Chapter 533

Kojii Yuna looked at his serious and handsome face, and that playful thought was suddenly diluted by a sudden shyness. She hurriedly shook her hand, subconsciously covering her flushed and hot cheeks with the back of her hand, and interrupted:

"Wait... you, let me calm down a bit, prepare myself first."

A big question mark appeared on Natsume Chikage’s face, and he asked in confusion:

"Calm down? ...Teacher, are you okay?"

Kojii Yuna took a deep breath, trying to calm her suddenly accelerating heartbeat, but the uncontrollable smile on her face still exposed her mood. She spoke again with some anticipation and nervousness:

"O-okay, I’m ready, go ahead."

Natsume Chikage still maintained that serious expression and said clearly:

"Teacher, you know that I joined the school’s 'Collection Club,' and I personally have a hobby of collecting some special items I’m interested in. So I was thinking, after you give me the information about the iron’s supplier, I’ll buy a brand-new one of the same model. When the time comes, can I use this brand-new one to exchange for this old, used iron in the school classroom, to use as a collectible?"

The charming and expectant smile on Kojii Yuna’s face instantly froze, and she was petrified in place as if she had been hit by a petrification spell.

She was dumbfounded, and it took several seconds for her to find her voice, her tone even changing:

"Y-you want to say... j-just this???"

Natsume Chikage nodded as a matter of course, even feeling that the teacher’s reaction was a bit big:

"Yes. Just now, when I heard you mention the purchase channel for the iron, I suddenly remembered that I really wanted to collect this old iron model. What’s wrong, teacher... is this request not allowed?"

Kojii Yuna felt a lump in her throat, her lips twitching uncontrollably, and it took a long time before she answered weakly and powerlessly:

"O-of course it’s not impossible... i-it’s just... you’re using a brand-new one to exchange for an old one, and it’s the exact same model, i-isn't this completely unnecessary and redundant?"

Natsume Chikage couldn't explain that this old iron was an "item" with special effects, so he had to get it.

He had to cough twice and came up with an excuse that sounded reasonable:

"This... you can understand it as part of our 'Collection Club' activities."

"Every member needs to collect some old items with 'stories' or 'significance' regularly and write related collection records and small papers."

"Just like before, after our Collection Club successfully investigated and solved two of the school’s 'Seven Mysteries,' we collected special photos or items left at the scene as souvenirs; it’s a similar principle."

Kojii Yuna heard this, sighed long and silently, her shoulders slumped slightly, and a huge sense of helplessness and a faint, self-deprecating disappointment rose in her heart.

She had been secretly happy just now, imagining a youth romance drama...

As a result, it was just for this?

"If it’s just this... as long as the school can exchange the old for the new and ensure that teaching supplies are not missing, in principle, it’s definitely no problem."

Her tone returned to normal, but it still carried a hint of lingering laughter and tears.

"How about this, I’ll add your LINE, and then send you the shop location and contact information of that supplier. You go buy a new one yourself later, and then come find me with the receipt and the new iron. I’ll help you apply to the school for a replacement and give you this old one."

Natsume Chikage’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and a look of sincere joy appeared on his face.

"Hmm! That’s great!"

"Then I’ll trouble you, teacher. Thank you very much!"

And Kojii Yuna looked at Natsume Chikage’s expression, which was purely happy for achieving his goal, and compared it with her own rich inner drama just now, her face couldn't help but become a bit subtle, and a hint of awkward blush appeared again.

She couldn't help but mutter in her heart: This kid... could it be that he really used "collection" as an excuse, beating around the bush, and his ultimate goal was actually to add her as a LINE friend?

Thinking about it carefully... it’s very possible!

After all, asking for contact information directly might be too abrupt, and using such "serious" club business as an excuse would seem much more natural...

Thinking of this, her disappointment dissipated, and instead, a strange, slightly superior secret pleasure rose.

She just felt that this Natsume Chikage looked cold and handsome on the outside, but she didn't expect him to be a "shy guy" who would play little tricks on the inside.

Why beat around the bush so much? Isn't it better to be direct? Really...

Lunch break.

A female student wearing a disciplinary committee armband was walking hurriedly toward Class 1-A with a serious expression.

Because she had just received direct instructions from Vice Student Council President Hanyu Masaki and Konoe Hitomi, requiring her to come and convey the message and immediately take Natsume Chikage to the student council office.

She felt vaguely that this matter was probably very bad, and her pace quickened involuntarily.

Someone actually wanted Natsume-kun to drop out or something... I hope Natsume-kun can be safe and sound.

