"Hikaru, with your skill, why did you join the school's Go club instead of going back to the Go Club we used to play at? I've always been there!" Akira's gaze was serious.
I've always been there... waiting for you.
That single line from Akira struck a chord deep in Zeng Lian's heart.
The fan group chat instantly exploded with reactions to that line.
"I can't take it anymore. These two are so in love!"
"I still love Sai the most, but Hikaru and Akira... ugh, I can't decide!"
"Akira's dedication to Go is intense."
"No, he's not obsessed with Go—he's obsessed with Hikaru! Hikaru has become his obsession, his destined lifelong rival. He wants to be his friend... and even more, he wants to stand on equal ground with him in a match."
"But that's Sai!"
"This is kinda heartbreaking... The Hikaru he thinks he knows isn't actually Hikaru. The character development by the screenwriter is a chef's kiss."
"No matter who I'm playing, I always think of you. I wonder how you would respond to each move I make."
"To one day play a game with you, I've been honing my skills every single day. I came here just to say that to you."
Akira's obsession with Hikaru—his longing to play Go with him—was written all over the dialogue and the scene.
As the BGM swelled to a climax, it pulled the audience's emotions right up with it.
"I..."
"...won't play Go with you anymore."
That's the answer Akira got from Hikaru.
He pulled the curtains closed, shut the window, and lowered his head—unable to face Akira's question from outside.
Hikaru's expression was filled with frustration and unwillingness.
He wanted to play against Akira—a proper match, fair and square.
But the opponent Akira was seeking... wasn't him, but Sai!
"Then I'll make you wait... until I catch up to you!"
Hikaru's eyes glowed with the same determination that once burned in Akira as he chased after Sai.
"If this isn't love, then what is?!"
"God, this is killing me. The angst!"
"What's the name of this background track? It's way too emotional!"
"This plot... I'm crying."
"Hikaru rejected the match because he wants to be worthy—he wants to challenge Akira with his own strength!"
"And Akira clearly hasn't given up. Is he..."
"Since Hikaru refused to play and insisted on joining the Go club, is Akira planning to join the Kaio High School Go Club too? So that at the next school Go tournament, he can face Hikaru on the battlefield?"
"Smart move. Once they're representing their schools, Hikaru can't back out, no matter what!"
"But this is way too obsessive. Akira is basically wasting his time! He's already at a professional level. What's he doing in a high school Go club? Spending a whole year just to play a single match with Hikaru in a school tournament?!"
"I'm crying... This is Akira for you."
In the next part of episode four, we see Hikaru grinding to improve his weak Go skills at his school, while Akira...
...suffers in silence at Kaio High School's Go club, facing disdain and judgment from others.
After all, in the original storyline, Kaio High School was a Go powerhouse—dominant across dozens, even hundreds, of nearby schools. Their top player? Just a member of the Second Division at the Go Institute. Which basically means... not even in the same league.
Only the #1-ranked player in the Second Division could enter the First Division.
And among the dozens of First Division trainees, only 2 or 3 make it to the pro level each year.
And Akira? He's the kind of guy who already crushes even the weaker pro players.
Let alone these high school club kids.
The skill gap was like a university student suddenly joining an elementary school class.
He was a big fish in a tiny pond.
Of course, people resented him.
The narrative kept shifting between Akira and Hikaru.
Hikaru happily studied and improved.
Akira, on the other hand, gave up his shot at that year's pro exam because pros aren't allowed in amateur tournaments.
Becoming a pro would mean leaving the Go club.
Leaving the club means he can't meet Hikaru in a school tournament.
He was guaranteed to pass the pro exam.
But instead, he chose to stay in a high school club—bearing the resentment of his peers, wasting an entire year of his precious career time...
Just so that he could face Hikaru on the board once, in a match he found laughably beneath him.
"This plot... sigh. Akira, you're chasing after Sai, not Hikaru! You're spending an entire year—do you really think you'll get to play that one game against Sai?"
Zeng Lian thought Akira was being foolish...
But she was also deeply moved by his stubbornness and sincerity.
To make things harder for him, they forced him to play blindfolded games—three-on-one.
Some jealous Go club members constantly made trouble for him.
But Akira endured it all, never once quitting the club.
All for the chance to face Hikaru next year.
Even the Go club president sat him down for a talk.
"You're right, President. There's no benefit for me in joining this Go club.
But this year... Hikaru will also compete in the high school tournament.
I don't mean to sound arrogant—but the only one capable of matching him is me!"
That's where episode four ends.
Akira's confidence in himself—and his belief in Hikaru—set the final scene ablaze, breaking the heavy mood that had lingered throughout the entire episode.
The entire episode passed without Sai appearing in a single match.
Yet Zeng Lian couldn't bear to miss even a second.
Damn it... How could they end it here?!
How can they cut it off here?!
The fan chat exploded again.
"The next episode has to be their third match, right? Hikaru vs Akira again!"
"Screenwriters, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Cutting right at the most intense part!"
"Anyone in Modo City? Go knock on the 'Hikaru no Go' set and tell them to speed it up!"
"There's no way I'm sleeping tonight."
"Damn, this writer is too good. Every episode ends with a cliffhanger like this."
"Or maybe... no matter where you cut the episode, this show just always leaves you hanging like that."
"Yeah, from start to now, I haven't been bored for a second. The pacing is just insanely tight."
"Akira's character made me cry. He loves Go as much as Sai does.
Hikaru is the selfish one—why not just let Sai play a game with him?!"
"You can't really blame Hikaru. He wants to prove himself.
He wants Akira to stop looking at Sai and finally see him."
"I can't take it anymore. I'm buying a beginner's guide to Go.
I want to be able to understand the games before next week's episode!"
"You're late to the party! I've been bugging my grandpa to teach me Go for two weeks already!"
"I think I've got a talent for this. I can already follow some of the games.
Who knows? Maybe I'll go pro in a few years!"
"That's never going to happen. Trust me. You're just in a good mood right now."
"But honestly? More people are playing Go in the park lately.
I think it's definitely because of this show."
"Same here! My daughter made me order her a Go board online.
She watches 'Hikaru no Go' so seriously every Sunday night."
"My son too! He hasn't even touched his video games for the past two weeks.
He's been studying Go books on his own.
I just hope it's not a passing phase."
"This drama isn't just good—
It's actually had a huge cultural impact.
I swear, no one around me cared about Go before,
but now everyone's reading up on it just so they can understand what's going on in the matches."