A/N: Without Amarthame, this chapter wouldn't exist. I would have skipped straight ahead to the next one. So be thankful to her!
Chapter 10
The wildly jingling door bell alerted Hikaru to his approaching doom.
"Shindou-sensei! How dare you!"
The enraged bellow didn't only draw Hikaru's attention, but the attention of every single one of Igo Ramen's customers, too. There, standing on the other side of the counter, was none other than Osawa-san, with the rest of the Heart of Stone crew slowly trailing in behind him. Fortunately though, they didn't look as incensed as Osawa-san, who had taken it upon himself to succeed Kawai-san's legacy. Instead, the group of old men and one woman (1) piling into Hikaru's diner looked more amused than anything.
Yes, Hikaru knew he should have told them he was going to participate in the Amateur Meijin tournament. But then, they would have come to support him and probably started betting on him, and Hikaru hadn't wanted to have so much commotion around him. It had been a hard decision to go to any tournament at all, a decision he had wanted to make and follow through on his own. Afterwards, he had called his mother and she had congratulated him for winning, but since she didn't know much about Go, the importance of his title had gone completely over her head. If his grandfather had still been alive, he would have been ecstatic.
Just like his grandfather, the Heart of Stone crew knew exactly what he had achieved. And it was time to face the music for daring to keep silent on such an important event. However, he should do some damage limitation before Osawa-san decided to climb over the counter and rub his knuckles across Hikaru's scalp, just like Kawai-san had always done. Not the climbing, the knuckles.
"How dare I what? Osawa-san, I am working. Please have respect for my customers."
From behind Osawa, Hikaru could see the Owner pushing his way through the Heart of Stone crowd and place a hand on Osawa's shoulder. His smug grin though was not a good sign. "Oh, but Shindou-sensei, we are customers, too. We came in to make sure the quality of your ramen can still match Mizuhara's. After all, it's been at least three years since I've eaten here. I'd like a Go Special miso with lots of leek."
Osawa-san grumbled, "Go Special shouyu, squid. Shindou-sensei, you still have some explaining to do. How could you let us find out via the newspaper!" The way he said it made it sound like newspapers were the absolute slowest way of getting information. For heaven's sake, it had only been two days ago that he had won the tournament.
"Now, hold on," Hikaru demanded. "Just when would I have had time to tell you? I've been working all day ever since, and it's not like I told anyone what I was up to."
Judging by Osawa's expression, that didn't make it any better. However, it provided enough time for Kimihara-san to insert himself into the conversation, and the old man let his calming influence play, as usual. "Now, now, I think we should offer congratulations to Shindou-sensei instead of being angry with him. After all, he is the All Japanese Amateur Meijin now. But, Shindou-sensei, we would have appreciated you telling us in person."
Hikaru sheepishly rubbed his head. "Eh, I'm sorry… I didn't want anyone to know I was going to participate, and afterwards I didn't know how to tell you…"
It was Kimihara-san's grandfatherly manner that succeeded in showing Hikaru how childish he had been. He had always felt a close connection to the elderly man, especially after Hikaru's grandfather had died three years ago. Kimihara-san had practically adopted him as a substitute grandson, although Kimihara-san had children and grandchildren of his own. None of them were interested in Go though, so the old man reserved most of his doting nature for Hikaru.
Letting out a bashful laugh, Hikaru motioned towards the Heart of Stone crew. "You know what, all of your orders are going to be on the house today – both as an apology and to celebrate. What do you think?"
The unisonous 'Aye!' was answer enough, and Hikaru was glad to go back to more familiar territory of taking orders and making ramen. It took some rearranging until everyone was seated – Hikaru's diner wasn't really designed to host big groups of people. Apparently, the Owner (probably Osawa-san in reality, as Hikaru suspected) had called everyone together to invade Igo Ramen. Fortunately, they had timed their arrival when business was very slow, so nobody was left standing.
Once everyone was settled with their own bowl, the real interrogation began to the amusement of Igo Ramen's other customers. Free dinner show and all.
"So, Shindou-sensei, how long have you been hiding your skills from us? Are there any other amateur titles we're supposed to be on the lookout for?"
