In the anime series, Goto Ichiri is actually my childhood sweetheart?

"Maple, do you know where Rikka usually goes?"

Touka's voice was very loud and a little breathless, as if she was walking on the street. Takahashi Feng could hear the "woooo" sound of the wind blowing in the background.

"Tell me what happened first. How can I understand the situation if you just tell me where she is going?"

There was silence on the other side of the phone.

"...Today is Christmas, and I don't want to trouble you and Ms. Ryoko. Just tell me where Rikka might be, and I'll go look for her right now."

Rikka's situation is very important, but she just needs to do her best. It would be too much of a psychological burden for Touka to trouble others, especially Takahashi Kaede.

"This is the Japanese mentality... How can you solve the problem without trouble? Rikka ran away from home in an emergency? Let me guess, did someone from your hometown force her to admit that her father had passed away?"

"Yes, Grandpa asked Liuhua to kowtow to her father's portrait in the house. Liuhua didn't want to, so her mother took her to her father's grave, hoping that she would give up. As a result, she ran away."

It seems that the conflict was intensified to the most serious level by this mother.

Takahashi Feng didn't know whether this mother was confident that she could convince Rikka, or was simply acting without thinking. She knew that her daughter had already suffered psychological trauma from this matter, but she still used the sharpest spike to pierce her broken heart.

Obviously, she doesn't care about anything normally. I remember that before Shihua left, her mother said that she wanted to send Rikka to her grandparents' house so that she could have a good rest. She was already planning to escape, so he couldn't figure out why she took Rikka to the cemetery.

But it doesn't matter anymore because it has already happened.

"Is she dressed properly? Hat, scarf, gloves, etc."

"There's nothing wrong with the clothes. They're put on."

Takahashi Feng felt a little relieved. In this situation, the weather is Rikka's biggest enemy. Hypothermia will make people numb, and when their ability to resist the cold is already insufficient, it will drag people into a deeper abyss.

"She had some money with her when she left, so she may have taken the train back. But I just went back to where she and her mother lived before, and I didn't find any trace of her... I can't imagine where Rikka would have gone."

Shihua told Takahashi Feng everything she had been thinking and what she had just done. Only then did she realize how ignorant she was about her sister.

Even though she was usually bought whatever she wanted and whatever her needs were met, from this moment on, it seemed that this was all done in a condescending manner, and she had not really sat on the same stool as an equal and had a serious communication with Rikka.

"I can't get through to the phone. I'm afraid he's back, but I don't know where he went, um..."

If they call the police now, they will definitely not accept the case because a missing person has to be missing for more than 24 hours before a case can be filed, which means they will have to rely on themselves to find Rikka.

Even if this is not a big place, it is still a city after all, with a population of hundreds of thousands or even millions. Finding a person running around in such a complex and vast area is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

"Why did you spend so much time on the phone outside? Ryoko told you to go back inside early because it's cold outside."

Takahashi Feng turned around and saw Goto Ichiri, wearing a cotton hat, standing behind him.

White steam came out of her mouth and she was shivering slightly because she was not used to the sudden change from the warm room to the cold outside.

"Xiao Feng, look up." Goto Ichiri thoughtfully wrapped the scarf he brought out of the house around Takahashi Feng's neck and tied a loose knot at the end. "Did something happen to Sister Juhua?"

"Yeah, Rikka ran away from home."

"Eh?! What happened? It's so cold, it's dangerous for her to walk outside alone!"

There may still be some people on the streets during the day, but now there is almost no one walking on the streets. Everyone is probably either staying at home to enjoy Christmas dinner or hiding in restaurants in shopping malls to keep out the cold.

"So I planned to help Sister Shihua find her. Sister Shihua suddenly left just now to look for Liuhua, but she hasn't found her yet."

Leading Goto Ichiri into the house, Ryoko and Machida Sonoko were chatting at the time. Takahashi Kaede picked up the down jacket hanging on the side and changed clothes quickly.

"It's snowing so heavily outside, where are you going, Xiaofeng?" Ryoko noticed Takahashi Feng's actions and asked in confusion.

Takahashi Feng briefly and quickly explained the situation to Ryoko. After that, he was mentally prepared to be complained by Ryoko, or even angry.

Ryoko had been looking forward to this Christmas Eve for a long time, and had been preparing for it for a long time, which could be seen from the fact that she took the initiative to prepare all the dishes on the table. After so much anticipation and hard work, Takahashi Kaede, the object of her efforts, left the table due to an inexplicable emergency. Anyone would be dissatisfied with this situation.

After waiting for a long time, the expected impatient wave did not appear, and Ryoko's reply was surprisingly gentle.

"Would you like us to come along?"

Ryoko asked with concern, she had yet to meet Touka's sister and she actually felt sorry to hear such bad news.

"No need, you guys just enjoy Christmas Eve, I'll go alone."

