The Never-ending Road: Chapter 52 – Style and Strength
By Leitbur
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"YOU CALL THAT A MOVE HIKARU?!"
"What's wrong with it, or is your brain so small that it can't read deep enough to see how great it is!"
"Ha! The only thing small here is your skill if you think a move like that will suffice!"
"Against someone like you Akira it's more than enough!"
"Please, I'll erase you from the board and send you home crying to your mother with moves like that! Give it a rest Hikaru, you think you're so big and bad because you had a better record going into our Kisei match, but that doesn't mean anything!"
"POOR LOSER! I beat you fair and square in our game here a week and a half ago by three and a half points, so go sit on that!"
"Yeah, barging in here and demanding a game out of nowhere! If it had been an official game I would have won!"
"Ooooh, now who has the big head, Mr. big bad Honinbo League."
Painfully watching on from a safe distance as Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya continued to grapple with one another verbally, the Go Salon patrons sighed and moaned to themselves sorrowfully. It was so hard to see Akira this way, so unprofessional from his behavior at other times, but this had become the order of things as of late. Ever since Hikaru had arrived challenging Akira to a match almost two weeks ago it was like the pair were joined at the hip, both seemed to arrive here on top of one another, and several times had actually walked through the door so close it was as if they had arrived together.
Moving amongst the patrons, picking up cups and refilling others was Ms. Ichikawa who wore a thoroughly disgusted expression across her face. This had been happening so regularly between the two pros, nearly every day when their tempers flared with passion, and she had been the first to grow tired of it. The other patrons had at first found it somewhat enjoyable, a relief to see the two rivals back at it again, especially since Akira seemed to be far happier than he had been during Hikaru's absence. Now though the enjoyment of watching two young children spar and demonstrate their immaturity had passed, leaving only a sense of great disappointment.
What was likely the thing that bugged Ichikawa the most was the incredible business they had been doing as of late. With word that the two top pros were playing practice games and studying positions here every day getting around many fans of the two and of the game in general had begun to show up to observe it. Normally this would have been a good thing, but the idea that so many people who admired both Akira and Hikaru came only to encounter this childish banter was… a little embarrassing. Sure eventually they'd break it off and spend a little time with the patrons as at least the pair's habit of storming out of the salon had, for he moment become a thing of the past, but that was just a consolation prize. Even with all that, these pitted verbal battles still ended up being the main event.
The previous week Ogata had even stopped by for a short time and witnessed the display, and from what he had been able to gleam from the position they had been arguing the move had little difference, a matter of opinion on how to best attack a stone. Since then many of the patrons had taken the subsequent arguments like this one to be of a similar nature, a stylistic issue as the arguments over positions that were indeed faulty didn't go on this long without one of the two conceding the point. Plus those fights never degenerated into pure childish antics.
"Don't give me that heaving sigh Akira, that's the fourth time you've done it in the last ten minutes alone!"
"Oh, so now you're counting my sighs? Bad enough you used to count the number of times I'd say a word, now it's my sighs! No wonder you make these bad moves all the time, you're not even paying attention!"
"Well maybe if I had an opponent who could actually play a decent move I'd pay more attention then!"
"Fine, if you think that's such a good move, then play it, but don't complain when you lose!"
"Same to you!"
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Staring blankly out the window of the train as it zoomed along, Hikaru exhaled. The arguments he shared with Akira, they never seemed to get old, no matter how often they did that dance. Thinking on them in hindsight he knew that they were childish, silly even. It was almost like arguing over whether it was better to open a game at 3-4 or on a corner star point, the difference was all a matter of personal taste. Yet it didn't stop them from doing it in the heat of the moment, even if the purpose of the argument seemed to make far more sense at the time than it did afterward.
