It was raining heavily outside the window.

Leaning back on the sofa, Naoko picked up the phone and put it down, a little uneasy.

The sky is getting more and more gloomy, the rain outside has been falling for more than an hour, the momentum is still unabated, and the boyfriend has not returned.

She wanted to contact him, but was worried that he was riding in the rain at the moment, and the sudden contact would distract him.

Although it is raining so hard now, normal people will not ride in the rain.

But what if he insists on coming back?

That's what he said when he went out in the morning.

Then don't call......

In the uncontrollable anxiety, Naoko sent a message to Naruse.

Naoko: Is Harumi coming back?

He was quick to reply.

Harumi: No.

“……”

She opened her mouth, not disappointed, but not too surprised.

If he did ride in the rain, she would be even more worried.

And before the new news could be sent, his phone called.

Naoko immediately connected, "Harumi." ”

“…… Naoko. ”

His voice sounded unusually tired, and she was stunned and asked, "Is Spring Sea still over there at the Thirteen Lakes?" ”

"Hmm. The rain was too heavy, the view on the road was too poor, and I couldn't ride a bike, so I found a hotel by the lake with Hikaru to stay temporarily...... If the rain doesn't stop, I probably won't be able to go back tonight. ”

“……”

And so it was.

Naoko took a deep breath, more concerned about his current condition.

"Is the spring sea wet?"

"It's soaking wet."

"Have you taken a shower?"

"Not yet."

He paused for a moment, "The light is washing." ”

Naoko opened her mouth.

"Spring Sea and Light...... A room? ”

"There is only one room left in this hostel. There are two beds though, don't worry. ”

There was silence for most of the minute before she answered in a low voice.

"Hmmm......"

He sighed again.

"Harumi seems to be tired......"

"A little."

On the second floor of the hotel, in the room on the lakeside side, Naruse stood by the window, his trousers still dripping.

The heavy rain was mighty, the lake was white, and it was still full of stamina after such a long day.

"I just want to stay by the sea...... It took a bit of effort to drag her back. ”

Naoko clenched her phone, and a wave of anger involuntarily welled up in her heart.

In this kind of weather, you have to stay by the sea.

It's okay if he's not responsible for himself, and he still dragged her down.

"Hikari is too capricious."

“……”

There was only a slight sigh there.

Naoko was stunned for a moment, "Did something happen?" ”

It was a few more moments before he whispered.

She probably thinks that if she comes to the beach, she will be able to solve some problems, or rather, what answers will she get...... But no. ”

He paused, reducing her crying and bewilderment on the beach to an abstract sentence.

"She was a little emotionally broken."

Naoko was silent for a moment.

"What the hell is going on?"

The other end of the phone still sighed, "I can't tell you on the phone." When I get back, I'll explain it to Naoko. ”

"Good ......"

Taking a breath, Naruse wiped another handful on his face to lift his spirits.

"It's raining heavily, so don't go out if there's nothing to do. If I don't come back at night, remember to lock the doors and windows. ”

"I see."

The two said a few more words before hanging up the phone.

Putting down the phone, Naruse stared out the window for a moment, then looked back in the direction of the bathroom.

The sound of the water has long since stopped.

"Light, are you still washing?"

Half a minute later, her response came from inside.

"In the bath. Harumi comes in and washes it. ”

“…… What stupid things to say. ”

When I entered the door, the partition inside was nothing but completely transparent glass, which could not block anything.

She didn't speak, and Naruse only heard the sound of water.

After another minute or two, Hikaru Takikawa opened the door and came out wrapped in a bathrobe, in good spirits.

“……”

Seeing him soaking wet, she cheered up a little.

"Chunhai, hurry up and wash it."

"Hmm."

Walking into the bathroom, Naruse took off her clothes that were already completely soaked, and then turned on the hotel's washing machine, which contained all her clothes from the inside out, stuffed indiscriminately.

“……”

They weren't traveling and didn't plan to stay overnight, so they certainly wouldn't bring a change of clothes, so they turned their heads to look at another set of bathrobes hanging on the wall, and Naruse turned off the washing machine and pressed the switch.

