After Morimi left, Naruse stayed alone in the ministry until five o'clock when Naoko came up after finishing her work, and she didn't wait to find the problems and troubles that came to the door.

Of course, he will not be disappointed, and only hopes that everything will go well tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until the flea market closes.

Seeing that he was the only one upstairs, Naoko was a little surprised.

"Did everyone go back first?"

"When they're done here, they'll go to the café and sit." Naruse said, getting up to pack his things as well.

"...... like this"

Naoko glanced at the coffee can on the table, only to think that he had bought it himself, and when he picked it up, he found that there was still a lot left in it.

"Doesn't it taste good?"

"This flavor is really a bit bitter, I won't buy it next time."

Naoko took a sip and immediately frowned.

"It's a bitter ......"

Naruse smiled, "Don't drink the bitterness." ”

She took another sip and tilted her head slightly, looking at him.

“……”

For a moment, Naruse only felt as if he had poured another big sip of coffee.

"It's all bitter......"

He still lowered his head, covered her lips, bowed his head and kissed deeply, swallowing the more practical bitterness in her mouth, and with tenderness.

After kissing for a while, Naoko couldn't stand still, and the two separated.

"Let's go back."

"Uh-huh."

Looking at the remaining half can of coffee, Naruse picked it up and drank it in one gulp, took the empty can downstairs, and threw it into the trash.

"That's it, there are so many people in the school."

"The cultural festival is just around the corner, and everyone is getting nervous."

"Are you nervous about the handicraft club too?"

"It's alright...... If you want to say that there is a little bit of excitement, even if you are a sophomore, you can't hold back today. ”

Riding out of the school, passing by the café, calling the three people sitting here, the starfish was not pulled to help today.

"Today's business is not busy, and there are enough people." "I don't need it," she explains. ”

"That's because a lot of students stay in school to prepare for the cultural festival."

Naoko glanced inside the café, and there were still many empty seats on the first floor. Of course, it's not too early now.

"Let's go home."

Riding on the bike and going all the way back to Aoyagi, Hikaru Takikawa, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped on the side of the road.

Bypassing his car, Naruse stopped in front of him and looked at the harvested farmland, and then suddenly remembered that when he passed by this morning, the rice fields were still golden, and each ear of rice was full and bent the straw.

"The rice has been harvested."

"Hmm."

"When I passed by here in the morning, it looked like there was a harvester parked." He turned his head to look at his girlfriend behind him and confirmed with her.

Naoko nodded, "yes." ”

Feeling that it was another year of spring planting and autumn harvest, several people only stopped for a short time on the side of the road, and then continued to move forward, saying goodbye and parting.

"Bye-bye."

"See you tomorrow."

When he returned home and was about to ride into the yard, Naruse pressed the brake again and stopped.

He lifted his chin and pointed to the extension of the path ahead, "I don't know if the farmland over there has been harvested, I want to go over and have a look." ”

Although she rarely walks that path, Naoko is still very familiar with her surroundings, "The road ahead, is it okay to ride a bicycle?" ”

"If people can pass, cars should be able to pass...... Try it, it's a big deal to park the car on the side of the road. ”

"Hmm...... I'm not going to go. It feels like even if I can get through, it's very bumpy. Naoko said.

Naruse also let her get out of the car first.

"Give me the bag."

Unburdened, he dropped a sentence and returned immediately, and continued to ride.

The trail is really bumpy, and the narrow sections make it impossible to ride too fast or stop, otherwise you will lose your balance.

After finally riding over, turning a corner, and following a short uphill slope to the cement paved road, Naruse raised his eyes and saw Hikaru Takikawa standing at the edge of the field.

She looked over and opened her mouth.

"Spring Sea ......"

"I'll come and have a look." Naruse twisted the throttle and rode to her side to stop, "Sure enough, the harvest is clean here." ”

"Hmm."

He stopped, "That's fast." In just one day, the nearby area was harvested. ”

"It's always been like this." Hikaru Takikawa said, looking at him again, "Does Naoko know what Harumi is here for?" ”

Naruse pursed her lower lip, "Don't worry, she knows I'm just coming over to take a look." And I never thought I'd meet light here. ”

She answered, looked at the rice field in front of her, and took another step forward and jumped down.

The water would be cut off some time before the rice was harvested, and the fields had already dried up, so she jumped down without leaving too deep footprints.

After staring at her back twice, Naruse looked at the county road in the distance. A small blue motorcycle was riding towards the house in front of it.

The distance smoothed out the abrupt sound of the motorcycle moving forward, and she moved forward intently, as she did most of the time.

Watching Morimi's figure disappear behind the courtyard wall, Naruse retracted his gaze, and in the rice field, Hikaru Takikawa had already walked to the ridge on the other side.

She stopped there, looked back at him, stared briefly, and waved her hand.

"Harumi will go back first-"

Naruse also jumped down.

“……”

She stayed where she was, waited for him to come across the field, and took the shortest path to lead him back.

"I can still smell the rice...... It's like the harvest has just been harvested. Naruse followed her one step behind, looking at the short stubble on the ground that was about to be trampled on by herself.

"It's the smell of straw." Hikaru Takikawa said.

"Hmm."

After a few more steps, he bent down and picked up a bunch of lost ears of rice. A full bunch, the grains are still full, and the stalks are straight.

He looked up, and Hikaru Takikawa stopped in front and waited for him.

Naruse followed in two steps and took her hand.

“……”

She grabbed it all of a sudden, and slowly let go of it a little.

"Picked up a bunch of ears of rice."

"Hmm."

"Give it to the light."

She took the ear of rice and shook it in her hand, the colliding grains rustling.

She sniffed it in front of her nose again.

"What a taste."

"It's a bit earthy."

"Isn't there the aroma of rice?"

"Yes."

Naruse squeezed her hand and looked into the distance.

When the fields were full of golden rice, he didn't feel anything, but suddenly the harvest was clean, and the feeling of autumn suddenly became stronger.

"I always feel like I was playing in the river yesterday, and it's time like this in a blink of an eye."

Hikaru Takikawa looked at him and looked ahead.

"I always feel like I'm just friends with Chunhai."

Naruse turned his head to look at her, "I hope Hikari can continue to treat me as a friend." ”

"Still friends." She said.

"When I'm with me now, my smile is less."

She was silent for a moment and looked at the ears of rice in her hand, "Because I always think of another friend who has been betrayed." ”

Naruse took a breath and squeezed her hand.

"Let's look ahead."

She looked at him again, looking ahead.

Continue to walk back, back to the cement road more than a meter above the rice field, Takikawa Hikaru was about to climb up, next to Naruse had already climbed the road first, patted the dust on his hands, and stretched out his hand to her.

Taking him by the hand, he took her hand again and kissed it on the back of his hand.

"Let's go home."

"Hmm."

The two got on their motorcycles, and the path was difficult, so he rode back with her, preparing to bypass the house from the other side of the county road.

When they arrived at her house, the two said goodbye again.

"I'm back."

"Well, bye-bye."

Seeing him ride off the path, Hikaru Takikawa rode to the garage and parked to return home.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back...... What do you hold in your bare hands? ”

"Ears of rice."

"Speaking of which, the harvester came here today, and I was busy here all day...... Did you pick it up on the side of the road? ”

She gently shook the ear of rice in her hand, "It was sent by Chunhai." ”

"Yes."

"After the ears of rice are cut, can they still survive in the water?"

"What are you talking about...... It would be nice if Chunhai could give a little bit of his clever head to Hikari. ”

Hikaru Takikawa laughed silently, stared at the rice ears for a while, and got up and went upstairs.

(End of chapter)