Chapter 129: Christmas Eve, Kisei Tournament

On the outskirts of Edo, an inconspicuous izakaya.

The signboard was blown crooked by the wind, and the lantern swayed violently in the wind and snow, emitting a creaking wail.

Kirigaya Nuo paused slightly at the alley entrance, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings like a radar—the snow-covered roof, the tightly closed window on the second floor opposite, the miscellaneous items piled at the end of the alley... confirming safety.

She lifted the heavy noren and pushed the door open.

"Creak—"

The inside of the shop was smaller, darker, and colder than it looked from the outside.

There were very few customers, only two old men drinking silently in the corner.

In the innermost part, in the shadow around the corner of the bar counter facing away from the door, sat a woman.

An off-white long trench coat of exquisite texture, gleaming with a delicate luster in the dimness.

She was sipping sake alone, her side profile elegant and exhausted, like an urban beauty tired of the workplace stealing a moment of leisure alone.

It was Gekka-ki.

Kirigaya Nuo walked to the seat behind her and sat down with her back to her.

Between the two of them, there was an empty seat separating them.

No speaking.

Not even eye contact.

Only the subtle water sound of sake being poured into a cup, and the sobbing of the wind and snow outside the window.

Who knows how long passed.

Gekka-ki extended her fingers, picked up the small flat-mouthed sake cup in front of her, and gently swirled it against the dim light.

"Nuo."

Her voice was suppressed very low, almost melting into the background noise, yet clearly transmitted into Kirigaya Nuo's ears.

"Takemiya Susumu-san... his recent proposals, the handwriting is too big."

"Touched cakes he shouldn't have touched, blocked roads he shouldn't have blocked."

She paused, took a sip of wine, the icy liquid sliding down her throat.

"Someone can't sit still anymore. Scraped together some pocket money, wanting to ask someone for help... tidy up the study."

She chuckled lightly, almost inaudibly. There was not the slightest smile in that sound, only cold sarcasm,

"The tidying fee... went up a bit."

"One billion Yen. Clean money."

There was no emotional fluctuation in Gekka-ki's voice, only pure informing,

"So, it can't be delayed any longer."

She leaned back slightly, her voice softer, yet sharper:

"The upcoming Kisei tournament, he will inevitably attend, give a speech, present awards... Public occasion, camera lenses focused, watched by the masses."

"But exactly because of this, the true close-body protection will instead have loopholes—they won't let too many people crowd in front of the cameras destroying the picture, nor dare to act as if facing a formidable enemy in front of countless media and spectators."

"That is your best opportunity to personally take revenge and become famous worldwide."

"And also... the only opportunity."

With her back to her, Kirigaya Nuo's figure was like a pine, not even the frequency of her breathing changing.

Until several seconds after Gekka-ki's words fell.

Only then did she slowly raise her right hand and tap three times on the table.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Received.

Confirmed execution.

Gekka-ki seemed to nod imperceptibly.

She didn't turn her head, just gently pushed a dark brown kraft paper document bag with fingertips painted with dark red nail polish.

"Inside are detailed floor plans of each venue of the competition, annotations of internal surveillance blind spots, as well as... identifying features and confirmation passwords of the extraction personnel."

"The plan is formulated by you, details controlled by you. The organization will mobilize all resources to fully cooperate. We even..."

She paused, her red lips hooking into a cold arc:

"Have already picked out the most suitable scapegoat for you. A homeless man who owes the organization high gambling debts and has no way out. His figure is seventy percent similar to you after disguise. His suicide-out-of-fear-of-punishment scene will leave enough evidence to satisfy the police."

The words fell.

She tightened the belt of her trench coat, turned around directly, and walked toward the door.

High heels stepped on the wooden floor, emitting a regular and cold "clack clack" sound.

"Click."

The door opened, and her figure completely merged into the chaotic darkness and wildly dancing snow outside the door.

From beginning to end, the two never exchanged a single glance, never saw each other's expressions clearly.

As if they were just two lonely souls who accidentally came in one after another to escape the snow on this cold winter afternoon in this izakaya that closed early, yet never had an intersection.

...

The Kisei Tournament best-of-seven finals kicked off as scheduled amidst the fanatical hype of the media and the unprecedented attention of Go fans.

This Go event, originally viewed by young people as an "antique," actually unprecedentedly occupied the headlines of major news pages, and online discussions soared.

