I don't actually have much to say in this chapter except for introducing some specific vocabularies as I really want to get this update published already.
Shikomi = a girl in training to be a Maiko before moving on to Geiko. A trainee will have to attend the classes and also do daily chores as well as help out the other Geiko (geisha) in this time. The shikomi period lasts around 4 years if you enter the okiya at the correct time.
Yeongusaeng =the equivilant of insei of Japanese Go Institution.
thank you for all follows, favs, communities adding, and reviews. I had a hard time at work but thanks to you all I can keep writing and updating. This chapter is the beginning of the end of this arc. I hope to see you in the next update as well.
Reviews are answered at the bottom as always.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go
Torajirou glanced at his young host in mild annoyance. His one and only student had been in a sulky mood since the day before. Although it was perfectly understandable given the unfortunate circumstance that occurred to him, still he couldn't help getting irritated at the boy's constant brooding.
"Would you please stop? Your sour mood is spreading to me it's making me cranky." The Go master whined.
"Yeah, whatever, it's not like you're crankier than usual. I know I AM edgy but I don't have the mind to fix it at the moment. If you wanna blame someone, blame it on that Korean guy with pointy eyes." Hikaru clicked his tongue as he put on his casual Yukata. The first Saturday of his summer break had finally come around. But instead of spending fun time at some random Go salon with Yashiro as usual, he had to cancel their much anticipated day off because of police's involvement in yesterday's event after the damn tourist had started making a fuss about his laptop and that Hikaru somehow had a part in the whole incident. He spent the whole evening in the police office watching the Korean guy struggled with his half ass Japanese, trying to explain what really happened. But it seems the police's patience were running out as the uniform claded officer glanced longingly at his ordered ramen and waved them off warily. Fifteen minutes later they were finally allowed to leave, but not without the cop contacting Hikaru's guardian and informing them about the whole charade.
And thus, after receiving an earful of disciplinary lesson from his grandparents the night before, here he was, stomping down the street of Kyoto shopping district and mumbling his displeasure about being forced to take a responsibility of a certain Korean tourist and his laptop.
"That's a total rip off! I can even buy a new laptop with that money!" Hikaru blanched at the receipt that was given to him by the electric store's repairman, the Korean tourist blinked stupidly behind him. He would be able to keep his compose front as usual if he wasn't spending more than half of his savings on fixing that blasted piece of gadget.
"It is the latest model. We have to order the parts from South Korea because this model hasn't even debut in Japan yet." The repairman told him calmly, an obvious fake smile plastered on his face.
"Urge~ fine!" Hikaru almost slammed the bills onto the desk in frustration. He sulkily crumpled his last five thousand bill into his yukata sleeve. "I paid for it! Now stop following me and scram!" He hissed with fury at his new stalker, trying his best to control his volume as he slapped the receipt onto the Korean guy's chest.
The man didn't look offended by Hikaru's attitude and only frowned back at him in slight confusion. He hastily match Hikaru's step when the yukata cladded young master quickly glided away from the store, not flinching an inch even when his young guide turned to glare daggers at him.
They both finally came to a halt in front of a three storeys building just a block away from the new shopping district when Hikaru suddenly made a dash for an old concrete stairway, all the while mumbling to himself.
'I need to blow off some steam now before I really go mad,' he grumbled before his master let out a phantom snort beside him.
'And by that, you mean crushing some random wrinkled amateurs in a run down Go salon where you happened to pass by? Sounds pathetic enough to me,' Torajirou nodded solemnly in sarcastic agreement.
'Unless you have a better idea, I suggest you shut up now,' Hikaru spat at his master as he felt his nerve edged near his limit but quickly regretted it when he saw a dark glint in Torajirou's narrowed eyes. 'Sensei' he reluctantly added in a much softer tone.
'Well, actually,' his master smirked triumphantly at the mildly intimidated display of his student. 'I might have a few tricks that should spice things up for you.'
~oO0Oo~
Waya Yoshitaka huffed impatiently as he glanced up from his watch and stared intently into the main exit of Tokyo station with thinning patience. It had been almost twenty minutes since he had arrived at the gathering place where the inseis (this time only Isumi, himself, and grudgingly, Touya) planned to meet for their usual weekend outing. Waya admitted that he wasn't too eager to meet up with young Touya but he couldn't deny that the situation was a little worrying, for the two inseis were uncharacteristically late. Had he heard it wrong when they agreed to visit Touya Meijin's Go salon today? Should he try to contact Isumi just in case they were already expecting him to meet up at the place? But his worries soon dispersed as he saw the older teen came rushing toward him.
"Sorry, Waya, did you wait long?" Isumi waved when he spotted him among the crowded throng of departing passengers. Waya immediately grinned back as he saw the teen insei but his smile slid off from his face almost as fast at the sight of the prodigious Touya Akira following behind the older insei, nodding his head stiffly as he tried to apologize for their tardiness.