The washing machine started to run and he went into the shower.

Whoop –

Hot water poured down.

With his eyes closed, his hands in his hair, he pressed his scalp and pushed it from the bottom to the top a few rounds.

“……”

With a long breath, Naruse opened his eyes and looked at the wooden door outside the transparent wall.

Hikaru Takikawa outside didn't make a sound at all.

Half an hour ago, she finally agreed to leave the beach, and the two of them got on their motorcycles, left the breakwater with rough seas, and returned the same way.

When he reached the intersection, he found that the small courtyard around the corner was actually a hotel, and he stopped there.

The heavy rain that had been brewing for a day was non-stop, which greatly affected their vision, and they were still riding motorcycles, so it was dangerous to continue riding.

And just when she was taking a shower, he looked at the next weather conditions, and if the weather forecast was correct, the rain would probably not stop until eight or nine o'clock in the evening.

This means that they can't go back today.

“……”

Naruse closed his eyes again and wiped a handful on his face.

He was more worried about her mental state than about not being able to go back.

"What to do......

No one could answer, only the washing machine outside humming.

After standing and letting the hot water wash over for a while, he washed himself, came out of the shower, and sat down in the huge bathtub by the window.

This is the second floor of the inn, and across the small courtyard at the bottom, the Thirteen Lakes are outside, and the glass is completely transparent - of course, the blinds can be drawn.

The clouds are low, the lake is vast, there is no shelter around it, and the rain over the lake is drifting back and forth, outlining the shape of a strong wind.

Behind the hotel, two mottled piers extend into the lake.

The water was even more muddy, and it had already submerged the protective blocks under the courtyard, and the two small pleasure boats that were pulled by ropes on the edge of the lake kept rocking.

The rainy season is coming, and it rains so hard all of a sudden today, and the water level of the 13th Lake will definitely skyrocket, but I don't know how much it will rise.

Just don't flood the yard of this hotel......

After staring out the window and thinking for a while, Naruse leaned back and closed his tired eyes.

After a day of riding, he was already a little tired.

I tossed with her in the rain for more than half an hour just now, and finally dragged her away from the beach, which made his tiredness aggravate a lot.

If he just lies like this, he will definitely fall asleep in the bathtub......

The thought only shook twice on the surface of the water before sinking silently into the bathtub.

The warm darkness enveloped him.

When Naruse opened his eyes again, it was completely dark inside the bathroom and outside the window.

"Pain, pain, pain, ......"

As soon as he moved, he felt a sore back, a sore neck.

Whoop –

The sound of the water rattled.

The bathtub has an automatic heating function, and the water is still hot.

"I fell asleep......"

He sat up straight, leaned over to the window, and peered out against the glass.

In the dimness, the sound of the rain could be faintly heard.

The rain finally subsided, but it didn't stop.

"I don't know what time it is......"

There was time on the bathtub, and it showed that it was already half past six o'clock in the evening.

It's not just the weather that it's dark outside.

After lying down for a few more minutes, Naruse climbed out of the tub and turned on the bathroom light first.

Squinting and wiping his body, wrapping himself in a bathrobe, he opened the door, and it was dark outside.

“……”

Turning on the bedroom light, Hikaru Takikawa curled up on the bed, with his back to him, not moving.

No wonder she never came in to call him, and she fell asleep.

After glancing at the two smooth bare feet at the end of the bed, Naruse returned to the bathroom and took out all the washed and dehydrated clothes from the washing machine to dry, regardless of whether it was his coat or her underwear.

After all the dries were left, he changed into a hotel bathrobe, took his mobile phone and gently closed the door and went out.

When I checked in, I was in a hurry, I forgot to make an appointment for dinner, and I didn't know if I could still eat now.

Coming downstairs, Naruse went to the front desk and asked, but the people at the hotel said that they could eat at any time.

"Great...... Can that be delivered to the room? ”

"Yes."

"Okay, then I'll have you get dinner to room 201 in five minutes. Ah, yes, it's for two people. ”

"Okay."

After finishing dinner, he went out again to look at the motorcycles parked in the yard carport before returning to his room upstairs.

