A new year. A new match.
In the world of drama, a whole year had passed.
In real life, it had taken just two weeks of transitional episodes.
The main characters' Go club had returned to the tournament venue—one year later.
But this time, it was Hikaru who stood at the center of everyone's attention.
At last year's Go tournament, his otherworldly skills had left a deep impression on everyone present.
And now, at the same venue, Akira had come chasing after Hikaru, standing once again before him.
Everyone was eagerly awaiting the match between Akira and Hikaru—
Not just the side characters in the show, but the 'Hikaru no Go' fans were glued to their screens as well.
Lin Fei stared at the TV.
Earlier in the series, Sai had been playing the matches. No matter the opponent, he'd win easily. So watching those games had been deeply satisfying.
But now… most of the games were played by Hikaru himself.
Akira, being tied up playing against other schools, couldn't observe Hikaru's matches.
"Did you watch Hikaru's game? How was it?"
Akira asked the Go club teacher, visibly anxious.
"You'll know when you play him."
The teacher sighed in disappointment.
Akira had spent an entire year just to face Hikaru in a single match.
But the current Hikaru... was nowhere near the same player from last year.
A weak opponent, barely scraping by with a win.
The teacher couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
And Akira, tragically, had no idea.
Meanwhile, Lin Fei, along with countless viewers, felt a growing sense of unease.
Akira was yearning for the mythical, powerful version of Hikaru—
Not the flawed, real one.
"I'm kind of scared to keep watching..."
"What are they going to do?"
"Akira pours a whole year of effort into this one match, only to find that the powerful rival he idolized is just a beginner. That's not fair at all."
"Maybe Hikaru will let Sai play instead?"
"He wouldn't be that selfish, right?"
"But Hikaru also wants to play against Akira! He came to this tournament with the same feelings!"
But in the drama…
Hikaru firmly told Sai:
"I don't care how much Akira wants to play you.
The players from the Go club are Tsutsui, Mitani, and me.
Sai has nothing to do with it."
Nothing to do with it.
That line broke Lin Fei.
How can you say that?!
You're the protagonist—can't you consider someone else's feelings for once?
Akira had sacrificed everything for this one match.
He skipped the pro exam, disobeyed his father, endured bullying at school from jealous clubmates…
All just to play one game with Sai.
Hikaru knew that.
He knew the opponent Akira wanted was Sai.
So what the hell was he doing?
Lin Fei was angry.
She had overheard a scene where other Kaio High students talked about Akira's sacrifices for this match.
He even begged the teacher to demote him from first board to third, just to get a chance to face Hikaru.
Akira had stronger skills, but still agreed to play in a lower position—
Going against his own beliefs, just for this one opportunity.
For others, a match was just 30 minutes.
For Akira, it was the only goal of his entire year.
"Sai... you play."
After a long silence, Hikaru whispered this to Sai—
a person only he could see.
He wanted to play Akira, too.
The fan group chat exploded.
"I can't be happy about this at all!"
"This is so painful. If Sai plays, Hikaru is hurt. If Hikaru plays, Akira gets hurt. There's no good outcome."
"I feel so heavy watching this."
"Before 'Hikaru no Go', I never knew a game of Go could feel this intense."
"Jing Yu's writing is insane. He dragged this match buildup for three episodes, and I still feel completely hooked."
"These three are destined rivals for life. I just hope Hikaru eventually levels up and becomes strong enough to challenge even Sai—and finally gives Akira the rival he deserves."
"Nah, I'd rather Sai stay unbeatable."
Despite the emotional wreckage, 'Hikaru no Go's ratings continued to climb.
Now reaching 4.75%, with new fans joining every week through various channels.
It was Sunday night, prime time.
But in the 10–11 PM time slot, across all networks in the Great Zhou—
'Hikaru no Go' was #1.
Viewers who didn't even understand Go were glued to the screen, hearts clenched.
"Finally... we're facing off."
Six players took their seats.
Akira vs. Hikaru.
Akira took a deep breath.
And then...
His hand trembled.
Lin Fei could feel it.
It wasn't excitement.
It wasn't nerves.
It was fear.
Fear of this boy named Hikaru,
Whose Go skills seemed unfathomable.
But Akira was trying desperately to overcome it.
He had waited a year for this.
Now he was finally here, facing him.
