Chapter 567

Yukimura Suzune and Saionji Nanase turned their gazes toward Natsume Chikage at the same time.

—After all, his grades were also a frequent visitor to the grade’s bottom.

Yukimura Suzune pursed her lips and said:

"Natsume-kun, you come too."

Saionji Nanase nodded repeatedly, her eyes carrying earnest expectation.

"Yeah, yeah! The monthly exam is coming up soon, Natsume-kun, your grades..."

She paused, trying to make her wording as tactful as possible.

"Still have a lot of room for improvement."

"Let’s study together!"

Natsume Chikage shook his head and politely declined with a smile.

"I don't need to."

"My grades are actually quite good; this monthly exam will be no problem at all."

Fujiwara Aoi widened her eyes.

She remembered very clearly—Natsume-kun’s grades were clearly worse than hers, and he was one of the school’s recognized bottom-dwellers.

"Natsume-kun..."

Her tone carried twelve thousand percent disbelief.

"Your grades are good... is that really true?"

Natsume Chikage still smiled and nodded.

"Of course it’s true."

Yukimura Suzune didn't speak.

She just narrowed her eyes slightly, quietly watching him with a helpless look of "you’d better not be bluffing."

Saionji Nanase didn't try to persuade him again either.

She remembered very clearly.

In the first few weeks of school, Natsume-kun did listen to the lectures seriously.

But don't know from when.

When he was in class, he was either dazed, looking at the clouds outside the window, or reading extracurricular books during other classes.

She wasn't sure if he really didn't want to study.

But she was sure he didn't want to accept this kindness.

From her position, it wasn't easy to say anything more.

—Then wait until the weekend when we go to Ruri-chan’s house, and mention it to Ruri-chan.

Natsume-kun will definitely listen to what Ruri-chan says.

Yukimura Suzune also had the same thought in her heart.

She had already seen it.

Natsume-kun is easygoing on the surface, but has his own persistence in his bones.

Since he doesn't want to, hard persuasion is useless.

But Natsume Ruri is different.

That is the sister he cherishes most.

He was even willing to learn to draw for his sister, which is evident.

So he will definitely listen to his sister’s words.

Ding-a-ling—

The first class of the morning ended with a crisp bell.

The quiet in the classroom was broken, the sound of moving desks and chairs, talking, and laughter mixed together, gradually becoming noisy.

The sunlight outside the window slanted onto the aisle.

Natsume Chikage picked up the brand-new iron with its packaging box.

—This was to replace the old iron of the school’s home economics classroom’s "special equipment."

The task of collecting three special pieces of equipment was only missing this last one.

After completion, he could obtain new attribute points.

He stood up.

Intending to find the teacher first, and then go to Class B to find Akita Sana.

That 100,000 yen had been owed for a while.

Today, it was time to pay it back.

He took out his phone and clicked on Koi Yuuna’s chat box.

The message was sent, and there was a reply soon.

She was not in the office.

She was in the home economics classroom.

Natsume Chikage put away his phone and walked toward the home economics classroom.

Soon.

He arrived in front of the home economics classroom door.

Pushed the door open.

Sunlight poured in from the south-facing window, illuminating the cooking table.

A faint sweet fragrance of flour and butter floated in the air.

Koi Yuuna was facing away from the door, taking out eggs one by one and arranging them on a metal tray.

She was wearing a white cooking apron, her long hair loosely tied behind her head, and a few stray hairs hanging by her ears.

Hearing footsteps, she turned her head.

A faint smile bloomed on her charming face.

"You’re here, Natsume-kun."

Her voice was lazy, the tail of her words slightly raised.

Natsume Chikage nodded, without extra pleasantries.

He walked to the nearest cooking table and placed the iron on the stainless steel countertop.

Unpacked it.

The brand-new iron slid out of the box, the plastic film on the handle not yet torn off, reflecting a delicate matte finish in the light.

He handed it to Koi Yuuna with both hands.

"Here, teacher."

Koi Yuuna looked down at the iron in her hand, her expression somewhat strange.

"Natsume-kun..."

"This one of yours is brand new; do you really want to use this to exchange for that old one in the school?"

Natsume Chikage nodded and smiled.

"Yeah."

Koi Yuuna stared at him for two seconds.

Then she sighed gently, but the smile on her lips deepened.

"Natsume-kun..."

"You really are a weirdo."

"Whether it’s refusing to join the baseball club or collecting irons..."

"Teacher can’t quite keep up with your brain circuit."

