Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

After learning about your situation, everyone in the class is planning to have a simple welcome party for you when you return! Didn't you miss the opening ceremony and the self-introduction session? We're planning to get to know you properly this time!

[This must be your credit, Hongxia.]

Iruma Hibiki smiled faintly.

My whole body felt as if it was soaked in hot water, and I felt weak.

The chat with Ijichi Hongxia was too easy and too pleasant. He felt as if every cell in his body had been reborn.

If you say——

Nagasaki Soyo is a kindred spirit, Toyokawa Shoko is her lover, and for Iruma Hibiki, Ijichi Nijika is the word "warmth" itself.

【I didn’t do anything special! 】

Ijichi Hongxia replied.

【Do not believe. 】

But Iruma Hibiki decisively refuted it.

He simply didn't believe that Ichichi Hongxia had no contribution in this matter.

"Ah, I can't hide it from Xiang after all. It was my suggestion, but everyone agreed! I'll organize my recent notes and lessons. Does Xiang have an address in Kyoto? Do you want me to send it to you? Or should I take a look at it when I get back?"

[Let's come back and take a look. I might have to trouble you, Hongxia, this time.]

【It doesn't matter. 】

[Actually, because of the noise, clang clang——]

After waiting for a while, Ichichi Hongxia sent a picture, which contained a transcript.

In my high school, such transcripts are actually very personal and will be strictly kept confidential. People will not deliberately talk about each other's grades and rankings for fear of hurting each other.

While not wanting to be hurt by others' comparison of their grades, everyone also tacitly agreed not to become the perpetrator.

Therefore, those who share report cards must be very close friends.

Ijichi Hongka's grades have always been good. Although she is not among the best, the evaluation of "good" is her bottom line.

Since the beginning of high school, her grades have improved dramatically almost every month. By the previous exam, Ijichi Hongxia's grades were already ranked among the best in the lower high school.

"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have gotten such good grades. I must have been so focused on helping Xiang that I listened carefully to every class. Speaking of which, the teacher even talked to me about career options today."

"Ijichi-san, do you want to get into a good university?" the teacher asked.

There has been a lot of news about Ichichi Hongxia.

As if expressing loneliness, they talked about various topics at school.

And Iruma Hibiki smiled slightly, imagining everything that happened in that classroom, from morning to night, from lunch to farewell under the sunset.

How did Hong Xia answer?

I hadn't really considered this at all. In fact, at first, I was thinking about not going to school after high school. My sister was busy, so it would be better to go home early to help.

[However, when asked this time, I was a little hesitant. Perhaps I still want to go to university.]

Speaking of which, Tokyo University is really great. Today, my teacher and I talked about Hibiki! He spent a lot of time explaining everything about Tokyo University, and I was really excited!

[Hongxia is also planning to apply to the University of Tokyo? ]

Iruma Hibiki asked with a laugh.

[Not confirmed yet! But...]

Ijichi Hongxia's words suddenly stopped, and after a few minutes she said the second half.

"I was thinking, it would be really fun to go to the same university with Hibiki! And then, in university, we could join the school band together or something like that—"

Looking at Ijichi Kouka who started fantasizing about the future too early, Iruma Hibiki's smile brightened a little. This was probably the most relaxed smile he had had recently.

[Well, it would be great if I could go to the same school as Hongxia for both junior high and university. I think so too.]

Iruma Hibiki responded.

"No matter how I think about it, junior high school is impossible! And if we went to the same junior high school, what would happen to Pochi-chan? If the ring doesn't sound, Pochi-chan will definitely die."

[Hmm? Did Ichiri tell you about our past?]

【ah! 】

Realizing that she seemed to have leaked the secret, Ijichi Hongxia screamed, then sent a cute emoticon to try to get away with it.

What did she say about me?

Iruma Hibiki asked with some concern and seriousness.

Perhaps he also had some malicious intentions of playing a prank on Ichichi Hongxia.

But soon, the cell phone rang, and a reminder came from Nagasaki Suyo.

Iruma Hibiki put down his phone.

