Closing the book, Naruse sat at his desk and stared at the wall for a moment.

After half a minute, he picked up the book again, quickly flipped to a certain page, and began to reread one of the paragraphs.

After re-reading this one, his frown untied a little, and then he flipped to the next one with a bang.

Looking back at the entire book in this jumpy way, facing the re-enacted ending, Naruse leans back and sighs in satisfaction.

"Fantastic......

He muttered to himself, his mind still looking back at it.

After a few more moments, Naruse stood up and walked around the room a few times, moving his body, which had been slightly stiff after sitting for a long time.

Reading all kinds of books is his main pastime these days.

In the past two days, Naoko had to go to the club every day to help, and Hikaru Takikawa was also busy training, and he suddenly became unpopular;

With little left of the summer holidays and nothing else to do before school started, walking and reading became the main means of passing the time in the countryside.

The book was bought from Morimi Kohonto, and the one he just finished reading was also recommended by Morimi Kazuha.

"I don't know if there are any other books of the same type......"

Naruse was a little unsatisfied, looked at the time, and prepared to go out.

"I see, so be it."

When he went downstairs, Matsu Qianqiu on the sofa had just finished a phone call and looked at him calmly.

Most of the excitement in Naruse's heart suddenly disappeared.

"Leaving?"

"The office wants me to come over sooner." Song Qianqiu said.

"Today?"

She smiled, "No matter how anxious you are, you won't leave today." ”

Naruse couldn't laugh, "That's tomorrow." ”

"Sorry, it's too late for Spring Sea to start school."

At this time, Song Qianqiu was not in the mood to read the script anymore, so he patted the side and motioned for his son to come and sit down.

"Harumi is going to find Ichiha?"

"It's going to the bookstore."

Kazuha Morimi doesn't spend a lot of time in her bookstore every day, and even though the summer school at the school has ended, she still spends a lot of time studying.

"That's good." Song Qianqiu had no intention of distinguishing the difference, "Chunhai has almost all of his previous friends. ”

Although there are only a few people who live nearby.

Naruse thought so in his heart, but he didn't open his mouth to refute it.

Staring at his son for a while, Song Qianqiu suddenly raised his hand and touched his sideburns.

"When I went to Tokyo, the crew probably had to prepare for ten days and a half months before filming could start, or even a month. Judging from the script, the estimated filming time of this drama will take half a year, to say the least. ”

Naruse pursed her lower lip, "It's been a long time." ”

In the past, it was only three or four months at most, and even if the filming location was not too far away from Tokyo, Matsu Chiaki often went home to visit.

"Chunhai stays in the countryside by himself, no problem."

He twisted his head, as if trying to avoid his mother's touch, "What could be the problem?" ”

"Yes." Song Qianqiu smiled again, "Chunhai has grown up. ”

Naruse sat up straight and did not speak.

On the day they left Tokyo, the mother and son were already preparing for the upcoming parting, and they didn't have much to say at this time.

What's more, the real parting is still tomorrow.

"Let's go find Kazuha."

Leaving home, Naruse hesitated whether to go directly to Morimi Komoto or take a walk alone. It was only when he came back to his senses that he realized that he was already on his way to the bookstore.

In the middle of summer afternoon, a few clouds drifted in the distance, refusing to come.

The sun is scorching, but it's not too hot.

There were only a few cars parked on the side of the road, and there was no one to be seen.

Naruse looked down at his shadow, curled up in a ball that completely encompassed his feet.

"It's so hot......"

Neither the shadow nor the ground responded.

The characteristic sound of the chain coming from the front of him as he rode his bicycle came, and he glanced up to see a yellow-haired girl riding around the corner of the county road.

The body couldn't lift up for no reason, and he didn't bother to care.

The other party couldn't help but care about him.

The constantly swaying front of the car is a true portrayal of her inner panic.

She even forgot to put the brake on her hand, stretching out her feet and dragging them on the ground, but it didn't have much of a deceleration effect.

When Naruse finally realized that something was wrong, the front wheel of the bicycle had run over his thigh.

“……”

Naruse was knocked and "woke up".

He took a step back and held down the front of the car before being completely knocked down.

The people in the car moved forward with inertia, and then stopped abruptly, and the feet that stepped on the ground finally played a role in supporting the body.

“……”

Relatively silent, Naruse loosened the handlebars and looked at the yellow-haired perpetrator again.

I dyed my hair, wore earrings, and probably smeared something on my face, but I could still see that the foundation was very delicate.

