I've always disliked New Year's visits, partly because I hate going out in formal clothes at night, and partly because I don't like these kinds of occasions where there are so many people that I don't understand the meaning of it. To put it bluntly, if there are no activities other than New Year's visits, I don't understand why people like to spend a lot of time waiting in line at the shrine in droves just to ask for a lottery at the end and strike a bell, which is meaningless except for ritual and symbolism.

"But the sense of ritual is also very important!" Yui Yui Yuhihama said, as she approached me to help me straighten my clothes, and she said something that seemed to have been repeated to me countless times, "And Kowa was obviously willing to go to the New Year's shrine for the first two years, didn't you?"

"Tsk-" I gasped.

"Ah, I'm sorry. My sister reacted very quickly.

The reason for going to the shrine for the New Year's two years ago no longer exists.

"However, if you ask for a sign this year, you can find someone who is willing to go to worship together next year, haha!"

"I'm sure I'll be going tomorrow.,Yui-sama is going to school.,Of course, if you say you're going to work directly, I didn't say anything-"

"Well, there's still a whole year, don't mention this kind of panicked thing so quickly!"

"Strictly speaking, you'll be in the third grade in just four months, and you'll have to worry about that in the third grade, but I have a way to help you with that. ”

"What's the solution?" my sister looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"It's good to repeat a grade, and we can go on to higher education together. ”

"Isn't that more humiliating?"

"So," I said, "it would be better to think about these things early." ”

"Ahh

But speaking of which, I thought of the meaning of going to the shrine - with my sister's ability, I'm afraid that when I ask for a sign next year, my academic level will not be able to improve, and even "Daji" is estimated to be unable to change the fate of falling off the list, so I can give her a sign for learning progress today, so that my sister will still have room for rescue in the next year.

"Anyway, let's go!" I said in a deep voice, patting my sister on the shoulder.

"Eh, don't you need me to comfort you? No, you lighten, my clothes haven't been sorted out yet!

"I'm afraid it's going to make it worse if I help you sort it out!"

"Then don't touch it!" muttered my sister as she kept up with me with small steps.

Of course, when I walked into the crowd, I quickly regretted it - this is also a daily routine, trying to figure out a reasonable reason to participate in the New Year's pilgrimage at home, and then forcibly convincing myself to go out, only to be deterred by the surging crowds.

However, when you are part of this flow, it feels like it is better to go backward than to move forward – and the backwards will be flattened by those who keep moving forward.

Normally, I can bear it at this time, because my sister is next to me, and it is not very boring to be motivated to protect my sister and talk to my sister, so I can barely survive this long waiting process, but this time it is different.

Yui-san found that her clothes had not been adjusted soon after she went out, so she hurried home to adjust her clothes.

"Xiaohe, you go first, I'll catch up with you right away. That's all she said at the time.

Twenty minutes later, however, she sent me a new email.

"I'm sorry, Xiaohe, the problem here seems to be more complicated than I thought, my mother has already gone out, and it is very troublesome for me to adjust alone, Xiaohe, you don't have to wait for me, you have to learn to participate in the New Year's worship by yourself!"

I really wanted to reply to her "what the fuck" if I could, but considering that Yui-san might struggle with this sentence for a long time, I finally gave up on doing it and reluctantly accepted the fact that I was alone in the New Year's worship.

In this way, I think I may be one of the loneliest people I know to attend the New Year's pilgrimage, because thinking that even Hikiya, who has a withdrawn personality and no friends, has his sister to accompany him, and Yubihama Kazuya, who doesn't seem to be so detached from social groups, doesn't even have a temporary appointment to meet at this time, and I feel that the world is so sad when I think about it.

Therefore, I can only spend a lot of time on things such as observing what the person in front of me has asked for and what kind of reaction he will have.

For example, the middle-aged uncle's happy look probably foresaw that he might get a long-lost promotion in the new year, and the old lady's calm expression probably means that the New Year will still be easy and dull.

Of course, it is not excluded that young people who are particularly calm, for example, the girl with long black hair who walks not far in front of me with an expressionless face and even a little pale, and who doesn't even know how to do it in front of the stage - wait a minute, the back of this guy seems to be a little familiar.

There weren't many people in front of me, so when it was my turn, the girl was still standing in front of the shrine, and I was finally able to confirm her identity.

