Pop, a cloud of snow suddenly flew in and smashed on Naruse's back.

He turned around, and another cloud of snow flew in, hitting him directly in the face.

“……”

He subconsciously closed his eyes, but the expected pain did not appear.

"Haha, hit the sea of spring!"

When he opened his eyes, a thin black "little boy" was standing not far away, with another ball of snow in his hand.

Naruse was stunned for a moment, "Light ......"

She responds by continuing to throw snowballs at him.

Naruse hurriedly lowered his head, and the snowball flew over his scalp.

"Hurt ......"

He turned around, and a little girl was standing behind him, covering her forehead, and there was some snow on her forehead.

"How can Chunhai dodge!"

Hikaru Takikawa immediately ran over, "It's okay, Naoko." ”

"It's okay......"

Naoko shook her head and followed behind him again.

"Why does Naoko always follow Chunhai, you are obviously in a group with me." Hikaru Takikawa came over and pulled her.

Naoko struggled, but couldn't break free, and looked at him again, "I want to ...... with Harumi"

Before Naruse could say anything, another girl's voice came from next to her.

"Naoko should follow us."

He turned his head to look, and there was a girl standing next to him with her hands on her hips, and there was another girl hiding behind her, with a thin body and yellow hair, who seemed to dare not show her face.

Naoko shook her head again and declined her invitation.

"Starfish—"

A faint call suddenly came from not far away.

Naruse looked over, and he could only see the vast wind and snow over there.

"Mom!"

Starfish turned around in surprise and ran in that direction.

Ichiba, who was hiding behind her, was suddenly thrown down, looking a little panicked, and then stumbled to follow.

"Naoko, it's time to go home."

There was another voice with a solemn silence in the snow, and Naoko looked over there, then at him, hesitated for a long time, and the voice sounded again.

"Naoko!"

She looked at him reluctantly, but she could only walk towards that side, her steps getting faster and faster, and in a blink of an eye, she disappeared into the wind and snow with the starfish and a leaf that had already run away.

"Wait a minute, Naoko......"

Naruse also chased after him, but after only a few steps, he couldn't see them.

Looking back, the light disappeared at some point.

The wind and snow suddenly increased, and he was also involved.

Naruse looked left and right, the vast snowfield was boundless, and he was the only one left at once.

"—Harumi."

“……”

He was stunned for a moment.

"Chunhai, we're here."

He turned around, and two familiar figures stood not far away, smiling at him.

"Daddy, Mommy......"

The young Matsu Chiaki tilted his head at him, his smile unchanged, and Mamoru Naruse called out again.

"Come on, it's time for us to go home."

He immediately ran towards them, "Daddy! ”

The snow under his feet suddenly became soft, and each step left a deep footprint, pulling his steps like a swamp.

He was moving slower and slower, and the distance between them seemed to have not narrowed.

"Daddy......"

He gritted his teeth and struggled to break free from the restraints under his feet, and his body suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground involuntarily.

"Spring Sea."

He fell on the snow, but the figure he had been chasing suddenly appeared in front of him, bent down, and stretched out his hand to him.

"Why are you so careless, does it hurt to fall, come-"

"Daddy......"

Naruse also held out his hand.

Then, catch a blank.

“……”

The wind and snow dissipated, and only the familiar ceiling was left in front of you.

And a blankly raised arm.

“……”

He opened his mouth, lowered his arms, and sat up again.

After sitting for a while, Naruse wiped the water stains from his face and looked out the window.

It's been a long time since dawn.

A new year, a new day, has also begun.

He lay down again, picked up his phone and flipped through it casually, and waited for his mood to gradually calm down before turning over and getting out of bed.

He shouldn't be going out today, and he doesn't bother to change his clothes.

When he came downstairs, Song Qianqiu got up early—not too early, it was already past nine o'clock.

She was sitting in front of the shrine and was lighting a candle.

"It's been another year."

After staring at the picture in the shrine for a while, she looked at her son and smiled, "Good morning." In the new year, come and say hello to Dad. ”

Naruse went over and sat down, looked at his father's picture, picked up an incense stick, lit it on a candle, and inserted it into the incense burner.

"I dreamed of my dad in the morning."

"Really?" Song Qianqiu looked at him, "What did you dream about?" ”

Staring at the rising white smoke, he exhaled softly, "I don't remember." ”

Matsu Chiaki just smiled.

Ding——

After sitting for a while, Naruse rang the copper chime, folded his hands and bowed, and got up to wash.

For breakfast, soba noodles are served with the Otsuji dishes prepared yesterday.

After breakfast, mother and son sat in the living room and watched the New Year's special on TV.

"Happy New Year~"

After a while, Naoko's family came over to greet the New Year and sat down as well.

Naoko sat down next to Naruse, "Have you eaten it?" ”

"Hmm." He nodded, looked at Song Qianqiu, who was sitting on the other side, and said in a low voice, "I dreamed of Naoko in the morning." ”

She looked over and blinked.

"What did you dream about?"

Naruse thought for a moment and opened his mouth, "I really can't remember this time......"

Naoko just smiled.

The two families sat together watching the TV show, and after a while, Song Qianqiu suddenly turned his head to look out the window.

"Spring Sea."

"Huh?"

"Go outside and see if the postman is coming."

Naruse got up to open the door, and outside the courtyard, the postman who had just finished delivering looked at him, nodded, and then turned the car around and went out.

"It's the New Year's Greetings." Matsu Qianqiu asked.

"Hmm."

Naoko also came out, "My family should have sent ...... too"

The two of them came outside, opened their mailboxes separately, and took out the New Year's greetings that had just been sent inside.

"That's a lot."

"Hmm."

Back in the house, Naruse and Naoko took one side of the table and divided the New Year's greetings.

Naturally, the New Year's greetings sent to Naruse's house could only be given to him or to Matsu Chiaki, there were a total of sixty or seventy sheets, and more than fifty of them were for Matsu Chiaki.

"Not many people know that I'm coming back, and the house in Tokyo must have received a lot." She said as she flipped through.

"Are you showing off?"

Song Qianqiu looked at him with a smile, "yes." ”

Most of the dozen or so New Year's greetings received by Naruse were sent by distant relatives and a few old friends in Tokyo.

The Hana family also received a lot of New Year's greeting certificates, and the number of New Year's greetings sent to Naoko was comparable to that of Matsuchiaki.

"Do you have so many friends?" Naruse muttered.

Naoko smiled slightly, "Yes." ”

The two looked at the New Year's greetings, and not long after, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"I'll go."

Naruse got up to open the door, and the Takigawa sisters stood outside, smiling at him.

"Happy New Year."

And behind the two of them, there was a starfish starfish staring straight at him.

"Happy New Year......

(End of chapter)