Chapter 8 - Setting

Setting

After he'd agreed to advise the two boys with their Go, he started to find them visiting him in his home on the weekends and whenever he had spare time to deal with them. Akari found it entertaining watching him interact with the kids and acting just like one himself. He himself found it to be rather annoying at times, as the two brats' pestering and constant jabbering would tire him out even more, especially after a long day at work. He had complained to Akari about all the problems the two would bring to him, asking for his opinion, cutting in during his explanations with their thoughts, Taguchi especially, and just generally sending his peaceful and monotonous life to the dogs. Though to be honest, he was starting to get attached to the two brats, however rowdy and annoying they seem. Now, he couldn't really see himself spending his free days without his home being intruded on by the brats.

"—sensei! Shindo-sensei!" Taguchi's voice, laced with annoyance cut through Hikaru's thoughts. Hikaru shook his head clear of distracting thoughts mentally, and turned to Taguchi, giving him a questioning look.

"What is it brat?" Hikaru asked, ruffling Taguchi's hair a bit while smirking at him. It was always fun messing with him, what with his quick temper and brash nature.

Taguchi growled in frustration, as his arms went up to try and block his mentor's hand from ruffling his hair. It was always so embarrassing when his mentor did that, after all, he wasn't a little kid anymore. Noticing that Hikaru stopped ruffling his hair, he looked back up at his mentor and sighed, "You weren't listening were you, stupid sensei?"

Hikaru bristled a bit at being called stupid by the brat, but shook it off quickly; someone had to act the part of the adult in their little group after all. Plus, it would be unbecoming of him getting bothered by a brat almost half his age. But, being the person that he was, Hikaru was definitely planning on some kind of revenge for later. He gave Taguchi an almost too sweet of a smile, letting the brat know of his ire and asked in a sweet yet venomous voice, "And what, were you asking about, Taguchi-kun?"

Going slightly wide-eyed at his mentor's reply, Taguchi froze, staring at Hikaru's creepy smile. Shaking himself out of that feeling of fear, he sat up straighter, glared at his mentor in an attempt to look unaffected by the hidden threat of pain, and repeated his question from earlier, "I asked if you could come by the Go Institute next weekend and meet my friends, old man!"

"Your friends?" Hikaru repeated, an eyebrow raised in question, "And why do you want me to meet your friends?"

"Um… Shun and I mentioned to them that we have a mentor now," Ohka answered quickly, before Taguchi could come up with some much exaggerated reason, "and they said to prove it and to bring you there to meet them…"

Hikaru laughed, loudly and amusedly, "I didn't realize that having a mentor was that big of a deal to insei."

"It isn't really," Ohka mumbled, sounding rather irritated. He glared over at Taguchi with accusing eyes and huffed angrily, "Some idiot got hot-tempered and boasted that sensei is some kind of God of Go and on the same level as that Saint of NetGo Sai. The others didn't believe him, so now we have to bring you there to prove that you are."

Hikaru merely smiled in amusement this time, his head shaking at the antics of his two students, Ohka especially. It was always gratifying to see Ohka acting his age from time to time, even if it was irritation from the problems that Taguchi caused left and right. Soft footsteps took him out of his reverie and he looked up to see Akari holding a tray of what smelled to be some sweet snacks. Shuffling over to the side a bit, Hikaru made space for Akari to kneel down and place the tray on a corner of the living room table. He smiled at her in appreciation of the snacks presented before him, his hand reaching out to quickly swipe one of the sweet smelling cookies off the tray; Akari smiled back, shaking her head as her eyes lit with silent laughter at Hikaru's childish actions.

Turning her attention to the fuming Ohka and non-repentant Taguchi, she brought them to attention with a clearing of the throat, her hand gesturing to the tray set on the table, "Enjoy the snacks, boys."

With a cry of glee, the two young teens dove forward grabbing at the delicious looking cookies set before them and began stuffing them into their mouths. It was only halfway through eating his third cookie that Ohka realized the manner he was eating in and quickly turned to Akari and thanked her for the snacks, his face blushing in embarrassment all the while. Akari laughed off the quick thanks from the boy, even as he forcefully pulled his friend's head down in a bow to thank Akari properly for the food. She was used to dealing with people with crude manners; Hikaru was exactly like that when he was a teen after all.

Sensing what Akari was thinking to say, Hikaru glared at her for a brief second before pouting. He did not like to be talked about on the topic of being polite and having a good mannerism, so he changed the topic. He turned to Ohka, as Taguchi seemed to be enjoying the cookies a bit too much what with the speed he was downing them, and asked, "I will show up there this weekend if I can, but you and Taguchi-kun will have to sort out the business of his false boasting yourselves. Do I make myself clear?"

Ohka nodded in agreement, it was the most he, well, they, could do after troubling their mentor during his free time so much already. With that, Hikaru smiled proudly at Ohka before continuing the discussion they were on before the interruption subsequent break.

Sitting to the side Akari smiled, it seemed that Hikaru was getting along with his students just fine. She was glad.

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