Not that they were alone in this, players of all levels of skill had been arguing stylistic approaches for centuries; why one variation on a joseki was better than another, opening at 3-4, 4-4, 3-3, 5-5, tengen, and so much more. Not only now and then, but so too in the future would it continue on and on. Of course over time a variation would become less popular as a majority consensus arose, weeding out that variation until it was almost non-existent. Then one day some young player, pro or amateur, would come across a game record of the move, or else rediscover it on their own and the variation would know life again, even if only for a brief while. Kind of like when Sai had played the Shusaku Kosumi against Akira that one time.
That seemed like so long ago, a lifetime away and yet it had only been about four years since that day. That was the day that he'd first learned of Akira, seen the passion of his game, and though it had been unbeknownst to him, the start of their rivalry. So many games since then, including a great many right here in the last couple of weeks, good ones and bad ones, long and short. He remembered them all, each move of each game like it was only yesterday that he'd played them.
Sadly tomorrow he would not be able to play Akira, the first time since the day after Christmas when they'd begun to play once more, the day he'd learned of Ko Yeong Ha's words. That man, arrogant and self-confident, every day brought their second clash closer, and Hikaru was not going to let the opportunity slip by him. Tomorrow though was a change of pace as he would be taking the morning train to Osaka for his Judan 1st Preliminary match, the first game of the new year for him.
It was strange going to Osaka, especially for a 1st Preliminary match since he'd always thought of Osaka as the Kansai Association's domain. Yet it was true that there was a Japanese Go Association branch in Osaka as well, and this time he'd been tapped to play the game there instead. He'd played games in Nagoya before, but this would be his first time playing in Osaka.
The match wasn't until Wednesday, but given that even by Shinkansen it was a two and a half-hour ride, 9-10 by normal train, it seemed best not to push things with a 10AM-start time. Besides, there were benefits to spending a few days in Osaka, his sleeping accommodations being one of them. Originally he had planned on staying at a hotel near the Association building, checking in Tuesday and leaving Thursday morning, but a phone call from Yashiro had ended those plans.
Apparently Yashiro had read somewhere that Hikaru would be coming to play a game and had subsequently called to invite him to stay at his home for the trip. Yashiro had suggested it as a way for him to save money on the hotel expenses, and while it was true that staying with Yashiro and his family would save money, it wasn't as if Hikaru was strapped for money either. Given that Yashiro almost certainly knew this as he was just as informed as Waya was about the nuances of the Go world, it seemed more likely that Yashiro wanted something else. Most likely was that Yashiro wanted another Go fluent person around for a few days, someone he could really talk to at home about the game, possibly also an extra push at getting his parents to accept his profession, just like that one boy… Sato.
That name, it brought back a whole other set of memories. Hikaru had only actually met him once, but he'd learned a little bit more about him since then. He had to admit that it had been a little surprising to learn in Weekly Go that Sato's goal was to surpass him as he couldn't ever remember someone who had stated such a plan. Then again, he and many others had chosen to pursue Akira, and with Hikaru's new recognition from the Hokuto Cup and then the Kisei League it probably shouldn't have come as too big a shock that younger players would want to surpass him. Not that Sato was much younger than Hikaru, but age wasn't always as big a deal as some people made it out to seem.
He remembered how Nase had described Sato's commentary at one of the study sessions that he had missed, or the game she had shown him from her Pro Exam match against the new pro. These things had only helped to solidify what Hikaru had already known from his teaching game against the boy, that he was an extraordinarily talented player. Well, once Waya got back from China Hikaru would be able to see the boy with his own eyes again, as Sato seemed content to participate in Waya's study sessions, a study group that seemed to be growing quite large. He could of course attend Sato's Shinshodan match, he'd seen it on the schedule in Weekly Go the other day, next Sunday against Kuwabara Honinbo, but Hikaru had his own studies to worry about. Nase's match would be the week after, and he'd promised her that he would attend, but unless something changed it was likely to be the only one he attended.