Her thin lips were pursed tightly, and a pair of wide black-rimmed glasses couldn't hide the panic in her eyes.

This is the emotion that every perpetrator with a still conscience should have at this time, but he saw a familiar feeling in her eyebrows.

Naruse's gaze fell on the dark green coarse cloth apron that was flat on her chest.

[Famous wines from all over the world, all in the real wood hotel

Local home delivery contact number: XXXXXX】

“……”

He suddenly understood what Morimi Kazuha said a few days ago.

["If Naruse saw the starfish now, he would probably be shocked. ”】

He was indeed taken aback, although it didn't have much to do with her per se.

"Starfish?"

“…… Do. ”

The perpetrator, who was called out by name and was silent, finally opened his mouth.

Judging by her flustered reaction when she saw him, and the calm she pretended to be at this time, she recognized him.

Who saw his picture from?

The names of Kazuha Morimi and Hikaru Takikawa came to Naruse's mind one after another, but he didn't care, and now he paid more attention to what was in front of him.

"On purpose."

“……”

Starfish opened its mouth, not knowing how to explain.

She certainly didn't mean to.

However, although the county road under your feet is not wide, it is originally opposite each other on the left and right, and it is not easy to say that it is not intentional.

But she just bumped into it.

Since learning the news of his return, and seeing his face in the store's surveillance, she has imagined many scenes when the two meet again, and with all the unbearable things they used to get along with, she can put on a stinky face to face him;

But this collision, at least for now, knocked out all her righteousness......

"It hurts."

Naruse lowered his head and touched his knee.

“……”

Starfish glanced uneasily at his lap, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

She felt that she was not unreasonable, but to apologize to him, she couldn't say anything.

And seeing that she didn't speak all the time, and didn't dare to leave directly, Naruse suddenly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

I haven't seen him for four years, and the memory seems to have over-deepened the difficult side of the former stepsister.

He quickly remembered that most of her toughness was held up hard.

As early as the end of each other's parents' second marriage, they had lost their reason to oppose each other. Time can make many things ambiguous, and now, the relationship may be able to become a little more normal.

He didn't expect to be fully reconciled with her—the memories were too far away for him to remember what her genuine smile looked like to him.

"Long time no see."

Making a decision from the bottom of his heart, Naruse took the initiative to take the first step towards reconciliation, "I went to visit a few days ago, and the starfish happened to be not at home. ”

Starfish gave him a blank look, his head still turning from the accident he had just had.

"Ah...... Well. ”

She quickly regained consciousness.

It was precisely because she learned that their mother and son had returned here when she returned home that she thought about going over and taking a look at it that day, and if possible, ending some things by the way;

As a result, before he could make up his mind, he was noticed by Morimi Kazuha who was passing by, and the fragile impulse dissipated at the slightest breeze, and it didn't even reunite for a few days.

I didn't expect to meet him directly in this situation today.

The embarrassment came unexpectedly, but it disappeared quickly, and he took the initiative to talk, and the starfish suddenly realized that now might be an opportunity.

"I went to karaoke with my friends that day."

She picked up what he had just said, "I saw the steamed yokan you sent......"

Naruse frowned, focusing on the first half of her sentence.

Starfish herself is dressed as a hot girl, and he can imagine what her friends will look like.

Although the line between a hot girl and a bad girl is very blurred, and he doesn't know where Starfish and her friends are in it, he can be said to know the latter quite well;

With the character of a starfish, which is strong on the outside and dry in the middle, once it is exposed too deeply, it is difficult to get rid of it.

“…… Why are you looking at me like this? Starfish quickly noticed the change in his expression, and his spirit tensed.

"Nothing."

Naruse was thinking about how far he was going to interfere with his former stepsister's interpersonal interactions, and he was also thinking about the timing of opening up to her, and he knew very well, at least not yet.

"I just think that starfish have changed a little bit in recent years."

"What do you mean?"

She suddenly became sensitive and wary, half out of character, and half because the person she was facing was him.

Naruse didn't want to argue with her, so he didn't say anything and shook his head.

Starfish stared at him closely, and suddenly seemed to understand something: "You look down on me." ”

Naruse couldn't help but sigh.

It was only then that he truly realized that the long four years could not fill the gap between the two of them.

"Leave me alone." Naruse pointed to the wine box on the back seat of the bike, "You still have to go to the bar." ”

“……”

Starfish looked at him twice, re-pedaled, and stepped down.

Without saying goodbye, the two walked against each other, and only stopped when they couldn't see each other, looking back at where the other had left.

Something Before......

Does he remember?

How much does she care?