Osawa-san was cut off by a sharp rap to the head, delivered by none other than Takano-san, the only woman in Heart of Stone and Osawa's rival. How two sixty year olds could be so childish, Hikaru'd never understand, but it was part of their charm. "Didn't you read the article? It said that this was the first tournament he's gone to!"
"So?" came the retaliation. "I was asking if he's going to participate in more tournaments, not if he has."
"Then, for heaven's sake, say what you mean!"
It was fascinating to watch how little time it took for Osawa-san and Takano-san to drift off into one of their spats that had long ago become part of Heart of Stone's daily entertainment. Those two were the best of friends – as long as they weren't in the same room. As soon as they were within hearing range of each other, they started sniping at each other for the most inane things.
To be honest, Hikaru thought that they were just play-acting because there were times when the two of them got along suspiciously well. They had even reached third place in Tokyo City's Pair Go Championship (2).
Hikaru cleared his throat to get their attention and received twin glares for his efforts. He wasn't very much intimidated though, having long ago gotten used to the pair. There were plenty of bets around Heart of Stone how long it would take the two widowed squabblers to get together. Hikaru had set some money on 'Already together, but trying to hide it'.
He interrupted them before they could start again. "At the moment, I'm not planning anything. To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to go to such a tournament again."
"And why not?" Osawa leaned forward dangerously, pulling an expression that promised lots of pain if Hikaru didn't have a darned good reason. Interestingly enough, Takano was backing him up with an almost identical glare. The rest of the Heart of Stone crew was watching with varying looks of amusement.
Hikaru shrugged a bit nervously. "Eh, do you have any idea how annoying all that publicity is? There have already been quite a few reporters in here, and they're always holding up business and demanding that I give them an exclusive interview right now, and this is the longest time that the phone has stopped ringing!"
Really, Hikaru was not very happy about that level of attention – but he should have thought about that before winning such a prestigious title out of nowhere. Maybe he should make an exception and include himself in Igo Ramen's pro policy?
A pity that he wouldn't be able to enforce such a policy on the Internet. He hadn't logged on yet since the tournament because, frankly, he was afraid of all those people who were going to pester deshi about sai despite his explicit wish to the contrary.
Kimihara-san reached out and patted his hand consolingly. "It will wear off as the news gets older. But it's great that you made that jump, Shindou-sensei, now all of us can brag with how good you are."
"And that is supposed to be reassuring?" Hikaru threw him a doubtful glance. "You've been bragging enough as it was."
The old grandfatherly man actually had the audacity to smirk. "Yes, but now they will at least believe us."
"Ah, that reminds me, Shindou-sensei," the Owner interrupted with a honey-sweet voice – before donning a frighteningly scary expression. "Just why didn't you mention anything about Heart of Stone to the press? Have you forgotten about us already, now that you have your own claim to fame?"
Honestly surprised, Hikaru shook his head in dismay. "No, no, it's nothing like that! But if I had told them, they'd be on the lookout for me at the club, too, and it's bad enough that they're coming to Igo Ramen all the time. I just didn't want to inconvenience you, especially since I didn't tell you I was going to participate in the first place."
A round of chuckles went through Igo Ramen before the Owner's expression dissolved into a lops-sided smile. "Ah, but we could do with some publicity at Heart of Stone. Maybe we'd even get some more regulars out of it."
"You actually want to deal with that media circus?" Hikaru stared at him incredulously. "Then fine, I'll tell the next one who asks, and maybe that will even get some attention off Igo Ramen if they know they can find me somewhere else. Heck, maybe you'll be able to scare some of them off for me?" he asked hopefully.
A new round of laughter washed through the diner, and Hikaru knew he had been forgiven.
The rest of the evening passed with amicable chatter, heated discussions about Go, solving tsumego (which the Heart of Stone crowd did with the same enthusiasm as elementary school kids), requests to recreate his tournament games on the magnetic goban, and occasionally serving other Igo Ramen customers.
When he closed shop at half past eleven, he was in such a good mood that he decided to brave the horrors of NetGo before he lost his courage. It couldn't be worse than half a Go Salon's worth of people invading Igo Ramen and asking uncomfortable questions, could it?
