[bright] time

The next morning at [-] o'clock, I still didn't receive the mail from Shinto.

He looked helplessly at the chessboard on the ground.Is there only a chess record and a person's day?

...After tidying up, I came to the chess club.Today was not a holiday, and it was still early, so Miss Shihe was the only one in the office cleaning the table.

"Ah, welcome, Ryo! Don't you have work today?" Ms. Shihe stopped her work and greeted me happily.

Since I was promoted to a grand shogi player, I don't come here as often as before.Although I still try to find time to show up at least two or three times a month, but for those who watched me grow up in the chess club, it still doesn't seem to be enough.

"Ms. Shihe, good morning. I'm on holiday today." I looked inside, and...he didn't come.Hangover?

"By the way, I heard that Shinto-kun appeared in yesterday's opening ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Ryo should be very happy, right? Finally, I can play chess with Fuji."

"Actually, we used to play chess between Youxuan before.

But actually playing chess face to face... It's been a long time, so I'm very happy. "

Looking at my right hand and thinking about yesterday's game, the feeling of excitement during the game is still in my body, and I smile unconsciously,

"Let me help too! Miss Shihe." Picking up another rag from the bucket, I followed suit and wiped the table.

"No, it's okay!"

Miss Shihe took the rag from my hand, pushed me to sit on the chair, opened the lid of the chess jar for me and said,

"Ryo just sit and play chess and wait for Shinto-kun to come!"

"I…."

Why do you know! ?It's like having this question written all over my face.

"I know! Although Ryo has grown a lot taller and his facial features have matured a lot, he looks different from the child before, but the expression of "Why isn't Shindo coming!!" is exactly the same as when he was a child! I still remember very much Clear!" Miss Shihe smiled with the corners of her mouth hooked.

"////"…shameful….

"It was only then that I had a good impression of Shinto-kun."

Looking at the chessboard, I put the pieces on the board with a snap,

"...but maybe today will fail, right?"

"how come?"

"We don't have a date. I'm just like before... come here and wait and see."

"So...! Shinto-kun will be the same as before, right? He walked in without an appointment, and shouted before saying hello: "Taya! I'm coming! Let's play chess!", It will definitely be like this!"

Then, the second after Ichikawa-san finished her speech just like Shinto did before──

"Taya──! Here I come. Let's play chess."

The Shinto that Ms. Shihe said was like performing according to a script, and it was natural to walk into the chess club,

"What are you doing? Why are there so few people? Could it be Miss Ichikawa, you are not doing well?"

"Shinto-kun, are you still so rude when you talk? What do you mean by poor management? The door has only been open for 5 minutes now!"

"Hey, is that me and Taya too early?"

Like a prankster, Shinto grinned openly, scratched his hair,

"Morning, Taya. Shall we play chess today too? It's the same as before."

When he turned his head to face me, he changed to a sincere and serious expression.

I looked straight into Shinto's eyes and answered.just like before,

"...Okay, let's play chess."

***

Entering the building where the Go salon is located, I pressed the seventh floor, which is the floor where the Toya family chess club is located.

Standing in a confined space, listening to the sound of the elevator running, looking at the beating numbers.

Facing Taya who couldn't accept my feelings, I once boasted:

"It's fine as before, I don't know how to do anything, it's fine as before..."

In fact, I can't do it at all, and the depression makes me suffer.

Now, I have confidence.

If you are confident, you can do nothing, and you can look at Taya as before.

Although the feeling of liking has not changed at all, it will not change in this lifetime, right?

Surprisingly, I am such a dedicated person.

If this is an unrequited love that can be made public, I will laugh Hegu Heshe's big teeth,

After all, even I want to laugh..., the kind that tears almost burst out of my eyes.

But now... I am really confident that I can restrain myself.

The body is no longer as needlessly energetic as before, and it is full of impulse and dissatisfaction. It should be said that it is getting older?Or has self-control matured?Without physical torture, rationality can play a little more role.

During the two years away from Taya, I learned what is calmness and what is patience.

I think I can come back already, so I come back.

"Morning, Taya. Shall we play chess today too? It's the same as before."

"...Well, let's play chess."

Taya smiled contentedly, nodded and said.This face... more beautiful than anyone else in the world.

This guy really wants to play chess with me.

Even when I was lying on the hospital bed and fell asleep, I was thinking about it like this...