However, Natsume Chikage was completely unaware of this impending storm.

He was eating lunch by the window in the classroom with Saionji Nanase, Yukimura Suzune, and Fujiwara Aoi.

Fujiwara Aoi heard Saionji Nanase recount Natsume Chikage’s move and couldn't help but raise her voice in surprise:

"Natsume-kun, you actually moved to a new place?"

"Where exactly is your new place now? Is it far from the original one?"

Natsume Chikage swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded:

"It’s still in the same apartment building, just moved from upstairs to the first floor."

Fujiwara Aoi breathed a sigh of relief, a stone falling from her heart.

If Natsume-kun moved too far away, she wouldn't be able to "naturally" let Natsume-kun walk her home after work like she did now.

And if that were the case, the "distance advantage" she had because she lived close to Natsume-kun would be cleared to zero immediately.

But now that he just moved from upstairs to downstairs... it’s really great.

In that case, it’s almost no different from before.

It could even be said.

This is even better!

After all, Natsume-kun’s home before was indeed a bit narrow and crowded.

His sister Natsume Ruri was also often at home, and she found it hard to find a chance to be alone with Natsume-kun.

And now that he moved to a ten-mat room, it must be a two-bedroom-one-living-room layout, right?

In that case, when she went to visit Ruri-chan, maybe she would have more chances to be alone with Natsume-kun in the living room or other rooms.

Maybe she would even encounter those accidental "welfare events" depicted in shoujo manga, and then the two would be like dry wood and fire, *guhehe*~~

Yukimura Suzune looked at Fujiwara Aoi, who had suddenly started giggling to herself, her expression gradually becoming a bit weird, and frowned in disgust, her cold voice sounding:

"Why are you giggling suddenly? It feels so disgusting."

Fujiwara Aoi snapped back to reality, noticing that Natsume Chikage and Saionji Nanase on the side were also looking at her with strange expressions and inquisitive meanings, and her healthy wheat-colored face flushed quickly, hurriedly waving her hands to explain:

"Ah haha... j-just now I suddenly thought of a funny program segment I watched last night, you don't need to care, don't need to care!"

She hurriedly changed the subject stiffly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Ah right, right... Natsume-kun, since your new home is ten mats, so much bigger than the three-mat one before... it must be a two-bedroom-one-living-room layout, right?"

Saionji Nanase and Yukimura Suzune heard this topic, and for some reason, both were inexplicably curious, casting their gazes toward Natsume Chikage at the same time.

Natsume Chikage shook his head and laughed:

"I would have liked to have an independent room too."

"But it’s a pity that, except for the overall increase in living space, the layout is actually still one bedroom and one living room, just that the area of each area is more spacious."

Fujiwara Aoi felt as if she had been splashed with a basin of cold water, the expectant smile on her face instantly collapsed, and she sighed very disappointedly:

"I see..."

Saionji Nanase didn't think about so many deep meanings, just laughed gently from the bottom of her heart:

"Regardless, being able to move to a bigger and more comfortable house for the same price is already a very good thing."

"In that case, next time we come to visit, the activity space for making dishes together, and even the space for Ruri-chan and Reisa-chan to draw and create, will also be much looser."

Fujiwara Aoi’s mood recovered quickly, and she cheered up again, happily agreeing:

"Hmm, that’s true!"

Yukimura Suzune stirred the vegetables in her bento box with chopsticks, thoughtful:

"The overall room size increases, and the space in the kitchen and living room will indeed increase accordingly. I imagine that when two or three people are busy in the kitchen at the same time, it won't be as crowded as before."

She secretly pondered that the kitchen had become bigger, so maybe she could expand her cooking "experiments" a little more.

After all, last time she only made Natsume Ruri and the others feel that the sugar water she made was delicious, and she always felt it wasn't enough, wanting to try making some more complex and delicious dishes for them.

But due to the kitchen in the three-mat room being too small, she couldn't show off her skills.

But now...

And Natsume Chikage listened to Yukimura Suzune talking about the kitchen topic again, and couldn't help but sweat slightly on his forehead, his inner alarm bell ringing slightly.

He always felt that this "kitchen killer" Yukimura-san was probably secretly plotting to make some "special" dishes again.

Just when the few were eating and chatting easily.

That female disciplinary committee member who came to deliver the message finally found Natsume Chikage. When she spotted Natsume Chikage, who was surrounded by several beautiful girls and was eating, she couldn't help but blush and her heartbeat quickened.

She steadied herself, extended her finger, and tapped Natsume Chikage’s shoulder gently, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible shyness: