[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment":3,"chapter-tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-chapter-619":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Tokyo: You Call This Normal Equipment?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1954391,2739,"Chapter 619","tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-chapter-619",619,"\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the results of the draw could no longer be changed...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The audience in the stands was already in an uproar over this pairing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commentator's objective yet slightly pessimistic analysis made the hearts of many spectators supporting Natsume Chikage sink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horikawa Kaori looked nervous and worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the very beginning, she had viewed Natsume Chikage’s journey to the sixth round with the mindset that \"accumulating experience is victory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to make it this far and witness his match against a true professional shogi player with her own eyes was already an unexpected joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What she feared most was seeing Natsume Chikage encounter Honda Takashi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just because of the gap in strength, but because of Honda’s nasty character—he would never be satisfied with a simple victory; he would inevitably use every means to mock him after winning, paying back the old grudge from that livestream twofold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would turn into a public, cruel \"execution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, the worst-case scenario had come true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cross-bracket mechanism was like a malicious hand, forcibly pushing the two people who could have avoided each other right in front of one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that Natsume-kun’s luck... had really run out in the previous rounds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horikawa Kaori could already envision Honda Takashi’s smug, foul-mouthed face after Natsume Chikage’s defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt pained and helpless, able only to pray in secret for a miracle to happen, or at least... for Natsume-kun not to lose too embarrassingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Fukuda Tsukasa, though he had always harbored doubts about Natsume Chikage’s strength, couldn't help but sigh for the youth at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He admired Natsume Chikage’s calm and humble personality, which stood in stark contrast to Honda Takashi’s arrogance and domineering nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A youth like this, even if he lost the game, deserved to lose with some dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as it happened, his opponent was Honda Takashi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no longer just a contest of shogi skills, but a trampling of one's character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was a lesson that a young genius was destined to experience, only this lesson had come a bit too cruelly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Furukawa Saio, she was completely out of sync with the somber atmosphere around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rested her chin in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Natsume Chikage on the screen, her small face full of groundless trust and anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her eyes, how was this any sort of bad luck?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly the best stage for revenge that the heavens had bestowed upon Big Brother Natsume!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Furukawa Masahiro stroked his long, snow-white beard leisurely, looking completely composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lose to Honda Takashi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he, the old Long Wang, had witnessed with his own eyes the three games where Natsume Chikage had forced him into a desperate situation, such a possibility simply did not exist in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the abyss-like shogi strength hidden beneath that calm surface be measured by a mere professional fourth-dan upstart?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fukuda Yasuhiro was scratching his head in frustration nearby, lamenting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Natsume-shixiong’s luck with the draw is just too bad! Why did he have to run into that guy Honda? This is going to be trouble!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furukawa Saio immediately gave him a disdainful eye-roll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I already told you Big Brother Natsume won't lose! And besides, who is your shixiong? Stop acting so familiar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fukuda Yasuhiro was choked up, his face turning red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Y-you little brat, what do you know! This is a rational judgment based on strength! Once Natsume-shixiong... ah, no, once Natsume-kun loses, he’ll definitely need my Master’s guidance to get his revenge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what if I called him shixiong first?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph, blind, optimistic little kid.\" Furukawa Saio turned her head away, too lazy to pay him any more mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Private Gekko Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shogi Club activity room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yasui Ryoto, Araki Yua, and their advisor, Mr. Nomura Tomohiro, were gathered in front of the display screen, the atmosphere heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the draw results were finalized and the image locked onto Table One, a stifled wail echoed through the activity room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's over, it's over, it's over...\" Araki Yua buried her face in her arms while holding her head, her voice muffled, \"I didn't even dare to hope that Natsume-kun would win this round... but why did it have to be that bastard Honda!