Chapter 540

His tone was relaxed, as if he had really just handled a trivial daily matter.

However.

Yukimura Suzune’s cold gaze keenly swept over his calm face and that unfamiliar glove, a hint of alertness rising in her heart as she pursued:

"Verify situations? What exactly did they ask?"

Fujiwara Aoi also stopped her potato chip chewing, her cheeks still bulging, and she blinked her big eyes, joining the curious ranks in a garbled voice:

"Hmm... yeah, I want to know too. Could it be related to what happened last time?"

Saionji Nanase, the "curious baby," naturally didn't need to be mentioned; her eyes were fixed on Natsume Chikage, waiting for his answer.

Facing three pairs of eyes focused on him with concern and inquiry, Natsume Chikage’s expression remained unchanged, and he said in a half-truthful, understated tone:

"Yeah, the Student Council just followed up on the aftermath of the incident with Nakajima-senpai last time to confirm if there were any lingering issues."

"Everything is clear now, it's nothing, you don't need to worry."

Saionji Nanase suddenly realized and nodded:

"Oh, so they were asking if Nakajima-senpai had been bothering you again after that?"

Fujiwara Aoi swallowed the potato chips in her mouth, her expression becoming a bit more serious:

"I remember Konoe-san promised at the time that if Nakajima-senpai dared to harass you again, the Student Council would definitely handle it seriously."

"It seems Nakajima-senpai really learned his lesson after that and didn't do anything else, right?"

Natsume Chikage replied affirmatively:

"Yeah, he didn't."

Hearing this explanation, the faint unease in Yukimura Suzune’s heart dissipated a little.

She had thought it was something more troublesome.

If it was just a routine follow-up investigation by the Student Council, that was indeed a reasonable procedure.

Now that it was confirmed to be nothing, that was naturally the best result.

Fujiwara Aoi’s attention quickly returned to the baseball glove that looked ordinary but had appeared in the hands of someone who shouldn't have it.

She tilted her head, her wheat-colored face revealing undisguised confusion:

"Speaking of which, Natsume-kun, when did you get a baseball glove? I haven't seen you take it out before."

This question also made Yukimura Suzune and Saionji Nanase turn their gazes back to the glove, their eyes also filled with questions.

Natsume Chikage remained calm and laughed it off in an extremely natural tone:

"This... just now on the way back, I met a 'kind person' who insisted on giving it to me. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted it."

Fujiwara Aoi, Yukimura Suzune, and Saionji Nanase couldn't help but look at each other, all feeling that the person who gave the glove was strange.

But then they thought, it was just an old glove; perhaps it was someone from the baseball team on a whim, or a thank-you gift for some small favor Natsume-kun had done for them?

It seemed... there was no need to delve deeper.

At this moment.

Saionji Nanase checked the time, changed to a relaxed topic, and asked with a smile:

"By the way, Natsume-kun, and Aoi-chan, are you going to work at the cafe after school today?"

Fujiwara Aoi picked up another potato chip, bit into it with a "crunch," and nodded vigorously:

"I am! But Nanase-chan, why are you asking this suddenly? Is there any special arrangement?"

Saionji Nanase clasped her hands together, her eyes curving into crescents, and she smiled:

"Actually, I was thinking, if everyone isn't too busy today, we could go out for a walk after school to relax."

Hearing this, Fujiwara Aoi immediately got excited and chimed in happily:

"Go out together? That's great!"

A flash of inspiration crossed her mind, and she suggested:

"How about we just go out for a stroll nearby in the name of the 'Collection Club's field trip'? See if there are any interesting small items suitable for collection, or take pictures of unique architecture and scenery?"

She counted on her fingers:

"If we do that, we'll have about two hours of free time before we have to go to work!"

Saionji Nanase’s eyes suddenly became brighter, and she happily clenched her small fists:

"Mm-hmm! That's a good idea! I think it's great!"

She immediately turned to Yukimura Suzune, who was listening quietly, and asked:

"Suzune, what do you think? Let's go together?"

