Chapter 802

"Hmph, fine!"

"Since that's the case... it wouldn't be impossible for you to be my senior."

He muttered in a low voice, but a flash of light, relaxed after admitting defeat, crossed his eyes.

"I'll... tell Master later."

Private Tsukikage Academy.

Shogi Club activity room.

The outcome on the TV screen was decided, but the room fell into an eerie silence.

The air seemed to have frozen.

The three people present—Araki Keiai, Yasui Ryoto, and Nomura Tomohiro, were like being hit by a freezing spell, instantly petrified.

Their eyes were wide open, their chins almost dropping to the ground.

The first to "come alive" was Araki Keiai.

"Yaah——!!!"

After a short exclamation, ecstasy erupted like a volcano.

She jumped up violently, grabbed the shoulders of Yasui Ryoto beside her, and shook him desperately like shaking a roly-poly toy.

"Ryoto! Did you see that! Did you see that!"

"Natsume-kun won! He really won!"

"He actually beat that semi-pro, stuck-up Suzuki Takayuki!"

"And he won it fair and square, step by step!"

Her voice rose due to excitement, her cheeks flushed red with thrill.

Yasui Ryoto was swayed by her shaking, but his gaze remained trance-like, fixed on the screen.

Even though pain came from his shoulders, he had no reaction.

He muttered unconsciously, his voice dry:

"If so... if so..."

"Doesn't that mean Natsume-kun's strength... is already with me... no, even more than me..."

"Strong?"

He said that last word with extreme difficulty.

A cold sense of loss and panic suddenly gripped his heart.

If that's really the case...

Then in the future, in front of Senior Tsukishima Rin, he would no longer be the unique, reliable shogi expert of the club?

That kind of thing...

Ahhhhhh—I don't want that kind of thing to happen!!!

On the lenses of the advisor, Nomura Tomohiro, the fluorescent light of the TV reflected.

His mouth twitched, once, then again, followed by a sense of annoyance at being "deceived."

He pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses narrowed, and he couldn't help but complain:

"This guy..."

"He really hid it deep!"

His voice was mixed with amazement and a hint of gritted teeth.

Araki Keiai immediately echoed loudly, waving her little fists:

"Exactly! Exactly!"

"He even beat Suzuki, whom I could never beat! This guy is really too infuriating!"

"With such amazing strength, he didn't tell his sister Keiai anything!"

"Watch me 'teach him a lesson' later!"

She puffed out her cheeks, looking "very angry," but her eyes were full of pride.

Nomura Tomohiro didn't respond, just tapped the table slowly with his fingers.

The eyes behind his glasses flashed with the excitement of discovering a treasure.

"Regardless..."

He spoke slowly, but his tone carried unquestionable certainty.

"Since he possesses such strength..."

"Then, joining our shogi club is a matter of course, an imperative thing."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense, right?"

"I object!" Yasui Ryoto suddenly woke up from his trance, raising his hand almost reflexively.

His voice was slightly off-key due to urgency.

A merciless elbow strike hit his ribcage precisely.

Araki Keiai retracted her arm, rolled her eyes, and complained irritably:

"You were the one who wanted him to join the most, nagging every day!"

"Why are you objecting now!"

"Did your brain get smashed by a shogi piece?"

Yasui Ryoto clutched his side, wincing in pain, but was speechless.

He could only swallow his full depression and sense of crisis back into his stomach.

Private Tsukikage Academy.

Class 1-A classroom.

Just as the bell rang, Fujiwara Aoi ran over like a little whirlwind.

Her cheeks were flushed from running and excitement, her chest rising and falling slightly.

"Suzune-chan! Xiyuanji Qilai-chan!"

Before she could even stand still, her crisp voice with a trembling tone arrived first.

She looked at the two with amazingly excited, bright eyes.

"Natsume-kun... he won!"

"He beat that semi-pro Suzuki Takayuki!"

"It's really too amazing, too incredible!"

And at this moment.

Yukimura Suzune and Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai were stunned at the same time.

Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai quickly lowered her head, her slender fingers sliding rapidly across her phone screen.

Yukimura Suzune also leaned in, her soft long hair sliding off her shoulder.

When the clear news flash and match results came into view—

The two girls looked at Natsume Chikage's calm face on the phone screen, surprise slowly emerging on their faces.

Deep in their clear eyes, ripples of complexity and subtlety rose in unison.

In fact, deep down, they had both thought it would be very difficult for Natsume Chikage to pass this "hellish double-header" of the fifth round.

After all, at school, he really almost never studied shogi.

Every day, he was either on his phone or reading a book.

Recently, he even added a "leisurely hobby" of drawing.

In short, they had never seen him like other players, holding a shogi manual to study, or thinking hard in front of a board.

But it was in this state of near "wastage"...

The most outrageous thing happened.

He not only beat those opponents who studied shogi all day long.

This time, he even took down a semi-pro player.

Class 1-B classroom.

? (? >? ===== CHAPTER 803 =====