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

Chapter 43 The person I most want to be with me forever

"I don't really like it. There's a game in front where you use a net to catch small fish, and there's also target shooting, pitching, and so on. How about it? Are you interested in these?"

Loud laughter came from the front; the people playing were laughing wildly. These sounds made Goto Ichiri feel very uneasy.

Feeling Goto Ichiri's resistance, Takahashi Kaede continued to lead her forward.

"I used to watch other people play it. They were all very happy, laughing and playing. Sometimes I felt itchy, but every time I tried it, I felt, 'Ah, how can it be so fun to play it at this level?'"

Goto Ichiri listened to Takahashi Kaede silently.

"Don't think I'm being self-righteous. I really thought so at the time. I didn't understand why they were so happy."

Gao Qiaofeng kicked the stone in the middle of the road away.

"At that time, I always played alone. Later, I understood why those happy people were so happy."

“Why are they so happy?”

After hearing what Takahashi Kaede said, Goto Ichiri became a little curious.

“Because it’s fun to play with good friends, and it’s fun to play with family.”

"A lot of things are like this. As long as there are people you care about around you, you can always find fun in them."

Takahashi Kaede concluded with emotion.

"Will Feng be happy playing with me then?"

"I think so, but you don't have to force yourself. It's fun to walk together. After all, our situations are different."

Takahashi Feng didn't want Goto Ichiri to force herself to do anything for him, and it really felt good for the two of them to just go shopping together.

Walking while watching the movements of people around you and listening to their conversations gives you a sense of being out of the loop.

He felt great.

Continuing to walk forward, Goto Ichiri found that the people around her were walking in the same direction as her.

Everyone seemed to have a common goal and was moving forward like an army, albeit at a very slow pace.

Stepping onto the wooden bridge, the hard uppers of my snow boots collided with the old bridge surface, making a "bang bang" sound.

As I walked forward, the sound was gradually drowned out by human voices.

"Ah, there's a blockage ahead."

Gao Qiaofeng stopped and looked back.

Goto Naoki and Goto Michiyo followed closely behind, holding skewers in their hands, which seemed to be newly bought.

It seems that Gaoqiao Feng and the others are indeed walking slowly.

Goto's parents saw the huge crowd ahead and quickly followed because they were worried that their two children might get lost.

"There are still too many people ahead. Let's go together. Yili, are you okay?"

The noise around him had reached a certain level, but Goto Ichiri didn't feel much at all. This might be because he couldn't make out what others were saying at all.

But Takahashi Feng knew that it was not a good idea to just hold Goto Ichiri's hand and squeeze into the crowd.

"Let's go to the side."

Leading everyone, he walked towards the muddy field with lush vegetation nearby.

Although it was a muddy ground, there was a stone-paved road on it. Walking along the stone road, everyone soon arrived at a viewing platform.

In fact, the place in front where many people are crowded is where you can see the fireworks most directly, but it is not the closest and you can see the best. Sometimes you can see the panoramic view of the fireworks better from a farther distance.

They were very lucky because the location of the fireworks explosion was carefully designed and could be seen from the observation deck.

There were only some trees with colorful lights hanging around the observation deck, and there were very few people. Takahashi Kaede pulled up the brim of Goto Ichiri's hat again.

"There's no one around. It's okay."

Comforting Goto Ichiri who was looking around warily, Takahashi Kaede discovered that there were seats for tourists to rest on this observation deck.

“Great, there’s even a place to sit!”

Goto Michiyo sat on it happily. She was tired after walking for so long.

Everyone sat down one after another, and Takahashi Kaede also let go of Goto Ichiri's hand.

The floor of the observation deck was made of rectangular wooden planks, and underneath was the river, flowing towards the wooden bridge they had just walked across.

There is always a breeze blowing by the river at night. Due to the large specific heat capacity of water, the wind by the river is not as biting as in winter, but feels very comfortable instead.

Quietly enjoying the wind and watching his parents chatting with Takahashi Kaede, Goto Ichiri suddenly felt the joy of going out to play.

"By the way, Xiao Feng, where are you going to elementary school?"

Goto Naoki asked expectantly.

"I think he went to the same elementary school as Goto-san."

"That's great. It's a good thing to have friends who go to the same school as you, no matter what grade they are in. This way, you won't be afraid of being in an unfamiliar environment."

She can also help take care of Goto Ichiri, as he is worried about his daughter going to school alone.

"Ah."

After gently agreeing, Gao Qiaofeng looked at the river.

It was night time now, and the river was pitch black, like a bottomless hole. Even if one stared hard with one's eyes one could not detect the flow of the river.

He suddenly thought of Ryoko again, wondering if she had finished her overtime work.

"Look! It's fireworks!"

Someone nearby shouted, and everyone looked at where he was pointing.

A bright light streaked towards the highest point in the sky, and suddenly disappeared.

But just when people were wondering if the firework had misfired.

"boom!"

Huge fireworks bloomed in the sky, like an autumn golden chrysanthemum, with bright and enchanting petals, blooming its fleeting beauty in the night sky.

Goto Ichiri stared blankly at the sky, the shapes of the fireworks reflected in his eyes as blue as the sea.

"so beautiful."

Goto Ichiri murmured.

Although it was not as spectacular as the fireworks he saw in his previous life, Takahashi Feng truly felt an unspeakable power, like "hope".

He wished Ryoko was here now. If she had seen the fireworks, she might not be so tired.

Goto Ichiri also felt the power conveyed by this spectacular beauty.

