[bright] time

(light side)

At about 04:30 in the morning, we departed from Tokyo and took the Tomei Expressway to Gero, Gifu County, my mother's hometown.In the car sat Taya, Xiao Ming and She.

Xiao Ming returned to Tokyo to teach after graduation because her uncle wanted her to stay with them for at least two years before letting her go to Osaka.

I only recently found out that my uncle wanted me to be with Xiaoming so much because my family lived close to him; he hated the club so much because of... He was upset that his second daughter was about to be abducted by the people of Osaka.

I heard that this is the heartache of only a daughter in the family.

The stereo in the car played OneRepublic's Mercy at the tiniest volume.Before getting in the car, I asked Ta Ya to take a nap to catch up on sleep, but he seemed to be afraid that I would be bored driving, so he kept talking to me, but it was the two people sitting in the back seat, who got on the car within 10 minutes. I reported to Zhou Gong in minutes, and I didn't know the hard work of the driver.

"[-] of [-]. It's almost seven o'clock, and I'm so hungry... How many toll booths are there from the rest stop?"

Taya opened the locker and took out the atlas, flipping through it, "Where is it now?"

"Sanfangyuan."

"Hmm... let me take a look. The nearest one is Hamanako Rest Station, which is still more than ten kilometers away. [-] out of [-]."

"Oh, that's great, we'll be here in another ten minutes. Finally we can eat!"

"Huh?" When putting the map collection back into the locker, Taya seemed to have discovered something.

"Here's what you've been looking for. [-] of [-]."

I glanced at the thing in Taya's hand, it was published two weeks ago: Goethe (ゲーテ), this issue is a special report on me and Taya.

"Ah, I remembered. The day I left the chess academy, I took my mother and the others to horse training. When I packed things up, I put them away so easily that I completely forgot about it. [-] out of [-]."

"You mean you always misplace your things?"

Flipping through the magazine for a while,

"Heh~ actually talking about rhinoceros...I don't know what you're thinking. [-] out of [-]."

It seems that he is reading the article "トラ(虎)とサイ(Rhinoceros)の戦い, King!?"This is a report that was published a few days before the seventh battle between me and Taya.

"I just want to ask who snatched my tiger first? A certain Master Dragon."

When I was being interviewed that day, I was suddenly asked by a reporter what I thought of the term "dragon-tiger battle".I thought to myself, I have used it for so many years, what's the point of asking now?Feeling strange, the reporter told me that when interviewing Taya in the morning, I asked Taya for his opinion on a whim, but I didn’t expect him to answer like this,

"In terms of image alone, I'm more envious of the tiger of Shinto's [-]th dan than the dragon.

So far, no biologist or archaeologist has been able to prove that a creature like "dragon" that has no wings and can fly into the sky as long as it rides clouds once existed.

His "strong" is actually very illusory.But "Tiger" is different. It feels very practical. He uses strength to prove his strength, not a whispered legend. 』

After listening to it, I laughed a couple of times, and it really was something Ryo Taya would say,

"Yeah?So it seems that I have to think of another animal to change the routine.Otherwise, how boring is the battle between tigers and tigers? Just like that, he blurted out "rhinoceros".For me, this is the strongest mascot in the history of Go.

"But why a rhino? [-] of [-]."

"Very strong, isn't it? Look at how he gallops across the African savannah. [-] out of [-]."

"Don't you usually say lion? The king of beasts. [-] out of [-]."

"Anyway, it's all said. Any animal is fine, who knows that these words will change the title. Don't you always care? Whatever words and languages ​​are packaging, the most authentic presentation of the chess game is the chess record itself. [-] out of [-]. It’s rare to have such a positive answer.”

This is probably why Taya doesn't like being interviewed.

How is the situation?Who is strong and who is weak?Where is the splendor?If you read the chess records, you will know that whether it is a tiger or a dragon, it is just a story added in, hoping to attract more attention.

It's not that it's bad, it's just that no matter how you add these seasonings, it can't change the value of the game itself.

