"I'm back."

"Thank you Sister Aiyi. I'll give you a hot dish. ”

"Thank you."

Ai Nakano changed her shoes at the entrance, entered the living room, and put her bag away.

"Where's Murakami-kun?" She looked left and right.

"I went to walk the dog after eating, and said I'd come back later." Higashiyama explained.

"That's right."

Nakano Aiyi found out that her [Xingxing] was not there.

But thinking of this afternoon's chat, is he really going to walk the dog? Or is it an excuse to avoid the watchbook?

"Sister Aiyi, the meal is ready."

"Thank you."

After eating, she washed off the dishes and chopsticks, and according to her habit, she took out the tablebook, spread it out, and then looked at it while grinding the coffee beans.

Grinding the coffee beans into powder, only to find that the filter paper for the drip coffee has been used up.

"I'll go out for a while."

"What's the matter, Aiyi?" Miss Sakura is putting things for tomorrow in her bag.

"The filter paper is gone, I'll go buy some."

"Do you need me to accompany you?"

"No, I remember there is a small shop nearby, and I will be back soon."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

"Well, what do you want to eat?"

"Well...... Forget it, just purchased some snacks yesterday. ”

"Then I'm out of the house."

Closing the table, the grinder still left it there, and she changed her shoes and went out.

Eight past eleven o'clock, early autumn night.

The last time [Tokyo Voice Actors Poor Tour Group] went out swimming together, and when she bought popsicles at a small shop in the alley near Sakuraso, she noticed that filter paper was sold.

The decoration of the shop, the old freezer, and even the popsicles in the freezer are as old as this street full of old people, all of which are full of the atmosphere of the age.

Even the filter paper sold is a reusable gauze.

After Nakano Ai finished buying it, he was about to go back, but somehow, it was inexplicable, and he felt that Murakami Yu might be in this alley.

Let's just take a walk after dinner.

With her mind in mind, she tucked the bag containing the filter cloth into the pocket of her sweatshirt jacket and happily walked through the criss-crossed wires.

Murakami is sleepy, is he there?

It would be nice if I could meet it.

Walking to the top of the slope, I haven't gone down yet, Yu Murakami, or [Xingxing], it's just below the slope.

A man and a dog just opened the curtain of the [Fujita Mahjong Hall] and appeared under the street lamp.

"Murakami-kun."

"Oh, Nakano."

Ai Nakano smiled shallowly and looked at his face.

"Do you come up, or do I go down?" She asked a little louder, but softly.

The uphill slope is to return to Sakuraso, and the downhill is to continue walking.

"Come down." Yu Murakami replied, "I still have a place to go." ”

Ai Nakano went downhill, walked up to him, and walked forward with him.

"Did you lose money?"

"Serious mahjong parlor, don't gamble."

"That's fine. However, Murakami-kun, although you play cards well, you still play less cards, and you keep letting people in the industry lose, it is inevitable that there will be people who have opinions about you. ”

"I didn't take the initiative to play cards once, they all took the initiative to find me."

"Really?"

"Shikoku is the exception of twice."

"Shikoku? What does it have to do with Shikoku? Ai Nakano cutely tucked her hands into her sleeves and looked at him curiously with a sideways face.

"I forgot to tell you about this."

Yu Murakami played mahjong in Shikoku to earn travel expenses, and slowly talked to Ai Nakano.

"Murakami-kun, you're so bad," Ai Nakano smiled brightly, "I won't even let go of the old man's money!" ”

"I only won the passage fee, and even the money to buy you a hat was paid by myself, how can I say that it is bad."

Ai Nakano laughed dryly.

The two laughed and came to the place where Murakami wanted to go - the flower shop.

This time, there was still not a single customer inside, but fortunately, it was probably because of the "integration of the family and the store", so it was still in semi-business.

"Do you want to buy flowers?" Ai Nakano asked.

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Yu Murakami was the first to walk into the store.

The old woman of the shopkeeper was watching TV while playing a sweater, and when she saw the two of them coming in, she said hello and stopped paying attention.

The most of them are unnamed greenery, and there are a few flowers - roses are essential, but also bellflowers, jasmine, etc.

"Nakano, what flowers do you like?" Murakami Yu turned his head and looked at Ai Nakano, who was squatting on the ground and teasing a few pots of mimosa.

"Are you sending me flowers?"

"yes."

"......" Nakano Ai smiled, "Is it true?" Why do you want to send me flowers? ”

"Birthday present."

“…… I see, this is it. ”

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Ai Nakano stood up and looked at the flowers, "When it comes to flowers, I like tulips the most. Wrapped in old newspapers, a small one among a large pile of green leaves. I buy it back in early spring every year and can keep it at home for a long time. ”

"Tulips."

In this season, this kind of small shop naturally does not have flowers that bloom in winter and spring. If you want to buy tulips, I'm afraid the only way to look for them is to go to the big flower shop.

On the way back for the two, Ai Nakano said:

"Murakami-kun, forget about the flowers. Now that the temperature is high, the tulips will quickly spoil when they are bought. Didn't we go to Hokkaido on the 13th, so we thought it was my birthday. ”

"I don't care, but is that okay?"

"Why is it bad? Then again, I was surprised that you could think of giving me a birthday present. ”

"As for it?"

"Last year, and the last time I planted sauce for my birthday, didn't you plan to send it? You've got a criminal record. ”

"People are always growing slowly, whether it's a spiral or a straight line, I don't lose twice in the same thing."

"That's why you've been reading backgammon books lately?"

"Don't mention it."

"Isn't it? Isn't it? Well? ”

It's weird, myself, Ai Nakano thought.

Whether it's the seniors in the company or the seniors in the entire voice actor industry, I don't like them to call themselves "sauce" - whether it's "Nakano-chan" or "Aiyi-chan".

And I have always tried to stay steady and mature.

Why is it that when I am alone with Murakami-kun, I subconsciously retract my hands into my sleeves, squat on the ground and stroke the mimosa like a child, and now my tone of voice has become so and so squeamish?

Is it more difficult to restrain oneself from showing affection for someone than to overcome inertia?

At this time, she raised her head, and suddenly found that the night air had become extraordinarily comfortable.

It's like finding that clever balance between the hot and the cold.

Obviously, on the way back to Sakuraso after work and out to buy filter paper, there was no such thing.

"Murakami-kun."

"Okay, okay, I'll admit that I watched the game because I didn't want to lose to anyone else."

"That's not what I'm trying to say."

"Huh?"

"It's great to meet you!"

"Tokyo is big, but I'm just walking my dog, so can I run far?"

"Really!"

Ai Nakano snatched the dog leash of [Xingxing].

"Let's go, Xingxing, let's leave Murakami-kun outside!"

I really like what he likes, so think about it for him.

No longer force him to make up his mind in a short time;

forced him to leave the comfort zone of Sakuraso;

An indecisive man is very bad, but if it's a Murakami-kun......

That being the case, there are some things that have to be changed.

Ai Nakano stood on the slope and turned back in the night.

"Murakami-kun, I really want to receive your gift. Please, take a little effort~"

For some reason, the originally obscure Milky Way in Tokyo behind her suddenly shone brightly, and it tilted down with a "bang", heading straight for the heart of the person at the bottom of the slope.