Hikaru Takikawa was still lying on the bed, not moving, maintaining the previous position.

Naruse stared at her for a while, sighed silently, and then went over to wake her up.

"Light, wake up, light."

“……”

After screaming twice, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Looking at him, she didn't say anything and sat up on her own.

"Hungry?"

She shook her head.

Naruse didn't believe it and didn't say much.

"Dinner will be delivered to the room later, no matter how much you can eat, just eat whatever you want."

"Okay." She simply answered.

In the past, she would have been surprised why dinner was still delivered to her room.

Glancing at the bathrobe she was haphazardly wrapped, Naruse got up again and brought over the yukata provided by the hotel, "Let's change my clothes first." ”

The hotel's yukata was cleaned and disinfected and packed into a sealed plastic bag, she took it, opened the bag and took it out, looked at it, and then pulled the bathrobe strap around her waist.

Naruse was stunned, the bathrobe had been undone, and it slid off her shoulders with her movements.

“……”

He still hung the clothes she had changed, and of course he knew she wasn't wearing anything in there, but that didn't mean he was ready to see it with his own eyes.

Turning his head in a hurry, what should be seen and what should not be seen is still in his eyes.

Looking out of the dim window, he wanted to say something, but there was a sudden knock on the door behind him.

"Mr. Naruse, your dinner has been delivered."

"Good...... Wait a minute. ”

"Okay."

The sound of rustling and getting dressed behind him was still unhurried.

"Dinner is coming."

"Hmm."

Hikaru Takikawa stood up, pulled his clothes, and finally tied the belt of his yukata.

"Alright."

Only then did Naruse turn around and go over to open the door.

The location of this inn is very good, it is located on the shores of the Thirteen Lakes and has a great view, and it is estimated that you can see as far as you can on a clear day, and their room is the only room left in the hotel for one reason: the price is high.

On the other hand, the interior of the room is more luxurious, the most intuitive point is that the area is very large, not to mention the excessively large bathroom, in the case of two large beds, there are tatami mats on the window side, and a low table is placed at this time, which is where they have dinner.

Several hotel staff brought up dinner for both of them at once, set a full table, and then bowed out.

"Please take your time."

The door slammed shut, and Naruse sat down on the other side of the low table.

"Eat."

"Hmm."

Hikaru Takikawa sat down and looked at the food on the table, and finally talked a little more.

"It's so hearty."

"Eat slowly, I won't be able to go back tonight anyway."

She turned her head to look out the window, "Is it still raining?" ”

"Hmm."

Naruse picked up the grilled fish and took a bite, thought of something again, and said, "Since you are going to stay out at night, you remember to tell your parents." ”

She nodded, stopped eating, and turned to look for her phone.

Naruse was going to let her finish eating, but after thinking about it, it was not too early now, so he said, "The phone is at the bedside." ”

She got up, picked up her phone, paused, and then called home directly.

"Mom...... I was sleeping just now and didn't hear a phone call. ”

"Not coming back in the evening...... Outside, well, still at the Thirteen Lakes. ”

"Haruhi is too."

“…… I'm fine...... I'm fine. ”

After saying a few more words, seeing her put down her phone, Naruse thought that the call had been finished, but she came over with her phone and handed it to him.

"Mom wants to say a few words to Chunhai."

“……”

He glanced at her, but couldn't see anything, so he had to put down his chopsticks and take the phone.

"Aunt Midoriko."

"Let's be with Harumi."

"Hmm."

"Did something happen?"

“……”

Glancing at Hikaru Takikawa, who was still standing, Naruse said:

"It was raining so hard that Hikari and I couldn't ride back, so we found a hotel to stay in.

There were no accidents on the road, just a little rain, and now they have all taken a shower and changed their clothes.

As for the rest, it would be better to wait for Hikari to go home and let her explain to Aunt Midoriko herself that it would be clearer - if it doesn't rain tomorrow, we will come back as soon as possible. ”

“……”

The other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief and was silent for a while.

"Did the light cause trouble for Harumi?"

"Since I was a child, has she caused me less trouble?"

