Chapter 572

Inside the large theater of Sacred Heart Academy, it was brightly lit, and gorgeous crystal chandeliers hung from the high and wide ceiling, illuminating the entire space like daylight.

Deep red curtains hung heavily on both sides of the stage, the thick velvet texture shining with a faint luster under the lights.

The seats in the auditorium were soft dark blue, neatly arranged in a fan shape, rising slowly from the front of the stage to the back.

Students followed the teacher's guidance and poured into the theater like a stream.

They found their seats, put down their school bags, and couldn't wait to whisper to the friends beside them.

The crisp sound of laughter, the rustling of moving bodies, and the occasional cough intertwined into a buzzing background sound in the empty theater.

Natsume Ruri sat in the middle seat, with Kaga Reisa on her left and Ando Chizuru on her right.

Kaga Reisa was gently tidying her skirt, while Ando Chizuru was looking around curiously.

Izumi Hideaki, sitting directly in front of Natsume Ruri, straightened his back at this moment, his face filled with irrepressible excitement.

He turned his head, his eyes sparkling, and raised his voice to the few male students who leaned over from around him.

"Do you know?" His tone carried obvious pride, "My sister also came today, and is also performing at our school."

"My sister is very good at playing the violin!"

While speaking, his gaze always drifted involuntarily and quickly over his shoulder toward Natsume Ruri behind him.

There was a cautious expectation hidden in his eyes, as if this specially announced information was just meant to be conveyed to her alone.

The few boys around him were immediately interested and made sounds of admiration one after another.

"Really? Izumi-kun's sister is so amazing!"

"What school's orchestra is it?"

"Must listen carefully later!"

But Natsume Ruri just sat there quietly, her gaze falling on a point in the void, appearing a bit absent-minded.

She didn't seem to have taken Izumi Hideaki's words to heart.

She was just thinking: when the performance starts later, who exactly will be that Tsukishima Rin?

After all, she had never seen Tsukishima Rin in person.

Or… should she use her phone to send a message to brother later and ask who it is?

She frowned slightly, then shook her head gently.

emmm… forget it.

Since brother has clearly rejected that Tsukishima Rin, he must really not like that girl, right?

Possible.

Since that's the case… can she also cross this "Tsukishima Rin" off the list of potential future girlfriends for brother?

She pursed her lips, her eyes revealing a bit of complex thought.

Just when Natsume Ruri was muttering to herself.

In the backstage of the large theater, it was another scene of busyness.

Students from other schools who came to perform were carefully moving and placing their respective instruments according to the program order.

Cellos, violins, flutes… various instruments gathered temporarily in the limited open space backstage.

Several teachers from Sacred Heart Academy stood aside, directing seriously and counting the quantities.

After being properly placed, these valuable instruments would be uniformly looked after by the teachers.

The students from other schools who understood this began to leave the backstage in twos and threes and walk toward the auditorium.

They needed to watch the performances of other schools first, and then it would be their turn to go on stage.

Students from different schools were guided to different designated areas.

Students from Private Sakuragaoka Academy sat in an area to the left front.

At this moment, they were moving forward to their seats to prepare to sit down.

Izumi Hideaki stretched his neck and soon found his sister—Izumi Nanami—among the figures in familiar school uniforms.

At this moment, Izumi Nanami was tilting her head slightly, whispering something to the classmate beside her.

She had a shallow smile on her lips, appearing dignified and quiet.

This appearance was completely different from the sloppy sister at home who would even chase her brother to hit him.

Izumi Hideaki was already used to his sister's fake appearance outside, and curled his lips in his heart.

He turned his head back, although facing his friends, his peripheral vision was still focused on the movement behind him.

He reached out and pointed to the figure in front who appeared particularly ladylike, and said in a tone that seemed casual but was actually deliberate:

"Look, that one walking in the front, talking to someone now, is my sister."

His friends looked in the direction he pointed.

"Wow, Izumi-kun, your sister is so beautiful."

"Is she the leader of the orchestra?"

Izumi Hideaki puffed out his chest, his voice full of pride:

"Although she's not the leader, she is the lead violinist in the orchestra, very amazing."

A chorus of agreement sounded around him.

"So amazing!"

If it were in the past, Ando Chizuru, who had always secretly liked Izumi Hideaki, would definitely have followed up with a few words of praise at this moment.

But at this moment, her gaze just swept past Izumi Nanami calmly and moved away quickly.

Now, a more mature and dazzling figure had already lived in her heart—Ruri-chan's brother, Natsume Chikage.

Natsume-brother was steady in his actions, his temperament was cold but exceptionally friendly, completely unlike Izumi Hideaki, who was still showing off his sister with childishness.

Ando Chizuru felt that after liking such a person, she herself seemed to have become much more mature than before.

Naturally, she wouldn't be like the little girls around Izumi Hideaki, chattering and echoing those childish boasts.

At this time, Izumi Hideaki couldn't help but look back again, secretly glancing at Natsume Ruri.

But he found that she was just looking forward quietly, and her face didn't show obvious amazement or curiosity like his friends.

He was stunned, and a faint disappointment rose in his heart.

But on second thought, he was relieved.

After all, his sister hadn't started performing yet.

