Normally, a Go match depicted in a comic would not attract much attention from high-ranking professional Go players.
Everyone is an adult, who would seriously nitpick a Go game in a Go manga? People read it for the plot. If a top player appears in a comic, must the match really conform perfectly to real-world top-tier Go?
Because of this, many Hikaru no Go fans knew that the latest chapter featured a match between top players.
But very few actually studied the winning moves seriously.
That was, until Zenji, a top player of the previous generation in Japan, posted his explanation video on the Japan Go Association's official account.
Most Hikaru no Go fans still couldn't understand what he was saying, even after watching the explanation.
Even if something like The Hand of God truly appeared, its brilliance was not something ordinary Go enthusiasts could easily appreciate.
However, for Japan's professional Go players, this match in Hikaru no Go became more thrilling the higher their own rank was.
Coupled with Zenji's explanation video, very quickly, this match in Hikaru no Go attracted the attention of a large number of professional Go players, and many others began sharing their own analyses online.
After wading through a day's worth of confusing information, ordinary Hikaru no Go fans finally understood several things.
First, the quality of the match between Sai and Toya Koyo in Hikaru no Go was astonishingly high.
Even two professional 9-dan players stated that, regardless of whether it was Black or White, they could feel a terrifying level of Go strength that surpassed their own.
Especially the black stones.
They felt almost inhuman.
And yet, it was precisely against such white stones that, from a disadvantaged position, the move pointed out by Hikaru in the manga was played.
The so-called Hand of God was a move capable of reversing the entire course of the game.
And the move Hikaru pointed out.
"Even though I don't understand it, just watching the explanation gives me goosebumps."
"Is this game really that incredible? Even real-world professional Go players feel inferior?"
"But wasn't this game created by Shirogane-sensei on commission from the Go Association? Aren't these professionals just praising their own work?"
"What are you talking about? Shirogane-sensei already explained the origin of this game on his account. It was played by two acquaintances he knew in middle school. He won't reveal their identities, but it's confirmed that they're absolutely top-tier players in the world."
"? A game played by acquaintances? Are you joking? Are you saying amateurs can play a game that shocks professional 9-dan players?"
"It's more than shock. My dad is a semi-retired 9-dan player. After I showed him this game, he locked himself in his room for the entire day. You could feel how shaken he was."
"I still don't believe it. Two acquaintances from middle school just happened to be top players? And Shirogane-sensei remembered the game for years and perfectly recreated it in the manga?"
"What are you implying?"
"Is it possible that the 'friend' Shirogane-sensei mentioned… is actually himself?"
"?"
"For example, just because Sai is a fictional character doesn't mean such a thing couldn't exist in reality. Maybe Shirogane-sensei has his own unseen Hikaru no Go behind him, helping him create this game?"
"Stop it. It's late at night, this is getting creepy."
"Discuss the manga as manga. Don't bring in supernatural nonsense."
"Anyway, existence itself is reasonable. No matter how this game came about, one thing is clear, so many professional players have analyzed it, and no one has refuted that this move deserves to be called The Hand of God."
"More importantly, if you want to refute it, you need evidence. You'd have to find a game with a higher level of play and an even more brilliant move."
"But in reality, even 9-dan players don't seem confident enough to do that."
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"I don't care about The Hand of God anymore. I just want to know what happens in the next chapter of Hikaru no Go. Another seven-day wait… it's torture."
The heated discussion caused by this chapter surpassed any previous update in Hikaru no Go's serialization history.
Comic readers, professional Go players, and even anti-fans were all engaged, implicitly or explicitly, in fierce debates over whether there were any flaws in this depicted match.
But the truth was, since Rei dared to draw this plot into the manga, he was never worried about any fundamental problems.
The reason was simple.
Even if this game were analyzed by an AI that had been upgraded countless times before Rei's transmigration, an AI that had already exhausted the full possibility space of Go.
Its conclusion for this match was the same.
That move was the optimal answer.
If some Go players and enthusiasts in Japan wanted to find flaws, other players would naturally step forward to defend that move.
As the controversy surrounding this chapter of Hikaru no Go continued to spread online, professionals in Japan's comic industry shifted their attention to another matter.
For example, the popularity ranking of this chapter of Hikaru no Go.
Speaking of Hikaru no Go, from the moment it began serialization until now, nearly a full year, it had risen from fifteenth place in its very first issue to second place.
A rise that could only be described as a miracle.
And now, with the massive commotion caused by this chapter's update, was it possible that after one miracle, another miracle might follow?
Thursday morning.
Rei woke up early to prepare for school.
Miyu had been awake even earlier. She sat in the living room with her sister, the two of them staring blankly at one another.
After Miyu left for school, Misaki, wearing a serious expression, drove straight to Hoshimori Group.
The moment she entered the editorial department, the previously lively discussions there fell noticeably quiet.
To put it bluntly, everyone had been discussing one thing, whether Hikaru no Go could surpass Source War Chronicle this week.
But with the main person involved now present, continuing such discussions openly was clearly inappropriate.
Misaki sat down at her desk and, from time to time, glanced toward Shin, the editor in charge of Source War Chronicle.
Although the two exchanged not a single word, the tension in the office was unmistakable.
As Misaki looked at him, Shin also looked back at her.
Minute by minute, time passed.
All the editors in the office were waiting for one moment;
9:30 a.m.
In fact, most editors had a fairly clear understanding of the situation.
Hikaru no Go was indeed incredibly popular right now.
But converting popularity into votes in a magazine ranking took time.
Many magazine readers simply didn't vote at all, or didn't even know how.
Under these circumstances, last week there had still been a gap of more than 90,000 votes between Hikaru no Go and Source War Chronicle.
Closing that gap in a single week was unlikely.
Beep.
At a certain moment, Misaki heard the notification sound from her email.
She immediately opened it.
Scrolling from top to bottom, a line of data jumped into view.
Source War Chronicle, votes: 922,159
Hikaru no Go, votes: 907,812
The Wanderer, votes: 701,523
When the editors saw the vote counts for the top two works, many of them unconsciously changed expressions, and the atmosphere in the office stirred again.
Both had exceeded 900,000 votes?
Strictly speaking, Hikaru no Go had indeed surpassed Source War Chronicle's vote total from last week.
Last week, Source War Chronicle had been at around 890,000.
Due to the uproar caused by this chapter's plot, Hikaru no Go had truly closed a gap of nearly 100,000 votes in a single week.
But that didn't mean Source War Chronicle would simply stand still.
Its fans had also mobilized this week.
Many casual comic readers had spontaneously voted for Source War Chronicle.
At that moment, quiet whispers filled the editorial department.
"Both works passed 900,000 votes…"
"That's insane."
"Are all of Source War Chronicle's dormant fans finally coming out?"
"After all, it's been number one in the magazine for over thirty consecutive months. Its fanbase is definitely larger than Hikaru no Go's, but the fan loyalty…"
"Fans of both sides are giving it everything."
"What a shame. Hikaru no Go was just a little short."
"Still, Hikaru no Go has already set the highest popularity vote record on Dream Comic in the past three years."
"Unfortunately, those past three years don't include today."
"And Source War Chronicle also just set a new all-time vote record since it began serialization."
"What a pity… Hikaru no Go."
Misaki watched the subtle shift in attitude among her colleagues.
She looked at the report in her hands, but surprisingly, she didn't feel much emotion at all.
Source War Chronicle had managed to defend its throne this week.
But, what about next week?