Chapter 119: Friends, Such a Distant Word

Xu Yunzhou smiled:

"No training today."

He said, his tone carrying a relaxed, almost coaxing-a-child gentleness,

"We are going to the supermarket for a big shopping trip, and properly cook a New Year's Eve dinner."

Kirigaya Nuo blinked:

"New Year's Eve dinner?"

"Mhm, New Year's Eve dinner."

Xu Yunzhou paused, suddenly proposing,

"You can also invite a few friends you get along well with at the Go Institute to come eat at home together."

Kirigaya Nuo froze.

Friends?

This word coming from Xu Yunzhou's mouth was so unfamiliar it seemed like a language from another world.

"Friends..."

She repeated it once, her eyes somewhat blank,

"Such a distant word."

"The Go circle is still relatively clean."

Xu Yunzhou's voice guided patiently and systematically,

"That they can play Go to that realm is largely because their minds are pure, focusing on it, without much energy to scheme about things outside the Go board."

He paused, his voice carrying a smile:

"Try contacting them and see, maybe you'll have a different harvest."

To let Xu Nuo walk out of the darkness, friendship with peers should be an indispensable link.

Kirigaya Nuo was silent for a long time.

She remembered that time Su Shengfu stuffed a packet of pineapple cakes brought from her hometown into her hands, whispering "I heard Kirigaya-san's mother is also from Taiwan, you should like this," the sincere light in her eyes;

Remembered how the little Nakamura Sumire would rub over like a small animal every time she saw her, calling softly "Big Sister Kirigaya," and then take out a notebook densely packed with questions she wanted to ask...

These people...

Count as friends?

Kirigaya Nuo didn't know.

She also didn't know if she deserved to possess such things?

Does a shadow whose hands will sooner or later be stained with blood, living under dual masks, have the qualification to hold these impurity-free hands extended toward her?

The time at the Go Institute really was like a utopia in another dimension.

She remembered the sincere tone in those blessing messages, remembered the scenes at the study group where everyone argued until their faces were red over a joseki variation, and after it ended went laughing and joking together to drink coffee.

She also remembered yesterday when leaving the Go Institute, Nakamura Sumire hugged her waist, looked up with her small face, and asked with sparkling eyes:

"Big Sister Kirigaya, are you spending New Year's Eve alone? Mom said you can come to my house oh, my house has lots of fireworks!"

At that time she just rubbed the little girl's hair and tactfully declined:

"No need, I have arrangements."

Now... perhaps there could be a different answer?

Finally, she raised her head, her gaze passing through the window, looking at the azure winter clear sky.

Extremely lightly, almost inaudibly.

"Mhm."

She responded.

Then, as if making a huge determination, she picked up her phone again and clicked open that chat group named "Go Institute Peers."

Her fingertips hovered over the screen, pausing slightly.

Deep breath.

Typed the first line of text:

[Everyone, Happy New Year's Eve. If you have nothing going on tonight, do you want to... come to my house to eat a meal together? I'll cook.]

[Little Sumire, tell Mom tonight, come to Big Sister's house to eat New Year's Eve dinner, okay? There's lots of delicious food.]

Click, send.

Kirigaya Nuo put down her phone, suddenly feeling her heartbeat was a bit fast.

This wasn't the calm heartbeat when facing a muzzle or a Go board, but an unfamiliar palpitation carrying a bit of panic.

She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the bathroom.

The mirror reflected a cold and exquisite face, picturesque brows and eyes, yet without much expression.

Kirigaya Nuo stared at the mirror for three seconds, then raised her hands and pulled the corners of her mouth.

A stiff, practiced smile.

"Pfft—"

Xu Yunzhou unceremoniously complained in her sea of consciousness,

"Nuo ah, this smile of yours is uglier than crying. Where did your perfect acting skills from when you usually disguise yourself as a waiter, office worker, or student girl go? Why is it that when it's your turn to smile from the bottom of your heart, it's like a facial nerve disorder?"

Kirigaya Nuo immediately reined in that disastrous smile, returned to her poker face, and calmly retorted in her consciousness:

"Disguise is a mission requirement, there are clear behavioral patterns to follow. A smile from the bottom of the heart has no standardized process, the difficulty is higher. I am just conducting necessary social expression muscle training."

"No need to train."

Xu Yunzhou's voice carried a smile,

"Tonight, there are no missions, no disguises, just be yourself. If you're nervous, let it be nervous; if you're clumsy, let it be clumsy.

Smile if you want to smile, and if you don't want to smile, just keep keeping that pretty little cold face of yours straight. True friends won't like that practiced smiling face, but rather the one standing in front of them, who might be a bit at a loss, but is real enough—Xu Nuo."