It would be great if there were more people who like to play chess because they read the reports, but it would be troublesome if there were more people who just changed the focus.

Taya boy will become so media-hating,

The TV teaching series of previous years should be the culprit, right?

Before accepting this interview this time, I was a little bit repelled. If the other party hadn’t proposed the theme of "the charm of work", maybe this report would not have happened?

"I've been asked what I think, how could I not answer. Of course, if I want to answer, I can't say something against my heart. I appreciate Tiger's reality. [-] out of [-]."

"Yes~ yes~. Tsk - there is still this move..." It seems that the boring conversation must be terminated... Taya's move just caught my pain!

"...Hey, I want to drive a car, talk to you, and play chess with you. Are you so ruthless? Is there such a thing as this? [-] out of [-]."

"That way you don't get bored and sleepy, [-] out of [-]."

"ㄟ!?..." He glared at the guy who was sitting next to him leisurely flipping through the magazine.

"Are you going to admit defeat?" He said in a determined tone.

"Who are you talking about!?" Tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, thinking of other ways to survive.

This guy is really infuriating.I really want to ask God where did the cute and docile Taya Ryo hide from last night.

"Shinto, drive well. Don't knock around."

"What do you think if you don't knock me?"

"It's very annoying to think that you use your head instead of your fingers!"

As he spoke, he turned his head away angrily.

"What, just knocking doesn't work?"

"no."

"Tsk-"

Impatiently, he glanced at Taya, and unexpectedly found that the skin under the guy's collar was stained with a little red tide.

Oh ~.So this is ah….

"Okay, stop knocking."

Then, when Taya turned around in relief, I deliberately moved my middle finger twice, and tapped the steering wheel a few more times.

"Shinto!!"

Angry ~ blushing ~!

"Hahaha~ stop knocking, stop knocking! Really, really!"

Put your hands to your ears in a gesture of surrender,

"Call the people behind to get up, the rest stop is here." Quickly changed the subject,

With a twist of the steering wheel, it bent in the direction of the rest stop.

It's been more than a year since I was with Taya, and recently, I found that Taya has changed a little bit.

In the past two months, the next morning after H... (well... although it may not necessarily be the morning...) In short, after H, this guy is absolutely unwilling to play chess with me.

At first I thought I heard it wrong, that Go idiot Ta Yaliang actually refused to play?

Finally, I found out that the problem may be in my hands.

Go is played by grabbing pieces with fingers, but looking at my hand, he seems to be unable to calm down, and his winning rate is extremely low.

I was super happy to know that, because finally I'm not the only one with weaknesses.In addition, my weakness is when I played against Taya in pajamas. In my impression, I haven't won half a time...

***

(Xiaoming side)

After breakfast at the coffee shop, Sha and Taya went to the convenience store to do some shopping, while I followed Hikari back to the car.There are still five or six hours' drive away from Gero, and it's my turn to drive next.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Guang helped me adjust the height of the driver's seat and the angles of the mirrors on both sides of the rear-view mirror.

"Is that all right?"

"Yeah. You can see clearly from the front, back, left, and right."

"Okay, don't crash my car."

"I already have a driver's license! And the highway doesn't require any skills, just drive straight, right?"

After hearing what I said, a worried look suddenly appeared on Hikari's face,

"...Listen, don't speed, don't overtake, and don't fall asleep for me! I'll take care of you when I get two hours of sleep."

"Know it!"

"Oh, I'm uneasy."

After closing the door, Hikari sat back on the chair set up on the sidewalk and took out a bottle of eye drops from his pocket.

The pigment in the pupils of the light is naturally lighter, and it is more sensitive to light than us. Maybe the morning sun just now was too glaring, making his eyes hurt?

"Why doesn't that boy have a driver's license?"

"I don't have time to learn it. I just learned it when I was a contracted chess player in Korea, right? The club and Taya-kun were very busy in those two years. To make up for the vacancy. But recently I heard that he wants to sign up look." He closed the door and sat down beside the light.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm too self-willed, and leave as soon as I say I leave. Aren't you trying to make up for it now?"