For no other reason, this plot was simply too dreamy, too exciting, as if torn directly from the best-selling hot-blooded manga and splashed into reality:

A seventeen-year-old beautiful girl Go player appearing out of nowhere!

No master lineage, mysterious background!

Since the beginning of her professional career until now, all games—all wins! Never tasting a defeat!

Now, she will point her sword at the throne of the Go arena, challenging the absolute king who has ruled that position for many years!

Every single label is enough to detonate a topic.

Like a myth currently being written.

First game, Kirigaya Nuo playing black won in the middle game.

Second game, Kirigaya Nuo playing white won in the middle game.

2:0.

Public opinion began to overwhelmingly exclaim "The descent of a new era" and "The twilight of the old king has arrived."

Iyama Shota 9-dan seemed to have turned from "King" to "Challenger," and that young girl had already been viewed by countless people as the new god about to be crowned.

The third game was scheduled for December 24th.

According to the two-day system schedule, it would last until December 25th.

Christmas Eve. Christmas Day.

The location for this game was set in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, far away from Edo—a place famous for its hot springs and tranquility.

But, Takemiya Susumu requested to come.

Under the guise of "promoting traditional culture" and "getting close to the citizens," this political heavyweight would attend the opening ceremony as a special guest.

His Sima Zhao's heart is known to every passerby. It's nothing more than wanting to show his face at this highly anticipated cultural event, leech off the heat, and gild his political image.

(TL: "Sima Zhao's heart..." is a famous idiom meaning someone's hidden ambitions are glaringly obvious to everyone.)

The day before the competition, Kirigaya Nuo arrived at the accommodation with the Go Institute delegation—the famous "Kasuitei" hot spring villa in Yonago City.

The game room for the competition was set up in a quiet and elegant annex facing the lake within the villa.

While "touring with the team" the venue where the opening ceremony would be held, Kirigaya Nuo's eyes were calm, her gaze "inadvertently" sweeping over the doorplate of the guest lounge, the winding passages backstage, and that inconspicuous emergency exit diagram on the wall.

She also "accidentally" took the wrong path and "mistakenly entered" several seemingly ordinary areas—the end of a quiet corridor next to the restroom, the door of a storage room piled with linens, a rest corner outside the changing room of the hot spring area.

In these places, the tools arranged in advance by the Crescent Group were quietly lying dormant:

A thin and light laptop hidden under a trash can, disguise clothing in the janitorial workroom...

And that Walther P99 pistol with a silencer.

Everything, in position.

...

Match day, 9:00 AM sharp.

The scent of incense in the game room drifted curlingly.

Iyama Shota 9-dan had long sat properly on one side of the Go board, eyes closed focusing his mind, his breathing long and steady.

At this moment, he didn't look like a defending champion guarding the throne, but rather more like a tragic and heroic challenger forced to the edge of a cliff, preparing to welcome destiny's final judgment.

Fifteen minutes before the game, the media reporters permitted to enter swarmed in.

Long guns and short cannons were set up, flashbulbs instantly lighting up into a glaring ocean of silver-white, the shutter sounds dense like a rainstorm.

All lenses greedily aimed at the door.

Kirigaya Nuo walked in expressionlessly amidst this wave of light.

She wore a well-fitting dark suit skirt, her long hair tied meticulously behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead and a cold side profile.

She turned a deaf ear to the clamor and burning gazes around her, walking straight to the other side of the Go board and sitting down steadily.

She gently placed a plain-faced bamboo folding fan she held in her hand by her side.

"Please instruct me."

She bowed slightly, her voice clear, calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Iyama Shota slowly opened his eyes, his gaze complexly landing on that overly young and beautiful, yet expressionless face opposite him.

In those eyes there was solemnity, there was the unyielding fighting spirit of a Go player, but deep down, there was hidden a... fear that even he himself had to admit.

"Please instruct me."

He responded in a deep voice, his voice slightly dry.

The game began.

Kirigaya Nuo played black and went first.

First move, upper right star point.

Second move, lower left 3-4 point.

"Teacher,"

She said softly in her consciousness,

"Help me control the rhythm. Try your best to drag this game out until tomorrow afternoon."

She had long memorized Takemiya Susumu's itinerary by heart:

After this big shot attended the opening ceremony in the morning and accepted brief interviews from several mainstream media, he would enjoy private afternoon time at the villa's specialty hot spring "Tsukimi no Yu" (Moon-Viewing Bath), and subsequently return to Edo by car in the evening.

The assassination window was only this afternoon, during that hour or so when he was soaking in the hot spring.