The more you lose at chess, the more skillful you become

On the weekend, most first-year students were out and about.

Students from Class C and Class D, provided they hadn't exhausted their private points, would head to Keyaki Mall to splurge.

There were also students like those in Class B, who were busy holding study sessions and working hard.

"So Yuki, why did you follow me? Your grades aren't exactly stellar, are you?"

Makoto Nishikado feigned confusion.

According to the data Yuki Himeno had compiled herself, her academic performance was in the upper-middle tier of Class B.

It wasn't bad, but it hadn't reached the level where she could afford to slack off.

"Boss, I'm here to back you up."

Yuki Himeno said innocently.

She had heard from Makoto Nishikado that he was going to face off against one of the leaders of Class A today.

Moreover, the other party would be bringing a follower.

In such a situation, how could she possibly settle down to study?

If Sakayanagi Arisu had a follower by her side while Makoto Nishikado was alone, wouldn't that mean he had already lost the momentum?

"Truly dutiful. As expected, Yuki, you're actually well-suited to be a corporate slave."

Makoto Nishikado sighed once more.

Hearing this, Yuki Himeno's face instantly darkened.

Working for others was out of the question!

"Boss, if you could learn to shut your mouth, you would definitely be an excellent leader."

"Yuki, don't you know that subordinates shouldn't talk back to their superiors?"

The two chatted and laughed all the way to the Go Club activity room.

Pushing open the Space Gate, Sakayanagi Arisu was already sitting upright before the chessboard, looking like an exquisite doll.

The board in front of her was spotless, clearly indicating she had been waiting for quite some time.

"Keeping a lady waiting is not the behavior of a gentleman."

Sakayanagi Arisu did not stand up, merely looking at Makoto Nishikado with a smile in her eyes.

"That's my fault; I missed you so much, little princess, that I spent ages hesitating over what to wear."

Makoto Nishikado sat down opposite Sakayanagi Arisu.

Even though he had arrived right on time, if the little princess said he was late, then he was late.

Makoto Nishikado wanted to strike up a conversation with Kamuro Masumi, but Sakayanagi Arisu spoke up to dismiss them.

"You two, this chess match might take a long time, so you can leave first."

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Kamuro Masumi, who didn't say a word, turned around, and left, ignoring Makoto Nishikado's gaze.

Yuki Himeno, however, wasn't swayed by her actions and turned to look at Makoto Nishikado.

"This game might take four or five hours, you should head back too."

Makoto Nishikado gave his instructions.

"Understood, boss."

Having just arrived only to be sent back, Yuki Himeno felt no dissatisfaction.

She knew that her mere presence was enough.

"Little princess, are you sure you want to compete with me in this? Unless you're the Chess Saint of the Great Han, there's no way you can beat me."

Makoto Nishikado teased with a smile.

He was quite confident in his own level of skill.

Let alone Sakayanagi Arisu, even among professional female players, those who could beat him could be counted on one hand.

"I don't have the strength to smash you with a chessboard; I can't emulate the Chess Saint of the Great Han."

"I might lose today, but victory and defeat aren't matters of a single moment. I will continue to evolve."

A confident smile hung on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.

She also knew that there was likely still a gap between her current strength and Makoto Nishikado's.

But she wasn't afraid.

The more one loses at Go, the higher their skill becomes.

She believed that with her talent, she would soon surpass Makoto Nishikado.

"Cheng, you must take this seriously today. Don't let me down."

Sakayanagi Arisu hoped Makoto Nishikado would use his full strength.

Makoto Nishikado raised an eyebrow, not expecting her to call him by his first name directly.

He didn't mind, however, simply tucking away the playful look on his face as his eyes turned focused: "Rest assured, I never underestimate any opponent."

He placed the white stone bowl in front of him, his expression turning serious in an instant, as if he had become a different person.

[Triggered Sakayanagi Arisu's emotions, obtained 1792 emotional points.]

Seeing him like this, Sakayanagi Arisu was actually somewhat unaccustomed to it.

In her perception, Makoto Nishikado should have been a glib and oily person.

Yet today, even though she had addressed Makoto Nishikado directly by his name, this bastard hadn't reacted in the slightest.

But this discomfort quickly transformed into a favorable impression.

She liked such a focused opponent; only this kind of challenge was meaningful.

"Student Ximen, thank you for your seriousness, but please, go ahead and guess the stones."

Seeing how much Makoto Nishikado wanted to win, Sakayanagi Arisu also reined in her expression.

According to the rules of the trade, the higher-ranked player takes the white stones and moves second.

But Sakayanagi Arisu did not need Makoto Nishikado's concessions.

Hearing this, Makoto Nishikado did not refute it and casually grabbed a handful of white stones.

On the other side, Sakayanagi Arisu also grabbed two black stones.

Sakayanagi Arisu won the guess; holding the black stones, she moved first, placing her opening move on the komoku position before pressing the chess clock.

On the other side, before the duel began, Makoto Nishikado took a look at Sakayanagi Arisu's Go level.

It was at the 920,000 level.

This level was already quite good, but it was still a long way off from Makoto Nishikado.

On the contrary, her chess level was about the same as Makoto Nishikado's Go level before he leveled up.

Considering that Makoto Nishikado had lived two lifetimes and treated Go with greater seriousness and had studied for a longer time, one had to admit that Sakayanagi Arisu's talent was currently stronger.

Makoto Nishikado reined in his emotions, completely suppressing all psychological fluctuations, placed his second move on the san-san, and pressed the chess clock.

Seeing this, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression changed immediately.

"Student Ximen, you aren't going easy on me, are you?"

Go emphasizes occupying more space.

As an opening, this move of playing at the san-san was too conservative, looking like something a complete novice would play.

"Play your game."

Makoto Nishikado responded coldly, his eyes fixed tightly on the board.

"Apologies, I was being presumptuous."

Sakayanagi Arisu composed her emotions, alarm bells ringing in her heart.

Since Makoto Nishikado wasn't going easy on her, then this san-san move might be a trap.

Was he planning to secure a corner with fewer stones?

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't say for sure, sitting in her seat and pondering for a long time.

This was only the second move, yet she had already spent a great deal of time.

There were only 361 squares in total on a 19x19 Go board, but if one played a game seriously, four hours really wasn't that long.

After a full three minutes of consideration, Sakayanagi Arisu placed her third move on the hoshi point.

Regardless of how Makoto Nishikado was thinking, as long as she seized upon the weakness that the san-san's range of influence was not large enough, that would be the most correct response.

Sakayanagi Arisu looked up, wanting to see Makoto Nishikado's reaction.

However, Makoto Nishikado's face remained calm, and he picked up a stone to place his fourth move, not responding to Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze at all.

Sakayanagi Arisu placed her fifth move, pursing her lips slightly, as she suddenly had an ominous premonition.

When playing Go, Makoto Nishikado was simply impeccable.

On this battlefield of pure strength, she could not defeat Makoto Nishikado in a head-on confrontation, nor could she use any off-board tactics capable of affecting his emotions.

"But this is exactly how it should be."

After a brief moment of apprehension, a smile of perverse delight appeared on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.

Even when facing a sickly and petite beautiful girl like her, Makoto Nishikado didn't have the slightest intention of holding back.

You crude man, you really are delightful!