Chapter 6. Yuki Re-learn.
San Francisco, America.
It was another business trip for our great romance novelist Eiri Uesugi, or better known as his penname Yuki Eiri.
Eiri's popularity has risen again. His manager has finally exported Eiri's works to America. Within weeks the books published, they scored the best selling hit. Almost every dreamy housewife in America now read Eiri's book.
Following the book success, Eiri's manager now put up publicity, namely book signing and exclusive interview.
At least there are more housewives being turned into human rocket as Eiri touches them (Remember Gravitation OVA ? ;).
"Mister Eiri… That's the twentieth fans you did that…" One of the bodyguards leaned closer toward the novelist behind the desk.
"Don't worry… It was a thing I learnt back home…" Replied Eiri in whisper and goes on with the book signing.
Popularity is nice, but when you're overly popular, it can be excruciating.
After hours of book signing that made Eiri felt that his hand was about to peels away, the author decided to call it a day.
Under the cover of a trusty sunglass, he took a stroll around the area. It was a nice midday, not too cold but not too hot either.
"Some things never changed" Eiri thought as he strolls down on a small park. He used to live in America and has visited few of the major cities back in his youth. "The traffic jam still existed" He looked at a busy road. "The taxi drivers still not speaking English…." He shook his head as he overheard some taxi drivers shouting chain of curses to a stingy passenger. "The black men are still blamed for everything…" He had to wince as he saw few policemen apprehended a black guy suspected carrying illegal firearm, which turned out to be a wallet. "The housewives are getting close…. Eh ?... wait a minute…. Oh shit…" Behind the sunglass, Eiri's eyes bulged as he spotted a row of obsessed housewives running into him.
"YUKI EIRI !" The pack of housewives screamed as they chased the author down the park and into the street.
"Shit shit shit !... I got to find a chinatown !" Eiri ran as fast as he could, avoiding the fans. Fortunately, he found what he's looking for and ran into the Chinatown and quickly blended with the crowd.
"That was close…." Eiri sighed and leaned against a wall.
But…
"HONTO ! YUKI EIRI !" Another scream erupted.
Eiri paled instantly, he did run into a Chinatown, but the place is full of Japanese.
"Someone… help me…." Eiri cringed. He looked at his surrounding as he tried to find a way out of this situation..
Suddenly, he felt that someone grabbed him from behind and pull him into a building.
"The famous Eiri Uesugi… " A person said. The voice is almost similar to Eiri's own voice.
It took Eiri less than a minute to recognize the familiar voice. He turned around on his heel to see the person who just rescued him from the pack of fanatic housewives and fans.
"Well well well. I never thought I would find you here" He smiled in a rather sarcastic way toward the person dressed in a white suit who has just saved him.
"The world is small, Eiri"
"Indeed it was… Seiji…" Eiri lifted a hand and patted the shoulder of the man in front of him.
"Glad you still remember me"
"Of course…"
Seiji, or better known as Ogata Seiji is a cousin to Yuki Eiri. Ogata Seiji was the son of the brother of Eiri's father. Strangely enough, Ogata looked almost like the exact copy of Eiri that they're often mistaken as brothers. It was once thought that Eiri's father made a mistake when taking Tatsuha out of the hospital after birth.
"So… what brings you here, Eiri ?" Ogata asked. He took a cigarette from his pocket and lights it then offered one to his cousin.
"Need you to ask ?" Eiri nodded as he took the cigarette.
"I guess not…. Let's go inside and wait until those fan mobs are gone" Ogata began to took steps into a building.
"Inside ?"
"Yes, this is a go salon I'm visiting. The go players over here are making tournament, pretty big one and they still have enough money to invite few pro players from Japan to attend the tournament"
Suddenly something inside Eiri just clicked at the word 'go'. His brain instantly took him to the conversation he had with his lover.
"Go, eh ?... This might be interesting…" Eiri followed Ogata into the building.
"I never knew you got an interest in go, Eiri" Ogata frowned upon Eiri's remark.
"I never have any interest until yesterday…"
"Oh ?... May I ask why ?"
"Let's say it got something to do with my boyfriend…"
"Interesting…." As if in instinct, Ogata's footsteps lead him and Eiri into a rather large room, which happen to be a go salon.
"I wonder how you walked into this place…" Eiri narrowed his eyes slightly, hints of sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Weren't you saying you were interested in Go ?"
"… Finally, a person with strong memory…At least another one after Seguchi…"
"Ah, your brother in law, how is she… I mean how is he ?"
"To tell you the truth, I still don't know how my sister got him into marrying her"
"Quite ironic, that man deserve a better person"
"Are you saying my sister is horrible"
"Sometime, I do think like that"
"… At least she didn't sleep to get promotion…"
"Eiri, I NEVER sleep with Kuwabara Honinbou" Ogata went wide eyed and quickly sent a death glare toward his cousin.
The author just smirked at that. "Denial is natural, Seiji…"
"…Whatever…" Ogata lead Eiri into a table with a goban readily available on it. "Let's see how you handle Go. The last time I saw you played this game was with your father".
"Indeed… no need for Nigiri, I'll take black" Eiri nodded as he sat down in front of Ogata. He took the goke (the go stones container) containing the black stones.
"Put down few stones for handicap"
"… No. I prefer even game".
"You're so sure of yourself"
"Of course… I don't want you to lose, Seiji" Eiri pulled a tight, sarcastic smirk across his lips.
"Eiri, you're looking at Ogata Seiji, a 9 Dan professional Go player". Now it's Ogata's turn to pull a tight smirk across his face.
"We shall see…". Gracefully, Eiri took a stone from the goke and put it down on upper right star on the board.
"Indeed". Confidently, Ogata replied Eiri's move with a mirror move on the lower left star on the board.
The end of Chapter 6.