He lowered his eyes to the grilled fish nugget that he had only taken a bite of, "Me and Hikari are going to be in troublesome relationship with each other. ”

“……”

Hikaru Takikawa looked up at him.

On the phone, Midoriko Takikawa smiled, and suddenly felt a lot more relieved.

"Then I'm going to trouble Harumi to take care of Hikari again today."

"Okay."

"Let me say a few more words to the light."

Naruse gives her the phone back.

Hikaru Takikawa took the phone, answered a few times, and finally said "It's okay" and hung up.

"I'll be back early tomorrow." Naruse picked up his chopsticks again and continued to eat dinner.

She didn't speak, but she ate along.

"You want to stay here?" Naruse asked.

"Nope."

"That'll do."

Hikaru Takikawa looked up at him, didn't speak, lowered his head and continued to eat.

Naruse only stuffed food into his mouth and didn't say a word.

After lying in the bathtub for more than an hour, the fatigue has dissipated, but the hunger is real.

The two of them didn't say a word, and they buried their heads in eating for more than ten minutes before their speed slowed down again.

Hikaru Takikawa gradually had more expressions on his face.

"How does it taste?" Naruse said.

It is bordered by the lake and the sea, and most of the dishes on the table are local specialties.

"That's good." She said, bowing her head and taking a sip of the snow-white clam soup, "The ingredients are delicious and the food is very good." ”

Seeing that she was slowly talking more, Naruse was also relieved.

It seems that at least a small part of the previous reticence and depression was due to hunger.

Although he gave her a lot of bento at noon, he didn't eat too much in the end.

The two continued to eat and talked a little about dinner.

"Did Harumi tell Naoko, don't go back at night."

"I said it in the afternoon."

She nodded.

After eating for almost an hour, the dinner was over, and both of them were satisfied.

Looking at the messy tabletop, Hikaru Takikawa suddenly asked, "Can dinner still be delivered to the room?" ”

"I asked when I finished eating, maybe it's a little late."

She laughed.

"Haven't you tried it before?"

"Nope."

Hikaru Takikawa ate a little, changed his sitting position, stood up again, and walked to the window.

After staring at the darkness outside for a moment, she turned her head, "It's still raining." ”

"Well, the weather forecast says it won't stop until eight or nine o'clock."

Her gaze fell on the table again, "What should I do here, do you want to clean it up?" ”

"No, you don't."

Naruse poked the fruit in the dessert with a toothpick and put it in his mouth, "Don't you eat it?" ”

She sat down at the low table and brought the dessert to her.

After eating two pieces, Naruse got up and walked to the side, picked up the phone in the room, and asked the hotel staff to come up and clean up.

When the two of them finished their final dessert, there was a knock on the door.

Tidying up, cleaning up, it's just a matter of a minute or two. Later, one of the staff members asked if he needed to lay a futon on the tatami mats, even though there were already two beds in the room.

"Make a bed." Naruse said.

Takigawa looked over, but he didn't see it, just watched the staff take out the futon from the closet and spread it on the tatami mats.

"Do you want to go to bed now?" She asked.

"No, just fill your stomach, who can sleep."

Naruse walked around the room, then leaned against the window, looking out where he couldn't see anything.

"Go out for a walk." Hikaru Takikawa said suddenly.

"It's still raining." He looked at her through the reflection of the glass.

"Then go downstairs and have a look."

"Okay."

When he dragged her to the hotel in the afternoon, she was completely depressed, and probably didn't look closely at the bottom of the hotel.

Leaving the room, the two went downstairs for a walk.

The lobby of the inn is nothing special, and in the restaurant next to it, there are some guests who have not finished their dinner yet.

Looking at the front desk of the hotel that came over, the two of them turned around, stopped at the door, and looked at the rainy yard outside.

"How can it rain for so long......"

Rainflakes splashed in the shadows of the two.

"The rainy season has begun."

Five thousand words, no one at noon.

Counting this volume, there are about four more volumes of the book. It's hard to say how long I can write, but I'll take it as standard.

In addition, at the end of the month, I ask for a commuter pass.

(End of chapter)