When the violin sound rang out later, Natsume Ruri would definitely be able to feel the extraordinary nature of his sister's skills.

Just then.

Ando Chizuru suddenly said "Ah" gently, and reached out to pull the sleeves of Natsume Ruri and Kaga Reisa.

Her voice carried obvious surprise:

"Ruri-chan, Reisa-chan, look quickly, it's Natsume-brother's school!"

Natsume Ruri heard this, her spirits lifted, and she immediately turned her head and looked in the direction Ando Chizuru indicated.

Private Moonlight Academy was already a famous private school in Tokyo.

As a school under the Mido family, its status was naturally extraordinary.

Therefore, except for the students of Sacred Heart Academy, only they were arranged in the most core area in the middle of the auditorium.

This also made Private Moonlight Academy particularly eye-catching among many other schools.

When the students of Private Moonlight Academy entered the venue in line, they indeed attracted many gazes.

Natsume Ruri's gaze searched eagerly among the group of girls at the very front of the team.

Her gaze swept across face after face, but she never found the girl who could be called "extraordinary temperament," "outstanding appearance," and matched the description of the Fujiwara-sisters.

The only one who could be called very beautiful was Kondo Miki.

For Kondo Miki, Natsume Ruri naturally knew her.

Looking at so many girls, only Kondo Miki seemed particularly conspicuous.

She couldn't help but mutter in her heart.

Could it be that she missed it?

Or… that Tsukishima-sister, actually wasn't as beautiful and had as much temperament as the Fujiwara-sisters described?

Just when she was about to give up.

Natsume Ruri's gaze finally caught a figure walking out slowly at the end of the team.

That was an extremely beautiful girl with great temperament.

She had an intellectual and gentle smile on her face, and the small tear mole under her left eye looked particularly clear and moving in the light.

She had shoulder-length, soft black hair that swayed slightly with her steps.

Although her figure didn't look particularly plump, it was well-proportioned and upright, wearing a well-fitting school uniform, and had a fresh and refined beauty.

Whether it was her calm posture or exquisite appearance, she was not inferior to Kondo Miki at all, and even surpassed her.

The moment Tsukishima Rin appeared.

In the auditorium, many middle school boys from Sacred Heart Academy had their eyes brighten, and the whispering sound increased slightly.

Such looks and temperament perfectly matched their imagination of a "beautiful senior" in high school.

Seeing this girl, Natsume Ruri blinked her big eyes.

She immediately determined in her heart: this must be that Tsukishima Rin-sister.

The feeling described by the Fujiwara-sisters was just like this.

But immediately after.

Natsume Ruri widened her eyes in surprise, her small mouth slightly open.

I saw that walking side by side with Tsukishima Rin was a figure she was all too familiar with—Natsume Chikage.

As soon as Natsume Chikage appeared, it was as if he brought his own spotlight.

His long and upright figure, his exquisite and impeccable appearance, and his calm yet slightly distant temperament.

Instantly, he firmly grabbed everyone's gaze in the venue.

Whether it was middle school students, high school students from other schools, or even the teachers sitting in the front row, they all involuntarily cast their gazes toward him.

A low sound of gasping mixed with amazement spread in the auditorium.

"Oh ho…"

"Who is this from Private Moonlight? Isn't he too handsome?"

"I want this person's contact information right now, immediately!"

"How come only Private Moonlight has such a top-tier boy? Doesn't our school's Orchestra Club have this kind of visual representative?"

Natsume Ruri was completely dumbfounded, and muttered subconsciously:

"Nii-chan?"

Kaga Reisa was also confused, but after being confused, a happy smile quickly bloomed on her face.

"Chikage-brother… how could he be here?"

Ando Chizuru was even more surprised and happy, and her heartbeat accelerated a bit.

"It's actually Natsume-brother?"

Izumi Hideaki was also very surprised, but besides surprise, there was more intense envy.

So many boys from other schools entered the venue just now, and no one could cause such a scale of commotion just by appearing like Natsume-brother.

Even his sister, who was a somewhat famous violinist, couldn't do this.

Thinking of this, he suddenly hoped that his "idiot sister" could swap with Natsume-brother.

Ando Chizuru couldn't hold back her surprise, and leaned into Natsume Ruri's ear and asked in a low voice:

"Ruri-chan, didn't you say your brother wasn't in the Orchestra Club? How come he came today too?"

Natsume Ruri was also confused, and shook her head helplessly.

"I don't know either… brother didn't tell me about this."

And at this time.

Natsume Chikage's gaze was slowly sweeping across the crowd wearing Sacred Heart Academy middle school uniforms, looking for his sister's figure.

Soon.

Thanks to his dynamic vision far beyond ordinary people, he didn't spend much effort to accurately capture Natsume Ruri from the moving crowd.

Finding that his sister was also looking at him with wide eyes, the corners of his lips naturally curled into an arc, and he raised his hand and waved gently in her direction.

Natsume Ruri saw brother's action, her cheeks heated up slightly, a bit shy, but she couldn't help but raise her small hand and wave it with a very small amplitude in brother's direction.

Thinking in her heart, when brother sits down, she must immediately send a message to ask what's going on.