The Almighty Chuunibyou Expert

"That was so badass, Izumi-chan! How did you even think of that?"

After class, Fujiwara Chika came up to his seat.

"Ah, I just wanted to try it out. Saying 'You're all trash' in front of everyone, that must be really fun!"

She imagined it, bringing her fists close to her chest, her expression eager.

She was one of the few people in the entire school who would even dare to think such a thing.

"It just came to me."

Hasegawa Izumi replied casually.

"Then you really are a genius, Izumi-chan! You're so good at looking cool! I want to learn from you."

As she said this, Fujiwara Chika struck a pose she thought was cool.

"Is the Far East Magic Society the club that you and Takanashi-san founded, Izumi-chan?"

She brought up the topic again.

"It's our base at Shuchiin, and it's also the name of our organization for now,"

Takanashi Rikka chimed in.

"Base? That sounds pretty meaningless,"

Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, her confusion looking rather cute.

"Speaking of clubs, I remember you joined the Tabletop Game Club, Chika? You play the piano so well, I thought you'd join the music club."

Hasegawa Izumi suddenly recalled.

"I've already given up on playing the piano."

She said this with a smile.

"Given up? That's fine. There's no need to force yourself to do something you're not truly interested in."

He didn't ask why.

"Izumi-chan, why aren't you playing by the rules? Shouldn't you be asking me why I gave up?"

Fujiwara Chika pouted in dissatisfaction, retorting.

"Uh, then why did you?"

He played along.

"Because Kaguya-chan said something to me back then, telling me not to play the piano anymore…"

Fujiwara Chika happily explained immediately.

"Ah, she does seem like the type to say something like that. But it looks like it was a good thing for you, Chika."

He acknowledged.

"Do you know Kaguya too, Izumi-chan? I've never heard her mention you before."

The girl's eyes lit up, and she leaned her small face closer, as if sensing a romantic entanglement.

"We're not very familiar. We've only met once."

His tone was nonchalant.

A starting move of Tengen!

By this day, the fact that some unknown person had challenged all the clubs at Shuchiin had become common knowledge.

While most were angered, many still treated it as a joke, no one believing he could actually achieve such a feat.

Hasegawa Izumi, the center of attention, continued to attend school as usual, unaffected by the public opinion.

After school, the three of them headed to the school's zoo.

"Can Izumi-chan really play Go that well?"

Amidst her excitement, Fujiwara Chika was still a little worried about it.

"I couldn't before, but I can now."

He gave a meaningful answer.

"Really? I heard the Club President of the Go Club passed the professional exam. It won't be that easy to beat him."

"I have confidence, Chika. You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright then."

Reading the confidence and seriousness in his eyes, Fujiwara Chika decided not to overthink it.

"As for Go, I did try it once before, but it was too difficult, so I gave up. However, I still understand the rules… Can I watch tomorrow?"

She took a few steps forward, then turned her head to ask.

The girl wanted to join in the fun.

Go is also a 'tabletop game,' right? It counts as club activity!

"Feel free to come whenever you want, as long as the Go Club members don't forbid it."

He said casually.

"That's good then."

Fujiwara Chika turned around, revealing a smile.

"Requesting backup! Sage! The Chimera is about to defect!"

Suddenly, Takanashi Rikka's anxious voice came from the nearby cage.

Turning his head, he saw that the Tom cat had broken free from Rikka's grasp and was rushing towards the cage's entrance.

"Let me handle it!"

Fujiwara Chika volunteered to intercept.

"Meow~!"

She lowered her body, extended her hand, and made a sound resembling speech, as if trying to communicate.

However, the Tom cat ignored her and ran straight towards the other side.

"What? My charm has no effect!"

The girl looked dejected.

Just as the Tom cat was about to disappear into the grass outside, a hand suddenly appeared from above and grabbed its fated neck, instantly draining its strength to escape, causing its body to go limp.

"Thank you for your help, Sage, otherwise if the Chimera broke free from its seal, it would be a catastrophe for the world."

