Acceptance!

Just then.

Yasui Ryoto happened to return to the stall.

The moment his gaze fell on Natsume Chikage, he visibly froze. Then his entire body tensed as though facing a formidable enemy, his sharp eyes sizing the other boy up.

Araki Yua, who never minded making a scene even bigger, immediately pointed at Yasui Ryoto and called out with a teasing laugh, "Hahaha, Vice President Yasui! Natsume has something to talk to you about!"

Yasui Ryoto narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on Natsume Chikage's face.

After the lunchtime confession incident, he had looked into Natsume Chikage.

And after learning the details, he had been completely dumbfounded.

Natsume Chikage was actually the person his mother and Aunt Kondo had asked him to return the Go board to.

Yasui Ryoto gritted his teeth and got straight to the point. "Natsume, you're here because of the Go board, right?"

At that, Natsume Chikage immediately recalled that Kondo Miyuki had mentioned she had already discussed the matter with the Yasui family.

It seemed Yasui Ryoto really did know the details, which was why he had gone straight to the subject.

That was fine.

Natsume had been wondering how to begin, but now he could skip the pleasantries.

Natsume Chikage nodded decisively. "Yes."

Yasui Ryoto kept a stern face, his tone carrying a faint, barely noticeable scrutiny. "I can return the Go board to you... but there's one condition."

Natsume Chikage understood at once. Things really wouldn't be that simple.

"What condition?"

Yasui Ryoto stared straight into Natsume Chikage's eyes, his voice low. "I want to know exactly how Tsukishima Rin confessed to you at noon—and how you rejected her!"

Natsume Chikage paused slightly, not expecting that to be the condition.

To be honest, the condition itself was not difficult to meet.

But asking him to repeat a girl's exact confession, especially such private emotional words, was not something he wanted to do.

He shook his head, his tone firm. "I'd rather not repeat the exact details of Tsukishima-senpai's confession. That's her privacy, and I have no right to repeat it casually. If you want to know the details, you should ask her yourself."

He paused, then changed tack. "But I can tell you why I rejected her."

Yasui Ryoto silently watched Natsume Chikage for a moment, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.

He had assumed Natsume Chikage would not hesitate to betray Tsukishima Rin's feelings just to get the Go board back. He had not expected him to protect her privacy like this.

"...Fine." He finally nodded.

Natsume Chikage spoke softly. "I imagine Aunt Miyuki has already spoken to you, so you should know that my family has gone bankrupt."

"I still have a young younger sister at home who needs me to look after and raise."

"We need money for food, clothing, housing, and everything else."

"Under those circumstances, aside from finishing school, I have to spend nearly all my free time working to earn money. I simply have no extra time or energy to maintain a romantic relationship."

The expression on Yasui Ryoto's face instantly froze, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He remained silent for a long while, seemingly trying to process that utterly unexpected answer.

He had imagined countless possibilities—perhaps Natsume Chikage already had a girlfriend, perhaps he simply felt nothing for Tsukishima Rin, perhaps he was even some scumbag who toyed with girls' feelings, or perhaps he had used the opportunity to reject Tsukishima Rin in order to raise his own standing at school, and so on...

But he had never imagined that this handsome freshman, so much the center of attention at Moonlight Academy, had rejected an outstanding girl like Tsukishima Rin because he needed to shoulder his family's burdens.

If the boys at the academy who pursued Tsukishima Rin learned that reason, their jaws would probably hit the floor...

Most students at Moonlight Academy came from well-off families.

Many had never experienced the hardships of working part-time, much less worried about financial hardship.

Someone like Natsume Chikage, who had to take on the responsibility of supporting a family all by himself at such a young age, was extraordinarily rare.

He remembered the Natsume family's former glory. What a pity that it had all collapsed overnight...

No matter what, the maturity and sense of responsibility Natsume Chikage showed at this moment were impossible for Yasui Ryoto to ignore. Deep down, he had already accepted him.

He knew that Natsume Chikage had made the girl he loved cry in the classroom all afternoon, but after hearing the reason for his rejection, he truly could not blame him.

Araki Yua covered her mouth in surprise from the side.

She clearly had not expected the truth behind Natsume Chikage rejecting Tsukishima Rin to be so heavy.

Nor had she expected this dazzlingly handsome underclassman before her to be burdened with such difficult family circumstances.

