Chapter 525: The Descendant, Fujiwara no Sai  (1)

[TL/N: Read my new work - Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!] 

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"Would you like to try a game first?" 

After dinner, Alexander asked the group in front of him. To spark their interest in board games, he needed to introduce it in a fun way. Hearing Alexander's suggestion, the group exchanged hesitant glances. 

"You guys go ahead. I need to practice my songs," Miku said, shaking her head. 

Recently, she had discovered a treasure trove of incredible music in Alexander's world, particularly the works of Miss Chihara, whose style resonated deeply with her own. 

Miku had already decided: when she returned home, her new album would consist entirely of songs from this world. 

Alexander silently gave her a thumbs up, appreciating her resourcefulness. This behavior of "borrowing" creativity without crossing ethical lines was, in a way, quite sophisticated. 

"If Miss Chihara finds out about this, I wonder what her reaction would be," Alexander remarked, grinning. 

Miku returned his smile mischievously. "What's wrong with it? My voice was originally modeled after Miss Chihara's, wasn't it? Even though I'm younger and more refined, singing her songs is practically the same as her singing them herself." 

Alexander blinked. Her reasoning… made sense? Technically, this wasn't plagiarism. But still, something about it felt slightly off. 

"Alright, forget it. Kanna-chan, Little Fran, Remilia, Schwi—come here! I'll teach you how to play Gomoku." Alexander beckoned to the group of little girls. 

Hearing his words, the little ones exchanged puzzled looks. 

"Gomoku?" Flandre tilted her head. "Onii-chan, do you even know how to play it? I've never seen you play before." 

"Me? Haha! You don't know this, but I was once called the Little Prince of Gomoku!" Alexander said confidently. 

Pfft! 

Miku, who had been sipping water, nearly choked upon hearing that. "Gomoku?! Really, Alexander?" 

Meanwhile, the little girls looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know what Gomoku was, but if Onii-chan said it was fun, they were willing to try. 

Soon, Alexander waved his hand, and with a surge of magic, a glowing Gomoku Board materialized in midair. With another flick of his fingers, a black piece appeared. 

"Alright, who's first?" Alexander asked, looking around. 

Little Flandre eagerly jumped up. "Onii-chan! Me, me!" 

She clapped her hands excitedly, and a red piece appeared on the board. The rules of Gomoku were simple, and Flandre, being sharp and quick, grasped them in no time. 

Then, the match began. 

As Alexander and Flandre played, a descendant, Fujiwara no Sai, wandered onto the scene. 

"What is this place? How did I end up here?" he muttered, looking around in confusion. 

When his eyes landed on the floating Gomoku Board glowing with magic and the pieces moving as if by divine will, he froze. 

"This… Could this be… heaven?!" Fujiwara's voice trembled with awe. "Am I witnessing God teaching his holy disciples to play [Go]? Heaven must truly pity me to grant me such an honor!" 

Feeling unworthy to interrupt, Fujiwara silently knelt behind Alexander and the others, observing in reverent silence. 

But the longer he watched, the more puzzled he became. 

"A hand on the central point right off the bat? Is this how heavenly [Go] is played?" 

"What? Why place that piece there? It doesn't make sense!" 

"Wait… Did they just skip a winning move?!" 

The moves baffled Fujiwara, but his shock wasn't over yet. 

"Little Fran, you've lost," Alexander declared triumphantly, finishing the game with a few swift moves. 

Flandre's eyes widened before she pouted dramatically. She jumped into Alexander's lap, beating her small fists against his chest like a spoiled child. "Onii-chan, you're a bully! Adults shouldn't bully little girls!" 

Alexander chuckled and replied, "A bully? Let's get one thing straight—you're a vampire who's lived for over 400 years. Who's the child here?" 

Hearing this, Flandre froze, realizing his words made sense. She couldn't argue back. 

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[Note: Gomoku is basically "connect five" played with the the same equipment as Go. Go is a game about surrounding more territory than your opponent, treating the open spaces as points. Despite the fact that they use the same equipment, the games are incredibly different.]