RNP Page 284
Page 284
"..."
Among the crowd, there were five girls who looked almost identical, except for the color and length of their hair, yet each possessed a unique charm and were incredibly beautiful.
They're the kind of girls who, at first glance, would be mistaken for the five sisters.
"May, is the person you were talking about yesterday the one we just saw? He really looks very young," Ichika Nakano asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hi~ that’s him,” Nakano Satsuki said with a smile.
Nino Nakano crossed her arms, her expression aloof, and asked casually, "May, you wouldn't happen to have fallen for him, would you? This guy... he is indeed quite handsome."
"Yeah, yeah! So handsome!" Nakano Yotsuba nodded in agreement.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Nakano Satsuki blushed and hurriedly stopped her second and fourth sisters from speaking. She stomped her foot angrily, "I kindly bought tickets with good seats in the front and brought you to watch the game. We might even have a free meal at the Kiriya Hotel. How dare you say such things about me!"
"Sorry, sorry, May, Nino and Yotsuba didn't mean it~ Apologize quickly!" Nakano Ichika quickly comforted May and winked at her second and fourth sisters.
"Hehe, sorry, May." Nakano Yotsuba apologized very quickly.
Although Nino Nakano still maintained her haughty demeanor, she turned her head away and apologized, "I'm sorry."
Nakano Satsuki's expression softened considerably.
However, just thinking about how she and Luo Chen had actually played the role of a couple at the banquet that day made her face turn bright red.
"It sounds like everyone is very unsupportive of May, and some even seem hostile towards that friend of yours. Is he not popular?" Nakano Miku put her earphone back on, which had been slightly damaged, and asked softly.
"This..." Nakano Satsuki didn't know either, scratching his head, equally puzzled, "Yeah, why is this guy so unpopular?"
"That's only natural."
Ichika Nakano has been working hard to become an actress and has some contact with high society circles. As the eldest sister, she knows more about certain things.
At this moment, facing the questioning looks from her four younger sisters, she explained simply: "In the shogi world, there are mainly two factions: Kansai shogi players and Kanto shogi players. Don't be fooled by the fact that they all belong to the Japanese shogi players; they can't stand each other. Even if you're in Kansai and you're facing a high-ranking Kanto shogi player, you'll often hate and look down on them. That's how it is."
"Oh!"*4
The four people, including Nakano Nino, suddenly realized.
Nakano Satsuki laughed with interest and said, "I didn't expect this guy to have to overcome so many things to come to Kyoto for the competition. He seemed so relaxed before."
She suddenly remembered the "verbal competition" that Luo Chen had participated in at the banquet, which was related to whether the five sisters would get a free meal at the Fog House.
It seems that Luo Chen's situation is not good, as he is playing away from home.
"How about we cheer him on?"
Nakano Yotsuba, with the simplest brain structure, showed no awareness whatsoever of being from Kansai and having to cheer on the Kansai Go players, and waved her little fist as she spoke.
“Okay,” Nakano Satsuki agreed.
"But keep your voice down, or you'll get ganged up on by everyone around you~" Nakano Ichika found it amusing and, while agreeing, winked as she reminded him.
"Just got it~" Nakano Miku indeed threw a very quiet punch.
"Puch!"
Nino Nakano couldn't help but laugh out loud, but she quickly tightened her pretty face, turned her head away and said disdainfully, "I'm not participating in such a silly thing. You guys do whatever you want."
Nakano Ichika, Nakano Yotsuba, and Nakano Itsuki then raised their fists in unison and whispered, "Gangba-de~! Young Master!!"
As they were shouting, the people around them, who were not human, all looked at them with strange and unfriendly eyes, but no one did anything out of line.
Only Yukino Yukinoshita, who was also present, showed a hint of doubt in her clear eyes when she saw the five Nakano sisters.
Five faces I've never seen before.
Is this another one of Luo Chen's romantic entanglements?
Otherwise, why would someone in Kansai cheer for Luo Chen, a Go player from Kanto? Or... did they come all the way from Tokyo to watch the match with Luo Chen?
"Scumbag, welcome!"
In short, the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Yukino Yukinoshita withdrew her gaze, looked up at Luo Chen on the big screen, and muttered to herself, mentally labeling Luo Chen with several more of the same tags.
Chapter 314 is no ordinary 8-dan player; he is the "King" among 8-dan players!
Inside the chess room.
When Luo Chen arrived at one side of the chessboard, Uchimura Takuto, an 8-dan player, seemed to have been waiting for a long time, looking at him with a faint smile on his face.
Luo Chen smiled, sat down cross-legged, and teased, "Brother Uchimura seems to have a lot of influence and fame in Kyoto."
“Unlike Luo Chenjun, who has only been in the industry for two months, he has already secured a place among the four young champions,” said Uchimura Takuto, 8th Dan, with a smile.
"is it?"
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, sensing a hint of sourness and sarcasm in those words.
