Under the setting sun, the glow of Akane shone obliquely on Yayoi Akiza's body.

Short-sleeved shorts and sneakers, no matter how ordinary they are, they don't look like tourists at all. And between this old shrine, there is no sense of disobedience.

"Narumi San, what are you doing staring at me all the time?" The girl folds her arms in front of her, as if the shrine staff is reprimanding visitors.

"Can Yayoi-san still turn into a cat now?"

「…… No, you can't." The girl took out a tissue from her shoulder bag and wiped the dust on the wooden table, "This kind of question you know to answer, don't ask at this time."

"No, I don't know how to answer ......."

Ming morning said that he owed it a month's worth of grilled fish.

"You know, at least now."

Yayoi took out a few more tissues and stuffed them into Narumi Yu's hand.

"I think...... It would be nice to leave it as it is......" Narumi took the tissue, folded it in her hand, and handed it back to her.

"That's ......" the girl's hand paused and slowly retracted it, "That's right...... After all, it's been a long time ago."

The area that has been rubbed to reveal a dark red plank.

It is a good wood, and there are not many signs of decay until now.

Perhaps this shrine was once lively, before the story of Neko and the boy took place.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, the area that wipes off the dust is just enough to be able to lay a bed.

Shaking his head not to think about it, he turned around and looked at the other areas of the shrine's courtyard.

There are no ema, no sacred trees, and there is not even a wooden platform specially used to draw lots.

It's just an ordinary little shrine.

Spider webs were knotted in the ropes, and the thatched roof rotted out holes, bringing sunlight into the shrine's worship hall.

I don't know how long it has been in this state.

In a few years, it will be discovered and renovated into a tourist attraction in Naie Town, along with the Niwa Mountain Waterfall?

Someone will probably be in charge of the shrine again......

Maybe that's what happened in the decades he lived.

Maybe......

"They're back."

Yayoi Aki stood at the foot of the torii gate early in the morning, looking high and far away, his eyes swept over the mountain village, and looked at the group of people who were cautiously descending the mountain on the opposite side.

"Hmm."

Narumi walked up to the girl, nodded, and walked out of the shrine.

Stepping on the bluestone steps, I turned around, only to find that the girl was still standing in place, "We should go back too."

[I have known an old book friend for ten years to recommend to me to chase books, @

"It's just a simple one-man walk, it's fine."

"Oh......"

"Moreover, the matter of Yayoi-san's family has been settled before this."

Natsume Hanae nodded hesitantly, deciding to trust her student.

The two returned to the villager's yard.

Shiina Mio cast an inquiring glance at him, and he thought he also wanted to ask about Yayoi Akiha, so he nodded.

The blue eyes gradually became shining.

The girl held the picture book and slowly approached him and held it up to him.

The view of the waterfall of Mt. Niwa cascading down is below the waterfall, and the whitening waves of the waterfall seem to be about to fall on top of your head in the next second.

The picture is full of oppressive force, but because of the blue sky and sunlight halo behind the white waves, the oppressive force is gradually transformed into the majestic and powerful vitality of the waterfall.

"I feel like a fish that stumbled into a waterfall."

He opened his mouth to comment.

Then comes the next painting.

He and Mio Shiina were wrapped in bath towels and playing under the waterfall......

It's hard to imagine that these two works were painted by the same person on the same day and facing the same scenery.

Yu Narumi thought to herself as she watched.

Then Shiina Miyo reacted, his little face turned red, and he pulled out the drawing book from Narumi Yu's hand.

「…… Didn't you let me see it?"

"First, first, just look at the first ......"

"Is there a third one?" He asked with ulterior motives.

"No, no!"

Succeeded in making the girl run away on her own.

The original plan was to go back to the town and think about eating, but in the evening there were only trucks coming back from the town in the village.

Although the village is in the communication service area, it takes an hour or two to call the driver in the town to pick them up.

He borrowed someone's kitchen to make dinner.

As the sun sets and the sky darkens, the village is electrified and every house is lit up with warm yellow lights.

Yayoi still hasn't come back yet.

A hint of uneasiness rose in his heart for no apparent reason.

