Chapter 492

Natsume Chikage stood up slowly, his face still the calm expression that hadn't changed from the opening to the end.

He nodded slightly.

"Thank you for the game."

Referee Kishida Minesuke took a deep breath and stepped forward to examine the chessboard carefully.

Especially the time on the chess clock.

Natsume Chikage didn't use more than two minutes.

Conversely, Suzuki Takayuki had already used more than forty minutes.

Seeing this, his face was unprecedentedly heavy and solemn.

He only felt that everyone might have underestimated this teenager...

Thinking of this.

When his gaze swept over Natsume Chikage, it was complex and unclear.

After a while.

Kishida Minesuke announced in a clear and solemn voice:

"The fifth round, 'Hell Double-Header', final round, first game."

"Game over."

"Winner—"

"Natsume Chikage!"

After a brief silence, the entire venue was completely submerged by the exclamation and applause like a mountain and sea.

Fukuda Tsukasa stared blankly at the giant screen, his body as if nailed to the seat.

The muscles on his face twitched slightly, and his lips opened unconsciously.

He never expected Natsume Chikage to win again.

And it was with this steady, step-by-step advancement that he won against Suzuki Takayuki, who was a quasi-professional?

This... this is a quasi-professional.

It is the realm he has tried his best to reach and dreamed of entering.

That Natsume Chikage, whom he had always been pessimistic about and even secretly mocked... actually won?

The cold reality poured down from the top of his head like a bucket of water.

Could it be... Natsume Chikage’s strength has already touched that threshold?

Horikawa Kaori’s slender fingers were still covering her lips, her fingertips trembling slightly.

While the warm current of surprise rushed to her heart, a stronger sense of disbelief submerged her.

Her wide eyes reflected the word "Victory" on the screen, her eyelashes trembling gently.

She never expected that the sixteen-year-old Natsume Chikage would actually win the hellish battle of the fifth round.

Even... defeated the quasi-professional Suzuki Takayuki.

You know, the three words "quasi-professional" are already the best of the best in the Shogi world.

It is the other shore that countless enthusiasts cannot reach in their lifetime.

Without extraordinary talent, you can't even touch the edge.

But Natsume Chikage just won.

Clean and neat.

That is to say, the strength he showed at this moment is the real quasi-professional level.

And it is... a quasi-professional better than Suzuki Takayuki!

My God... too powerful!

Asahina Akatsuki took a light breath, and complex ripples rose in her chest.

The regret and heartache of seeing her childhood sweetheart Suzuki Takayuki lose indeed existed.

However, when her gaze fell on the giant screen again, fixed on Natsume Chikage’s calm and handsome profile—

A more surging, more indescribable emotion instantly dispersed that regret.

Deep in her eyes, like a lake with pebbles thrown into it, ripples that could not be calmed down spread out.

Her sight seemed to be attracted by a magnet, unable to move away from that calm figure at all.

Tanabe Yuto, on the other hand, was completely petrified on the spot.

His expression froze on his face, his pupils trembled slightly, and slowly enlarged.

A very light, unbelievable breath sound came from his throat.

Very... hard to believe.

You know, Takayuki has always been the high mountain in his heart that is hard to cross.

Now... now he was actually won by that Natsume Chikage, whom he had always thought was mediocre?

And it wasn't some lucky reversal, but a steady, oppressive advancement?

What... what is going on?

What made him even more chaotic was—Xia Xia Xia Mujun winning like this, his original carefully constructed plan was completely shattered again.

He had thought that when Natsume Chikage lost and was in low spirits, he would let Akatsuki go to comfort him.

In that fragile moment, perhaps it would be logical to get close, or even...

At least, there could be some close contact, holding hands, kissing, etc...

But now, everything has fallen through.

No... his chaotic thoughts turned sharply.

Conversely, letting Akatsuki go to congratulate the winning Xia Xia Xia Mujun, wouldn't it be the same?

Perhaps that could also create opportunities?

But... would Akatsuki agree?

She might... want to go comfort the lost Takayuki more now?

After all, the one who lost was Takayuki.

Tanabe Yuto’s fingers curled unconsciously, falling into a new round of entanglement.

Furukawa Saio didn't have so many complex thoughts.

Her small body almost bounced up from the seat, and her fair little fists waved happily in the air.

Even if she had known from Grandpa that Big Brother would win, when the victory was truly announced, pure joy still bubbled up like bubbles, filling her heart.

Her sparkling big eyes curved into crescent moons.

After all, Big Brother Natsume is the Big Brother she likes the most!

Furukawa Masahiro on the side just stroked his snow-white beard leisurely.

A calm smile of everything under control appeared on his old face.

In his turbid but deep eyes, there was no surprise, only faint appreciation.

For this result, he had already understood it in his heart at the beginning of the game.

In the corner of the audience.

The brat who had been staring at the giant screen—Fukuda Yasuhiro, was frozen like a sculpture at this moment.

He saw with his own eyes that Natsume Chikage actually won against Suzuki Takayuki, who had just easily crushed him.

His small face was full of shock, his lips slightly open, and his murmur almost dissipated in the air:

"Impossible... he... how could he be so strong?"

"An opponent even I couldn't win against... he actually won?"

"Doesn't that mean..."

He gritted his teeth hard.

Even if he didn't want to admit it in his heart, the cruel fact was right in front of him.

Natsume Chikage is indeed stronger than him.

And stronger by more than just a little bit.

The creed of worshiping the strong and despising the weak fiercely impacted his stubborn self-esteem at this moment.

Finally, he loosened his gritted teeth, turned his face away, crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if to convince himself, and let out a light snort from his nose: