Lonely Rock for the Blind.

"If you can't finish it, I'll eat it for you!"

Kita Ikuyo suddenly said with a hint of excitement.

"?"

Nekoyashiki Haru paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"No need, just bring me some snacks or something."

"Hmm... how about Pepe, Lopri, Lippi, and Pepo?"

"...What is it?"

"It's Pepelop..."

"No need to repeat yourself, just tell me what it is!"

"Fried potato balls".

"Why are potato balls called such a meaningless name?!"

"The restaurant probably thinks this kind of name will be more marketable, right? I actually think it's quite cute."

"...Then let's make potato balls."

"It's Pepe Lopplip..."

"Here, we call it fried potato balls."

"Ok."

Kita Ikuyo smiled helplessly.

Actually, the fried potato balls on the menu are called fried potato balls.

She just said that name offhand.

I just wanted to talk to Haru Nekoyashiki.

...

……

.........

In front of Nekoyashiki Haru's apartment.

The clouds in the sky gradually increased.

Ichi Nijika looked at the door in front of her, feeling uneasy.

The kitten should be asleep by now...

His daily routine is quite regular.

Ichi Nijika stepped forward and pressed her ear against the door to listen carefully.

"There's no sound... they must be asleep."

Ichi Nijika straightened up and then took out her key.

"Phew... I'll just take a few photos and then leave..."

The insertion of a key into the keyhole seems to foreshadow some kind of future.

Click.

The door opened.

Nijika Ichitsu tiptoed into the room and turned on the flashlight on her phone.

Gently pushing the door shut behind her, the blonde girl walked confidently toward the boy's bedroom.

"...?"

However, when Ichiji Nijika walked to the bedside as before, she suddenly froze.

There was no one in the bed.

Where's the kitten?

Ichi Nijika blinked, then began searching the rest of the house.

It wasn't on the sofa in the living room, nor in the bathroom, nor in the kitchen.

There isn't anywhere.

"...The kitten...isn't home?"

Having realized this fact, Ichiki Nikka looked out the window.

Where did they go?

Snapped!

Turning on the light, Ichiki Nikka sat down on Nekoyashiki Haru's bed.

My initial nervousness turned into confusion.

Where could he go so late...? He's blind, and there's no way he could go anywhere without someone with him...

Ichi Nijika lay down on Nekoya Shikiharu's pillow.

"...It smells like a kitten..."

Ichi Nijika hesitated for a moment.

Anyway... there's nobody here...

Ichi Nijika buried her face in the pillow.

"...It really is the scent of a kitten..."

Slightly drowsy, Ichiji Nijika picked up the blanket next to her, then turned over, clamped her legs together, and buried her face in the blanket.

"... "

Her flushed cheeks and rising body temperature made Ichiji Nijika want to just fall asleep right there.

However, reason still prevailed, and Ichiji Nijika did not choose to close her eyes.

She got up and leaned against the bed behind her.

Then I made a phone call.

beep----

【Nijika? What's wrong?】

The voice of the boy I had been longing for rang in my ears. I smelled the scent of the boy around me and listened to his voice.

Nijika Ichi felt that if she closed her eyes, she could imagine being held by Nekoyashiki Haru.

"Hey... I'm here to deliver a bento box. I made a little extra today, so I was wondering if you wanted anything, little cat... but there's no answer when I ring the doorbell... are you not home?"

The sound was a little intermittent, and Ichiji Niji Natsumi was in Nekoyashiki Haru's room, which made her whole state strange.

I'm out having dinner with Yudai.

"Nekoyashiki Haru said."

"Is it Kita?"

Ichi Nijika suddenly perked up.

【Yeah, I've already finished eating and am on my way back. Sorry, I probably can't eat any more of this bento…】

"Yes, I know, I will go back."

I'm not going back.

Ichi Niji Natsu narrowed her eyes and then hung up the phone.

"Let's find a place... and wait for the kitten to come back..."

As Ichi Nijika was thinking, a strange noise suddenly caught her attention.

Tick-tock…

I walked to the window and looked outside.

Tick, tick, tick.

Raindrops hit the ground with a snap, scattering everywhere. The streetlights were reflected in the raindrops, making it look like a handful of gold dust had been thrown into the darkness.

The raindrops formed a long string of flowers, first buds, then flower shoots, and finally blooming flowers.

Splash splash splash splash!

It turned into a torrential downpour.

"...It's raining..."

Ichi Nijika opened her eyes wide.

Now I have even more reason not to go back...

Ichi Nijika's eyes darkened, then she suddenly froze, her eyes regaining their brightness.

wrong!!!

The kitten and Kita might not have brought an umbrella!

Ichi Nijika ran towards the door, then suddenly froze.

But I didn't bring any!

Does the kitten have an umbrella?

I don't know where to put it...

Should I call and ask?

Wouldn't that directly reveal that I'm allowed into the cat's house?!

"Let's look for the umbrella first..."

...