Lonely Rock for the Blind.

"…Ugh…"

Nekoyashiki Haru sighed.

"If you don't drink... no, if you don't get drunk and cause trouble at my house, that's fine."

"Thank you!"

Hiroi Kikuri put her hands together in prayer.

Iwashita Shima watched from the side, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"...You really go along with her too much, Nekoya...Haru."

"It's okay if it happens once or twice."

Nekoyashiki Haru smiled and shook her head.

Iwashita Shima nodded slightly.

Actually, it wasn't just once or twice; after that, Kikuri was like a leper in Haru's house.

I stay there every two or three days.

It's really amazing that Qing could put up with it...

However, it did make things much easier for me.

It's as if there's another version of me.

...

……

.........

"Don't come near me..."

Nekoyashiki Haru slowly pushed Hiroi Kikuri away from beside her.

"It's very hot in the summer."

Why?

Hiroi Kikuri said with dissatisfaction.

"You used to treat me with so much respect! Now you don't even call me 'Sister Kiku' anymore!"

"...Heh, has a year of harassment finally exhausted all your goodwill?"

Iwashita Shima laughed from the side.

"Okay, stop arguing, we're almost there!"

Carrying an insect net and fishing rod on her back, a bucket in her hand, and a straw hat on her head, Eliza turned to look at the group.

"If it's this noisy, even the rhinoceros beetles will fly away!"

"...So why are we here to catch rhinoceros beetles?"

"Iwashita Shima asked helplessly."

"Shima can go fishing in the stream too!"

"...That's not what I'm asking. Did you bring us out here just for this?"

Iwashita Shima said helplessly.

"What do you mean 'just for this'?! Summer festivals! The beach! Catching rhinoceros beetles! Isn't that what summer is all about?!"

Eliza shook her head.

"You guys should also take a good look back at your childhood..."

"I've actually never caught a rhinoceros beetle in my entire life..."

"Nekoyashiki Haru said."

"How is that possible! Weren't you born in Japan?!"

Eliza's eyes widened, then she looked at the other two.

"Never arrested anyone."

Iwashita Shima shook his head.

"No, I used to hide in the refrigerator when I was little!"

Hiroi Kikuri scratched her head and laughed.

"Unbelievable... You Japanese people have never caught a rhinoceros beetle... Are you even Japanese?"

"...So Eliza, stop applying anime concepts to us so readily..."

Iwashita Shima sighed.

"Should I really go back...?"

When her clothes were gently tugged, Iwashita Shima paused for a moment and looked at Nekoyashiki Haru beside her.

"...I originally wanted to grab his hand..."

Nekoyashiki Haru shook her head.

"It's actually quite interesting. Why don't you give it a try, Shima?"

"... "

Iwashita Shima remained silent for a moment, then looked at Eliza, who seemed a little disappointed, and said helplessly.

"Then let's give it a try..."

"real?!"

Eliza's eyes lit up with delight.

"I knew Shima would say yes!"

"...Haa...I can't do anything with you guys..."

Iwashita Shima sighed, then a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"But only today."

"Uh-huh!"

Eliza nodded vigorously.

Can rhinoceros beetles be used to make wine?

Hiroi Kikuri, supporting Nekoyashiki Haru beside her, guessed.

"...That kind of thing is impossible."

Shima Iwashita said.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked into the forest.

The green lawn shattered the sunlight, scattering it onto the group of people.

It looks like powdered sugar.

Chapter 428 Memories (Part 2)

"By the way, how do you catch a rhinoceros beetle?"

"Are you using honey or something as bait?"

"Just go find it, and then snap! Catch the rhinoceros beetle in your net!"

Nekoyashiki Haru sat on a rock, listening to the conversation of several people in the distance.

Perhaps because of themselves, their range of activities is limited to their own surroundings.

Are you worried...?

"It's fine even if we're a little far away. I really like it here, and I can stay here!"

Nekoyashiki Haru shouted at the void.

"Alright! Wait here, Qing, I'll grab a whole box for you!"

A response came from Kikuri Hiroi.

"... "

Eliza looked at Nekoyashiki Haru for a long while before speaking softly.

"Then I'll move further away."

Haru Nekoyashiki heard it, but did not respond.

"... "

Iwashita Shima looked at Nekoyashiki Haru and pursed her lips.

The three of them walked into the woods.

Nekoyashiki Haru closed her eyes, lowered her head, and listened to the sounds around her.

The incessant buzzing of cicadas caused Nekoyashiki Haru to furrow her brow slightly.

Many people dislike the sound of cicadas, not because they have any problem with the sound itself, but because there are too many of them, they are too noisy, and you can't stop them.

That's probably why people don't like it, right?

But summer is their domain. They make their voices with all their might, and then fall to the ground after fulfilling their mission, becoming food for other animals. Their ate remains slowly rot away, becoming soil that presses down on their offspring.

"So humans are really amazing... they can think of so many things that other animals would never even consider..."

Nekoyashiki Haru moved to the side.

Would you like to sit here?

"...I thought you couldn't hear my footsteps, after all, the cicadas are chirping very loudly."

Iwashita Shima's voice rang out.

"Yes, but the sound of the cicadas was noticeably quieter on your way here."