a genius strategian but it was the first time he was seeing it firsthand. Even in this detangled environment of polite game playing.
"It's just that you always wear black. Kinda hard not to notice it."
"A bit like your beanie? But not always. I did have that one red shirt."
Kadota scratched his head through said beanie.
"Oh yeah, I was forgetting that."
"It matched my eyes."
A bout of inspiration flitted through Kadota.
"Is that important? Matching stuff."
"Hmm...I do care how I present myself, to some extent at least."
Izaya advanced a piece across the board, silver shining against his long fingers.
"How about your rings? Where do they fit in this?"
Kadota should have predicted it but he never saw it coming. Without lifting his eyes from the board Izaya produced his switchblade apparently out of thin air. That was how it seemed to Kadota, a sudden afterimage flashing through the air, a flicker of the wrist and there it was. The blade poised with perfect stillness even as Izaya pored over the game as if he had a vested interest in the outcome.
"The rings match the blade, of course. See?"
Kadota nodded a bit too rapidly. He wondered how long it would take Izaya to kill him with his favorite toy. A few seconds, tops. A swift slash across the throat was all it would take. He found that he could not swallow. Izaya retracted the blade and it disappeared with the same speed it appeared. Spirited away. It made Kadota think of Izaya as the grand magician conjuring up things as he pleased and making them evaporate in just the same way.
"My, Dotachin. You look rather pale. Let me fix you some tea."
Izaya sauntered off to make arrangements. Leaving Kadota alone with the board.
"By the way, feel free to change the pieces around. It might make it more fun."
He returned with aromatic Japanese green tea for two.
"You'd know the original positions anyway."
"Oh? Would I. I wonder. I wonder how you knew that."
With perfect neutrality Izaya took a sip. Kadota noticed that Izaya drank his tea in the traditional way, placing the cup on the palm of his hand and turning it around before bringing it to his lips.
"I just thought you'd know since you're good at go. I mean, you have a good memory."
Izaya tilted his head to the side.
"Do you want to see just how good?"
"Sure."