Hearing the announcement for his stop, Hikaru moved away from the window and made his way to the exit, stepping out and glancing around for a moment before continuing on. He'd have to get to bed early once he got home as he'd have a lot happening tomorrow and the train ride would be long. Well, best then if he packed a few extra manga for the trip to make the ride a little easier.
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"Hey Takamoto, how's it going?"
Glancing over toward the source of the voice as he entered the gaming room, Takamoto flicked his head in acknowledgement as Akiyama 2 – Dan made his way over. Though the pair had only ever played a single game against one another in Akiyama's short Go career, they had shared a few nice conversations at Go events over the last couple of months. "Good morning Akiyama, I'm feeling pretty good actually, and you?"
Shrugging, Akiyama replied, "My neck is kind of stiff actually, I think I slept on it badly last night. Hopefully it won't interfere with my match though, first Judan match of my career and all. Which match are you playing today?"
Chuckling, Takamoto answered, "Same as you, my 1st Round Judan match. My opponent's coming in from Tokyo, you probably have heard of him, Shindo 2 – Dan?"
Gasping as his face went white, Akiyama replied, "Y-yeah, I know him, I saw him play last year in the Hokuto Cup Qualifier, blew me away by how good he was." Noticing that Takamoto held a grin on his face, Akiyama inquired, "Why are you so cheerful though? Shindo is a very dangerous player; he even beat Ogata-sensei!"
Shrugging as he glanced at his watch, Takamoto replied, "Well I got a good night's sleep, head feels clear and focused, so why shouldn't I be cheerful?"
Blinking, Akiyama stuttered back, "B-but I'd think you'd be more tense, playing a big time player like this! They say he's Akira Toya's rival, didn't Toya crush you in a game last year? Shindo's just as good!"
"Heh, that was a year ago, I've gotten better," Takamoto replied with a sneer. "Besides, I got some inside information."
His eyes widening, Akiyama replied, "What inside information?"
Glancing around, Takamoto motioned for Akiyama to follow him out of the room to the foyer where there were fewer ears. As they got there he turned and said, "You know how Shindo missed his game due to his grandfather's death?" Takamoto waited as Akiyama nodded, then continued, "Well from what I've learned, it really threw his head for a loop, and he hasn't been able to focus or play that well since. He might have won his Fujitsu match a couple weeks ago, but apparently his opponent went in expecting a loss and beat himself. I won't make that mistake, I'm going to play smart and strong and win this thing. Heh, who knows, this might even be fun."
A nervous expression coming over Akiyama's face at those words, he replied, "I don't know, it's been a month since that happened, besides, he's Akira Toya's rival and last year took Korea's Ko Yeong Ha down to the end, I'd think he'd be overly powerful even on an off day."
Chuckling at that, Takamoto answered, "Well maybe, but we all have a few good games under our belt. So he had an above average game against a top Korean pro, so what. As for his rivalry with Toya, think about this for a moment. Has he ever actually beaten Toya before? I checked his records and save for a default win two years ago when his father collapsed, Toya has never lost a match to Shindo. This whole rivalry might just be the PR people playing it up to bring in interest and sponsors. You know the routine, that's what the Hokuto Cup was about after all. Look, I'm not saying they're not rivals, I just think it's a little overrated by the fans, it's a good story."
"I suppose, but still…" Akiyama began, but before he could continue he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and the words froze in his throat as he spotted Hikaru Shindo 2 – Dan step off the elevator and begin to make his way over, a blank, nonchalant expression on his face. "H-hello Shindo."
Pausing a moment as he turned his head to view Akiyama, their eyes meeting momentarily, Shindo nodded. "Good morning." With that he moved by, heading for the shelves where he could place his shoes.
"See, what'd I tell you," Takamoto said as Hikaru left the room, "he looked completely zoned out, like he was a million kilometers away from here. This will be a piece of cake." With that Takamoto moved off himself in Hikaru's wake, making his own way back to the game room before Akiyama could pull his voice out of his stomach from where it had plummeted upon meeting Hikaru's eyes. Maybe he had just been imagining things, but he was fairly certain he'd seen that detached look on Hikaru's face before, it had been there just before he'd engaged and overpowered Yashiro in the Hokuto Cup Qualifier last year. Of course it was possible that he was mistaken and that Takamoto was right, but either way he'd soon find out whether it was the kitten or the lion that had shown up today to play.
