Early in the morning, many Hikaru no Go fans, as usual, first argued with source war chronicle fans, and then, after some time, quickly went to nearby bookstores to buy the journal.
The latest chapter of Dream Comic Journal regarding Hikaru no Go's plot was relatively calm.
It introduced a character named Kurata who would have a minor role later on.
Then came Toya Koyo's retirement.
As the strongest Go player in Hikaru no Go, Toya Koyo's image in the manga was naturally one who kept his word.
Even if it was just a verbal agreement with a new professional Go player, Hikaru, unheard by others, he strictly adhered to his promise after losing the game to Sai.
After Toya Koyo's retirement in Hikaru no Go, among the new generation of Go players, Seiji Ogata was effectively the leader.
Kurata, as a sub-top player, followed closely, while Hikaru and Akira were undeniably young genius Go players.
In fact, the Hokuto Cup arc in the original manga had already set the stage for them, and the Hokuto arc also featured a genius Go player from, who had previously lost to Hikaru.
Unfortunately, the original manga ended without even giving the conclusion of the Hokuto arc, which directly led to the Hikaru no Go anime production team in the previous life not producing an anime for the Hokuto arc.
Moreover, Rei, in his previous life, could actually feel the foreshadowing laid by the original manga author, while reading the manga.
For example, Sai and Ogata's game when he was drunk; Ogata, half-drunk and half-awake, suffered a crushing defeat to Sai, constantly saying that Hikaru was as strong as Sai. But upon waking, he knew nothing about the game.
But… would he really know nothing?
For a top-tier expert like Ogata, a game played while drunk could easily be recalled with some trigger, which would merely require the author to put pen to paper.
It's even highly probable that later on, due to various reasons, such as the retired Toya Meijin and others, Sai's true identity would be hinted towards Hikaru.
There are simply too many instances in Hikaru no Go where early plot minor incidents become later foreshadowing.
But unfortunately, it's unclear what considerations Hotta had, as he ended Hikaru no Go at the Hokuto Cup arc, leaving many foreshadows unresolved. The Hokuto Cup manga plot, which was depicted for two entire volumes, didn't even have an ending.
Its ending was strikingly similar to Slam Dunk's Shohoku reaching the final four!
However, for fans reading the Hikaru no Go manga today, just like Rei in his previous life, they saw these plot foreshadows and assumed the manga would continue for a long time.
It was laying the groundwork for future plotlines.
In the middle part of this chapter, the perspective shifted to Hikaru, after joining the professional Go team, crushing his opponents on the playing field.
Judging from this match, Hikaru's current strength was basically confirmed.
He wasn't on par with top-tier players, but he was on the stronger side among players below the top-tier.
Many Hikaru no Go fans had originally watched this chapter with apprehension this week.
They were worried that this chapter would feature Sai's disappearance, but unexpectedly, it was only Toya Koyo's retirement and Hikaru's match…
And just as the fans breathed a huge sigh of relief…
At the end of this chapter, the perspective returned to Hikaru and Sai.
The two of them played Go as usual at night.
Sai had no physical body and his identity could not be exposed; he could only play Go with Hikaru.
But on this day, facing one of Hikaru's bad moves, he did not, as usual, show understanding, but instead directly and angrily started scolding him.
"What kind of move was that you just played? Playing such a terrible move! And you still dare to say how amazing you are. Hikaru, you will never be able to defeat me!"
Hikaru's expression was startled at the words, but he immediately became defiant.
"What did you say?"
"I said, no matter how good you are, you can't possibly defeat me!"
On this day, seeing Sai's heartbroken, sorrowful eyes as he spoke these words in the manga,
Many manga readers could feel Sai's inner unwillingness and envy.
Was he envious that Hikaru could play that move, which is why he said things like "you'll never be able to defeat me" like a child?
But the manga's narration provided Sai's true thoughts.
(I want to play so, so many games of Go!)
"Yes, you are nowhere near as good as me right now!"
(I need eternal time.)
"Someone who can't even pick up a Go stone without me, dares to be so boastful?" Hikaru immediately retorted angrily.
But soon, he realized how serious and hurtful his words were.
Hikaru immediately apologized, but Sai just turned his back and remained silent.
Sai, with his head bowed, had eyes full of reluctance.
The last page of this chapter ended with Hikaru suddenly having a whim to search for the blood-stained Go board in his grandfather's house where Sai had once resided.
And this time, Hikaru found that the bloodstains on that blood-stained Go board were almost invisible, faint and about to disappear.