I was really surprised at that time, that this Go idiot would actually like Go to such an extent.

Already..., I don't want to see Taya like that again;

Don't want any more of this guy dying in pain and not having me by his side.

On the day of the ceremony, Mr. Imai showed me the contract, and I had already signed it.

In another month, I will be able to return to Nihon Ki-in and play chess in the same place as Taya,

As close as possible to him...playing chess.

***

Every day after that, as long as I don't have a job, Shinto will come to the chess club or come to my house to play chess with me.

Game after game, we played desperately as if we wanted to fill up the time we hadn't played chess in the past two years.

One after another, we exchanged chess records that we haven't seen each other in the past two years.

Review the game... review the game...And so on and on.

Until two weeks later in the morning, I received an email from Shindo,

"Let's play Internet Go for now, shall we?Make another appointment. 』

It feels rushed, and between the lines reveals that he is in a hurry.

Before noon today, I have to go to a civic hall in Chiba Prefecture to participate in a three-day and two-night Go tournament, and I will not be in Tokyo for several consecutive days.I thought Shinto was talking about this kind of "temporary".

As I was getting ready to leave for the station, I received a call from Mr. Ogata.

"Liang, I just came back from Shanghai and I brought you famous products.I'm on my way from Narita Airport to Chiba now, shall I give it to you when we meet up? 』

"Thank you Ogata-san."

At this point in time, it reminds me of what happened that day.Subconsciously felt disgusted, and spoke a little coldly.

"Oh, Ryo doesn't seem to like the famous Chinese products I brought?How picky.

What about South Korea?Call Shinto and bring it back by the way?Kimchi, ginseng candy... 』

"Shinto...Going to Korea?" I haven't heard of it... Hasn't he already signed a contract with the Kiin?Why go to Korea! ?

"That's right!I just saw him drinking coffee with a very beautiful lady at the airport.When I asked him where he was going, he replied "Go back to Korea." Haven't you heard?That's weird. 』

...

In the last parting, I didn't do anything, I didn't stop him.

I just sat in front of the chessboard, lined up my father's chess records, and counted the time second by second.

It wasn't until the flight that Shinto took was beyond the take-off time that I slowly began to hear the sounds around me, and I began to feel that I was breathing.

I think, at the time I...

If you don't trap yourself in the nineteen-way chessboard... will you catch up?

I was afraid that I would catch up, so I trapped myself with Go.

Looking out the window on the express train to Narita Airport, I thought about it.

***

I originally planned to return to Korea on the [-]th, but I received a call from Miner early in the morning, saying that the Danish university had already started its winter vacation, and she transferred to Tokyo, asking me to pick her up to play downtown.

This young lady is really using me as a coachman.

It was very troublesome to come and go, and I couldn't refuse her.

Thinking about it, it's better to go back five days earlier to finish the final work, anyway, Taya will not be there for these three days.

Everything is still in the apartment in South Korea. I don’t need to bring any luggage. I just took my mobile phone, wallet and passport and stuffed it into my backpack. I sent an email to Taya, and I went out.

It turned out that she could only stay for four hours when she arrived.

This woman... What a fart for four hours! ?

It takes more than two hours to go back and forth by express, and I still ride a motorcycle.

I strongly suspect that she is simply waiting here by herself, and when she gets bored, she tricks me into chatting with her...

Nibbling on the Shanghai famous five-spice beans that Mr. Ogata gave me just now, I propped my chin and listened to the eldest lady talking about her and her Darling.

"... Then the teacher said, 'It's better to wait until after I graduate to talk about the marriage, and Mr. Shin doesn't know yet.』

I said, "Dad already knew and agreed to it!"Because Mr. Guang, the biggest supporter of our love, has already won the Samsung Cup, Dad lost the bet with me, so I have to accept it! ! 』

Do you know how surprised the teacher was at that time?The glasses on my face slipped a bit!Hehe~

nah!Mr. Light, are you listening? "

A girl who is usually so temperamental will change into this when she mentions someone she likes.

Alas~.

"Yes~."

I casually fudged her with a few words, anyway, she just wanted to talk, so she didn't care how much I listened to.

But what a surprise, she actually bet her own happiness on my Go, which is too serious.

I really can't imagine that if she loses the Samsung Cup, she will cry in my ear for days and nights,

I tremble all over when I think of it.

It turned out that in that game, in addition to carrying Taya's phrase "to win" in the game, I also carried my own quiet life in the game.Too dangerous.

