Chapter 577

“Quit? Impossible!”

“Besides, I didn’t lose!”

“If anything, everything is only just beginning now!”

“Whether it’s you or any other girl, I won’t lose!”

Hearing the word “lose,” it was as if a switch deeply embedded in Izumi Nanami’s heart had been triggered.

The smile on her face vanished, replaced by an expression of gritted-teeth defiance.

“Is that so?”

“Then let’s just wait and see!”

“Let me be clear, you’re the one who’s the challenger!”

“Don’t come crying to me when you lose!”

Tsukishima Rin’s mouth twitched again, but she forced a confident smile and retorted without backing down.

“That’s a line I should be saying.”

The two stood in the empty corridor, staring each other down, neither willing to yield; the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Finally, they both let out a faint, ambiguous snort through their noses at almost the same time, turned their heads away, and parted on bad terms.

Soon.

Tsukishima Rin adjusted her expression, returned to the theater, and sat back down in the seat next to Natsume Chikage.

Natsume Chikage turned his head, gave her an appreciative smile, and congratulated her sincerely:

“Senior Tsukishima, your performance just now was truly excellent.”

Hearing this praise from Natsume Chikage, Tsukishima Rin, whose mood had been dampened by Izumi Nanami, felt the dark clouds instantly disperse and the sun shine through.

After all, this was a rare, direct compliment from Natsume Chikage regarding her personal abilities.

If anything, the reason she had gone out of her way to invite Natsume Chikage to watch was perhaps because, deep down, she had been hoping for exactly this kind of recognition.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, her heart leaped with joy, and she responded happily:

“Thank you, Xia Xia Xia Mujun.”

However, when she thought of that scene just now, she couldn’t help but puff out her cheeks slightly, like a little hamster unable to hide its secrets.

With a hint of an imperceptible, sour tone, she asked cautiously:

“Just now… what did that Izumi Nanami talk to you about when she came over?”

Natsume Chikage didn’t notice her subtle change in mood and explained naturally:

“Oh, she said her younger brother is a classmate of my sister Ruri at this school.”

Tsukishima Rin’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

“Huh?”

“Izumi-san’s brother… is in the same class as your sister?”

Natsume Chikage nodded.

“Yes.”

“She said she had a violin competition coming up and had extra tickets, so she gave them away, and one happened to end up with my sister.”

“My sister seemed quite interested in going, so I agreed to accompany her.”

“As for her coming over to find me just now, it was just to confirm if I was going and to say hello.”

Tsukishima Rin nodded thoughtfully.

“So that’s how it is…”

Natsume Chikage looked at her and asked curiously:

“But, hearing you call her ‘Izumi Nanami’ so naturally just now… did you know her before?”

Tsukishima Rin sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness.

“I know her… we’re both violinists.”

“So we naturally run into each other at many related competitions and musical events.”

“At first, I didn’t really pay much attention to her; we aren’t close, I just knew she existed.”

“But you know, there’s only one champion in a competition. I don’t want to lose, and I hate the feeling of losing.”

“So I always give my all in every competition. Over time, perhaps because my ranking was always above hers, she started seeing me as a rival she had to surpass.”

“After that, every time we met at a competition, she would say things like a challenge declaration… and so, we became ‘acquainted’.”

Natsume Chikage smiled in understanding.

“Oh, I see. Sort of like… a ‘fated rivalry’?”

Tsukishima Rin smiled helplessly, taking it as an admission.

“Something like that, I suppose.”

However, she suddenly remembered something, couldn’t help but puff out her pink cheeks, and whispered in a volume only the two of them could hear:

“So… Natsume-kun’s sister wants to go to a violin competition…”

“That competition… I’ll be participating in it too.”

Natsume Chikage looked slightly surprised, then laughed:

“That’s great, then I’ll be able to see Senior Tsukishima’s performance on-site.”

Hearing this expected response, Tsukishima Rin felt as if her heart had been soaked in honey, bubbling with sweetness.

In fact, she had originally intended to find an opportunity to invite Natsume Chikage to watch that competition.

But since Izumi Nanami had already “beaten her to the punch” by giving the tickets, it saved her the trouble.

Besides, since Izumi Nanami had provoked her so blatantly…

She, Tsukishima Rin, was not one to be trifled with.

When the time came, she would have to use her absolute strength to win decisively on that stage!

After a while.

The orchestral performances of the various schools all concluded with the lingering echoes of the final piece.

Since this was not an official competition, but merely an inter-school musical exchange,

no specific rankings or awards were set.

However, as a gesture of friendship, each participating school nominated a representative to go on stage and receive a commemorative certificate issued by Sacred Heart Academy.

For Moonlight Private Academy, the representative on stage was naturally the widely expected Tsukishima Rin.

And for Sakuragaoka Academy, they sent Izumi Nanami.

The two met on stage once again; it was a case of enemies meeting and seeing red.

But they both perfectly hid their true emotions behind proper etiquette.

Both of their faces wore that well-trained, yet fake-as-can-be standardized smile, and when their eyes briefly met in the air, it was as if invisible sparks were crackling.

Besides these two schools, the orchestra of Private Private Tianhao Private Academy also came to the scene for a public performance.

The students of that school naturally remembered the name “Natsume Chikage” vividly, as he had used sharp words to strike back at their school’s representative during the Shogi Open Tournament last time.

It wasn’t that all Private Private Tianhao students held hostility toward him; some girls couldn’t help but feel their hearts flutter when looking at Natsume Chikage.

But a significant portion of them, especially some of the boys, recalled that match which had caused their school to lose face, and now, looking at Natsume Chikage off-stage, their gazes involuntarily carried a bit of displeasure and scrutiny.

The award ceremony ended hastily in an atmosphere of superficial harmony.

Afterward, the students from each school were given a period of free time.

They could choose to take the school-arranged buses back directly, or choose to leave Sacred Heart Academy on their own.

Of course, some also chose to linger in the school for a while to tour this well-known private middle school.

Natsume Chikage and Tsukishima Rin naturally belonged to the group that was in no rush to leave.

Like some students from other schools, they planned to stay in the middle school campus for a while to rest.

“Natsume-kun, didn’t you say earlier that you planned to walk around the school with your sister?” Tsukishima Rin reminded him softly, her eyes filled with anticipation. “Shall we go find her now?”

“Yeah, okay.” Natsume Chikage nodded.

The two walked side-by-side away from the still-noisy theater area and began searching for Natsume Ruri’s figure among the teaching buildings and courtyards.

Soon.

They found Natsume Ruri, who was saying goodbye to her classmates, in a shaded open space at the entrance of the main teaching building… along with Izumi Hideaki, Ando Chizuru, and Kaga Reisa by her side.

At this moment, Natsume Ruri wore a polite yet slightly distant smile, waving goodbye to several classmates who had gathered around her.