As it turned out, yes it could. His e-mail inbox was overflowing with nearly a hundred messages from NetGo and AGS, ranging from congratulations to questions about sai, to requests for games, to outright love letters (to both deshi and sai). After reading the tenth such message, he resorted to merely skimming over headers instead of opening them. About seventy emails down the line, there was an official one from the NetGo server, stating that, due to the current situation, they had temporarily stopped relaying all messages to him, and that he should contact an admin for further procedures. After that, there were several more private messages from AGS before the Asian Go server, too, offered him a similar deal.
He was just glad that nobody had access to his email address directly – it was bad enough to see all this stuff relayed through the Go servers. Just why did everyone have to be so nosy? With sai's account back then, he had simply turned off the option of messaging him privately. Should he do the same for deshi? Well, it was worth thinking about at least.
A message from NetGo, the second to last before NetGo stopped relaying them, caught his attention. At least the subject did: about time
Curious, he opened it. It was very short and to the point.
So it takes the effort of several titleholders to get you moving? And even then, you take only the tiniest of steps. Although that kind of tenacity is an asset in your games, it is very unbecoming everywhere else. I will not waste my time butting my head against such a wall. If you wish to play me again, it will be your shodan match.
Signed: seiji.
Hikaru shook his head in exasperation, ready to take up the veiled challenge. He should have expected something like that from the pro. But to set such an ultimatum? He thought he had gotten through to Ogata when the man had come to Igo Ramen. He thought he had made it clear that there did exist some people who weren't pros, who had no intention of turning pro, but who were just as serious about Go as any pro.
Apparently though, Ogata Tengen hadn't gotten the message. Well, Hikaru definitely wasn't going to bow to his every whim like that. After all, it wasn't like there weren't any other good players out there, was it?
Shaking his head, he logged on to NetGo, ready to brave the masses.
Listlessly, Hikaru stared at the computer screen in front of him. It had been almost three months that Sai had vanished, and he still couldn't bring himself to put his heart into his Go. And then again, he also couldn't bring himself to completely stay away from it, either.
After he had reluctantly accepted that Sai was indeed gone (the ghost hadn't showed up for three days straight), Hikaru had coerced Kawai into taking him to Innoshima, Shuusaku's birth place. He didn't know what he had hoped to find there – Sai? Kuwabara Torajirou, the man who had played so brilliantly against Sai in that one unfinished game?
Whatever it was, he hadn't been so lucky. Instead, he had caught a cold and been abducted into a Go salon in Innoshima. A strange man who claimed to have several international amateur titles had challenged him to a game, which Hikaru had lost after struggling for almost two hours. He just hadn't been able to find a good rhythm, and the man had been good. Very, very good.
He thought that the guy might be satou, one of the best 7d on NetGo, but he hadn't seen enough of satou's games to be sure. It was very rare that satou was online at the times Hikaru was, and Hikaru wasn't very enthusiastic in looking for him. He didn't even know why he was looking at all, to be honest. He certainly wasn't planning on demanding a rematch.
A random challenge popped up on his computer screen. Some unranked 5k wanted a match. An hour of thinking time? Although such a large amount of time wasn't unheard of in online matches, it was very rare. Did that guy even know what he was getting himself into?
Without much enthusiasm, he accepted. Maybe the guy would turn out amusing enough to keep him from thinking about Sai for some time.
Both Old Man Mizuhara and the guys at Heart of Stone had quickly realized that there was something wrong with Hikaru. He was listless all day long, and not even Kawai's antics could get him to smile. Mizuhara had offered to give him a week off if he felt under the weather, but Hikaru had refused. Having something – anything – to do was better than sitting at home and moping.
He had tried explaining his situation to them, but he couldn't come out and say that the ghost, who had stuck to his side day and night for almost seven years, was gone. He couldn't tell them that he had lost a friend, a mentor, a confidant, someone who had been so close that they had shared emotions. He couldn't tell them that everywhere he went, something reminded him of Sai and his unending questions about the modern world.
Instead, he had been forced to make up a story about how the guy who had taught him Go over the Internet was gone. They had understood that he needed to grieve, but they hadn't been able to imagine just how deep their connection had gone.
His mother and his grandfather had taken a bit longer to realize he was down, and he'd had the same problems trying to explain it to them. His grandfather had been a bit put out with him because Hikaru had refused to play against him, the game he had promised his grandfather ever since his graduation. Thankfully, the old man had seen how truly agonizing the thought had been for him and hadn't pressed matters further. Still, Hikaru had begun avoiding him to prevent a repeat incident.
