Memoirs of a Go Player
Part 2

June 7

Played Yashiro today. Was looking forward to a first-hand tengen or better yet a 5-5, but he just gave me some line about "not being ready for that stage yet." The hell? What's a guy got to do to get a little action around here?

My favourite yellow boxers still haven't shown up. Who would steal my dirty yellow No. 5 underwear with my sweat all over it? It's not like the old farts at Touya's salon would want that kind of thing, right? Then again, they're always panting after "young Touya-sensei"...okay, now my mind is going to bad places.

Touya made it to the Gosei semi-finals. Bully for him. He just had to brag about it right after I lost to him in a really close game! Damn it damn it damn it he makes me so mad sometimes and my hand would have worked except (I hate to admit it) Touya out-read me. Damn it.

Beat Ochi today by 6.5 moku, yeah! Though it was only a practice game. Waya was all jealous because he lost to Ochi last week in a real match. He said something weird about not wanting to win because he kept thinking about what Ochi does when he loses. I said you mean how he consoles himself in the bathroom? Waya said it was something like that. He's always avoiding the bathrooms at the Institute nowadays.

Whatever. He was just making excuses for losing.

If anyone ever picked up this journal and started reading they'd probably think I'm from an insane asylum the way I keep mentioning the Institute. Just to set the record straight: it's the Japanese Go Institute not an insane asylum (though sometimes I wonder if they're the same thing).

Waya said he thought he saw someone tailing me today but I think he's just paranoid about his match against Isumi-san next week. Got to make daddy proud and all.

Sometimes Touya looks way too pretty to be a boy. When he uses chopsticks I always think he's going to put them in his hair or something, he holds them all delicate-like. Weirdo.

Touya is such a weirdo. Have I mentioned that lately? Well, here it is. TOUYA AKIRA IS A FREAKING WEIRDO.

I was trying to encourage Isumi-san when he was playing against Ashiwara-san and Touya was all like he's gonna LOSE LOSE LOSE. I know Ashiwara-san's in his study group but LIGHTEN UP A LITTLE. And then he kept yelling so much that we got kicked out of the Institute! It was worse than when Ichikawa-san almost threw us out last week.

But I bet Touya was more embarrased than me. Serves him right.

Kuwabara-san, just go away.

Ogata-san, just go away.

That said, I accepted his invitation to his apartment for "Go-related activities." Who is he kidding? At least I'll get his good sake.

I still can't believe I agreed to go. I'm such an idiot, I'll do anything to piss Touya off. It was almost worth it, his face was starting to look as green as his hair.

So much for "Go-related activities." Ogata-cheap-bastard-san gave me cheap beer while he chugged the expensive stuff. At least I got to beat him. At Go, that is. He kept asking if I know whether Ashiwara-san likes him. Or he might have been saying Kuwabara-san, I couldn't really tell, I was pretty sloshed by that point and he was playing his Prince CD too loud.

I kept getting this creepy feeling of being watched, but Ogata-san said that it was probably just the old lady who lives in the next building over. Apparently she likes to spy on him. Ick.

Mom was saying she thinks she saw an intruder with binoculars in the trees again. Ha ha, kind of like the old lady who spies on Ogata-san.

Mom also keeps saying that my underwear is going missing off the clothesline but I think she just wants some excitement in her life. I should buy her a dog or something, she needs more to do.

I keep getting this itchy feeling at the back of my neck. I hope I'm not getting a rash.

You know what I noticed about Kurata-san and Waya? They both have pretty good instincts but they're about as dense as a pile of bricks. Kind of like mindless wild animals or something...well, I'm probably being too hard on Waya.

Anyway, Waya and Isumi-san finally admitted their undying love for one another today. Same old, same old.

Isumi-san and Waya should stop making out in the Room of Profound Darkness. There are cameras in there. Wonder if they're into that kind of stuff. Don't really want to know. I'm not gonna be able to play matches in there if they keep doing that.

And I've got to stop agreeing to stand on guard for them. I'm starting to feel like a pimp. Or at least a third wheel.

Ichikawa-san, just go away.

OH MY GOD. TOUYA WAS WEARING CLOTHES THAT ACTUALLY MATCHED TODAY. NO WONDER HE LOOKED SO CRANKY.

Crud, Touya's back to normal.

TOUYA IS SUCH A PUTZ.

Where the hell does he get off accosting me in the middle of the goddamn lunch room in front of everyone and demanding what my feelings toward him are? This is just like how he used to pop up out of nowhere at Haze.

I'm gonna talk to Akari tomorrow about why the hell she was talking to Touya about my love life.

Akari said the one Touya likes is me?

Stupid Touya is playing in the Meijin league so I couldn't get to him today.

God he has a busy schedule. I'll talk to him tomorrow.

It's weird, Touya is usually popping up all over the place when I don't want him to and now I can't find him at all.

Touya told me he likes me back. He told me he likes me back!

Um, does this mean we're dating? I think it does. I kind of broke up with him when he insulted me after I lost a game to him, but then I called him later to let him apologize. So I think we're dating.

Winner: me!

Now, if only I could find my yellow boxer shorts.

- End -