Chapter 140

【Akita Sana: (?ò?ó?) Did you see that! It’s Xia Xia Xia Mujun! He ran away the moment he saw the camera; he really doesn’t seem to like being interviewed (giggle)!】

Kondo Miki clicked on the image, zoomed in to carefully examine the young man’s side profile—rushed yet still undeniably striking—and fell silent for a moment.

Although she didn’t share her friend’s fervent expectations for Xia Xia Xia Mujun, since her best friend liked him, there was no need to be a killjoy.

Her fingers moved lightly as she replied with a concise and polite message:

【Kondo Miki: Hmm, I hope he wins.】

【Akita Sana: (???`?) Exactly! You think so too, right?】

Seeing that Xia Xia Xia Mujun didn’t seem to notice them, Horikawa Kaori took the initiative to suggest:

“I’ll go call Xia Xia Xia Mujun over.”

The little loli Furukawa Saio immediately chimed in excitedly:

“Saio wants to go too!”

Furukawa Masahiro nodded with a smile:

“Then I’ll trouble Miss Horikawa to take Saio along.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Horikawa Kaori took Furukawa Saio’s small hand, and the two walked toward Xia Xia Xia Mujun together.

They soon found him by the passageway.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun had already stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping across the spectator stands as if looking for an empty seat.

The two approached.

The moment the distance closed, Horikawa Kaori subconsciously raised a hand to cover her lips, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun looked even more handsome than he had a few days ago, didn’t he?

Was it just her imagination?

Furukawa Saio didn’t think that much, but upon getting close and seeing Xia Xia Xia Mujun, her little face was already full of bright excitement.

“Xia Xia Xia Mujun, good afternoon.”

“Big Brother, good afternoon!”

Hearing the voices, Xia Xia Xia Mujun turned his head, saw the two, and responded politely:

“Little Saio, Miss Horikawa, good afternoon.”

He then asked curiously:

“Is Miss Horikawa also in the second round today?”

Horikawa Kaori shook her head, her tone tinged with a bit of frustration:

“No, I was in the first round… and it’s already over.”

Xia Xia Xia Mujun was somewhat curious:

“How did it go? Did you win?”

Horikawa Kaori immediately puffed out her cheeks:

“Don’t even mention it… I lost! I was matched against the Women’s 5-dan Orito Orihime, and I lost a complete mess.”

Hearing this, Xia Xia Xia Mujun was visibly stunned for a moment:

“You ran into Orito Orihime? What a coincidence.”

Horikawa Kaori caught the subtle look on his face and couldn’t help but ask:

“Judging by your reaction, do you know her?”

Xia Xia Xia Mujun’s expression became a bit strange.

“She is the student council president at my school. As for whether I know her… it’s hard to say; we haven’t spoken more than a few words in total.”

“I see…”

Horikawa Kaori realized, then warned him earnestly.

“But she is truly very strong. If you run into her, be very careful.”

Xia Xia Xia Mujun nodded slightly:

“Hmm, noted.”

At this moment, Furukawa Saio had already reached out her small hand, gently tugging at Xia Xia Xia Mujun’s finger, and looked up with her little face, saying happily:

“Big Brother, I came specifically to watch you play Shogi today!”

A trace of surprise flickered in Xia Xia Xia Mujun’s heart.

He still remembered that after their last match, little Saio had cried sadly over her loss and had been avoiding him ever since; he had thought she disliked him.

It seemed a child’s mind was indeed simple; they forgot unhappy things in the blink of an eye.

He smiled and ruffled Saio’s soft hair:

“Well, thank you for coming all this way, little Saio.”

Furukawa Saio squinted her eyes in enjoyment, then pointed her small hand toward Furukawa Masahiro’s direction:

“Big Brother, Grandpa is waiting for you over there!”

Horikawa Kaori also suggested at the right moment:

“Xia Xia Xia Mujun, why don’t you go sit over there for a while before the match starts? There are seats, you can take a rest.”

Xia Xia Xia Mujun was just worrying about not having a place to settle, so he readily agreed:

“Alright, please lead the way.”

The three walked over together.

Furukawa Masahiro watched Xia Xia Xia Mujun approach and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Three days apart, and the radiance around this youth seemed to have become even clearer and more dazzling.

“Young friend Xia, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Grandpa Furukawa.”

After they were seated, Furukawa Masahiro remembered that business card which had vanished like a stone into the sea, and finally, unable to help himself, he probed in a casual tone:

“Has Xia Xia Xia Mujun been… particularly busy lately?”

Xia Xia Xia Mujun recalled his experiences over the past few days and nodded honestly:

"Indeed, there is some."

The corners of Furukawa Masahiro's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

He really is busy.

He changed direction and asked:

"Then... during this time, have you found any spare time to study shogi?"

Natsume Chikage shook his head:

"No. Recently, between working, school, and club activities, I basically can't squeeze out any free time."

This answer left both Furukawa Masahiro and Horikawa Kaori stunned for a moment.

Aren't you here for the tournament?

Ordinary people would always sharpen their swords before a battle, studying game records or their opponents.

You, on the other hand, have completely returned to the daily life of a standard high school student, without a single sign of "preparing for battle"?

Although you are indeed a high school student, and there's nothing wrong with that...

But with the tournament imminent, you should at least be a bit nervous and make some preparations.

Furukawa Masahiro coughed twice and couldn't help but ask:

"If you don't touch the pieces for days, aren't you worried that your form will be rusty during the match?"

Natsume Chikage smiled, his tone relaxed:

"That won't happen; I feel my form is still acceptable."

Horikawa Kaori listened from the side, feeling somewhat helpless, and even thought Xia Xia Xia Mujun was a bit of an "airhead."

Cute is cute, but you did pay a full 20,000 yen registration fee.

This money shouldn't be wasted; studying a bit before the match to increase your chances of winning would be good.

She couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for him.

The first round had already screened out many weak players.

Therefore, the upcoming opponents would either be registered members of the Shogi Association or battle-hardened amateur experts, with experience easily reaching two or three thousand games.