Aishuu Offers:
Lessons in How to Make a Bishounen Snap
~ A Hikaru no Go fanfiction ~
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Hotta and Obata wouldn't sue, right?
Notes: Wrote this over my vacation. Blame this on the Philly air.
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PART TWO: Love Letters, Meddling Sister Figures, and Official Notice Arrives
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Four days into classes, I was just about to pull out my hair.
Classes themselves weren't that difficult, but finding the time to do the work was. I found that
between my matches, my duties as a pro, and attending school, I had little free time. I could have
dealt with it, but I found that my social life was heading in the wrong direction, fast.
The girls were following me around like I was an idol and the guys had made it quite clear that they
hated me. It was just like Kaio, but this time, I also had a teacher who was ready to become founder
of the Touya Akira Fan Club, Toriyama High School division. It was fun all around for everyone
but me.
So I finally caved and decided to ask for advice.
The only person I had maintained contact with from Kaio, aside from Yun-sensei, was Hidaka-
sempai. I remembered her fondly for her defense of me, and though our e-mails usually contained
conversations about Go, I had the feeling she would be eager to serve as "sempai" to me. Hidaka
Yuri liked being in charge, and she would be quite eager to help me in anyway she could, simply
because she could. She was a born meddler.
Between her and Ichikawa, I didn't need an older sister.
She was quite agreeable about meeting me Saturday afternoon at my father's Go parlor, as long as I
would play shidago with her. She was in her final year of high school at Kaio High School, first
board in the Go club and wanted pointers.
So that Saturday after morning classes, I went directly over, dodging the Dread Trio (as I was
starting to think of Chieko, Risa and Maaya), and going into the parlor. I hadn't shown up since
school began, so many of the customers tried to talk me into games, but I waved them off, setting
myself into a table in the back. I really didn't want anyone else overhearing this. I knew all the
customers had an avid interest in me and would try to "help."
The thought terrified me.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell sounded, and Hidaka-sempai blew into the parlor like a tornado,
and just as unstoppable. She looked around the place like it was about to bite her. I realized
then that she had never been there and had probably been expecting one of the places
where shadier adults hung out, not realizing that the former Touya-meijin's Go parlor
catered to a higher scale customer. We had politicians and businessmen among our
regulars. Our entry fees were twice what most were. She seemed a bit relieved when none
of the men leered at her, but there was one thing I had forgotten to taken into account:
Ichikawa Harumi.
Ichikawa was standing behind the counter, talking to a customer. Her eyebrow quirked a bit
when she saw the high school student enter, and then narrowed. Ichikawa had appointed
herself my protector ever since a group of girls who had seen my picture in Weekly Go had
mobbed me here. Whenever a girl showed up, she would stall them, kick them out or
generally give them hell…
Which Hidaka-sempai would not take lying down. My throat felt tight and I rose to my feet to
prevent what was sure to be an incident that would go down in Go history. When an
irresistible force meets an immovable object...
"Hello," Ichikawa said, giving a smile that I recognized as slightly predatory. "I've never seen
you here before."
Hidaka-sempai's eyes flashed, her hackles raised. "No, this is my first time," she answered.
"I came for a game of shidago with Touya-kun."
"Oh?" Ichikawa said, and the sharpness in her voice had me hurrying as fast as courtesy
would allow. "Akira-kun," and a person would have to be deaf to miss how Ichikawa
stressed that she was familiar was able to address me with my first name, "really doesn't
have time for that. He's preparing for some major matches."
"Oh, I know. But sometimes a game between friends can help relax some stress. It's
something most good Go players know," Hidaka-sempai replied.
Screw courtesy, I thought. I practically sprinted the rest of the way over, stepping between
them. "Ah, Hidaka-sempai! I've been waiting for you!" I said. I gave Ichikawa a look, and
Ichikawa relaxed slightly, realizing that Hidaka-sempai was not one of the girls who had
taken to coming to the parlor since I had turned fifteen. "Ichikawa-san, there's no need to
charge the fee… she's here at my request."
Ichikawa nodded. "Sure thing," she said, nodding her apology to Hidaka-sempai. Before I
knew it, the two were grinning at each other.