In the afternoon, you can see a large blue sky, but at night, you can rarely see the moon and stars.

It's pitch black.

When the meal was ready, the owner of the yard brought the wooden table to the yard, and the girl of seven or eight helped him bring the meal to the wooden table in the yard.

It is a family who likes the lively atmosphere.

The people took out the sake that they had been reluctant to open for a long time, and chatted with the teachers and students from Tokyo while eating and drinking.

Talking about the soccer club of Muraichi Konda, the eyes of the seven or eight-year-old girl flashed with adoration.

This is despite the fact that Murakazu Konda's soccer club was eliminated in the first round of the high school league.

The empty bench was still empty, and the absentees still did not return.

….

[Unfinished...... Make up before 2 o'clock. 】

Under the setting sun, the glow of Akane shone obliquely on Yayoi Akiza's body.

Short-sleeved shorts and sneakers, no matter how ordinary they are, they don't look like tourists at all. And between this old shrine, there is no sense of disobedience.

"Narumi San, what are you doing staring at me all the time?" The girl folds her arms in front of her, as if the shrine staff is reprimanding visitors.

"Can Yayoi-san still turn into a cat now?"

「…… No, you can't." The girl took out a tissue from her shoulder bag and wiped the dust on the wooden table, "This kind of question you know to answer, don't ask at this time."

"No, I don't know how to answer ......."

Ming morning said that he owed it a month's worth of grilled fish.

"You know, at least now."

Yayoi took out a few more tissues and stuffed them into Narumi Yu's hand.

"I think...... It's good to leave it as it is......" Narumi Yu

He took the tissue, folded it in his hand, and handed it back to her.

"That's ......" the girl's hand paused and slowly retracted it, "That's right...... After all, it's been a long time ago."

The area that has been rubbed to reveal a dark red plank.

It is a good wood, and there are not many signs of decay until now.

Perhaps this shrine was once lively, before the story of Neko and the boy took place.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, the area that wipes off the dust is just enough to be able to lay a bed.

Shaking his head not to think about it, he turned around and looked at the other areas of the shrine's courtyard.

There are no ema, no sacred trees, and there is not even a wooden platform specially used to draw lots.

It's just an ordinary little shrine.

Spider webs were knotted in the ropes, and the thatched roof rotted out holes, bringing sunlight into the shrine's worship hall.

I don't know how long it has been in this state.

In a few years, it will be discovered and renovated into a tourist attraction in Naie Town, along with the Niwa Mountain Waterfall?

Someone will probably be in charge of the shrine again......

Maybe that's what happened in the decades he lived.

Maybe......

"They're back."

Yayoi Aki stood at the foot of the torii gate early in the morning, looking high and far away, his eyes swept over the mountain village, and looked at the group of people who were cautiously descending the mountain on the opposite side.

"Hmm."

Narumi walked up to the girl, nodded, and walked out of the shrine.

Stepping on the bluestone steps, I turned around, only to find that the girl was still standing in place, "We should go back too."

「…… Let me wait a little longer." Yayoi Akizao was still looking into the distance from afar, saying inexplicable words.

He followed the girl's gaze and looked back to see that Natsume-sensei and the others had already walked down the hillside, on the dirt road between the fields.

Yayoi Aki's eyes didn't follow them down to the fields, still looking at the mountains in the distance.

Narumi didn't wait for her anymore and went down the hill alone, back to the village.

The girl wasn't waiting for Natsume-sensei.

What are you waiting for?

……

"Where's Yayoi-san?" Seeing that he was the only one who came back, Natsume-sensei pulled him aside and asked.

As the teacher in charge of the Classics Department, Natsume Hanai, knows some of Yayoi Akiza's family situation, and knows that some things are inconvenient to say in front of other students.

….

"I should be back in a while." That's all he could answer.

He didn't know all of Yayoi Akihaya's thoughts like Imadegawa Chisaka did to him, and he couldn't guess what the girl was thinking.

"Yes and ...... Is there anything related to Yayoi-san's family?" Natsume's face was full of worry.

"It's just a simple one-man walk, it's fine."

