Does He Care More About Me Than His Daughter?

"Is this the keepsake you mentioned?" Natsume Chikage pointed at the shogi record Kondo Miyuki was clutching tightly to her chest.

"Y-Yes..." Kondo Miyuki's cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded somewhat awkwardly.

She knew perfectly well that Natsume Chikage was only pointing at the shogi record to conceal the scorching look in his eyes just now, but she did not call him out on it.

After all, she was an adult. She had to leave the young man a way to save face...

It was just that she had not expected Natsume Chikage's gaze to become so fervent once they were alone.

Could it be that, compared to her beautiful daughter, he cared more about her?

Surely not...

But... it did not seem entirely impossible either.

Kondo Miyuki remembered that Natsume Chikage's mother had passed away early, and he had basically been raised by his father alone.

She had heard that many boys from single-parent families instinctively found themselves drawn to mature women due to a lack of maternal affection.

Perhaps that was exactly what was happening now...

At that thought, Kondo Miyuki felt a jumble of emotions—pity and heartache for Natsume Chikage's circumstances, mixed with an indescribable bashful flutter. For a moment, she did not know how to face the young man before her.

After all, her original plan had been to set her daughter up with Natsume Chikage.

But who could have expected things to develop like this...

Seeing her lower her head in thought, Natsume Chikage could not help asking,

"May I take a look?"

"Oh... of course." Kondo Miyuki snapped back to her senses and handed him the shogi record with a hint of flustered embarrassment. "Or rather, I had intended to give it to you in the first place."

Natsume Chikage took the shogi record, his fingertips brushing over its slightly worn cover.

When he opened it, he found densely packed, detailed knowledge about shogi, records of classic matches, and methods for solving ingenious endgame positions.

He basically knew nothing about shogi.

After all, he had never seriously studied it before. How could he understand its deeper meaning?

But that no longer mattered.

[You have obtained ownership of this item. Would you like to register this equipment?]

[Yes/No]

The instant the message appeared in his mind, Natsume Chikage was overjoyed!

He had only come to retrieve one of his father's keepsakes. Who would have thought that the keepsake itself was actually a special piece of equipment?

What a windfall!

Still, he was curious about the origins of this keepsake.

"Aunt Kondo, how did this keepsake end up in your hands? And why are you giving it back to me?"

A trace of nostalgia flashed through Kondo Miyuki's eyes as she explained gently,

"I mentioned before that I was your father's junior at school."

"Back then, we were both in the Shogi Club."

"Before graduating, he gave three shogi-related items to us younger members as mementos."

"I received this shogi record."

"The other two received a shogi board and shogi pieces, respectively."

"The explanations about shogi in this book are quite profound, but unfortunately, I was not particularly talented at shogi..."

"Since I happened to meet you, I thought perhaps you might have talent in this area, so it seemed more appropriate to return it to its rightful owner."

"I see." Upon hearing that, Natsume Chikage finally understood the full story.

To be fair, he truly needed this special equipment right now.

As long as he registered it, he would only be one piece of equipment away from obtaining a precious attribute point!

Combined with what Kondo Miyuki had just said, a bold thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Um... according to what you said, aside from the shogi record in my hands, do the shogi board and pieces make up a complete set when put together?"

Kondo Miyuki blinked and nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, those three items were originally a complete set."

"I heard your father mention that he seemed to have bought them from some roadside stall."

"As for their more specific origins, I do not know much."

Natsume Chikage understood.

Just as he thought!

Since the item in his hands was special equipment, the other two were very likely special equipment as well.

His panel showed that this equipment's synthesis requirement was exactly three pieces of the same type of equipment.

If he could gather the complete set, perhaps he could synthesize even more powerful equipment!

"Um... my younger sister cares a great deal about our late father's keepsakes," Natsume Chikage said carefully. "If possible, I would like to collect the other two as well. Could you tell me about the other two holders?"

Kondo Miyuki thought for a moment, then shook her head with some difficulty. "They were classmates from a long time ago, and we've basically lost contact... How about this? I'll try to help you look for them. If I find them, I'll let you know, but you should not get your hopes up too high..."

"Thank you, truly, thank you so much!" Natsume Chikage said sincerely. "Meeting you today, Aunt Kondo, has absolutely been the greatest stroke of luck I've had these past few days!"

"You needn't be so polite. I am only returning something to its rightful owner." Though Kondo Miyuki said so, her cheeks unconsciously reddened again.

He was only returning a shogi record and helping him ask around for a little information. Why was he thanking her so earnestly, as though he were over the moon?

He had even called it his "greatest stroke of luck"...

Why did those words sound as though they carried another meaning...

Just then, Natsume Chikage's peripheral vision swept over the shelves in the storage room, and his breath suddenly caught—

A magazine emitting an unusual faint glow stood quietly in the corner!

[Collector-Grade Fighting Magazine]

[Quality: Green]

[Effect: After equipping it, you have a chance to discover your opponent's weaknesses!]

[Description: I... have already burned out, becoming pure white ash.]

[Synthesis Requirement: At least three pieces of the same type of equipment are required!]

Natsume Chikage's pupils contracted—this was actually a green-quality piece of equipment, higher quality than the shogi record?!

But its effect was "a chance to discover weaknesses"?

Although Natsume Chikage did not like fighting, this was undoubtedly the highest-grade equipment he had seen so far.

Special equipment was already rare and difficult to come by. Since he had encountered it, how could he possibly let it slip away?

He had to get it!

The prerequisite for obtaining special equipment was gaining the owner's consent.

That meant that if he wanted this magazine, he had to obtain the approval of either Kondo Miyuki or her husband, Kondo Masasuke...

"Um... are the items in this storage room usually managed by you, Aunt Kondo?" Natsume Chikage asked tentatively, forcing himself to remain calm.

Kondo Miyuki was somewhat confused, unable to understand why he had suddenly asked that, but she still explained, "Yes. My husband basically does not concern himself with the things here and leaves them all for me to manage. Is there a problem?"

Natsume Chikage secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Kondo Miyuki managed the item, and she was an old acquaintance of his father. Her attitude was also far friendlier than that of her family.

There was still a chance!