Chapter 741

The retirement ceremony for Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori was held in the Grand Hall of the Hongo Campus of the University of Tokyo.

This hall is a Meiji-era building, its dark oak wall panels having aged into a rich amber luster, while the plaster moldings on the dome still faintly reveal the craftsmanship of artisans from the Taisho period.

At ten thirty in the morning, winter sunlight poured through the high windows, casting solemn beams between the red velvet seats.

President Hamada Junichi attended in person, seated in the center of the first row, flanked by several department heads and honorary professors; the arrival of the University of Tokyo president elevated the ceremony's stature unconsciously, for it is not customary for the university president to attend a professor's retirement.

This was both due to Uesugi Kuninori's nearly forty-year academic stature—undisputed leader in the field of cosmic dynamics—and the halo of his noble lineage: the old nobility and his status as the eighteenth-generation head of the Yonezawa Uesugi family.

Though the peerage system has long been abolished, the lingering glow of nobility still flickers faintly in certain occasions.

Humans are like this: the newly rich look down on the aristocracy, the aristocracy look down on the newly rich, but in the end, the newly rich either become aristocrats or marry into them. After Liu Bang rose following the Qin-Han transition, a large group of commoners followed him, but over decades or centuries, these families gradually became scholar-gentry aristocracy; by the Tang Dynasty, scholars' life goals remained passing the imperial examinations, marrying women of the five surnames, and the Tang imperial family, furious, forcibly decreed their clan's status supreme—but in truth, no one with ambition would willingly marry a princess.

Japan, inheriting the fine cultural traditions of the Tang Dynasty, determined that the halo of nobility remains dazzling, especially given that Uesugi Kenshin is already deeply bound to Japanese culture and regional symbolism.

In the venue, white and black hair were evenly mixed.

Scholars of Uesugi Kuninori's generation have mostly passed away, but today a few elderly men with walking sticks still came; they are the first and second postwar generations of University of Tokyo graduates, having lived through the era of rebuilding academia from ruins. Middle-aged faces are mostly professors and institute heads from various universities, all having once received his guidance, while the largest group consists of postgraduate students aged twenty to forty, some having come specially from Kyoto, Kyushu, or even the United States. The emcee, the current head of the Department of Cosmic Physics, read out congratulatory messages one by one: from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, NASA, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—these names may sound unfamiliar to ordinary ears, but those present know their weight.

Uesugi Kuninori sat on the side of the stage, wearing a plain black academic robe, his collar revealing a dark gray suit and a plain white shirt. At seventy-five, the head of the Uesugi family kept his spine straight, his gray-white short hair meticulously combed, his face clear, his brows and eyes bearing the refined chill polished by long years.

As he listened to the congratulatory remarks, his expression remained calm, occasionally nodding, showing little emotion.

Ikeda Erena sat in the aisle-side seat of the back row, shoulder to shoulder with Uesugi Muneyuki.

Her posture was more upright than usual, legs together and slightly slanted, her black velvet high heels neatly placed side by side under the chair, her hands folded on her knees. She spoke not, merely listening quietly to those unfamiliar and distant titles and achievements, occasionally tilting her head slightly to sneak a glance at the profile of the person beside her. Though she did not understand, she felt it was impressive!!

Uesugi Muneyuki remained silent, knowing today belonged to his grandfather's stage, and also his final brilliance.

No matter what, even after being rehired for ten years, the identity of a University of Tokyo professor finally had its day of ending.

From this day forward, Uesugi Kuninori would shed the sacred halo of being a University of Tokyo professor and become an ordinary old man.

And in the future, it would be he and his brother Uesugi Sadanori who would continue to create.

President Hamada's remarks were brief but weighty.

……Uesugi Professor is not only an outstanding scientist, but also a witness and architect of postwar Japan's academic revival. His research in the cosmic microwave background radiation field opened a window for humanity to understand the early universe. As a fellow scholar, I deeply know the loneliness and perseverance behind this achievement. And as an educator, he has trained three full generations of cosmic physicists. What he has built is not merely a theoretical model, but also a school, a tradition, a kind of academic character. »

He paused, looked toward the elder on stage, and spoke gently:

「Mr. Uesugi, your forty-two years of teaching at the University of Tokyo have become an indelible page in this institution's history. Today, we are not saying goodbye, but paying tribute to a great academic career. »

Applause surged like a tide, lasting a long time.

Uesugi Kuninori slowly rose, bowed slightly in acknowledgment.

「Thank you all, my gratitude knows no bounds! 」

His voice was low, without much adornment.

「Forty-two years ago, I first entered this building as a lecturer. At that time, the ceiling cracks had not been repaired, and on rainy days we needed buckets to catch the leaks. The then-president told me: Uesugi-kun, the universe is vast, the University of Tokyo's ceiling is small, but you must, beneath this small ceiling, think through those great questions. »

There was a faint laugh from below.

「Over these forty-two years, I have seen many clever minds, and even more resilient souls. Some remained in academia, becoming my peers; some went to companies, to research institutes, to places I do not know. But I think those who once watched me derive equations in class probably still remember something I said」

He paused briefly.

「The universe does not lie. 」

The air seemed to still for an instant.

「Human memory blurs, words conceal, interests distort, right and wrong shift, values are guided—but the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the values of galactic redshift, the waveform curves of gravitational waves do not lie. They simply exist there, waiting to be correctly measured, honestly interpreted. What I have done in this life is nothing more than teaching some people how to hear the truth of the universe. »

He gave a slight nod: 「Objective facts are simply there, unchanging. 」

「For forty-two years, I have been indebted to your kindness. 」

Applause rose again, longer than before.

In the outer hall corner, near that stained-glass window.

Uesugi Kuninori stood with hands behind his back, facing away from the crowd.

