"My love, she was dead when I first met her."

The painter said this, and then pulled out a small wooden box from his bosom.

His movements were extremely careful and gentle, as if there was some kind of treasure in it.

Then, the wooden box opens.

The painter took out a book from it, it was not too big or too thick, it looked very old, but the owner of the book kept it very well.

With the help of the dim light in the room, Kanoya and Tsurumi could barely see that on the cover of the white book, a pure and agile edelweiss flower was painted, and the title of the book was "Ruri".

The painter gently stroked the small square book with his hand: "Liuli, it's a beautiful name, right?" It's the name of the book, and it's her name. My Ruri, that's how I met her. ”

"Ah, when did I meet Ruri? That was a long time ago, in the middle of our country. I can't even remember what I was like when I was a student. I vaguely remember that I also had some friends at school, who studied hard and joined clubs. In short, what the people around me do, I do too, without a clear purpose and goal, go with the flow. Hehe, at that time, I seemed to be just such a characterless, mediocre person. ”

"Until I met her."

"I remember very well that it was an afternoon. As usual, I went to the bookstore I frequented. At that time, Kenzaburo Oe was winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the owner of the bookstore was organizing the bookshelves in order to display more of Oe's works. Take down the books that no one cares about and make room for the books of the literary award winners. And this book, my treasure, my "Liuli", was screened by the boss at that time and randomly stacked in the pile of books in the corner. ”

"I noticed the book almost immediately. The crystal pure edelweiss on the white cover is beautiful, isn't it? ”

"That afternoon, I opened the glass in the bookstore and finally met her. It's a picture book, and it's like an essay diary. The author of the book, that is, Ruri, was an art student who died long before the book was published. ”

"It says in the book that she committed suicide. She took a lot of sleeping pills in a snow-covered mountain, and when Ruri died, she was only 19 years old. ”

"It's beautiful, isn't it? It's like the crystal clear edelweiss on the cover, in a place that the filth and the world can't reach, it blooms magnificently and poignantly withers. No, maybe it's never withering. ”

"There are self-portraits of Ruri in this book. At that time, I saw her short and poignant life, which was laid out in a few words, in the pages of the book, and saw her self-painted portrait. At that moment, it was as if an electric current was passing through my body, and I couldn't help but think about how beautiful it was that there could be such a beautiful woman in this world, and that she was only 19 years old when she committed suicide...... Attractive. ”

"I bought the book and went home. The book was a little expensive for me at the time, but I knew it would be worth it. ”

"When I got home, I locked myself in my room and flipped the glass greedily, I wanted to know better, and with each page she turned, my heart beat a little stronger. I looked at the pictures she painted, the poems and witticisms she wrote...... Sure enough, she was just as I thought. ”

"Through what she left behind, I could talk to her, I could feel her. She has an incomparably pure, noble, free and romantic soul. ”

"In the days that followed, I turned the book over and over again. When I came back to my senses, I finally realized that I had become obsessed with her, and I couldn't put down the book anymore. It was like love at first sight, and although she was no longer alive when I fell in love with her, I could be sure that I could face my own emotions calmly, and I was already obsessed with her to the point that I couldn't help myself. ”

"I fell in love with her, yes, in love with Ruri. Just the thought of her makes my body hot and I feel so sad that I want to cry. ”

"Of course, of course. I'm also sensible, and sometimes I wonder if the words Ruri has written, the paintings she has left, and the few photos in those books are really enough to make me fall in love with someone. ”

"I also wonder what is the difference between me and those who are obsessed with idol stars who can't be reached?"

"But, but I can figure it out. What I love is the inside of the glass, like the edelweiss she painted with her own hands, clear and noble soul. This kind of love is not clichéd, and time will tell. With the passage of time, my love for Ruri has not wavered, but has become deeper and deeper. ”

"Liuli is my first love, my only one. It is the woman I have always loved. ”

The painter talked about it for a long time, but the two girls who confronted him vigilantly never said a word.

The fawn is already gasping.

This person, something is wrong!

I've never seen someone so sick and paranoid!

The painter finally paused to tell his love story, and he looked at Tsurumi Aoi again, but only met the latter's sharp, hostile gaze.

"Huh."

The painter didn't seem to care about Tsurumi's attitude, and smiled kindly, and his hand rubbed the "glass" again, as if caressing his lover's skin:

"Oh, patronizing it. I forgot to show you Ruri, she's a very beautiful woman. There is a self-portrait of her in the book, but the lighting in the room here is too dim to be able to see clearly. But it doesn't matter, I've also painted her, based on her portraits, based on those lives I have painted a lot. ”

"Because of the influence and guidance of Liuli, I also had a goal and chose to embark on the road of painting, just to be closer to her former life. From high school, all the way to college, and finally to adulthood. I practiced drawing day in and day out, even when I was sick. It was a happy time for me, because I could feel that Ruri was watching me grow. ”

So, I finally became another qualified painter. Of all the paintings I've ever painted, she is the only one who is 'alive'. This may not be complete, after all, she was no longer alive before I met Ruri. ”

The painter's hand once again grasped the white cloth that covered the largest painting on the wall.

This time, he lifted the white cloth.

The silky white fabric trickled down the wooden floor like running water.

"This is my most satisfying work so far. Of course, it's not enough, it's far from enough, and it's not as good as real glass. I hope to create a more beautiful, pure white and flawless glass. But for now, let's take a look at it. ”

Carefully framed is a pure white canvas.

The content of the paintings can finally be seen.

Unlike other paintings that the painter hung on the wall, this painting is not an oil painting of corpses, but with eerily intense colors.

It's a sketch.

It was a brilliant painting, and it was a young girl.

Her profile face is perfectly presented on the canvas, with long black and soft curly hair, a high nose, thin lips, and gloomy and wistful eyes that seem to be looking into the distance.

