Hikaru no Girl
Chapter 3: Why Sente Is Not Always a Good Move
When Akira asked about split personalities, it is quite possible that the librarian did not completely understand what he was looking for, because instead of giving him a textbook about mental illnesses, she handed him a stack of manga books.
A few hours later, all he had learned about split personalities was that one of them usually had magical powers. This same personality was typically deranged and evil, or at the very least prone to violence. The closest Akira could find to a split personality with magical game-playing skills was the ghost of an Egyptian pharaoh with an eye on his forehead.
Akira was nothing if not persistent. He did an online search. Then he went back to the library again.
"Akari, please. I'm begging you. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Fine. I suppose a pair of women's jeans will do, this time," Akari said sulkily, putting away the frilly white dress. "I hope you'll at least hold still long enough for me to do your hair tomorrow. I brought a new wig in Harujuku."
Hikaru hinted, "Actually, I was thinking about calling all this off. Akira seems to be satisfied with the last game and all that."
"But—Hikaru, we were going to play tomorrow!" Sai's eyes welled up, as they always did when he was denied a chance at Go.
Akari held up a hairpin. "I can't force you to do anything," she said, in a meek voice that resembled the sweet Akari that Hikaru had known since kindergarten, and that he'd come to distrust over the last week. "But you're going to meet this boyfriend of yours as yourself on Sunday, aren't you? How will you explain when he asks why your 'sister' didn't show up?"
This was a very good point, and one that forced Hikaru to realize what a trap he'd gotten himself into. "Why can't I play Go invisibly?" he mumbled.
Akari said, "If that was what you wanted, why didn't you just play online?"
Hikaru couldn't believe how stupid he was. He would never admit this, until his dying day. But over and over again, he couldn't help thinking that if he'd known about Net Go, then this would have been an absolutely great way to play Akira while pretending to be another person. A great way that wouldn't have involved cross-dressing or being blackmailed by Akari for the rest of his life.
In fact, Hikaru was almost willing to forgive Akari for everything in exchange for her letting him in on the secret of playing Go on the internet. Plus, her makeovers were probably helping him not get caught as a boy, even if she did seem to be enjoying the whole thing a little too much. He was also grateful to Yuki's sister for letting him play Go in the café for free. Akari had been trying to persuade her family to buy a computer for years, but until then Hikaru had no choice but to use the internet café.
Ironically enough, Hikaru accidentally ran into Akira online. He didn't recognize the screen name but he certainly recognized the player once he began. Since Hikaru typed in his name as "Sai" Akira must have guessed who he was from the beginning. Technically, there was no need for them to meet in person anymore—but Hikaru still wanted to play Akira as himself. And they'd fallen into a pattern, of meeting Akira as "Sai" on Saturday and "Hikaru" on Sunday. Meanwhile, there are other people for Sai to play on the internet.
Net Go certainly made Sai happy, Hikaru thought fondly. Hikaru himself would resent the use of his time, but then he learned a lot about Go from watching Sai. Between tutoring from Sai and Akira, all the other insei were barely hiding their jealousy at his progress. Of course, lessons with Akira were as secret as Sai's existence, if only because Waya would kill him.
Hikaru did not use the internet for anything except playing Go, and he was not the most observant person that ever lived. That was why he had no idea how famous Sai was becoming.
Akira enjoyed playing Hikaru and Sai every weekend. He'd started thinking of them as separate people, because the books tell him that in a sense they are. Sai seemed to have a new outfit every day. Hikaru's taste for orange had become oddly endearing, although there really was no excuse for why he should care what Hikaru wears, and he is going to stop thinking about that right now.
Once Akira stopped forcing Sai to crush him every game, they began to play teaching games together, and Akira could feel himself improving. Even his father commented on it, and said that Akira became a pro just in time, as if he'd waited any longer he might have humiliated his first opponents.
Akira couldn't honestly say it was as useful to play the other Hikaru. But it was fun, playing him. Not as challenging, not as intense—but Hikaru grabbed his attention, made insane moves, and even while winning Akira couldn't say he was bored.
