She had thought this was the biggest piece of information in this chapter.
But in the following plot, Toya Koyo explicitly stated his intention to retire.
However, retirement didn't mean he would stop playing Go; rather, it meant freeing himself from the constraints of being a professional Go player and the pressure that came with being the world's number one, allowing him to play Go as he wished.
So Toya Koyo asked Hikaru not to worry.
Toya Koyo was a man of his word, but that didn't mean his bet with Hikaru would send his life downhill.
As the conversation between Hikaru and Toya Koyo involved more and more information about Sai, Seiji Ogata, who had originally planned to visit his teacher in the hospital, overheard parts of it from outside the ward.
He immediately rushed into the ward to question Hikaru, who, in a panic, tried to escape but was blocked at the elevator.
After catching up to Hikaru, Seiji Ogata also strongly demanded that if Hikaru knew Sai, he should arrange for him to play a game against Sai.
At the same time, Akira, who had just arrived, noticed their argument.
'Mr. Seiji Ogata believes Sai and Hikaru are not the same person, but...'
Akira recalled the first time he met Hikaru.
That game of Go and the game where Sai defeated his father both flashed before his eyes.
'No matter what, Hikaru is the key that connects everything; he must know the answer to all the mysteries!'
Nakamura sighed softly as she read this.
You've guessed very correctly, but unfortunately, as long as the protagonist doesn't personally tell you the truth about Sai, you will forever only be able to doubt between the weak Hikaru you defeated with your own hands back then and the powerful Hikaru you met for the first time, never truly being able to determine who the real Hikaru is.
This chapter ended with Sai becoming emotionally unstable because he foresaw his imminent disappearance, while Hikaru, thinking he was just throwing a tantrum, also became upset, leading to a small disagreement between the two.
After turning the last page of this manga chapter, Yui Nakamura felt not only anger but also panic.
Once was enough, but in one chapter, the possibility of Sai's disappearance had been emphasized twice.
Shirogane...
You better just be trying to scare us. I can forgive you for creating such a red herring plot at a critical point in the manga to increase the tension among manga fans, so they'll vote for your Hikaru no Go.
If you dare to let Sai disappear so inexplicably... then just wait, I'll definitely ambush you on your way to school!
In Japan, many people shared her thoughts.
A large number of Hikaru no Go fans exploded with anger after seeing the updated plot in today's journal.
They had originally been happily anticipating Sai's evaluation of Hikaru's The Hand of God, but who would have thought this would directly lead to Sai's disappearance?
"I can't accept this kind of plot!"
"Essentially, what does Hikaru finding The Hand of God have to do with Sai? Why would Sai react this way?"
"This chapter's plot needs to be read in conjunction with the previous chapter. At the end of the last chapter, it said that Sai felt that heaven allowed him to live for a thousand years just so Hikaru could see this game. This means that Sai might have sensed that The Hand of God he sought didn't necessarily need to be played by him; as long as it arose because of him, he would have fulfilled his mission of existing for a thousand years. That's why he reacted this way."
"But, does that really count as The Hand of God?"
"There's no standard answer to such a thing. The game record from the previous Hikaru no Go chapter is now circulating everywhere online, and many professional Go players believe it is indeed a wonderfully subtle move, one that even top players would praise. But many also believe that there's no such thing as The Hand of God in the world and don't recognize that move. However, whether that move is recognized by everyone isn't important... what's important is what Sai thinks. If he believes Hikaru's move is The Hand of God, then if that belief collapses, there's nothing anyone can do."
"I don't care, I don't care. If Shirogane-sensei dares to make Sai disappear, I will definitely..."
"Me too. I absolutely won't allow depressing plots in Hikaru no Go. Shirogane-sensei, I've supported all your works since your debut, and I've fought back fiercely against anyone who questioned you online. Don't let me down!"
"I got into it through the TV drama, followed it all the way to the latest manga chapter, and watch the weekly anime too. I can only say that if Shirogane-sensei targets Sai, the popularity of this manga will definitely be greatly affected. Even if you don't think about the fans, at least consider the revenue from this manga... At least tens of millions a year, and after a long serialization, with collected editions and adaptations, there will be a long-tail effect, and annual income exceeding 100 million won't be a problem. Please don't be stubborn!"
"Is saying all this useful now? The Hikaru no Go manga in Hoshimori Group has probably already submitted all the subsequent plot manuscripts, and the manga journals for the next three to five issues have probably already started printing. If Shirogane-sensei plans to make Sai disappear, then this matter is already decided."
"Not necessarily, popular manga have privileges. Even if Hikaru no Go wants to change the plot now, as long as Shirogane-sensei strongly insists, even if it's too late, at most it would just be a two-week suspension of publication in the journal."
"Anyway, I'm putting it out there: if Sai disappears, I will definitely stop being a fan."
