Snap!
Ao Ying swiftly placed a Go stone.
Row four, column seventeen, Komoku.
Ogata followed suit, row sixteen, column four, Star Point.
The first four moves: Komoku vs. Two-star.
For the fifth move, black stone played a small knight's move to defend the upper right corner, forming a secure corner.
A secure corner, as the name suggests, is safe and worry-free, worth about fifteen points or more.
"You said you were very strong?"
"Let me see what you're made of."
As he spoke, white was placed.
Row fifteen, column sixteen, a high approach.
Ao Ying was unmoved, row fifteen, column seventeen, a push.
"Do you only know how to play joseki?"
Ogata shook his head; it was a typical Komoku push-and-draw joseki, very standard.
white played an outside hane, black stone retreated, and white made a tiger's mouth.
"Ogata Teacher, how is this move?"
Ao Ying calmly placed the black stone stone.
Row twelve, column seventeen, a point.
"..."
Ogata narrowed his eyes and stopped.
Two minutes passed.
Referee One: "Such an unreasonable move from black stone. Why isn't Ogata 9-dan counterattacking?"
Referee Two: "Perhaps he wants to save face for his fans."
Beside them, Shindo Hikaru mumbled.
"Sai, are the referees right?"
"Yes and no."
"What do you mean?"
"Xiao Guang, black stone's point targets white's weak spot, making white very uncomfortable. But in the opening phase, there's no move that only benefits one side; there must be some kind of counterattack."
"Then, Sai, have you found it?"
"Actually, a second-line diagonal move would work, but by following black stone's tempo, people would subconsciously feel like they're losing out."
After some calculation, Ogata indeed played the second-line diagonal move.
black stone then continued with the push-and-draw joseki, completing the local attack and defense.
"Next move..."
Just as Ogata reached for the Go stone box.
"Ogata 9-dan, time is almost up. You should Go host the match."
A referee quietly reminded him.
Ogata nodded, looking at Ao Ying, "That's all for today. That move was very creative."
"Ogata Teacher, then we'll take our leave first."
Ao Ying tidied the Go board, putting the black stone stones into the Go stone box.
"Wait!"
"Ao Ying, I want to play a game with you."
Shindo Hikaru loudly interrupted.
Ao Ying paused, put the Go stone box down, "Don't disturb others. We'll talk about it when we get to Toya Akira."
"Okay."
Shindo Hikaru puffed out his chest and walked towards the door with high spirits.
Toya Akira?
Watching the two kids run off, Ogata adjusted his glasses.
"The venue is a mess. What happened?"
A deep voice sounded.
"Ah! Toya Meijin!"
"Toya Teacher, please come and look at this game."
A referee explained the situation while quickly reconstructing the Go board, which was the discarded game.
"A move that only a professional can see at a glance!"
Toya Koyo placed a Go stone on the board, exactly as Shindo Hikaru had suggested.
"Was the child I just played with a professional?" Ogata asked.
"No, no, it was another child who played it."
The referee quickly explained.
Toya Koyo asked, "Ogata, you played Go with a child?"
"Just a few moves, Teacher, please take a look."
Ogata swept the Go stones off the board and quickly placed a few stones.
black stone, row twelve, column seventeen, a point.
"Interesting."
"Where is the child who played this move?"
Toya Koyo picked up a white stone and placed it.
Row thirteen, column eighteen, a second-line diagonal move.
"Ao Ying, the other child called him that."
"They know Xiao Liang and are heading that way."
Ogata said unhurriedly, since Toya Akira knew him, he wouldn't be hard to find.
"So it's him. I'll Go take a look."
"Xiao Liang has been studying Go day after day, year after year, for ten years straight."
"Furthermore, I'm guiding him, and various professional Go players are sparring with him, enjoying superior resources."
"At this age, I don't believe anyone can be so much stronger than Xiao Liang."
"I apologize, I cannot attend the children's competition."
Toya Koyo bowed and turned to walk out the door.
"Toya Teacher..."
The referee sighed helplessly.
He knew that stopping him was useless; the top player's attendance at events depended on his mood.
Besides, he had already said so much; pressing further would be rude.
"So... much stronger?"
Ogata followed closely, "I won't be attending the competition either. Please host it for me, thank you."
"Ogata Teacher???"
The two referees exchanged glances.
Outside the corridor.
"Teacher, wait, I'll drive you."
"Ogata?"
Toya Koyo nodded coolly.
A red convertible sports car drove out of the parking lot.
...
Go Hall.
The front desk lady, with nothing to do, was flipping through a women's fashion magazine, "Pink Collar Urban Light Retro Style."
"Miss Ichikawa, is it really okay to read such a book during working hours?"
"Mind your own business, hmph!"
The Mediterranean Middle-aged Man gave a wry smile, "I wanted to ask if Ao Ying Teacher has arrived?"
"Xiao Liang is also waiting for him, ever since last time..."
Ichikawa looked at the Go room and spread her hands.
Another gray-haired Middle-aged Man walked by, smiling, "Toya Meijin is the number one player in Sakura Country, Xiao Liang Teacher shouldn't lack people to learn from."
"What do you know?" Ichikawa rolled her eyes, "From childhood to now, Xiao Liang has never met an opponent his age. This loss was a bit of a blow."
"Not the same age. Ao Ying Teacher is in his second year of junior high, two years older."
"That's not the point. With the invincible Toya Meijin teaching him, Xiao Liang Teacher will quickly surpass him."
"Although Ao Ying Teacher is formidable, compared to Toya Meijin, there's an ancient Chinese saying, it's like, it's like..."
"Like the light of a firefly cannot compete with the brilliance of the full moon."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes..."
Halfway through, the Middle-aged Man collectively fell silent.
A small figure stood before them with a smile, Ao Ying had arrived at the scene.
"Ao... Ao Ying Teacher, your Chinese is very good. I didn't mean to belittle you."
"Hehe... I understand."
Ao Ying enunciated each word.
"Hehe..."
"Ao Ying Teacher, please come in. Xiao Liang Teacher has been waiting for you."
The gray-haired Middle-aged Man showed a respectful demeanor, making a welcoming gesture with one hand.
Ao Ying nodded and calmly walked into the Go room, with Shindo Hikaru following beside him, grinning foolishly.
"It's that kid! A professional!"
"Which one, which one?"
"It's the one who ran away in the middle of a game."
"Why did he run away?"
"How would I know? Anyway, his Go skill is very strong, even stronger than Xiao Liang."
"What? Stronger than Xiao Liang? Two of them appeared at the same time?"
The onlookers quickly gathered, swarming to one spot.
Hearing the approaching commotion, Toya Akira glanced over, his gaze fixed and brightened.
"Ao Ying, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you."
"Yes, I'm here. Do you still want to challenge me?"
Ao Ying looked calmly at the young boy before him, his piercing eyes captivating, like an unripe fruit.
"I want to climb to the highest realm of Go."
"I want to comprehend God's Hand."
"And before I do any of that, I want to defeat you."
Toya Akira's tone was firm, his face full of seriousness.
"Let's play another game. I want to clearly see the gap."
"Wait a minute, Ao Ying, play with me first."
Before Ao Ying could agree, a childish voice sounded.
Toya Akira turned back and stared coldly at Shindo Hikaru, who couldn't help but shiver and take half a step back.