"We didn't think it would be this busy on the first day of summer break. We tried to take the earlier trains but they were badly packed with people that we couldn't get in." Isumi heaved a deep breath before gulping down air to try and sooth his dry throat. The cruelly bright sunlight and the sizzling hot air of summer in Tokyo wasn't very helpful in aiding one to avoiding heatstroke.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The salon isn't very far from here. Shall we get going?" Touya eyed Waya's exposed shoulders guiltily when he spotted the reddish linings on the other insei's skin where his sleeveless shirt didn't cover but said nothing more to show his concern. The latter happened to catch his line of sight and his lips turned downward into a frown.
"Sorry my shirt is not to your liking." Waya narrowed his eyes at the younger insei.
"Waya! Don't start!" Isumi did his best to whisper a warning but it proved to be harder than it sounded considering the swarm of people bustling around them.
"Right, sorry, you lead the way then." He shrugged nonchalantly and jerked his head in Akira's direction, signaling the boy to do his job. Akira stared back, expressionless, then he swiftly turned and walked down the street.
The atmosphere between the three of them was heavily awkward for the rest of the short trip despite Isumi's best attempt to cheer up the two younger inseis. It was a public secret that Waya wasn't fond of the budding genius but no one had dare to ask him the reason for his hostility. Nase told him a few time that it might be rivalry since Waya was very competitive by nature while Saeki laughed it off and said it was probably jealousy since Waya mostly studied Go on his own (with exception of the insei class and Morishita sensei's group), a stark contrast from the young Touya who had unlimited accesses to highly talented Go pros since the time he was very young. But whatever his true reason might turn out to be, Isumi thought that Waya would put it aside and at least try to be nice to the boy Touya when the three of them agreed to visit the Meijin's salon together a few days ago.
"Here it is," Akira turned to them when the trio walked pass the automatic sliding door and both Isumi and Waya ogled openly at the neat and sophisticate design of the place. The Salon itself, on top of air-conditioned, was non-smoking and the two boys were very thankful for the supply of fresh air that they would be breathing for the rest of their stay here. For once, the boys didn't need to cut down their own lifespans in exchange for improving their skills.
"Would you like any drink? I can place your order for you." Akira offered politely. Waya looked around the place for the menu. He wanted to check the price of the drinks before deciding if he would need anything (in other word, he wanted to see if he had enough money to buy a drink from a high-end salon such as this place). His eyes suddenly connected with Isumi's and they both mentally agreed on the possible cheapest drink available, if it wasn't given freely.
"Water, please" Both teen chimed up at the same time and they managed to startle Akira with their chorus.
"I'll be back with your drinks. Please pick your seats, anywhere is fine." Then the Meijin's heir went off, leaving the two older inseis standing awkwardly by themselves.
"Hey you two! Never seen you around here before. Are you Akira kun's friends?" A man in his forties greeted them with a wide grin as he beckoned them to take the seats nearby. Waya's face twitched slightly at his assumption.
"Friends? Nah, not exact-"
"We are from his insei class." Isumi quickly clapped a hand over the other insei's mouth. How could Waya not see the affectionate glint in the man's eyes when he mentioned Touya's name?
"Here to prepare for your pro exam, I guess? Ashiwara-kun also came here for practices last year. Now he has turned into a Go pro, children sure grow up fast." The man sighed nostalgically. "And we all thought that Akira-kun would enter the pro exam this year,"
"Not that again, Oshima-san," Akira suddenly appeared behind them, his hands holding two glasses of ice cold water. "I still feel that I need some more experience before taking the exam. Speaking of which, did Ashiwara-san practice anything special for his exam last year? I heard some rumor about his training but he never told me about it."
"Rumor?" The man burst out laughing. "It was nothing special. All he did was just forcing ties."
The three inseis looked intrigued at the prospect of practicing in such a way. But forcing tie games out of the fellow inseis wouldn't be an easy task to accomplish.
"It just playing the game without the Komi rule, here, you three should try playing with us." Oshima moved his tea cup and turned to call his fellow customers who were playing nearby. At the sight of the two other men abandoning their game to come over to the insei's table, Akira quickly waved off the offer.
"Oh, it's alright for me. I'm not entering the exam so I'll be wasting your time." He explained frantically.
"Nonsense, Akira-kun, between the rising new wave and this crumpy old man next to me, it is obvious I'll take the chance to play against you over this rusty old geezer anytime, even though it is a forced tie game." One of the new comers bellowed good-naturedly. Akira's cheeks turned a light pink at the reference to the term which Go weekly had named him in the recent interview article with Fujiwara Kisei and Ogata Seiji.
"I don't know about you, Eisuke, but even if I am not an insei it will still be hard to force a tie game against me." The other new comer snorted back at his old companion.
And true to his word, Isumi and Waya found themselves struggling to keep their focus on counting territories and calculating their opponents' next move at the same time. The brunett glanced at the older insei and felt a bit relieved to see the light frown on Isumi's forehead. However, he couldn't see the same expression on the face of the boy who sat on the other side of him. Touya Akira had a frown on his face but it wasn't quite the same frown that he and Isumi had. It was his usual frown, the one that showed deep concentration and fierce determination. Whenever he saw the Touya boy made that face, he was constantly reminded of the reason that he couldn't truly hate the boy.