Rei spent the night reading the fans' comments on this chapter of Hikaru no Go online. Although he had somewhat anticipated it, seeing the overwhelming demands from fans on his account that he not let anything happen to Sai, Rei also sighed.
One could only say that what happened in his previous life was repeating itself in this life.
After the serialization of Hikaru no Go, Sai remained the most popular character, and fans still reacted strongly to the plot hinting at Sai's imminent disappearance.
But...
Some things are unavoidable. Some manga can be adjusted in certain details to avoid regrets.
But some manga cannot.
"I can only grit my teeth and do it!"
Rei looked back at the stack of manga manuscripts in his living room.
It was the script for the chapter where Sai disappears.
Previously, Rei had only given the storyboard for this chapter to Misaki, and tomorrow, Misaki would personally come to collect this manga manuscript to submit it to Hoshimori Group for printing and serialization, and then, in three weeks, with the serialization of Dream Comic...
It would appear before all the Hikaru no Go fans.
Rei let out a long breath.
Since he had already decided to draw it this way, he wouldn't dwell on it anymore.
Rei was very clear about which details of the work Hikaru no Go he could change, and which parts he absolutely could not change.
It would be easy to simply follow his own wishes and those of a group of fans in Japan and force Sai to stay by Hikaru's side forever, but then what?
Where could the plot of Hikaru no Go go?
Would Sai really guide Hikaru in Go for a lifetime, and then one day Sai would play against Hikaru, his Go skill would be surpassed by Hikaru, and he would never be able to win against Hikaru again, and finally, Sai would witness Hikaru's death and be alone once more?
For Rei, such an ending was even more tragic than Sai's disappearance.
At this moment, Miyu sent Rei a text message that evening.
"After this week's Hikaru no Go serialization, you don't need to pay attention to the fan comments online. Don't be intimidated by the fans. You must withstand the pressure and stick to your ideas... I support you!"
Was she still worried that he would be flustered by the fans' comments online?
Rei smiled slightly after seeing her text message.
"Don't worry about me. Wait for the good news about Hikaru no Go tomorrow. Tomorrow, Hikaru no Go's ranking should top the Hoshimori Comic Journal."
Rei typed out a message with flying fingers, paused for a moment, and then pressed send.
Miyu, lying on her bed at home, saw the message from Rei and her expression suddenly became a little blank.
"Rei is right... Hikaru no Go has a good chance of topping Dream Comic. Why am I worrying about him? I should be worrying about myself."
Miyu sighed.
Her work, Sakura rain, had officially concluded two weeks prior.
It had been serialized for a year, topping the Ametsukage Journal seven times.
Currently, the average sales of its collected editions were just over two million, and counting royalties this year, her income was just over ten million.
During the serialization of sakura rain, she also encountered two opportunities to submit to Dream Comic, and she worked hard to submit the beginnings of two manga she had created in her spare time, but without a doubt, they were directly rejected at the serialization meeting.
Now that sakura rain had concluded, her primary task as a high school senior was to prepare for the college entrance examination.
But honestly, she wasn't interested in her college entrance examination results.
"Rei has already become such a famous manga artist. When will I be able to create an excellent manga like Hikaru no Go?"
"Three years, five years, ten years, or... never in my lifetime?"
Miyu looked at the half-finished new manga manuscript on her desk in her room, her self-confidence growing weaker.
She typed a message in reply to Rei, but after a moment's hesitation, she deleted what she had just written.
She simply replied: Good luck, Rei!
But soon, Miyu also received a reply on her phone.
"You too, good luck! There are still eight months until university in September. Let's both work hard and see if we can get our new manga works serialized in Dream Comic before university...
Miyu looked at Rei's reply with a complex expression, then let out a long sigh after a while. She looked at the new manga manuscript on her desk, and despite a myriad of reluctance and an attack of laziness, she still got up and walked towards the desk.
Other manga artists might not know, but how could Miyu not know?
Rei wasn't planning to serialize Hikaru no Go for much longer!
If Hikaru no Go concluded, she would definitely have to compete for the vacant serialization spot!
She had to start preparing now.
The next day, after Misaki dropped her sister Miyu off at the school gate, she secretly clicked her tongue at the banners held by the surging Hikaru no Go fans, similar to "Absolutely no offline for Sai!"
After her sister got out of the car, Misaki continued driving to the headquarters of Hoshimori Group.
On the first floor of the company's headquarters building, there were posters and life-size cutouts of the group's pillar manga artists from over the years, as well as numerous figurines.
At the very end of these corporate culture exhibition posters, a giant poster of Hikaru no Go was also pasted on the corridor wall.
Hikaru held a black Go stone, placing it down, and at the point of placement, a hand holding a folding fan extended from the darkness behind him.
Although Misaki's expression remained unchanged, her heart was blooming with joy.
The perception and status of the Hikaru no Go manga within the group could already be seen from the display of this poster.
It was definitely a pillar-level manga.
Upon arriving at the editorial department, everyone in the entire department looked sideways at Misaki today.