Chapter 82

Her white school uniform shirt rose and fell gently as she ran.

Human gaze is instinctively drawn to dynamic things—this is an irresistible instinct.

Natsume Chikage's gaze also inevitably lingered briefly on that gently rising contour.

He quickly averted his eyes; after all, Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui was a colleague and classmate, and it would be awkward if he were caught.

Just as he withdrew his gaze, he happened to meet Xiyuanji Qilai's lively eyes.

"What's wrong?" Natsume Chikage asked.

Xiyuanji Qilai was slightly startled, her large eyes blinking; she seemed not to understand why she had looked at Natsume Chikage either.

She shook her head gently and smiled:

"No, it's nothing."

At this moment, Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui had run up to them, panting, her chest still rising and falling from the rapid breathing.

She looked up, her gaze meeting Natsume Chikage's directly, pouting:

"Natsume-kun, didn't you say you'd wait for me to go back to the cafe together? Why did you leave on your own?"

Natsume Chikage shook his phone:

"I sent a message saying I'd wait for you at the subway station."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui was stunned and quickly took out her phone to check; sure enough, she saw the message.

She scratched her head in embarrassment and gave a silly laugh:

"Ahahaha, you're right!"

After saying this, her gaze turned to Xiyuanji Qilai, who was standing beside Natsume Chikage.

The girl before her was about 1.6 meters tall, with smooth shoulder-length hair, and a strand of hair on the left side was intricately braided into a plait with a pink hairband.

A pair of large, lively, and spirited eyes, with fair cheeks exuding a cute aura.

The school uniform looked exceptionally fitting and beautiful on her, and her temperament far exceeded that of an ordinary girl—it was a subtle dignity that could only be cultivated in a wealthy family, mixed with a natural, innocent charm.

It was just that she was covered in small gifts and trinkets won from various club games, colorful and somewhat out of place with her overall temperament.

Watching Xiyuanji Qilai and Natsume Chikage standing together, a subtle emotion inexplicably surged in Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui's heart, and she couldn't help but feel suspicious about their relationship.

She asked as if casually:

"Natsume-kun, who is this?"

Natsume Chikage introduced them:

"This is my classmate—Xiyuanji Qilai."

"And this is my colleague at the cafe—Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui. Like us, she's in the first year of high school."

Xiyuanji Qilai bowed politely:

"Nice to meet you, I'm Xiyuanji Qilai."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui hurriedly returned the greeting:

"Hello, hello, I'm Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui."

But she still couldn't suppress her urge to probe, and asked with a feigned casual smile:

"Why are you two leaving school together? Does Xiyuanji-san also plan to work at our cafe?"

Natsume Chikage shook his head:

"No, we're just heading out of the school gate together since we're going the same way."

Xiyuanji Qilai added earnestly with a slightly airheaded smile:

"Mm! We just visited a lot of club booths together, but it's getting late now, so we decided to leave school."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui instantly turned to stone, her voice trembling slightly:

"You... you two... visited a lot of club booths together?"

Xiyuanji Qilai nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling and her smile bright:

"Mm! It was really interesting!"

The corner of Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui's mouth twitched imperceptibly, and she forced a laugh:

"I-I see... I thought when you said you wanted to find a club you liked, Natsume-kun, you were going alone... So it was with Xiyuanji-san..."

Natsume Chikage explained:

"That was the plan at first."

"Xiyuanji-san also said she didn't know which club to choose, and since we sit next to each other, we just visited them together."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui's eyes lit up, and her expression instantly turned from cloudy to sunny:

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

"That's true, going alone is a bit boring; it's much better with two people!"

She immediately followed up:

"Did you find a club you like?"

Xiyuanji Qilai scratched her cheek, looking a bit troubled:

"The clubs are all quite interesting... but I don't feel like joining any of them in particular."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui looked at Natsume Chikage:

"What about you?"

Natsume Chikage shrugged:

"I have to work, so I want to find a club with fewer activities."

"But the school seems to value clubs quite a bit, and most of them have long activity hours... so I haven't found a suitable one yet."

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui suddenly realized and asked:

"I see... so you've already visited all the clubs today?"

"Not yet." Xiyuanji Qilai interjected, looking a bit embarrassed. She subconsciously touched a wreath hanging around her neck. "I spent a long time playing small games at some clubs... which delayed things... otherwise, we should have been able to visit more."

She turned to Natsume Chikage, "Natsume-kun, shall we continue looking at other clubs after school tomorrow?"

Classmate Classmate Tengyuan Kui was stunned for a moment, then reacted extremely quickly, blurting out:

"I'll come too! I don't have any club activities tomorrow!"

"And I know seniors in different clubs; I can show you the way!"