Chapter 135: Another Year, Valentine's Day

Preparations complete, Xu Yunzhou re-entered the game.

Only an instant had passed inside.

"Nuo..."

Xu Yunzhou spoke, his voice carrying a trace of mischievous expectation and smile,

"Let me mount you for a bit? Just for a while."

Xu Nuo was somewhat puzzled, not understanding what Teacher suddenly wanted to control her body for.

But she had unreserved trust in Xu Yunzhou, only responding obediently:

"Oh... okay..."

She relaxed her mind, proactively handing over control of her body temporarily.

Soon, Xu Yunzhou's consciousness "took over" Xu Nuo's body.

He controlled "her" to walk to the computer, turn it on, connect to the network, and skillfully used an anonymous service for virtual number generation and sending text messages.

Recipient number:

That domestic mobile phone number Xu Xinyi used eight years ago.

The first sentence at the beginning, in order to arouse enough attention from the other party, used Chinese:

[I am Mister. The following words are very important, please read carefully and comply.]

The specific arrangements and hints below all used the French Xu Yunzhou had just finished translating.

Xu Nuo watched "her own" fingers type out those elegant and mysterious letters on the keyboard that she couldn't understand, feeling very admiring:

Teacher is indeed Teacher... knows so much, even so proficient in French... so amazing.

...

February in Hokkaido, covered in white snow.

Although the fourth game determining the ownership of the Kisei title was scheduled to be held in Obihiro City on February 17th, on this day of February 14th, Xu Nuo had already arrived in Sapporo, publicly claiming to be adjusting her condition and adapting to the away environment.

Naturally, no one knew that the purpose of her trip was to celebrate a festival.

To celebrate the first true Valentine's Day of her life.

The taxi stopped in front of a hidden hot spring ryokan deep in Jozankei with only a dozen or so guest rooms.

"Teacher, did you really... book the hotel?"

Before checking in, Xu Nuo stood on the bluestone steps outside the ryokan's entryway, looking at that heavy wooden lattice door, still somewhat hesitant, her voice suppressed very low.

She found it hard to imagine how an incorporeal Teacher could complete this series of tedious operations like booking a room, paying, and arranging details.

Xu Yunzhou smiled, his voice certain:

"Rest assured, just go straight to the front desk and state your name."

Xu Nuo pushed open the heavy wooden door.

At the entryway, a female attendant wearing a tomesode kimono was already waiting quietly.

(TL: Tomesode is a highly formal kimono worn by married women.)

Seeing the young girl walk in, a trace of unhideable surprise rapidly flashed through her eyes.

This face had recently appeared frequently on the front pages of major newspapers and TV news!

That genius young girl who swept the Go arena with world-shocking records and was only one step away from the "Kisei" title, Kirigaya Nuo!

Previously, when receiving that demanding and exceptionally generously paid reservation from overseas, seeing the name "Kirigaya Nuo," she thought it was a joke from some admirer or a coincidental same name.

She didn't expect... it was actually her in person!

The surprise only existed for an extremely short instant, and was rapidly transformed by long-trained professional quality into just-right respect, humility, and a sense of honor.

She bowed deeply, her voice soft:

"Kirigaya... Kisei-sama, welcome to our humble ryokan."

Although, strictly speaking, she was still one victory away from being officially crowned, in the hearts of countless Nihon citizens, she was already the youngest Kisei destined to rewrite history.

"The Tsukimi no Hanare you booked has been properly prepared for you, please follow me."

Tsukimi no Hanare, Moon-Viewing Villa.

Usually the most honorable detached villa with excellent scenery in this kind of top-tier hot spring ryokan. Unavailable without being an honored guest or making a special reservation.

The female attendant stepped on the gravel path covered with thin snow to lead the way, passed through a quiet karesansui (dry landscape) garden, and finally stopped in front of a detached wooden house surrounded by bamboo fences and cedars.

The wooden door was gently pushed open, then walking through a short porch, entering the main hall.