When playing Hikaru, Akira thinks, "Someday, this player could be great." Which is ridiculous, because Hikaru doesn't need to take time to learn Go, not when he already has so much skill locked up in the bleached blond head of his. Having him turn out to be two Go geniuses would be silly, not to mention grossly unfair.
The only thing nagging at the back of Akira's mind was what he read about DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) leading to destroyed lives, broken relationships, and suicide. Everything he had read seemed to indicate that split personalities either resolved themselves or grew steadily worse. They were actually healthier in manga books than in real life, which was saying something. Akira had no medical background and he didn't know what to do. But as Hikaru's friend, he couldn't help thinking that he ought to do something.
It was because he was trying to help Hikaru that Akira found out about the mystery player known as the Saint of Net Go, and inadvertently unleashed Armageddon on the Go world.
He started out by researching mental illnesses and Go. He found nothing about Go geniuses, but did find that physically handicapped people could play Go online. And somehow, on his first time entering Net Go, he found a player named Sai.
One game was all it took for Akira to realize who this player was. And he'd discovered a parallel: Hikaru played all his in-person games as himself, and all his games in disguise or online as Sai. Conclusion: he was unable to reveal his second personality in public. Why, Akira could only speculate. Maybe he could only play Go as Sai when he cross-dressed? That might explain why he was attempting to become a Go professional with his weaker set of skills.
Akira thought that lack of Sai was a great loss to the Go world. And he thought that Hikaru would be happier if he sailed through the pro test with Sai's skills, because wouldn't winning games make him happy? All he wanted was to see if there was some small way he might be able to help.
Akira's father had been invited to dinner at Honinbo Kuwabara's house. He hadn't been able to attend, but Akira had asked to go in his place. He'd had a question he wanted to ask.
He hadn't expected the dinner to be entirely made of title holders and those at a similar level. And he'd meant to be quiet when he asked Kuwabara-sensei if there was any way that someone could compete in a tournament without showing his name or face.
Kurata, who'd overheard, snorted and said, "Don't be ridiculous."
Akira began to protest, "But suppose someone was injured. In the hospital-"
"If you are too injured to continue, you have no choice but to withdraw from a match," Ogata said, leaning over the table.
"Suppose someone had a permanent condition, and could never leave the hospital. Surely something could be done?"
"It's not in the rules," Morishita said thoughtfully. "Naturally, I would feel great sympathy for such a person. But could talented Go ever develop in isolation, without constantly playing strong opponents? Surely such a person couldn't exist."
Akira realized that the rest of the table had fallen silent. All of his father's colleagues and rivals were looking at him. Squirming, he said, "Suppose that person played Net Go?"
An outburst of laughter shook the table.
"Net Go? They're all a bunch of amateurs!" Kuwabara explained, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Most couldn't even hold up their heads in a professional tournament."
"That's not true," Akira snapped.
Kuwabara raised a majestic eyebrow.
Wishing he'd never started this conversation, Akira said, "I know of one player on the internet who's easily professional level."
"Did you lose to him?" someone Akira barely recognized asked mockingly. "That alone hardly makes him a professional."
"He's stronger than me, but he's more than that," Akira insisted. "I would put him about at my father's level."
Everyone at the table started laughing again. Akira's ears burned.
"Well, care to put your money on the table and introduce us to this player?" Kurata suggested. "We all knew this evening would end in a game, might as well play this mystery man. I've never tried Net Go before, could be interesting."
"He might not be online," Akira protested. But Ogata had already brought over his laptop.
Akira sighed inwardly, knowing that all of these senior professionals would mock him over this for some time to come, and that there was no way Sai would be online. It was late and Hikaru would be at home, not playing Net Go.
Kuwabara, current holder of the Honinbo title, would probably bring this up as a cute story next time he talked to Akira's father. Akira was already resigned to the humiliation.
The time was Tuesday at 7:30, Japanese time.
Mitani's sister leaned over Hikaru's shoulder. "Are you sure it's alright for you to stay so late?"
Hikaru said, "My parents are out for the evening. They won't even notice."
She sighed. "I hope it's not a bother for you that I'm on the late shift tonight."
