Three or two steps catch up with Naoko, who is trying to escape, and Naruse grabs her and stops on the side of the road.

Her face was already full of tears.

Knowing that she couldn't escape from him, she didn't struggle, closed her eyes, and let the tears continue to flow.

Naruse hugged her tightly.

"Found you...... I'm sorry, Naoko. ”

She opened her mouth, and finally whimpered.

He hugged her, she sobbed, and the two stopped on the side of the road, pedestrians coming and going behind them, occasionally looking.

After five or six minutes like this, Naoko wiped a handful on his face and pushed him away.

She turned back, picked up the package that had been left at the door of the post office, and walked without looking back in the direction he had come.

Naruse followed, keeping a distance of a step or two, watching her back.

She had lost a lot of weight, and her shoulder-length hair had been cut short, and if it weren't for that momentary intuition, it would have been difficult for him to recognize her from the crowd at a glance just by her back.

After walking along the street at his feet for seven or eight minutes, Naoko stopped in front of a restaurant on the side of the road and turned her head to look at him.

Looking at each other, she didn't say anything, opened the door and went in.

Naruse followed in.

"Miss Shinonome is back."

There was only one elderly couple in the restaurant, who seemed to be the owners of the restaurant, and it was the grandmother who was standing outside the bar.

"I'm back."

Naoko didn't go any further, she stopped in front of the bar and leaned over to him.

"My ...... A friend came to me and I wanted to take him to the room for a while, is that okay? ”

"Ahh......h

The old grandmother immediately looked at Naruse, her eyes rolling on his face, and she couldn't stop looking.

"Absolutely. It's Miss Shinonome's room over there now, so there's no need to be so polite. ”

"Thank you, Lady Koreko."

Naoko bowed her head to the couple again, then turned around and went out, looking at him outside.

Naruse also nodded to the smiling Lady Edako and the old man inside, and turned to follow Naoko.

And the place she was going to take him to was another house next to it.

The old wooden house is divided into two floors, and the outside looks old and crumbling, and it seems to be older than the old house of the Morimi family, but the inside is fine, clean and tidy, but there is not much furniture, and it looks deserted.

Stepping on the creaking stairs, Naruse followed Naoko to the room on the second floor, where she opened the door and looked back at him.

"This is where Naoko lives now?"

She nodded, turned in, and placed the cardboard box she had been holding all the way on the table.

Naruse followed into the room, the wooden house itself was not very big, and this room was naturally very small, about four or five tsubos. Once inside, you can walk to the window in three or two steps, and outside is the flowing Miyagawa.

After two glances, he retracted his gaze, and Naoko took the knife and lowered her head to cut open the packaging of the cardboard box.

"Don't look at it, I sent it yesterday."

“……”

Naoko paused, lowered her head, and still completely cut the package open, and took out the contents inside.

"I really can't find Naoko, so I can only think of this way."

She didn't speak, staring down at the unopened coaster in her hand.

Naruse walked up to her, looked down and sniffed her short hair, which didn't even touch her shoulders after trimming, and hugged her again.

Her body tensed, and she slowly relaxed, and she put down the coaster and hugged him as well.

"I've been looking for you for a long time."

"Hmm."

"I won't let Naoko go again."

“……”

She kept her head down, her head turned around his chest, and she didn't speak.

Naruse lifted her face, tears streaming silently again.

Looking at each other, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly.

He lowered his head and kissed away her tears, kissed her cheeks, and finally kissed her lips.

Naoko hugged him tighter, responding to him silently, and entangled with him more actively.

There was no bed in the small room, and it probably couldn't fit the bed, so the two quickly lay down on the tatami mats.

Looking at the dwindling clothes on her body, Naruse held one of her hands and looked into her eyes again.

"Is Naoko going to do it with me once, and then let me go back by myself?"

“……”

She didn't speak, her head lifted and her lips gagged again.

The two kissed each other again, rolling on the cold tatami mats until there was nothing left for each other.

"I won't leave Naoko alone." Naruse looked into her eyes,

“……”

The body tensed, and Naoko grabbed his arm, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes again.