Xu Nuo's footsteps abruptly stopped.

Her pupils slightly dilated in the warm candlelight.

Dozens of handmade glass candlesticks stood quietly along the edges of the room, windowsills, and even low beams, the candlelight swaying gently even in the daytime.

In the center of the living room, a huge heart shape was laid out using dark red rose petals.

In the center of the heart shape, placed an exquisite two-tier birthday cake, the cream snow-white, decorated with bright red strawberries and golden sugar threads, the top standing with small number candles "18".

And what made her breathing stagnate the most was that plain-colored folding screen directly facing the entrance.

On the folding screen, written with heavy ink brushstrokes, were two lines of Chinese:

[Wishing the best Ah Nuo a Happy 18th Birthday]

[From: XYZ]

Like "N", "XYZ" are also commonly used algebraic symbols in mathematics, representing the unknown and infinite possibilities.

Of course, they also represented the pinyin initials of Xu Yunzhou's name.

Beside the handwriting, a simple stick-figure smiley face (＾▽＾) was drawn clumsily yet cutely, revealing a bit of childish sincerity.

Under the folding screen, several gift boxes tied with ribbons were neatly arranged.

The female attendant waiting to the side looked at the young girl's instantly stiff back and frozen expression before her eyes, and her heart also sighed with myriad emotions.

Although the arrangement of the room was completed by their own hands, all these items were prepared strictly according to an extremely detailed planning proposal sent from overseas, and many key items were even directly couriered from Great Xia to Hokkaido.

She couldn't help but think secretly:

Which suitor is so attentive... Although the person didn't arrive personally, they turned their feelings into this room full of radiance and fragrance.

This meticulousness and romance is truly rare to see in this era...

She suppressed the admiration in her heart, quietly retreated to the corridor outside the door, bowed deeply toward Xu Nuo's back again, and said softly:

"Kisei Kirigaya, wishing you... a Happy Valentine's Day, and hoping you have a pleasant recuperation here before the match. If you have any other needs, please ring the bell and instruct at any time."

The door was gently closed.

Xu Nuo stood alone amidst a room full of candlelight and plum fragrance, motionless.

Her throat seemed to be blocked by something warm and soft, unable to emit a sound.

Her eyes quickly blurred.

Even Xu Yunzhou felt his heart soften watching this, a sourness inexplicably rising at the tip of his nose.

That girl Xu Xinyi... truly did an amazing job...

This kind of thing really has to be left to girls to arrange, details full marks, atmosphere directly pulled to the extreme.

A long time passed, so long that time itself seemed to solidify in the candlelight.

Only then did Xu Nuo extremely slowly move her footsteps, walking to the front of that folding screen.

Reaching out, her fingertips gently caressing those ink marks.

"Teacher..."

She spoke, her voice terribly hoarse, carrying a suppressed tremble:

"These... were they all prepared by you..."

"Mhm."

Xu Yunzhou's voice sounded, warmth revealing amidst calmness:

"Do you like it? Happy 18th birthday, little Nuo."

Xu Nuo nodded forcefully, but tears finally flowed out uncontrollably, silently rolling down along her cheeks.

From wandering in a foreign land and suffering bullying, to holding a gun, killing people, rolling in darkness, waking up in bloodiness... to now, living on the edge of a knife under a fake name, walking on thin ice between the false fame of the Go board and the shadow of the organization.

She thought she had long discarded weakness and become accustomed to loneliness and coldness.

But it turns out, in some corner of her heart, that ordinary girl who longed to be blessed and treated gently was still curled up.

And Teacher...

He actually used magical methods to silently weave such a grand coming-of-age ceremony for her.

Xu Nuo knelt and sat on the tatami, right at the edge of that rose heart shape.

She raised her head, tears still flowing, but the corners of her mouth curved up.

"I like it... I like it very much..."

She choked with sobs, repeating:

"Thank you Teacher... really... thank you..."