"Ah, no! I am a moku too short." Isumi suddenly chimed up beside him, his elderly opponent laughing at his distress.
"You mean 'I' am a moku too short. Come now, you still won." The old man Eisuke started clearing the board. "It was your first try, wasn't it. Then try again until you can do it. You kids are going to be here all day anyway."
Then there was a sudden movement from Oshima as his game with Akira had finished as well.
"Ah, as expected from Touya sensei's successor, you've got me on your first try." The late middle age man laughed heartily at the shy smile on Akira's face.
"You sure you didn't let him tie you on purpose, Ojii-san?" Waya narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Oshima grunted at him. He looked ready to start opening fire at the young insei and might have already done it if not for Waya's opponent getting in their way.
"Whether he did it or not, you still have your game against me. And I will make sure that I have your focus all the time or you will never leave this place today." The serious middle age man told him sternly and Waya secretly wished that he chose to visit some other salon today.
~oO0Oo~
Shibasaki Iroha climbed up the moldy staircase with barely contained excitement in her steps despite the restricted movements from wearing a kimono. Saying today was her lucky day was almost an understatement. It had started out as any other humid summer days where she had to attend dancing class in the morning during weekends but then, after a train ride and fifteen minutes walk, she discovered that her class had been canceled due to her instructor had came down with an acute appendicitis the night before. However, it wasn't because of the unfortunate news that made her day, rather the opportunity which came with it that gave her some hard-to-come-by free time and it made her glow with happiness.
The young Shikomi* was so absorbed in her own world that she didn't even notice the boy dressed in a yukata making his way down the narrow stairway. She would probably walk right into him if not for the boy's caution at avoiding her careless steps. Despite his mindful attempt, however, Shibasaki's shoulder still brushed his as they passed by each other.
She glanced back at him in reaction and saw a pair of jade color eyes stared back into her warm brown ones. His smooth light tan skin was lightly tinted with pinkish blush as some strange realization seemed to paint itself onto his face. He quickly patted down his unruly raven hair as if the sight of her being suddenly made him feel very self-conscious of his own messy locks.
"I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" He finally spoke.
Shibasaki shook her head in reply. Somehow, the boy's nervousness must have seeped into her because she found herself quickly matching his reddened cheeks as her eyes averted to the dusty floor below. They stood in awkward silent. Neither of them was eager to break the first word nor tried to walked away until another young man appeared behind the salon's door.
"Hey! Wait!" He shouted to the boy next to her, not caring if his strange accent was making heads turn in his direction. "Wait for me!"
"This is bad. Sorry, gotta go," he clicked his tongue in frustration at the approaching older teen before rushing down the stairs, leaving her to stare after him in mild confusion.
"People sure seem to be running around a lot today. Although, I am no exception." She shrugged, turning away from her previous spot and determined to continue her precious day off as she reached the next floor.
She pushed open the creaky tinted glass door and was immediately greeted with the cloud of billowing smoke. Shibasaki wrinkled her nose in disgust. Normally the customers of this Go salon would refrain themselves from smoking inside if they were expecting her to come by but the sudden cancellation in her schedule made this trip a surprise visit so Shibasaki would have to make do with it. She tried her best to ignore the musty air in the room and walked toward the front desk, grinning at the mischievous idea of startling the old men in the salon with her appearance but she found the seats to be unoccupied. Her almond shape eyes were drawn to the only crowded area where several middle age men stood towering over the two tables. Shibasaki could hardly spot the backs of two familiar figures. The man on her left whose hair was barely covering his receding hairline, Noguchi-san, was one of the first few people to teach her to play Go. The bespectacled old man on her right who without the help of his especially thick glasses should should have been as good as blind, was the man who inspired her to be a better player and even encouraged her to try her hand at becoming an insei despite the current situation she was in,
Her very own grandfather.
Shibasaki approached them from behind, planning on squeezing her way in and taking a glance at their games. However, the lone seat opposite the two of them was empty. Her neatly plucked eyebrows were pulled together slightly at the sight of the old man Noguchi hunching over his game on the board before they turned into a full frown as her gaze fell onto her grandfather.
"What happened?" She appeared beside him, a hand resting firmly on his arm. Her grandfather was a Go enthusiast and one of the top amateurs in Kansai region. He had lost countless time in his career but he never miss the discussion that usually came after the games. To see him staring at the finished game without his opponent pouring out the thoughts behind each move was very bizarre indeed.
"I resigned." He smiled at her. "It was quite a shock for us too. I didn't expect such a talent from someone so young."
"He is nothin' but a brat who wants ta show off! Forcin' ties out of us? Gimme a break!" The old Noguchi furiously added.
"He did what?" Shibasaki's eyes widened. Forcing ties wasn't anything new around here but no one ever dare went up against these two old men for their skills spoke louder than anyone else's. Not to mention that the act could provoke a negative impression on a patron if they weren't invited to do so from the beginning. The regulars at this salon were well aware that they had to put in their best effort in order to win against either of the two. To think that some stranger would waltz in and forced ties from both of them without batting an eye was unthinkable to say the least.