Kind of interesting.
It seems this guy is indeed somewhat unconvinced, just like some of his die-hard fans say.
"I heard that a couple of days ago, at the Itoya family's banquet, Kento Itoya invited the four of you, including Tatsumi, and they secretly organized a very interesting competition?" Takuto Uchimura said.
"Oh? Brother Uchimura has heard about it too?" Luo Chen asked in surprise.
Takuto Uchimura said, "I've not only heard about it, but I've also learned that in order to determine a true winner among the four of you, you will each use pre-game blocking tactics specifically for the first game against the eighth-dan player."
Luo Chen smiled but remained silent.
Uchimura Takuto was indeed anxious. His eyes turned slightly bloodshot as he leaned forward and glared angrily at Luo Chen: "How arrogant you are, Luo Chen, 450th Dan!"
"Brother Uchimura, you're too kind. I'm just generally arrogant," Luo Chen shrugged.
"you!!"
Takuto Uchimura was furious.
He was furious after learning this inside information!
After all, as the top 8-dan Go player in Kansai, and still under 30 years old this year, he was once considered a strong contender to be selected as one of the four young champions in the Go world!
But! Just because of Luo Chen! Luo Chen suddenly appeared out of nowhere, turning the Dragon King Tournament upside down, directly advancing to the eighth dan, and ruthlessly snatching away the seat that originally belonged to him!
He was already extremely annoyed with Luo Chen.
Now, hearing before the match that Luo Chen and the other three were treating them, "ordinary eighth-dan players," as mere playthings in a game of betting, has enraged them to the extreme!
An ordinary 8-dan player? He's far from an ordinary 8-dan!
He is the king among 8-dan players!!
"Luo Chenjun, anyone can talk big, but you'd better be careful. Not everyone is as useless as the eighth-dan you dealt with before!"
Takuto Uchimura spat out those words through gritted teeth.
Luo Chen stroked his chin, pretending to think, and said, "The eighth-dan I dealt with before? You mean, Shen Guo? Or are you talking about Kuzuryu?... Oh, speaking of which, Uchimura-kun, you look down on these two so much because you already have the strength to crush them?"
"I..." Takuto Uchimura choked on his words, his expression shifting several times before he coldly snorted, "I'll let you be smug for a while. You won't be laughing later. As for trying to shut me down in the early stages? Dream on!"
"Ok."
Luo Chen smiled slightly, closed his eyes to rest, and said nothing more.
The door to the chess room was already closed.
The sound insulation is excellent.
The referee of the Shogi League spoke up: "Are Uchimura-kun and Rakuten-kun both ready? If they are, we can begin immediately."
"I'm ready." Takuto Uchimura said in a low voice. At this moment, his aura changed instantly, and his face and eyes became extremely solemn.
Luo Chen noticed this, smiled, and teased, "Brother Uchimura says he doesn't care about me at all, but actually he values me quite a bit. Could he be a hidden fanatic of mine?"
"Nonsense!"
Takuto Uchimura was so angry that he almost lost his composure.
"Pfft..." The referee almost burst out laughing too, but as a referee, and a professional seventh-dan referee at that, he had undergone professional training and generally didn't laugh. He forcibly suppressed it and asked, "Is Luo Chenjun ready?"
"Let's begin, I'll let you pass." Luo Chen waved his hand casually.
Takuto Uchimura's lips twitched, but under the immense temptation of having the upper hand, he ultimately remained silent, refraining from speaking.
The referee immediately stepped back and raised his voice, announcing, "Meijin Tournament Round 1: Adachi Ward Rakuten 8-dan vs. Kyoto Uchimura 8-dan, begin!!"
Although Takuto Uchimura is from Kansai, he is not like other Kansai Go players who are fanatical shogi enthusiasts.
On the contrary, he studied under an old 8-dan Go player from the Kanto region since childhood, diligently learning the art of kiko (a type of Japanese Go game), and is now a blatant Kansai-affiliated kiko player.
The traditional approach of the first-move second-position infantry undoubtedly reflects this point.
(This is the tradition of the flying car: the first move of the pawn is always elegant. Compared with the flexibility of the flying car party, the opening moves are undoubtedly somewhat rigid and formulaic. This is also one of the main reasons why the god of Kansai Go, Mitsuru Ikuishi 9-dan, often publicly complains that the Kanto people are like shit and never know how to be flexible...)
Luo Chen didn't rush to move, his mind racing as he pondered how to shut down Uchimura Takuto, the top 8-dan Go player in the Kansai region, in the early game.
To be honest, a month ago, Kofuji's 37-move kill of an 8th dan was already incredibly skillful and legendary.
It would be difficult to block someone earlier than Fujii's 37th move.
After all, the opponent is an eighth-dan player.
Even the weakest 8th dan has a reading ability exceeding 800 moves, while the strongest 8th dan has a reading ability exceeding 1,000 moves, without a doubt.