Chapter 865

Facing Natsume Chikage's clear, irrefutable counterattack and the seemingly calm yet heavy-as-a-mountain questioning from Jinwei Tong, Shinohara Shingo's face turned a mixture of pale and green, with fine beads of sweat even seeping from his temples.

He realized that he had been thoroughly defeated in terms of reason and logic, and that continuing to entangle himself would only make him look more pathetic.

However, the shame and anger of having his disguise stripped away and his motives exposed in public, coupled with his deep-seated jealousy and hostility toward Natsume Chikage, made it impossible for him to swallow this insult.

Driven into a corner with nowhere left to retreat, he ultimately chose the most boorish and wretched path—breaking the pot just to smash it.

"Enough!"

Shinohara Shingo let out a sudden, low roar, drawing everyone's gaze.

He stared fixedly at Natsume Chikage:

"You've got a sharp tongue, I can't out-talk you!"

"But things have reached this point; you want me to just let it go and pretend nothing happened? Reconcile? Let you off the hook? I'm telling you, absolutely impossible!"

"Listen, Natsume Chikage! There are only two paths before you now—"

"Either you negotiate an 'appropriate' wager with our baseball team and settle this like a man!"

"Or..."

"You, and those people you care about around you, for the remaining three years of high school, as long as you don't agree, you won't have a single day of peace!"

Once these nakedly threatening words were out, the student council room was instantly in an uproar.

The girls who supported Natsume Chikage were so angry their faces turned pale, and they began to rebuke him one after another:

"Shinohara Shingo! This is a naked threat! It's intimidation!"

"How is this any different from school bullying?! This is going too far!"

"Vice President! Miss Jinwei! You all heard it! He is openly threatening a fellow student!"

Even the other student council members who had remained neutral or were just watching frowned, showing expressions of disapproval.

A hint of clear coldness finally flickered in Jinwei Tong's eyes, which were always calm and ripple-free.

She slightly furrowed her delicate brows, her red lips parted slightly, and her voice remained low, yet it carried an invisible pressure:

"Shinohara-kun, I cannot pretend I didn't hear what you just said..."

However, just as she was about to continue speaking.

A slender, steady hand suddenly rose, calmly and firmly stopping her.

It was Natsume Chikage.

Upon hearing his companions being threatened, the calm on his face was finally broken, replaced by a cold, icy rage.

He stepped forward half a pace, confronting Shinohara Shingo head-on, refusing to back down in the slightest.

"Since you've already said things to this extent and taken matters to such a wretched level..."

"Then fine, I won't let you off easily either."

"I accept your challenge."

Upon hearing this, Shinohara Shingo was stunned for a moment, then an incredible, wild joy erupted in his eyes, and he almost couldn't hide his laughter.

He had succeeded!

This cunning guy had finally been forced into agreeing!

As long as Natsume Chikage agreed to a baseball duel, he was guaranteed to win!

His talent was highly regarded by multiple professional scouts, and he was viewed by the school as the ace to lead them to Koshien!

Dealing with a layman, wouldn't that be as easy as pie?

Shinohara Shingo forcibly suppressed the corners of his mouth that were threatening to reach his ears, struggled to maintain an "angry" expression, and impatiently pressed:

"You agree? Good! Whatever the conditions, just say them!"

Natsume Chikage said coldly:

"The wager can follow what you initially proposed."

"If I lose, I will voluntarily withdraw from Private Moonlight Academy."

"However—"

His tone shifted, the chill deepening:

"Since your current behavior has completely departed from the spirit of sportsmanship and tarnished the word 'competition'."

"Then as the losers, you must also pay an equivalent and permanent price."

"If you lose, it won't just be you, Shinohara Shingo, but all the baseball team members who followed you here today to stir up trouble and apply pressure..."

Natsume Chikage's gaze swept over the team members behind Shinohara Shingo whose faces were starting to turn pale, and he said word by word:

"All of you, withdraw from Private Moonlight Academy."

