Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

But she didn't take any further action after recognizing him, clearly treating Ritsu Naruse as an insignificant passerby. On a more pessimistic note, her favorability towards him might have already plummeted to negative.

You can understand this kind of thing just by thinking about it, right?

Ritsu Narusha and Suzuyo Nagasaki were clearly friends, but he only waited for a month before leaving.

If it is true as Chihaya Aine said before, that Ichinose encountered some force majeure and had to leave, then what was the significance of his behavior of leaving first?

If I had not chosen to leave at that time, but instead patiently waited there for another month - or even longer, would the ending of the story have changed?

Perhaps the two will eventually say goodbye and go their separate ways, and perhaps they will still occasionally think of that heavy snowfall many years later, but the regrets left behind at that time may not snowball like they do now.

Ritsu Narose didn't know if there was a correct answer to this question. He only knew that his dark history was standing by the Sanzu River, waving at him.

Nagasaki Motoyo and Chihaya Aine formed a band - is this fate deliberately playing a trick on him!

Putting the friend he had given up in the past next to the heroine he has now chosen, the mere thought of that scene makes one's eyes go dark.

Regret?

Of course I feel regret.

But it is not okay to just wallow in regret and become depressed.

With his arms crossed, Ritsu Narose tapped his arm lightly with his right index finger. The subtle sound was particularly noticeable in the quiet study.

What should he do now?

Apologize?

This is not a good idea.

It’s not that he can’t lose face, but the other party may not be willing to accept his apology.

It can be seen from Nagasaki Suyo's deliberate avoidance of herself that she does not want to see "Naruse Ritsu" appear again.

If I really ran up to her and apologized on my own, it might just dig up those bad memories that were buried in the ground and let her see them again.

In the end it will only make the situation worse.

Slowly exhaling a breath, Mingse Ritsu stared at the pattern on the carpet.

I thought I had matured during these years of traveling, but I still feel lost...

……

Looking at the chat box with the word "unread" remaining unchanged for a long time, Chihaya Aine tilted her head.

She walked gently to the window, lifted a corner of the blinds and looked towards the house opposite, and found that the light in the study on the second floor was still bright.

Is Naruse-kun busy?

Blinking, Chihaya Aine gave up the idea of ​​disturbing the other person.

Looking back at the penguin band-aid on the table, she thought of Gao Songdeng's story again.

How did Ritsu Narose and Motoyo Nagasaki become friends with such a slender girl?

27. Orcust 10-year fan

In Higashi-Ikebukuro Central Park, Ritsu Narose, who had arranged to meet here the night before, was waiting for Touma Takamatsu to appear.

Most likely because he arrived early, there weren't many tourists here, and he quickly secured a spot near the shade of the trees. It wasn't until the nearby schools were dismissed that the flow of people around Central Park gradually increased.

Soon, Ritsu Naruse saw Takamatsu Touma wearing school uniform in the crowd.

Naruse Ritsu initially hadn't held high hopes for inviting Takamatsu Touma. After all, a boy asking a girl out after school, no matter where, would always give off the impression of having ulterior motives.

However, Gao Songdeng still accepted his invitation.

"Sorry for taking up Deng's time after school."

"it does not matter……"

Putting down his schoolbag, Takamatsu Deng sat in the empty seat shaded by the tree next to Narushe Ritsu.

The waterfall-style pond made of black natural stone constantly makes a gurgling sound. Hearing the sound of flowing water, the slight anxiety in my heart is like the ripples on the surface of the pond, which dissipates unconsciously as it expands outward.

Lu is a little strange today.

Looking at the young man beside him who was always looking at the pond, Gao Songdeng suddenly had this idea.

"Deng didn't ask me why I asked you to come here?"

"Um... is there something wrong?"

Naruse Ritsu didn't respond immediately to Deng's concern. It took him a while, as if he was trying to form his words, before he spoke.

"It's nothing serious, it's just..."

——Just want to get some comfort from Deng.

After opening his mouth, Ritsu Narose still couldn't say the last sentence.

I actually wanted to get a sense of security from this girl who was like a little animal. Have I really become weak?

After realizing this and looking into his inner self, he found that he was constantly wavering.

The truth about "Ichinose" hit him harder than he had expected - because compared to the regrets caused by the impermanence of life, he could not let go of the series of bad consequences caused by the negligence of the parties involved.

Shaking his head, Ritsu Narose forced himself to come back to his senses.

Putting aside the messy emotions in her heart, Ritsu Narose didn't want them to affect Takamatsu Deng's already sensitive heart.

After handing the milk tea he had prepared in advance to the other party, he made an excuse and said that he just wanted to chat with someone.

However, Takamatsu Deng felt that the boy in front of him looked like a bird whose wings were wet in the rain and forced to fall to the ground, which made him want to protect him. He wanted to touch his head, but he was afraid that such a frivolous behavior would make him dislike him.

Her amber eyes twinkled, and Gao Songdeng slightly tightened the skirt covering her fair thighs.

Naruse Ritsu had no idea what the girl sitting next to him was thinking. Pulling himself together, he put on his usual smile and changed the subject.

Looking at the clouds in the distance, Naruse Ritsu suddenly asked, "Does the lamp have any wishes?"

"desire?"

"Yeah, it's something you want to achieve, or something you want to obtain... after all, that's what a wish is."

Ritsu Narose's tone sounded a bit casual, but when Takamatsu Touma began to think about what his wishes were, he found that he didn't seem to have anything he wanted to achieve.

If I had to pick one, it would be—

"I want to be human..."

The thoughts she had written in the notebook in the past appeared in her mind again.

