It was another quiet Sunday evening—episode 8 of 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 was set to air soon.
Though it was only early evening, 'Hikaru no Go' fan groups and forums across Great Zhou were already abuzz with chatter.
Even now, a week later, fans were still heatedly discussing the cliffhanger from the last episode.
"Honestly, I still don't see the so-called comeback move. At first, I thought it was just me being bad at Go, but last night I watched a 7-dan pro analyze the game… and he also said the move doesn't exist!"
"So what? Just because a 7-dan didn't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Normally, even a pro would miss something, according to Teacher Jing Yu. Even 9-dan pros might not beat him!"
"Come on, don't underestimate pro players. That game's been out for a whole week. If there really was a miraculous reversal, someone would've found it by now. I admit Jing Yu is insanely talented, but he's not that untouchable."
"Really? Remember the 'point at 3-3' move that's dominating the pro scene now? No one used it before, and it was Jing Yu who popularized it!"
"Exactly. You're underestimating Teacher Jing Yu. He is Sai!"
"Sai? Nah, the reversal move came from Hikaru in the show—he beat Sai's white stones. That means even Sai didn't see the move!"
"Could it be the 'Divine Move?"
"No way. With Hikaru's current level? How could he possibly come up with a 'divine move'?"
"Yeah, right. You expect me to believe two fictional top players like Sai and Koyo Toya missed a move that a kid like Hikaru suddenly figured out? Not realistic."
"This is 'Hikaru no Go'! A thousand-year-old Go spirit possesses a middle schooler—you're expecting realism now?"
Since the show's premiere in January, it has steadily built a terrifyingly loyal fanbase.
Not just online—even real-world Go clubs and dojos across the country were talking about it.
Like Su Lin and Zhou Zhengguang, both top-tier players who had once lost to Jing Yu himself.
They both lived in Modo City and were close friends in real life.
"Any luck figuring out that comeback move the kid mentioned?" Su Lin asked.
Zhou Zhengguang frowned.
"None. Not a clue."
The two of them had been trying to solve the puzzle ever since the episode aired last week.
And the more they studied the game, the more they were awed by the sheer brilliance of the match.
Hundreds of moves—many of which they had initially thought were suboptimal—turned out, after careful analysis, to be flawless.
The game was tight, elegant, and executed like a piece of art.
The result? Black lost by half a point.
No wiggle room. No way out.
And yet…
Jing Yu had claimed there was a reversal hidden within.
They had gone from skeptical to utterly consumed with curiosity.
They had to know what kind of move could overturn a game like this.
"I have a feeling something crazy's going to happen in tonight's episode," Zhou said.
"Like when Jing Yu first showed that 3-3 point strategy."
Su Lin raised an eyebrow.
"That kind of groundbreaking move doesn't just pop up whenever you want."
They debated it for a while, and soon—it was 8 p.m.
Both men sat up straight.
Ever since losing to Jing Yu, they had become hooked on 'Hikaru no Go'.
They were also among the many pro players who studied the show's fictional games to learn new strategies.
But now, they were just regular fans—completely immersed.
Episode 8 of 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 began with a rating of 6.65%.
The familiar and melodic opening theme played.
Quick flashes of main characters—Sai, Hikaru, Akira—washed over the screen.
All across Great Zhou, fans felt their hearts calm to the rhythm of the song.
Then—the title dropped:
[The Millennium Answer]
Fans perked up immediately.
"The Millennium Answer?"
There could only be one thing that meant:
Sai's thousand-year pursuit—the 'Divine Move'.
"No way… Did Hikaru really find the 'Divine Move'!?"
"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Isn't it Sai who's been chasing that move?"
"Chill! It's just a title. It could be clickbait. Maybe Jing Yu is just teasing us with the name!"
Fan chats were blowing up.
Back in the show, Hikaru pointed to the board from the previous match between Sai and Koyo Toya.
"Sai, Koyo Toya made this cut here, right? Everyone agrees this move was necessary, right?"
Zhou Zhengguang and Su Lin stared at the screen.
That move? What about it?
If you didn't play that cut, black would lose another stone.
And considering black already lost by half a point… You had to make that move.
"But what if," Hikaru continued, "instead of playing that move, Koyo Toyo had placed a stone here, in the corner?"
He pointed to the lower left corner of the board.
Both Su Lin and Zhou Zhengguang narrowed their eyes.
In the show, Sai paused, then smiled gently—like sunlight breaking through clouds.
Hikaru, his dear friend, still wasn't quite there yet.
He wasn't strong enough.
Inner monologue from Sai:
"If the move is played as Hikaru suggests, black doesn't just lose—he loses worse."
Sai reset the board to that position.
"Hikaru, you take Koyo Toya's black stones. I'll play white. Let's go through your idea."
What followed was a hypothetical match between Sai and Hikaru, based on the proposed alternate move.
Su Lin and Zhou Zhengguang both nodded—so far, everything aligned with their own deductions.
If black played in the corner like that, the trade-off would lead to an even bigger loss.
But then—
The game… started to deviate.
New moves.
Unexpected shifts.
A completely different trajectory.
One that neither of them saw coming.