On this day, Hikaru no Go fans across the internet celebrated as if it were a national holiday.
It wasn't limited to the official Hoshimori Comic Journal website.
The Capital Television Station, the official website of the Japan Go Association, Go-related livestream platforms, and even live broadcasts of real Go matches were flooded with fervent fans, all frantically typing the same sentence again and again:
"Hikaru has passed the professional exam and officially become a professional Go player!"
Drama viewers, who had only just reached episode four, were utterly bewildered. Their viewing progress was still worlds away from Hikaru becoming a professional.
Meanwhile, real professional Go players in Japan stared at their screens in confusion.
What kind of joke was this?
Our actual professional matches barely attract viewers, yet you're all celebrating a manga character passing the professional exam?
As for the Go Association, they simply went with the flow. They directly pinned the related news to the top of their homepage.
They rode the traffic wave without hesitation.
On the official Hoshimori Comics website, once the long and exhausting professional exam arc finally ended, and after the emotional highs of Hikaru's success gradually settled, an overwhelming wave of complaints aimed at Shirogane erupted almost instantly.
"So there was absolutely no need for Isumi and Hikaru to meet! If those two hadn't faced each other, Isumi would definitely have passed. Shirogane did this on purpose!"
"But if there's no drama, who would even read the manga?"
"I would! I love happy endings! I want the protagonist and all his friends to live happily and healthily forever, with all their wishes fulfilled!"
"Exactly. Reality is already cruel enough, why do we still have to watch Isumi suffer in a manga?"
"You're not projecting yourself onto Isumi, are you? No matter how many times he fails, Isumi is still one of the top players in the professional exam. At best, we should identify with the nameless characters who don't even qualify. A genius like Isumi has nothing to do with us!"
"So according to the rules… if Isumi failed this time, does that mean he has no chance to become a professional Go player?"
"Not necessarily. According to the story, he still has one year left. But he's already too old to stay in the dojo. If he leaves, it'll be hard to find opponents of equal strength. Playing against weaker players for too long, or training alone, can actually ruin a player. That's the hardest part. Honestly, I don't even know how Isumi will improve next year… or rather, how he'll even maintain his current level."
"Ah… I should be happy that Hikaru passed, but because Isumi didn't, I just feel sad all over again."
"There's no helping it. Isumi's personality is closer to us ordinary people. Hikaru feels more like a once-in-a-generation prodigy who plays Go as if the world itself is his opponent."
"That's true. Akira trained for ten years before passing the exam last year. Hikaru has only been playing for two…"
"I wonder how the story will develop now that he's a professional. Are there any experts here who actually understand the professional Go world?"
"Most likely, it'll be about whether Hikaru can join a team in the Japan A-League. A large portion of a professional Go player's income comes from joining these teams, prize money, match bonuses, and so on. But considering Hikaru's age and strength in the manga, it's hard to say. In reality, many teams wouldn't want a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old kid. But in a manga… it all depends on how Shirogane decides to draw it."
"A-League? Then does that mean he could play against Akira, and even his father, Toya Koyo?"
"There's a chance. But with Hikaru's current strength… hehe, that really depends on how Shirogane decides to arrange it. Besides, there are all kinds of world-class tournaments and title matches held every year or two in Japan, Meijin, Kisei, Tengen, and so on."
"If Hikaru is strong enough, he can participate in the Meijin League. And if he keeps winning all the way… even a Shodan could challenge Toya Koyo for the Meijin title."
"And as long as he succeeds, he'd be promoted straight to Kudan."
"That insane?"
"Of course."
"But I'm curious, has there ever been a precedent in Japanese Go history where a Shodan defeated a Kudan?"
"There have been cases where Shodan played against Kudan. But actually beating one? I've never heard of it. Maybe… we'll get to see Hikaru pull it off in the manga."
"The more we talk about this, the sadder I get. Shirogane, don't rest, give us two more chapters next week already!"
Throughout the entire day, discussions surrounding Hikaru no Go completely overwhelmed all other manga topics on the official Hoshimori website.
And on that same day, the number of people crowding around Rei at the school gate exceeded anything he had ever experienced before.
Rei was completely stunned.
If things kept developing like this… then when the arc about Sai's disappearance was finally serialized, would he be shoved through the school gate by furious Hikaru no Go fans and beaten up on the spot?
Just imagining it made Rei's expression stiffen.
He could only hope that fans in Japan would remain rational. As for himself, once that issue was published, he'd run as far as he could and take a leave of absence from school first.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Misaki arrived at the editorial department office of the magazine group.
She was the first person to arrive that day.
This wasn't because she was particularly diligent, she simply hadn't been able to sleep in.
'What's Hikaru no Go's ranking this week? And the total vote count…'
Misaki's expression remained calm and composed, her features gentle and refined.
But inside, her thoughts were racing.
Last week, the gap in votes between Hikaru no Go and Fist Armor had already narrowed significantly.
And this week marked a major climax in the story. Viewership numbers for Hikaru no Go had surged to the top.
She felt there was a very real chance that today, it would finally break into the top three.
That morning, everyone in the office seemed a little distracted.
Especially Misaki.
On average, she checked the time every ten minutes.
Soon, 9:30 a.m. arrived.
A new file appeared in her email inbox.
Misaki gripped the mouse tightly. She took several deep breaths before finally steadying herself.
Then she opened the email and read carefully from top to bottom.
1. Source War Chronicle
2. The Wanderer
3. Hikaru no Go - Votes: 621,308
4. Fist Armor - Votes: 612,345
5. Love Prism
After absorbing the key information, Misaki tried her best to restrain her emotions.
But some things couldn't be controlled by will alone.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched into fists, and an irrepressible urge to cheer surged within her chest.
In the end, all of it was compressed into the calm, professional expression she maintained on her face.
But her colleagues in the editorial department were far less composed.
"Congratulations, Editor Misaki."
"Hikaru no Go has only been serialized for a little over forty weeks, not even a full year, and it's already reached the top three of the journal rankings. Congratulations!"
"Fist Armor has held a top-three position for two consecutive years, and now it's finally been overtaken by Hikaru no Go."
"Next up are The Wanderer and Source War Chronicle. Editor Misaki, keep going, break their monopoly!"
Faced with the enthusiastic congratulations of her colleagues, Misaki remained outwardly calm.
At exactly 12:00 p.m., she edited a short message and sent it to Rei, who was on his lunch break.
On the school rooftop, Rei slipped his phone back into his pocket.
'Third place in the rankings… huh.'
At last, Hikaru no Go had reached this point.
Rei lowered his gaze to the file Misaki had sent him, which contained detailed data on Source War Chronicle and The Wanderer.
Most of the traffic driven by the TV drama adaptation had already been fully absorbed.
Reaching third place in the journal rankings would force the editorial group to adjust its strategy, greater exposure, better placement, more resources.
But whether Hikaru no Go could ultimately surpass the top two, that would no longer depend on momentum or external boosts.
From this point on, it would be a pure contest of hard strength between the three works.
...
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