Chapter 579
Late at night, everything was still.
Natsume Chikage looked at his sister, who was already wrapped in her quilt on the bed, drowsy and letting out small yawns.
"Brother, I'm turning off the lights."
"Mm..."
No sooner had she spoken than Natsume Ruri's chest began to rise and fall in a steady, rhythmic pattern, her breathing light and long—she had already drifted into dreamland.
Watching his sister's skill of "falling asleep at the speed of light," a subtle expression appeared on Natsume Chikage's face.
According to common sense, people with good sleep quality who fall asleep quickly are usually more conducive to growth and development; after all, height is closely related to deep sleep.
But his sister, who was now in her second year of middle school, still seemed a bit short; when would she grow to be like Kaga Reisa?
But speaking of Kaga Reisa... could that girl still be "developing"?
If that were really the case, it would be a bit absurd.
"Click."
With a soft sound, the light went out.
The cramped three-mat room was instantly swallowed by pure darkness, with only the sporadic faint light from outside the window outlining the vague contours of the room.
Relying on his familiarity with the room, Natsume Chikage groped in the dark and walked accurately to his own bed.
A wave of fatigue hit him, and he was indeed quite sleepy.
After all, he had been burying himself in writing since he got home.
Before going to sleep, he habitually picked up his phone to see if there were any important messages.
If not, he would prepare to rest.
He lit up the screen, unlocked it, and opened the LINE app.
The notification bar immediately popped up several unread message alerts: from Akita Sana, Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, and Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui.
Besides that, he also discovered a new friend request.
Opening it, the brief note in the verification information was: Kondo Miki.
Seeing Kondo Miki take the initiative to add him as a friend, Natsume Chikage couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
He thought for a moment, not knowing Kondo Miki's purpose for this, but clicked "Accept" anyway.
【Natsume Chikage: Is something the matter?】
The message was sent, but there was no immediate reply, and the status did not show "Read."
Natsume Chikage was a bit confused and decided to put it aside for now and reply to the others' messages.
He first opened the message Akita Sana had sent after eight in the evening.
【Akita Sana: Natsume-kun, are you there?】
【Natsume Chikage: I am, what's up?】
The message was replied to almost instantly.
【Akita Sana: (? >?
【Natsume Chikage: That won't do. 100,000 yen is not a small amount; what should be repaid must be repaid. It's just that I really don't have any spare money right now. When I'm a bit better off, I will definitely pay you back.】
【Akita Sana:... Alright. Speaking of which, Natsume-kun, you were super—amazing at playing games at the arcade today! Shankou-kun and the others were no match for you at all. Why is that?】
【Natsume Chikage: I've played those games before; maybe your classmates don't play them often. If they played them often, the result might be different.】
【Akita Sana: (⊙_⊙) But... they also hang out at the arcade often and play games too...】
【Natsume Chikage:... Maybe they were just playing casually and weren't taking it too seriously.】
【Akita Sana: (#^. ^#) Natsume-kun, you're too humble; I can tell! Natsume-kun, you're actually a hidden gaming god, right? Otherwise, how could you keep winning!】
【Natsume Chikage: What gaming god, you're really overpraising me.】
【Akita Sana: Being too humble isn't good, you know~ By the way, I'm actually not bad at games, but Asagiri-kun and the others always say they can't carry me, and it's no fun playing... You're so good, can you be my gaming partner in the future?】
【Natsume Chikage: Of course, when I have time. But I've been quite busy lately, so I might not be able to accompany you.】
【Akita Sana: (? >?
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
【Akita Sana: It's getting late now, goodnight!】
【Natsume Chikage: Goodnight.】
After replying to Akita Sana, Natsume Chikage opened the message Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai had sent around 10:30.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun, good evening.】
【Natsume Chikage: Good evening, Sister Xiyuan Si-san.】
The message was replied to quickly.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun... I have a female friend I know who wants to give a bracelet to a boy she likes, but she doesn't know much about what kind of style boys would like. So... I wanted to ask for your opinion, is that okay?】
Natsume Chikage thought about it and felt that giving some advice was no problem.
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Send me the styles and I'll take a look.】
Seeing the reply, Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, on the other side of the screen, immediately showed a look of joy.
She hurriedly forwarded the six men's bracelet designs sent by Hashimoto Yumi, the owner of the fossil and mineral specimen shop, to Natsume Chikage one by one.