I will never understand women.
I shifted on my feet, then looked at Hidaka-sempai, surprised that I had to look down on her.
She had always seemed so much larger than I, but now I had a good four inches on her.
"Follow me, and we can play in the back," I offered.
It only took five minutes for us to set up. Hidaka said that four stones would be enough, and
I resolved to make sure it was. For most pros, four stones would have been, but for me, I
automatically added two. I found it easier to do that than to have to be gentle. Still, a pro
could force any outcome on a lesser player, and this would be good practice.
We started laying our stones, and I kept trying to thing of how to ask for advice. It wasn't in
my nature to ask for help. The only people who I regularly would ask for help were my father
and Ogata, and that was all Go related. It was becoming more and more clear to me that if it
didn't deal with Go, I was hopelessly ill-equip to deal with life.
Hidaka-sempai was staring at the board intently before laying a stone to the right of the 4-4
star. "Touya-kun… are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" she asked.
I looked at the board, laying down a move that most good players would place. It wasn't the
strongest move, but it was a good move that would challenge Hidaka-sempai's strength.
"Um…" I felt a deep blush come to my cheeks, one which I had mercifully been able to
refrain from in classes. "Well…"
She ignored the game, staring at me with those piercing eyes that had challenged me once
before. "Touya-kun. You called me all the way over here in the first week of your high school
year. Something has to be wrong, and I'd like to know what."
I wished she'd just play. I had wanted advice, but now that it was offered, I wished that it'd
go away… it was embarrassing to talk about. "Um…"
"Touya-kun! Are you being bullied again?" she demanded, rising forward and leaning
towards me aggressively. Her fists gripped the sides of the table, and I wasn't sure if she
was going to throttle my supposed tormenters or me for letting it happen.
"Bullied?" I heard from behind me, and I groaned. Ichikawa…
"No, no, no!" I said, waving my hands in front of my face hurriedly to deny it. "It's nothing
like that!" Well, the boys had decided to give me the silent treatment, but that I could deal
with. Lord knew I had dealt it to Shindou enough that turnabout was fair play….
"You were bullied?" Ichikawa grabbed one of the spare chairs and slid it over so she was
sitting with us, integrating herself into the conversation. Her eyes were wide with concern
and she looked like she was about to make me a cup of tea, call my parents and yell at the
school.
Dammit. I should have know she wouldn't let it drop. "It was a while ago, Ichikawa-san," I
said. "I dealt with it…"
Hidaka-sempai apparently decided to use that mysterious connection of females and went
over my head as she sank back into her seat. "It almost dealt with him. It was his first year
of junior high, and he was in the Go club. Three students challenged him to blind Go
games, and like a stupid male, he played them. The first one he won, but then he tried to
play two at the same time…"
Stupid male? I blinked, not sure if it was a personal insult or just a general epithet.
"…and it was almost too much. If I hadn't walked in, they would have humiliated him, and…"
I glanced over at Ichikawa, and I could see that she was simmering. Oh, dear heaven help
me. I had both of them annoyed at me now… on top of the mess at school. "Okay, Akira-
kun. One day you and I are going to have a long talk about this…" Ichikawa said. "But if you
called…" she glanced over at Hidaka-sempai curiously.
"Hidaka Yuri."
"…Hidaka-san over, you're obviously having problems already. You know you can talk to me
about them, don't you?" Ichikawa gave me the you'd-better-say-yes-if-you-know-what-is-
good-for-you look.
"It's embarrassing," I said, burying my face in my hands.
"What is it?" They said in unison.
I suddenly realized why I had never invited Hidaka-sempai to the parlor before. My
subconscious had recognized that she and Ichikawa were far too similar for my peace of
mind and would gang up on me… and I would have no defense.
I couldn't think of anyway to sum it up except… "Love letters," I blurted out.
"WHAT?!" They exclaimed. Their shocked expressions would have been amusing had I
been in the mood to be amused… but this was my life we were talking about.
