The sun is setting.

The warm light fell on the side of a house in the distance, reflecting a brilliant picture, and dragging a long shadow behind it.

It's not early.

After standing by the window and looking out for a while, Starfish withdrew his gaze and returned to sit down beside Naruse.

He was still fiddling with his phone.

Over the past hour or so, he has put together a table of the pros and cons of several well-known beauty schools in Tokyo.

Watching him flip through the websites she couldn't read while filling in the form with content, Starfish's gaze slowly moved up to his face.

One of the comparison items in the table is the distance from the school to the Matsuchiaki apartment.

"When the time comes, will you come to Tokyo?" She asked suddenly.

He paused, not looking up, "What am I going to Tokyo for?" ”

"Go to college."

"I can't get into the University of Tokyo."

"Last time, you said you could get in."

Naruse glanced at her, "I didn't say that. ”

"Did!"

"Nope."

"Definitely did!"

"Never."

The two looked at each other, and they were sure of each other.

"Mind your own business first."

Naruse looked away first, and the short argument was also a kind of rest for him.

Covering his face and rubbing it twice, he looked at the time again, and found that it was already more than five o'clock in the afternoon.

"Why is it so late...... Let's go home first, and I'll continue my research in the evening. ”

"Oh, good."

"Starfish go back first, I'm going to the handicraft club to find Naoko......"

Naoko was standing at the door of the ministry.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there until she was connected to his gaze and walked in.

"Starfish are here today, too."

"Ahh......h I want Haruhi to help me plan my career path. ”

Naoko walked over and stared down at the form on Naruse's phone a few times, her expression slightly relieved.

"Have starfish made up their minds to go to beauty school in Tokyo?"

"It's the best option for her." Naruse said, "Otherwise, maybe one day, I will hear the news that Mr. Seiichiro sold the hotel to repay the loan shark to his daughter." ”

"How can it be so exaggerated......" Starfish's retort had little power.

Naoko smiled and looked at his phone again.

"This is ......"

"The information of several well-known beauty schools in Tokyo, Starfish can't decide, so I'm going to sort it out and make a chart that is easier to understand."

"Is it complicated?"

"It's okay."

Naoko nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Is the handicraft club scattered over there?"

"What time is it?"

"Let's go back, then."

"Hmm."

Naruse picked up his bag and left.

As soon as he came to the department, he was researching the career plan for the starfish, and he never even opened his school bag.

Locking the door, the three of them headed downstairs.

"How's the club meeting going?"

"I've decided what to expect next week's club showcase."

"Club exhibition, do you have to go up to every club?"

"No, you have to sign up for this yourself. If Chunhai finds it troublesome, the restoration department can not apply. ”

The club exhibition is one of the most important ways to promote the recruitment of new clubs in the new academic year, and it was also the focus of discussion at the club meeting within the restoration department last semester.

It's just that with Naoko and the other members of the department returning to the handicraft club, the recruitment of new recruits in the restoration department suddenly lost its meaning—only an empty shell remained.

"Even if you don't recruit new people, you can take this opportunity to promote it." Naruse said.

After all, the Restoration Department is the society that Naoko created from scratch, and even if he is now a vassal of the Handicraft Society, he does not want to lose the significance of the original establishment.

Naoko looked at him and smiled.

"As long as Harumi doesn't feel troublesome."

"The minutes of last semester's meeting are still there."

"It's all in the filing cabinet of the department."

He was also present at the club meeting of the restoration department, but he basically didn't listen to anything, and he had to go through the minutes to see what they were planning at the time before making a decision.

"I'll see tomorrow."

The starfish listened quietly on the side, and suddenly spoke: "I want to come and help too." ”

Naoko looked over, and she continued:

"It's been a few days since school started, and I don't have much to do...... May I? ”

Naoko smiled and looked at Naruse.

He shook his head, "As I said earlier, there's nothing I need your help with." ”

"I can do anything."

"Then next week's club exhibition, starfish will introduce the restoration department to the first-year freshmen."

“……”

Starfish's eyes widened suddenly.

She also participated in the club exhibition in the gymnasium when she first entered the school last year, and she has long forgotten what was displayed on the stage, but she is still impressed by the crowded first-year freshmen in the audience, as well as the second- and third-graders who watched the excitement.

"No, I can't do it...... I don't know what to say. ”

"So let's forget it." Naruse said.

"I can help with something else."

"There's nothing else to do in the restoration department now."

There was no drama on his side, and the starfish looked at Naoko again, "Naoko......"

Naoko looked at her and suddenly felt that she was a little cunning.

- Harumi can easily say no, but she can't.

"If the starfish really has nothing to do recently, you can come to our handicraft club to have a look."

"Huh?"

Naoko smiled slightly.

"For this year's recruitment, the handicraft club is ready to do a big job. There are a lot of interesting things to see, and there may be a lot of things that need the help of starfish. ”

“…… All right. ”

Starfish could only agree, "Then I'll come over tomorrow to have a look...... Just tomorrow, I'm clumsy, probably won't help much. ”

"It's fine."

After leaving the school, the three of them did not plan to go anywhere else, and prepared to go home directly.

When passing by Hakaino Cafe, Starfish noticed a motorcycle parked outside, and then saw Hikaru Takikawa sitting in the café.

She sat by the glass window facing the street, opposite two second-grade girls, and she just smiled and listened.

“……”

After all, they are friends who have grown up together, and Starfish can occasionally see her perfunctory in her unchanging smile.

"Light."

Following her line of sight, Naoko also saw Hikaru Takikawa in the café.

Naruse glanced at the two girls across from her.

"Did you come here for coffee?"

The three of them slowed down, and finally caught a bored glance at Hikaru Takikawa in the café.

“……”

The two girls sitting opposite each other saw her eyes shining for the first time today.

"I'm sorry."

She stood up, and the smile she showed was much more touching than before, but unfortunately this was the last smile before parting.

"I have to go back. It's a pleasure to have coffee with you, let's talk next time. ”

"Ah, that's ......"

Hikaru Takikawa came out with his school bag.

"Are you going back?"

"You're not waiting for us, are you?" Naruse said.

"Nope." She smiled, "It's just that there's nothing to do, I'm drinking coffee here." ”

A ...... alone

Naruse glanced at the two girls who were still sitting inside.

"When they came to their senses, they sat down across from each other."

"That's certainly not what they think."

"Haha. Let's go back. ”

She got on her motorcycle, "I can take one person with me." ”

The three of them looked at each other, and both Naruse and Naoko's eyes focused on the starfish's face.

“……”

She sat down.

As the two walked, Hikaru Takikawa controlled the speed of the car and slowly followed the starfish to the bus stop.

"Let's go back first."

"Well, be careful on the road."

Saying goodbye to Naruse and Naoko, Hikaru Takikawa twisted the accelerator and the speed of the car rose sharply.

Starfish screamed lowly, hugging her waist.

(End of chapter)