And here she had been prejudiced, thinking that a handsome guy like Natsume Chikage had to be some playboy drifting through life, the kind who would never lack money.

It could even be said that, with Natsume Chikage's looks, even if he were poor, he could easily sweet-talk girls out of their money.

That was no joke.

With Natsume Chikage's face, if he became a host or a celebrity, he would probably have hordes of die-hard fans throwing money at him without a second thought.

But now that the truth lay before her—this handsome underclassman was not only mature and steady, but also deeply responsible!

No wonder even a girl as outstanding as Tsukishima Rin had been drawn to him.

Even she could not help feeling a little flutter in her heart for Natsume Chikage after hearing those words...

Araki Yua cast a regretful glance at Yasui Ryoto, feeling that the childhood friend she had secretly loved had not lost unfairly this time.

Saionji Nanase's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Natsume Chikage, her gaze flickering.

Yasui Ryoto took a deep breath and heavily patted Natsume Chikage on the shoulder, the force carrying a trace of understanding and respect.

"That shogi board really is in my family's storage room now."

"It may take some effort to find. The storage room is packed full, and things are a bit of a mess."

"Once I find it, I'll bring it to school for you."

Natsume Chikage thanked him sincerely.

"Thank you."

Yasui Ryoto seemed to remember something and asked with some curiosity.

"By the way, you want that board back so badly... Is it because, like your father, you've been studying shogi since you were little?"

He looked Natsume Chikage up and down.

"Are you an amateur player now? Or did you enter the Apprentice League? What rank are you?"

Araki Yua's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in enthusiastically.

"Right, right, right! If you can play shogi, would you consider joining our shogi club?"

Her little scheme was racing along—if they had a huge heartthrob like Natsume Chikage in the club, recruiting new members and applying for funding would be a breeze!

Natsume Chikage shook his head, his candid tone carrying a trace of apology.

"I'm ashamed to say... from childhood until now, I've only played a dozen or so games of shogi in total. I never joined the Shogi Association, so I don't have any rank."

A faint expectation had initially risen in Yasui Ryoto's heart.

He remembered the recently launched Rising Star Shogi Tournament in Tokyo, which offered generous prize money.

As long as contestants kept winning, their prize money would double consecutively, attracting many players. The shogi club president, Araki Yua, and he himself had all signed up.

He had thought that if Natsume Chikage had some skill, he could bring him into the club and have him compete with them.

But since the other boy had barely touched shogi, there really was not much point in joining the shogi club now.

Shogi was a game that demanded immense talent and deep accumulation. It required years upon years of studying game records and honing one's skills.

Even a talented beginner would find it difficult to contend with seasoned players in a short period of time.

Still... on second thought, Natsume Chikage not playing shogi might not be a bad thing for Yasui Ryoto.

Otherwise, with the other boy's looks and popularity, plus his shogi skills... Yasui Ryoto's standing in the academy's shogi circle might have been challenged.

Yasui Ryoto let out a sigh, somewhat relieved yet faintly regretful. "I see... What a shame."

"Yeah..." Araki Yua softly agreed, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

At that moment, Saionji Nanase blinked her lively eyes and asked curiously.

"By the way, isn't Student Council President Mido Orihime a women's 5-dan player? Is she in the shogi club too?"

At the mention of that name, Yasui Ryoto and Araki Yua's expressions immediately turned subtle, and they both shook their heads.

"No."

"Student Council President Mido... has never joined the shogi club."

Saionji Nanase was puzzled.

"Why?"

Yasui Ryoto lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of awe.

"As for why she doesn't join the shogi club, I can't really explain it... You'll understand once you meet her."

Araki Yua, who had been carefree and boisterous until just now, wore a serious expression. Even her voice lowered, as though she were warning them about some taboo.

"Don't say we upperclassmen didn't warn you. It's best not to casually talk about the student council president or her affairs, or sometimes you might... invite unnecessary trouble."

"If you're unlucky enough to run into her, either greet her with utmost respect or get away as quickly as you can."

Although Natsume Chikage did not understand why the two of them said that, it seemed they were rather unwilling to talk about Mido Orihime, the student council president.

They even looked a little afraid?

He would have to be more careful.

Still, the student council president seemed to be a fifth-dan female player. She had probably entered the Newcomer Shogi Tournament as well?

Hopefully he would not run into her at the venue, lest he get dragged into some trouble.