Chapter 609

Although Yukimura Suzune in the front row was still looking down at her book, the motion of her turning the page paused for an imperceptible moment, and her ears seemed to twitch slightly.

Faced with the "urging" from the crowd, Natsume Chikage still shook his head, his tone gentle yet firm:

"I really don't need to. I truly don't have the heart for that right now."

"Besides, if I were to date someone, given my current situation, I'm afraid I could barely guarantee even one or two dates a week... It's better not to delay others."

The boys listening felt like they could just stomp their feet in frustration.

The girls in the class were also incredibly annoyed.

Sometimes they really wanted to just throw a bank card at him and tell him to stop working part-time.

But thinking of how there had been wealthy girls in school who tried the "direct sugar daddy" routine, only to be politely and firmly rejected by Natsume Chikage, they had no choice but to suppress the thought.

The last period of the morning.

It was P. E. class, and it was being held together with the students of Class C.

But unlike usual, today's lesson content was—swimming.

The students took their school-issued dark blue swimsuits and trunks from their lockers one after another and headed toward the changing rooms.

Inside the boys' changing room.

Natsume Chikage, like the other boys, took off his school uniform and changed into his swim trunks.

When he took off his top, a chorus of hushed gasps immediately erupted in the surroundings.

"Holy crap! Natsume, this physique... have you been secretly working out?"

"These muscle lines... aren't they a bit too well-proportioned?"

"No way, bro, you even have shark muscles? How did you train to get this physique?"

Natsume Chikage couldn't exactly say it was the result of "natural optimization from attribute points," so he had to casually make up a reason that sounded very simple:

"Just a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and a ten-kilometer run every day..."

The boys muttered, half-believing:

"Is that for real... sounds simple enough, I'll give it a try later."

"Count me in!"

Boys in their puberty always inevitably engage in some childish competition and comparison in private.

The changing room soon filled with banter and laughter.

"Why are you hiding it, let me take a look!"

"... Ahahaha, it's fine... it's quite cute too!"

"Get lost! You say that like you're any better than me!"

Many people also cast their gazes, either openly or covertly, toward Natsume Chikage's side.

Can't compete with his looks, but surely we can compare 'physiques'?

However, when their gazes touched upon him, many couldn't help but gasp, and their hearts were immediately filled with thick sourness and regret.

If only they had known... they wouldn't have looked!

Looking just made them feel more discouraged!

It really is true that comparing people only leads to frustration!

It's one thing that this guy's character model is heaven-defying, but even his 'physique' is this good!

Some boys even secretly swore in their hearts: if they ever got a girlfriend in the future, they absolutely could not let her see Natsume Chikage, and even less could they let her get close to this guy!

Otherwise, their own girlfriend might have a change of heart...

However, thinking of Natsume Chikage's bottom-of-the-barrel academic grades, many regained a bit of psychological balance and felt much more relieved.

—At least in terms of academics, they still had a huge advantage!

Soon.

The boys who had changed into their swim trunks arrived at the indoor pool one after another.

The pool water was clear and azure, reflecting the lights from the ceiling.

The air was filled with the faint scent of chlorine.

Almost simultaneously, the girls, led by the female P. E. teacher Kikuchi Kotono, also walked out from the women's changing room on the other side.

When Teacher Kikuchi Kotono appeared at the poolside wearing a one-piece swimsuit, a subtle commotion and intake of breath clearly erupted among the boys.

The female teacher's figure was already tall and well-proportioned, and years of exercise allowed her to maintain an excellent physique.

The form-fitting dark blue swimsuit outlined the beautiful curves of a mature woman, forming a sharp contrast with the green, youthful girls around her.

"Teacher... does she have a boyfriend?"

"I think I might be in love."

"My heart is beating so fast... what's wrong with me? Is this love?"

"+1!"

Most of the boys stared blankly, whispering to each other.

As for the girls, who had felt somewhat shy and awkward about wearing swimsuits, many breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that the boys' attention was mostly attracted by the teacher.

Some girls also curled their lips, silently mocking the boys' "shallow" gazes.

By the poolside, Teacher Kikuchi Kotono swept her gaze indifferently over the group of boys with shining eyes.

In her view, boys of this age were basically equivalent to "primates in a 365-day rut," something she was long used to and didn't care about.

She was wearing a decent athletic swimsuit today and was confident in her own figure, so she didn't mind being looked at.

At this moment, her gaze was searching for a specific figure among the boys.

The boy who, from the start of the semester until now, had almost perfectly avoided all her P. E. classes due to participating in shogi tournaments—Natsume Chikage.

There was even a math teacher who swapped classes with her, and it just happened to be the day he took leave for a tournament; it was simply infuriating!

So she still hadn't seen him in person in class to this day.

Soon, her gaze locked onto a particularly striking figure among the group of boys.

The moment she saw that face clearly, Kikuchi Kotono's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

—Indeed... just as the other female teachers said, he's a bit excessively handsome.

However, when her gaze followed that handsome face downward, sweeping past his broad shoulders, his clearly defined chest and abdominal muscles, all the way to his long, powerful legs...

She froze.

This physique... it didn't look at all like what a normal first-year high school boy should have.

It was a physique forged through regular exercise, well-proportioned and full of a sense of power, poised between the greenness of a boy and the maturity of a young man, filled with an indescribable attraction.

Kikuchi Kotono's eyes brightened slightly, and her interest grew stronger.

At this moment, Natsume Chikage's gaze didn't land on the teacher with the hot figure, nor did he look at the girls in swimsuits around him.

He was just calmly scanning the pool environment, as if observing the venue, and then stood quietly at the edge of the boys' line, eyes slightly lowered, seemingly immersed in some thoughts.

This unique calmness made Kikuchi Kotono feel quite surprised.

In her view, Natsume Chikage formed a sharp contrast with the restless boys around him.

"Interesting..." she thought to herself, and a greater desire to explore grew within her for this handsome boy who, according to rumors, worked hard at part-time jobs to raise his younger sister.

It wasn't just the teacher.

Most of the girls in the class were also secretly, shyly glancing at Natsume Chikage.

When they saw the well-defined abdominal muscles and smooth arm lines above his swim trunks, many girls' cheeks flushed, their hearts raced, and they even subconsciously pursed their lips, quietly swallowing their saliva.

And after Yukimura Suzune witnessed this, she couldn't help but freeze, ripples appearing in her cold eyes.

She hadn't expected Natsume Chikage's physique to be this good...

It seems that what he said about morning exercise every day was likely true.

And after Saionji Nanase witnessed it, the innocent and lively girl didn't know what she was thinking, but her face turned slightly red.

Fujiwara Aoi looked on with a very surprised wheat-colored face, but there was more excitement than anything else!

After all, she was a sports student herself, so naturally, she hoped her partner's body would be as healthy as hers and that he would work out.

And now that she saw Natsume Chikage's body was actually this good, even far superior to most of his peers, how could she not be happy?!

It could simply be said that it made her, who already liked Natsume-kun, like him even more!

Natsume Chikage ended his brief observation, withdrew his gaze, and stood back in the boys' line, waiting for class to start.

Kikuchi Kotono noticed his gaze briefly land on her.

She subconsciously, almost imperceptibly, adjusted her posture, making her figure appear more upright and natural, while also making her curves more obvious. ===== CHAPTER 610 =====