On Friday, the third episode of the Hikaru no Go TV series aired.
Each episode was a full hour long, so its narrative content far exceeded that of the manga.
The first season of the Hikaru no Go TV series only covered Hikaru's early encounters with Akira Toya, culminating in the school team Go tournament and ending with Hikaru's middle school suffering three consecutive crushing defeats.
Thus, in the third episode, the story focused on Hikaru, still only a sixth grader, secretly sneaking into a team tournament that was supposed to be restricted to middle school students.
At first, Hikaru played casually and without seriousness. But once he learned that the team's results would determine whether the Go club would be officially recognized by the school, everything changed.
In the final match, Sai took over from a position of overwhelming disadvantage and single-handedly turned the game around, shocking every student and Go instructor present.
This episode could be described as the most exhilarating installment of the Hikaru no Go TV series since its premiere.
Although Hikaru himself was still a beginner, Sai's overwhelming performance caused Hikaru to instantly become famous among middle school Go enthusiasts throughout the city.
Some even began to believe that his strength had already surpassed that of his peer, Akira Toya.
By the time Hikaru no Go had been airing for three weeks, its popularity had entered a completely new phase.
It was no longer just manga fans spreading the work, casual television viewers now far outnumbered its original audience.
Moreover, following the broadcast of the TV series, enthusiasm for Go-related activities across Japan surged dramatically.
The most direct impact was seen in Go training classes. These institutions had already experienced a modest rise in enrollment due to the manga's popularity, but the TV series brought in an entirely new wave of students.
From four-year-old children to middle-aged adults, interest in learning Go reached heights not seen in years.
Two days later, viewership data for the third episode was released.
With an average rating of 4.79%, Hikaru no Go ranked second among all TV series premiering in Japan during the third week of October.
At this point, the nation's media outlets could no longer remain restrained.
Previously, although the Hikaru no Go TV series and manga had received consistent praise, neither had yet reached the very top of their respective fields. As a result, media coverage had been cautious.
But now, things were different.
The ratings for Clinic in the Reverse Light and Our Little Sister, the two series that had been leading since their premieres, had stabilized.
And stability, in the television industry, often meant limited future growth.
Hikaru no Go, on the other hand, had increased its ratings for three consecutive weeks, rising to second place by the third week.
What about next week?
And the week after that?
Judging from the current momentum, it was only a matter of time before Hikaru no Go claimed the top spot in the ratings.
Media headlines soon followed:
Genius manga artist Shirogane's adaptation Hikaru no Go sees explosive ratings growth. The third episode reaches 4.79%, ranking second for the period. Will episode four take the crown this quarter?
Advertisers rush in: product placements for Hikaru no Go increase from seven to sixteen. With production and promotion costs of 20 million, the series is poised to become the most profitable drama of the season.
A seventeen-year-old's Go dream, Hikaru no Go reveals the cruelty and beauty of the professional Go world to the public.
Renowned professional Go player Laiden praises Hikaru no Go, stating it has made an enormous contribution to the development of Go in Japan and expressing interest in meeting Teacher Shirogane.
A nationwide Go learning boom ignited by Hikaru no Go.
After the success of Hikaru no Go, registered Go-themed TV projects in Japan increase from zero in twenty years to three. Is a new genre about to rise?
Once media professionals went all in, news related to Hikaru no Go flooded manga and television websites alike.
The popularity of the work had become unmistakable, even to those who had never read the manga or watched the series.
It seemed this manga wouldn't need to wait for an anime adaptation to become popular, the TV series alone was already turning it into a phenomenon.
On Monday, Rika arrived at Rei's house at her usual time to discuss how to customize the Go game records for the upcoming manga chapters.
However, today was different.
After Rei briefly summarized the plot direction of Chapter 46 of Hikaru no Go and explained his requirements for the Go match design, he paused, then deliberately changed the subject.
"Rika," Rei said, taking a deep breath, "I need to trouble you with something else."
"Oh?" Rika smiled brightly. "As long as it's something I can do, it won't be a problem."
Originally, Rika had only been assigned to cooperate with Rei because of her relative, the vice president of the Go Association.But now, as the official Go-game designer for Hikaru no Go, she had unexpectedly gained a large following of her own.
Every day, fans flooded her inbox with questions about the manga.
Just like in Rei's previous life, traffic meant value.
Even professional Go players had to make a living. Once popularity arrived, income naturally followed. Because of this, Rika's attitude toward Rei had become genuinely warm and respectful.
Rei hesitated briefly, then spoke.
"I'd like you to introduce me to at least two world-class top Go players," he said seriously.
"And I hope they can help me complete a game that hasn't been finished yet, playing with everything they have."
Rika blinked.
"I want to use this game," Rei continued, "as The Hand of God, the Divine Move in the manga."
"…?"
Rika froze.
The Hand of God?
Rei, are you serious?
Something like The Hand of God was a theoretical concept. No one had ever truly seen it. She and Rei had discussed this problem more than once.
If that plot point ever arrived, the safest solution would be to modify a historical game containing a brilliant, tide-turning move.
But now Rei was asking her to find two top-tier players and have them play The Hand of God?
Rei immediately understood her reaction.
"I'm not asking you to find The Hand of God," he clarified. "I already have an idea for it."
"What I lack," he continued calmly, "is the complete game leading up to it, played by two top players at their absolute peak."
Rika frowned slightly, thinking.
In the original manga, Sai had played against Koyo Toya and won.
But afterward, Hikaru realized something astonishing.
In that game, Toya had actually possessed a move that could have reversed everything.
Rei's plan was to bring something even more extreme into the manga.
In his previous life, there had been two legendary human-versus-AI Go battles.
One of them was the fourth game between Lee Sedol and AlphaGo.
Lee Sedol had already lost three consecutive games. The overall match was decided.
By the fourth game, he had abandoned all thoughts of victory or defeat.
In the opening and midgame, he was overwhelmingly behind.
Almost every professional Go player watching believed the fourth game would end just like the first three.
Then, Lee Sedol played Move 78.
A move so unnatural, so unexpected, that even the AI could not comprehend it.
That move shattered AlphaGo's evaluation system, forced a series of irrational responses, and ultimately gave Lee Sedol the only victory humanity achieved against early AlphaGo.
That move had been hailed worldwide as: The Hand of God.
Of course, the AlphaGo of that era still had limits. Its strength exceeded that of all human players, but its back could still be seen.
Later AIs would never allow such a flaw.
Ke Jie, the eight-time world champion in Rei's previous life, once said bluntly: "If AI gives me two stones, I lose for sure. If it gives me three stones, I might win, but I'll still lose most of the time."
Rika, naturally, knew none of this.
She only looked at Rei with open skepticism.
Rei, meanwhile, calmly produced the explanation he had prepared.
"This game," he said, "was played between two people I knew in middle school."
"I'm sorry, Rika, I can't tell you who they are."
"But I can guarantee this," he said quietly.
"In this game, a move representing the pinnacle of human wisdom appeared."
"The Hand of God?" Rika asked.
She didn't mock him.
But it was obvious, she didn't truly believe him.
With Rei's Go level, how could he possibly identify a game worthy of such a title?
Rei didn't argue.
Instead, he calmly took out the Go board from his house.
Then, stone by stone, he began to recreate the fourth game of Lee Sedol vs. AlphaGo, right there in front of her.
At first, Rika's expression was relaxed.
The opening followed standard joseki, nothing unusual.
But as the game progressed, her posture slowly straightened.
Her smile disappeared.
Her eyes sharpened.
By the time the board reached the midgame, Rika's breathing had unconsciously slowed.
...
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