Gao Qiaofeng knew very well that they wouldn't be able to help much if they went there, so it would be better for them to stay at home.

"Then Xiaofeng, you should go find Rika as soon as possible. When you find her, just bring her home and we'll spend Christmas together. What has this child experienced that she would run away from home?" Ryoko waved her hand and told Takahashi Feng to set off quickly in a very generous manner.

"Ryoko..." Ryoko's understanding was beyond Takahashi Kaede's expectation. He was originally under some pressure, and now his only motivation was to find Rikka and spend Christmas together.

"Xiao Feng, I want to go too!"

"you......"

Looking at Goto Ichiri who was holding his head high with a determined look in his eyes, Takahashi Kaede didn't have the heart to refuse for a moment.

"Toriyu-kun is my classmate after all, and how can I let you run into the snowstorm alone!"

In her eyes, difficulties are something that everyone has to bear together. She cannot put all the pressure on Gaoqiao Feng alone.

Not only now, but also in the future, they will definitely encounter various difficulties that hinder their progress. Some of them may be easily handled by Gao Qiaofeng alone, but there will also be some that he cannot handle.

She must not let him stand alone in front of her, and she, Goto Ichiri, must also become a responsible person.

"Okay, it's too cold outside, you can wear my thicker clothes."

Goto Ichiri nodded, and Takahashi Kaede immediately took out the big cotton jacket from the room for her.

After putting it into the sleeves and zipping it up, Goto Ichiri felt a sense of security as he was wrapped up.

The effect is obvious. This clothing is excellent in both wind resistance and cold resistance.

Sniff...

Mm, it smells like Xiao Feng.

"You don't have to smell my clothes. They've been washed and are in the closet. They're not dirty." Takahashi Feng thought Goto Ichiri thought his clothes were dirty, so he reminded him.

Goto Ichiri buried his face in his collar and did not respond.

He closed the door, walked out of the building, took Goto Ichiri's hand, and opened an umbrella.

The search for the Liuhua team has officially begun.

Chapter 29 The Only Real Thing

Takahashi Kaede decided to go and take a look at the river where she and Rikka had previously walked.

The memory was still fresh. He remembered that not long ago, Liuhua dragged her there to look for the 'invisible boundary line'. Maybe she came back to find a place to relax.

It's not far from Takahashi Kaede's house, just a few stops by train.

Takahashi Kaede held an umbrella and walked side by side with Goto Ichiri in the snow.

Even if it was only a few stops away, they had to go through the wind and snow to get to the subway station.

"Xiao Feng, what we are doing now is very similar to the game you mentioned." Goto Ichiri held Takahashi Feng's hand and said softly.

The cold wind was like a clever elf. Even if she wrapped herself tightly, it could still find gaps to get in. Goto Ichiri felt a chill on her neck and tightened her clothes again.

"Long Night? That doesn't seem like it. Normally, the game cannot be played online. If you insist, it's Rikka who is playing this game."

It refers to a person walking in the wind and snow, with no one by her side. I wonder if she is so sad that she feels a little cold and lonely.

"We should go find her quickly. It won't be good if she gets sick if we stay outside all the time."

The two quickened their pace and soon got on the subway and arrived at the river they had just mentioned.

The temperature was not low enough to freeze the river, and the water was still flowing as usual, but it felt cold just looking at it.

The two searched along the riverside, and Gao Qiaofeng called out from time to time, but there was no response.

It should be said that it is not realistic to find Rokka directly by gambling on this kind of thing, and this river is very long and is an outflowing river. If you insist on looking along the river bank, you can end up in the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, after the road along the river was cut off by a bridge, the two gave up the idea of ​​finding Rikka here and hid under the bridge.

Takahashi Feng was running while shouting Rikka's name just now. Because he was wearing too many clothes and carrying too much weight, he was now extremely tired and sat on the pier at the bottom of the bridge, gasping for breath.

The water vapor in the exhaled breath turned into white mist in an instant when it encountered the extremely low temperature outside. Takahashi Feng took out his mobile phone and contacted Tohka.

From the text messages, I learned that Shihua was not idle just now.

She just contacted the teacher at school and told her that Liuhua had run away from home. The teacher was very competent and immediately contacted the security guard who was still in the school.

Today is a holiday, and there is no one else in the school except the security guard on duty. Usually, there are students who sneak into the campus to use the sports facilities inside, so the security guard walked around the campus with a flashlight in his hand, looking very familiar with the place.

But in the end, apart from catching a few students who ran into the campus without permission to play card games, no Rikka was found.

"It's really a headache. Where did this kid go? I hope nothing unexpected happened to her." Takahashi Feng murmured helplessly. He tried hard to think of where Rikka could have gone, but most of the places he could think of had already been to.