Opened the eye drops, raised his head, and pressed the bottle several times,

The moment Guang thought it was about to drip into the eyes, the red liquid medicine fell on the closed eyelids and flowed down the face.Tried several times in a row with the same result....

"Hehe..., Guang is still the same as when he was a child, so he doesn't know how to put eye drops."

"I'm so sorry, I haven't made any progress at all. Tsk-worse."

Looking more and more angry, Guang angrily wiped off the medicine that dripped all over his face but couldn't get into his eyes.Hate the hassle and that hasn't changed at all.

"Really, eye drops can make you angry. Here, help me?"

"Oh? Thanks then."

After taking the eye drops, he opened Guang's eyelids and pressed the bottle, the drops dripped into Guang's eyes,

"Wouldn't it be better to wear sunglasses?"

"I put it in another backpack and forgot to take it."

"Put an extra pair in the car?"

"I'm planning."

After ordering, Guang closed his eyes and rolled his eyes, and asked me when the eye drops penetrated,

"Let me tell you, when will the club, the club, the club be called?"

here we go again.Guang always speaks for the society.

"... Otherwise, what would it be called?"

"Ask me if you're not mistaken? Hmm... for example, Xiao Qing, how cute is she?"

"...I don't want it." Guangming knew that this was the name that Nishino-senpai would call, so I didn't want to use it.Close the lid, give back the eye drops,

"Hey."

"Thank you." He took the eye drops, tossed them in his hand and put them in his pocket, then asked me,

"quarrel?"

"no."

"No? Let's watch the quarrel. Quarreling is also communication. The old listeners boast that you have never quarreled, what kind of model couple, it's annoying enough."

"..., I don't have anything to argue with him." He lowered his head and looked at the ground.

"Xiao Ming, how many years have we known each other?"

"We've known each other since birth."

"Yeah, it's been [-] years. To be honest, kindness is kindness. I've never felt that you are empathetic. Listen carefully, you don't have the wisdom to see what other people are thinking.

Ever since I went to the Hasase Middle School Academy Festival in elementary school and you put pigeons on me, I am very convinced that you are a girl who will never know the true meaning of others for the rest of her life if she doesn't tell you clearly. "

"What, at that time, I just couldn't say it myself!"

"Of course it's the irony that boys like to pretend to be cool, isn't it written on my face that I will go?"

"Who can tell!?"

"Haha! That's why you're so natural! As long as it's a girl, nine out of ten can tell."

"The light is exaggerating again." It really hasn't changed at all, and I hate places like light the most.

"I'm very sorry, but this time there is absolutely no irrigation! 90.00/[-], do you calculate if this is more than [-]%? Teacher Xiao Ming, if you can't figure it out, you will be laughed at by the students in your class."

With arms folded, Hikaru asked me a question at the level of a primary school student.It's really hateful, yes, people are just dull and natural!

"Hmph, I must say this to my girlfriend in the future." I know exactly what that denominator means. I have heard a lot of things from the company. It must be bad for these two people to get together. .

"...Fujisaki Akira!?" He called me my full name with gritted teeth, turned around and looked around, not knowing what he was warning about.

He patted his chest and exhaled,

"Tsk, you bastard. My kindness really didn't pay off.

In short, if you want to ask about She Lijia, just ask, what is there to avoid quarreling?If arguing can clear up the misunderstanding, then go ahead and quarrel.If after the quarrel, he felt that She was really an asshole, he would have thrown him away earlier.It's that simple. "

"Light... you know?"

"know a little."

"Then just tell me—"

"Rejected. I didn't mean that well. He actually said he was going to report me... I remember."

"mean!"

"Yes, yes, I am a small-minded person."

***

(light side)

Leaving the rest stop and starting again, thinking back to the dispute about "where to sit" before getting in the car, I really want to beat the head of the guy who is now sitting in the assistant seat in front of me.

The scene where Xiao Ming gave me some eye drops just now made him burn, right?

