Asahina Nazuna led Shikime Natsu to a stall displaying various exquisite small items.
The stall's decoration style was quite retro, with several Japanese-style lanterns hanging from a wooden sign, emitting a faint warmth.
Shikime Natsu couldn't help but sigh with emotion in his heart.
This school really did a pretty good job satisfying the students' entertainment needs. Even street game stalls like this, which usually only appeared at summer festivals or celebrations, were readily available here.
However... if one were to sink into these entertainment activities, they would be eliminated. After all... the original intention of establishing this school looked like it was to cultivate a batch of qualified high-level corporate slaves. Entertainment was also a way to screen qualified beasts of burden; qualified beasts of burden wouldn't spend too much time on entertainment.
Of course, Shikime Natsu had no interest in becoming a qualified beast of burden.
"Look! It's this!"
Asahina Nazuna's excited voice interrupted Shikime Natsu's thoughts.
She pointed at the neat rows of cards displayed on the stall, her eyes twinkling with eager light.
"This is a card-flipping memory game!"
"The rules are very simple. There are dozens of cards here face down. We need to take turns flipping over two cards within a set time. If the patterns are the same, you keep them. If they are different, you cover them back up. In the end, whoever has more cards wins."
Speaking of this, Asahina Nazuna turned around, hands on her hips, and raised her chin slightly, revealing a rather confident appearance.
"Heheh, Shiki-kouhai, I am quite confident when it comes to things like memory!"
Today, she was wearing that off-shoulder beige knit sweater. With her movement of putting her hands on her hips, the lines of her collarbone appeared even clearer and more charming. That little expression full of confidence on her face made her look not like a second-year senior, but rather like a girl next door—cute with a hint of naivety.
"Memory, is it?"
Shikime Natsu raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth hooking up into a playful arc.
Wasn't this a coincidence? He possessed the ability of photographic memory. If it came to instantaneous memory and image processing capabilities, there was probably no one who could compare to him.
"That really is a coincidence," Shikime Natsu responded with a smile, his tone equally exuding calmness. "Actually, I'm also quite good at memorizing."
"?"
Asahina Nazuna blinked, her competitive spirit seeming to be aroused.
"Is that so? That's perfect!"
She extended a finger, pointing at the game stall before her, and issued a challenge declaration.
"Since Shiki-kouhai says so, how about we have a contest? Although you are a junior, in a game involving dignity like this, I will let Shiki-kouhai witness a senior's prowess!"
Shikime Natsu nodded, a trace of banter flashing in his eyes.
"I don't plan on going easy on Senpai either."
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Asahina Nazuna puffed out her cheeks slightly. "I don't need Shiki-kouhai to let me win! Don't cry if you lose!"
Round one.
Asahina Nazuna confidently flipped open two cards first. An apple and a banana.
"Oh my, remembered it wrong." She stuck out her tongue and covered the cards back up.
It was Shikime Natsu's turn.
His gaze swept over the dozens of cards on the table, and he reached out, his movements flowing like moving clouds and flowing water.
He flipped the first one. A lion.
Immediately after, without any hesitation, he flipped another one separated by a long distance. Also a lion.
"Luck is pretty good." Shikime Natsu smiled and pocketed the two cards.
"? For real? You guessed right from the start?" Asahina Nazuna's eyes widened.
In the following few minutes, Asahina Nazuna fully experienced what it meant to have zero gaming experience.
Shikime Natsu was like he had turned on a wallhack; every time he made a move, he was bound to match successfully. No matter how hard she tried to memorize the positions of the cards that had been flipped, Shikime Natsu could always find the corresponding other card faster and more accurately than her.
As the cards piled up in front of Shikime Natsu increased, Asahina Nazuna's expression went from full confidence at the start to doubting life, and finally turned into her current... pitiful state.
"Ugh..."
Asahina Nazuna wilted completely.
"Boohoo... Senpai's dignity has been completely swept away..."
Looking at Asahina Nazuna's cute appearance, looking as if she were about to cry, Shikime Natsu laughed secretly in his heart. Although bullying the senior was indeed quite interesting... he still had to let the senior have a little gaming experience.
Thus, in the final round.
Shikime Natsu looked at the two panda cards that were clearly right under his nose, intentionally shook his hand, and flipped open a wrong card.
"Oh my, seems I remembered wrong." He pretended to sigh in annoyance and shrugged.
Asahina Nazuna's eyes lit up instantly.
She immediately seized the opportunity and flipped open those two panda cards.
"Yay! Great! I won once!"