"He tied with Noguchi-han but because he played white, he won by moku rule." The middle age man who stood next to her offered his observation. "We all thought it was a coincidence but Shibasaki-han seems ta have another idea."
"I didn't think anythin' of it at first but I came to notice that he didn't place the best moves durin' our game. It felt like he merely guidin' my stones and not trying to win." The old Shibasaki sighed. "I admit it is disheartenin' but after seein' his skill, I can't help hopin' to have another serious game with him. Who knows! We might actually been hidin' our own Touya Akira here in Kyoto all along." He added with an excited gleam in his eyes as Noguchi, the second best player in the salon, snorted bitterly beside him.
"Him? If that boy could rival Touya Meijin's son then I am Fujiwara Sai."
"I don't think you should brag about your skill, Noguchi-han, you let him out-smart you after all." Another patron made a jab at the bald man, earning a laughter from the rest of them.
But Shibasaki didn't join in with the old folks. Her eyes were hardened and her lips were pressed into a thin line as the face of the boy with jade eyes came to her mind. How dare he to make light of other people who took Go more seriously than he would ever do so in his life time. How arrogant of him, when all that he had was talent, to look down on people who didn't posses the same level of excellence but had more passion than he could ever hope for.
Shibasaki didn't know his name and the same went for every one else in the salon. But she remembered his face. And the next time when they meet again, she hoped that the boy would have a satisfying answer in prepare for her question-
Or she wouldn't let this matter end in peace.
~oO0Oo~
His heart was drumming against his ribcage. The simmering heat and steamy weather had reddened his face into a crimson hue. His hands were slippery with his sweat, so much that it moistened the hem of the boy's yukata where he had been tightly grabbing on in fear that the boy might try to run away from him for god knew how many times already. He had spent most of his stay in Kyoto chasing the ever so elusive wealthy boy around only so that he could have a game with him. Although his vacation was coming to an end within the next few hours, the Korean pro couldn't give up the chance to have a game with the boy. After an unlikely encounter with the Japanese prodigy in the making, he knew his temptation to play against the boy was far greater than his original plan of sight seeing.
After all, he wouldn't be here celebrating the beginning of his pro career if it weren't for his ambition for the game of Go.
The pro hastily stormed into his hotel room and began rummaging his luggage, leaving the annoyed Japanese boy to smooth out his crinkled yukata by the coffee table.
"Let's play," the foreign pro closed the distance between them with a few long strides, a magnet Go board in his hand. The boy only raised his brows in silent as if he was surprised by the sight of the object but obediently lowered himself onto one of the chairs and he sat there, waiting for him to do the same.
The boy quietly insisted on Nigiri as he grabbed a fistful of white magnet pieces and looked up at him. He snatched two black pieces in reply before placing them firmly on the tiny board.
"Please," they bowed.
And the game began.
Both of them exchanged a few moves but neither had start the attack. The teen pro looked up. His squinted eyes narrowed even more as he stared at his younger opponent. This wasn't the boy who caught him unexpectedly as a budding genius in the rundown salon a few days ago. This kid in front of him lacked the glint of hunger he possessed when he played against the two elderly opponents. Was he testing him? Was this boy watching his every moves and predicting how he should play his hands next?
Or was he just merely...
His brows jerked up slightly as he noticed that his opponent had been doing only enough to evade around his stones. The Korean pro fought the urge to growl by biting tightly on his lips. How long had it been since the last time he met someone who tried to force a tie out of him? The Yeongusaeng at the institution were all aware of his winning streak although it had been only two years when he started picking up Go. Thus no one dare to make such play against him. He also knew what the boy was capable of after witnessing the games he played the other day. But to think that he, the qualified pro from the neighboring country would be group together with some mere amateurs in a local salon...
He felt incredibly insulted.
He slammed a black piece onto the middle spot of the board and hid a satisfying smile as he watched the boy winced at his display. The boy needed to learn his lesson for underestimating him. He would not be put in the same light as those old geezers. It was time to show him how the pros were doing on the other side of the ocean.
His last move was effective enough to draw the boy's attention. The young Kyoto boy paused his hand, his brows creased slightly as he stared at the lone black piece in the middle of the board in surprise. His reply came down a few jumps away from the spot, no doubt trying to measure his plan. But the pro already revealed his trick. It was time to make a full attack. He placed another black piece not too far away from his last move, circling around the boy's white. His young opponent's hand stiffened as the boy became alarmed. He took another pause, this time longer than his last, and slowly reached for a new white piece in the small tub. As the boy tried to extend to the white's area on the side of the board, the pro made another jump on the other side-opposite to white's wall, roughly outlining his area which connected to the black's group in the upper corner with only a few moves that followed that surprised tactic. He secretly sighed in relief. It was certainly a risky move and he wasn't sure that he could pull through with his plan considering the boy's skills. But he took advantage of being put under the boy's radar and managed to work his plan onto the board. The Korean pro couldn't even suppress his smile as the boy looked up to him with a renewed determination in his jade color eyes after he had done surveying the damage of his white area.
