The Invitation

Morning.

Felix, a ninth-dan Go player, woke up to the sound of his alarm.

Over the past few days, the manga artists he had reached out to had either outright refused or had their drafts rejected by the Go Association.

"There's only one more left…"

Felix thought about the artists he had contacted and realized that only one remained.

"If this one works out, that'd be great. Otherwise, my suggestion is pretty much a failure. But who knows? Maybe this one will be different," he muttered to himself, trying to ease the pressure he felt.

After quickly brushing his teeth and tidying up, Felix greeted his wife and son before they all sat down to breakfast.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Felix looked at the video doorbell and saw his assistant, Ms. Ikeda, standing outside. She was likely delivering the latest manga draft.

After thanking her and taking the package, Felix sat down to review the submission.

His son, New Eight, also pulled out a few pages to look at.

It didn't take long before New Eight tossed the pages back onto the table.

"This isn't going to work either. It's boring," New Eight said bluntly. "Sure, it's got a lot of technical Go knowledge, but it feels more like an educational pamphlet. No reader is going to find this interesting."

Felix sighed and rubbed his temples. "You're right. It's just not engaging enough. Looks like my idea is a complete failure. Finding an artist who can balance the professional aspects of Go with an entertaining story might be impossible."

For a moment, there was silence between them. Suddenly, New Eight seemed to remember something. He slapped the table, startling both Felix and his wife.

"What's wrong with you?" Felix asked, startled by his son's sudden outburst.

"I've got it!" New Eight said, his eyes wide with excitement. "I know the perfect manga artist to draw a Go manga!"

"What? Who?" Felix asked, confused.

Without explaining, New Eight ran to his room and came back with a manga. "This one! This is the artist you need!" he said, holding up a copy of Gintama.

"Gin…tama?" Felix read the title slowly, looking puzzled.

He had heard of the series—it was a popular comedy manga about samurai. Despite its success, Felix hadn't considered it because comedy seemed far removed from the serious tone of a Go manga.

"I think this artist could do it!" New Eight said confidently.

Felix waved his hand dismissively. "But this is a gag manga artist. Sure, it's funny, but could they really handle a sports-type manga?"

"No, I think they can!" New Eight insisted. He ran back to his room and returned with a stack of different manga. "This artist is versatile! They've done cooking manga, action manga, comedy—you name it! They even drew Naruto!"

"Naruto?" Felix's interest piqued when he heard the name of the famous ninja series.

New Eight nodded eagerly. "That's right! Naruto and Gintama were both commissioned by people in Japan. Even though this artist is from another country, they were able to capture the essence of ninjas and the samurai spirit. So, who's to say they can't draw a Go manga? At this point, all the other artists you've tried have failed, so why not give this one a shot? It won't cost you much time or money."

Felix hesitated for a moment, flipping through the pages of the manga in his hands.

After a pause, he finally nodded. "Alright, let's give it a try."

Felix decided to take the risk, reasoning that there was little to lose. If this worked out, it could have a significant positive impact on the future of Go in Japan.

…

Meanwhile, in China.

At Ren's house, his daughter, Yueyue, was busy helping her dad with chores.

Ren had just finished pulling out a load of freshly washed clothes from the washing machine. Yueyue's job was to separate the tangled clothes, put them on hangers, and place them on the chair so her dad could hang them to dry later.

She was doing all this to earn her allowance. After all, her mom, Jada, had forced her to put her allowance in a "bank" that Yueyue couldn't access without permission.

"Big sister! Big sister!"

Her little brother, Rui, who had recently learned to say a few words, was crawling toward her, calling out excitedly.

"Don't come near me! Don't get the clothes dirty!" Yueyue shouted from across the room.

Rui's hands were still greasy, and if he touched the clean clothes, her hard work would go to waste!

Just then, Jada came down the stairs. "Ren, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Huh? What is it?" Ren asked, pausing from his chore and wiping his hands on his pants. He turned to Yueyue. "Okay, take your brother and go play for a bit."

"What about my allowance?" Yueyue asked, looking up at him.

"I'll give it to you!" Ren said with a grin.

"Yay!" Yueyue cheered and quickly led her brother out to the living room, happy that she didn't have to finish her chores but still got her allowance.

Ren walked over to Jada.

"Take a look at this," Jada said, handing him a document.

Ren took the paper and began reading.

After about two minutes, he looked up, surprised. "Wait, this is…?"

"Exactly," Jada said, her tone a little strange. "It's an invitation from the Japan Go Association. They want you to create a Go manga… What do you think? Should we just reject it?"

Jada found the whole thing a bit unbelievable.

Ren, on the other hand, was completely baffled.

"Wait… this is really from the Japan Go Association?" he asked, scanning the document again, paying extra attention to the official stamps, making sure it wasn't some kind of prank.

"Yes, it is," Jada confirmed, looking equally perplexed.

This wasn't some private commission like they'd received from other individuals before. This was an official invitation from the Japan Go Association!

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