The newly opened second-hand shop near the central station is not large, or even relatively small, but it gives Naruse a very good feeling.

He's been to a number of large, mall-like second-hand stores in Tokyo, and the experience varies, but none of them compare to the half-hour walk around the store.

It's a wonderful feeling, but it's not easy to put it into words, and Naruse thought about it for a long time.

"I should say that it feels like it's within reach?"

"Ah...... Yes. ”

The shopkeeper is not there.,It's a female college student who is on the shift.,Although the perfunctory smile when you can't answer the phone looks a little cute.,But after all, I can't communicate.,Naruse is very sorry.。

The two continued to wander around the store, and Naoko stopped and touched the suitcases on the shelves.

"The texture is so good."

Naruse glanced at the label below, "This is a suitcase made in Italy in the fifties of the last century. ”

"I'm older than the two of me and the two of Chunhai combined." Shangzi sighed, glanced at the price of the leather box, and quickly withdrew her hand, "There is really everything here." ”

"This kind of small second-hand store accepts all types of second-hand items, and generally does not specifically classify items." Naruse looked at the trunk and saw an old-fashioned German-made radio, and next to it were several old books with peeled spines, "Because of this, you can only know what unique things are hidden in the store if you walk into the store yourself...... Stuff. ”

Naoko looked at him, and a thought popped into her mind.

"Is there anything Chunhai would like to buy?"

"Hmm......"

Naruse swept the shelves with a dazzling array of second-hand items, his eyes uncertain.

"Let's go shopping again."

The two of them walked around until three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and when they walked out of the second-hand store, they still didn't buy anything.

"Don't have a favorite?"

"It's better to say that there are too many things you want to bring back, so let's keep them here."

Confirming his thoughts, Naoko smiled and continued, "It's not too far from Tsugao here, and Harumi can come over often." ”

Looking at the second-hand shops that looked inconspicuous in the surrounding row of shops, Naruse nodded.

"Let's go back."

Coming to the bus stop, the two waited for a while. Looking at the timetable, the next bus will not come in about ten minutes.

Accidentally catching a glimpse of a dim sum shop on the side of the road, Naruse thought for a moment and asked, "Has Naoko been to that dim sum shop?" ”

Naoko followed the line of sight and quickly shook her head.

"Haven't been. However, I heard from the girls in the same grade that the dim sum in that shop seems to be pretty good. Because the price is more expensive. ”

"What is the way this is judged."

Naruse smiled, got up and said, "The bus will come in a while, let's go over there and have a look." ”

He walked towards the dim sum shop, and he didn't forget to pick up the big bag of fabric, and Naoko, who was left behind, was a little surprised.

She could name a hundred of his preferences without thinking, so she was pretty sure that they didn't include Japanese sweets.

For him, dim sum is something that he "doesn't hate", and he may occasionally eat a few bites, but it has nothing to do with "liking".

Has the taste changed?

With a lot of thoughts in her mind, Naoko was not slow at her feet, and quickly followed.

"Welcome."

Walking into the dim sum shop, there were no other customers, and the clerk at the counter looked at them with a smile on their faces, warm and not overly enthusiastic.

Naoko looked at Naruse and wanted to see what he was going to do, but he also looked at her: "Naoko wants to eat something, just pick it." ”

She was even more surprised, but she didn't say much, "Let's take a look." ”

The two of them walked to the glass counter and scanned the dumplings, yokan, and cypress cakes and other dim sum placed inside.

Naoko rarely comes to this kind of shop, not to mention that at this time, curiosity is far stronger than appetite, and her attention is still on Naruse next to her.

He stood at the counter for a moment, his wandering gaze suddenly stopped, then he lifted up and said to the clerk inside:

"Please get me a copy...... No, take two copies of this. ”

He pointed to one of the snacks.

Steamed lamb soup?

Naoko looked at it twice.

"Hmm...... Take an extra serving and pack it separately. Naruse said again.

"Okay."

As he asked, the clerk quickly packed the dim sum.

"Where's Naoko?" Naruse asked, turning his head.

She thought for a moment, smiled at the clerk, and said, "Get me a steamed lamb soup too." ”

"Okay."

After paying the money and taking the packed snacks, Naruse handed one of them to Naoko.

"Thank you."

"Let's go."