If the previous chapter had only made Hikaru no Go fans slightly suspicious,
Then this chapter was almost an explicit declaration.
Sai's emotions, his inner monologue, why he was so abnormal.
He knew he was leaving, he wanted to play a little more Go, to stay by Hikaru's side for another moment… he was unwilling.
But, the bloodstains on the Go board were disappearing, and he… was also about to disappear.
Everyone was happy while reading the first half of this manga chapter, but in the latter half, everyone couldn't help but tear up.
On this day, the Hoshimori Group's official website saw an unprecedented surge of posts from Hikaru no Go fans.
"No! Teacher Shirogane, what good does Sai's disappearance do you? Don't do this!"
"It doesn't make sense. What does Hikaru finding the Hand of God have to do with Sai?"
"No! I'm going to cry. Teacher Shirogane, don't be stubborn. If you really make Sai disappear, you'll lose me as a fan."
"Why?! I'm not exaggerating, at least 60% of Hikaru no Go fans follow the manga for Sai, right? What good does it do you to kill off Sai?"
"Please, Teacher Shirogane, next week's plot, introduce a deus ex machina. Just let Hikaru meet a charlatan who can help Sai delay the symptoms of disappearance, okay? I can even accept that kind of plot."
"Hahaha, you Hikaru no Go fans are so pathetic. I told you long ago, Hikaru no Go is rubbish. It's obvious that the young author can't control the plot and has started drawing haphazardly. The death of the popular character Sai is just the beginning; later on, it might end badly, with the protagonist getting hit by a truck and dying!"
"Get out, you source war chronicle fans, get out!"
"Must Sai really die?"
"Rationally speaking, Sai's role in the manga right now is a side effect. He has fulfilled his greatest mission: introducing Hikaru to the path of a professional Go player!"
"Who wants to see Hikaru? Everyone wants to see Sai. Hikaru is just a mischievous troublemaker."
"Teacher Shirogane, whatever you do, don't kill off Sai! I repeat, don't kill off Sai! Otherwise, I'll be angry."
"Brothers, let's go complain about Teacher Shirogane on the Hoshimori Group's official website."
"How about we don't vote for Hikaru no Go this week?"
"How can we not vote for Hikaru no Go? Hikaru no Go finally reached the top spot. If we don't vote for Hikaru no Go, do you want to see those arrogant faces of the source war chronicle fans again? If Hikaru no Go's ranking drops to second place again, it won't be Teacher Shirogane's face that's lost, it's our Hikaru no Go fans' face!"
"Everyone, don't worry, this is all a smokescreen. How could Sai disappear? Any normal person with a bit of common sense should understand what Sai's disappearance means for this manga. Unless Teacher Shirogane plans to finish Hikaru no Go and retire from the manga industry, otherwise he should know that if Sai exits in this way, Hikaru no Go fans will never read his fourth manga again."
"Uh, what if Teacher Shirogane creates a new work that's even more interesting than Hikaru no Go?"
"Hahaha… What are you thinking? In the history of the Japan's manga industry, there are only a handful of people who have continuously created two manga with average sales of over ten million volumes. Most famous manga artists only have one famous work in their lifetime. More amazing than Hikaru no Go? You really think highly of that kid named Shirogane… From a historical perspective, his next manga will most likely flop! Oh, no, if he really insists on making Hikaru no Go's popular character go offline, then in fact, Hikaru no Go itself will also flop!"
All day Wednesday, Hikaru no Go fans, anti-fans, onlookers, and drama and anime fans who heard the news were all embroiled in arguments.
As for Rei, the person involved, he noticed something was wrong in the afternoon and, after seeing more and more Hikaru no Go fans gathering outside the school, he temporarily took leave and left school first.
"Fortunately, this week is the last week of the first semester of senior year, what a lifesaver."
Hiding at home, Rei took a sip of cola and checked the Hikaru no Go fan comments online.
He was ready to play dead for a while.
After the next week's plot was released, he would definitely be criticized all over the internet.
But Rei also understood that as time went on, after the anger of Hikaru no Go fans subsided, Hikaru no Go would grow in their hearts and eventually become a classic.
However, at this stage, Rei still had to avoid the wrath of angry fans.
There were quite a few extreme manga fans who threatened online to physically harm Rei if Sai died, but it was highly unlikely that anyone would actually act on it.
But Rei wouldn't gamble on such a thing.
From next week until the entire winter break, he would play dead, except for appearing at the televised awards ceremony.