"Yeah, great."

I don't know what she said just now, so I just grabbed a sentence and echoed it.

"Hey, Miss Shen, you should be able to go through customs, right? I have to reserve a seat too. How unhealthy is it to just sit here and chat?"

I thought it would take at least half a day for her to transfer, so I only bought a ticket and didn't reserve a seat.There are still two hours before the plane takes off, although it is a bit early, but my eardrums are already starting to hurt...

"You find me annoying?"

"(Yes!!)...No, I was thinking...You should want to go to the duty-free shop, right? Buy some cosmetics and perfume...I'll help you with your luggage! It doesn't matter how much you buy!」

I would rather keep my hands busy than let my ears continue to be bombarded by her loving daily life topics... This kind of torture is too cruel for a bachelor like me.

"I don't want it! I asked you to accompany me because I was afraid that I would buy too many things! From now on, I have to learn the way of life of ordinary people. How can I buy things like before?"

No way?I still want to continue listening?

"It's just ordinary people who buy things in duty-free shops when they are abroad! How much can you save on taxes? A wise wife from an ordinary family should spend more money in this kind of place!"

You go buy it for me! !

"Is that so?"

"right!!"

"Then let's go!" Picking up her expensive bag, she happily walked towards the escalator.I knew this young lady had endured for a long time.After paying for the coffee at the cashier, we left the tea shop on the fifth floor.Came to the counter of an airline on the fourth floor and waited in line for a seat.

"Hey! Mr. Guang, did anything good happen after wearing this ring?" Min'er stood beside me and pointed to the ring on my left hand.

"Thanks to you, there is really nothing good." First, Taya vomited blood for no reason, and then I was unlucky for eight lifetimes and encountered a plane crash.The only thing that can be called a good thing is that the peach blossoms have decreased a lot.

"What..., it seems that Mr. Hikari is really just in unrequited love. How pitiful..."

I don't know what this young lady is thinking about, but thinking about what happened that day makes me angry.

"Hey, you don't seem to be reflecting at all? It's because of the wrong size."

She never expected that Shen Min'er, who was as smart as ever, would make such an outrageous mistake.

"I already said I'm sorry!"

"Okay!"

"Next passenger, please give me your ticket and passport. 』

Finally it was my turn, I handed the ticket and passport to the flight attendant,

"sorry to bother you."

Suddenly, I felt my left hand being grabbed by someone.Looking back──

The black hair, which was always neat and tidy, is now a bit messy, and the originally fair face is now even paler.

"Don't...──ha~...huh~...don't go!...──Shinto...──huha~...cough cough──"

Taya stood beside me with his stomach bent and bent, panting hard.

"...Taya? What are you doing!? Why are you running so fast? Are you panting like this?"

Pat him on the back to help him relax.

"Don't go...──cough cough──hu~hu~...Shito!" Coughing while grabbing my hand, it's because of excitement, right?Taya's eye rims and cheeks became very red,

"I have...huha~...cough cough──...I have something to tell you...listen to me...──cough cough...──."

"you!?"

...It's useless to ask Taya now,

Although I don't know what's going on, the most important thing is to let him calm down first.

"I see."

Asked the flight attendant for the ticket and passport, and helped Taya, who was about to die, to a nearby chair to sit on.

Min'er who came with us took out a bottle of unopened mineral water from the bag,

"Mr. Guang, water! I bought it just now, and I haven't used it yet."

"Thanks." He took the hand, unscrewed the bottle cap, saw that Taya was not panting as much as before, and handed him the water.

"Have a drink, Taya."

Looking at the mineral water in my hand, I glanced at Min'er who was sitting next to him and looked at him. His eyes seemed to hesitate for a moment, and he said, "It's okay, I'm not thirsty."

"How can you not be thirsty!? Your lips are dry! Drink!"

Pulling it up, he pushed the plastic bottle towards Taya's mouth.

As if I was forcing him to drink the freshly boiled oil, Taya took a sip reluctantly and said to Min'er,

"thanks."

"It's nothing, it's just water! Mr. Taya." Min'er shook her hand.

I heard from Min'er that she met Taya at the LG game, and they even introduced themselves to each other.

While Taya was drinking water and taking a deep breath, Miner tapped my shoulder and called me aside.

"what?"