Goto Ichiri squatted aside, rubbing his little head hard, seeming to be thinking very hard.

Xiao Niaoyou doesn't have many friends in the class, so it's impossible for her to run to her friend's house. Xiao Feng just said that we can't think based on the premise that she runs around, otherwise we will be like a headless fly. If I encountered something very unfair and no one could help me, where would I go...

Gao Qiaofeng looked around in confusion. The sky and the earth were all white, and the green belt on the side was completely covered with ice and snow. No matter where he was, it was cold and there was no temperature at all.

He felt that if this situation were a TV drama, the male protagonist would definitely have to smoke a cigarette to think calmly, and then immediately come up with a solution.

But he doesn't smoke, and he can't come up with the answer just by thinking calmly.

The world is materialistic, and the answer to Rikka's position is unique and will not change because of Takahashi Kaede's inner thoughts.

The snow was still falling from the sky, but the wind seemed to have weakened a lot, and the howling sounds of ghosts and wolves that I heard when I first went out were no longer there.

"Do you think that Ms. Kotori has returned to her secret base?" Goto Ichiri suddenly said.

Gao Qiaofeng turned his head and looked at her seriously, as if he wanted to hear her opinion.

Goto Ichiri felt a little pressured, and after swallowing, he mustered up his courage and said:

"If, I mean if, you did something too much to me, Xiao Feng, and I felt very sad, I would definitely hide in the closet for a week, because this is the only place in the world that can accommodate me. If it was classmate Kotori, the only place I can think of that belongs to her alone is the secret base where we first met her."

"And now when I think about it, I find it very strange. When I met her in the park, Ms. Kotori said that she climbed up the frame to set up the swing by herself. But how could a slender elementary school girl do something that adults need tools to do...I find it weird anyway."

After describing Rikka Takanashi's mental activities from her own perspective, Goto Ichiri suddenly felt a little sad for Rikka.

"Xiao Feng, let's go look for it there. There's nowhere else to go anyway. We have to try our luck."

Goto Ichiri grabbed the hand of Takahashi Kaede, who was sitting there still thinking, and tried to pull him out with all his strength, but he couldn't pull him out.

Takahashi Feng's brain was thinking quickly, and while he was thinking, he didn't want to allocate his body functions to other unnecessary places.

"Yili, you are definitely a genius."

He suddenly stood up, spoke to Goto Ichiri with a burning gaze, then took her hand and prepared to return the same way.

"Let's go quickly, I have a feeling she must be there!"

"Eh??" Goto Ichiri screamed.

"Just now I was thinking about the feasibility of your statement, and the final conclusion is - it is completely consistent! It turns out that social phobia understands the psychology of introverted little girls better. I am still a layman."

Takahashi Feng pulled Goto Ichiri and walked straight on the road they had just come. Goto Ichiri staggered two steps, then immediately followed Takahashi Feng's pace.

"Actually...not really." Goto Ichiri was caught off guard by the compliment and suddenly felt a hint of warmth in this cold day.

The two of them were sitting on the subway on their way back, and Takahashi Feng was quite excited.

"If you really find it later, you will be the great hero of tonight and everyone will think you are amazing!" Gao Qiao Feng made the promise in advance.

"I...I think we should find it first." Goto Ichiri didn't buy it.

Making suggestions is an act that involves pressure, not to mention that people will invest costs in making your suggestions. If you end up saying the wrong thing, the psychological pressure will be great.

The tram arrived at the station and the two set off immediately.

Rikka's secret base is hidden in a small alley on the way to and from their elementary school. Japan's urban areas are interconnected and it is easy to get lost if you are not careful.

Fortunately, the two of them had walked this road together countless times, and even though many iconic buildings were covered in snow, they were still able to find their way from clues.

After turning left and right and going down a long slope, the two found the entrance to the park.

The big slide outside has been completely covered with snow. I remember that when I came here last time, there was some water in the slide and it was covered with dust. Now, nothing can be seen.

It can be said that whiteness can cover up ugliness.

Going around the slide, the two walked deeper into the park. Gradually, the creaking sound like the railings being shaken became more and more obvious, as if there was really someone inside.

"Kinoshita-san, what are you doing?!"

Goto Ichiri walks on the right side and can see the swing first.

Her excellent eyesight allowed her to immediately discover that Rikka Takanashi was clinging to the middle of the hanging swing railing and was trying hard to climb up. Her hands and face were pressed tightly against the cold subway pillar, and her legs were constantly clamped around the pillar and pushing down, but it seemed that she did not have enough strength and she was unable to successfully climb up even a little bit.

Rikka should have jumped onto the pole, but now she was in an awkward situation where she could neither go up nor down. Her motor functions, which she did not use very often, did not support her to jump down directly.

Goto Ichiri was afraid that Rikka would fall, so he quickly went over and supported her from the bottom, letting her slide down slowly.