She placed the new iron aside and turned to take out the old iron.

She handed the old iron to Natsume Chikage.

[Neat Iron]

[Quality: White]

[Effect: After equipping this, you can make up to ten pieces of clothing neat and beautiful every day.]

[Introduction: People rely on clothes, Buddhas rely on gold!]

Natsume Chikage’s brows relaxed.

"Thank you, teacher."

He carefully placed the old iron into the packaging box of the new iron, snapping it into the center of the foam mold.

[You have obtained ownership of this equipment, do you want to register it?]

[Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[You have successfully registered this equipment!]

[You have successfully obtained 1 attribute point!]

[Distance to the next attribute point, still missing three special pieces of equipment!]

[Do you want to equip the 'Neat Iron'?]

[Yes/No]

"Yes!"

But because no effect was triggered, nothing unusual appeared around him.

Natsume Chikage was not surprised and replied:

"Koi-sensei, then I’ll head back first."

"Yeah."

He picked up the packaging box, pushed the door open, and walked into the corridor.

Sunlight sifted through the window lattice, spreading into a grid of light on his feet.

Natsume Chikage stopped.

He looked down at his school uniform—the left lapel was stained with some white dust rubbed from the wall.

He moved his intention slightly.

Activated the [Neat Iron] effect.

Almost at the same instant.

The gray-white stains on the school uniform seemed to be pushed out of the fabric texture by an invisible force.

They were like tiny dust, floating up from the surface of the fabric and falling gently.

The school uniform returned to brand-new cleanliness.

Even the creases seemed to have flattened out.

Natsume Chikage looked down for several seconds.

He turned and walked toward the water fountain at the end of the corridor.

Turned on the faucet, dipped his fingertips in some water, and wiped it gently on his cuff.

A small patch of wetness bloomed on the dark fabric.

He activated the effect again.

The water stain seemed to be squeezed by some force, seeping out from the depths of the fibers, condensing into fine water droplets, and rolling off.

Drip.

Drip.

The cuff was as dry as before.

Natsume Chikage was very pleasantly surprised.

—This thing is much stronger than a washing machine’s one-touch spin-dry.

In the future, if he gets wet in the rain, he can also become dry and comfortable instantly.

He looked down at the iron in the packaging box in his hand, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

It’s just a pity.

He pulled up the panel and glanced at the equipment bar.

The synthesis function still had no new reaction.

Among so many pieces of special equipment, only one set of study-related suits had been synthesized.

It seems the quantity is still not enough.

More is needed.

He gathered the opening of the packaging box and continued walking along the corridor.

At this moment, he intended to pay back the money first.

Soon.

He arrived at the door of Class 1-B.

When Natsume Chikage stood at the door, most people in the classroom hadn't noticed him yet.

A few girls by the window were huddled together flipping through magazines.

A few boys in the back row were lying on their desks catching up on sleep.

But there is always someone whose gaze will capture that figure at the door in an inadvertent moment.

A girl with a ponytail raised her head.

She was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes lit up.

"Natsume-kun...?"

Her voice was not loud, but it stirred up a slight commotion in the small circle around her.

More gazes gathered toward the door.

"It’s really Natsume-kun!"

"Why would he come to our class?"

A few girls had already stood up, walked quickly to the door, and surrounded him.

"Natsume-kun, do you have something to do?"

"Are you looking for someone?"

Natsume Chikage’s gaze crossed their shoulders and fell toward a certain position.

Akita Sana was turning her face and talking to Kondo Miki, don't know what they were chatting about, her smile was bright, revealing that cute little tiger tooth.

He raised his finger and pointed.

"Excuse me, can you help me call Akita-san?"

"I have something to find her for."

—Looking for Akita-san?

The expressions of the girls surrounding the door showed a subtle freeze.

Someone blinked.

Someone opened their mouth slightly.

The air was quiet for two seconds.

"Ah... you want to find Akita-san?"

"Find her... what is it for?"

"Could it be... is Akita-san your girlfriend, Natsume-kun?"

"How... how could that be?"

Natsume Chikage was somewhat helpless.

"No."

"It’s just that there are some things to return to Akita-san."

—So that’s how it is.

Several girls breathed a sigh of relief almost at the same instant.

Their shoulders relaxed, and their brows bent again.

"I knew Natsume-kun wouldn't lie; saying he doesn't have a girlfriend means he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Great, I’ll help you call her now!"

And the movement at the door finally spread to the deeper corners of the classroom.

Akita Sana was just in the middle of talking, gesturing with her hands and feet.