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her head, her face filled with resentment and worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Losing to other professional players would be one thing, but losing to that guy... he’ll definitely use the most vicious words to spray him after the match! Natsume-kun has such a good temper, he’ll definitely be angered to death by him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yasui Ryoto also put away his usual cynical expression and clicked his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Natsume-kun’s luck this time is truly down to the bottom. To run into him with an eighth-place chance... that guy Honda, even though his mouth is so foul it makes you want to punch him, his shogi is genuinely solid. Even if I were to face him, my odds of winning wouldn't be high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nomura Tomohiro pushed up his glasses and analyzed in a deep voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From a rational perspective, Honda Takashi and Ikeda Ryusuke are geniuses on the same level, only one is overt and the other is reserved. The training they receive and the intensity of the competition they face are far beyond what we ordinary school club members experience. It’s already a miracle that Natsume-kun has made it this far, but facing Honda... sigh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his unfinished words, the most likely outcome was already assumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Araki Yua suddenly remembered something and slapped her thigh hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A miscalculation! If I had known this day would come, I should have given Natsume-kun special training on how to argue! At the very least, even if he loses the game, he shouldn't suffer a loss in a war of words!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yasui Ryoto gave a bitter smile: \"It's too late to say that now... but Natsume-kun making it into the top thirty-two is truly remarkable. After the match ends, we must comfort him properly and take him out for a good meal to take his mind off things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah!\" Araki Yua nodded vigorously while her fingers typed rapidly on her phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Araki Yua: Rin-chan! Emergency! Natsume-kun ran into that bastard Honda! The situation is bad, our post-match comfort plan is starting! Your chance to make a move might be here!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The message was replied to almost instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tsukishima Rin: Natsume-kun will definitely be fine, I believe in him!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First-year Class B classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kondo Miki felt her phone in her pocket vibrating continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew without looking that it must be that \"Natsume Chikage’s exclusive little fan\" next to her, who wasn't paying attention in class, having entered high-frequency anxiety mode again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sighing softly, Kondo Miki took out her phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the screen, Akita Sana’s messages popped up like a barrage; she could almost imagine her teary-eyed, distraught appearance right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Akita Sana: o(╥﹏╥)o Miki! What should I do, Natsume-kun really is facing that Honda! The commentators are all saying Natsume-kun has low odds of winning, and the comments online are so mean, saying Natsume-kun was too arrogant last time and deserves to be taught a lesson this time... what do I do, what do I do, if Natsume-kun loses, he’ll definitely be mocked mercilessly by that bad guy!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kondo Miki paused slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she didn't know much about shogi, from Sana’s fragmented descriptions and the rumors online, she generally knew what kind of person Honda Takashi was and the history between him and Natsume Chikage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reason told her that for Natsume Chikage, who usually only liked playing games, to have taken his interest to this level was already astonishing; encountering a true, professionally trained genius, defeat was within the realm of reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just... that it had to be at this time, and against this opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This luck was just a bit too bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if all the good luck he had accumulated in the previous rounds had been exhausted at this very moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, she was now... Sana and Natsume-kun were together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, Senior Tsukishima could be liberated and wouldn't have to be with Natsume-kun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingertips hovered on the screen for a moment, then she typed a reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Kondo Miki: Don't worry too much, Sana. Don't believe everything you read online. The match isn't over yet, believe in Natsume-kun. Perhaps... there might be a turning point.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Akita Sana: (*^▽^*) Yeah! I believe in Natsume-kun too! He will definitely create a miracle!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Kondo Miki: ...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teachers' office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the teachers who didn't have a class, quite a few were following this \"shogi tournament.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Sakai Shion’s desk, a tablet was silently playing the live broadcast of the match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cold, detached gaze rested on Natsume Chikage’s calm profile on the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koi Yuna leaned over and asked in a low voice: \"Shion, do you think Natsume-kun has a chance this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakai Shion didn't answer immediately, just silently watching Natsume Chikage on the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, she slowly uttered one word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koi Yuna sighed: \"Yeah... I think so too. It's just a pity, if Natsume-kun loses, that Honda definitely won't pass up the chance to mock him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy, cold snort came from nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baseball club advisor Mr. Ito Eiji was also watching the broadcast at his desk, arms crossed, saying in a gruff voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you ask me, this kid Natsume shouldn't be wasting his time on this checkered board! This literary, pretentious stuff doesn't suit him at all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1591,"2026-06-15T07:17:29.007Z","2026-06-15T07:45:41.024Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","72702ea9b693c4c6e7b3acd0e45faff8649147785c72edb806b7dc263987077a","tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-chapter-620","tokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-chapter-618",624,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ftokyo-you-call-this-normal-equipment-cover.jpg"]