"What's your name?" The Kyoto youth asked him, his tone was slow and firm as he addressed the pro carefully for the first time in days.
"My name is..."
~oO0Oo~
Yashiro groaned for the umpteenth time since the moment he cracked his eyes open to the possible hottest day of the month. His carefree school break had officially started a week ago but instead of spending his days roaming around in town with his best mate and visiting random Go parlours, he was stuck at home trying to pretend that he didn't want to step out into the world outside.
And he had a certain foreigner to thank for with his current circumstances.
It began with a single phone call from Hikaru, whining to him about the Korean guy and his compensation for the damn laptop, and that he had to keep avoiding the said guy because the blasted tourist had decided to stalk him around like a pedophile psychopath for days after. They could still find some way to meet up as Hikaru suggested, if not for him being a worrywart about them making an obvious stop somewhere and thus exposing themselves as an easy target for any type of harassment that the guy had in mind.
However, that wasn't the end of his summer mayhem.
The lack of Hikaru's involvement in the circle of their friends had fetched a very interesting, albeit bordering annoying, guest to his front door since a few days ago.
Hayakawa Ikuko wasn't his problem during the school terms. She was one of Hikaru's fangirls whose only purpose of coming to school was to throw herself onto his best friend. Although curiously, she was the only girl whom he allowed the privilege of clinging onto his arm with a few grunts in exchange whenever that happened. But after the start of summer break, coupled with the scarce public appearance of his friend, the added freebie of their duo turned her sight on him.
"Yashiro-kun! Let's go and meet up with Fujiwara-sama!" She said in a very sing song voice after his mom let her into his room. Yashiro shuddered at her choice of overly worshipping honorific she gave to his friend's last name.
"I told you, he's busy with the upcoming Gion Festival. He's the heir, remember? He'll be walking along the procession just as he did last year and the years before that." He flapped a puddle fan toward himself as he sat cross-legged on the floor, an old Go Weekly magazine laid open lazily on his lap.
"I don't intend to wait until the day of the festival! Some sneaky Maiko might be charming him away from me as we speak!" She huffed dramatically.
"It's only a few days up ahead, deal with it! And what makes you think he's interested in you in the first place?" Yashiro shifted in his seat. His leg prodded up against his elbow, revealing his upper thigh where the hem of his loose shorts fell slightly toward the floor. Hayakawa quickly turned away from the sight, face slightly blushing.
"I'm the only girl who gets to stay close to him, in case you hadn't notice." Hayakawa puffed her chest, her arms crossed in front of her as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"That's because you scare other girls away from him with your attitude. Now that I actually think of it, maybe that's the reason why Fujiwara tolerates your presence, so that you can repel those squealing girls from him." He shrugged and swiped his wallet on the table. A short escape to a nearby convenient store should be enough to preserve his sanity.
"Fujiwara-SAMA," Hayakawa corrected him pointedly. "-is a kind and gentle person! Such scheme will never cross his mind!"
"Yeah?" Yashiro quirked an eyebrow as he briefly turned to smirk at her. "And you know him so much better than me."
He left the house without taking another glance back at her. The painfully hot sunlight sizzled the back of his neck where his sleeveless t-shirt couldn't cover. But Yashiro could ignore the torment as long as it meant he would lose the annoying female classmate along the way to his destination.
"Welcome!" The cashier greeted him the moment his feet stepped through the automatic door. His eyes immediately fell onto the magazine shelves and he made a beeline for them. The latest issue of Go Weekly was waiting for him on the top tier. Yashiro reached for it without having to strain his toes in the process, a feat that was remarkable for a fifth grader.
"This guy looks so much like Fujiwara-sama."
"WAH!" Yashiro almost dropped the magazine in his hands. "How- When do you- Why are you here?"
"I follow you, of course. Who is this guy anyway?" Hayakawa tactfully changed the subject as she pretended not to notice the shock in her classmate's face.
Yashiro flipped to the cover and saw the face of the young Kisei stared back at him. The corner of his lips twitched slightly before it turned into a frown.
"Just some famous Go player," he flipped back, trying to sound casual as if seeing that certain Go player didn't leave a bad after taste in his mouth. After witnessing his close friend went into a slump a few years ago after the fallout between brothers, how could he not harbor any hostility against the pro?
His glance fell on the special interview and he would have skipped the page without much care if it wasn't for Hayakawa's insistence on studying the Go pro's photo shots. Yashiro ignored her squealing and went over the column with half the mind to read it.
Fujiwara Sai on the approaching new wave of Japanese Go by Amano Yuusuke
As another professional exam quickly approaching, the competition between the young and new faces seemed to have intensified. The Japanese Go circle had taken an interestingly sharp turn a few years ago when a young and celebrated player of the century, Fujiwara Sai, joined the rank of the elite players immediately after he earned his first place in the exam, with a perfect record of 32 wins an no lost. His actively involvement in our Go circle helps improve the level of standard in the field of techniques and understandings in both amateurs and his fellow Go professionals. But is he also responsible for the rise of interest in the younger generation as well? This issue of Go weekly has the answer.