Pain and tears are just a prelude. Forget each other, again and again, the floor of the old house creaks and does not stop.

Until the darkness outside spread into the room, instinct was still driving when the two were about to lose sight of each other's faces.

“……”

For the last time, the strength in Naruse's body also lost, and he lay down panting.

Naoko's eyes were closed, her breathing was equally heavy, and her body was motionless, just leaning against him beside her.

Twilight shrouded in the cold, and the two of them were enveloped.

Naruse turned over and hugged Naoko tightly, and she hugged him as well, warming each other with their bodies.

"Isn't there air conditioning in the room?"

"Hmm."

"Isn't it cold?"

"It's fine."

Stroking her somewhat cold back, Naruse sat up anyway and pulled her up as well.

"Let's go take a shower."

"Hmm."

Naoko turned on the light in the room, and the tatami mats were already a mess, with both the blood stains of the first break and the remnants that had not yet dried after repeated releases.

The same thing was slowly flowing down her legs.

wiped her body with a tissue, Naoko wiped the tatami mats on the ground again, and Naruse pulled her up, "Let's clean it up later." ”

She didn't say anything, and the two of them casually put on some clothes and went downstairs to the even smaller bathroom.

"Is there hot water?"

"Yes."

With hot water on it, the two of them rinsed their bodies, and Naruse carefully washed her.

And Naoko closed her eyes, just leaned on him, raised her arms and legs, and let it go.

After rinsing it first, Naruse hung up the sprinkler head again, and the two continued to stand in the gushing hot water.

"Is Naoko living alone here?"

"Hmm."

"The rent is cheap."

"Hmm."

After a pause, Naoko said, "You don't need to pay rent, just help in the store a few times a week." ”

"The restaurant next door?"

"Hmm."

"How did Naoko find this side?"

She lowered her head and pressed her face to his chest, greedily enjoying everything in the moment, "Come over as you walk." ”

"That lady Edako just now is called Naoko 'Miss Shinonome'."

“……”

"Is it the old name used here?"

"Hmm."

Naruse stroked her back and didn't ask any more. The two of them rinsed for a while, and then squeezed into the cramped bathtub together.

Whoop -

The two sat down, and hot water gushed to the ground.

Restricted everywhere, Naruse can only sit and half lean.

"The bathtub is too small......"

Naoko leaned in front of him, silently enjoying the crowding at this time, "One person is enough." ”

"Naoko won't be alone anymore."

She closed her eyes and leaned back.

Narrow and crowded, but also warm, wrapping each other.

Don't mention the past, don't ask about the future, the two only care about each other in front of and behind them at this time, and no one cares about the darkness outside.

Goo –

Naruse stroked Naoko's lower abdomen, although it was his own stomach that made the sound, "I'm a little hungry." ”

She sat up straight and didn't say anything, but the meaning was obvious.

The two of them sat in the bathtub for a long time, and after soaking long enough, Naruse let go, let her stand up, and climbed out of the bathtub herself.

"It's so cold......"

Drying off their bodies, most of their clothes were still upstairs, and they braved the cold again and went back to the room to put them on.

Naoko glanced at the solidified stains on the tatami mat and saw that he was looking at herself, and looked away again, "I'll go prepare dinner." ”

"Do you still have the strength, let's go to the restaurant next door and eat something."

She didn't speak, so Naruse dragged her downstairs and went back to the restaurant run by the old couple next door.

It was already past six o'clock in the evening, it was very dark, and there were some customers sitting in the store, so the two of them went in and sat down, and Naruse ordered.

The elderly lady was very enthusiastic about him, and when she learned that he was Naoko's boyfriend, she showed an expression that was indeed the case, and she seemed even more happy.

She entertains guests outside, and her husband inside is in charge of cooking, and the restaurant seems to be full of acquaintances, and the conversation is very lively.

"It's coming, please use it slowly~"

After waiting for a while, Ms. Zhizi sent a package for two, put it down and said, "I'm not too busy today, Miss Dongyun will accompany her boyfriend, no need to help." ”

“……”

After a brief silence, Naoko nodded.

Naruse squeezed her hand, "Let's eat first." ”

(End of chapter)