"And, from this day forward, you are forever forbidden from participating in baseball!"

"At the same time, you are forever forbidden from harassing me or anyone around me in any way!"

Zhongdao Satoshi was shaken to his core, stunned by Natsume Chikage's words regarding the 'spirit of sportsmanship,' and fell into a long silence.

As for those baseball team members who had originally just followed Shinohara Shingo to build momentum and stir up trouble, their faces turned deathly pale in an instant, sweat broke out on their foreheads, and their eyes were filled with panic.

They had only wanted to support their captain and vent their dissatisfaction with public opinion; they had never intended to gamble away their education and their beloved sports careers!

Someone couldn't help but tremble as they spoke, wanting to back down:

"W-wait... Shinohara-senpai, I..."

"Shut up!" Shinohara Shingo turned his head abruptly, glaring fiercely at the team member who had spoken, his eyes savage and full of warning.

He turned back to look at Natsume Chikage and agreed without hesitation, as if victory were already in his grasp:

"Fine! Just as you said! If we lose, everyone withdraws, we are banned from playing baseball for life, and we will never harass you or anyone around you!"

Those baseball team members were devastated, their faces like ash, but under Shinohara Shingo's accumulated prestige, they ultimately dared not speak up to refute him, and could only swallow their bitterness and fear.

Shinohara Shingo was bursting with confidence, feeling that victory was already in the bag, and he couldn't wait to finalize the details:

"Then, the specific method of the contest..."

Natsume Chikage raised his hand again, interrupting him:

"Wait, I haven't finished."

Amidst Shinohara Shingo's puzzled gaze, Natsume Chikage's eyes fell upon the dark brown baseball glove that the other party had been holding in his hand, and which he was now gripping tightly due to excitement.

"If I win."

"This baseball glove of yours must also become 'spoils of war' and belong to me."

Upon hearing this, Shinohara Shingo paused, his face darkened, and a flash of heartache and rage crossed his eyes.

This glove was no ordinary glove.

It had accompanied him for many years, from his green youth to maturity, experiencing countless training sessions and games; it was soaked with his sweat and beliefs, and was almost a part of his baseball career—the embodiment of his "faith."

Of course, he knew that after Natsume Chikage had defeated Zhongdao Satoshi last time, he had taken the bat Zhongdao considered a treasure as spoils of war.

Now, this guy was actually setting his sights on his most precious glove?

Truly... arrogant to the extreme!

He doesn't know what's good for him!

Shinohara Shingo sneered inwardly.

Does he really think that just because he luckily beat that loser Zhongdao Satoshi, he has the qualifications to covet Shinohara Shingo's things?

Whatever.

To make you willing to compete, it's just a glove.

Like a girlfriend, just get another one!

Anyway, his ultimate goal was Yukimura Lingyin; only she was irreplaceable!

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly, forcibly suppressing his anger, his brain spinning rapidly, "Not only are you gambling away the fate of other team members, but now you want my glove as spoils of war... Fine! But on my side, I must also add corresponding conditions; that's only fair, isn't it?"

Natsume Chikage seemed to have anticipated this, shrugged his shoulders, and said calmly:

"Speak."

A flash of calculating brilliance crossed Shinohara Shingo's eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

He knew a "common sense" in baseball: players with outstanding batting talent are often very difficult to also be excellent pitchers.

This is because the requirements for body coordination, force exertion, and even neural types for batting and pitching are vastly different, and can even be said to be diametrically opposed.

On the field, almost all fielders can serve as batters, but pitchers who can dominate a game from the mound are rare, requiring more unique and demanding talent.

Not everyone is like him, Shinohara Shingo, a rare genius who can handle both sides, capable of destroying the opponent's defense with powerful hitting and making batters despair with precise, fast pitching.

Shinohara Shingo said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible smugness:

"The content of this contest needs to be changed."