[bright] time

(bright side)

In the brightly lit living room, I followed the rattan and sat on the warm wooden floor across the chessboard. We often played chess here. After we started dating, we spent more time playing chess privately than before.

The program of brainstorming becomes smoother, and the familiarity with the use of chess moves is also better. This is a training that cannot be done when playing chess alone.

There is even a feeling that the chess records played here are more satisfying than those played in the open tournament.

……

"You win."

"Thank you for your advice."

Divide the chess pieces on the chessboard into two halves, tidy up the go pieces near me, divide them into black and white, then push the white pieces to Jinto, and he pushes the black pieces back to me, put them into the chess jar, and close the lid .

"What are you laughing at?"

"Um?"

"I asked you what are you smiling with your eyes bent and the corners of your mouth hooked?" Shinto raised his chin and pointed to my face.

"I'm happy that I've played a game that I'm satisfied with, isn't it?"

"Are you happy when you lose?"

"'Sometimes you learn more from losing chess than winning chess' is what you said yourself. I am that moment now."

"Hmm~."

"What about you? Are you not satisfied? This game of chess."

Grab the last handful of chess pieces, put them into the chess jar, cover it, and hooked the corner of his mouth helplessly,

"On the contrary. There is an indescribable sense of exhilaration at the end of the game. This is what I lacked in my Honinbo tournament recently... Sora is tired after the game. It's not fun at all. It's fine if you win, and you lose like that. … There is one last chance left....the last..." Clutching the pieces in his hand, Shinto's fists were shaking with force, and the expression on his face was horrifying.

"Shinto! Go content itself is not bad at all!"

"If you lose, you lose. Do you want to drink water?" Shinto stood up and walked to the kitchen, trying to change the subject again.

"unnecessary!!"

I immediately grabbed his hand to prevent him from standing up and asked him to continue sitting.

"Shinto! Don't you feel that your words are contradictory! Recently, you only see winning and losing compared to the content of the game record! Is this kind of Go interesting!? Is this kind of Go you want to play!?"

I asked him angrily, and Shinto looked at the chess pots on the board without saying a word.

"Why do you want to do this?... You don't know how much power your chess has... You don't know how lucky I am to be able to play chess with you! I can walk on the road of pursuing God's hand without hesitation like now, all because of you In! Did you know!」

Shinto smiled wryly with a bleak expression that I had never seen before, and said,

"...Heh... 'Because of me'?...Auntie has indeed said...if you hadn't met me in the chess club...you wouldn't have resolutely taken the professional exam to become a chess player....I didn't expect you to hesitate.

...But Taya, you've been getting it wrong all this time.

It's not because of me that you walk on this road...it's because of Zoe.He was the one who played the two games of chess with you at the beginning.It's strange, right?But that's only because Zuoi has no body..."

"I know!! I know... I know that Sai played those two games of chess. I know... You didn't know anything about Go at that time. I know that Sai is a ghost. Sai is attached to you and instructed you to play chess."

"...?" Shinto looked at me with wide eyes.

"...Just now, when you used these hands to play chess that didn't belong to you, you realized it....You are really too much, I can't see that kind of thing at all. Sai is a ghost. If you don't tell me, I will never Can't guess, can't you?"

Shinto stood up on one knee, picked up his bangs with the hands on his knees and stopped on his head, turned his face sideways,

"...You will believe what I say. But I want you to believe Zuoi, not me.

You should take his side and ask me,

Why don't you let Zuo Wei play chess with you?Why not let Zuowei play chess to his heart's content?To prevent the whole world from seeing his superb chess skills?

Hikari Shindo, who is so weak at Go, what right do you have to sit in front of me?

What qualifications do you have to monopolize Zuowei's chess? ...you should be berating me for that.

Taya, the person you've been chasing is Saori, not me. "

Every word Shinto said pierced my heart like a sharp sword.

I think of a lot of things from the past, my former self... the former Shinto... and I feel like my heart is about to tear apart....

...Tell me to say this kind of thing... Does he think I won't be hurt?

I know,

The me before...the me before I met "Shinto"...maybe I would really say that.I want to play chess with Sai more than Hikari Shinto...

Just like in that three generals battle,...to veto him who is only a beginner,...to veto...it's still early, but he can definitely grow into his biggest opponent.

If it wasn't for sai... I might really... never even look at him.Then unknowingly, I made a choice that I would regret for the rest of my life...

Clenching hands tightly, imagining that you are pinching your heart that can't stop trembling.Breathing, pressing the congealing sadness into the body, leaving only anger.