As soon as I came back, I opened the door of the back seat and sat in, and said to Taya who was about to open the door on the other side of the back seat,

"Taya, you sit in front."

Hey, don't drag Taya into your vinegar bucket full of misunderstandings, and why did you order him! ?

"Taya sat in the back. He didn't sleep all the way just now and was tired."

Help Taya open the door and push him to sit in.

Opening the door of the front seat, I deliberately said loudly,

"Since some people don't want to accompany their girlfriends, then this task can only be entrusted to my childhood sweetheart. Accept it!"

Someone got out of the car at this time, staring at me with a look of ready to fight.

Don't be afraid, just stare at that guy,

"Xiao Ming is very popular, don't be careless."

Give him back the exclusive seat of the company, and sit next to Taya.

Everyone behaves differently when they are jealous. I belong to the "immediately give each other a good look" type; Taya is undoubtedly the "go back and show me a good look" type; the company's words..., according to the current observation, it should be "exploded only when it explodes" Will make people look good" type; what about Xiao Ming?Xiao Ming is even more genius. She belongs to the type of "not very jealous, and won't react too much if she is jealous".

After sitting in the seat, the driver lady who went to the bathroom finally came back.

"You're slow to die." The fight ended with several quarrels.

"...Light is really annoying." He puffed up his shoulders, buckled up his seat belt, and set off like this.

After pretending to be asleep for nearly an hour, just when I thought I was really going to fall asleep, the two guys in front finally spoke.

"Xiao Ming, don't give eye drops to anyone other than me in the future."

There was another silence.

I don't know if Xiao Ming didn't hear it, didn't understand it, or felt that this request was unreasonable and was throwing a tantrum.

"...What about when Dad asks me?...Are you sure about the company?"

"..., your dad can."

"...What about the children at school? My class is first grade, and some parents will ask me."

"..., children can."

"...What about the old man? Last time Grandpa Heihachi ordered for a long time, but the order was not good and Grandma Emi was not here. It's very pitiful. It can't be done now."

"..., the old man can."

"...Then──"

"That's enough! It's not enough to enter Fujihikari!! This is clear enough!!"

"..."

... Poor She... I really want to shed tears for him...

"Have you been seen by the society?"

"I see."

"Not happy?"

"nonsense."

"Just because of the eyes──"

"Why is 'Light' over there and I'm 'Sha'!? This also makes me very unhappy!"

"..."

"..., would you be happy if I called you 'Xiaoqing'?"

Huh?This voice...Xiao Ming is angry...She..., you pissed off Bodhisattva-like Xiao Ming.

"That's not what I meant....What's wrong with you?"

After I asked the question, I saw that Xiao Ming had an empty one and was rummaging for something in his handbag.

I said, Miss Xiao Ming, you should drive carefully. There are three people worth hundreds of millions of dollars sitting in this car. If anything happens, the Japanese Go world will be shaken!

After finally taking it out, I handed it to the front of the company.

"The company said to take the watch for repair."

surface?

It seems that the agency has been asking me to find him for the past few days. He said it was very important, that it was Xiao Ming who gave him it, and it was very important.

"…Why you…"

"The day before yesterday, Nishino-senpai took it to school and asked me to return it to you."

Women are scary….So it must be Li Jia hiding it?The result was put together.

"That guy Li Jia... Xiao Ming, don't get me wrong, I'm at her house because──"

"I believe in the club. I told my senpai very clearly.

...I said that I am a very dull person, and I would not have believed it until I heard it from Sha himself.

No rumors will be believed.

So don't worry, Xiao Ming is not angry. "

"..."

Xiao Ming, this guy... must be laughing again now.It's nice to sit in the backseat and not see that smile.

She, you can see it, what do you think?

"...Don't trust me like that. I'm afraid that I will get worse...and become paralyzed...and take Xiao Ming's tolerance for granted."

"... If you take it for granted... you will be the same as Xiao Ming. This is not good... really not good."

"...?"

