Chapter 494

She even had no friends because she often moved and changed schools.

So she had always fantasized about having a brother or sister.

At this moment, witnessing the natural intimacy, unreserved laughter, and care between the Natsume siblings.

That longing became particularly clear and real.

She was really so envious.

And she really wanted... a brother like Big Brother Natsume, who was gentle and reliable.

Natsume Chikage only then suddenly noticed that there was someone standing at the door, and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Jiahe-san, don't stand at the door, come in and sit."

Jiahe Lianxiao responded in a fluster, as if waking from a dream.

She carefully took off her small black leather shoes and placed them neatly at the entrance.

Then she walked gently into this three-mat-sized cozy room and knelt by the low table.

After sitting down.

She raised her eyes and looked at Natsume Chikage, who had also sat down.

Her hands were placed properly on her knees, her voice as thin as a mosquito:

"Big Brother Natsume... congratulations on your victory."

Natsume Chikage returned a gentle smile:

"Thank you."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and deliberately straightened his face, though his tone wasn't serious:

"However, I remember the match time should have been during class hours? You guys didn't sneak a peek during class, did you?"

"That's not good."

Hearing this, Jiahe Lianxiao shook her head and waved her hands, explaining urgently:

"N-no... we watched the replay after class..."

Natsume Ruri also helped out from the side with her hands on her hips:

"Exactly!"

"If anything, we were excited to find your live stream after class, but we couldn't find it after flipping through everything!"

"I thought Big Brother, were you late?"

"It turned out that after checking, you had already finished!"

She leaned closer, curiosity shining in her eyes, and finally asked the question she had been holding in all day:

"But Big Brother... you weren't this good at shogi before, how did you suddenly... become so strong?"

Natsume Chikage had been prepared for this.

His expression didn't change, and he explained in a relaxed tone:

"Before, didn't I go to Auntie Kondo's place and get back that old shogi record of Dad's?"

"From that time on, I would flip through it when I had time. It turned out that I seemed to have quite a bit of talent, and I could understand the shogi paths inside after reading them a few times."

"I guess... that's how I slowly became good."

Natsume Ruri suddenly realized, dragging out her tone:

"So—that's how it is."

"No wonder."

But she tilted her head again, revealing a hint of suspicion:

"But... Big Brother, when did your memory become so good? You memorized the whole shogi record?"

Natsume Chikage laughed it off, using the context she was familiar with to compare:

"This is just like Big Brother memorizing cheats and move lists when playing games. Things I'm interested in, I look at a few times, play a few times, and naturally, they are imprinted in my brain."

Jiahe Lianxiao blinked her gentle, deer-like eyes and added in a small voice:

"I... seem to have read related reports before."

"Saying that if a person develops a strong interest in something... their attention, memory, and even thinking speed will perform extraordinarily."

"Big Brother's situation... might belong to this kind."

Natsume Ruri nodded understandingly:

"Putting it that way, it makes sense."

"When Big Brother plays games, his focus and memory are indeed a hundred times stronger than when facing textbooks."

But she still had a hint of confusion:

"But Big Brother, you clearly had no interest in shogi before? How did you suddenly open up after getting the record?"

Natsume Chikage laughed, answering straightforwardly and frankly:

"Actually, it's not that I suddenly had an interest in shogi itself."

He paused and made a "money" gesture with his fingers, his eyes shining.

"It's that I developed an irresistible interest in the—huge prize money that followed the shogi tournament."

"It's money! It's money that drove me to start learning!"

Hearing this, Natsume Ruri couldn't help but laugh, thinking no wonder.

But after the laughter, a hint of faint sadness welled up in her heart.

She understood now.

Big Brother didn't lack shogi talent before.

It was just that life was worry-free then, and he loved games that could provide instant happiness more than shogi, which required painstaking study.

So, that talent had always been lazily sealed away.

Until the family fell into decline, and the pressure of making a living whipped him.

He had to look for a way out everywhere.

By mistake, he instead forced out the amazing shogi talent that even his father hadn't been able to stimulate back then.

Thinking of this, Natsume Ruri felt a bit between laughter and tears.

This Big Brother of hers... saying he's an idiot, he is indeed an idiot; saying he isn't, he really isn't.

Jiahe Lianxiao covered her mouth and laughed gently.

She just felt that Big Brother Natsume was really interesting.

At this time.

The eyes of the two girls were simultaneously attracted by the fluffy white figure on the low table.

The little white cat was lying on its back, exposing its soft belly, sleeping soundly.

Its little whiskers trembled gently with its breathing, and occasionally it made a faint, purring sound.

"Whitey looks so relaxed sleeping..."

"Mm, so cute. It even purrs."

Natsume Ruri and Jiahe Lianxiao couldn't help but reach out and touch its warm belly and round head very, very lightly.

Whitey smacked its lips in its dream, changed its posture, but had no intention of waking up at all.

Natsume Ruri suddenly noticed something and said in surprise:

"Eh? Whitey... looks especially clean today."

Natsume Chikage glanced at the lazy cat:

"Isn't it? This 'big mouse' jumped in through the window as if it knew the way when I just got back."

"I saw its paws and fur were stained with some dust, so I just grabbed it and gave it a bath."

Hearing this, Jiahe Lianxiao opened her eyes wide:

"I heard... many cats are especially afraid of water. When Big Brother Natsume gave it a bath, it didn't struggle... or scratch you?"

Natsume Ruri heard this and immediately cast a worried look.

Natsume Chikage shook his head:

"Not at all."

"This guy was surprisingly honest, rinsing, soaping, blowing dry, it was as well-behaved as a cat could be. No wonder you and the people nearby like it so much."

Hearing this, both girls breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing relieved and loving smiles.

"Since Whitey is so well-behaved when bathing," Natsume Ruri calculated, "then next time it jumps in after crawling through the bushes, I can help it wash its feet! It saves me from having to wipe the tatami mats every time."

Jiahe Lianxiao also agreed in a small voice, her face blushing: ===== CHAPTER 495 =====