Angry at this idiot who has been playing chess with me until now and still doesn't understand anything.

So I frowned and asked him,

"Then, couldn't it be that the person sitting in front of me just now, played chess that inspired me, and even defeated me, wasn't Shinto Hikari Sai!?

Two years and four months later, when I played against me in the Wakashishi Cup, the person who surprised me with his chess and made me want to play more chess with him, wasn't Shinto Hikari Sai! ?

The person who always plays chess with me in the chess club, reviews the game records and quarrels, but I still hope he can come every day, isn’t it you who are sai! ?

...Aren't all of these you ... all sai! ?into the rattan!

If so... please don't tell me.Because I will definitely collapse, and I will never be able to play chess that satisfies me. "

Letting go of his bangs, and putting his hair back on his forehead one by one, Shinto looked at me suspiciously.

"You're right. I decided to take the exam because I played chess with Sai. Then you know why I...haven't been able to make up my mind to become a chess player?...

Because I can't find a match.I can't find an opponent who is the same age as me...but has the same chess skill as me or even stronger than me. ...All I want is an opponent who is the same age as me.

...sai... How old are you? "

"...." Shindo shrugged silently, looked at the floor and seemed to be thinking about Sai's appearance, "I don't know. Heh~... I didn't ask. [-]? [-]?"

[-], [-]..., so many years older..., no wonder he always associates with women who are older than himself.With a sigh, he shook the tedious jealousy out of his head.Now is not the time to think about it.

"...That's an adult. If I were an adult, I might not be so unwilling when I lost....I was still a child at the time, and I didn't want to use my age as an excuse, but I knew that as long as I continued to work hard to accumulate more With more experience, one day I will win. Sai can be my goal and mentor, but not the kind of opponent I want.

The first time I played chess with "you", all I felt was despair.Two years and four months later, I am very happy to play chess with you again.Because the opponent I've been waiting for has finally appeared.

so you understand?into the vine.Do you understand how important my Go is to me? "

Shinto looked at his hand, and clenched it tightly with the fingers that usually hold chess pieces.

"...Don't you want to play more chess with him?...I really want to. The more I think about it, the more I feel that he shouldn't have disappeared in the first place."

"What do you mean? Don't play your own chess, let Sai play all? What about you? What about Shinto Hikari's go? Where did Shinto Hikari go?"

"..."

"Idiot!! If you are really like this...the person who doesn't insist on picking up the chess pieces with your own hands, doesn't challenge me again and again, just wants to be a puppet and enjoy the glory..., I will never fall in love with you. I will despise you for the rest of my life!

You may think that playing your own chess is the cause of Zuo Wei's disappearance, which is a sin.But I don't think so at all!Even if I turned back the time a hundred times, I would still want you to do this.

I know that sai's disappearance makes you very painful...but I'm really glad that you decided to play chess with your own hands, and decided to catch up with me with your own feet.Because I want to see the current you, I want to play against the current you, I can't imagine what will happen if I don't meet the current you...

So Shinto!You give me half of the guilt?Let me share your guilt!

I need such Hikari Shinto!I need you to steal sai's pieces and sit in front of me like this!I need you to make this mistake!If you insist on thinking that playing your own chess is a crime, then you will share half with me! "

"Heh-..." Shinto, who had been lowering his head all the time, suddenly laughed, with the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "...you are really an idiot... you actually want to commit the same crime as me.... You also go to the dark hell...?"

"Go! As long as I can play chess with you, I will follow you everywhere. Just like I used to chase you to school, Internet cafes, and libraries, I will chase you wherever you are!"

"...It's still so difficult. It's nerve-wracking..."

Shinto whispered, opened his palms and pressed the temples on both sides of the eyes, the eyes covered under the gap between his fingers seemed to be faintly shining,

"Idiot... how could I let you go to that kind of place..."

Push away the chessboard between us, pull me who was sitting on the ground up and hug me.As I knelt down, Shinto's face was just right on my stomach, who was sitting on the ground.

"Don't come. I'll come out by myself,... I will chase after you to a place where you are. A warm and bright place."

Holding my body, Shinto said slowly,

"do you know?…"

The arms around my waist tightened like this, the strength was so great that I felt pain,

"...that guy disappeared just like that. In the middle of a chess game, he suddenly disappeared. A person who I thought would stay by my side for the rest of his life... suddenly disappeared.

…Until now, I still don’t know why, why I had to leave, and where I went.

