Just before class was about to start, Natsume Chikei returned to the classroom and quietly took his seat.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across his desk.
The dismissal bell had already rung earlier, but the subject teacher for this period still hadn’t arrived.
Students sat in their seats, though clusters of three or five continued chatting in low voices.
Nishizonoji Nanase gently tapped Natsume Chikei’s shoulder, the motion soft and restrained.
“Um, Natsume-kun…”
“Hm?
Something wrong?”
Natsume Chikei turned his head, eyes questioning.
“At lunch, not long after you left the classroom, a girl came looking for you,” Nishizonoji Nanase said politely.
“A girl came looking for me?” Natsume Chikei blinked, genuinely surprised.
“Do you know her name?”
“I don’t.
She didn’t say.” Nishizonoji Nanase blinked her lively eyes, thinking back.
“But she had short hair, healthy wheat-colored skin, and she was really pretty.”
“Oh.
From that description, I know exactly who it was.” Natsume Chikei immediately realized it had been Fujiwara Aoi.
Fujiwara Aoi had mentioned before that they attended the same school.
She must have come looking for him at lunch because something important had come up.
“Thanks for letting me know.
I’ll ask her about it later,” Natsume Chikei said with a polite nod, already planning to find her after class.
It was a little awkward—he still didn’t know which class she was in.
But he remembered she had a shift at the coffee shop today, so he could ask her then.
“No need to thank me.
Someone else would’ve told you even if I hadn’t,” Nishizonoji Nanase said with a warm smile, waving her hands lightly.
She suddenly leaned forward, curiosity bright in her eyes.
“By the way, have you decided which club you’re going to join yet?”
“I haven’t figured it out,” Natsume Chikei admitted, shaking his head.
“How about we go check out the clubs together sometime?” Nishizonoji Nanase suggested, her eyes lighting up.
“I heard the school’s opening club visits for the next few days.”
“Sure,” Natsume Chikei replied.
Since every student was required to join a club, visiting them was the practical next step.
“Then how about right after school today?” Nishizonoji Nanase asked eagerly.
“Today won’t work.
I’ve got some urgent business after school,” Natsume Chikei said apologetically.
“Tomorrow?”
“Mm, tomorrow’s perfect!” Nishizonoji Nanase smiled, then turned to the girl in front of them.
Yukimura Suzune had clearly heard everything, but she didn’t look up from her novel.
Her voice was cool and distant.
“No thanks.
I’m only interested in the literature club.
I’ll head straight there after school.”
“I see…” Nishizonoji Nanase sighed softly, though she wasn’t really surprised.
She knew Yukimura Suzune’s passion for writing ran deep.
At that moment, the balding math teacher walked in carrying his lesson plan, leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the floor.
The classroom fell silent.
Students straightened in their seats.
Nishizonoji Nanase stopped talking and opened her textbook.
Natsume Chikei did the same, focusing on the blackboard.
He had graduated from a top university in his previous life.
The first-year high school math problems in front of him looked almost laughably simple.
Still, he didn’t let himself slack.
Reviewing old material kept the knowledge fresh, and Japanese exam questions were completely different from what he was used to.
If he got careless just because things felt easy, he could easily fall behind.
His goal was Tokyo University—the same promise he had made to his sister.
He couldn’t afford to be careless.
Time slipped by in the quiet scratch of pens on paper.
Soon the class bell rang again.
Quite a few girls immediately swarmed Natsume Chikei’s desk, voices bright with nervous excitement.
“Natsume-kun, who was that girl with the wheat-colored skin and short hair who came looking for you at lunch?”
“Don’t tell me she’s your girlfriend?”
“Natsume-kun… is it true?”
Natsume Chikei shook his head calmly.
“No.
She’s just a coworker from my part-time job.”
The girls exchanged relieved glances, faces lighting up.
Nishizonoji Nanase’s ears twitched slightly.
Even though she couldn’t see him through the crowd, she was clearly listening.
Natsume Chikei needed time to write.
He couldn’t keep letting the girls take up every break, so he offered a polite excuse and gently sent them away.
They were understanding enough, though a few looked disappointed as they drifted back to their seats.
Finally left in peace, Natsume Chikei let out a quiet breath and pulled out his phone, fingers already moving across the screen as he continued writing.
Nishizonoji Nanase watched the scene with a small, knowing smile. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
She didn’t approach him like the others.
Even if he was still glued to his phone like before, everyone had things they enjoyed.
There was nothing wrong with that.
She simply took out her Atlas of the World’s Curious Collectibles and quietly flipped through the pages.
A pretty blonde girl passed by the window in the hallway outside.
Several boys craned their necks for a better look.
Kondo Miki had noticed earlier while checking class assignments that Natsume Chikei was in Class A.
As she walked past, she glanced inside without thinking.
She saw him sitting there, rapidly tapping away at his phone screen with that same focused expression.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like he was just playing a game.
Her brows drew together.
His family had suffered such a devastating fall.
They were already scraping by, yet here he was during school hours, not studying at all and wasting time on games instead?
If she were in his position, she would be studying twice as hard.
She wouldn’t slack off even for a second during breaks.
Kondo Miki shook her head, disappointment clear on her face, and continued down the hallway.
The final bell rang crisp and bright, echoing through the teaching building.
The classroom erupted into excited chatter.
Students laughed and called out to friends, already making plans for club activities or heading home.
Several girls couldn’t resist coming over to Natsume Chikei’s desk again.
“Natsume-kun, want to walk around after school and get to know the area near campus?”
“I know a really cheap karaoke place nearby.
We could go there!”
“What do you think, Natsume-kun?”
Natsume Chikei shook his head politely.
“Sorry.
I’ve got things to take care of this afternoon.”
The girls’ faces fell with obvious regret.
Natsume Chikei picked up his packed bag and slipped out of the noisy classroom alone, heading straight for the registration site of the new shogi tournament.
Walking along the cherry-blossom-lined path, petals drifting down around him, he pulled out his phone and searched for the registration details and address.
The deadline was 5 PM.
It was just after 3 PM now.
Ten minutes on foot to the station, then about thirty minutes by train.
If everything went smoothly, he would make it with time to spare.