【Natsume Chikage: I think the third one is nice.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: May I ask the reason why you like this one? Is it because it's more popular, or do you personally prefer this design?】
【Natsume Chikage: I'm not sure if it's popular or not. Just from my personal feeling, this style is more pleasing to the eye.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: (*^▽^*) I see! I understand, thank you for your advice, I'll tell her right away!】
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
After replying to Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, Natsume Chikage opened the message Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui had also sent around 10:30.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (，，???)? ゛Natsume-kun, good evening!】
【Natsume Chikage: Fujiwara-san, good evening.】
The message was replied to instantly.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: I heard from Kaga-imouto that she often goes to your place to play lately?】
【Natsume Chikage: Yes. Why?】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: Haha... actually, it's nothing! It's just that when I'm not working, I'm occasionally quite free. Thinking that your house is quite close to mine, if you have time, can I come over to play too?】
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Ruri and Kaga-san are collaborating on a shoujo manga lately; if you can come, maybe you can give them some suggestions.】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (〃'▽'〃) I happen to have read quite a few shoujo manga! When I come over, I'll definitely have a good chat with them!】
【Natsume Chikage: That won't do. 100,000 yen is not a small amount; what should be repaid must be repaid. It's just that I really don't have any spare money right now. When I'm a bit better off, I will definitely pay you back.】
【Akita Sana:... Alright. Speaking of which, Natsume-kun, you were super—amazing at playing games at the arcade today! Shankou-kun and the others were no match for you at all. Why is that?】
【Natsume Chikage: I've played those games before; maybe your classmates don't play them often. If they played them often, the result might be different.】
【Akita Sana: (⊙_⊙) But... they also hang out at the arcade often and play games too...】
【Natsume Chikage:... Maybe they were just playing casually and weren't taking it too seriously.】
【Akita Sana: (#^. ^#) Natsume-kun, you're too humble; I can tell! Natsume-kun, you're actually a hidden gaming god, right? Otherwise, how could you keep winning!】
【Natsume Chikage: What gaming god, you're really overpraising me.】
【Akita Sana: Being too humble isn't good, you know~ By the way, I'm actually not bad at games, but Asagiri-kun and the others always say they can't carry me, and it's no fun playing... You're so good, can you be my gaming partner in the future?】
【Natsume Chikage: Of course, when I have time. But I've been quite busy lately, so I might not be able to accompany you.】
【Akita Sana: (? >?
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
【Akita Sana: It's getting late now, goodnight!】
【Natsume Chikage: Goodnight.】
After replying to Akita Sana, Natsume Chikage opened the message Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai had sent around 10:30.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun, good evening.】
【Natsume Chikage: Good evening, Sister Xiyuan Si-san.】
The message was replied to quickly.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun... I have a female friend I know who wants to give a bracelet to a boy she likes, but she doesn't know much about what kind of style boys would like. So... I wanted to ask for your opinion, is that okay?】
Natsume Chikage thought about it and felt that giving some advice was no problem.
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Send me the styles and I'll take a look.】
Seeing the reply, Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, on the other side of the screen, immediately showed a look of joy.
She hurriedly forwarded the six men's bracelet designs sent by Hashimoto Yumi, the owner of the fossil and mineral specimen shop, to Natsume Chikage one by one.
【Natsume Chikage: I think the third one is nice.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: May I ask the reason why you like this one? Is it because it's more popular, or do you personally prefer this design?】
【Natsume Chikage: I'm not sure if it's popular or not. Just from my personal feeling, this style is more pleasing to the eye.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: (*^▽^*) I see! I understand, thank you for your advice, I'll tell her right away!】
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
After replying to Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, Natsume Chikage opened the message Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui had also sent around 10:30.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (，，???)? ゛Natsume-kun, good evening!】
【Natsume Chikage: Fujiwara-san, good evening.】
The message was replied to instantly.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: I heard from Kaga-imouto that she often goes to your place to play lately?】
【Natsume Chikage: Yes. Why?】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: Haha... actually, it's nothing! It's just that when I'm not working, I'm occasionally quite free. Thinking that your house is quite close to mine, if you have time, can I come over to play too?】
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Ruri and Kaga-san are collaborating on a shoujo manga lately; if you can come, maybe you can give them some suggestions.】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (〃'▽'〃) I happen to have read quite a few shoujo manga! When I come over, I'll definitely have a good chat with them!】
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
【Akita Sana: It's getting late now, goodnight!】
【Natsume Chikage: Goodnight.】
After replying to Akita Sana, Natsume Chikage opened the message Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai had sent around 10:30.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun, good evening.】
【Natsume Chikage: Good evening, Sister Xiyuan Si-san.】
The message was replied to quickly.
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: Natsume-kun... I have a female friend I know who wants to give a bracelet to a boy she likes, but she doesn't know much about what kind of style boys would like. So... I wanted to ask for your opinion, is that okay?】
Natsume Chikage thought about it and felt that giving some advice was no problem.
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Send me the styles and I'll take a look.】
Seeing the reply, Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, on the other side of the screen, immediately showed a look of joy.
She hurriedly forwarded the six men's bracelet designs sent by Hashimoto Yumi, the owner of the fossil and mineral specimen shop, to Natsume Chikage one by one.
【Natsume Chikage: I think the third one is nice.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: May I ask the reason why you like this one? Is it because it's more popular, or do you personally prefer this design?】
【Natsume Chikage: I'm not sure if it's popular or not. Just from my personal feeling, this style is more pleasing to the eye.】
【Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai: (*^▽^*) I see! I understand, thank you for your advice, I'll tell her right away!】
【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】
After replying to Sister Xiyuan Si Xiyuanji Qilai, Natsume Chikage opened the message Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui had also sent around 10:30.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (，，???)? ゛Natsume-kun, good evening!】
【Natsume Chikage: Fujiwara-san, good evening.】
The message was replied to instantly.
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: I heard from Kaga-imouto that she often goes to your place to play lately?】
【Natsume Chikage: Yes. Why?】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: Haha... actually, it's nothing! It's just that when I'm not working, I'm occasionally quite free. Thinking that your house is quite close to mine, if you have time, can I come over to play too?】
【Natsume Chikage: Of course. Ruri and Kaga-san are collaborating on a shoujo manga lately; if you can come, maybe you can give them some suggestions.】
【Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui: (〃'▽'〃) I happen to have read quite a few shoujo manga! When I come over, I'll definitely have a good chat with them!】
End of Chapter
