CHAPTER 11
By id62000
Hikaru kicked a stone in his path. It rolled ahead and stopped a meter away. When he reached it, he kicked it further this time. In other words, Hikaru was bored. Totally, Utterly, Thoroughly bored!
Hikaru paused and turned around at the school building – Juuban High School. He sighed - wishing his friends were with him. He felt totally abandoned by them. Akari was taking ballet classes at a centre near the school. Mitani and the others were in Tomoyo High School and that was quiet a long walk from here.
"Play again Akari!"
"Oh!No! That was terrible!"
"Put down as many stones as you want!"
"Alright then! I'll put down 15! There's no way you'll be able to win!"
"Watch me!"
Hikaru missed those days when he still was in the Go club. Sure, they were no competition at all for him but…it was fun hanging around – the place he would like to go to time to time…
Hikaru looked up at the tall building. He had no idea how he came so close to it especially since he had planned on going home, but since he was here he decided to go see Akari's Go club, even if she wasn't in right now.
He climbed the steps to the school Community Hall. The chemistry and Physics teachers were shocked when Akari had asked to borrow the lab after school hours. They obviously knew nothing about Go. All they cared was whether the Silver Nitrate and the tangential Galvanometer had something to do with Go or not! The Chemistry teacher sure wasn't impressed with the marks scored by Akari in the Midterms and the Physics teacher hardly considered her any different from the other students even though she topped her class. Physics' and Chemists were like aliens when compared to normal every day life people.
Hikaru entered the hall and was surprised to find two girls and three boys discussing a game. Suddenly he found himself admiring Akari. It had taken him a lot of time and searching to get the Kaze Go club assembled for the match. She had managed to do so within the term if not earlier.
He walked over to the five and tried to make out the game under discussion. The players who played the kufu were strong –almost insei level! He looked at the caption. 'Kishimoto, Kaio HSS vs. Ishiwa, Torii HSS'
"Huh?" Hikaru looked up.
Had one of the boys asked him something?
"Aren't you Shindou Hikaru?" the boy repeated.
"Is it true you played the Korean First Board and lost only by half a moku?" An impressed girl asked.
"Fujisaki said something like that." Another girl said.
"Hey! Since you're a pro, can't you teach us?"
"Do we have to pay?" the boy asked anxiously.
Hikaru looked at the eager faces. Hikaru somehow didn't like this school because fewer people talked to him. He didn't mind since Akari gave him notes for all the classes he missed during game days but still…he had always wanted to join the other students in their activities. He was told that he need not do projects and other extracurricular activities since being a pro takes up a lot of his time. But he also realized that by not doing so he was missing a lot of fun. And maybe because he was a working kid…the students treated him as an alien. They ignored him or ran away from him. They hid and said things behind his back. He didn't like that and often spent most of his time in the classroom while Akari went to the club or the library. Boy, he was glad Akari was there or else he'd be writing make up exams all his school life.
"What say we play a five on one game?" Hikaru asked interested.
"Really? Can you do that?"
"He's a pro you idiot!"
"But can pros really do that?"
"You doubt I can win?" Hikaru challenged.
"I want a three stone handicap!"
"You can put down as many as you want."
"Fujusaki san was right! You are arrogant!" the taller girl glared at him darkly.
"And we just met!" grinned Hikaru.
The players placed the gobans on the floor.
"Let's play!" the taller boy said.
"I may be a joke but Shin chan is really strong! Let's see you beat him in a five on one game."
"Bring it on!" Hikaru placed his first stone on the tengan and earned a well deserved glare from the taller girl.