Entering the game room and glancing around, Takamoto spotted Hikaru seated before a board off to his right. It appeared that Hikaru had already found their reserved board for them. Making his way over, Takamoto kneeled down with a grin and said, "Good Morning Shindo."
His eyes focused on the board, Hikaru answered solemnly without raising his head, "Good morning."
His grin widening at the tone of Hikaru's voice, Takamoto continued, "I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. You have my deepest condolensces."
"Thank you."
Yes, it certainly appeared that the boy was not over his depression yet, his mind distant. Perhaps a little more mental posturing. "I must admit I've been looking forward to playing you Shindo. Beating the great Hikaru Shindo Judan Slayer ought to be quite the prize for someone like me. I hope you don't mind me saying so, but it would be a great way to demonstrate my strength."
Lifting his head at last, Hikaru stared down the man across the board for him calmly for a moment, then said, "No, I don't mind at all if you brag about beating me, just as long as you wait until after we play."
"Hehe, of course."
From what he had gleamed, Hikaru could see that his opponent was quite confident in himself, self-assured and likely a little arrogant. Not that there was anything overly wrong with that, to have any chance of winning one must always believe that it's possible to beat the opponent, but there was something about this guy that rubbed him the wrong way, like he already thought he'd won. Perhaps he was really as strong as he said, or else he was simply trying to boost himself up with words or intimidate Hikaru into panicking. While Hikaru had never heard of this Takamoto before, it was certainly possible that a strong player could exist out here without Hikaru's own knowledge of it, and Hikaru could appreciate the man's desire to test his strength.
Lifting his eyes once more to glance at the arrogant grin across Takamoto's face, Hikaru inhaled and exhaled deeply as a contemptible sensation began to form in his gut. Hiding a grin of his behind his stoic face as his sense of pride began to stir, Hikaru squeezed the fan in his left hand tightly. Well if he wanted to brag about beating Hikaru Shindo the Judan Slayer, then he'd just have to give the man what he wanted; Hikaru Shindo, Judan Slayer.
Bzzzzzt!
Lifting the bowls off the board and removing the lids, the pair moved to nigiri and a minute later Hikaru traded bowls with the man and bowed his head. "Onegaishimasu." As he finished saying the words Hikaru lifted his eyes to his opponent and as their eyes crossed for a moment Hikaru stabbed out with them, sending an electric chill down his opponent's spine. Straightening up to his full seated height, Hikaru surveyed the open board as his opponent moved to start the clock.
Shfffft.
Swinging open his fan, Hikaru brought it up in front of his nose, his eyes looking down over it a moment longer, then reaching with his right grabbed a black stone and placed it down hard on the 16-4 star point. As he did so Hikaru noted his opponent flinch at the unusually loud sound, then withdrew his hand back to his side, his wild, fiery eyes focused on the board.
Klak. Klak. Klak.
Klak. Klak. Klak.
The moves flowed calmly and quickly from Hikaru as his opponent played move after move, at first trying to build territory and then finally attempting an invasion. To these Hikaru responded with fluid motion countering many of his opponent's plans with a single stone, using his position to attack at the same time as he defended. While it was true that Judan preliminaries had thinking times of four hours apiece to Hikaru it had seemed like no time at all was passing as he played his moves, enraptured as he was within the game. He had moved the fan down to his lap now, still open as he fanned himself softly, his right hand resting on the knee of one of his folded legs giving the appearance that each move he played was an afterthought.
