Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

——"Aren't you going to continue to accompany Xiaomu?"

Although there was a mobile phone between them, Ritsu Narose seemed to be able to see the cold expression on Nagasaki Suyo's face.

It's normal to think about it. After all, anyone would have associations when their boyfriend went to a place with an ambiguous atmosphere like the planetarium with a friend with whom they had a conflict not long ago.

——"My relationship with her is not that close."

Sitting on the bed, Nagasaki Suyo put the phone to her ear and listened carefully to her lover's voice.

The city lights are ablaze at night, and the bustling atmosphere in the distance seems to be transmitted along with the lights. However, on the other side of the window, I feel nothing but silence.

Perhaps it was because she knew this in her heart that she answered Ritsu Narose's call.

If I was angry, I calmed down the moment I heard his voice.

Since Ritsu Narose was willing to tell her about this and now she called her specifically, it must not be that kind of situation.

However, although her anger had subsided, she still felt a little unhappy.

Nagasaki Suyo, with her fair and tender face, gently played with the hair that fell beside her cheek. She looked at the lights in the distance and took the initiative to inquire about Naruse Ritsu's intentions, "So, do you have anything to say?"

"I just want to ask how the relationship between Su Shi and Ruo Ye is now."

"Really? You really care about Xiao Mu."

It was like stepping on some kind of trap, and Ritsu Narose had to face the resentment on the other end of the phone that was almost turning into something tangible.

"Can't it be just about caring about Su Shi..." As he said this, he heard a snort from the other end.

Ignoring Naruse Ritsu's sophistry, Nagasaki Suyo lay on her side on the bed, holding the phone to her face and said, "So you want to be a mediator between me and Xiaomu?"

"That's too much. I just hope your relationship won't become so strained."

"She told you?"

"That's my own conjecture."

In Naruse Ritsu's eyes, Wakaba Mutsu is as lonely as Nagasaki Suyo in the past. Although the two have different personalities, the dilemmas they face are very similar.

After gathering his thoughts, he tried to make his words sound gentler: "Besides, you two are already friends. It would be a shame to sever such a long-standing friendship just because of this."

"...Do you think I will willingly agree to your request just by saying that?"

"Of course not," Naruse Ritsu continued without hesitation, "Expecting others to change because of you—that's a very arrogant idea in itself."

"Then you still say that?"

"So this is a personal request from me."

In Naruse Ritsu's view, change is an act that carries a certain special meaning. Especially when it is done for the sake of others, it is something that can prove the close relationship between the two.

Hoping that the other person can change because of oneself is not only a reflection of one's own desire for control, but also a reflection of one's own desire for the other person.

Faced with his frankness, Nagasaki Suyo fell silent.

Until the end, she was unable to give a definite answer.

Lying on the bed and looking up at the ceiling, Nagasaki Suyo stared blankly at the junction of the ceiling and the wall...

……

When Ritsu Narushe returned to the holographic theater, the constellation Ophiuchus in the starry sky had become Sagittarius. As she sat back down, the legend of Chiron, the prototype of Sagittarius in Greek mythology, came to an end.

Wakaba Mutsu didn't seem surprised that Naruse Ritsu had been away for so long.

His gaze shifted from the constellations outlined by light spots and lines, and the light golden eyes stared at him quietly, making him doubt that these eyes could see through his heart.

After the show was over and the two of them walked from the corridor to the wider outdoors, Ruoye Mu stopped and said thank you to Qilingba.

It was obvious that she had guessed what Ritsu Narose was going to do before.

Ritsu Narose had no intention of discussing this topic in depth, and after he and Mutsu Wakaba left the square near the planetarium, they went their separate ways.

Without rushing home, he walked alone through the streets and alleys, silently sorting out his thoughts. Without worrying about the time or where he was going, Ritsu Narushe just walked casually.

When he yawned, he realized that he had unknowingly walked into an unfamiliar place.

Looking around, I could only see a few houses with lights emanating from them. Compared to the bustling commercial district, this place was undoubtedly much more desolate, giving me an impression similar to Akabane, where I had been before.

