The next morning, the weather was not very good, the sky was dark and overcast.

Starfish woke up a little late, and by the time they arrived at the bus stop, the three companions who had also taken the bus to school had already arrived.

After chatting casually for a while, she looked at Naruse, and saw that he was looking at the side and was distracted, and he didn't mean to speak, so she took the initiative to ask:

"How's it going?"

“……”

He came back to his senses and quickly realized what she was asking.

"It's not close."

"Oh......" Starfish was not surprised, "I'm not in a hurry. ”

But he didn't seem to hear, "I'll do it as soon as possible." ”

Starfish looked at him and nodded.

Mori looked over, "What are you talking about?" ”

"Starfish wanted to be a makeup artist, so I found her some information about beauty schools." Naruse said.

"Eh......"

She was stunned for a moment, then blinked again, looking at the starfish.

"Is that so?"

"Yes...... I forgot to tell Kazuha. ”

I actually said that I forgot......

Morimi took a deep breath and thought for a while before asking, "When did this happen?" ”

"It took only two days to decide."

She felt a little better and looked at Naruse again.

"He decided for you?"

Starfish nodded.

Naruse glanced at her.

"It was the starfish herself who had this idea, and I just helped her make up her mind."

Starfish nodded again.

Morimi glanced back and forth between the two of them a few times, and asked the starfish, "Is it the harvest of this trip to Tokyo?" ”

"Uh-huh. We went to the set the other day and saw a makeup artist lady putting on makeup for Harumi's mother...... I felt like I could do the job. ”

"What about the actual situation?" She asked again.

"Not very optimistic." Naruse said coldly.

"Huh-"

Haixing was extremely dissatisfied with his sudden statement, "You said you believed me yesterday. ”

"Believe is believe, but it's hard to become a professional makeup artist after all. If you still have this fluttering mentality, then it's really not optimistic. ”

“…… It's not very flirtatious. Starfish muttered quietly.

"Do I have to go to beauty school to be a makeup artist?" Morimi asked.

"This is the most important and reliable way."

Naruse nodded, "I found her some information on beauty schools and asked her to choose for herself." ”

"Isn't it good that the starfish has finally found what they want to do." Morimi said.

Although she regrets that she didn't help Starfish in this matter, it is still a happy thing that she can find her purpose and direction.

"Uh-huh~"

"Naruse is right, the starfish is still too light."

"Nothing?"

Morimi looked at her: "The starfish looks like she has become a makeup artist, not just set a goal. You're very vulnerable to that—not to discourage you. ”

“……”

She said it seriously, and Starfish had to face up to her own state of mind.

"I'm just happy...... So what should I do? ”

"Normal." Naruse said.

"I have to be a little more serious, a little more serious, and really make becoming a makeup artist my only goal for the next ten years." Morimi added in combination with his own mindset when studying.

Naruse glanced at her.

"Of course, you don't need to be so serious that you have to die if you are frustrated once."

“……”

Morimi sneered, too lazy to pay attention to him.

Starfish looked at them.

"You're so abstract."

"Forget it." Naruse took a deep breath, "Before I sort out the information, you can float first." ”

“…… Oh. ”

After a while, Hikaru Takikawa came to the platform on a motorcycle.

"Good morning~"

After greeting the four people, she patted the back seat, and the meaning was obvious.

Starfish looked at Morimi, but she said, "Starfish and Hikari should go to school together." ”

"Ah, okay."

Starfish didn't refuse, sat down behind Hikaru Takikawa, and the two set off first.

Seeing them disappear on the other side of Shimoaoyagi Bridge, Morimi slowly spoke:

"I didn't expect the starfish to go to Tokyo and find the target."

"She probably had a similar idea for a long time, and going to Tokyo was just an opportunity." Naruse said.

"But I didn't even realize it before."

"You're not the same kind of people."

She was silent for a moment.