I flinched back, my hands covering my ears to protect them from their decibels. "Love
letters," I repeated. "Love letters, my crazy math teacher, the girls who are stalking me, the
boys who refuse to speak to me because the girls are stalking me, the fact the
administration had no clue that Go is different from Parcheesi…" I said, ticking points of on
my fingers. "And I've only been to school for four days out of the six so far, but I'm seriously
on the verge of seeing if there's any hiding places…"
The two looked at each other, my pained expression, then burst out into gales of laughter.
"Akira-kun…." Ichikawa gasped. "That's called normal life!"
I glared at her. "It's not my life!"
"It is now!" Hidaka-sempai told me. "The question is, what are you going to do?"
I froze. She was right. I had wanted advice on how to regain control over my life, but Hidaka
was telling me to cope. Wasn't that what I'd been learning ever since Shindou had derailed
me from my straight walk to the path to the pros? "I… I need to cope somehow…" I said.
"But how?" I asked. "I have no clue what to do with a Go obsessed math teacher and love
letters make me uncomfortable."
"About your math teacher, I'd treat him the way you do any fan. Be cool, calm and don't let
him get the better of you. Keep him on track… turn your school into a game of shidago.
Don't let him focus on your presence, but on the game. You are not important. The game
is," Ichikawa told me.
I nodded slowly. "He's been asking me for my autograph. I've avoided it so far… maybe I
should remind him of the separation between Touya-4-dan and Touya-kun. It's going to be
hard because he keeps trying to get advice…"
"You can do it," Ichikawa encouraged.
Hidaka seemed lost deep in thought. "As for the love letters, I think you need to make a
decision. Are you interested in having a girlfriend right now?"
I shook my head vehemently. "With what time?"
"Then you should decline all the love letters gracefully, saying that your commitments don't
allow you the time to date or something along those lines. Girls will ask you to meet them,
though, and you can't avoid that unless you want to appear to be a complete jerk."
T was all I could to do keep from smacking my head against the table in sheer frustration.
There are a few hundred girls in the school. If I meet each for a few minutes… then there
will be new freshmen… I was probably overestimating, but the time involved in meeting
even the ones whom I knew liked me and had already sent me love letters made me wince.
"Yes, sempai."
"I don't know if there's anything you can do about the guys. They'll come around eventually."
"Or I can remain a social pariah," I said bitterly.
"Akira-kun!" Ichikawa said, her voice sharp. "It will work out."
"Yes, yes." I turned my attention to the goban glanced at Hidaka-sempai. "Are you going to
play?"
I was determined to use some of Hidaka-sempai's and Ichikawa's advice that Monday. Maybe it
will work out...
The first thing I did when I arrived at school was go to my shoebox as usual. Opening it up, I
wasn't that surprised to see my shoes covered with love letters. Just turn them down gently, like
Hidaka said... I told myself before something caught my eye.
I was surprised by an official -looking letter that was on manilla school stationary. With shaking
hands, I pulled it out, groaning. The name on it was definitely mine. Had I managed to get in some
kind of official trouble?
I shook my head at the thought. They wouldn't leave a letter in my shoe box. I have to confess to
being a bit curious.
The letter wasn't sealed, so I slid it out and unfolded it. My eyes widened as I read it.
"Official notice of the formation of the Touya Akira fan club, with school funding?!" I exclaimed
aloud. The letter fell from my numb fingers and I stared at in horror as it fluttered to the floor. "Can
they do that!?" I asked no one in particular.
The boys were glaring at me like they'd like nothing better than to stomp me under their shoe like a
disgusting bug, but one girl came over to me, one I didn't even know. "You should talk to Kaidou-
sensei. He's the advisor."
Why didn't that surprise me? I felt my eyes narrow dangerously. This time, they had gone too far.
"Believe me, I will."
END PART TWO
CREDITS:
Credits to Hissori, of course, for all of her responses to my seemingly random questions, Sailor Mac for her totally inadvertent encouragement, the Hikaru no Go ML, Hikaru no Go LJ community, Hikaru no yaoi and FFML for their INTENTIONAL encouragement, and everyone who gave me thoughts or nudges... it's why this is out so fast and Aishuu isn't the one who snapped.
Up next: Touya finds out they really CAN do that....