Chapter 580

Thus, Tsukishima Rin also suppressed the reluctance in her heart and said goodbye politely:

“Natsume-kun, see you at school tomorrow.”

Natsume Chikage nodded to everyone.

“Yeah, see you.”

After Natsume Chikage’s slender figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Ando Chizuru suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes lit up, and a surge of excitement welled up in her heart.

She knew where Natsume Chikage planned to go next.

At this time, she naturally didn’t intend to continue staying at school.

“Um… Ruri-chan, Reisa-chan, I suddenly remembered I have something to do today, so I have to go back first!”

Natsume Ruri and Kaga Reisa didn’t notice anything unusual and responded as usual.

“Mm-hmm, take care on the way.”

“Goodbye, Chizuru.”

Thus, Ando Chizuru also turned and left quickly, following the direction Natsume Chikage had left, quietly trailing behind him, with a small plan to “create a chance encounter” in her heart.

As for Tsukishima Rin, she turned her head to look at Natsume Ruri and Kaga Reisa beside her, a gentle and kind sister-like smile reappearing on her face, and suggested softly:

“Ruri-sister, Reisa-sister, do you have any other arrangements later?”

“If you’re free, would you like to go around the neighborhood with me and have something to drink? I know a very good dessert shop nearby.”

Natsume Ruri blinked, pretending not to see through the other’s “sinister intention” of “approaching the sister to get to the brother,” and a naive, innocent, and happy smile appeared on her face.

“Mm-hmm! Okay!”

Kaga Reisa really didn’t see anything, just feeling happy to be able to play with this pretty and amazing senior, and nodded shyly with excitement.

“O-okay, Tsukishima-sister.”

After leaving Sacred Heart Academy, the three strolled along the tree-lined streets nearby.

Tsukishima Rin’s gaze inadvertently fell on the two exquisite purple bracelets on Natsume Ruri’s slender wrists.

She offered praise at the right time.

“Ruri-sister, the two purple bracelets you’re wearing have a very unique style and the color is nice too. Which shop did you buy them from?”

Hearing this, Natsume Ruri happily raised her wrists and shook them, the small pendants on the bracelets making a faint, crisp sound.

“I bought them at a very large supermarket! Brother specifically picked them out for me at the time, both of them!”

Her tone was filled with the pride of being pampered by her brother.

Tsukishima Rin smiled and nodded, her tone sincere.

“It seems it’s just like what others say. Natsume-kun really dotes on you, Ruri-sister.”

Natsume Ruri’s gaze also fell on Tsukishima Rin’s fair wrists—she was wearing a white jasmine-style bracelet with a simple yet elegant design.

She pointed at it curiously.

“Tsukishima-sister, the one on your wrist is also very pretty, which jewelry shop did you buy it from? The style is so special.”

Tsukishima Rin subconsciously stroked the bracelet on her wrist with her other hand, a warm smile mixed with sweetness and nostalgia appearing on her face involuntarily.

Her voice softened unconsciously.

“This one… it was also bought at a jewelry shop. However, what’s special is that it was also picked out specifically for me by your brother… Natsume-kun, at the time.”

The moment she heard this sentence.

Natsume Ruri’s large, innocent-looking eyes suddenly widened.

Immediately afterward, she narrowed her eyes quickly, her long eyelashes covering the sharp light that flashed in the depths of her eyes.

She just felt that this Tsukishima-sister… was indeed a “master” not to be underestimated.

To be able to “trick” her idiot brother, who was a bit slow in matters of the heart, into personally picking out and gifting a bracelet…

It seems that among all the sisters “eyeing” her brother, this Tsukishima-sister is probably the one running at the very front.

And Kaga Reisa, standing to the side, froze instantly after hearing Tsukishima Rin’s words.

She slowly lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, a surge of indescribable sourness and disappointment welling up in her heart.

Now… she couldn’t quite understand the relationship between Tsukishima-sister and Natsume-brother.

Are they… “more than friends, less than lovers”?

Or… are they actually secretly dating?

Otherwise, how could Natsume-brother… have even given such an intimate gift as a bracelet?

Wuwu~ It seems she is still too young; if she were a little older, it would be great…

At the train station platform.

Natsume Chikage stood quietly within the waiting line, his gaze scanning the distance of the tracks casually, waiting for the next train to pull into the station.

A female voice, carrying a hint of surprise and deliberately softened, suddenly came from beside him.

“Natsume-brother… what a coincidence, why are you waiting for the train here too?”

Hearing this, Natsume Chikage turned to look.

A young girl wearing the Sacred Heart uniform had quietly stood not far from his side at some point.

She looked up slightly at that fair oval face, looking at him with those clear eyes, the depths of which seemed to hold a small piece of fragmented light.

He was a bit surprised.

“Ando-san? Didn’t you go out to play with Ruri and the others?”

Ando Chizuru was choked by the question, quickly raised her hand to her mouth and coughed twice, hiding her momentary panic.

She lowered her head slightly, a hint of an imperceptible blush appearing on her cheeks, and made up an excuse on the spot.

“Um… I originally planned to go, but I received a call from home saying there was something I needed to go back and help with… so I had no choice but to come back first.”

She quickly stole a glance at Natsume Chikage’s expression, and seeing that he didn’t seem suspicious, she immediately threw the topic back, her tone carrying just the right amount of curiosity.

“But Natsume-brother, you’re waiting for the train here, where are you going?”

Natsume Chikage didn’t suspect anything and explained with a smile:

“I plan to go to the shop your family runs to retrieve a piece of kitchenware I sent for repair.”

Ando Chizuru was secretly happy, but tried hard to maintain a natural expression on her face, as if it were truly just a chance encounter.

“So that’s how it is, what a coincidence!”

She changed the subject, asking as if chatting:

“By the way, Natsume-brother, you came to our school specifically this time, just to see what Ruri-chan is like at school?”

Natsume Chikage nodded, his gaze looking toward the blurry shadow of the train approaching in the distance, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible gentleness and responsibility.

“Yeah. Now that our parents are gone, I, as a brother, can’t help but worry about Ruri’s situation at school.”

“But seeing her today, she seems to be doing quite well, so I’m relieved.”

Hearing this, Ando Chizuru’s eyes lit up even more, and she quickly volunteered.

“Since Natsume-brother is concerned about this… then how about I tell you some of the things Ruri-chan is usually like at school?”

Natsume Chikage was indeed quite interested in this and turned to look at her.

“I’d like to hear it.”

Having received permission, Ando Chizuru became happy, like a cheerful little bird, and began to chatter away.

“Ruri-chan is so popular at school!”

“There are so many boys who secretly like her; people often stuff love letters or small gifts into her shoe locker.”

“Even…” she paused, lowered her voice a little, and said in a tone like sharing a secret, “even girls have confessed to Ruri-chan.”

Natsume Chikage’s face suddenly became a bit strange.

A girl… confessing to a girl?

Well… compared to the more “magnificent” situation in their school’s Kendo Club, this still seemed… a bit more normal?

Ando Chizuru didn’t notice Natsume Chikage’s subtle mood and continued to speak with great interest:

“But, Ruri-chan has never accepted any boy’s or girl’s confession.”

“Her mind currently seems to be entirely on studying and drawing, she’s really serious.”

Hearing this, the corners of Natsume Chikage’s mouth curled into a relieved smile involuntarily.

This… is also quite good.

He also felt that he couldn’t imagine the scene of Ruri dating a boy intimately.