"Nah, it's nothing. I have my parents' permission." Even Hikaru was socially perceptive enough to realize that he had no right to expect Mitani's sister to arrange her schedule around him. If she swapped shifts with a sick friend, he would have to accommodate. But Hikaru had no intention of listening to Sai whine all week about missing his Go games, so Hikaru had faked a bout of sickness at home and snuck out the window. He just hoped no one tried to check on him. Luckily, Hikaru thought he was getting pretty good at the art of deception.
Around such small coincidences, our lives turn.
A name popped up. Ogata2339 was challenging him to a game. Hikaru accepted.
Kurata was the first to take the computer and play. When he lost, the rest began to rib him gently about it.
It wasn't until Kuwabara lost that the mood turned deadly serious.
Hikaru lifted his arms backwards and stretched. "Whoa, that guy just kept coming back for more!"
Sai said, "That was a different person playing each time. Each player's style was unmistakable, as you should be able to tell, Hikaru."
"So he kept calling friends over to try and beat you?" Hikaru was unimpressed. This sounded rather unsporting.
"Those were some wonderful games, Hikaru. I must take the rest of the evening to think about them."
Hikaru perked up. "Then we still have an hour left with the computer. I think I'll watch some anime."
Sai asked eagerly, "Can we see that nice show with the ghost who is King of Games?"
Hikaru rolled his eyes. These days, Sai was almost as annoying about his new favorite anime as he was about Go. He was dreading the day Sai found out about the Yu-gi-oh spin-off series.
Some of the professionals, particularly the title-holders, might have said nothing in order to save their pride—but a room full of people could not keep a secret, and this news was too big to be hidden. Every single notable professional in Japan (except for Touya Meijin, who was home with a cold) had been defeated in one evening, by a completely unknown amateur. It was a day that would come to be known throughout the Go world as Black Tuesday.
And one question was flying about the world with the speed of the internet—who was SAI?
Sai had already gained something of an international reputation, and it was from the many amateurs watching the games that the news first spread to professionals in Korea, China, Europe, and America.
The first reaction was one of scorn. The title-holders of Japan had been wiped out in one night by one unknown player? That just went to show what everyone knew, that Go in Japan was decaying. Touya Meijin was the only talented player Japan had—the rest could be defeated by an amateur.
Naturally, the Japanese professionals had been none too happy about this critique. In fact, someone (it was probably Kurata) had suggested that the other professionals were blowing hot air, and that none of them would have fared any better against the mysterious Sai. Shortly, the rest of Japan had taken up this rallying cry.
The honor of an entire nation was at stake. The defeated Japanese players began to call and harry famous players from China and Korea, determined that their shame would be shared with the world. Whether out of curiosity or scorn, foreign professional from around the globe began to take up the challenge, and went online hunting for the player named Sai.
Mitani's sister was working many extra hours because a bought of the flu had struck most of the net café's staff. Hikaru was not about to pass up on computer time if it was free. Most of the professionals found Sai within a week.
This week went down in Go history as Armageddon.
Walking home to the train station, Hikaru commented. "We've been playing some insanely strong players recently."
Sai nodded enthusiastically. "I feel like I've made an enormous step towards the Hand of God!"
Hikaru said, "Oh, and I think you're becoming a little famous. Morishita-sensei was going over one of your games the other day in class. And Waya actually asked me if I hadn't heard of Sai!" Waya claimed that Sai was famous, but Hikaru didn't completely believe him. Waya was prone to exaggeration.
Sai said, "We should play some of these games over ourselves, once we get home. It will be good practice for you."
"Uh-huh. You know, if all these Net players are so strong, I wonder what a real professional title holder would be like. Do you think we've played any professionals?"
"I want to play Touya Meijin!" Sai exclaimed.
Hikaru turned back to the computer. "We only have a few more minutes left today, no time to start another game. I think I'll look up some movies. Do you think Akira would like to see that new American movie about the superheroes, or do you think he'd rather watch one about the Meji era? I mean, if I were hypothetically to ask Akira to see a movie, which I haven't decided."
Somewhere else, Akira Touya was crouched on his bed with his covers over his head staring at the computer screen, muttering under his breath, "It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault…"