"Oh......"

"Moreover, the matter of Yayoi-san's family has been settled before this."

Natsume Hanae nodded hesitantly, deciding to trust her student.

The two returned to the villager's yard.

Shiina Mio cast an inquiring glance at him, and he thought he also wanted to ask about Yayoi Akiha, so he nodded.

The blue eyes gradually became shining.

The girl held the picture book and slowly approached him and held it up to him.

The view of the waterfall of Mt. Niwa cascading down is below the waterfall, and the whitening waves of the waterfall seem to be about to fall on top of your head in the next second.

The picture is full of oppressive force, but because of the blue sky and sunlight halo behind the white waves, the oppressive force is gradually transformed into the majestic and powerful vitality of the waterfall.

"I feel like a fish that stumbled into a waterfall."

He opened his mouth to comment.

Then comes the next painting.

He and Mio Shiina were wrapped in bath towels and playing under the waterfall......

It's hard to imagine that these two works were painted by the same person on the same day and facing the same scenery.

Yu Narumi thought to herself as she watched.

Then Shiina Miyo reacted, his little face turned red, and he pulled out the drawing book from Narumi Yu's hand.

「…… Didn't you let me see it?"

"First, first, just look at the first ......"

"Is there a third one?" He asked with ulterior motives.

"No, no!"

Succeeded in making the girl run away on her own.

The original plan was to go back to the town and think about eating, but in the evening there were only trucks coming back from the town in the village.

Although the village is in the communication service area, it takes an hour or two to call the driver in the town to pick them up.

He borrowed someone's kitchen to make dinner.

As the sun sets and the sky darkens, the village is electrified and every house is lit up with warm yellow lights.

Yayoi still hasn't come back yet.

A hint of uneasiness rose in his heart for no apparent reason.

In the afternoon, you can see a large blue sky, but at night, you can rarely see the moon and stars.

It's pitch black.

When the meal was ready, the owner of the yard brought the wooden table to the yard, and the girl of seven or eight helped him bring the meal to the wooden table in the yard.

It is a family who likes the lively atmosphere.

The people took out the sake that they had been reluctant to open for a long time, and chatted with the teachers and students from Tokyo while eating and drinking.

Talking about the soccer club of Muraichi Konda, the eyes of the seven or eight-year-old girl flashed with adoration.

This is despite the fact that Murakazu Konda's soccer club was eliminated in the first round of the high school league.

The empty bench was still empty, and the absentees still did not return.

"Where's Yayoi-san?" Seeing that he was the only one who came back, Natsume-sensei pulled him aside and asked.

As the teacher in charge of the Classics Department, Natsume Hanai, knows some of Yayoi Akiza's family situation, and knows that some things are inconvenient to say in front of other students.

….

"I should be back in a while." That's all he could answer.

He didn't know all of Yayoi Akihaya's thoughts like Imadegawa Chisaka did to him, and he couldn't guess what the girl was thinking.

"Yes and ...... Is there anything related to Yayoi-san's family?" Natsume's face was full of worry.

"It's just a simple one-man walk, it's fine."

"Oh......"

"Moreover, the matter of Yayoi-san's family has been settled before this."

Natsume Hanae nodded hesitantly, deciding to trust her student.

The two returned to the villager's yard.

Shiina Mio cast an inquiring glance at him, and he thought he also wanted to ask about Yayoi Akiha, so he nodded.

The blue eyes gradually became shining.

The girl held the picture book and slowly approached him and held it up to him.

The view of the waterfall of Mt. Niwa cascading down is below the waterfall, and the whitening waves of the waterfall seem to be about to fall on top of your head in the next second.

The picture is full of oppressive force, but because of the blue sky and sunlight halo behind the white waves, the oppressive force is gradually transformed into the majestic and powerful vitality of the waterfall.

"I feel like a fish that stumbled into a waterfall."

He opened his mouth to comment.

Then comes the next painting.

He and Mio Shiina were wrapped in bath towels and playing under the waterfall......

It's hard to imagine that these two works were painted by the same person on the same day and facing the same scenery.

Asakawa July