Lonely Rock for the Blind.

"If...if I hadn't told you...if..."

"You're telling me I'm not wrong, are you?"

Nekoyashiki Haru said calmly.

"some…"

Yamada Ryo sat down against the railing.

"I ran away."

"... "

"Because I don't know how to handle it, I've left the problem to you alone. I think you can handle it well. I think Nijika can solve it with her cheerfulness, and I think Kita can be understanding and empathetic."

"But today I learned that the music, the lifeless music... meant that this matter could not be resolved so easily."

Yamada Ryo's breathing was heavy.

"...I was scared."

"afraid of what?"

“I’m afraid the band will disappear because I’m saying these things.”

"You really care about the band..."

"You are the ones I care about!"

Yamada Ryo stood up, his golden eyes looking at Nekoyashiki Haru.

"I want to continue walking this path with you all..."

"I still want to maintain our daily life together, I still want to continue laughing and joking with you all, I don't want this kind of life to end..."

"One band has already disappeared, one place to stay has already disappeared, and now I don't want to lose any more."

"But after I told you those things, the band..."

"Yamada Ryo."

Nekoyashiki Haru interrupted Yamada Ryo.

He then took off his sunglasses.

The boy opened his eyes.

The night still retains the lingering twilight, bathed in a faint orange-yellow light.

Its purple eyes were cracked, like glass marbles that had shattered on the ground.

"!"

Yamada Ryo opened his eyes wide.

"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but what do you see?"

"…I…"

Golden eyes stared at the lifeless, shattered, purple glass marble.

"Can't you see anything?"

Nekoyashiki Haru breathed a sigh of relief, then put her sunglasses in her pocket.

"Want to go for a walk?"

"... "

"You choose the location, then lead the way."

Chapter 148 The Swindler (Return)

"This is a river, and it's not clean."

"Ah."

“Last year, there was ivy on the walls here.”

"Ah."

"There's not much to see in the city, but sometimes you'll discover things you've never seen before by wandering into the alleys... Haven't I told you that?"

"It doesn't matter how many times you say it."

Yamada Ryo turned around to look.

Nekoyashiki Haru's expression was smiling.

The purple, shattered eyeballs sat there listlessly.

"...You're so handsome, isn't it a shame you always wear sunglasses?"

"I asked Yamada Ryo."

"My eyes don't want to be seen."

Haru Nekoyashiki answered.

Yamada Ryo nodded and continued to pull Nekoyashiki Haru deeper into the alley, talking as they went.

"You were the one who put it down for me to see just now."

"Hmm, is the situation special?"

Nekoyashiki Haru nodded, then asked.

Are you scared? My eyes?

"...Upon closer inspection, it can be a little frightening."

"I thought you would say it's not scary at all."

"Then I'd be a liar."

Yamada Ryo stopped in his tracks.

"There's a statue up ahead."

"…Then what?"

"statue."

Yamada Ryo repeated it again.

"... "

Nekoyashiki Haru stepped forward and extended her hand.

Then I touched that stone-like texture.

What kind of statue is this?

"Elephant, perhaps."

"...Like the blind men and the elephant..."

Nekoyashiki Haru lowered her hand and turned to face Yamada Ryo.

"and then."

"That's all, let's keep going."

Yamada Ryo, holding Nekoyashiki Haru's left hand, continued walking forward.

As he walked, he touched the swollen red marks on his left hand.

"Feel sorry…"

"Yamada Ryo said softly."

"Ah."

Nekoyashiki Haru responded.

"Why don't you just leave it alone?"

As Yamada Ryo walked, he spoke in a voice that was usually only audible to himself.

“I can hear you.”

Nekoyashiki Haru lowered her head slightly.

"So, what's the answer?"

Yamada Ryo continued to ask.

"I can't do it."

"... "

"It would be better if we didn't know, but once we do know, we can't just sit idly by."

"why?"

"There's no 'why' about this, right? If you really need a reason..."

Nekoyashiki Haru gently pressed her hand to her heart.

"Take it seriously..."

"... "

Yamada Ryo turned to look at Nekoyashiki Haru.

"But what you do might make things worse."

"I know, but I still have to do it..."

Nekoyashiki Haru raised her left hand, and the girl holding that hand was also pulled up.

"Once you know, you can't pretend you don't know."

"...I shouldn't have told you."

"You're still worrying about this?"