[Satsugen]
FIVE THINGS ABOUT NASE ASUMI
by svz_insanity
1.
She stumbled upon go purely by accident. Once, when she was four, her parents brought her to the park to play with some other kids. After she had thoroughly mussed up her pink dress and gotten grass stains all over her tights, she wandered off to some nearby park benches where some old men were playing a wooden board game.
They knew she shouldn't be there, but they didn't say anything, choosing to ignore her as she watched intently.
The game went over her head, but the image of the elaborate patterns of smooth, black and white stones and the soft pa-chi sounds stuck with her, even as her mother carried her away, lecturing about the importance of not staying close.
2.
Go wasn't something that most girls were interested in, she learned. It wasn't like she had thought any different-but it had been a shock when she first walked into the Go Institute and realized that she would be surrounded by boys, boys, and boys. There were a few girls, but Nase learned that most of them dropped out after a few months of becoming insei. It became increasingly frequent as Nase grew older.
"Go's fun, but it's not everything," Chiharu, told her, the week before she decided to quit being an insei. She carefully reapplied eyeliner. "It's not like I'll ever be good enough to turn pro. I should just be satisfied that I can wipe the board with most people and enjoy my youth. Who has ever heard of a famous female Go player anyway?"
"You never know. Maybe you are good enough to turn pro," Nase told her. "It's not like it's written in stone."
Chiharu zipped her make up bag shut and washed her hands. "You'll understand soon enough," she said, as confidently as a girl of sixteen could to a girl two years her junior. "Just wait until you get a boyfriend." She flashed Nase a small smile, "I'm off to tell Shinoda-sensei."
3.
Sometimes, she would think back to Chiharu's words and wonder if go was truly worth her complete and utter lack of a social life. Her friends at school tease her about go, alternating between telling her she's so lucky that she's surrounded by so many guys five days a week (they once bumped into her when Isumi was walking her home after dark) and telling her that she could do so much better.
"You're so pretty," Sakura-chan had told her once, frowning slightly. "I know Isumi's hot and all, but from what I've seen-most guys who play go are total nerds. Is Isumi really worth it?"
Megumi, Rika, and Naru nodded in agreement.
They thought she played go because of Isumi, and Nase let them believe what they liked. It was easier that way.
4.
One time, she caved. She skipped her insei classes and went on a blind date that started out all right in the beginning but snowballed into a disaster after she mentioned go.
He never called her.
Nase couldn't help but think "good riddance" and resigned herself to turning into a crazy cat lady who played a little go on the side.
5.
She has known about Iijima's crush on her for ages now, but if he doesn't buckle up and just ask her already, she's going to consider Kawazaki-san's offer. It's not like she's willing to wait around forever, you know.
by svz_insanity
1.
She stumbled upon go purely by accident. Once, when she was four, her parents brought her to the park to play with some other kids. After she had thoroughly mussed up her pink dress and gotten grass stains all over her tights, she wandered off to some nearby park benches where some old men were playing a wooden board game.
They knew she shouldn't be there, but they didn't say anything, choosing to ignore her as she watched intently.
The game went over her head, but the image of the elaborate patterns of smooth, black and white stones and the soft pa-chi sounds stuck with her, even as her mother carried her away, lecturing about the importance of not staying close.
2.
Go wasn't something that most girls were interested in, she learned. It wasn't like she had thought any different-but it had been a shock when she first walked into the Go Institute and realized that she would be surrounded by boys, boys, and boys. There were a few girls, but Nase learned that most of them dropped out after a few months of becoming insei. It became increasingly frequent as Nase grew older.
"Go's fun, but it's not everything," Chiharu, told her, the week before she decided to quit being an insei. She carefully reapplied eyeliner. "It's not like I'll ever be good enough to turn pro. I should just be satisfied that I can wipe the board with most people and enjoy my youth. Who has ever heard of a famous female Go player anyway?"
"You never know. Maybe you are good enough to turn pro," Nase told her. "It's not like it's written in stone."
Chiharu zipped her make up bag shut and washed her hands. "You'll understand soon enough," she said, as confidently as a girl of sixteen could to a girl two years her junior. "Just wait until you get a boyfriend." She flashed Nase a small smile, "I'm off to tell Shinoda-sensei."
3.
Sometimes, she would think back to Chiharu's words and wonder if go was truly worth her complete and utter lack of a social life. Her friends at school tease her about go, alternating between telling her she's so lucky that she's surrounded by so many guys five days a week (they once bumped into her when Isumi was walking her home after dark) and telling her that she could do so much better.
"You're so pretty," Sakura-chan had told her once, frowning slightly. "I know Isumi's hot and all, but from what I've seen-most guys who play go are total nerds. Is Isumi really worth it?"
Megumi, Rika, and Naru nodded in agreement.
They thought she played go because of Isumi, and Nase let them believe what they liked. It was easier that way.
4.
One time, she caved. She skipped her insei classes and went on a blind date that started out all right in the beginning but snowballed into a disaster after she mentioned go.
He never called her.
Nase couldn't help but think "good riddance" and resigned herself to turning into a crazy cat lady who played a little go on the side.
5.
She has known about Iijima's crush on her for ages now, but if he doesn't buckle up and just ask her already, she's going to consider Kawazaki-san's offer. It's not like she's willing to wait around forever, you know.