Ever since Rei's true identity was exposed, groups of fans had been waiting outside Rei's school every day after dismissal, hoping for photos or autographs.
Rei originally thought the excitement would last only a few days.But it continued for nearly two weeks.
Every afternoon, he had to sneak out through side gates, alleys, or the teacher's parking lot like a fleeing criminal.
Miyu laughed at him endlessly.
"This is why I never reveal my real identity," she teased every day.
Fortunately, no matter how enthusiastic the fans were, none dared storm the school.
Eventually, after failing to catch Rei for several days, the frenzy faded.
By early February, their attention shifted to something far bigger.
The release of Hikaru no Go.
Online discussions exploded across Japan.
GoGoGoro_88: "I heard the editors at Hoshimori liked the manuscript!"
SalarymanSadness: "Bro EVERY series in the Big Six gets 'good internal feedback,' otherwise it wouldn't serialize. I want GENRE SPOILERS!"
RomanceIsJustice: "Please don't let Shirogane-sensei attempt a battle manga. My heart can't take another failed romance→battle transition."
BLTrapSurvivor: "No no no, you're just scared he'll draw battle manga TOO well and stop writing romance forever."
RomanceIsJustice: "Shut up."
OfficeEscapeNinja: "Japan has plenty of fantasy authors. What we're lacking is someone who can write romance like Tonight or Five Centimeters per Second. I'm still in a drought."
IsekaiMePlease: "Relax. Title says 'Go'. It's probably a sports manga. Maybe romance on the side. BUT IF HE SCREWS UP THE GO RULES I'M DROPPING."
OtakuAtWork_Tasukete: "It's Tuesday the 3rd. Tomorrow is THE DAY. I'm sneaking out of work early to buy the magazine. Pray for me."
SobaSlurper777: "Wish I could. My company fines us even for breathing near the door."
KiraKiraSparkle: "Please don't let it be a tragedy. PLEASE."
Late at night, Shirogane's fans clogged his mentions with comments, memes, and candid photos taken of Rei sneaking around school like a fugitive.
Once they accepted that he was male, their memes evolved instantly.
Looks didn't matter, everyone always said. But reality was simple:
Yes, looks matter. Even in the manga world.
The next morning, sunlight spilled into Tokyo.
Kinoshita Kiki, administrator of three Shirogane fan groups, woke at 7:30 AM.
Her mission was clear: Buy Dream Comic the moment the bookstore opened. Read Hikaru no Go. Write a full review for her fan groups.
The nearest bookstore opened at 8:30. Kiki ate breakfast, got ready, and strolled over.
The moment she entered, she saw huge stacks of the new issue prominently displayed.
The shelves were covered with posters for today's featured series.
The poster showed three figures: A boy with golden hair A serious boy at a Go board A graceful, translucent man dressed in Heian-era clothing pointing his folding fan
The art was unmistakably Shirogane's, every line exquisitely detailed.
At the top: Hikaru no Go.
Kiki snapped a picture, and sent it to her fan groups.
She grabbed two copies, one to read, one to collect, and hurried home.
Her fan groups were already exploding:
ChibiWarrior_P: "Kiki-jie did you buy it???"
SaiIsMyKami: "I need spoilers NOW."
Ignoring the chaos, Kiki opened the magazine and flipped to the first chapter.
The opening panel showed, Drizzling rain, a small stone bridge, flowing water. Two children running through the rain.
They ran into his grandfather's dusty storeroom, where a Go board lay stained with old blood.
Kiki memorized their names instinctively.
'They're so young… elementary school? Maybe early middle school?'
But then she remembered that the protagonists of Five Centimeters per Second had also begun as children.
'A coming-of-age romance? Not bad.'
Then Hikaru, broke because of terrible exam scores, searched the storeroom for something to sell. He chose the bloodstained Go board.
"Strange… why won't these bloodstains come off?" Hikaru muttered as he wiped the wooden Go board with a towel.
"What bloodstains? It's spotless!" Kaga Akari said nervously.
"Look, right here."
"Where? I don't see anything!"
"It's right here!"
Kiki felt a cold shiver run down her back.
'Is this… a supernatural manga?'
In the next panel, Hikaru suddenly heard a voice whisper into his ear:
"You can hear me, can't you? You can hear my voice… right?"
"I found you. I finally found you."
"Who is it?! Come out! Who's talking?!"
Hikaru stood up, shouting into empty air.
Akari stared at him in fear.
She couldn't see the bloodstains, couldn't hear the voice.
She had no idea who Hikaru, now pale and trembling, was talking to.
Horrified, she ran away.
And then
"Heaven above, all the gods of the world, I am truly grateful."
Behind Hikaru, a man appeared, tall, elegant, ethereal.
A beautiful young noble in white Heian-era robes. A feathered fan in hand.
A silken turban tied around his long, dark hair.
Tears glimmered in his eyes.
The next page was a full-page illustration of him.
Graceful, refined, impossibly handsome.
Even on paper, his presence radiated nobility.
Kiki stared blankly.
'Supernatural? A ghost?'
'Shirogane, what is this genre supposed to be?! Since when does a Go manga have a ghost?!'
She flipped the page quickly.
The story shifted into backstory.
Long ago in the Heian period, a legendary Go master served in the imperial court, only to be falsely accused of cheating by a jealous rival.
Disgraced, stripped of honor, and left without a livelihood, he threw himself into a river.
His name was Sai.
