The wandering singer looks thin, weak, and unshaven but in good spirits.

He's soothing with his guitar playing style, in stark contrast to the passionate music students around him who come out to practice on weekends.

They are looking for an opportunity to vent and exercise their ability to perform in public, while this wandering singer is living.

At his feet was a small bowl with a few fifty yen coins in it.

The ticket to the Imperial Garden is 500 yen, and he has already sung several songs, but unfortunately he didn't get the ticket money back.

But he was not in a hurry, and the playing was still so soothing.

In addition to Naoki Natsume and Mao Asai, there were two other visitors who stopped to listen, one of them glanced at the passionate electric guitar next to him and turned to go over there; The other applauded and placed a 50 yen coin in the bowl.

"Meow~"

The orange cat that followed the wandering singer meowed, walked around the feet of the tourist who threw the money, and rubbed its head against the man's ankle, as if to thank him.

The wandering singer seemed to be surprised by the scene, smiled, and continued to play the music that was out of place.

A singer who plays for a living, but when he starts playing, it's not just for life.

At the end of the song, Naoki Natsume took out a 500 yen coin from his pocket, bent down, and gently put it into his bowl.

"Nice, can I listen to another one?"

The wandering singer was surprised that someone was so generous, "You can order a song for 50 yen, you give it too much...... Thank you, what would you like to hear? ”

"You always have to earn back your ticket money, do you?" Naoki Natsume looked up at the sky that was gradually overcast, and then asked him, "Will Rain be?" ”

"Of course!"

The wandering singer is very happy, he is good at this kind of soothing music, "Rain" is very suitable, and it is also his specialty song.

This is the ending song of "The Garden of Words", and he was used to watching these little and fresh anime before he was decadent.

He gently slapped his guitar with his hand to find the rhythm, then spoke softly.

"言叶にできず冻元た末末で"

"Meow~"

The orange cat came to Naoki Natsume's feet, he crouched down and picked the cat up, then closed his eyes and listened silently.

No one can imagine the meaning and power of these things in the hearts of people who have been unable to go out because of their bodies since they were young, and who have been accompanied by games and dramas all day long.

Being able to visit the Holy Land with the people he cares about and listening to the singer he meets play his best and his favorite songs is the best weekend for Naoki Natsume.

Asai looked at Naoki Natsume, who was slightly closed and gently stroked the orange cat in his arms, and suddenly realized something.

This kindness and sensibility are the same as the Naoki brother when he was a child.

It's just one who will say, "Live your life as you wish, Mao-chan!" If you survive, I still remember you, grow up and marry me as a bride! The other will say, "You can't always think only about me...... Don't you care about people and things? ”

The memories of Naoki in his mind surfaced, and Asai suddenly discovered that Naoki and Natsume were only slightly different in conversation and personality, and the shining points on their bodies were still kind, including some attachment to her.

"So you've always been you, just missing something."

The corners of her mouth rose slightly, and she closed her eyes.

It's such a good song.

It's good that the worst feared situation didn't arise.

Before Asai came to Tokyo, she had been afraid that Naoki would forget her, and not only that, but what if she became two completely different personalities?

So on the first day of the visit, after realizing that Naoki Natsume really didn't remember himself at all, Asai lost some feelings for him.

She was afraid that he wasn't him anymore.

But today she suddenly understood that people only change, not disappear.

He is still him, Naoki Natsume is Naoki Natsume, there is no one called Natsume and one called Naoki.

So if he misses something, he has to give it back to him, no matter who the other party is!

"Rain" was quickly finished, and the wandering singer took a deep breath before hearing two simultaneous applause.

Natsume and Asai were both clapping softly, and the orange cat had climbed onto Natsume's shoulder and was lying on his shoulder.

"Good sensible cat, did you adopt it?" Natsume asked.

The wandering singer shook her head, "Not really...... I used to be a student at a music university, and then I ...... Something happened at home, I was decadent for a long time, I drank myself to the bottom, and I was expelled from school because I often skipped class. It was my darkest day, and then it came. ”

He looked at the orange cat on Natsume's shoulder, his smile was gentle and sunny, very different from his stubble-covered emaciated image: "I came out of the rental house that day, intending to use the last bit of money to buy alcohol to drink. As soon as I opened the door, I saw it standing in front of my house, so dazzling, so ...... Particularly. ”

Naoki Natsume was stunned when he heard this, and glanced at Asai without a trace.

The wandering singer continued: "Then that day I bought the cat strip with the last bit of money, and it lived with me...... It's not so much that I took it in, but that it took me in. ”

"The teacher was very competent and very human, and my life slowly began to change after that."

The teacher is the name of the orange cat, and the wandering singer calls it "せんせい" because she feels that even a cat is more transparent than herself.

"It taught me a lot, how to face life with a smile."

"Although I am motivated in life now, I have also begun to suffer from gains and losses," the wandering singer smiled bitterly, "for fear that the teacher will leave me one day." ”

Naoki Natsume nodded, empathetic.

"Ever since I learned this, I have understood how important it is to me." The wandering singer touched the orange cat's head and said, "When people are particularly concerned about something or people, they will suffer from gains and losses." ”

Naoki Natsume's expression was slightly stunned when he heard this.

"But I also know that the teacher won't be with me forever." The wandering singer sighed: "It deserves better...... Would you like to adopt this cat? ”

Naoki Natsume came back to his senses, held the cat on his shoulder in his arms, and then frowned at the wandering singer: "What did you say?" ”

"I want to ask if you would like to adopt this cat, it can only eat leftovers with me, sometimes it doesn't sing well, and I can't even afford cat strips...... It's definitely better to follow you than to follow me......"

"Who told you it wouldn't be together forever, did you think for yourself? You'd be too selfish to think so. ”

Naoki Natsume's expression was a little displeased, and he interrupted him: "You're just thinking about yourself, what do you think it's going to be, it's going to leave you...... Have you ever considered how cats feel? ”

"How does a cat feel?"

"That said, have you ever asked the cat what it thinks?" Naoki Natsume looked at the humane orange cat in his arms, and felt that his eyes were very similar to that of someone who was always unassertive and always very assertive.

He reluctantly put the cat on the ground, "I respect the cat's opinion. ”

The orange cat glanced at Naoki Natsume, then came to the wandering singer's feet without looking back, and climbed up his shoulder with a slight jump of his pants.

So Naoki Natsume smiled and said, "Look, even cats are like this, let alone people?" This is a victory for the Pure Love Party. ”

"But ......" The wandering singer was very happy with the teacher's choice, but still felt a little indebted: "Such a good cat shouldn't follow me to wander." ”

Naoki Natsume took out a thousand yen bill from his pocket and handed it to the wandering singer.

This time he didn't put it in that bowl.

The wandering singer was a little stunned and didn't dare to ask for it.

Naoki Natsume handed the note to the orange cat on his shoulder, and the orange cat glanced at Natsume and gently opened his mouth to bite the bill.

"Don't get me wrong, the money is for the teacher, and today it taught me a lesson." Naoki Natsume said, "Maybe you're a wanderer, but your cat isn't a stray. ”

"It's not wandering, it's just your heart wandering...... As long as you're there, it should be called a house cat. ”

"Meow!"

The teacher screamed, and his voice was much clearer and very cheerful.