Although she lost miserably in the overall game, this single victory still made Asahina Nazuna very happy. She happily raised the cards in her hand, a brilliant smile blooming on her face again, the previous gloom swept away.
"Seems Shiki-kouhai has times when he makes mistakes too! Heheh, sure enough, I still have a chance!"
Looking at her easily satisfied appearance, the smile in Shikime Natsu's eyes deepened. What an easy-to-understand senior.
Just as the two were preparing to end the game, the shop owner who had been standing by and watching suddenly spoke up.
This middle-aged uncle, who looked somewhat shrewd, stared at Shikime Natsu with burning eyes, as if he had discovered some rare treasure.
"This student, your memory is quite amazing! I've been setting up a stall here for so long, and it's the first time I've seen a challenger like you with almost zero errors."
The shop owner rubbed his hands and asked tentatively, "How about it? Are you interested in challenging the higher difficulty Hell Mode? If you can clear it, you can obtain a very precious special gift!"
"Special gift?"
Hearing these words, Asahina Nazuna's curiosity was instantly hooked, and she leaned over to ask, "Boss, what gift is it?"
"Hehey, about this..." The shop owner mysteriously held up a finger and wagged it. "Only the winner is qualified to know. How about it? Want to try?"
Shikime Natsu glanced at the expectant Asahina Nazuna, then at the confident shop owner.
"Since the boss says so." He nodded, his tone calm. "Then let's try it."
The subsequent process needed no further elaboration.
The so-called Hell Mode was nothing more than increasing the number of cards, shortening the memorization time, and even shifting the positions of the cards from time to time. But in front of Shikime Natsu, who possessed photographic memory, these flashy tricks had absolutely no meaning.
A few minutes later.
Shikime Natsu easily cleared all the cards on the table. Clearance successful.
"This... this is too amazing..." The shop owner watched dumbfounded, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and took out an exquisite small box from under the counter with heartfelt admiration.
"I accept my loss. This is your prize."
Shikime Natsu took the box and opened it.
Lying quietly inside was an exquisite deck of cards. Even a layperson could tell at a glance that this item was worth a fortune.
"Wah! So beautiful!" Asahina Nazuna couldn't help but exclaim. "This looks really precious!"
Shikime Natsu looked at the exquisite cards in his hand, then glanced at Asahina Nazuna beside him. Subsequently, he made a move that Asahina Nazuna hadn't expected.
He closed the box containing the cards and then handed it to Asahina Nazuna.
"For you, Asahina-senpai."
"?"
Asahina Nazuna froze, somewhat unable to believe her ears. She pointed at herself, then at the box.
"G... Give it to me? Really? This thing looks really expensive!"
Although she indeed liked it very much, she understood the principle that one shouldn't accept rewards without merit.
"Of course." Shikime Natsu smiled, his tone sincere and natural. "Didn't Senpai give me a handmade study charm just now? Compared to Senpai's gift, although this deck of cards looks exquisite, I feel it can't compare to Senpai's study charm. Courtesy demands reciprocity; take this as my return gift to Senpai."
Listening to these words, Asahina Nazuna felt her heart skip a beat.
She looked at Shikime Natsu's gentle smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. He really was too smooth-talking... but she liked it.
"Shiki-kouhai... Since you put it that way... t-then I won't stand on ceremony!"
She carefully accepted the box and hugged it tightly in her arms.
"Thank you! I will cherish it properly!"
[Ding~]
[CG52: Exchanging Gifts (Asahina Nazuna)]
[Courtesy demands reciprocity~]
[Congratulations Host for obtaining Skill Card: Endowing Gifts with Meaning (Gifts you give and receive will have special buff bonuses)]
Looking at the system prompt popping up before his eyes, a glint flashed in Shikime Natsu's eyes.
It seemed his luck today was really quite good. From morning until now, he had already obtained three CGs in succession. Luck was good; today he was being favored by the Goddess of Luck.
"Phew..."
Asahina Nazuna, having stored away the gift, was in a great mood. While fiddling with the box in her hands, she seemed to remember something, turned to look at Shikime Natsu, and sighed with emotion.
"Speaking of which, Shiki-kouhai, you really are something. Even Little Fuuka pays that much attention to you."
"It was just that Kiryuuin-senpai happened to come over; I have nothing worth paying attention to. By the way, is Senpai's relationship with Kiryuuin-senpai very good?" Shikime Natsu asked, following the flow. "Hearing you call her Little Fuuka just now, it felt very intimate."