Takamatsu Deng has lived in a gentle world since childhood.

Her parents have always been understanding of her unique hobbies and have never used harsh words to criticize her.

While in school, although she didn't have much interaction with her classmates, they were all very friendly to her.

But what no one knows is that Takamatsu Deng, who grew up surrounded by kindness, has always been wrapped in another inexplicable sense of loneliness, as if there was an invisible thick barrier between her and others.

As she grew older, she gradually realized that she was not normal. If she was a normal person, why did she always feel lonely?

If she could become a human, would she be able to make friends? Would someone understand and accept her?

"Becoming a human..."

Hearing Deng's wish, Ritsu Narose suddenly remembered the scene when he first became a human and walked in the human market.

Did he have the same wish as Takamatsu Deng at that time?

Unfortunately, that memory was too old and he could no longer remember it.

But Naruse Ritsu knew that Deng was different from him. As a human, she wanted to be human, and as an ancient dragon, he wanted to imitate humans.

On the other hand, he could clearly feel the loneliness and loss hidden in Deng's tone, which came from recognizing himself as an outsider.

"Does the lamp know the story of Pygmalion and Galatea?"

Instead of commenting on the lamp's wish, Ritsu Naruse chose to tell a story about "becoming human" that he had read in a book:

Pygmalion was the king of Cyprus in Greek mythology and a sculptor. He had no affection for real women and never married.

One day, he used his skills to carve out an ivory statue of his ideal girl. After the statue was completed, Pygmalion fell deeply in love with it.

He adorned the statue with fine clothes and gorgeous gems, embraced it as he would his lover or wife, and gave it a name, lovingly calling it "Galatea."

After Pygmalion gave all his passion and love to the statue, he could no longer bear the fact that his lover was just an empty shell without a soul, so he prayed to God to give life to the statue.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was moved by Pygmalion's love and fulfilled his wish.

In the end, Galatea, who had become a human, married Pygmalion and lived happily ever after.

"Why do you think Pygmalion's wish can come true?" As the story ended, Ritsu Naruse asked Deng a question he had prepared long ago.

“Is it because of God?”

Holding the milk tea in both hands, Takamatsu Deng looked as adorable as a little squirrel holding a pine cone. Seeing this, Naruse Ritsu's lips, which had never changed, unconsciously curled up.

"If we talk about the direct cause, it's of course God's gift." Shaking the milk tea cup in his hand, feeling the swaying ice cubes, Naruse Ritsu said slowly, "But ultimately, it's all because of Pygmalion's love for the doll."

"Galatea was born out of love. After becoming a human, she responded to her creator with love and spent the rest of her life with him."

As Ritsu Narose continued speaking, several more students, laughing and playing, passed behind him and Takamatsu Touma. However, the space they were in seemed cut off from the outside world, and the noise of others did not affect the peaceful atmosphere between them.

The pale blue eyes reflected the girl's figure quietly. Ritsu Narushe spoke as if asking her, or as if talking to himself:

"If the lamp's wish comes true one day..."

"What kind of human does Deng want to be?"

28. More bearish on me

Takamatsu didn't have an immediate answer to Naruse's question. As the crowds near Central Park gradually increased, Naruse suggested changing locations.

So, under Takamatsu's guidance, they moved to the steps near Sunshine City. Looking down at the area from a high vantage point, the scenery in their eyes brought a different feeling to the two.

He folded his legs together, and a hazy, misty look appeared in Gao Songdeng's eyes: "Becoming a human... is this really that difficult..."

"Of course not. I just said some plausible truths."

Ritsu Narose shook his head and began to blame himself for his irresponsible behavior.

It was clearly him who took the initiative to seek comfort from Deng, but in the end, he took advantage of Deng's sensitive and delicate heart, using those meaningless empty words to put himself in a condescending position, in order to comfort others and fill his inner satisfaction...

That's terrible.

Thinking of this, his pale blue eyes dimmed a little: "Such beautiful words are useless except for scaring people."

"That's not right." As if seeing through something, Takamatsu Deng's face showed an expression that Naruse Ritsu had never seen before, "Because we are friends, that's why Ritsu said that..."

Seeing the girl's extremely serious expression, Ritsu Narose was stunned.

After several seconds, he finally gave a distressed smile: "Yes, we are friends."

In some ways, relationships between friends are no different from any other. It's precisely because of this give-and-take that the so-called "friendship" can continue to grow.

If only one party gives and gives, they probably can't become lifelong friends, right?

The gloom in his heart was wiped away by the light, and Naruse Ritsu realized that his behavior just now was a bit embarrassing. However, embarrassing himself in front of his friends didn't seem to be a big deal.

Suddenly, Naruse noticed that Deng's cheeks had turned a shy blush. Only then did he realize that he had been staring at her for a little too long.

Awkwardly looking away, Naruse Ritsu waited a moment before speaking: "Deng wants to become a human so that he can find friends who can accept and understand him, right?"

"Um……"

Gao Songdeng nodded, not feeling embarrassed about having his wish spoken out loud by others.

Human beings cannot survive alone without the collective.

From ancient times, this individually weak race had teamwork woven into their DNA in order to survive. Even in modern civilized society, no one, no matter how stubborn, could truly say, "I can survive on my own."

No one can resist the suffocating feeling brought by loneliness.

That's why Gao Songdeng longs for companionship and longs for a pair of hands to pull her out of her lonely world.

So now that he is her friend, will Deng still feel lonely? He couldn't say such arrogant words that would make people laugh.

He is not the creator who is so crazy with love that even God is fascinated by him, and Takamatsu Deng is not a statue of a girl who simply accepts love and waits for God to give her a soul.

because--