Hikaru had learned to pretend that everything was ok, or at least hide the full extent of his feelings. When he was alone in his room though, there was no need to keep up a facade anymore. In the beginning, he had cried a lot, which in and of itself was a reminder of Sai because the ghost had shown him that the world didn't end when a man shed tears.
Nowadays, he moodily tried to distract himself from reality. He had tried playing all those computer games he had been so fond of during middle school, but none of them could keep his attention. He had never realized just how… trivial and pointless they were. Maybe it was because he had matured. Maybe it was because he hadn't played computer games for years. Maybe it was because he only had kiddie stuff.
But in the end, he always logged onto NetGo. There, he listlessly perused the names of people online and the games available, and occasionally he watched or played one. None of them had been able to grab his attention though.
That was, until he looked at the game he was currently playing and realized that the unranked 5k didn't only know what he was doing, but was also damn good at it. They were about twenty hands into their game, and Hikaru could already see that his black stones were in serious danger of being overwhelmed by the sheer pressure White exuded.
He had been playing too mindlessly with too little initiative. White had more or less pushed him wherever it wanted, and he had done nothing to resist.
Frowning at such an inexcusable lack of attention, Hikaru started retaliating with several aggressive attacks on White's right corner. With as much territory as he had given away earlier, he couldn't afford to pull his punches now.
To his dismay though, White kept right up with him and even increased the pressure until the situation was just like before – Hikaru on the losing side. Just what the heck was that guy? If that was a 5k, he'd eat his shoe.
Gritting his teeth, he changed tactics once again and went for consolidating the territory he already had. If he had a secure base, he could launch attacks from there without having to fear being invaded from the back. But White saw right through him and used the time to claim even more territory.
Sixty hands into the game, Hikaru simply stopped and closed his eyes. If he continued playing like that, he should resign right then and there because there was just no chance of him winning. So far, he had only been reacting, falling right for White's manipulations. If Sai saw him play like that, the ghost would scold him for days.
When he opened his eyes again, determination burned in them. There was no way he was going to roll over and die quietly. If this seiji wanted to win, he'd have to bloody well work for it.
Looking at the board with new eyes, Hikaru couldn't help but wince. What exactly had he been thinking playing like that? Well, he guessed the problem was that he hadn't been thinking, period. But that was over now. With determination he began a counterattack, one that might not seem like one at first but which he hoped was going to turn the flow of the game in his favor.
And seiji played along. For the next few hands, Hikaru continued to place stones in a similar pattern to how he had been playing up to then, distracted and overly aggressive. Slowly, the trap took on form. The next two hands were crucial – if seiji didn't see their hidden purpose, Hikaru would be able to reclaim a lot of influence on the left side, and he would be back in the game again.
A seemingly weak response to White's extension at 6-9, where he pretended not to see how that extension was starting to encroach on his territory at the top. Good. One more hand to go, and he'd be set.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he tried to keep his tension in check. He was staring at the computer screen so hard that the light had more or less burned the image of the game into his retinas. This visual aid wasn't really necessary though because he would be able to reconstruct the game from the very beginning, and he was able to tell the position of every single stone without looking. Remnants of playing many games of blind Go against Sai.
If this trap went off, it would be his most elaborate and most intricate one to date.
Finally, White made its move and Hikaru almost fell off his chair. What the…
Incredulously, Hikaru stared at the innocent-looking white stone that not only rendered his trap useless with one move, but also turned it against him. What should have become a very subtle net blocking off every possible escape route, had turned into a meaningless collection of stones in less than favorable positions.
How had he missed this? Why hadn't he seen this way out of the trap? Had he focused too much on his seemingly ingenious plan to notice a very basic flaw?
But no. Looking as deeply into the game as he could, he saw how seiji had subtly undermined his intentions during the previous three hands, and how the last stone only was the crowning finale to an even more ingenious way out of an ingenious trap.
No, seiji was no 5k, probably not a 7d, either. The guy hadn't even taken a lot of thinking time to come up with his strategy. Such an ease with reading difficult situations could only come from hours upon hours of study and practice against highlevel opponents. Even compared to most insei Hikaru had played, seiji was on a completely different level. He really doubted that seiji was anything but a pro.
