Chapter 68: Jealous!

When Tsukishima Rin quickened her pace toward Natsume Chikage, she found that he had already walked ahead.

She couldn't help but puff out her cheeks slightly, her lips unconsciously pouting.

She muttered to herself in her heart: Did he really not notice her, or was he pretending not to see her on purpose?

She trotted lightly for a few steps, circled in front of him, and a sweet smile quickly bloomed on her face.

“Good morning, Xia Xia Xia Mujun.”

Natsume Chikage paused his steps and nodded in response, looking slightly surprised.

“Good morning, Senior Tsukishima.”

Tsukishima Rin had actually been secretly paying attention to Natsume Chikage’s movements.

Naturally, she also knew the news that he had asked for leave yesterday.

The rumor that he was absent due to illness had been circulating on campus yesterday, making her worry for an entire day.

She had even gone to the trouble of getting his contact information yesterday, repeatedly opening and closing that number on her phone screen.

She never dared to press the call button.

She always felt that it would be too abrupt.

She was always worried that such intrusive concern would annoy him.

After all, getting contact information without consent and then pestering someone—anyone would find that bothersome, right?

This hesitation lingered in her heart for a whole day.

In the end, she still couldn't muster the courage to make that call, thinking she would come over today to ask about his situation.

But she was also worried that he might ask for leave again today.

Fortunately, he did not ask for leave again, but reappeared on campus.

Otherwise, Tsukishima Rin thought she would definitely have been unable to resist calling him today.

Standing face-to-face now, she could no longer suppress the concern in her heart, and asked tentatively in a soft voice:

“Xia Xia Xia Mujun, I heard you asked for leave yesterday... is your health alright?”

“Have you already seen a doctor?”

Natsume Chikage tilted his head slightly, showing a confused expression.

“I’m fine, there’s no need to see a doctor.”

Tsukishima Rin blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering gently.

“But everyone says you asked for leave because you were feeling unwell?”

Natsume Chikage was even more confused.

“I asked for leave because I was feeling unwell?”

“Who said that?”

Tsukishima Rin shook her head gently.

“I’m not sure who exactly, it was just a rumor I heard from your classmates...”

Natsume Chikage was thoughtful, guessing that the homeroom teacher probably hadn't explained the specific reason for his leave to the other students.

However, it could also be seen that the homeroom teacher was quite responsible and had a sense of confidentiality.

Tsukishima Rin still leaned in a little closer, not feeling at ease, taking the opportunity to carefully examine his complexion; the more she looked, the redder her face became.

“So... you really aren't sick?”

Natsume Chikage shook his head affirmatively.

“No.”

“I only had to ask for leave yesterday because of some matters.”

Only then did Tsukishima Rin let out a long sigh of relief, the corners of her mouth lifting in a curve of reassurance.

“It’s great that you’re physically fine.”

She blinked playfully and asked cautiously:

“May I ask why you asked for leave? Of course, it’s fine if it’s not convenient to say.”

Natsume Chikage explained:

“I went to participate in that recent cutting-edge Shogi tournament; yesterday was the competition day, so I needed to ask for leave.”

Tsukishima Rin’s eyes lit up; she clearly had heard of this tournament.

“So that’s how it is.”

“Then... did you win?”

Natsume Chikage nodded gently.

“Mm.”

Tsukishima Rin was immediately overjoyed, clapping her hands together gently, and smiled:

“Since you won, do you want to find a place to celebrate after school today?”

Natsume Chikage shook his head and said:

“No, I still need to find a club today, and after I find one, I have to go to work.”

“Alright...” Tsukishima Rin muttered in a low voice, the corners of her mouth drooping slightly.

She quickly cheered up again and asked: “When is your next match?”

“Five days later.” Natsume Chikage answered concisely.

Tsukishima Rin put her hands behind her back, leaned forward slightly, and smiled gently:

“I will definitely cheer for you then, please do your best.”

Natsume Chikage nodded.

“Thank you.”

The two walked and talked.

Tsukishima Rin seemed to remember something and followed his pace lightly.

“Speaking of which, Xia Xia Xia Mujun has been looking for a club since the day before yesterday, right? Haven’t you found a suitable one yet?”

“Not yet.” Natsume Chikage shook his head.

Tsukishima Rin opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Since you participated in a Shogi tournament, you must be very good at Shogi, right? Have you considered joining the Shogi Club?”

“How should I put it...” Natsume Chikage paused slightly, “I don’t actually have much interest in Shogi; I only participated in the tournament because I wanted to see if I could get the prize money.”

Tsukishima Rin suddenly realized, her fingertips tapping her chin gently.

She remembered that the prize money for this tournament did indeed accumulate with consecutive wins.

It seems Natsume Chikage had his eye on that.

“Then, what are Xia Xia Xia Mujun’s criteria for choosing a club?” Tsukishima Rin asked enthusiastically.

Natsume Chikage thought for a moment and explained:

“I hope to find a club with relatively relaxed activities and flexible scheduling. After all, I still have to work, so I can’t join those clubs with too many activities.”

Tsukishima Rin pouted slightly, a flash of disappointment crossing her eyes.

She had originally wanted to invite him to join the orchestra club she was in.

But the orchestra club did indeed require a large amount of time for practice every day.

Although she felt a bit regretful, Tsukishima Rin did not force it.

She raised a smile again: “Then I’ll keep an eye out for you later.”

The two walked while talking, and before they knew it, they arrived at the shoe locker area.

The moment Natsume Chikage opened his shoe locker, a large stack of elaborately decorated envelopes slid out with a clatter, and several fell directly to the ground.

He was stunned for a moment, his gaze lingering on the love letters scattered all over the floor.

Didn't he just reject several girls in a row the day before yesterday?

Many people even knew that he had rejected Tsukishima Rin’s confession.

Since everyone knew he had no intention of dating, logically speaking, no one should be handing him love letters anymore.

How come there are several times more than before?!

Tsukishima Rin witnessed this scene, her breathing stalling slightly.

She had long known that with Natsume Chikage’s looks, he would definitely be very popular with girls.

Precisely because of this, when she fell in love with him at first sight, she chose to confess first without hesitation.

Otherwise, she would be beaten to the punch by other girls.

Although the result was regrettable...

But she understood that she was not without a chance; Natsume Chikage’s reason for rejecting her was not because she wasn't good enough, but because the timing was severely wrong!

However, even without this reason, she wouldn't choose to give up on continuing to pursue Xia Xia Xia Mujun anyway.

It is already very difficult for a person to meet someone they truly like in their lifetime.

If she were to give up so easily, she would definitely regret it very much in the future!