After putting the cat back in, Takanashi Rikka clapped her hands, dusting off the dirt, and came out from outside the cage.

"You're still too careless. Losing your power doesn't mean you should lose your vigilance."

Hasegawa Izumi admonished her.

"Yes."

Takanashi Rikka hesitated, then mumbled a reply.

Beside them, Fujiwara Chika listened to their conversation, shaking her head back and forth, completely unable to understand.

This kind of talk was too advanced for her!

The moon gradually faded, and the sun rose as usual.

A new day had arrived.

Today was the day of the challenge, the first challenge initiated by the Far East Magic Society, and it absolutely could not be lost!

"Rikka, let's go."

As the dismissal bell rang, Hasegawa Izumi's demeanor changed from his usual self, his face showing a calm and confident expression.

"Our battle has begun."

Takanashi Rikka followed closely, chanting to herself.

Under the strange gazes of their classmates, they stepped out the door.

"Wait for me, Izumi-chan, Takanashi-san."

After saying goodbye to her friends, Fujiwara Chika quickly caught up.

When the three arrived at the Go Club, the members were already ready.

As they stepped into the Go Club, they were met with hostile stares from almost everyone.

His challenge was naturally unwelcome, especially after making such bold claims in the News Department's announcement, it was a blatant slap in the face!

Furthermore, choosing them as the first target clearly implied they were considered the weakest, which was outrageous!

"So scary~!"

Seeing their enraged expressions, Takanashi Rikka and Fujiwara Chika nervously took a small step back.

Only Hasegawa Izumi remained unfazed by the pressure from the crowd. Instead, he took a step forward and asked, "May I ask who the Club President of the Go Club is?"

His question stunned the Go Club members.

"What? Are you looking for a fight, you punk!"

"You want to challenge our Go Club without even doing any research?"

"I can't take it anymore, President, let's just beat him up first!"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, I am the Club President of the Go Club, Watanabe Yoshitaka."

Seeing the situation devolve into chaos, Watanabe Yoshitaka, as the leader, had to step forward and say something.

"Then you must be the strongest in the Go Club, right? I don't want anyone complaining after I win."

He turned to look at the person speaking. The brown hair and determined gaze indeed made him look like a club president.

"As the Club President, I am naturally the most skilled player. If I lose, it means our Go Club loses to you, and no one will bother you about it."

As he spoke, Watanabe Yoshitaka's gaze swept over the other club members. As the Club President, he was quite magnanimous.

"We approve of the Club President's decision."

The other members quickly responded in unison.

As a rather traditional club, the sense of hierarchy was very clear. Coupled with their strong recognition of the Club President's skill, they naturally believed that the Club President would be able to deliver a resounding slap to this arrogant fellow before them!

"Since that's the case, let's begin our match. I hope we can have a brilliant game. I'm really looking forward to it."

Watanabe Yoshitaka's expression clearly showed his excitement.

"Wait a moment, the person who will record the match results hasn't arrived yet."

He gestured with his hand.

His goal wasn't just to defeat his opponent, but to make the Far East Magic Society famous!

Without publicity, the effect would be worlds apart.

It wasn't long before the News Department's Club President, Asahi Shizuku, arrived at the scene.

To be honest, they didn't attach much importance to this matter. It was only because of the other party's strong insistence that they sent their Club President, her, to confirm the results.

According to the information they had gathered, Hasegawa Izumi had never attended any Go tutoring classes or joined any Go academies. Meanwhile, Watanabe Yoshitaka was a master-level professional. The outcome of such a match was obvious.

"If nothing unexpected happens..."

Asahi Shizuku adjusted her glasses, and the sunlight from outside shone in, creating a glare.

The two sat on opposite sides of the Go board.

Takanashi Rikka and Fujiwara Chika sat behind him to spectate, Asahi Shizuku sat opposite to record, and the other club members stood by, awaiting the start of the game.

"Black plays first, so I have the first move."

During the 'guess-first' phase, Hasegawa Izumi obtained the advantage of playing Black.