"Ah, Mom, don't flatter . I'm really just average."
Takashi said modestly.
He wasn't pretending—he truly believed he still had a long way to go.
In his previous life, Takashi had been proud of getting into a bottom-tier 985 university, thinking himself a bit of a genius—until he visited a "Hua Five" school and felt completely crushed.
And above the Hua Five, the twin stars of Beijing soared.
Even if you're a genius, the cream of the Qingbei crop, the world extends far beyond China.
As a kid, he saw only the well; growing up, he ca to understand what the phrase "heroes of the world are as countless as fish in the river" truly ant.
"That's already impressive."
Yukinoshita Yukio now looked at him with a hint of gentleness in her gaze.
"If Yukino had gone to Aoba, she wouldn't necessarily be better than you. You young people should spend more ti together."
Yukino looked visibly reluctant upon hearing her mother's words.
She didn't like friendships forced upon her by her parents.
Sawamura Sayuri and Yukinoshita Yukio then began discussing topics like when to get married, where to have the wedding, and when to have kids.
Neither Takashi nor Yukino had any interest in that conversation. Eriri, however, listened intently.
From her sparkling, twinkling eyes, Takashi saw anticipation—
A woman's anticipation of marriage.
Unfortunately, Takashi was destined not to be able to respond to that expectation.
The two mothers kept chatting until 10 p.m., and only then did Yukinoshita Yukio get up with her daughter to leave.
Before leaving, Yukino and Takashi exchanged contact information.
And this was when having two phone numbers ca in handy.
If he'd only had one, Takashi wouldn't have dared give it to her—
Because Yukino had already added him before.
…
Under the bright moonlight, cotton-like clouds drifted slowly as a breeze carried the coolness of early August.
"Mom, I'm going to shower and sleep."
Eriri said, waving as she left.
She was tired.
"Mhm, go ahead."
Seeing this, Takashi also wanted to excuse himself.
"Mom, I'll go—"
"Takashi, do you know how to play Go?"
He was cut off mid-sentence by Sawamura Sayuri.
"No."
"Then I'll teach you."
Sawamura Sayuri looked eager.
"…Mom, I know a little. I can play a ga with you."
"Just one ga. But you can only go to bed if you win."
Sawamura Sayuri winked mischievously.
Even though she already had a child, the playful expression on her face still carried the charm of a young girl.
"Then I guess I'll have to show you the skill of Go prodigy Takashi."
Takashi straightened his posture.
"I'm looking forward to it~"
Half an hour later—
Sawamura Sayuri held a white stone in her hand, staring intently at the board. She hadn't made a move in a long ti.
Though the situation on the board seed undecided, she really had no idea where to go next. Every possible outco she could foresee ended in her loss.
"Mom, could you hurry up?"
Takashi, sitting cross-legged and playing on his phone, urged her.
A ga of Go typically took 2–3 hours.
Of course, if you were shaless enough, you could stall and drag it out to 7 hours.
At this point, we must ntion a certain "Battle Hawk Lady" who could outlast the elderly in endurance and outplay children in tactics.
Back then, she relied solely on sheer grit and stamina to beat Old Master Rui, who was 32 years her senior.
"Shh, quiet. I'm thinking."
Sawamura Sayuri glared at Takashi, dissatisfied, and then finally played her move.
Takashi glanced at the board, then switched apps on his phone—to a Go ga app.
Looking closely, the board in the app was identical to the one between him and Sawamura Sayuri.
You thought this was Sawamura Sayuri vs. Takashi?
Wrong.
It was Sawamura Sayuri vs. AI!
After Sawamura Sayuri played her move, Takashi placed a black stone in the sa spot, and the AI imdiately responded.
He glanced at the screen, then placed a white stone in response.
Sawamura Sayuri furrowed her brows again, falling into deep thought.
After a while, she sighed and put down her black stone. "I lost."
She couldn't understand how Takashi could win while multitasking—playing on his phone and Go at the sa ti.
Was this what genius looked like?
Takashi stood up and stretched. "Mom, I'm going to sleep now."
Sawamura Sayuri acted like she didn't hear him. "This ti, let's play chess."
Takashi's eyes widened. "Mom, you tricked !"
"Haven't you been toying with my daughter too? Isn't that right, Kitahara Takashi?"
Sawamura Sayuri began picking up the Go pieces and placing them in the jar.
Takashi's body tensed, then he quietly sat back down to help her clean up the board.
"When did you find out, Auntie?"
"The second day."
Takashi imdiately understood that by the second day of his visit to the Sawamura house, Sawamura Sayuri had already investigated him thoroughly.
"I thought you'd tell Eriri."
"I considered it. But Eriri really likes you."
"That's where you're wrong, Auntie!"
Sawamura Sayuri paused, looking puzzled.
"Eriri doesn't like . She still likes Aki Tomoya."
Takashi dropped his usual facade, his expression indifferent as he picked up another white stone.
"Why do you think that?"
Sawamura Sayuri was stunned.
Even she could see that Eriri liked him—how could he not?
Takashi glanced at the system, but said aloud, "A girl who's liked a guy for ten years—I don't believe I could win her over in less than one."
"Even if Eriri truly liked , I wouldn't accept her."
Sawamura Sayuri wasn't angry. She simply looked at him calmly. "Why not?"
"She and Tomoya have been entangled for ten years. Even if she ends up with , she'll never fully cut ties with him."
Takashi spoke steadily.
Sawamura Sayuri nodded. "That, I won't deny."
Tomoya and Eriri had been wrapped up in each other too long. Even if the romance was gone, they'd still be friends.
A ten-year bond isn't sothing easily broken.
Like a ten-year friendship—if your new girlfriend didn't like that friend, would you just give it up?
"But what if I said I only want a girl whose entire heart is filled with , with no room for anyone else?"
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