Yukimura Suzune put down the literary novel in her hand, her cold face expressionless, and she refused in a flat tone:

"I'm afraid not today."

"Didn't the physics teacher return to school? Based on his style, it's very likely he'll bring the supplementary materials about the 'Seven Mysteries' that he promised to help organize today."

"No matter how you look at it, prioritizing the processing and analysis of these new materials is what our Collection Club should be doing right now, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Fujiwara Aoi immediately leaned over to Yukimura Suzune, hugged her arm, and shook it gently, dragging out her voice to act spoiled:

"Aww—Suzune-chan, don't be so strict! It's okay to relax for a day and process less material!"

Saionji Nanase also blinked her lively big eyes, imitating Fujiwara Aoi, leaned her face close to Yukimura Suzune, and begged in a soft, sweet voice:

"That's right, Suzune—"

"Let's—go together! Please?"

Caught in a pincer attack by her two friends, a faint blush uncontrollably appeared on Yukimura Suzune’s cold, fair cheeks.

She coughed twice uncomfortably, looked away, and although her tone remained flat, it had loosened up a lot:

"...If, after getting the materials from the physics teacher, we find that we really need to go out to purchase certain specific items, or need to go to certain locations for field research and information gathering..."

She paused, as if she had made a compromise.

"...then going out at that time wouldn't be entirely out of the question."

Saionji Nanase and Fujiwara Aoi looked at each other upon hearing this answer, and happy smiles bloomed on their faces simultaneously.

"That's great!"

Saionji Nanase immediately turned her head to look at Natsume Chikage, who was stuffing the glove into his schoolbag, and asked:

"Natsume-kun, you shouldn't be busy today, right? Let's go together then?"

After the manuscript of "Snow Country" was completed, Natsume Chikage had indeed been much more leisurely recently, and his original schedule could indeed support him in engaging in some leisure activities before work.

However.

The wager he had just made with Shinoara Shingo for one month later weighed on his schedule.

He didn't even know the most basic pitching posture and power-generating techniques, so time was tight, and he had to start learning and practicing as soon as possible.

Natsume Chikage shook his head, his tone apologetic but firm:

"Sorry, I won't be going today."

"I have some things to handle before work."

Yukimura Suzune, Saionji Nanase, and Fujiwara Aoi were all stunned, and surprised expressions appeared on their faces simultaneously.

In their impression, Natsume Chikage was usually quite free during this time after school and before work, and rarely had fixed arrangements.

And his personality was easygoing, so he would usually readily agree to such small invitations between friends.

But now...

Saionji Nanase pursed her pink, tender lips slightly, and obvious curiosity and a trace of imperceptible worry flowed in her clear eyes:

"Natsume-kun... do you have something else to do? I haven't heard you mention it before."

Natsume Chikage knew clearly that the three girls in front of him, especially Yukimura Suzune and Saionji Nanase, were quite smart and sharp.

If he revealed too much about the wager and the practice, they would very likely guess the truth from the clues, which would lead to unnecessary worry, and they might even forcibly intervene.

At that point, he was afraid he would have to spend a lot of time explaining again.

Therefore, he just shook his head again and used a vague statement that didn't allow for further questioning:

"Just some personal private matters that need some time to handle. Nothing special, you don't need to worry."

Hearing him say this, although his tone was gentle, his attitude was clear, and Saionji Nanase and the others understood that it was inconvenient to continue questioning.

Although Fujiwara Aoi was a little disappointed, she quickly cheered up again and revealed a vibrant, energetic smile:

"I see... since Natsume-kun has something to do today, then forget it!"

"Anyway, there will be opportunities in the future!"

She turned to her two friends and suggested:

"Then... let's just stay in the club room today and see if the physics teacher brings the materials. If there are new materials, we'll study them together; if not, we'll just study or chat in the club room, how about that?"

Although Saionji Nanase felt a little disappointed that Natsume Chikage couldn't join them, she still nodded obediently and smiled: