Chapter 81: I'm coming too!

After leaving the Shogi Force booth.

Natsume Chikage and Xiyuanji Qilai wandered through a few more clubs, experiencing them for a while. Time slipped away quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already past four o'clock.

Natsume Chikage looked at the sky:

"It's about time; I need to get ready to head back to the cafe for my shift."

Xiyuanji Qilai, who had been in high spirits, froze at these words. She couldn't help but take out her phone to check the time. The bright smile on her face faded slightly, revealing a sense of dejection she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Ah... it really isn't early anymore." She quickly adjusted her mood and raised a smile again. "I should head home too. Shall we leave the school gate together?"

"Mm."

The two returned to the classroom to retrieve their school bags and stepped side-by-side onto that familiar cherry blossom path.

As an island nation, sunset in Japan always arrives exceptionally early.

Although it was only four o'clock in the afternoon, the setting sun had already dyed the clouds on the horizon a magnificent golden red, and the afterglow spilled down gently.

On the cherry blossom path, the pink and white petals were bathed in the twilight, as if coated with a layer of delicate, thin gold.

The two of them strolled along the path, which was scattered with falling blossoms.

The bustling club booths from midday had mostly been cleared away by now, leaving only a few scattered students still playing and chatting.

From the baseball field on the left side of the path came the crisp, powerful sound of batting and the energetic shouts of the team members during training.

In contrast, from the open windows of the teaching building on the right, the melodious etudes of the orchestra drifted out faintly.

Different sounds intertwined, forming a harmonious and vibrant picture of youth.

Natsume Chikage felt the tranquility within this bustle, and his mood couldn't help but relax. He sighed inwardly: These high school students are truly youthful!

Yet, in the eyes of other passing students, were this man and woman strolling under the cherry blossom rain not the most moving part of their own youthful scenery?

People are always unable to possess youth and a true perception of youth at the same time.

This time and this scene are the perfect footnote to that saying.

"Natsume-kun! Wait for me—!"

A voice full of vitality suddenly broke the tranquility.

The two turned back upon hearing the sound.

They saw Fujiwara Aoi jogging toward them, her healthy, wheat-colored skin glowing in the setting sun.