"You're right...... This way, Starfish finally has something to do and I can focus on my studies. ”

Morimi turned his head to look at him, "I'm going to go to the school after school this afternoon." Sign up for a semester first. ”

"Yes." Naruse didn't have anything else to say, "Come on." ”

Morimi looked at him again, and stopped talking.

"The bus is coming." Naoko, who hadn't spoken much, said suddenly.

She took a step forward, one hand reaching back.

Holding her hand, Naruse also turned his head to look in the direction the bus was coming from, and waited quietly.

“……”

Morimi stared at the hands held by the two twice, and suddenly felt that they were unusually intimate.

Squeezed into the bus and came to the school, the three of them separated at the staircase on the fourth floor.

Naruse waved his hand, Naoko smiled slightly, and turned around to go to Class C.

"I always feel like Naoko is very relaxed today." Walking into the classroom of Class A in the second year, Morimi said.

Naruse walked ahead, "Hmm. ”

Saying hello to Ogasawara who had already come over, she quickened her pace to catch up with him.

"Don't you have anything else to say?"

The seats for two have arrived.

Naruse sat down, hung his schoolbag aside, and looked up at her:

"We're dating."

“……”

Morimi was stunned for a moment, sat down slowly, and after a while remembered to hang his schoolbag next to his desk.

After another moment, she turned:

"Are you serious?"

"Hmm." Naruse nodded.

"yes, so suddenly."

Morimi turned half of his body back and looked out the window, stunned for a moment.

Dark clouds are gathering, a heavy rain is coming, and the classrooms that have turned on the lights are much brighter than outside.

Her wandering gaze lingered for a moment on the thick clouds flowing outside the window, and she saw her dazed face on the glass.

"It's a little too sudden...... Why? ”

"Because I like Naoko, and Naoko likes me." Naruse said.

"Isn't that the case a long time ago, I didn't see you start dating at that time."

She turned her head, looked at him and continued:

"Didn't Naruse say that the so-called love is actually a consumable? I thought you would be holding such a dark thought and huddled in a damp corner full of slugs, and you would never dare to talk to Naoko for the rest of your life. ”

"That's a terrible thing to say."

Naruse glanced at her, "Even if it's a slug, I occasionally want to see the sun outside." ”

"Then wait to be sunburned."

"You seem to be angry."

“……”

Morimi suddenly calmed down.

After another minute or two, she spoke, "Is it because of the division of shifts?" ”

"Almost."

Morimi took a deep breath.

"When Naoko saw the class placement situation yesterday, she definitely didn't expect that it would end up like this."

Naruse pursed her lower lip and didn't speak.

Last night, after carefully checking twice, Naoko covered her face and cried for a while.

Morimi looked at him, "Can Naruse finally face his future now?" ”

"I don't want to be with slugs all the time. Even if I would die of sunburn, I would like to see the sun outside. ”

"You're not a slug...... By the time you have the idea, it's not anymore. ”

"Did a trip to Tokyo change you so much?" Morimi looked at him, "It's the same with starfish, I want to go to Tokyo to see it." ”

Naruse smiled.

"The next time I have a chance, I'll bring Morimi."

She looked at him for a moment.

"Congratulations."

"Hmm."

"Does the starfish know?"

Before he could answer, she shook her head herself.

"I don't know, or I wouldn't be able to laugh in the morning."

“…… Well. ”

"When are you going to tell her?"

"I'll tell her when the time comes." Just like it is now.

"Are you ready to face your ex-girlfriend's tears?"

“……”

Naruse was silent for a moment.

"Since it's an ex-girlfriend, I'm dating Naoko now, and I have nothing to do with her."

“……”

Morimi opened his mouth.

actually confessed......

The so-called ex-girlfriend.

She finally realized that he seemed to have really broken free from the shackles of the past and was ready for a new beginning.

And at the same time, there are ......

"If starfish associate being a makeup artist with you......"

"That means she's not fit to be a makeup artist."

Boom –

Both looked out the window at the same time.

The dull sound of thunder echoed through the thick clouds.

The spring cold has not subsided, and the first thunder in spring has resounded in the sky.

(End of chapter)