Full-time comic artist

"That's right, Xiao Zheng is in first place this time."

Sasaki stated that he was not joking and that this was indeed the result.

In the previous episode, they were only ranked fifth.

"Why is that?" Hibiki Higashino was somewhat flattered.

It's been a long time since "Hikaru no Go" has achieved first place in the main series; not to mention first place, it hasn't even made it into the top three.

The sudden first place brought not excitement, but bewilderment.

"Take a look at these letters; they are all from readers of 'Hikaru no Go'."

Higashino took the cardboard box; inside were dozens of letters.

He sat down on the sofa, took out a reader's letter, and quietly began to read it.

……

"Hello, Mr. Toriakino. I am a reader of 'Hikaru no Go'. If I had to pick my favorite character, it would definitely be Fujiwara no Sai."

"In early 1994, I saw 'Hikaru no Go' and was immediately amazed. I never knew that Go could be drawn so interestingly."

"As a soul from the Heian period, I really like Sai's simplicity and 'naivety.' These two qualities blend well with his powerful aura as Honinbo Shusaku, making him seem very real and adorable."

"I've been eagerly anticipating when he'll unleash his 'divine move' and amaze everyone."

"Waiting...waiting..."

"Until in my favorite part of the story, after Sai's victory over Touya Kouhiro, the foreshadowing of Sai's disappearance was laid."

"After that, I continued reading the comic with trepidation, thinking that such an important character should not be allowed to disappear."

"However, as more and more of these possibilities were laid out, and even Sai himself said them, I had no choice but to accept this fact."

“Sai’s disappearance isn’t something I can’t accept… well, there are some things I can’t accept, some things.”

"But if Sai is determined to disappear, why not let him say goodbye to Hikaru properly?"

"With this thought, I became utterly disappointed. I stopped reading 'Hikaru no Go' and even hid the collected volumes that I used to cherish under my bed."

"Hikaru no Go just disappeared from my life like that."

“I started going to school, playing with my classmates, playing video games and baseball together, but I don’t know why, I always felt empty inside.”

"It wasn't until I heard my classmates discussing that Hikaru no Go was going to end that I finally realized that I had never let go of Hikaru no Go."

"So, I continued watching 'Hikaru no Go' to see what the author wanted to express."

“Shindo Hikaru suddenly realized that he had found Sai in Go. He matured and grew into a qualified professional Go player and a rising star in Japan.”

"At that moment, I realized that in addition to inheritance, Hikaru no Go also involves growth."

“After experiencing the pain of searching for Sai’s disappearance, Hikaru Shindo truly grew up.”

"It turns out that all of these things have value, and that the author didn't force sadness just to be sentimental."

"After crying for a while, I wanted to write this letter to you, my teacher, to reflect on my emotional journey. If I'm lucky, I hope you'll know that there's a reader who deeply loves your work."

"P.S.: I really want to know how the battle between Hikaru Shindo and Akira Touya ended!"

After reading it carefully, Higashino Hibiki checked his reader identity; he was a high school student in Shimokitazawa.

It was written very profoundly, and Higashino Hibiki was deeply moved.

“I see,” he nodded. “People who used to like Hikaru no Go couldn’t give it up after it ended, so they came back to watch it again.”

"After seeing the new content of 'Hikaru no Go,' I understand the plot of Sai's disappearance."

"Is that so?" Hibiki Higashino looked up and asked Sasaki.

“That’s one of the reasons,” Sasaki replied.

"The sales of the Hikaru no Go manga have also rebounded, and the fifth volume has already begun to be reprinted."

Another piece of good news! With this joy in his heart, Higashino Hibiki looked at the next letter.

The cover has a name written on it: Murashi Shigure.

His content was relatively concise.

"After reading the teacher's comics, I was deeply moved and decided to become a comic artist, just like the teacher!"

"Change Go, change the world."

"I like shogi. There are probably more shogi players than Go players in Japan now."

"But there is no shogi game as phenomenal as 'Hikaru no Go'."

"Please look forward to it, teacher. Maybe one day I will enter your world."

“I admire you very much, Mura Shigure.”

……

This letter brought Higashino Hibiki a touch of joy.

Hibiki Higashino, who was guided by himself to pursue the path of comics, can't help but look forward to it again.

If the other party really succeeds, then as he said, we will meet again in the future.

Later, in the letter about "Hikaru no Go", he talked about how he was influenced by "Hikaru no Go" and learned Go;

There are readers who thank Hibiki Higashino for creating Hikaru no Go;

There were also expressions of anger towards Sai's enlightenment, but because they had been selected by the editorial department, the language was not intense.

These numerous letters, while making Higashino Hibiki happy, also filled him with melancholy.

"The two-year serialization of 'Hikaru no Go' is finally coming to an end."

Only one episode remains.

"Hikaru no Go" is about to end its serialization.

"The teacher once talked about AI. Yang Hai from the Chinese Chess Academy also believes that the future of Go lies in computers."

"Is there any content about this? I'm very curious."

Upon seeing the letter, Higashino paused.

I came from the future and learned about AlphaGo's formidable strength. In the end, the AI ​​made human chess players despair, but then gave them a new lease on life.

Many people are learning about and utilizing AI, which has raised the level of Go to a whole new level.

"Why wouldn't I paint something like this? It's inherently beautiful, a magnificent beauty amidst cruelty."

Hibiki Higashino had also witnessed Ke Jie crying.

Such a shot must be extremely powerful.

"Once Slam Dunk is on track, we will begin serializing the short story of Hikaru no Go."

Higashino Hibiki had an idea.

……

In the second issue of Jump magazine in 1996.

Odagiri looked at the manga magazine with a serious expression.

This is the work that led him to the path of Go, the final chapter of "Hikaru no Go".

From then on, he would embark on his own path as a professional Go player.

He felt a pang of reluctance and didn't want to open the comic book.

If time could stop here, then Hikaru no Go would never end.

Two minutes later, Odagiri mentally prepared himself, took a deep breath, and looked inside.

……

Hikaru Shindo was shocked that Akira Touya had seen through everything.

Akira Toya said, "The person I played against twice at the Go club was Sai."

"Because I'm the one who knows you best, I know. Only I know that there's another person inside you."

Hikaru Shindo's pupils constricted in shock, "Touya..."

Akira Touya retracted his previous statement, "No, it's nothing, I just said something strange."

Hikaru Shindo was deeply shocked.

"Touya has noticed Sai!"

"To this day, no one but me knows Sai."

"Sai, Touya has noticed you."

"Found you!"

At this moment, Hikaru Shindo felt a mixture of shock and joy.

I'm glad that someone knows about Sai, and that the mark Sai left is not just mine.

There's another kind of excitement: Touya, you understand me, you understand Sai.

Akira Toya thought for a moment and continued, "No, the Go you play is all you have, that's unchanging, and that's enough."

He also felt that the idea of ​​another person being involved was absurd and simply impossible.

He then rejected his own guess.

Hikaru Shindo watched their game of Go and smiled with delight. Not only him, but Touya felt the same way.

"The game of Go is my everything."

"Touya, you are right, because Sai is in my Go game."

……

In the subsequent game, Hikaru lost.

The outcome of this important game is not important.

Anyway, we can continue playing chess in the future.