As soon as the two of them walked out of the dim sum shop, a bus drove by.

"It looks like it's a bus back...... Fast. ”

Hurried to the platform, waited for the bus to stop, and then got on the bus to find a seat, and when the bus restarted, Naoko breathed a sigh of relief.

Wiping the faint sweat on her forehead, she looked down at the snack she was holding in her hand, and was about to speak, when Naruse suddenly said, "Starfish's father likes to eat steamed lamb soup." ”

“……”

Shangzi was stunned for a moment, and then she understood.

"Souvenirs."

"Hmm."

I see.

"The one that was packed separately is for Auntie?"

"Otherwise, she'll have to complain again."

The bus swayed slightly, and Naruse withdrew his gaze from the window, "Naoko will go back later, I'll go to the Maki Hotel and come back soon." ”

"Let's go over together, then." Naoko said, "I want to say hello too." ”

Naruse nodded, but didn't say anything.

About half an hour later, the bus arrived in the Aoyagi area, where the two got off.

Walking along the prefectural road, passing through the intersection of the road home, the road deflects slightly to the north, then turns south, and after this bend, Naruse soon sees a shop sign not far away: "Hotel Maki". (Liquor shop)

The shop is as old as it was when he left four years ago, and it used to be his home.

"Give it to me."

As she got closer, Naoko took the fabric from him and handed him two steamed yokan packed.

Arriving at the front of the hotel, Naruse took a deep breath before walking in.

Facing the slightly dazed shopkeeper at the counter, he bowed slightly.

"Long time no see, Mr. Seiichiro. I'm Chunhai. ”

......

Coming out of the Maki Hotel, Naruse turned around and said goodbye to Seiichiro Maki again.

"This used to be your home, no, that...... In short, Chunhai can come and play at any time. ”

"Okay."

"And Naoko too."

Naoko smiled and nodded in response.

After walking far, the two turned back together and found Seiichiro Maki still watching them at the door of the store, so they lowered their heads at the same time.

Seiichiro Maki waved his hand and turned back to the store.

Both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go home." Naoko said.

Naruse nodded, looked at the sign of the Hotel Maki again, and turned to leave.

The hotel owner who just walked in was his first stepfather.

After Mamoru Naruse died of illness for a long time, Matsu Chiaki raised his son alone, and gradually became overwhelmed;

When his biological father died, Harukai was only seven years old, and after this blow, his personality took a sharp turn for the worse in the following two years and became gloomy.

Due to multiple considerations, Matsuchiaki finally made the decision to remarry Seiichiro Maki, who ran the hotel. The other party's wife also passed away in the torment of illness, leaving behind a daughter who was only a few months younger than Haruki, Starfish.

However, the reorganized family did not bring much warmth to each other - the two adults got along without any problems, and the conflict erupted between the two children, who were originally very close.

Perhaps because she misses her mother who died of illness, or because of something else, Starfish is very disgusted with Matsu Qianqiu who became her stepmother, and has never given a good face, although she has expressed admiration and affection for her more than once before;

In order to protect his mother, Chunhai naturally will not treat the starfish kindly, and often "discipline" him as a stepbrother.

Over time, the contradictions intensified.

After barely making ends meet for two years, Matsuchiaki finally divorced Seiichiro Maki.

After another year, Matsu Chiaki chose to make a comeback under the contact of his agent, leaving Aomori with Harumi and going to Tokyo to develop, and that was the last time Harumi saw a starfish.

"Uncle Seiichiro said that the starfish was not at home just now, and Harumi was obviously relieved." Naoko said.

Naruse pursed her lower lip and turned her head to look at her: "Naoko seems to be like this too." ”

She smiled, "Because I'm worried that Harumi and Starfish will quarrel as soon as they meet." ”

"She's a high school student, so she's not as immature as she used to be."

Naoko lowered his eyes and looked at the steamed yokan in his hand and did not answer.

Naruse frowned, "Could it be worse?" ”

She shook her head, as if trying to prevaricate with a smile, "I can't say. ”

"Is she still in school?"

"Of course. The starfish is also in Tsudaka, and it is in the same class as Kazuha. Naoko looked at him and said, after a pause, she added, "I'm in the same class as Hikari." ”

Naruse suddenly realized that the class he transferred to after the school seemed to have not been decided.

"I hope it's not so unlucky."