And yet... the fear kept growing.
Still, he couldn't run.
The game began.
It started with Sai playing.
But halfway through, Hikaru decided to take over.
And the game…
Fell apart.
In just a few minutes of screen time, Akira's admiration turned to doubt, and then to despair.
Not disappointment.
Despair.
Though the actor playing Akira was originally from a variety show background, his performance was incredible.
Akira's soul-crushing despair hit Lin Fei like a punch to the gut.
It felt like realizing that the celebrity you'd loved for thirty years was actually a fraud.
Akira had feared this opponent for a year.
On the day of the match, his hands were trembling just to pick up a stone.
But halfway through, Hikaru turned into a completely different person—
dropping terrible moves, one after another.
Even a third-grader would never make such dumb moves.
Yet that was exactly what he did.
Akira's ideals were shattered.
"Poor Akira…"
"He waited a whole year, and his idol turned out to be a noob. Who wouldn't break down?"
"Ugh, Hikaru is so frustrating. First, he says he'll play, then lets Sai play, then takes over halfway. He disrespected both Sai and Akira. My blood pressure's rising."
"Cut Hikaru some slack. He's not just living for Sai or Akira—he wants to play too! Why should he suppress his own desire just because Akira wants to play Sai?"
"Still… Akira broke down crying. Watching that felt so humiliating."
"If you're gonna play, even if you lose, suck it up and take it. Why cry? Hikaru makes me so mad."
"You people are toxic. Would you not feel awful if you lost? He's a middle schooler, and he just played a match—what's with the hate?"
"He was too indecisive. One match, and he let down two people. Even Sai wanted to face Akira, and Hikaru hijacked the game mid-way. What the hell?"
"Akira had no idea Sai was behind Hikaru. His fantasy just got obliterated. Akira, don't cry!"
Hikaru's Go club lost 0–3 to Kaio High School.
The main cast got utterly crushed.
Episode 6 broke away from the narrative flow of the previous five episodes.
It wasn't a triumphant victory—
It was heartbreaking.
And yet… ratings were unaffected.
If anything, they held strong.
While fans flamed Hikaru, Akira, and Sai's popularity soared even higher.
Episode 6 ratings:
Average: 4.96%
Peak: 5.34%
That 5.34% became Yunteng TV's highest rating in years.
Even Meng Yu, head of production, visited the set to speak with the cast and crew in person.
The promotional team went into overdrive.
By Wednesday, even though not all the week's dramas had aired yet, the Top 5 shows were already revealed.
And the rankings?
Unchanged for two consecutive weeks.
But the gap between 'Hikaru no Go' and 'The Prey' had shrunk to almost nothing.
'The Prey' episode 6: 4.98%
At this point, the top three networks could no longer stay calm.
'Hikaru no Go' was rising 0.4% to 0.5% per week.
At this rate, by the end of spring, it might actually take #1 in single-episode ratings.
The production team next door at Xingtong TV was visibly shaken.
Most breakout dramas start strong and slow down.
But 'Hikaru no Go' was the opposite—its growth was accelerating.
The three networks already beaten by 'Hikaru no Go' saw their 5% average and gave up on spring.
Instead, all three simultaneously submitted requests to increase production budgets for summer season dramas.
"Spring's a loss—but we'll win in summer!
'Hikaru no Go' is a two-season long-form drama.
Let's see how long it can keep this up!"
They believed 'Hikaru no Go's ratings were built on consistent quality—
But Yunteng TV simply didn't have the kind of massive traffic to sustain it forever.
All it would take is one weak episode—one dip in quality—and 'Hikaru no Go' could see its ratings collapse.
Networks like Chenghai TV, Squirrel TV, and AuroraTV didn't believe 'Hikaru no Go' could keep up the tension and pacing for two whole seasons.
"You're just milking the popularity of the Akira + Sai combo.
Viewers will get tired of it eventually."
Then, if their summer dramas outperform 'Hikaru no Go's second season, they could salvage their spring loss.
Deep down, those three networks were still bitter about losing to 'Hikaru no Go'.
It was like a top student getting beaten by a "nobody"—
and telling themselves: Next time, if I try harder, I'll win.
But even they had to admit it now:
Spring is lost.
With ratings nearing 5%, 'Hikaru no Go' was out of reach.
"Fine then.
Let's see what you've got next season."