Nobody can answer me, nobody can tell me...if this is all my fault.And I can't tell anyone... Zuo Wei is gone, a person who is very important to me... is gone. "

The voice was very sad, and on the skin through the shirt, there was a feeling that hot and humid water droplets were gradually fainting.When he spoke, Shinto’s voice was faintly trembling. It seemed that this was the first time he talked to others about Sai’s disappearance. Shinto who hugged me was like returning to him when he was only [-] years old. Small.

Maybe everything should be corrected from here?

If at that time...it wasn't just Shinto himself who was carrying this sadness, if someone could listen to him and tell him that it wasn't his fault..., maybe he wouldn't be in the endless cycle like he is now It's my self-blame.

I bent down, hugged Shinto's head, and patted his back regularly.I want him to know that I am by his side, listening to what he said about Zuo Wei, and being sad with him, that he is not alone.

"Zuowei has stayed in this world for a thousand years and played countless games of chess. He should have left this world without resentment. He should have become a Buddha. ... After he left, I like this Tell myself that I even had such a dream, saw him laughing, and saw him hand over the fan in his hand to me.

...but is that really what he wants?Or is it just my day-to-day thinking that makes up this kind of dream to comfort myself?Could he hate me?Will he hate me for not letting him play more chess?Will you hate your time for being taken away by me? ...I don't want to have such dark thoughts, but no one can tell me that's not the answer.... "

Shinto took a deep breath and fell into silence, as if suppressing, as if sorting out his emotions.And I could only hug him and pat his back.

Then he continued,

"...I really want to know what he was thinking about one minute before he left, and what he wanted to say to me in the end, but it's impossible. There is really a so-called "evaporation" in this world...I missed it , you will never know the answer.

Everyone has times when they have to be separated from someone important to them, and I'm not the only one who goes through this pain.But in this world, I am the only one who will feel sad for Zuo Wei's departure, and the only one who will shed tears for him. ...Such a meager sense of existence, now I don't hear anyone mentioning sai anymore.

I don't know if it's because of this, or simply because he is important. ...In short, this sense of loss made it hard for me to breathe, and it still hurts when I think about it occasionally. "

This time the voice was much more stable, and the shoulders no longer trembled with grief.

Patting Shinto on the back, looking at the twirling hair on top of his head,

"...I haven't met Sai, I haven't talked to him, I only know Sai's Go, but I think he must be a very good person. Otherwise, you wouldn't miss him so much.

Shinto, after knowing everything, I started to feel grateful to sai.Because if it wasn't for sai, I wouldn't have decided to become a chess player.If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't start playing chess, so we wouldn't be rivals, friends and then the relationship we have now.

So Shindo, don't blame yourself, this will make me hate sai, why suddenly appear and then disappear, regardless of your feelings.Don't you want me to hate sai? "

"...Exchange terms?"

"No! I just—"

"I know. Just kidding. . . . I know what you mean."

Raising my head and letting me go, I knelt back down on the cushion.

Shinto's eyes did not turn red unexpectedly, as if he had never cried.If it weren't for the two tears still hanging on his cheeks, I would really suspect that what he just stained on my clothes was actually not tears but saliva.

Spreading out his palms, he wiped his cheeks twice, wiped off his T-shirt, and smiled self-mockingly,

"Hey, I didn't expect that after so many years, I can still cry. I haven't shed tears for a long time. It's much happier. It's just that I cried in front of you again. Is this the second time? Tsk, alas~ really Ugly."

I shook my head,

"...Tears let me see your strength."

At this moment, I finally suddenly realized that the tears of Shindo during the first Hokuto Cup were not only the regret of losing chess, but also condensed so many emotions and pressure...If I had sensed Shindo's feelings at the beginning, and knew that he was such a person, maybe I would have liked him then...

Shinto hooked the corner of his mouth, and smiled embarrassedly,

"Taya, thank you for the pat just now." He took two pats in the air, imitating my back pat just now, "My Virgin Mary."

Holy... Our Lady...! ?

"What nonsense are you talking about!?" I frowned, disgusted by this nasty address, I am a man. ...But then I thought... since he said that, I mean I helped him, right?

He smiled mischievously, like he knew I would be angry.

He picked up the fan on the ground, looked at it, and tapped his hand, his expression slowly returned to seriousness,

"In fact, I also told myself that I can't indulge in the dark underground, so I have been thinking of a way to be saved. I need a form that can liberate myself from the haze of Zuowei's disappearance.

do you know?That guy Zuo used to talk about how smart Torajiro was, and he worked hard every day to study Go without saying anything bad.I think if he had a choice, he might not want to be attached to me at all.

