After crossing the Aoyagi Bridge, follow the prefectural road and you will see a shrine not far away.

The shrine is located on a small dirt slope and is surrounded by pine trees on both sides, and it is small in size, and occasionally people from the neighborhood come to pay their respects.

After passing through the torii gate, you will walk a few steps to the end of the stone-paved approach to the worship hall, and the hand side of the water house is on the left.

"Is there no one at the shrine?"

Naruse asked Kazuha Morimi, who was walking towards the Temizusha.

She picked up a spoon and took water to wash, "At the shrine in Tokyo, are there people visiting all the time?" ”

"A larger shrine, it seems like that." Naruse also walked over, "I mean the people of the shrine." ”

"You mean the clergy?"

"Almost."

"Never."

After cleaning, Morimi handed him the spoon.

"It's not in the metropolitan area, and it's not dedicated to the god of study, fortune, or love, it's just an ordinary uninhabited shrine."

She looked at him and asked with her eyes: Have you forgotten?

"I'm not impressed." Naruse said, looking at the almost broken bamboo spoon, "I didn't come here often before. ”

After all, this is more remote than the remote Morimi family.

Smack, smack!

After the visit, Naruse walked around the shrine and looked around.

The temple is in disrepair, the stone lanterns are covered with moss, and the sunlight shines through the branches and leaves on the stone slabs of the atrium, falling dappled and dappled.

When he shifted his gaze back to another person inside the shrine, he found that she was also looking at him.

"Morimi just said he had a question for me, what is it?"

Morimi pushed down his glasses, "Is Naruse going back to the countryside to settle down?" ”

"For now, that's right."

"For now?"

"Before graduating from high school." Naruse said.

Morimi was thoughtful, and then asked, "Prefectural Tsugaraka?" ”

"That's right."

"Where's the class?"

"I guess I haven't decided yet." Naruse thought about it, took out his phone, and sent a message to Naoko.

Morimi was thinking about something again, so he didn't ask for the time being.

After standing in the shrine for a while, Naruse couldn't see anything and decided to leave, "Let's go." ”

"Hmm."

Passing through the mottled torii, he chose to return the way he came, and Morimi followed.

"Don't you go any further?"

"I can walk for a while when I go back."

Crossing the Aoyagi Bridge and arriving in front of Morimi's house, Naruse hesitated slightly, but still planned to go back along the way by the river.

Morimi suddenly laughed.

These step-siblings are really similar in some ways.

"Naruse."

"How?"

She pointed to the county road next to her, "Actually, I'm going to go to the store." You haven't been here in a long time, do you want to check it out? ”

Naruse hesitated for a few seconds, but turned around and came back.

Morimi walked ahead, "People who walk generally don't like to take the same path. ”

"I love the riverside." Naruse said.

It's the truth and it's an excuse.

"Since Naruse came back, I haven't seen a starfish yet."

“……”

Naruse was silent for a moment.

"Nope. Yesterday I went to visit the real wood hotel, and she didn't seem to be at home. ”

"Naruse would probably be shocked if he saw the starfish now."

"There are enough changes that spook me away."

"What?" Morimi turned his head and saw him looking at himself, and he also reacted, "You're talking about me?" ”

Naruse nodded, "And the light." ”

She was silent for a while, smiling rather than smiling, as if she had some feelings, but she quickly relented.

"Four years is a long time."

It's been so long that the timid little girl has grown into the mature and talkative appearance she is now, Naruse thought to herself.

In the second half of the way, Morimi rarely spoke again.

Go straight along the prefectural road and turn at the end of the road where the Maki Hotel and the Morimi family's Komoto store are located.

The former is closer.

"Do you need me to go over and have a look?" Morimi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked.

"No, you don't."

Naruse couldn't tell if she was joking or seriously suggesting, but since he had decided to go this way with her, he was ready to meet the former stepsister.

Walking in front of the hotel, he glanced inside, and Seiichiro Maki was sitting alone at the counter, looking down at something;

He looked at the second floor again, the window was tightly closed, and he didn't know what was inside.

"Looks like she's not home." Morimi said.

"Can you see that?"

"When the starfish is at home, the window will be open."

"Looks like you know her well." Naruse said casually, but Morimi was silent because of this, and walked to the door of his bookstore before speaking.

"You're welcome, please come in and have a look."

She walked into the bookstore, and her father, Morimi Shu, who was behind the counter, raised his head, "Ichiha ......"

He also saw the boy who had come in with her.

Naruse walked straight to the counter, he was here to take a casual look, but he couldn't start with the idea of being a stranger for the first time.

"Long time no see, Mr. Morimi. I'm Naruse. ”

"Chunhai? Long time no see—"

After saying hello and exchanging a few pleasantries, Naruse strolled around in front of the bookshelf.

Kazuha Morimi gave him some simple guidance, then took the book and sat down at the counter in his father's place, looking up only once in a while.

Wandering around, Naruse quickly found a book of interest and stood in front of the bookshelf to look through it.

Time passed quietly, and only the sound of turning pages was left in my ears.

I don't know how long it took for him to withdraw from the world in the book before he noticed Morimi standing beside him.

She looked at the book in his hand, "Is Naruse interested in this kind of subject?" ”

"I don't have any special hobbies in terms of subject matter, as long as it's interesting, I can watch most genres. The beginning of the book was very interesting, so I kept reading it. ”

When he looked back, Naruse realized that he had read nearly half of the content.

"About the same as me."

Morimi acknowledged his hobby of reading, and continued, "But as the daughter of a bookstore, I would prefer you to buy it." ”

"Okay." Naruse smiled and took the book to the counter to pay the bill.

Drops –

"Four hundred yen."

"It's cheap."

"It's a second-hand book, after all, although it's no different from a new one." Morimi took the thousand-dollar bill and gave him change, "After reading it, you can also sell it back to our store." ”

"Yes. What is the approximate recycling price? Naruse asked casually.

She gave him change, "One hundred yen." ”

"The price of the shelves."

"Four hundred yen."

Naruse decided to fill all the bookshelves in his room before thinking about selling second-hand books.

"It's almost noon, is Naruse going to eat at my house?" Morimi suddenly asked.

He was stunned, "No." ”

She looked at him, "Then it's inconvenient for me to speak." ”

“…… What do you want to say? ”

Morimi took out a rolled-up poster from the counter and motioned for him to open it with his gaze.

It is a promotional poster of Morimi Komototen.

After a glance, Naruse raised his gaze, and Morimi explained, "Dad wants Miss Matsu's signature." ”

“……”

He shook his head and rolled up the poster again, "If you want to exchange it for lunch, one meal is probably not enough." ”

"You can stay for dinner, too."

"Forget it."

Naruse stuffed the poster into a bag containing the book, "I'll bring it back next time I come to buy a book." ”

Morimi smiled slightly, "Thank you." ”

"I'm back."

"Welcome to the next time."

Coming out of the bookstore, Naruse looked at the Maki Hotel from afar. There was a bicycle parked at the door, and the windows on the second floor were already open.

Buzz –

The phone vibrates.

It's Naoko's news.

Naoko: Sorry, I was late in replying.

Naoko: I went to ask the teacher, and Harumi's class is Class C.