「Grandfather. 」Uesugi Muneyuki approached with Eirina, calling out: 「Congratulations, the ceremony was very successful—President Hamada actually came in person? 」

「Successful? 」Uesugi Kuninori repeated the word, tone flat: 「My career has ended, forty-two years on the podium, the last lecture I gave was that the universe does not lie. But how many of those sitting below can actually understand? 」

Uesugi Muneyuki did not respond.

「I am seventy-five now. 」Grandfather's voice was low, not a complaint, merely a statement: 「For now, my body is still serviceable, my mind still clear, but my academic life ends here. Thereafter, it will merely be watching others move forward while I slowly fall behind. 」

He paused, gave a light, scornful laugh.

「This is the scholar's fate. There is nothing wrong with it—our theories and academic achievements will either be overturned one day, or be trampled underfoot by later generations who continue climbing along our path, but either way, my work has already been settled, regrettably, Yukimatsumaru, your grandfather, having participated in the All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee, never held a department head position in his lifetime. 」

Uesugi Muneyuki remained silent. He knew his grandfather needed no comfort; those words were spoken only for himself to hear.

After a moment, Uesugi Kuninori turned, looking at his grandson. His gaze was sharp as ever, but now carried an added weight beyond scrutiny. 「Yukimatsumaru, you are twenty-six this year. 」

「You have also seen Chitokumaru's situation. The main house truly has a family name to inherit! 」

Uesugi Muneyuki's throat moved slightly, but he did not answer immediately.

「I am not asking you to take over now, 」Uesugi Kuninori said, tone calm but leaving no room for evasion: 「but the matter of heirs, you should have considered it. The Uesugi family has endured nearly a thousand years; it cannot end in my generation. 」

By the window, Ikeda Erena stood not far away, wanting to join the conversation, but clearly Uesugi Kuninori did not favor her—not because he dislikes her as a person, but because he dislikes the elements she carries.

This woman looks unintelligent at first glance, and indeed she is unintelligent, and moreover she has lowly overseas blood.

The bloodline of the Uesugi family, passed down for hundreds of years, has never mixed with overseas blood.

「How is your brother doing? 」Uesugi had to shift the topic.

「He has undergone several treatments, with no noticeable improvement. 」Uesugi Kuninori's tone returned to calm statement, as if the earlier remarks were merely routine: 「Autonomic nervous disorder is a physiological issue, but his psychological state, doctors are also helpless, he himself lacks strong desire to change, so treatment is futile. 」

His brother also came today, but he always avoids that terrifying gaze from grandfather, keeping far away; seeing Muneyuki come, he merely waved to indicate he saw him.

Uesugi Kuninori paused, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue only Uesugi Muneyuki could detect.

「The main house can only hope in you. 」

「And with Uesugi Minami, Shirakawa Mai, and even others……don't wear them! Under no circumstances should you wear them! 」Grandfather's words were quite direct. Uesugi Muneyuki did not answer.

I never wear them anyway.

But he really can control it—Grandfather really is this anxious……after Minami stabilizes here, can it not be……

No, it's better not for me to say it myself.

He looked out the window, where the Cultural Exchange Center was crowded with people, and faint applause and the crisp sound of stones being placed could be heard.

"It's lively over there," Uesugi Muneyuki had to shift the topic again: "The Japan-Korea Go exchange event—Nie Sheng, Chang Gong, and the famous female professional 16-2, Sōrō, who is well known there."

His way of changing the subject was not skillful, but Uesugi Kuninori did not press further on the matter of offspring.

The elderly man followed his grandson's gaze toward the window, listened for a few seconds to the faint sound waves, and slightly shook his head.

"Japanese Go," he said, "has already declined."

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

"Twenty years. After Cho Chikun and Kobayashi Hikari, we haven't won a world championship since. Germany had the rise of Nie Sheng's generation, Chang Gong carrying on and initiating anew, and now we have Sōrō and Yu Xiang Kan, these young people. What about Korea? Cao Xunxuan, Lee Chang-ho, Lee Se-dol, Shin Jin-seo—generation after generation, unbroken." He paused, his gaze distant, as if not speaking of Go, but of some grander proposition about inheritance and rupture. "The universe does not lie, Go does not lie, Yukimatsumaru—whether it's a mule or a horse, you won't know until you take it out for a walk."

"Back then, Japanese Go spent all day behind closed doors inventing carriages—what Seven Major Title Matches, what Three Major Summit Matches—all day long, commercial mutual praise, boasting of having a bunch of 'super-first-rate players,' but when the Japan-Korea Go showdown came, for three consecutive editions, a horde of super-first-rate players were taken out one by one by Nie Sheng alone in a wheel battle." Uesugi Kuninori nodded and coldly laughed: "That earned him the towering prestige of being the world's top Go player and Germany's Go Saint." "They have only one Go Saint; we have too many Go Saints." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "Back then, everyone was studying how to make their shapes look good, beautiful, artistic—just not how to win. Even the local Go association didn't want to go abroad to compete."

"I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about you." Uesugi Kuninori fell into a long silence: "Just as Nie Sheng only bears the responsibility of winning games, you only know how to solve cases." Just knowing how to solve cases.

But just this one thing outweighs all empty fame, outweighs all the intrigues of officialdom, outweighs many storms in politics, the Tokyo University halo, the noble aura, and all the ancestral laws.

Because you are useful, very useful.

"Yukimatsumaru, I have always been proud of you." Uesugi Kuninori finally revealed a hint of a smile: "But don't forget—what you rely on to get this far is ultimately what?"

"I know how to solve cases." Uesugi Muneyuki gave a half-smile.

"That's the point." Uesugi Kuninori finally lost his composure laughing: "Go take a look at Go. Young people—you should have the liveliness of youth."