It is very atmospheric, the demeanor of the characters is well portrayed, and the texture is full.

Beautiful and pure, I saw that the poor girl was painted vividly, and it jumped on the paper. As if she would be out of the frame in the next second, Tingting stepped into the dim room where everyone was.

"Huh?"

Shikanoya looked at the painting, his eyes widened, he couldn't hide his surprise, and subconsciously looked at the junior sister standing beside her.

She noticed that the beautiful and gloomy girl in the painting was actually six or seven points similar to Xiaokui!

If there is a significant difference in the facial features, it should be temperament.

The girl in the painting is gloomy and feminine, with a hint of delicate morbidity.

And Tsurumi, although she is often worried, but because of her years of practicing kendo, her temperament is harder, sharper, and healthier.

As for Tsurumi Aoi herself, she was also a little confused when she saw the portrait of the girl.

But she could feel that the person depicted in the painting was not herself.

At this time, the painter spoke again, this time looking directly at Tsurumi: "I forgot to introduce it to you, especially to you, the granddaughter of the Tsurumi family, I know, your name is Tsurumi Aoi." To re-introduce, my lover Ruri Tsurumi, who is your grandmother's sister. ”

"Ruri, she's really beautiful, right? The granddaughter of the Tsurumi family, your eyes are like hers. Of course, it would be better if your eyes could be a little softer and less sharp. ”

The younger sister of the grandmother of the Tsurumi family.

In fact, it is more accurate to say that it should be the sister of Tsurumi's grandmother.

However, there is no distinction between "grandma" and "grandma" in Japanese, and Tsurumi's father is a wealthy person, so this title doesn't matter.

Anyway, according to the meaning of the painter -

Ruri, that is, Ruri Tsurumi, she is Tsurumi Aoi's aunt and grandmother.

Both have the blood of the Tsurumi family in their bodies.

Perhaps because of intergenerational inheritance or something, Tsurumi Aoi's appearance is slightly similar to her aunt and grandmother she has never met.

Before Tsurumi Aoi could react to the painter's words.

The copper chain of the incense burner in Luyeya's hand rattled, and she puffed up her chest and took a big step forward, blocking her junior sister behind her. Like a Nara deer that didn't know what to fear, he glared at the painter with his eyes blared.

The fawn now understands it.

This very wrong painter will appear here, at the summer night festival held at Yoshikoji Temple, and he will definitely come for Aoi!

……

The two disciples of Kamiyagawa were in a stalemate with the painter, and neither of them acted rashly.

Then the painter began to talk to himself again:

"In order to get closer to my glass, I tried to learn to draw. Of course, I did something else. For several years after I met Ruri, I always wanted to visit the places where she once lived. ”

"In Liuli's book, there is an inconspicuous painting called "Home". The painting shows a corner of the garden in the style of dry landscapes, and you can see the temple wall in the background. So I thought, maybe she's the eldest lady in a temple. ”

"During my time at university, I went to a lot of temples. It wasn't until I came to Ibaraki and came to Yoshikoji Temple. ”

"When I got here, I understood, I finally found the place I had been looking for. It was a wonderful feeling, blessed to the soul, and when I was close to the vicinity of Jiguang Temple, I could feel that she must have lived here. ”

"Sure enough, I found a corner in Yoshikoji Temple that corresponded to the painting. Sure enough, this is here, my pure, beautiful glass, this is her home. ”

"I told the people of the Tsurumi family at the temple at the time that I was a friend of Ruri and came to worship her. At that time, the people of the Tsurumi family looked at me strangely, as if they were looking at ...... Annoying flies. But they still told me where Liuli's tomb was. ”

"Tsurumi Aoi, you know what? The people of your family are really excessive. You didn't bury Ruri in the temple cemetery, but buried her alone in the mountains and forests behind. How can this be done? Anyway, Liuli is also a part of your family. ”

"That day, I remember it raining lightly. I went to the mountain forest behind the temple and found Ruri's tomb. She was really pitiful, her tomb was unworshipped, crying alone in the wind and rain. ”

"Of course I felt sorry for her, and I sat in front of her grave for a long time. I helped her pull out the weeds and tidy up the grave. It was my first date with Ruri, and when we parted, we kissed in the rain. I kissed her gravestone lightly and stuck out my tongue to lick it at the end. The cold, damp Shadow Stone left a soft touch between my lips and tongue. I can be sure that from that moment on, Ruri and I both fell in love. ”

Listening to the painter's continued narration, Tsurumi Aoi felt a chill.

At the same time, she seemed to vaguely remember something about her aunt and grandmother.

By the way, the elder of the family was not buried in the cemetery, but in the back mountain.

"No...... It's not ......"

Tsurumi Aoi shook her head suddenly, and she finally remembered.

As for her aunt and grandmother, it seems that when she was very young, she accidentally heard the old people in the family talk about her.

When the elder of the family is mentioned, the people in the family seem to be ashamed.

Tsurumi's aunt and grandmother, also known as Tsurumi Ruri, was the eldest lady of Yoshikoji Temple, and because she did not have to bear the responsibility of inheriting the temple, she lived relatively freely, and she did study art in Tokyo.

But the family said......

Said that this aunt and grandmother were a prodigal woman.

She said that while studying in Tokyo, she also got into bad habits and became an addict.

In addition, my aunt and grandmother did not commit suicide by taking sleeping pills in the snowy mountains.

She died in an accident because of an overdose of drugs in her boyfriend's apartment.

So what the painter described, the perfect lover who was pure white and immaculate, like the blooming and withering edeweiss on the high ridge. Is it really the same person as the aunt and grandmother in the family who did not want to bury her in the temple cemetery? (End of chapter)