By this time Hikaru had come to the very real conclusion that this player was not at all as skilled as he had led on, suggesting one of the latter two scenarios Hikaru had come up with for his earlier comments. Quite frankly from what Hikaru had gleamed in the relatively few moves that had been played thus far this player, while talented, had been out of his league from the onset. It was an unfair match, pitting two players of vastly different skill levels against one another in what was quickly becoming a massacre. That was the way things were though in the pro world, a struggle to reach the top, an ever-escalating battle for supremacy.
Klak. Klak.
Klak. Klak.
As it stood Hikaru needed only to sit back at this point and he could almost certainly hold onto the overwhelming lead he'd established despite the game being still young as his opponent was taking increasingly long amounts of time. Hikaru however had opted instead to continue with the attack, punching more and more into his opponent's territory. The goal was simple, by continuing to attack and overwhelm his opponent's position the game would end much sooner and he'd be able to leave. While this trip had been something of a drag, Hikaru had enjoyed getting to spend time with Yashiro, even being convinced by the young pro to stay an extra day and see the city a little bit more he'd barely had time for sightseeing yet. Besides, playing Yashiro was a fun alternative to playing Akira all the time, especially given some of the more unusual openings he would see.
He had been partially correct about Yashiro's motives for wanting him to stay at his place as he did seem to want to use Hikaru as an example of why his parents should accept Yashiro as a Go pro, but also it seemed that Yashiro was looking to push his game just as Hikaru and Akira were, and he could only play against his teacher so much. Hikaru could tell that for Yashiro, the Tengen Main Tournament could not start soon enough.
Bzzzzzzt!
The buzzer sounded once more signaling the start of the lunch break, and Hikaru, anxious for a break as he realized that he was actually starting to feel hungry rose from his seat leaving his shaking opponent behind. As he did so Akiyama made his was over to the board and glanced down, his eyes widening as he did so. In his own game it seemed likely that he would be forced to resign barring an opening appearing as the game was beginning to get quite complicated and hard for him to read properly, but that paled in comparison to the board before him.
Glancing over at Takamoto, Akiyama saw the tremble in his body, the look of terror in his eyes. Never in all of Takamoto's games had he ever encountered such an intense, overwhelming aura about someone. His information had been 180 degrees wrong, and the fact that he'd come into the match with such high hopes and confidence only magnified the horror within him now. No wonder this boy… no, this monster, was making ripples throughout the Go world. For a 2 – Dan, let alone a 16 year old one, to have this type of strength, it was unnerving, and it now made perfect sense why someone with the same overwhelming skill such as Akira Toya would see this player as a rival.
The presence Hikaru emitted, even though he was now removed from it Takamoto found it hard to move, breathe, even think. He had thought he understood this player, saw from reviewing his game records why they called him the Judan Slayer, but the records, simple pieces of ink and paper, they didn't even begin to define Hikaru Shindo 2 – Dan.
Akiyama meanwhile had pulled himself away from the scene and made his way out to the lobby where Hikaru was busy putting back on his shoes. As he did so Hikaru glanced up at Akiyama and with a bright smile said, "Hey, do you know where there's a good place to eat around here?"
Nodding dumbly, Akiyama then said, "Umm, Shindo… did something happen, because it looks like you went all out and destroyed Takamoto back there."
Blinking, Hikaru paused a moment and then shrugging replied, "Well… he said he was strong so I decided to show him my strength; plus he kind of annoyed me I suppose. But I wouldn't say I went all out on him."
Blinking himself now, Akiyama inquired, "You didn't go all out?"
"Well, in a way I suppose I did, but it's kind of hard to show your true best when your opponent is weak, you know?"