But there is no other way... I am his only heir in this world.I think the best thing I can do is make him proud of me.If I can also become Honinbo like him in the Edo period, he will be happy too, and he will feel that it is not in vain to come to my side. "

"That's why you've always wanted to take Honinbo so much?"

"Ah,... I took the day when I got Honinbo as the deadline for self-blame, discarded negative conjectures, and let Zuoi leave only nostalgia in my heart, no more regrets.

But until now, I still can't get my wish. ...what the hell am I doing wrong?When will I be able to be redeemed... "Shinto closed his eyes heavily, and firmly grasped the fan in his hand.The veins were evident on his strained arm.The fan held in his palm kept shaking as if crying out for pain.

I wrapped my hands around Shinto's right hand holding the fan, and told him to relax.

"...For me, you are better than Xiu Ce. I like your attitude towards Go, and you who chased after you without hesitation....However, I agree with Sai saying that Xiu Ce is smarter than you....Because you are really stupid Actually regard Honinbo as a form of salvation.

Shinto, do you know that Xiu Ce was not officially named Honinbo at all?He is the only person in history who declined to inherit Honinbo.So strictly speaking he cannot be called Honinbo at all. "

"...Yes. It's said in the book that he doesn't want the status of the castellan who has been kind to him to be lower than himself. Just like Zuoi said, he is a person of high moral character."

"Since Xiu Ce doesn't care about the title so much, why do you insist on it? When Xiu Ce made this decision, I thought Sai must be by his side? You know Sai best, do you think he will care about this title? Besides, Isn’t the form you want already there?”

"Look at your hands."

He took his hand and put the fan aside, spread his palm and held it in front of his eyes,

"It's different. It's completely different from the first time I saw it. . . . It's bigger, it's thicker, but more importantly your fingertips are thickly callused, it's already a chess player's hand. You work hard, Shinto...you really work hard.

And those chess records you played, you said that sai is a Go idiot, right?If there is heaven, sai will be so happy and excited to see it there, how could he not be proud of you? "

Shinto just looked at his hand like this for a long time, as if he had never noticed it.

"...Do you think Sakai will be proud of me just because of these..." Shinto raised his eyes to stare at me, closed his palms, and held my hand firmly in turn.

At this moment, I suddenly had the feeling that Jin Teng was hanging on the edge of the cliff, waiting for me to pull him up.

"I'm not Sai, I don't know what he thinks....

But I tell you as a chess player, yes.Will. "

Shinto smiled reassuringly, without any shadows.Close your eyes, put your hands on the back of my neck, put your forehead on my forehead,

"That's enough..., it's enough for you to say that..."

***

In the morning, I suddenly felt that the other side of my eyelids was a little bright, and the bed became a little cold. I was half asleep and half awake when I heard the sound of the range hood running outside the room.

When I opened my eyes, the person who was supposed to be blocking the balcony was gone. Despite the curtains, the morning light outside the floor-to-ceiling windows still shone unforgivingly into my eyes.

My room doesn't have such a big window, so I don't have this kind of trouble, so when I first spent the night at Shinto's house, I was a little unaccustomed to it.Moreover, Shinto seems to deliberately choose a color that won't make the room look very dark as the curtains, even if they are drawn, it won't feel like the room is full of darkness.

When he got up, there was still a little numbness in his body.

Last night, shortly after pulling Shinto up from the cliff, he asked me to let him hug him. He thought he just wanted me to pat his back to comfort him like I did just now.

Who knows...in less than a minute, he rubbed between my neck very automatically, rubbing...he rubbed it to the edge of my mouth, and then started kissing, kissing and kissing...and found that I was carried by him bed.

Looking at the pajamas on her body, the skin under the pajamas was very dry, sitting on the bed with her knees hugged, she couldn't help but curl her mouth.When I wake up the next morning after physical intercourse, if I don’t see him sleeping next to me, I will actually feel a little bit bad at that moment, thinking that he just ran away after doing it, even if I know that he may just go to the bathroom to take a shower or make breakfast.Of course I never mentioned this to him, it's my top secret.

But if like this, when you see the pajamas you don't know when you changed into, and you find that your body is wiped clean, your bad mood will be swept away.Should I say that I am pure or realistic?

Sighing, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, opened the curtains and looked at the foggy mountains in the distance. It seemed that today would be a fine day.Putting on a coat and walking outside the room, he saw that milk, juice, salad and toast had been set on the dining table, and Shinto was standing in the kitchen frying things.

