Chapter 67

It hasn't passed midnight yet today; strictly speaking, it is still Wednesday.

At this pace, if I maintain a daily output of ten thousand characters on school days, I expect to finish exactly by Saturday.

According to the custom of most schools in Japan, classes are only held for half a day on Saturdays.

Then, the afternoon time will be perfect for scheduling an appointment with the publisher's editor to go and discuss the complete manuscript.

Thinking of this, Xia Xia Xia Mujun put away his phone with a trace of satisfaction and fatigue, and closed his eyes in the darkness.

Early the next morning, the faint morning light plated the steel skeleton of Shibuya Station with a layer of soft, warm gold.

Accompanied by the rhythmic and hypnotic sound of tracks rubbing, the train slid smoothly into the platform.

Inside the carriage, Fujiwara Aoi’s gaze shifted away from her literature book, her cold eyes subconsciously sweeping across the surroundings.

——She did not find that familiar figure.

Her gaze turned outside the window, searching for a moment among the sparse morning crowd, but she still found nothing.

‘He asked for leave yesterday, and he didn’t appear today either...’

‘Could it be that he is truly ill, and it hasn’t improved?’

This thought had just surfaced when it was interrupted by the sound of the train doors opening and a slight commotion.

“Ruri, the train is here, Big Brother is leaving now.”

“Mm-hmm! Take care on your way!”

A clear, bright male voice and a girl’s crisp response struck her eardrums.

Fujiwara Aoi subconsciously looked toward the sound, just in time to see Natsume Chikage waving goodbye to a very cute-looking girl before stepping into the carriage.

His complexion was fair and healthy, his gait steady; no matter how one looked at it, he did not seem like a person suffering from an ailment.

Natsume Chikage stepped into the slightly crowded carriage. Seeing no empty seats, he stood in his usual spot by the door and naturally took out his phone.

His fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen, completely immersed in his own creative world; he clearly had not noticed Fujiwara Aoi standing to the side at all.

Fujiwara Aoi was silent for a moment, withdrew her gaze, and reopened the literature novel in her hand, reading it carefully as she always did.

The train started slowly, the carriage swaying gently as it headed toward Hibiya.

Some time later.

The train arrived at Hibiya Station on time.

The doors opened, and a large number of students wearing the Private Moonlight Academy uniform poured out of the carriage like a tide; Natsume Chikage and Fujiwara Aoi were among them.

On the platform floor, the yellow tactile paving was particularly conspicuous.

Those raised strips, designed for the convenience of others, sometimes became minor obstacles for hurried pedestrians—though not enough to make one fall, a trip was enough to cause a slight loss of balance.

Fujiwara Aoi lowered her head to put her literature book into her bag while walking toward the exit.

In that moment of multitasking, the tip of her shoe accidentally caught on the raised part of the tactile paving.

“Ugh...!”

The sudden force caused her center of gravity to shift forward; the literature book slipped from her hand, and she fell forward uncontrollably——

But the collision with the cold ground she had expected did not come.

She fell into a warm and solid back.

Natsume Chikage was walking when he suddenly felt a force hit his back, and immediately after, he felt a pair of slender arms subconsciously wrap around him.

He turned his head in confusion, and what came into view was Fujiwara Aoi’s face, inches away.

The faint, unique scent of books on the girl and a trace of a cold aura lingered at the tip of his nose, catching him off guard.

Both of them froze in place.

Fujiwara Aoi looked up in astonishment, her clear pupils reflecting Natsume Chikage’s equally bewildered expression.

Through the thin school uniform fabric, the warmth of his back and the solidity of his body were transmitted with absolute clarity.

Having never had such intimate contact with a member of the opposite sex, her face, which was always calm, instantly flushed with a distinct crimson that spread all the way to her fair earlobes.

“...!”

As if struck by an electric current, she sprang away from Natsume Chikage’s back, turned around quickly, took a deep breath, and tried her best to suppress her racing heart and slightly ragged breathing.

A moment later, when she turned back around, her face had managed to return to its usual coldness, only those slightly red earlobes betraying her inner state.

“I tripped just now, excuse me, I am very sorry.” Her voice was a few degrees colder than usual, as if to freeze the awkwardness of the moment.

Natsume Chikage realized what happened, bent down to pick up the dropped literature book, and handed it back to her: “Are you alright?”

“Thank you, I am fine.” Fujiwara Aoi quickly took the book, her gaze lowered to avoid eye contact, and she added in a low voice, “It was just an accident.”

Having said that, she did not linger, and without looking back, she quickly merged into the flow of students, her slender silhouette carrying a hint of imperceptible haste as she soon disappeared.

Natsume Chikage looked in the direction she had disappeared, shook his head slightly, did not think much of it, and continued on his way to school.

Soon.

Natsume Chikage passed through the school gate and stepped onto the cherry blossom path.

The weather was still fine today; under the azure sky, cherry blossom petals fluttered like snow, drifting onto the winding path.

Natsume Chikage strolled through it alone.

From the baseball field on the left came the crisp sound of hitting balls and the shouts of boys; from the music classroom on the right flowed the melodious rehearsal sounds of the orchestra.

The two sounds intertwined, once again outlining the distinct, unique feeling of school youth in his heart.

When he had almost reached the front of the teaching building, a familiar figure entered his line of sight.

A senior with a small tear mole under her left eye and an intellectual, elegant temperament—Tsukishima Rin—was standing there talking to someone.

The moment she saw Natsume Chikage, Tsukishima Rin felt the silent heart in her chest begin to beat violently again.

She subconsciously lowered her head to look at the heart rate monitor watch on her left wrist that she hadn't worn for a long time.

On the dial, the number had been stable at around 60 not long ago.

At this moment, it had clearly jumped to 80 and was still rising.

This obvious difference caused her eyes to settle into a determined glow after a moment of relief and complexity.

A heartbeat never lies.

No matter how many times it is repeated, the result is the same.

Thinking this, Tsukishima Rin truly intended to do as she had said before: start pursuing Natsume Chikage!

“Sorry, excuse me for a moment.” She smiled and said goodbye to the classmate beside her, then took a step, actively greeting the figure who could disturb her heart rate.

Just at this moment, a figure blocked her path.

“Good morning, Tsukishima-san.”

The one who spoke was the handsome student council vice president, Hanyu Masaki.

He was very popular in school and was also a candidate in the hearts of many girls.

Tsukishima Rin paused, recognizing the other party as student council vice president Hanyu Masaki.

Because they both had arrangements for the opening ceremony on Friday, she had gone to the student council once, and the two had discussed related matters in a meeting held there.

They were not close, but they were acquaintances.

“Good morning, Vice President Hanyu.” She responded politely.

Hanyu Masaki smiled and asked: “Tsukishima-san, regarding the opening ceremony, we need to hand over some things with the orchestra members before class. Do you have time now?”

Tsukishima Rin shook her head and smiled: “Sorry, I have some personal matters to handle now. If you need to hand over things with the orchestra, you can go to our club room.”

“If nothing goes wrong, our club president should be inside. Most of the handovers with the student council are actually handled by him; last time it was only because he had something to do that he asked me to go instead.”

“If you look for him now, I imagine it would be more appropriate than looking for me.”

She pointed to the teaching building nearby; a boy playing the violin inside the window was the president of the orchestra club.

“Then—excuse me.”

After speaking, Tsukishima Rin walked straight past him, heading toward Natsume Chikage behind her with a clear goal.

Hearing this, Hanyu Masaki was silent for a moment, his gaze shifting from Tsukishima Rin to watch Natsume Chikage’s back, standing in place for a long time.