"Mr. Hikari, didn't Mr. Taya say that he has something to tell you? Then I'll take a stroll around the area first, and call me when I'm done."

"Okay, be careful."

"That…"

At this "that..." moment, Miss Shen didn't know why she was crazy, she suddenly hooked my neck and cheeks and leaned over, and said in my ear: "Come on! Mr. Guang~"

"See you later! Hurry up and call her~! Miner is waiting for you!"

Waving his hands, he walked to the souvenir store on the left.

...is she completely foreignized?This way of saying goodbye?

Moreover, why did the words suddenly become so sweet?Very unaccustomed...

But…………that place is full of expectations…, uh… digressing….

***

"I have something to tell you. 』

After saying this, Taya kept walking forward on her own, and would turn her head to see if I was following as she walked.

I haven't seen you for two years...I feel like I've become very incomprehensible about Taya Ryo.

I felt that way when I was in the hospital.

A few minutes later, we came to the observation deck to watch the planes take off and land.

"Hey, didn't you go to the Go Tournament in Chiba? Why did you come here?"

I'm really surprised that this guy who is so talkative about the word "work" will appear here.

"Wait a minute."

"I see."

I remember that the meeting started at one o'clock in the noon, and it is almost eleven o'clock now, so it should be just right when the time is deducted, right?Not like what this guy who was always early would do,

"What do you want to say to me? If you don't say it soon, it will be too late, right?"

Taya, who was standing in front of the railing, seemed to have had enough of seeing the planes. Pressing his hair that was blown by the wind, he turned around and said:

"Miss Shen...she is very beautiful, very temperamental, very kind...she is a...beautiful person."

"……,ah."

I often hear people say that about her.Although I don't deny it...the so-called "beauty" has already been defined in my heart.And Min'er is not a person under that definition.

The "beautiful" person is you, Taya.You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen.

"...Shinto, do you know what day it is today?"

"Today?...January [-]." New Year's Day has passed long ago, and it's not an adult day. Is there anything special about it?

"I want to answer. . . . I kept you waiting for two years and four months. It's been a long time. But...──

Didn't you let me wait two years and four months before you would play chess with me, and I didn't refuse you.

So now... you are not allowed to take back what you said... "

"Two years and four months?" What was he talking about...two years and four months?

I told Taya before that I didn't want to play chess with him.It was only later that I learned that it was a big blow to him.

After that, I was admitted to a college student, I was admitted to a professional chess player, and I experienced many things... Finally, after two years and four months, I had the opportunity to play against him again.

After that, as long as he didn't play chess for a little longer, he would say something like "I've been waiting for two years and four months, how long do you want me to wait!".

I am familiar with this number.Just...why would it be brought up now?

"Didn't we just play chess yesterday?"

Taya suddenly became hysterical,

"It's not about playing games!! Do you think I'll always only think about playing games!? Can't I think about things other than Go!? You always call me a Go idiot... Now the Go idiot is you!!"

Pili scolded me, and Taya glared at me viciously. This kind of look was different from the hostility brewed by Yuyi's surging fighting consciousness before, it was a kind of hatred...looking at the "betrayer".

but why?

"..." Two years and four months?

Today...two years and four months ago...,

It's mine...September [-]th....

That day, I asked Taya for a gift, asking him to listen to me, telling him not to answer me in a hurry, just listen to me.That was the day I...confessed.

『There is only one answer I want, if not that, I will keep waiting.

Wait until you give me the answer I want. 』

At the time I said this....

"Have you forgotten what you said? You said you would wait for me... why now...──"

Like the five thunderbolts, I did not miscalculate the time, did I?Did I hear you right?

Hey, are you saying the same thing as I am thinking?

I took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to him and hear him more clearly.The sound of planes taking off and landing made me unable to believe my ears.

"──No..., no, no, no!!"

Just when I was about to get close, Taya started to shake his head again, and began to deny, deny... something that I couldn't figure out at all....

"No...no...that's not what I want to say!

If you are so willful…, what I want to say is not this….no.

I'm here...in fact, I just want to tell you what I think, I just want you to know...

I know it's impossible, it's too late...However, I still want to say, want to tell you all my feelings.But when I saw——”

Speaking of this, Taya closed her eyes, tightly pressed her lower lip, and took a few slow breaths,

"...──Seeing that you two are so close...seeing her hugging you...I can't help it...I want you back...I want you to keep the promise, and I said things that don't make sense at all. It's obviously me Giving up....I know!