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Author's Notes:
Hello everyone, I know it's been a long time, but I have returned. In case any of you are wondering what took so long and haven't been reading the Waya side story, shortly after I had finished writing the first chapter of that side story and was in the proofreading stages my girlfriend sent me an email that suggested she was upset about something. When I called to inquire, all I got was her voice mail and about an hour later another email that basically suggested that I was the most despicable person alive and likened me to… well a few things that are not very pleasant to be likened to. She also informed me that she never loved me, and that our relationship was over. Now as you may recall my girlfriend is pregnant with our son Joshua, or at least I think it's our son, since I have also come to learn that I may not be the father as another guy has come forward claiming he is. To put it frankly, my soul was shattered, and I've been walking around in what has felt like a very gloomy, depressing haze ever since. Along with this my will to write became nonexistent, and I am only now getting it back. This is the cause of my long delay in updating, as I have spent many a sleepless nights since with thoughts of how my life and my son's life are going to be effected by this, if he is my son. The latter is actually a mental blow beyond anything I can describe.
Anyway, I have made strides to recover from this, and have as of late begun to write again as this chapter suggests. Thankfully I had most of the ideas for this chapter planned out in advance, so it was really only a matter of sitting down and typing it out. I had been wanting to get back to Akira's Go Salon and the pair's bickering antics for awhile since I think the last time we had it was Chapter 23, and it was a fun part of their rivalry. The Go scene I suppose might have been a little cheesy, but it was important for me to establish that Hikaru truly is back to form, and flexing his strength. More importantly though this chapter is going to be setting up a lot of character developments that are coming in the next chapter, so sit tight on that.
Terms:
Nihon Kiin Western Branch: This, as mentioned in the chapter, is the Osaka branch of the Japanese Go Association, and unlike the Kansai Go Association which is more autonomous, is a part of the Japanese Go Association and so more likely to have games against people from the General Tokyo Branch. Both the Western and Central Branches of the Association hold their own Pro Exams, so there are actually more than three new pros a year, but Hikaru no Go mainly focused on the Main branch. Though they do have their own small tournaments, the Western and Central branches participate in all the same tournaments that Hikaru can participate in and are basically the same.
Tokaido Route: This is the train route that Hikaru would have taken between Tokyo and Osaka. Some of you may recognize the word Tokaido, as it was also the name of the road that one used to travel in previous eras when traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto.
Now onto questions. Yes, Akira has seen that article by now, and no he is not incensed by it as much as you might think, especially compared to Hikaru. The reason for this is that Akira's father and fellow study group members would still be considered as part of the present Go world. This is because it is still possible for them to contribute to the study of Go, and that they are fluent in the modern game. Ko Yeong Ha was stating that the modern game has surpassed the classical one to the point that studying the classical one is no longer necessary. If asked, Ko Yeong Ha would say that Koyo Toya can still show the Go world a lot.
Zama Oza was not cheating in the game Hikaru was looking over. It is in fact impossible to cheat in a pro title match as not only would any top pro playing notice, but most of the pro observers as well. Also there is someone there keeping a game record, so cheating as was done by Sai's opponent in the Heian Period is also impossible. If there was a controversy over the number of captured stones or points, the game would simply be replayed off the game record and the proper number of points confirmed. Hikaru's gut was simply noticing something about the move, perhaps a variation or something else similar.
For me, the cause of Ko Yeong Ha's feelings on competition from Hikaru stems likely more from the time in which he met Hikaru, but somewhat from his environment. Remember that Akira's rivalry with Hikaru arose before he was a pro, let alone nearing the top of the Go world, plus being in the shadow of his father, Akira didn't have quite as big a head about himself.
Yes, I do need to leave you at cliffhangers. If this was a full novel you were reading in one sitting it'd be different, but the chapter by chapter update like that of a manga works best with multiple cliffhangers.
You're right, I could have dealt with the morning after in the hotel with Hikaru and Nase, but I felt it was better to move on to other things since in my mind it was rather uneventful. I mean Hikaru wakes up to hear the shower going or the other way around, they get dressed, have breakfast and go home? Sure I could have added in little funny extras like Nase awaking to realize she's pulled the sheets in her sleep so that she's embarrassingly exposed or something, but it seemed a cheap laugh, and I had other, more serious issues to deal with in the last chapter. There was just so much to cover and set up that it seemed better to leave the morning after to the imaginations of the reader.
