Waya, Hikaru and Sai are sitting at a McDonald's.
Page 8. Frame 1. Balloon 1. Hikaru: Isumi quit the Nine Stars Club (九星会)?!
8.2.1. Waya: That's not all, he's quit being an insei too.
8.2.2. Waya: Even players who are going to graduate usually keep playing until March.
8.3.1. Hikaru: Nine Stars Club is the Go club where Isumi's been going for ages, right?
8.3.2. Hikaru: What's he thinking, quitting being an insei and leaving Nine Stars Club? Waya, did you talk to him?
9.1.1. Waya: Nah, I couldn't bring myself to call him...
9.1.2. Waya: so I dropped in on the Insei Training Day.
9.2.1. Waya: The teacher there told me that he'd quit.
9.3.1. Waya: The teacher said that might be better for him.
9.3.2. Hikaru: What?!
Flashback to Waya and teacher at the Ki-in.
9.4.1. Teacher: [...] and better if he spend time in peaceful self-contemplation.
9.4.2. Teacher: Even if he quits the Nine Stars Club and being an insei, it's not as though those are the only ways he can work on his game. At his level, replaying expert games is study enough.
9.4.3. Teacher: He needs time to be alone.
Back to Waya, Hikaru and Sai at McDonald's.
10.1.1. Hikaru: How can the teacher say such a thing?
10.1.2. Hikaru: Maybe Isumi's given up on becoming a pro!
10.2.1. Waya: Teacher said "Isumi doesn't get it. He'll be back again next year."
10.3.1. Waya: With a straight face, he said
10.3.2. Waya: "He just doesn't understand that this is as far as his Go will take him."
10.4.1. Waya: And then
10.4.2. Waya: he went and told me "Waya, you have to leave Isumi to deal with his own problems. You're going to have to learn to play a lot better yourself!"
10.5.1: Hikaru: ....
11.1.1: Sai: You too, Hikaru.
11.2.1. Waya: Anyway, the reason I called you today was to show you how to act as a game recorder.
11.3.1. Hikaru: A game recorder?
11.3.2. Waya: That's what they call them.
11.3.3. Waya: Well, they don't often call on students, but...
11.4.1. Waya: Pro matches are all recorded beginning with the third preliminary round.
11.4.2. Hikaru: I know how to write down a game!
11.4.3. Waya: You have to record times as well, you know.
12.1.1. Waya: Look, here's an example.
12.2.1. Hikaru: What the heck is this?!
12.2.2. Waya: I told you, you have to write down how long they spent on each play, and the total, and...
12.3.1. Sai: No way you can do this, Hikaru.
12.3.2. Waya: And there's the byoyomi
12.4.1. Hikaru: Waya, can you do this?
12.4.2. Waya: Sure I can.
12.5.1. Hikaru: How can you do something like this?
12.5.2. Waya: What?!
13.1.1. Hikaru: You called me out just to do this?
13.1.2. Waya: Hey, I'm doing you a favour, you got that?!
13.2.1. Sai: Hikaru is taking a step into the world of the professional player.
13.3.1. Hikaru: But being a pro is all about playing! Playing Go!
13.4.1. Hikaru: When do Touya and I get to play? Do you know, Waya?
13.4.2. Waya: How should I know?
13.5.1. Hikaru: There's all sorts of players, right? There's you, Waya and Saeki, but I get to play even with people like Master Touya, don't I?
13.5.2. Sai: !
14.2.1. Sai: Yes! That's it! Do we get to play with him?!
14.2.2. Waya: It'll be five years before you get to play with any top-ranked players. You know that, don't you?
14.3.1. Hikaru: Even if I win all my games? Can't I play them even then?
14.3.2. Sai: Yes, what happens then?
14.4.1. Waya: Oh sure, if you win all your games, you'll make it to the top, but get real. You don't have a chance of that.
14.4.2. Waya: If you're not a 4-dan player, you won't last past the second preliminary round.
15.1.1. Hikaru: So I am playing in the same league though, with Touya and his dad!
15.1.2. Sai: Yes! Yes!
15.2.1. Hikaru: I'm in their world now, so someday I'll get to play them!
Close shot of Sai, startled.
15.4.1. Hikaru: And I want to play Murakami (2-dan) from the Wakajishisen match again.
15.4.2. Hikaru: And face off against Ogata (9-dan) and what's-his-name the Hon'inbou geezer too
15.4.3. Waya: Don't get carried away!
16.1.1. Sai: Hikaru, what about me?
16.2.1. Hikaru: But Touya's the one I really want to play.
16.2.2. Hikaru: I gotta play Touya.
16.3.1. Sai: what about me?
16.4.1. Waya: He's still low-ranked, so if you're lucky you'll get to play him soon enough.
16.4.2. Waya: But anyhow, the pairings are drawn at random.
16.4.3. Hikaru: Random, huh?
16.4.4. Sai: Hikaru?
16.5.1. Hikaru: Hey, I get to play serious games with Mr. Shirakawa and Mr. Morishita too!
16.5.2. Waya: I told you, you don't get to play top players until much later!
16.5.3. Hikaru: But we're all in the same league, right? That means I could play them.
17.1.1. Sai: I see now. Hikaru is in their league. Not me. Hikaru. Just Hikaru.
17.3.1. Sai: Will Hikaru...
17.4.1. Sai: ever let me play again?