Chapter 456: Defeat is certain! Big trouble!

After putting away the items on his body.

Natsume Chikage gently closed the locker door.

He turned his head, only to find that Tian Bian Youren, with whom he had agreed to act together, was nowhere to be seen.

He scanned the somewhat empty storage room, but still didn't see him.

He waited for a moment, but still didn't see Tian Bian Youren appear.

So, Natsume Chikage didn't delay any longer, turned around alone, and walked toward the player passage, blending into the queue that was lining up in an orderly manner.

He moved forward slowly with the queue, waiting for the draw that would determine his fate, and the match that would follow.

Meanwhile.

Tian Bian Youren in the restroom suddenly clenched his fists and slammed them hard, yet suppressedly, against the sink.

A dull "thud" echoed in the silent space.

He lowered his head, the bangs on his forehead covering part of his eyes, his face full of annoyance and unwillingness.

"Damn it... why exactly?!"

He muttered to himself, his voice full of distress.

He maintained this posture, as if fighting against some emotion in his heart for quite a while.

Until—

The clear broadcast sound from outside penetrated the door and entered his ears.

【The match is about to begin, please have the participants of the third round, first session, follow the staff's guidance and gather in the center of the venue in an orderly manner!】

This sound was like an alarm bell, waking him up.

Tian Bian Youren suddenly raised his head and took a deep breath.

He quickly shook his head hard, as if to shake out those messy thoughts, and even raised his hands to pat his cheeks not lightly or heavily.

"No, no, this state is wrong!"

He said to the blurry reflection on the locker door, his eyes gradually becoming sharp.

"Must compete seriously right now! Must concentrate!"

Soon.

Tian Bian Youren finally broke free from the slump, his eyes refocusing.

He quickly opened an empty locker, put all his personal items—phone, keys, wallet—inside, and locked it.

Then, he turned around, took some hurried but firm steps, and quickly walked toward the player passage, preparing for the draw.

At this time.

In the spectator stands not far away, the gazes of Ku Chuan Jia Zhi, Gu Chuan Changhong, Gu Chuan Cai Xu, and others were tightly following Natsume Chikage's figure at the entrance of the competition venue.

Ku Chuan Jia Zhi, who was always prone to worrying, leaned forward slightly, her fingers unconsciously twisted together, worried:

"Grandfather Gu Chuan, Little Cai Xu, I've looked at the players in this match; there are still some players who have similar strength to Tian Feng but advanced by luck."

"If Natsume-kun can run into these people, there is still a not-so-small chance he can win..."

Tian Feng, who was sitting not far behind her, heard this and couldn't help but lose his composure, his mouth twitched, and he muttered in a low voice:

"Hey, hey... what do you mean by 'players similar to me winning by luck'?"

"Do you think Natsume-kun winning against me last time was that much of a matter of course?"

Gu Chuan Changhong's eyebrows raised slightly, and he looked at Tian Feng with interest:

"Oh? So Mr. Tian Feng means...?"

Tian Feng crossed his arms, turned his face to the side, and hummed from his nose:

"It means that he just happened to have contact with me a few times before, realized my existence, and then studied my shogi path in advance, making targeted preparations."

"If it weren't for that, he would definitely lose!"

Gu Chuan Cai Xu immediately puffed up her cheeks and loudly denied it angrily:

"That's not true! Big Brother is very amazing! He won the first time he played shogi with Cai Xu! He is very strong, he doesn't need to specifically study you, Uncle Tian Feng!"

Tian Feng glanced at Gu Chuan Cai Xu sideways and almost laughed out loud at this innocent remark—in fact, the corner of his mouth had already couldn't help but bend.

You little girl, you don't even have a rank, isn't Natsume Chikage winning against you a matter of course?

Gu Chuan Changhong stretched out his wrinkled hand, gently patted his granddaughter on the back, and comforted her:

"Cai Xu, don't get angry. Getting angry is a taboo in shogi."

Gu Chuan Cai Xu was still angry:

"But he is clearly slandering Big Brother!"

Gu Chuan Changhong laughed, his wise gaze sweeping over Tian Feng:

"It can't be considered slander."

"Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, you can win a hundred battles. Studying the opponent's habitual routines in advance is a common strategy in shogi, a common occurrence in military strategy."

"Little Friend Tian Feng, don't you think so?"

Tian Feng hummed again, this time without refuting. ===== CHAPTER 457 =====