Amano: Greetings and Congratulation on wining the challenger seat in Honinbou tournament, Fujiwara-Kisei. Are you concerned about facing off with Kuwabara-Honinbou for the title?
Fujiwara-Kisei: I admit that I am very nervous. Kuwabara-Honinbou is very experienced player and his skills are well received ever since I was still in elementary school. I hope I could be of challenge, at least.
Amano: If you're down playing yourself too much, the Honinbou will use it to his advantage in the upcoming matches.
Fujiwara-Kisei: (chuckle) I played in matches with him before. His attitude is only a rumor.
Amano: That is because he wasn't defending the title. Anyway, about the topic of the up coming generation, we have found out the number of exam participants is increasing each year after you have become professional. Do you think the fact that you becoming a Go player without having a personal tutor prior to taking an exam affect the decision in the younger players?
Fujiwara-Kisei: I don't believe I alone can be responsible for such a positive change in Japanese Go circle. But I may influence those who don't have the opportunity to study formally to try the exam. As for the younger generation, I think Touya Akira is more influential than me.
Amano: Touya-Meijin's son? I heard he's the cream of the crop. The rivalry in the insei class should be tense.
Fujiwara-Kisei: (laugh) Yes, from what I heard, it is. But that is not the only case here. He also brings in the children his age, whether they are there out of interest to play with him or to gauge their own strength. My point is, at this rate, the Go community will be on the rise again in a few years. And that we may be able to be on par with China very soon. But that will still be another few years to look forward to.
Amano: What about Korea? Do you think we can catch up to them within the next ten years?
Fujiwara-Kisei: I think we have potential. Go is still very well received in South Korea and the nature of their professional exam is very competitive. The matches where the new players from younger generation defeat the veteran pros are common occurrences in Korean Go circle. We certainly still have a lot to improve but it is not impossible to reach their level.
Amano: Speaking of which, Korea had just finished their professional exam. Does any new pro catch your attention?
Fujiwara-Kisei: They all look promising. I saw their Kifus just a few days ago. Choi Hyou-rin, the third seat, is quite a well round player. Her shapes are carefully played and her defense is solid. It's a shame that Lee Kang-ho, the second seat, didn't make any mistake and his timing was precise, or else he would have a hard time wining.
Amano: What about Ahn Tae-seon, the first seat?
Fujiwara-Kisei: (smile) He should be a formidable opponent to play against within a few years. I look forward to have a match with him.
~oO0Oo~
Hikaru felt his stomach clenched in anticipation. He had always been confident in his prediction and calculation when it came to the game of Go. But even years of trolling amateurs and Go clubs couldn't measure to this one guy. Every move he made was evenly matched in no time and whenever he had a slight advantage in the game, his opponent would eventually null it out within the next few moves that followed. It was the first time in the past three years that he wasn't sure he would come out as a winner.
His hand shook slightly as he placed a white piece on the board. His current formations had two possible weaknesses. The first one, the position where he had just played, was the result of his own trap being seen through by the Korean guy. It shouldn't come back to haunt his own shape if not for another trap being laid by the black inside his white group. He would have given up that area to the guy if it didn't mean throwing away the lead in their game. Thanks to Hikaru's stubbornness, he won the fight over that group, at a price of reducing his own territory. The second weakness, the spot he had just ignored, was a trap set by his opponent. He would have played there if the situation allowed but as he considered it the lesser evil of the two, he would have to risk his chance.
Hikaru bit his lips as he waited for the guy to place his next move. The next black piece would decide the choice he had to make in order to win the game. However, the Korean teen seemed to consider the last move that Hikaru played as a mistake and he knew that when the boy made a mistake,
It wasn't usually a mistake at all.
His breath quickened as he glanced around the magnetic board and finally rest on the possible last fighting area. His mind alternated the series of benefiting moves for white to play. He was so deep in his own thought that he failed to notice the shift in the boy's attention.
'So, what's your thought on this guy?' Hikaru sneaked a glance to his side the moment his opponent was lost in concentration.
'He's strong, stronger than anyone we've played before.' Torajirou turned from the tiny board to stare at the foreign player, a strange mix of passion and longing gleamed in his eyes.
'Wanna switch?' The young master asked mentally.
'As much as I want to, this guy will know something is going on. You'll be the one put on the spot if that happened.' The Go master replied dejectedly. Hikaru knew that his personal tutor always looking for a good match. It was regrettable that the level of the local amateurs wasn't enough to satisfy his crave.
'I'll find a way to let you play without revealing too much about ourselves. Just hang in there with me, alright?'
'Tch! How old do you think I am? I don't need a sympathy, especially when it comes from a brat like you.'
"Urgh! Stop being difficult! You bitter old man!"