"Good morning."

"Morning, you woke up so soon?" Shinto turned off the power of the induction cooker, came over and kissed my lips, and hugged me, "What? I didn't feel it was too bright and cold, so I woke up?"

"...No, you are too loud."

"Hehe~, stiff mouth." With a smile, he lifted my chin, kissed my forehead, both eyes, lips, and touched my cheek, "Sit down, it's almost done. The newspaper is on the table."

"Um."

This is a ritual that happens every morning when we wake up together, and I feel a little embarrassed after a month.

Sitting at the dining table, he pulled out the sports news from the newspaper and put it on his desk.

Shinto turned off the range hood and brought over two plates with two poached eggs and bacon on them.

"Cream? Peanut butter?" After sitting down, he asked me what to spread on the toast.

"cream."

He handed me the cream, put some lettuce on my plate and then on his own.Spread peanut butter on the toasted toast, picked it up and took a big bite, opened the newspaper next to him and watched the sports news.

"ㄟ～Seibu won [-]-[-], as expected of Wakui, yet another shutout☆It's not bad."

Biting the toast in his hand, he looked at Shinto who was reading the newspaper as usual.

Listen to him talking to himself as usual.

It's kind of weird...

"What's the matter? Do you want to eat peanuts?"

"Huh?...No. It's nothing." I quickly picked up the knife and fork and lowered my head to eat the poached egg on the plate.

After eating breakfast in two or three strokes, Shinto folded the newspaper and put it back on the table, stood up and stacked the empty plates,

"Taya, I'll pack up my luggage and go to Chiba later, take your time."

"...I'll just take it, you go get ready?"

"Oh?...Okay. I'll leave it to you. By the way, Taya, can you help me visit Kuwahara-sensei today? I shouldn't be able to make it."

"Well, I'll go as soon as the hands are closed. You can play chess without worry."

"Thanks. The train is nine o'clock... hurry up."

After closing the newspaper and having breakfast, I packed up the dishes and took them to the counter to scrub.

It's really weird...

Logically speaking, today is the Honinbo match, so it is impossible for him to be "as usual".Once again, confirm the date displayed on the wall clock, it is today, that's right, today is the last battle of Honinbo.

Basically, Shinto is the type who will not enter the combat state until he picks up the fan, but this is against him outside of the Honinbo match.

Facing Honinbo, especially on the day of the match, when he almost wakes up, he will start to have an unapproachable atmosphere. I will also be like this when I face the title match, but this time he is more serious, he can’t see it. Others, unable to see himself, only win chess in his mind.

But today is too normal....

After brushing his teeth and changing his clothes, Jin Teng walked out of the room with his luggage. I dried my hands and took the suit to help him put the coat on and button it.Shinto put down the luggage in his hands and touched my waist and back through the pajamas, and slid down to the buttocks,

"I want to touch you again. . . to touch the hot, soft innermost part of your body."

"Kindo Hikari! Don't talk about such things early in the morning! You have Honinbo today, right!?" He slapped his hands away as if to drive away a pest crawling on his body.I really can't be careless at all.

"Yeah, yeah....I also feel strange. Rather than facing Honinbo, I just want to play a game of chess with Ogata-sensei? I'm not as nervous as I used to be....I think it's thanks to what you said yesterday. ?”

As he spoke, he raised his mouth and smiled, bowed his head and kissed my lips, a shallow kiss, and I closed my eyes to accept it.The tip of Shinto's tongue twirled on his lips, calculating the timing to poke it into his mouth, just when I was about to part my lips, the person in front of me suddenly smirked,

"Don't be so intoxicated, be careful, I will hug you again soon. After a month of emptiness, I am no different from a hungry beast. Do you think what happened yesterday is enough?"

With that said, the whole person posted over.

Push him away, pick up the luggage he dropped on the ground and throw it on him, separating us,

"Let me go!! Don't make trouble!!" I think I am a little bit annoyed.

"Okay~ okay~. To be honest, I will be scolded by you too, alas~" carrying the luggage, complaining in a childlike tone while walking to the entrance to put on shoes.

I stood in the hallway with my arms folded and watched him put on his shoes. After putting on his shoes, he stood up and turned to face me.

"I'm leaving. Honinbo's final battle."

"..."

Look at him in a black suit and iron gray shirt without a tie. He has always been dressed like this in the face of important games in recent years. He used to think that black suits him, but even his bangs are dyed black...Why make such a big change? ...it just looks heavy.