"Not at all." Asahina Nazuna shook her head, speaking with some regret. "Actually, the exchanges between her and me can probably be counted on one hand. The address 'Little Fuuka' is just me calling her that one-sidedly."
Speaking of this, a trace of yearning and admiration flowed in her eyes.
"Actually... I admire Little Fuuka very much. She looks very dashing and cool, right? Many girls in the second year actually admire her very much in private."
"Indeed." Shikime Natsu nodded in agreement. "Kiryuuin-senpai indeed looks like a rather dashing girl. That unique temperament makes her hard to ignore."
"It's not just temperament. If Shiki-kouhai only treats Little Fuuka as a girl with a bit of temperament, then you are greatly mistaken. She is ridiculously strong in all aspects. Whether it's academic grades or athletic ability, she is very amazing. Many boys can't even compare to Little Fuuka in athletic ability."
"I can tell that Kiryuuin-senpai is a very formidable person." Shikime Natsu nodded. Just the unhurried aura radiating from Kiryuuin Fuuka during their meeting just now was enough to explain that she was definitely not a simple character.
"Yeah." Asahina Nazuna sighed and continued, "Miyabi, besides wanting to challenge President Horikita, has also always wanted to challenge Little Fuuka, wanting to prove he is stronger than her. But it's a pity, Little Fuuka has always been unwilling to accept his challenges, and doesn't even look him in the eye much."
Speaking of this, Asahina Nazuna suddenly laughed out loud.
"As a result, who would have thought that Little Fuuka, who always ignored Miyabi, would actually be so interested in you, Shiki-kouhai. She even said to Miyabi's face that she expects you to win. Now, Miyabi is probably going to be furious again."
"Nagumo-senpai did indeed look very angry just now." Shikime Natsu recalled Nagumo Miyabi's gloomy face and couldn't help but smile.
"Miyabi's frequency of getting angry has indeed been getting higher and higher recently." Asahina Nazuna shrugged helplessly. "Especially when it involves you, Shiki-kouhai."
"Among those reasons... surely there's also Asahina-senpai's factor, right?" Shikime Natsu pointed out the crux of the problem sharply.
"Hmm... it does have something to do with me." Asahina Nazuna didn't deny it, nodding frankly. "After all, he and I are childhood sweethearts; we grew up together. He generally doesn't wish for me to get too close to other boys."
Speaking of this, Asahina Nazuna pursed her lips in some dissatisfaction and complained, "Clearly he changes girlfriends frequently himself, and his private life is messy as can be, yet he still wants to control me making friends. Truly a double-standard guy."
"Although we are childhood sweethearts..." She looked at Shikime Natsu, seeming afraid he might misunderstand something, and explained specifically, "But I don't hold those kinds of romantic feelings for him. How should I put it... we're too familiar? Familiar to the point where there's absolutely no feeling of heart-throbbing. And he... really isn't my type."
Hearing this, Shikime Natsu silently slapped a label on Nagumo Miyabi in his heart—Blonde Loser.
"Caring about Miyabi is also thinking about properly helping him correct his personality. I told you before, Miyabi has always had smooth sailing, so I want him to take a tumble to sober him up, lest he offends too many people in the future because of this personality."
Shikime Natsu nodded. Since Asahina Nazuna had said so, then he had to teach Nagumo Miyabi a harsh lesson.
"Then, see you next time, Shiki-kouhai! Remember our agreement!"
After finishing lunch, Asahina Nazuna waved goodbye to Shikime Natsu.
"Goodbye, Asahina-senpai."
After watching Asahina Nazuna leave, just as Shikime Natsu was preparing to leave, he suddenly noticed two figures walking towards him not far away.
Wasn't this Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyou?
Shikime Natsu raised his eyebrows slightly; this really was a strange combination. Thinking of this, Shikime Natsu didn't avoid them but walked up, greeting them with a smile.
"Ichinose-san, and Kikyou, good afternoon."
Hearing the voice, the two stopped simultaneously.
"Ah! It's Shikime-san!"
After Ichinose Honami saw clearly that the comer was Shikime Natsu, those beautiful eyes lit up instantly, and a surprised smile appeared on her face.
"What a coincidence! Are you here shopping too?"
In contrast, Kushida Kikyou's reaction was much more subtle. The moment she saw Shikime Natsu, her pupils contracted slightly, and a flash of dissatisfaction passed through her eyes. But it was only for a split second, and the expression on her face didn't change at all, still wearing a cute smile.
Kushida Kikyou clasped her hands together, her tone cheerful with a trace of just-the-right amount of surprise.
"Really didn't expect to meet Natsu here! So happy!"
____
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