"I'm sorry. I resign." His Korean opponent hastily bowed after Hikaru made a show of himself, thinking that the boy had just yelled at him for being a hesitant loser. The latter blinked in confuse as he stared down at the board.
"Huh? But there's still a way for you to come back." He muttered. The Korean pro stared blankly at him, this time lost in translation.
"Another game?" He chimed up cheerfully after seemingly taking a guess at what Hikaru said. The point different of the first game could even be called lucky for Hikaru to come out as a victor. The pro wasn't going to turn down another chance of an exciting game especially when he was invited.
"Erm...sorry, I- My grandfather should need me in about half an hour. We need to wrap this up somehow."
"Oh," there was an apparent distress on the Korean teen's face at the frantic wave Hikaru gestured at him. "Erm...if we can't then, you play NetGo?" He frowned, a little embarrassed by the show of his not so fluent Japanese. And when Hikaru stared blankly back at him, he sighed and sank his hand into his backpack.
"You go here," he wrote down something on the back of his business card before forcefully putting it on Hikaru's palm. "People play Go here, Internet, here's my name." He pointed to his handle on the NetGo and hope for the best that the boy would make a correct guess of what he wanted him to do.
After all, what else could he do except putting his faith in a piece of technology that accidentally brought them together.
~o0O0o~
"Please have a safe trip, Obocchama." A young maid in a stripe printed kimono bowed to Hikaru as he left the mansion. The festival was in two days so the preparation on his family part was mostly done. His practice routine during the summer break was also coming back. From what little understanding he acquired from the conversation he had with the Korean tourist the day before, today was the day of his departure. And it made him feel a bit giddy that he finally got rid of one very annoying guy even if that guy was a very challenging opponent he had been seeking for years. Hikaru's mood was so light that he was certain nothing was going to ruin his day.
Not even the sight of Hayakawa Ikuko waiting for him at the front gate of the mansion.
"Your servant told me that you can go back to classes for a few days before the festival. So I'm here to pick you up." She beamed at him.
"She's the helper that my grandparents hire to help around the house, not my servant. And how old do you think I am if I can't even go to classes by myself?" He snapped. There went his intention to stay happy and calm. Hikaru quickly pulled himself up at the fallen face Hayakawa made at him.
"Sorry, I think I let the weather got me."
'Yeah, blame it on the weather.' Torajirou snickered at him and he immediately earned a glare back from his student.
"Let us go together then. Hurry or we'll be late for class!" The girl latched herself onto his arm before dragging him down the relatively peaceful street. It only took a short train ride and a five minutes walk to reach the mansion where their tea ceremony class was held. However, their uneventful trip was interrupted by a feminine roar that didn't sound very threatening in Hikaru's ears.
"You! Delivery guy from Erizen!" The girl growled as she approached. "Do you remember who I am?"
Hikaru nodded absentmindedly. How could he forget her when her face was the only one that kept stealing his night time practice slot from his master? Even Torajirou couldn't force the girl out of his mind since the first time it happened and Torajirou was the only soul that had, or used to have, a control over his dream.
A hand came down hard on his cheek, sending his head turning the other way. He ignored the dramatic scream from Hayakawa who stood beside him and tuned out the phantom gasp of his master. He didn't even feel any pain, only confused out of his mind at the harsh treatment he suddenly received.
"What?" He whimpered. His cheek should have been hurt but the pain was more direct at his chest where his heart raced cruelly against his ribs.
"How dare you to toy with them like that? They were seriously trying to win against you! Who do you think you are to show off like that?"
"What are you talking about!?" Hayakawa screamed at her. "It's you who need to learn your place! Don't you know who he is?"
Before any of them started the open fire, Hikaru decided it was his cue to jump in. "If you're referring to what happened in the salon a week ago, it wasn't my intention to come out as arrogance. But I'm not sorry for what I've done."
"What did you say? How can you not-"
"I put my effort in those games. If I didn't I wouldn't be able to pull ties out of them and the same goes for those old men as well. Saying I'm sorry would be an insult to their effort."
Another slap came abruptly on his other cheek. This time harder than the last.
"You're the worst!" And Hikaru's first love came to an end as the Maiko-to-be stormed away from him as fast as she appeared.
'Ouch, that should hurt,' His master cringed at the forming bruises. Hikaru traced his gaze after her.
He didn't really know what was hurting him more, his cheeks, his heart, or his pride.
~o0O0o~
Yashiro skidded to a halt in front of Fujiwara family's shop. The lighting in the store was arranged differently tonight to accommodate the Byobu Matsuri where, a few nights before the first grand parade of Gion Festival, old families would open the front parts of their homes and shops, allowing the public a first-hand look at their valuable folding screens and other family's heirlooms.
"Fujiwara! Let's go grab something to eat and take a stroll in Yasaka Shrine. We'll miss the Kagura dance if you are still dilly dallying around the shop. Your grandfather even says you can go so, common!" Yashiro rushed through the already opened door and headed to where Hikaru was brooding at the front desk, not caring if he startled a group of people who were crowding around the shop.