Without rushing to pull out his phone to check the map, Narushe Ritsu walked a little further. In a street dotted with scattered lights, an izakaya still open for business caught his eye.

When Youyou walked into the store, he found that there were very few customers in the store.

Apart from him, there were only a few scattered guests sitting there, and while he was thinking about what to order for tonight's midnight snack, several noisy guests left.

Apart from the waiter who was cleaning the table quickly, only Ritsu Narose and two other middle-aged men were sitting in the store.

Although it is not uncommon to eat at an izakaya alone, Ritsu Naruse still attracted the attention of the other two.

After all, someone who looked like a high school student, coming here alone, was definitely a standout. Combined with her good looks, which should have belonged at a fraternity party or karaoke bar, Naruse Ritsu looked completely out of place.

Just after ordering a few skewers, he noticed a pair of gazes coming from the side.

Following his gaze, he saw a familiar-looking middle-aged man sizing him up.

Although they had only met once, Ritsu Narose, who had just met the man's daughter, recognized the man's identity at a glance.

"Mr. Wakaba?"

"Want to share the table? This guy's been drinking alone, it's really boring."

Completely different from his image on TV, the well-known comedian pointed bluntly at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him and said.

"…Sorry to bother you." After thinking for a moment, Ritsu Narose accepted his invitation.

Although he didn't know much about the profession of "artist", since the other party didn't care about his private image being seen by irrelevant people, there was no need for him to pretend to ignore it.

He confidently moved a chair and sat on the other side, continuing to look through the menu while listening to the small talk between the two adults as a listener.

However, the man sitting opposite Mr. Wakaba was particularly taciturn, and kept repeating the process of "pour wine, drink wine" from beginning to end.

The conversation between the men was mostly about the same old things. Considering that there was a minor nearby, most of the topics they brought up were related to current social trends.

For example, "young people nowadays adhere to the principle of being single."

"What do you think, Naruse-kun? Are you one of those people who advocates being single?"

"I?"

He had never expected that the topic between the two middle-aged men would be related to himself, but after a little thought, Ritsu Narose gave his opinion.

"If you haven't met someone you like, there's nothing wrong with being single. You can live a carefree life on your own without having to bear the expenses that come with marriage... Ultimately, it's just for your own comfort, and it's not a sin."

Seeing that Naruse Ritsu wasn't being frivolous, Mr. Wakaba immediately showed an expression of great interest. After the young man finished speaking, he turned to look at the man in front of him, who was drinking silently, as if reminding him of something.

Noticing his gaze, the man, who exuded a decadent aura, finally put down his glass.

He first chuckled to himself, then looked at Naruse Ritsu and said, "But that kind of behavior is no different from avoiding difficulties, right?"

"I don't think so." Without showing any fear, even when facing this seemingly drunk stranger, Ritsu Narose's attitude did not change.

"Because 'difficulties' hadn't appeared at that time, it's far from being 'escaping difficulties'... Ah, thank you." Naruse Ritsu accepted the grill plate from the waiter and placed it on the table before continuing, "Having someone you like, but ultimately choosing to reject them because you're afraid of a future that doesn't match your expectations—I think that's what avoiding difficulties really means."

"Young people nowadays..." sighed, and Mr. Ruoye poured himself another glass of apple cider vinegar.

It was only then that Ritsu Narose noticed the three people at the table. One was drinking cheap beer, one was drinking apple cider vinegar with a unique flavor, and he himself was holding a timeless glass bottle of ice-cold cola.

One is a real drunkard, and the other is not drunk at all. The two middle-aged men form a sharp contrast.

Putting the liquid, which was similar in color to the alcohol, aside, the comedian, who had no sense of humor at all, looked at Naruse Ritsu again: "If you say so, you already have a girlfriend?"

"Yes." He did not shy away from mentioning this at this time, and his expression remained calm.

"The one last time?"

Obviously, he was referring to Shiina Ritsuki, who had walked beside Naruse Ritsu during the previous interview. While that wasn't wrong, admitting it directly felt unfair to Aine, Motoyo, and the others.