"I don't know...whether I'm too slow, or I'm too slender.

Many rumors and rumors were always told to me before they reached Xiaoming's ears.

Looking back now, I actually seldom feel uneasy.

But this time..., I heard from others, it was really a bit uncomfortable. ...This is... the retribution for taking She's thoughtfulness for granted, right? "

"What retribution are you talking about? You're right...it's my fault, it's my luck....I thought you wouldn't find out."

Just when She finished speaking these terrifying words, I realized that Taya, who should have fallen asleep like me, suddenly opened his eyes, and made a gesture of rushing to the front seat to beat him up. I quickly held his hand, squinted my eyes, winked at him.

"…."Why?

"..." Just go to sleep.

"..." Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes reluctantly.

"I'm not saying I've changed my mind, I just...underestimated some things. It's more than it should be."

"…I don't understand."

"About half a year ago, I heard that Li Jia was dating a married man. I was surprised that she was such a stupid woman, so I called her to persuade her to think clearly. I had no other ideas, just as a childhood sweetheart.

But she couldn't listen, so I didn't care about her anymore.

Then last month I suddenly received a call from her, saying that she wanted to let go, but the other party refused.Ask me to help her.

That's it..., when I came to Tokyo on business, I went to her apartment a few times, pretended to be her boyfriend, and made that person give up.

I would promise Li Jia to help me with this kind of help...maybe it was a fluke in my heart that...Xiao Ming would never find out, and thought that as long as I made it clear...Xiao Ming would definitely forgive me.And I didn't change my mind, I just wanted to help Li Jia.

Using such an excuse to justify one's actions...

Thinking about it now, this mentality is really outrageous.It is obviously something that even "pretending" cannot be forgiven.

I was really flustered when I found out that the watch was missing. The things I should have told you sooner... it became more and more difficult to say.Even told that kind of lie. …sorry.

But there's only one thing you have to believe me about. …No matter how much I pretended, the matter of Xiao Ming never left my head for a second.The more I stay with Li Jia, the clearer I am... Who is I thinking about.I didn't do anything to apologize to you. "

"Idiot..., didn't I say that? Believe in the society."

"...Xiao Ming."

Xiao Ming... this idiot... is too tolerant of this guy, do you want to spoil him?

I really don't know what kind of blessings this kid from the society has cultivated in his previous life.

"Then that person...has given up and stopped pestering senior sister?"

"I don't know. The last time I went to Lijia's house, that person didn't come again, maybe.... Are you worried about what others are doing? She did such an outrageous thing. Did the other staff say anything about you?"

"Yeah, everyone just went to class at that time, and Xiao Ming was the only one.... I also felt very strange. I should be very angry, but I can't get angry....

Maybe it's..., compared to the confident expression and aggressive tone, what impresses Xiao Ming more is... the back view of the senior when she left, there is a feeling of desolation and loneliness. "

"...and you sympathize with her in turn... I can't stand you..."

"What's the matter....Call the senior and ask her to see if she is still pestering her?"

"No,...I don't want to care about her anymore..."

"...Then what if something happens?"

"...You can't be so kind, can you?"

"Ask and see, Shi?"

"Don't call me any more!"

"Then why don't you ask?"

"don't want!"

"Okay?"

"I said no!"

"Ask!"

"…don't want!"

...

...

In between the back and forth persuasion and refusal, She covered her head with her coat.

It's not that Xiao Ming is annoying, but that he once again finds himself conquered by Xiao Ming's pure and innocent brilliance, right?

I forgot when I was drunk,

She said he was a snake, the snake that stepped on the feet of the Virgin Mary; he said he was a monkey, the monkey tamed by Tang Sanzang.

Said that Xiao Ming's naturalness always makes him feel ashamed, makes him almost evaporate, and makes him feel moved to cry every now and then.

I said She, your face under the coat is not hiding tears right now?

I'm still afraid that Xiao Ming will be bullied, this kind of personality who can't even showdown.

But today I finally saw what it means to overcome rigidity with softness.