Chapter 578

Those classmates, whether boys or girls, appeared exceptionally happy when speaking to her, even carrying a hint of unconscious obsequiousness.

Natsume Chikage stood not far away, watching with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

He could tell that his sister was indeed very popular at school and had excellent social standing.

“Ruri.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Natsume Ruri turned her head immediately.

When she saw Natsume Chikage, the smile on her face instantly became genuine and bright, and she rushed over like a cheerful little bird.

“Brother!”

Kaga Reisa stood to the side, seeing Natsume Chikage, her small face flushed slightly, and she greeted him shyly in a low voice.

“Chikage-brother… good afternoon.”

Ando Chizuru couldn’t suppress the excitement in her heart, and her voice was a little higher than usual.

“Natsume-brother! Good afternoon!”

Izumi Hideaki also appeared quite excited and quickly stepped forward.

“Natsume-brother! I really didn’t expect you to actually come to our school today!”

Natsume Chikage reached out, gently ruffled his sister’s hair, which had been blown a bit messy by the wind, and laughed:

“I just thought since I had the chance, I’d stop by to see what our Ruri is like at school.”

At this moment.

Tsukishima Rin’s gaze also fell entirely on Natsume Ruri.

She saw that Natsume Ruri had soft, smooth long hair, with the front bangs meticulously trimmed, perfectly framing her small, delicate oval face.

Already petite and exquisite, she wore the well-tailored, elegantly designed Sacred Heart Academy uniform, making her look even more adorable and moving, like a delicate porcelain doll.

Tsukishima Rin had been looking forward to meeting Natsume Ruri for a long time, and seeing her in person now, she was even more delighted.

She stepped forward, a smile even more gentle and sincere than the one on stage blooming on her face.

“Hello, Ruri-sister. I’m Tsukishima Rin, a senior from your brother’s school.”

Natsume Ruri let go of her brother’s hand, and a flawless, dignified, and polite smile immediately appeared on her small face.

She bowed slightly, nodded, and then said in a tone that sounded innocent but seemed to imply something:

“Hello, Tsukishima-sister. I’ve heard about you from Fujiwara-sisters.”

The smile on Tsukishima Rin’s face froze for a second.

Afterward, she smiled somewhat awkwardly, trying to make her tone sound natural.

“Fujiwara-sisters, you say… ahaha, it seems they’ve been to your house to play with you?”

Natsume Ruri smiled and nodded, her tone light, yet as if she were counting something.

“Yes.”

“Konoe-sister, Fujiwara-sister, Yukimura-sister, Saionji-sister, and Akita-sister, they all come over to play occasionally.”

Hearing this, Tsukishima Rin felt as if she had been hit by a freezing spell, completely stiffening in place.

How… how have so many girls already been to Natsume-kun’s house?

Even that Miss Konoe too…?

Could it be that she is the only one who hasn’t officially paid a visit yet?

It’s over… doesn’t this mean she’s fallen far behind in the “visiting progress”!

And, since they’ve all been there… could it be that they have already… to Natsume-kun…?

Impossible!

Right, impossible!

Since Natsume Ruri knows they’ve been there, she must have been by their side at the time.

With a sister present, they certainly couldn’t have done anything too out of line.

And, given Natsume-kun’s steady and slightly distant personality…

Thinking of this, Tsukishima Rin felt slightly relieved, forced herself to cheer up, and chuckled twice, trying to change the subject.

“I see… speaking of which, I heard Natsume-kun mention that you, Ruri-sister, are currently drawing manga.”

“I’m also very curious about that; if you have time, could I visit and see your work?”

Natsume Ruri was silent for a moment, her clear, large eyes seeming to turn quickly.

Afterward, a brighter, yet vaguely overly perfect, fake smile bloomed on her face.

“Of course you can.”

“If anything, I, Ruri, would be very welcoming.”

Tsukishima Rin was instantly overjoyed, feeling that Ruri-sister really seemed to welcome her.

It seems that although she appeared a bit later than the other seniors, after this brilliant theater performance “debut,” the effect seems quite good.

The rhythm is good now.

As long as she keeps it up, she will definitely be able to successfully “conquer” Ruri-sister first, and then step by step approach Natsume-kun!

A gentle and confident smile reappeared on Tsukishima Rin’s face.

“Then it’s a promise.”

Izumi Hideaki, who was listening to the conversation between Tsukishima Rin and Natsume Ruri from the side, felt alarm bells ringing in his heart.

This Senior Tsukishima Rin in front of him looked even prettier than his own sister.

The performance on stage just now also seemed to be a cut above his sister’s.

If this situation is allowed to continue, Natsume-brother—the future brother-in-law candidate in his mind—might really be snatched away by this “pretty big sister” who appeared out of nowhere!

Where is his sister?

Sister, hurry up and come save the situation!!

Izumi Hideaki looked around anxiously, but couldn’t find Izumi Nanami’s figure anywhere.

He had no choice but to quickly take out his phone and tap the screen rapidly to send a message.

【Izumi Hideaki: Sister, where are you? Urgent!】

【Izumi Nanami: I’ve already boarded the bus back to school and am preparing to close my eyes and rest. Why? Want to ask your sister for money again? No, get lost!】

Seeing this reply, Izumi Hideaki was so angry his fingers trembled.

He just felt that his sister was a “useless” thing that dropped the chain at critical moments! She didn’t know how to seize the opportunity at all!

He quickly edited the message again, urgently informing her that Tsukishima Rin was currently “approaching the target.”

【Izumi Hideaki: It’s not about money! It’s that Tsukishima Rin! She’s right next to Natsume-brother and Natsume Ruri right now, and they seem to be chatting really well! Your rival has appeared!】

【Izumi Nanami: Why are you panicking? That Tsukishima Rin is just a ‘loser’ who has been clearly rejected; your sister doesn’t even take her seriously. Stay calm.】

【Izumi Hideaki: Sister… if that’s the case, will you win?】

【Izumi Nanami: Nonsense! It’s definitely a guaranteed win, little brother!】

Seeing his sister’s confident reply, Izumi Hideaki still felt uneasy, not knowing where her confidence came from.

But since she said so… as a younger brother, it seems he could only choose to believe her?

However, when Izumi Hideaki finished sending the message, took a deep breath, and looked up, preparing to talk to Natsume Chikage again to try and boost his favorability with this “future brother-in-law.”

He was stunned to find that Natsume Chikage, Natsume Ruri, Tsukishima Rin, as well as Ando Chizuru and Kaga Reisa, who were standing in front of him just a moment ago…

Had all disappeared without a trace.

Izumi Hideaki was completely dumbfounded, looking around at the empty surroundings in a daze.

“People… where are the people?”

Sacred Heart Middle School, Art Club activity room.

Natsume Ruri, somewhat shyly and with a bit of small pride, led Natsume Chikage and Tsukishima Rin into this spacious and bright room.

“Brother, Tsukishima-sister, this is the Art Club where Ruri belongs.”

Kaga Reisa was originally a member of the Art Club, so she naturally followed them back.

As for Ando Chizuru, she followed without hesitation, entirely with the intention of wanting to spend more time with Natsume Chikage.

Just as they walked into the activity room.

They saw that there were still quite a few students in the Art Club, mostly girls.

They had originally been gathered in groups of three or five discussing paintings or tidying up art supplies.

When they saw Natsume Chikage walking in with Natsume Ruri, a low, excited commotion erupted in the crowd.

One by one, the girls’ eyes lit up as they gathered around, greeting him in a jumble of voices.