Fuyuma and Sasa pursed their lips, gritted their teeth, looked down at the ground and moved their feet uneasily, she was still dressed in her usual casual clothes, and she looked a little out of place compared to most of the formally dressed people around her, probably because of this, she didn't dare to talk to the people around her at all, asking what to do next.

- Although even she doesn't usually talk to people.

"Hey, just follow me. Quietly huddled up to her side, I whispered.

Fuyuma and Sasa looked at me in amazement, but quickly nodded, she didn't care about making an awkward mistake at this time, waiting in front of the shrine for so long was a torment for her body and mind.

Stuffing the money into the treasure box - by the way, she brought a bunch of them to Fuyuma and Sasa, and I guess she must not know to bring these things. Shake the rattle, bow 90 degrees, stand upright and bow twice at 90 degrees, give a high-five on your chest, and then make a wish.

While whispering to Fuyuma and Sa, "This is the time to make a wish", while absentmindedly praying that Sister Yui can get rid of the fate of the scumbag in the new year, and then put down his hands and bow 90 degrees again, and finally bow slightly and finish the salute.

Actually, I'm not very familiar with this set of processes.,It's all done with my sister before.,But more or less I know a step.,It's still a lot better than the winter horse and yarn around me who don't know what to do at all.,Especially looking at the stiff look when she makes movements.,I even want to laugh.。

In the end, after the embarrassed Winter Horse and Yarn drew lots, the whole process was over.

Coming out of the shrine with Fuyuma and Sasa, I could hear her visibly heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank you!" For Fuyuma and Sasa, it was already rare to squeeze such a sentence out of their teeth.

"It's nothing, but you're also very courageous, haven't you been here before? ”

"He approached me, but I turned it down. ”

"Are you stupid?"

He said that he would also call Xiao Mu Yu, because he heard that she was not in a good mood. ”

"Uh-"

"But after I rejected him, he seemed to say that he was not too embarrassed to go on a date with Xiao Mushu, so you don't have to worry too much. ”

"Uh-uh - so I should say, thank you?"

"As you can understand, I'm not refusing it for you. Fuyuma and Yarn turned their heads and said casually.

"Okay, but thank you. ”

"So, there's no need. ”

"But you still came out alone, and you obviously haven't come to the shrine before, so is there any reason why you have to come out today?"

"Can't you come without a reason?" Fuyuma and Yarn looked at me angrily.

"If it's someone else, it's possible, you're not the kind of person who would come here just to join in the fun, right?"

"Yubihama, don't you think you're talking a lot of nonsense?"

Uh, probably because Sister Yui is gone, and her gossip ideas have been inherited by me or something?

"Well, then I won't ask. ”

"Just don't ask?"

"Uh-" Isn't it normal not to ask?Fuyuma and Sa-san's personalities are so weird, I'm afraid that if you ask, you'll be directly provoked and have an accident at the shrine on the first day of the new year!

"Forget it, it's okay not to ask, doesn't it mean that the wish made in the shrine won't work if you say it?"

Well, you know this, and you can see that you have carefully checked the information, so by the way, you can also check the etiquette and practice of visiting the shrine in the New Year!

"So, Yubihama, what's the matter with you, how did you get to the point of visiting the shrine alone?"

"My sister released the pigeons. ”

"Your sister?oh, it's the one who won against Xiao Mu Yu before."

"Hmm. ”

"I don't think she's like that, do she?"

"Who knows? But girls—"

"—I'm a girl too. ”

"Uh, sorry. ”

"But I think you can pay attention to it, girls don't release your pigeons for no reason, and I wonder where she's hiding to watch you. ”

"How can it be so terrifying.,Isn't this your personal experience.,Hiding somewhere to secretly observe Kitahara Haruki.,Oh,Could it be that the purpose of your coming to this shrine is to meet Kitahara-senpai maybe-"

"—Yubihama, if you continue, I can't guarantee your personal safety. ”

"Hmm. "I kept my mouth shut when I looked at the casual clothes that Fuyuma and Sasa were wearing that were easy to kick and my loose kimono that was inconvenient for escaping.

----------------------------------------ps---------------------------------------

I wish you all a happy new year in advance.,Anyway, these chapters are still quite atmospheric.,It just so happens that Christmas is the Christmas plot.,The New Year is the New Year's plot hhhhh.。 In the end, I suddenly found out that the best friend of the protagonist of this book is Fuyuma, a variety of gods to assist or something, and a loyal dog from another perspective (laughs)