Kirigaya Nuo pursed her lips and didn't speak anymore.

...

At 10:00 AM, Kirigaya Nuo took Xu Yunzhou and stepped into the bustling and noisy Chinatown supermarket.

The end of the year was approaching. The supermarket was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, red decorations hanging all over the shelves, and "Happy Spring Festival" slogans pasted everywhere.

The broadcast played brisk spring-welcoming music, the shopping crowds bustled, and the air was filled with food, fresh flowers, and the warm atmosphere unique to the festival.

Pushing a shopping cart, Kirigaya Nuo stood at the entrance, suddenly feeling somewhat in a trance.

This overly ordinary, mundane daily scene instead brought her a strangeness like infiltrating enemy territory.

When was the last time I pushed a shopping cart strolling around like this?

Was it in that home in Bazhou that I can never go back to?

"Teacher,"

She asked softly in her consciousness, her voice carrying trained calmness, but listening closely, one could hear a trace of undetectable helplessness,

"What should we buy?"

"Buy what you want to eat."

Xu Yunzhou's voice sounded in her mind,

"For New Year's Eve dinner, of course you have to cook the flavors you miss."

Kirigaya Nuo fell silent for three seconds—this was her habitual pause when evaluating risks.

Then nodded, pushed the cart, and began shuttling among the shelves.

Soon, her footsteps stopped in front of the Great Xia imported food section.

Her gaze swept over the dazzling array of goods, finally locking onto those few familiar words:

"Juancheng Brand" Pixian Doubanjiang, Hanyuan Sichuan Peppercorns, Yongchuan Douchi, Haidilao Hotpot Base...

(TL: Famous regional ingredients/brands essential for authentic Sichuan cooking.)

The sense of taste engraved in the soul of a Bashu person awakened, and she began selecting various ingredients from her memory.

Pork belly for Twice-Cooked Pork, Kobe beef tenderloin can be used for Water-Boiled Beef, chicken mid-wings for Cola Chicken Wings...

Moved to the aquatic products section, picked Hokkaido tiger prawns wanting to make Spicy Dry Pot Prawns... Momen tofu can be used to make Mapo Tofu, shiitake and enoki mushrooms are indispensable for stewing soup...

There were also colorful candies and chocolates in the snack area, fruit juices and Ramune sodas emitting cold air in the beverage cabinet...

The shopping cart piled up into a colorful "small mountain" at an astonishing speed.

Kirigaya Nuo pushed this "small mountain" toward the cash register. While lining up, low yet unhideably excited conversations came from beside her:

"Is that... First-dan Kirigaya?"

"It's really her! I've seen her photo in 'Kido' magazine!"

"My god, she looks even better than in the photos... and so young!"

"I heard she beat Iyama 9-dan in the middle game, is it true?"

Kirigaya Nuo turned her head and saw two girls wearing uniforms of a nearby private high school, covering their mouths, their eyes wide and round, flashing with a light mixing worship and disbelief.

"It r-really is Kirigaya-san!"

One of the short-haired girls mustered courage and greeted softly,

"W-we watched the live broadcast of that game between you and Teacher Iyama... t-too shocking!"

Xu Yunzhou chuckled in her consciousness:

"Yo, our family's Nuo-nuo has little fans. Even wearing uniforms, youth is so good."

Kirigaya Nuo nodded slightly, considered a response:

"Thank you."

The gaze of the other glasses-wearing girl landed on her mountain-like shopping cart, then looked at her being alone, unable to help asking:

"Is Kirigaya-san buying so many ingredients alone? So amazing... are you making a big feast?"

"Mhm."

Kirigaya Nuo responded.

"Um... do you need our help?"

The short-haired girl had already enthusiastically reached out her hand,

"Let us help you carry them outside! With so much, it's hard for one person to carry!"

Kirigaya Nuo instinctively wanted to refuse—not easily accepting help from strangers, not exposing her address and movement routes, were basic principles.

But when her gaze touched the pure goodwill in their eyes, the refusal that reached her mouth paused for a moment.

"...Sorry to trouble you."

She finally said, her voice half a point softer than usual.

The two girls instantly became as happy as if they had won the lottery. Eagerly helping her lift several of the heaviest shopping bags, they accompanied her out of the supermarket chattering all the way, until they securely put the items into the trunk of a taxi.

"Kirigaya-san, ganbatte!"

(TL: "Ganbatte" is Japanese for "do your best / good luck.")

The short-haired girl waved forcefully outside the car window, her cheeks flushing from excitement,

"We will always cheer for you!"

The glasses-wearing girl also shouted loudly:

"Future Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo Kirigaya, Happy New Year's Eve!"