"You go on ahead. I've got a long day tomorrow so I'll pass." He droned.
"Gimme a break! Since when did you turn into a gloomy old bloke? And you already dressed for the festivity (yukata), so why not go out and blend in a bit?" Yashiro huffed at the indifferent young master who didn't seem to have a change of mind at his attempt to cheer him up. "You know, we might actually run into those guys on the team. Sure you don't want your money back? You lost half of your savings because of them after all."
Hikaru's head picked back up, a hint of interest reappeared on his face. He did want his money back from those guys and he never forgot that he got into this mess because of them in the first place. But there was something else as well. Something that he had completely overlooked and it was pricking the back of his mind but no matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't pry it out of his memory.
"Sure, might as well take a walk." Hikaru stood up from behind the counter, signaling the other shop keeper to take his spot.
"You give in when I mention money? Really, where is your sense of friendship?" Yashiro feinted his upset while Hikaru cracked a smile.
"Are we going or not?" He chuckled.
And so they leisurely took a glanced around the food vendors, stopping every now and then at the game booths where Yashiro would sometime pay for him to join in with his treasure hunt. It wasn't until the time when the taller boy's stomach made a pathetic protest that Hikaru decided he had enough being a free-loader.
"If you want me to keep walking all the way to the shrine, at least let me pay. I'm not so broke that I can't afford to spend a few thousand yen along the way." He frowned then suddenly turned to his friend. "No offense,"
"None taken, I know you're insensitive so I'm alright." Yashiro shrugged away his friend's concern.
They both kept up their banter as Hikaru fetched his wallet. The young master was about to pull out a bill when his eyes caught on a slip of paper nesting on the side with the other banknotes. His jaws dropped stupidly as he realized what he had been forgetting for the past week.
It wasn't the receipt that he slammed onto the Korean guy's chest. It was his delivery instruction of the day.
And now he had a receipt to pick up the repaired laptop in his possession.
"How the hell can I be so dumb?" He groaned.
Miku-Chan364 Summer holidays? That's a great idea! Moving school? Hmm, good thinking. But whatever plan you have in mind, I can assure you I might be going in the same direction. How will I execute that? You'll have to find that out in the later chapters.
Kanrei Thanks! Hope this one is not as confusing.
Vivid-x-Dreams Ding ding ding ding! You're the first person to answer the quiz and you are...spot on! I didn't actually reveal who he is in this chapter but I was hoping the readers could make a connection. I will confirm this again in the next update. Thanks for you're review and don't forget to PM me to claim 'your' chapter.
Amaya93 I'm sorry he's not Ko Young-Ha. According to the timeline in canon, Ko Young-Ha should be a year or two older than Hikaru. I know I made Sai and Ogata younger than they should be so I'll try to stay true to other characters' age. Sorry for making it confusing. Thank you for your review by the way :)
Catcrazzed You're welcome
Reesessweetie It would be bad if his grandfather finds out about him playing Go indeed.
About how Hikaru will make a break for his desire to play Go or not, you will have to keep reading ;)
Nope, sorry it's not Ko Young-Ha. Even if I plan to have him debut in my fanfic but the timing is just not right for this update. I hope you find this other person awesome enough to have a match up with Hikaru tho :D
I like this Hikaru as well. He doesn't deviate much from the canon when it comes to this aspect of his personality and I intend to keep it that way.
As you can see from reading this chapter, Hikaru is still standing strong in many ways (academically included) but he might not have a lot of luck in a field of romance. This will actually play a major role in the chapters to come and the relationship between him and the other characters involved will eventually lead to the closure of this arc. Thank you for always stick with me and I hope you enjoy this update as well.
KK I've got more of Hikaru+Torajirou's interaction in this chapter and I'll try to add more in the future. Please come back and give me a head start again! Thanks for your review!
XienRue I intend to finish this fanfic although I won't guarantee it because I don't want to jinx myself. It is still the main fanfic I'm working on and I even think of writing it while I was in the shower. I still have a few chapters in waiting and more ideas to come. So I hope I can keep writing as well (fingers crossed).
About Sai's dream that involve Torajirou, it is essential to the plot if I want to end the story the way I plan to. But I'll keep true to the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira. You might even get to see the rivalry between brothers!
I'm also sorry for the lengthy reply. Hope to see you again.
Guest (TheRedLamp) I know right? Hikaru with a nasty side is just what I have I mind. He wasn't much of a good kid in canon so when he has to suppress his rudeness in my fanfic, his mean streak should take a turn for the worst.
I hope you get to see plenty of Hayakawa in this chapter. I have a plan for her in the future and she'll play a part towards the end of this arc. So I hope you keep on reading.
I'm sorry it not Hon Su-Yong. Yanghai fit the description too but as you said, it had to be a Korean.
Thanks for your review and please drop by again :)
Lector-Dominion Hmm...about his grandparents...they made Hikaru's life a bit dramatic, didn't they? Well it's okay to skip the parts for now but you wouldn't want to miss it when the arc is coming to an end.
Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this update.