I know that you and Miss Shen have-"

"What the hell are you talking about!?...Why can't I understand anything you're saying!?

Why...why is your expression so painful?Taya?

You said you wanted to answer me!Do you know how happy I am?

Then he said a bunch of things that were not right, negate!My heart stopped...Am I wrong?

...Are you...are you going to send me to heaven...or to hell?What is the answer you want to give me?Taya! "

"...do you... still want to hear...?"

"Of course I want to hear it! I want to hear it! Tell me!!"

Frowning brows, red eye frames, clenched fists, trembling lips...,

"I...I like Shinto Hikaru, I like it very much. I like it...to the point where my heart is almost broken.

Feelings like this... make me miserable.

...I never knew that I was so fragile, I didn't know that I was...so afraid of loneliness, I didn't know that I would also have...jealous emotions.

I thought... I have been with him so far... just because I like his Go... and I like him as my friend... But I don't know... He has lived in the deepest and deepest bottom of my heart.

...Actually, even now...I still don't really understand what "like" is....

Does it mean that you only think about someone all day long?Does it mean that you can be satisfied as long as you are with someone?Then I should have liked Kami Fujimitsu earlier...

However, when I found my mood...I also found...that Hikari Shindo...liked someone else, a very beautiful woman.... "

Taya...Taya Taya...Taya Taya Taya! ! ! !

You guys are so ─ ─ ─ ─ pissed me off! ! !

Holding Taya's slightly dazed face with both hands, he turned towards me,

"Stupid──! I'll say it again... No, I said it several times! The person I like is Ryo Taya! It's you! I like you, Taya!! I don't like anyone else! Miner and I are not like that A relationship! Did you hear me? I haven’t changed...!!"

"..."

Unlocking my hands, Taya looked at my face with confirmation... ── No..., it was my eyes.Opening her thin lips in slow motion, she asked me in a trembling voice,

"Really... not changed...?"

"Really!" He can understand what I have to say! ?Looking up at the sky, I took a few breaths, calmed down my agitated emotions, grabbed Taya's shoulder, stared at Taya's dark eyes and said word by word:

"Listen,...I enter Tengguang, I like Taya Ryo...This kind of mood has never changed. Do you hear me clearly?"

Hearing this, Taya let out a little breath, lowered his head, and leaned his forehead on my shoulder as if limp, nodded. His bangs rubbed against my shoulder, and there was a rustling sound.

At this time, I no longer feel the two emotions of "pain" and "anxiety" from Taya...

Wrapping my hands around Taya's slender waist and straight back, I tightened it, as if trying to push him into my chest...

While I was clinging to this hard-won moment, Taya spoke,

"Shinto..."

"...Huh?...──It hurts? Sorry!"

Taya shook her head and moved away from my shoulder, "...it smells..."

"what?"

"It smells like Ms. Shin..." Taya said with an unforgiving expression on his face,

"The other side..., is it okay?" Looking at my left shoulder...

"...Ah, um, yes..."

Taya smiled and rested her chin on my other shoulder, and opened her arms to hug me back.I don't know if it's a matter of letting go of my defenses.I always feel...Today's Taya is very cute....

Taya Ryo... hugged me back....This scene that can only appear in dreams... came true.

***

Going back to the place where I was resting just now, Shinto sat next to me, we sat side by side, watching the people coming and going in front of us.After venting the full emotions, the whole person is empty, and the only thing left is fatigue, as if a layer of skin has peeled off... It feels like everything has started again, but the starting point is different from before.

Drinking the mineral water Miss Shen gave me just now, my dry throat became much moister, and I haven't been as excited as I was just now for a long time.

"Give me a drink?"

"Oh." Passed the water to Shinto, it seemed that he was the same as me. After calming down, all kinds of physiological needs came up all at once, just feeling thirsty, "I'll give it all to you."

"Thank you." Shinto raised his head and drank the remaining third of the water in one go. His protruding Adam's apple moved up and down a few times. I couldn't help but want to turn my face away...

"It's delicious!" Shinto twisted the lid on. It sounded very satisfying. Has he quenched his thirst?

"You seem thirsty."

"Ah...? It's okay." When I was about to stand up and take the bottle to the trash can, Shinto whispered in my ear like the wind blowing in my ear, "Idiot... that's what you drank. It's delicious."

We... have been really different since the last moment....