One after another, flowers burst into the air, and the whole sky was covered with colorful light. Even though it was only fleeting, at this moment, it seemed that the stars were no longer lonely.

Ignoring the fireworks in the background, Goto Ichiri looked at Takahashi Kaede, the person who usually treated her the most gently and patiently, but was now surrounded by fireworks.

Goto Ichiri suddenly hoped that Takahashi Feng could stay with her for a very long time, so long that even when she grew up, Takahashi Feng could still stay with her.

Goto Ichiri suddenly grabbed Takahashi Kaede's hand. Takahashi Kaede thought that she was holding his hand because she was afraid of the loud noise of the fireworks exploding.

Feeling the coolness of Goto Ichiri's hand, Takahashi Kaede held it tighter.

Feeling his hand being held tightly and a warm current coming from it, Goto Ichiri suddenly understood what Takahashi Kaede had said before. Sometimes happiness is not because the game is fun, but because of the people who play the game with you.

Fireworks are not the source of her warmth. What makes her feel at ease is the people who watch the fireworks with her...

......

Chapter 1 Please

"It's so big, can it fit in the back seat?"

Seeing Goto Michiyo stuffing the big bear wrapped in plastic into the back seat, Takahashi Feng was a little scared.

From his perspective, it was just two giant beasts wrestling with each other.

Originally they wanted to put it in the trunk, but Goto's mother said it was unclean and insisted on putting it in the back seat.

He wanted to say that it was already wrapped in a plastic bag, so it would be okay even if it was stuffed in the back, but seeing how hard Goto's mother was trying to stuff it, Takahashi Kaede couldn't say anything.

He pushed his body in first, then pressed the bear's head to close the door, and Takahashi Kaede and Goto Michiyo sat in the front seat of the car.

Just now on the way back from watching the fireworks, Goto Ichiri fell asleep in Takahashi Kaede's arms because she was too sleepy, so when they got back he put her directly on the bed to let her rest without sending Takahashi Kaede home.

As a genuine child, he has been active since the afternoon and it is time for him to rest. Takahashi Kaede expressed understanding that Goto Naoki did not accompany Ichiri home because he had to take care of him.

After fastening my seat belt and looking back, the white bear lying on the back seat looked like a drunk Russian man, quite oppressive.

I felt a slight push on my back as the car started in the dark, snowy night. There were obviously fewer people on the street than before. I guess they all went home to be with their families.

"Auntie, I want to ask you something about Goto-san."

After a short silence, Gao Qiaofeng suddenly spoke.

"What's wrong, Xiao Feng? Just tell me."

"Has she always been so afraid of people, or has something happened to make her so social...introverted?"

Feeling that social phobia was a bit exaggerated, Takahashi Kaede changed it to introversion.

"Um......"

Goto Michiyo thought for a while, as if recalling something.

"As far as I know, the only bad things she had experienced were playing alone at school and not making friends. There was no sign of any problem before she was sent to school."

"I was the one who took care of Yili until she started school. Since I don't like going out that much, I hardly ever took her out to play, except for pushing the stroller around to say hello to neighbors."

"Naoki doesn't often play with Ichiri because he has to work..."

As Michiyo continued to talk, she began to notice something.

"Maybe it's because I didn't have much contact with people of my age before, which led to my current situation."

Michiyo Goto said with much regret that as a mother, she saw that her child could not grow up well and she kept her anxiety in her heart.

If it was because of her, she didn't know how to get over it.

Takahashi Feng shook his head.

"No, it's just one of the reasons among millions, but it's neither strong nor rare."

He sighed. This was definitely not the reason. Not playing well with peers before going to school led to social awkwardness after school. It had nothing to do with fear.

Goto Ichiri was the one who shook like a sieve whenever a stranger spoke to her, which was completely different.

"The child's father and I often discuss this issue, but in the end there is no good result."

The car slowly stopped at the intersection. The street was dark and the street lights only provided a meager amount of light, which attracted a few light-seeking insects to surround it.

"Xiao Feng, we would like to ask you for a favor, can you help Yili?"

Goto Michiyo lowered her head and asked the child sitting in the passenger seat in a very humble manner.

She and Goto Naoki tried countless ways to make Goto Ichiri live happily in school. They spent a lot of energy on this, but none of them were as effective as the child in front of them.

Maybe some children’s problems need to be solved by people who are also children. For the sake of her own daughter, Michiyo did not hesitate to bow to the child in front of her.

It’s not that adults cannot bow to children, but there are few cases of adults bowing to children.

It seemed that nature heard Goto Michiyo's request. As she made the request, a strong wind blew outside the window, making the car rattle, and then the sound stopped and the wind died down.

"I......"

"Too heavy?"

"No, I understand what you mean. You still hope that I can help Goto-san in those aspects. I am indeed willing to help. After all, she helped me without hesitation at that time."

Takahashi Feng thought of the smiling face of Goto Ichiri when he offered to help without hesitation when he proposed to get Ryoko's approval of his plan.

"But I'm not sure. I don't have the confidence that Goto-san can overcome his fear and take the initiative to make friends."

"How could that be? You learn things so quickly..."

Goto Michiyo expressed her disbelief, but immediately realized that the person in front of her was also a child. If they, the adults, couldn't handle something, how could a child be sure of it?

"It's not the same thing. People's psychology is very complicated. Just like people know that learning can make their lives better, or at least boost their spirits, but there are still many people who rush into self-consumption. They are worried all day long, but they never get tired of it."