Kiki felt a pang of sympathy.
Then the manga revealed Sai's purpose:
He possessed Hikaru because he still wanted to play Go. He wanted to chase the divine move, the Hand of God.
"Seriously?! Still obsessed after a thousand years?" Kiki muttered.
"I'd understand if he was looking for his long-lost lover's reincarnation, but Go?"
She paused.
"Well, he is incredibly handsome."
The next scene made Kiki sit up straighter.
After their initial struggle, Hikaru, still a kid, adapted surprisingly well to being possessed.
The following day was a history exam.
Hikaru, academically hopeless, suddenly aced questions because, Sai recognized the historical figures and whispered the answers to him.
Kiki almost snorted out loud.
In return, Hikaru grudgingly agreed to help Sai find a Go club after school.
And then came the highlight.
After classes ended, Hikaru visited a neighborhood Go club.
The cashier warned him gently:
"No one will want to play with an elementary kid. If adults win, it's boring. If they lose, it's humiliating."
Kiki nodded unconsciously.
'That's true… who would want to play Go with a child?'
But Hikaru pointed toward a boy his age sitting quietly in a corner.
"Can I play with him?"
The cashier hesitated.
Before she could answer, several old men nearby called out, teasing:
"Play against him? Hah!"
"He's the strongest one here!"
"Even we can't beat that kid!"
Kiki blinked.
'The best Go player in the club… is twelve?!'
She didn't know it yet, but in Go, one's peak strength often came before twenty. Adults in their forties and fifties rarely beat rising prodigies.
The boy finally approached.
"Are you looking for an opponent? I'll play you. Come in."
Kiki froze.
"So… so handsome!"
This was Touya Akira, the prodigy, serious expression, elegant demeanor, a presence far beyond his age.
Teacher Shirogane's art made him almost too beautiful.
Hikaru and Akira sat facing each other.
"What rank are you?" Akira asked.
"Well, I don't know. But I think I'm pretty strong," Hikaru said casually.
"You don't know, but you think you're strong?"
Akira smiled softly and opened the lid of the stone box.
"Then, I'll give you a handicap. Four or five stones."
Kiki was already starting to want to laugh.
A thousand-year-old Go player bullying an elementary school student and being given a handicap?
Of course, Hikaru immediately refused the opponent's suggestion to go easy.
However, Hikaru did receive the courtesy of Akira giving him the first move, playing with black stones.
It is worth noting that in the manga version of Hikaru no Go, black stones actually have an advantage. Although there is a komi rule for the first move, in early Japanese rules, when calculating the final score for black, 5.5 points were subtracted to compare with white, compensating for the first-move advantage. However, statistics showed that black's winning rate still consistently remained around 52%, so it was later changed to 6.5 komi.
And the rules during the serialization of the previous life's Hikaru no Go manga were precisely the 5.5 komi rules.
However, in the Japan of this world and in Rei's previous life's, white stones had a greater advantage, because black stones had to give white 7.5 points under rules.
At this point in the manga, the plot briefly introduced the way to play Go through Sai's words.
Kiki , who understood nothing about Go, turned to the next page of the manga with an expectant expression.
Sai crying before playing Go.
Tears shed because he could play Go again.
Hikaru , who didn't understand Go, holding the stones with his thumb and forefinger in a beginner's grip.
And then, Sai's eyes sharpened, and he began to direct Hikaru Shindō's moves.
"17-4, the small point in the upper right corner!"
Hikaru clumsily placed the stone, and Akira responded to his move very relaxedly.
The two sides' game in the manga progressed move by move.
The process interspersed some simple Go terms like capturing stones and ko fights.
Although Kiki didn't understand, she watched with extreme seriousness.
"What the hell! What am I even watching? What am I studying?"Kiki herself felt like something was wrong with her.
She clearly didn't understand Go, yet she always stopped to observe the board position.
And what was this thirst for knowledge in her heart?
Did I really want to learn the rules of Go?
Kiki wondered as she continued turning the pages.
And the plot continuously described Akira's mental state.
He saw Hikaru's joseki were very old, and he also saw the opponent child's superb Go skills.
And then, in the middle game, the turning point arrived.
His attitude changed from casual to fully engaged.
As Hikaru's next stone was placed, Akira's composure shattered. A chill ran down his spine, and his inner monologue emerged:
"This isn't the best move, nor is it the strongest move This is to test my style, to test my strength, like looking down at me from above."
Kiki didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked, even a little thrilled.
You finally realized the kid opposite you isn't a Go beginner, right?
And this game was not described with excessive detail; Hikaru finished the game and left.
The result was self-evident.
Walking on the street, maple leaves drifting down, Hikaru and Sai began to talk.
"You should be satisfied now, right?" Hikaru smiled.
"Yes."
"Then when we get back, you have to help me with my homework!"
"No problem," Sai replied with a gentle smile.
Kiki turned the page again.
A line appeared:
"Hikaru no Go- Chapter 1: Eternal Rivals! END"
At that moment, a strong sense of loss hit Kiki.
It was the sadness of finding a great work and instantly catching up to the latest chapter.
Go?
Kiki's expression froze a little.
Even though she didn't understand Go, she desperately wanted to keep reading.
And the chapter title, "Eternal Rivals", only made her anticipation stronger.
What the hell? Is something wrong with me?
This isn't a romance manga. Nor a battle manga.
It's purely a Go competition manga.
So how the heck did I get THIS engrossed?