While I will not be revealing any clues as to what the favor is, I will say that it has nothing to do with Hikaru's girl problems. He wasn't asking Akira to ask Akari or Nase out in order to get them off his back so he could focus or anything.
Hmmm, a little debate between reviewers I see over Hikaru's statement about what he'll do to Ko Yeong Ha. That line was actually taken out of another story that I wrote a long time ago as it seemed to fit the mindset of Hikaru at the time. It was meant to demonstrate the emotional upheaval in Hikaru and begin to set up the Hikaru v. Ko Yeong Ha match that is coming up.
The only way I could give a truly clear answer to who Hikaru will end up with in the end is with an epilogue, as at most this story will last three more years in Hikaru's time, and that's only if I include the 4th story arc that is questionable at the moment. Otherwise it would be two more years, making Hikaru 18 and since the only real way to answer that is to have him get married… yeah, only in an epilogue. Without parental consent Hikaru would have to be 20 years old to get married, and this is not going to have a Ranma ½ arranged marriage fiasco to it. Without the wedding, Hikaru could pick Akari only to have her run over by a bus the next day, or a million other possibilities. I do have an epilogue planned, but I have been debating whether to include it or not.
It is not my intention to ding the Hikaru/Akira shippers, and if you feel I have done so I apologize. I think it might be though that some of my frustration comes out at times since I state that there will not be a yaoi shipping, and then I get three reviews asking if Hikaru and Akira will get together. I state it again and I get more reviews asking if they will, so I hope you can understand that it gets a little annoying as it feels like no one is paying attention to what I say. Perhaps I should try to just ignore it from now on.
Actually, I have never read The DaVinci Code or any other work by Dan Brown, so I can't say I'm a fan of his. Do I write just like him? Well I suppose it could be taken as a good thing, but since my now ex-girlfriend was very religious and would have blown a gasket if she knew I was reading that book I stayed away from it as it wasn't worth the fight. Sadly she wasn't going to make me give up reading Harry Potter, so the fact that she left me before the release of the seventh book did have an upside.
I haven't forgotten about Nase as a Go player, and very shortly we will begin to see her that way again. The problem was that between the end of the Pro Exam and the Shinshodan matches, new pros don't really have any games to play so I shifted her focus in the story to compensate for her lack of games. In two chapters Nase will play her Shinshodan match, and from there appear in the Hokuto Qualifier. Once April 1st arrives she is an official pro and will be playing quite a lot. This aspect of her will likely benefit also since I really don't want to think about romance all that much right now, too depressing.
Wow, a lot of you are fired up for Hikaru to wail on Ko Yeong Ha. Not to dampen those thoughts, but did it ever occur to you that Hikaru might lose to him again? Just a thought.
Are any more of the Top 5 events occurring soon? Well soon is a vague word, so let me put it this way. So far there has really only been one Top 5 event, although I suppose it's up to interpretation as to whether Grandpa's death should be counted as one, but by the time the Tengen Arc ends, two more of the Top 5 will have occurred.
Note: I apologize for the long Author's Notes, but there was a large gamut of questions to answer and some explanations for me to give. Gomen!
Next chapter? Well originally I was going back to the side story, but while writing this chapter I had an idea so there will be one more chapter here first, then we'll be jumping over to the Waya side story, and then to the Sato side story (this is a one-shot chapter depicting Sato's Shinshodan match against Kuwabara Honinbo). Anyway, next chapter we will be spending some time with Nase, some time at Akari's Go club, a little time with Akira, and some time in Osaka with Hikaru and Yashiro, all this leading up to Chapter 54 and Nase's Shinshodan match. Enjoy.
Wow, most reviews yet. Probably a combination of the events of the chapter as well as my long absence, but I will do my best to get the chapters out faster, so continue to send in your reviews as I truly enjoy reading them. R&R!