Mistaking Ritsu Narose's silence as an avoidance of emotional failure, the serious-looking middle-aged man did not continue to ask questions, but looked at the drunkard sitting opposite him with an indescribable look - and the second empty bottle.

With a cold snort, he waved to the waiter.

Soon, a third bottle of wine appeared on the table.

Ignoring the guy who was drinking alone for the moment, Ruoye was instead interested in this young man who dared to express his opinions.

Continuing on the previous topic, he slowly said, "In my opinion, the current young people's advocacy of not getting married and not having children is just an attempt to evade their responsibilities."

There was no emotion in his words, and Naruse Ritsu didn't think they could fully represent Mr. Wakaba's true thoughts. As he was thinking this, he heard him mention the topic of "children."

"Young people are blinded by love and have no idea how many challenges are waiting for them." - Using this sentence as a bridge to connect the previous and the next, he focused his attention on Ritsu Narose.

After drinking the apple cider vinegar in the glass, he asked the young man, whose words were quite in tune with his own, what he thought.

However, to his surprise, Ritsu Naruse looked hesitant.

After all, they are young people...

He shook his head, feeling a bit sorry that Naruse Ritsu had fallen silent on the topic. But considering her age, it was understandable that she would have doubts.

He said that it was okay and was about to change the subject when he heard the boy say something he was not expecting.

"Because I've never met my parents, it's hard to imagine what it would be like for them to see me, so I just imagined myself as a father."

Gu Long’s family environment...can only be summarized by the word "mystery".

Ignoring the strange expressions of the other two people at the table, Ritsu Narose imagined the scene while expressing his views on "descendants".

However, after listening to Naruse Ritsu's statement, the man, whose expression had remained unchanged, suddenly burst into laughter. As he laughed, he looked at the man who was still holding onto the wine glass.

"Ha..." Realizing that this guy was mocking his own magnanimity, the dejected man sighed, "If only I didn't have children."

"If this child was destined to be born, she would have been happier without having to live with a jerk like me."

I mean, is it really appropriate for you to say this to my face?

At first, I couldn't help but complain in my heart, but then I thought about it and realized that he probably felt that a young boy like Naruse Ritsu who had never experienced the world could not understand the seriousness of the topic, so he said it so bluntly.

"It is precisely because I have been both a child and a parent that I feel regretful." Putting down the wine glass in his hand, the man who looked to be about 70% drunk uttered extremely prejudiced words.

"The so-called 'loving your own child' was initially just a matter of moral responsibility that couldn't be abandoned. After all, you can't just say something as 'abort the child' or something like that."

He sighed with a bitter face, "If you can't even plan your own life, who are you to dictate your children's lives?"

——"But the children of parents who think this way usually don't really hate themselves, right?"

Taking the initiative to express his own opinion, Naruse Ritsu saw that the drunkard's emotions were gradually getting agitated and he fell into autism again after hearing these words...

……

Not long after, when the third bottle was drunk, this unexpected izakaya chat came to an end.

After getting on the private car that had been waiting there for a long time, the relaxed comedian finally revealed a genuine smile.

Noticing his expression, his wife, who was sitting in the back seat with their daughter, smiled and said, "Are you in a good mood?"

"I found a very nice young man and chatted with him for a while..."

His parents' words had nothing to do with him. Ruoye Mu, who was sitting in the car, suddenly blinked.

Through the one-way car window, she clearly saw a familiar figure walking towards another road.

Mid-Autumn Festival leave

I don't have time to write tonight, so no update tomorrow.

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23. Hairstyle and O-jump (two in one)

It was already the next morning when the doorbell of Naruse's house rang.

He thought it was Chihaya Aine who came to see him again, but when Narose Ritsu, who had not slept all night, opened the door, it was Nagasaki Suyo who appeared in front of him.

The girl's soft long hair falls from her shoulders in front of her body, and combined with the long hair draped behind her back, she exudes a gentle and feminine temperament.

Unlike the dress she usually wears, Nagasaki Suyo is wearing a relatively loose coat today, which wraps around the white lining supported by the towering mountains, making her look petite and delicate.

The navy blue long skirt fell all the way to her ankles, leaving only the shiny black boots slightly reflecting in the sunlight.