The More You Lose at Go, the Stronger You Become

On the weekend, most of the first-years spent their time wandering around outside.

If the students in Class C and Class D still had personal points to spare, they would go on a shopping spree at Keyaki Mall.

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

"So, Himeno, why did you come along? Your grades aren't that great either, are they?"

Makoto Nishikado asked, feigning confusion.

According to the information Yuki Himeno had compiled herself, her grades ranked in the upper middle of Class B.

They weren't bad, but she still needed to put in effort.

"Boss, I'm here to lend you my support."

Yuki Himeno said innocently.

She'd heard Makoto Nishikado say that today he would be facing one of the leaders of Class A's first-years.

And the other girl would be bringing along a sidekick, too.

Given the circumstances, how could she possibly focus on studying?

If Sakayanagi Arisu had a sidekick by her side while Makoto Nishikado had no one, wouldn't that put him at a disadvantage?

"You're certainly devoted. As I thought, Himeno, you'd actually make a great corporate drone."

Makoto Nishikado sighed again.

At that, Yuki Himeno's face immediately darkened.

There was no way she'd ever be a corporate drone!

"Boss, if you learned to keep your mouth shut, you'd make an excellent leader."

"Himeno, subordinates aren't allowed to kiss their boss. Didn't you know that?"

The two chatted and joked all the way to the Go Club's activity room.

When they pushed the door open, Sakayanagi Arisu was already seated before the board, looking like an exquisite porcelain doll.

The board in front of her was spotless. She had clearly been waiting for some time.

"Keeping a lady waiting isn't something a gentleman should do."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't get up. She merely looked at Makoto Nishikado with an amused smile.

"I missed you so much, little princess, that I spent ages debating what to wear. It's my fault."

Makoto Nishikado sat down opposite her.

He'd arrived on time, but if the little princess said he was late, then he was late.

Makoto Nishikado had wanted to exchange a few words with Kamuro Masumi, but Sakayanagi Arisu promptly sent her away.

"You two, this game could take a long time. You can leave for now."

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Kamuro Masumi. The other girl said nothing and turned to leave, ignoring Makoto Nishikado's glance.

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

"This game could take four or five hours. You should head back too."

Makoto Nishikado gave her the same instruction.

"Okay, boss."

Yuki Himeno wasn't bothered by having to turn around and leave after just arriving.

She knew that simply showing up was enough.

"Little princess, are you really sure you want to compete with me at this? Unless you're the legendary Chinese Go Saint, you don't stand a chance of beating me."

Makoto Nishikado teased her with a smile.

He was quite confident in his own skill.

It wasn't just Sakayanagi Arisu—even among professional female Go players, only a handful could beat him.

"I don't have the strength to smash a board over your head, so I can't be the Chinese Go Saint."

"I might lose today, but victory isn't decided in a single game. I'll keep improving."

Sakayanagi Arisu wore a confident smile.

She knew that she was probably still a little behind Makoto Nishikado in skill.

But she wasn't afraid.

The more you lose at Go, the stronger you become.

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

"Makoto, take this seriously today. Don't disappoint me."

Sakayanagi Arisu wanted him to give it his all.

Makoto Nishikado raised an eyebrow, surprised that she'd addressed him by his first name.

But he didn't dwell on it. The teasing smile vanished from his face, and his gaze grew intent. "Don't worry. I never underestimate an opponent."

He placed the container of white stones in front of himself. His expression turned serious in an instant, as if he'd become a different person.

[Stirred Sakayanagi Arisu's emotions and gained 1,792 emotion points.]

Seeing him like this, Sakayanagi Arisu felt strangely unsettled.

The Makoto Nishikado she knew was supposed to be a smooth-talking flirt.

But today, even after she'd called him by his first name, the jerk hadn't reacted at all.

That feeling of unease soon turned into fondness.

She liked opponents who were this focused. Only a challenge like this was worthwhile.

"Makoto Nishikado, thank you for taking this seriously. But let's still decide who goes first by guessing."

Seeing how eager he was to win, Sakayanagi Arisu, too, composed herself.

By convention, the higher-ranked player took white and played second.

But Sakayanagi Arisu didn't need Makoto Nishikado to concede the advantage to her.

Makoto Nishikado didn't object. He casually picked up a handful of white stones.

Across from him, Sakayanagi Arisu picked out two black stones.

Sakayanagi Arisu won the guess and took black, playing first. Her opening move went to the 3-4 point, after which she pressed the clock.

Before the match began, Makoto Nishikado had checked Sakayanagi Arisu's Go rating.

She was at the 920,000-point level.

That was already quite impressive, but she was still far behind Makoto Nishikado.

On the other hand, her chess skill was about on par with his Go skill before he'd leveled up.

Considering that Makoto Nishikado had lived two lifetimes, taken Go more seriously, and studied it for longer, he had to admit that Sakayanagi Arisu was currently more talented.

Makoto Nishikado composed himself, suppressing every trace of emotion. He played his second move at the 3-3 point and pressed the clock.

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression changed at once.

"Makoto Nishikado, you're not going easy on me, are you?"

Go was all about claiming more territory.

As an opening move, playing at the 3-3 point was far too conservative. It looked like a move only a complete beginner would make.

"Just focus on the game."

Makoto Nishikado replied coldly, his eyes fixed on the board.

"Sorry, I spoke too soon."

Sakayanagi Arisu composed herself, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

If Makoto Nishikado wasn't going easy on her, then perhaps his 3-3 move was a trap.

Was he trying to secure a corner with fewer stones?

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't say. She sat there and thought for a long time.

It was only the second move, and she had already spent quite a while considering it.

A Go board had only 19 × 19, or 361, intersections, but a serious game could easily take four hours.

After thinking for a full three minutes, Sakayanagi Arisu played her third move at the star point.

Whatever Makoto Nishikado was thinking, the best response was to exploit the 3-3 point's limited influence.

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

But his expression remained unreadable. He picked up a stone and played his fourth move, not even acknowledging her gaze.

Sakayanagi Arisu played her fifth move, pressing her lips together slightly. A sudden sense of foreboding came over her.

When it came to Go, Makoto Nishikado was practically flawless.

In a contest of pure skill, she couldn't beat him head-on, and she couldn't use any underhanded tactics to rattle him, either.

"But this is how it should be."

After a brief moment of apprehension, Sakayanagi Arisu's face brightened with a delighted smile.

Even against a frail, petite, beautiful girl like her, Makoto Nishikado had no intention of going easy.

You rough man—you're just too lovable!