Chapter 873

"The first half about liking Yukimura-san in junior high and the confession being rejected... Shinohara mentioned it many times when chatting after training when he first joined the baseball team in the first year, so many old team members know about it."

"As for the second half, although he never explicitly said it, combined with his personality and the reaction after you appeared, we can probably guess that the real reason is eight or nine out of ten this."

He spread his hands helplessly.

"So, even without the contest between you and Zhongdao before... with Shinohara's personality, he would sooner or later find other excuses to find a way to squeeze you, this 'potential rival,' away, or even force you to withdraw."

"It can be said that this incident, whether it is for Zhongdao or for you, belongs to an unprovoked disaster."

Natsume Chikage listened quietly, and his face didn't reveal too much surprise.

He had actually guessed this possibility based on Yusheng Jianghui's hint and Shinohara Shingo's performance before.

He nodded slightly and thanked him sincerely:

"Thank you for specifically telling me this inside information."

Zhongdao Satoshi and Aoki Masao said:

"Then we have said what we need to say, you practice hard this month and take care of yourself."

"We'll go first."

The two nodded at Natsume Chikage, bowed slightly toward Jinwei Tong's direction again, then said goodbye, turned, and walked toward the baseball team's training field, their figures gradually disappearing into the depths of the campus tree-lined path.

Natsume Chikage looked at the backs of the two leaving and was slightly silent.

He didn't expect the two to have this side.

Soon.

Natsume Chikage and Jinwei Tong walked out of the school gate and came to the side outside the school.

At this time, a black Maybach sedan with smooth lines and a shiny paint surface slid silently in front of them and stopped.

A man in black quickly got out of the car, bowed ninety degrees deeply to Jinwei Tong, his movements as standard as an etiquette textbook.

He didn't say anything, just respectfully handed the car key to Jinwei Tong with both hands, then retreated a few steps quickly, turned, and left.

Jinwei Tong took the key as usual, as if this was just the most ordinary scene.

She opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, then tilted her head slightly, signaling Natsume Chikage to sit in the passenger seat with her eyes.

Natsume Chikage didn't say much, opened the passenger door very naturally, and sat in.

The car was filled with a clear and expensive light fragrance, and the interior was simple and luxurious.

Jinwei Tong started the engine skillfully, and the vehicle drove into the lane steadily and quickly.

The street scene outside the car window began to flow backward rapidly.

After driving for a while, in the gap of waiting for a red light, Jinwei Tong put her hands on the steering wheel, looked straight ahead, and suddenly spoke without turning her head, her voice appearing particularly clear in the quiet carriage:

"Just now, when Zhongdao Satoshi and Aoki Masao told you Shinohara Shingo's real motive, you didn't look surprised at all."

Her tone was flat, as if just stating an observation result.

"Could it be that you already knew about this before?"

Natsume Chikage nodded and explained frankly:

"Yes."

"Last time I went to the teacher's office to find the teacher, I accidentally ran into Vice President Yusheng, Senior Yue Dao Lin, and Senior Araki downstairs."

"They happened to witness Shinohara Shingo confessing to Yukimura-san in our class and being rejected on the spot. They also saw Senior Shinohara throwing a tantrum there because he was angry at me afterward."

"At that time, Vice President Yusheng explained the cause and effect to me simply."

He paused.

"So, this time Senior Shinohara came to find trouble using the baseball team's reputation as a pretext, I could probably guess that his real target was me, and the so-called 'vindication' was just an excuse."

Jinwei Tong's slender brows raised imperceptibly.

"Since that's the case... you could have just stated the truth of this matter in public in the student council at that time."

"In that case, everyone would immediately understand that Shinohara Shingo was using public office for private gain and making a fuss."

"Even, just based on the words he used to threaten you later, we would have every reason to let him withdraw directly, once and for all."

Natsume Chikage shook his head slowly.

"I know I could do that."

"But in that case... I wouldn't be able to make him pay a sufficiently 'heavy' price."

"Most people who can enter Private Moonlight Academy don't have simple family backgrounds, and their economic conditions are well-off."

"Senior Shinohara is likely no exception."

"If it was just letting him withdraw, for him, it might not hurt at all. He could easily transfer to another private school and continue to live his well-off young master life."

"Even, if he harbored resentment, after leaving school, he might instead continue to harass me or people around me even more unscrupulously."

"But if it's according to the wager—"

Natsume Chikage turned his head and looked at Jinwei Tong's beautifully lined profile.

"With the student council, or rather the 'binding force' you represent, once the wager is established, the result must be executed."

"If he loses, it won't just be as simple as withdrawing. He will be banned from contacting the baseball sport he loves, and he will also be banned from approaching me and people around me."

"Such punishment can truly touch his core and make him unable to stir up trouble again in the future."

"Once and for all."

Jinwei Tong's tone seemed to carry a hint of... interested approval.

"I see..."

"It seems that you are... smarter than I imagined, and also have much more 'guts' than you look."

Natsume Chikage couldn't help but laugh and asked back:

"What do you mean by 'smarter and guts than imagined'?"

"In your eyes, what kind of person am I exactly?"

The car fell into a brief silence, with only the low hum of the engine and the blurred city noise outside the window.

"... A person," Jinwei Tong finally spoke, her voice lower than before, carrying some indescribable complex emotion, "who shouldn't have appeared."

Natsume Chikage was completely stunned.

"A person who shouldn't have appeared?"

He repeated this strange evaluation, his brows furrowing slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Jinwei Tong didn't explain again.

She just tilted her head slightly, looked at Natsume Chikage extremely briefly, and then looked ahead again.

"You will... know later."

Her tone returned to that habitual flat and alienated tone that kept people at a distance, as if the complex emotion revealed just now was just an illusion.

Natsume Chikage looked at her appearance, and his face became a bit subtle.

Every time the conversation touched on certain key issues, or involved the "Yutang family" behind her, Jinwei Tong was always like this, using short sentences or silence to avoid it, and would never reveal more information.

Even if he asked again, there would be no answer.

Since that's the case, he was too lazy to ask again.

Some secrets, perhaps when the time comes, will naturally be revealed.

The vehicle drove steadily on the complex roads of Tokyo.

After a period of time, familiar scenes appeared in his eyes again.

The black Maybach drove slowly into an open field and finally stopped in front of the magnificent and familiar building of the National Stadium.