"Gold is better..." Thinking, just blurted out.

"Huh?" Shindo looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I would say that blonde is better. On the one hand, I think he looks good with blonde hair, and on the other hand, he with dyed black hair... still makes me feel a little far away.

The first time I saw his black hair was in the photo of him standing with Ms. Shin. The shock at that time is still in my mind. I don't know Hikari Shindo.

Really..., tell him not to be bound by the past, I still do it myself.

"It's nothing. Compared to this," I shook my head and changed my tone, I turned up the volume and shouted at Shinto,

"Shinto! Listen! Today's game, give me an interesting way to win!!"

After listening to my encouragement, Shindo closed his eyes, opened them, scratched his head,

"...If I heard you right, the conditions... have increased? Is it fun to win?"

"Yes! Is there a problem!?"

Shinto rolled his eyes and smiled,

"Don't dare!" Opening the door, he turned his back to me,

"Taya, I will definitely win this year's Honinbo, but not for atonement, just because I want to win and play interesting chess. Let's go."

Before closing it, he took out the fan from his pocket and held it in the air.

***

I went out of the station and came to the gate of the park that I had made an appointment with. Today I followed up Fuji and made an appointment to accompany Mr. Kuwahara to enjoy the flowers.

From a distance, I saw Shindo pushing Mr. Kuwahara's wheelchair coming from the parking lot. I don't know what he said to make Mr. Kuwahara angry. Mumbling.It seems that the teacher is in good health today.

Spotting me, Shinto raised his hand, grinned, and clenched his fists, as if he was showing off to me that he had done it, and told me that he won yesterday's game.

Facing the wind, the light front hair danced wildly on his forehead, and the spring sunlight shone through the branches on his golden bangs, which made me a little dazzled.This kind of him is the one I am most familiar with, and a long-lost throbbing suddenly arises in my heart.

...It turned out that my unintentional words were heard by him.

Yesterday, the chess record for the seventh match was published on the Chess Academy's website after the game ended, but I only learned about his dyed hair back this morning from a photo published in the newspaper.

According to reports, he seemed to scare a lot of people when he first entered the venue, but perhaps thanks to the result of the match, Shinto's change of hair received positive comments.

Shinto pushed Kuwahara-sensei's wheelchair in the park lined with cherry blossom trees, and I walked beside him.Cherry blossoms fell from the sky like snow, raising his head, Mr. Kuwahara spoke with emotion.

"The moment when the cherry blossoms are flying all over the sky is the season when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The moment when they fall to the ground with the wilting ground, people's hearts are full of admiration, not lamentation. Unlike other flowers, cherry blossoms do not fade and wither. They use the most beautiful The posture withered and fell to the ground, composing another beautiful painting in a different world.”

"When the cherry blossoms fall to the ground, they will wither, and when they fall to the ground, they will die. Many people feel sad about this. Some people even regard death at the most beautiful moment as a warning for the cherry blossoms. The four "deep Yugen" in Nihon Kiin Yugen "Do you know who wrote the characters? Kid Shinto."

"……,have no idea."

"Hey - the title of Honinbo is fun? You still have something to learn! Kid! Little Toya already knows it?"

"Kawabata Yasunari, Japan's first Nobel Prize winner in literature."

"Hee hee—see that? Kid Shindo! This is a qualified chess player!"

"Yeah~. I'm not qualified, okay? You always pick on me. What do you want to say?" He licked his golden bangs and sighed helplessly.

"Hee-, stupid to stupid is quite sharp. Kawabata Yasunari committed suicide a few years after he won the Nobel Prize, and died at the time of his highest achievement. At that time, someone compared him like this, saying that he was like a cherry blossom, Falling at the most glorious moment. Hee - extremely stupid, only taking the fragile petals as cherry blossoms, the size is really small, and it will not be able to achieve a great cause.

Boys, although the cherry blossoms fall, it does not mean death.If you don’t believe me, come back in a few days. After the petals fall, you will not see bare branches, but green leaves, which will appear in front of your eyes with a more tenacious attitude.Cherry blossoms bring green leaves, which means rebirth and transformation.

After the alternation of the four seasons, next spring, the cherry blossoms will bloom again on the black branches.And this is what the old man thought of as "life".

There is no need to feel sad about the withering of a flower, the tree is still there, and there will be new flowers blooming next year. This is the reason why the cherry blossoms can let go of the branches without nostalgia. "

The spring breeze swayed the treetops, pink petals floated all over the sky, and golden light spots flashed on the ground.