For a few more hands he tried to salvage the situation, but he had wasted too many turns building the trap. And when it had been disarmed, it had turned into a heap of useless stones that would have been better spent elsewhere. Part of it, he could use to stake some claim on the left-hand side, but far from the dimensions he needed to turn the game around. And seiji was still upping the pressure.
Sighing, he hit the 'resign' button. There was no way he could win this, and it wasn't good manners to drag out a lost game to the very last stone. But it was a pity – he thought he hadn't seen seiji's entire strength yet. If only he hadn't played so badly at the beginning…
-Thank you for the game. You are an incredible player.- He wrote, hoping to strike up a conversation. seiji intrigued him.
-You could be better. Don't play with your head in the clouds.-
Hikaru stared at that answer, mouth gaping. It was true, but did seiji have to say it in such a rude way? If seiji really was a pro, then he couldn't be one with many teaching games – his bedside manner was atrocious. Honestly, who said stuff to an opponent they just defeated? -And you could be more polite. I know it was a mistake not to pay attention at first; you don't have to rub it in.-
-Even if you had paid attention, I would have won. Is this the strength of current insei?-
Ego much? Hikaru couldn't believe seiji's arrogance, although it probably was justified. Judging by the skills White had shown during that game, seiji probably would be able to take him when Hikaru played full strength. But what was that mention of insei? Was seiji an outsider hoping to take this year's pro exam? Hikaru doubted it because he hadn't yet met anyone of seiji's strength. Not even that amateur title holder in Innoshima had come close to this.
-I am not an insei, if that is what you are asking. mooney91 is one though.-
-He as good as you?-
-She. 7d.- Honestly, why did people automatically assume all good Go players were male? Well, he shouldn't say anything since he had already decided that seiji was male, too, but at least Seiji was a more or less common first name for boys.
-I wasn't asking what rank she has.-
seiji was starting to get on his nerves. Who did that guy think he was? -If you're so interested in her, look up her stats yourself.-
-I am not interested in her.-
Hikaru almost growled. -Then don't keep bothering me about her!-
-You are the one who jumped to that conclusion. Pay attention from the very beginning, and you might actually be able to provide a decent challenge.-
Before Hikaru could even think of a suitably biting reply, seiji had already logged off. The nerve of that guy! Hikaru was still sitting there, gnashing his teeth. He'd show that seiji what he was capable of!
Frantically typing into his search engine, he began to plot his revenge. First, he'd find out just who seiji was, and then he could go on planning his next moves…
(1) one woman and many men at Heart of Stone: The impression I got from the anime was that playing Go in Go salons is mainly reserved for men. Older women seem to go to Go classes or meet at home, but rarely go to Go salons. Not sure whether that's because serious Go seems to be mainly a game for men, or because the older generation in Japan still has some traditional hang-ups about delicate women being supposed to stay away from men and 'rough' places like Go salons. Even in Touya's very up-scale joint (which can't be called rough in any way), I didn't see any older women playing (and with 'older', I mean grandma age…)
(2) Pair Go: Go, where there isn't one player per side but a male-female pair (thus the name). Without handicap stones, the normal rotation is as follows: black-female, white-female, black-male, white-male. The partners aren't allowed to communicate their strategies with each other in any way during the match– a violation of the rules brings instant forfeit. More info is here: www. pairgo. or. jp/ setumei/ rule. htm.
A/N: Ah, the common theme in this chapter seems to be Ogata challenging Hikaru. To be honest, that surprised me a bit – it just turned out that way when I was writing it. After all, Ogata was a deciding factor in Hikaru's past, so why not have him fulfill a similar role in the present (although not quite the way he intended…)? Sorry if Hikaru's first match against Ogata in the past was kind of a predictable choice, but I needed to show the turning point that got him out of his funk. As Amarthame said, it's not a good idea to have him still depressed during the conclusion of the story.
For all Touya supporters: No, I haven't forgotten about him. I just don't think that he would deem it necessary to immediately hound Hikaru again. Hikaru might get a smile and a nod from him the next time they meet, but Akira would wait and see how the situation developed before taking any further measures.
Well, almost done. The last chapter should be out by tomorrow at the latest.
Sakiku