The colors in the ward were a little gloomy. Because the incident happened suddenly and tensely, there were no flowers for decoration in front of the bed. The water in the empty vase had dried up, and a withered flower had long been hanging in it, its variety unrecognizable.

It's a cloudy day now, so of course there's no sunshine.

In the gray and white ward, there is only the struggle between life and death.

Hibiki Iruma handled everything skillfully.

At the end, his gaze lingered on that somewhat unfamiliar face for a moment—

"grandmother."

He called out to the person in front of him slightly.

Trying to find his anchor in this world.

[Pochi-chan once said something exaggerated, like Hibiki is her god.]

[Speaking of which sounds——]

[After everything is over, if you have time, how about updating some more 'Alien Composer' videos? Pochi-chan is really looking forward to it!]

Wait until Iruma Hibiki picked up the phone again.

The world finally regained some color.

10 Wakaba Mutsu being tortured

In the garden of Tsuki no Mori, Toyokawa Shoko picked up Wakaba Mutsu. In her impression, Wakaba Mutsu always had lunch with Nagasaki Suyo recently, and she even felt a little reluctant to intervene between the two.

So when she saw Ruoye Mu alone today, she was slightly surprised and astonished.

"Mu, why are you here alone? Where's Nagasaki-san?"

When talking about Nagasaki classmate, Toyokawa Shoko felt complicated emotions in her heart.

There is some bitterness and trouble.

There are also some things that are beyond our control.

She knew that for Hibiki Iruma, his first love was Nagasaki Suyo——

They've been through a lot.

Maybe there are some parts that neither she nor Hibiki Iruma can replace now. In fact, Toyokawa Shoko knows about Hibiki Iruma's feelings for Nagasaki Suyo and Nagasaki Suyo's feelings for Hibiki Iruma.

It is precisely because of this that she has been reluctant to think about Nagasaki Suyo recently.

Her good upbringing as a young lady at least taught her that she shouldn't show excessive concern for such unfounded matters, but the regret in her heart was real.

【Why didn’t I meet Xiang first? 】

Such thoughts would occasionally appear in the deepest part of Shoko Toyokawa's heart, unknown to anyone, like dust falling on the forest floor.

The past will not rise unless—

There was a hurricane that swept through the entire forest.

"Xiang, Su Shi has asked for leave."

Wakaba Mu's words were a little strange.

She first looked at Toyokawa Shoko, then earnestly said the name "Shoko", and then seriously told her where Nagasaki Suyo was going next.

"Su Shi asked for leave? Is he not feeling well?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked with a smile, and then sat next to Wakaba Mutsu.

"Mu's hair is messy, let me help him comb it."

Then——

As if fiddling with a doll, Toyokawa Shoko began to help Wakaba Mutsu comb his hair.

"No."

Wakaba Mu responded simply.

"Eh?"

Toyokawa Shoko showed a puzzled look. Ruoye Mu's direct response here was a bit strange and puzzling. Even for a moment -

Shoko Toyokawa felt a sense of distance.

"Then why did Nagasaki-san ask for leave?"

When Nagasaki Suyo's name was mentioned again, the dust deep in Toyokawa Shoko's heart was slightly lifted again.

She felt that she was definitely a little weird lately.

Have things at home affected her daily behavior?

Toyokawa Shoko, who was blaming herself in her heart, attributed her strange, irrational, and unethical mood, which would be written as a negative example in love books, to the recent bad environment at home.

Then she tried to comfort herself with the words of the ancient philosophers:

[Never make things difficult for the important people around you because of your own negative emotions.]

Thinking of this, Shoko Toyokawa cleared away the dust in her heart.

"Does Mu know where Nagasaki-san is?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked Ruoye V Yi Ni about Lin Qiliu Yinmu.

After all, she—

Even though she knew everything, she still couldn't control her emotions. She couldn't allow herself to ignore the situation of Nagasaki Suyo that Wakaba Mutsuki was hiding from her at this moment.

Yes, in the final analysis——

[No] Isn't the subtext of this answer that I know the truth, but I can't tell you Toyokawa Shoko?

Faced with such a situation, Shoko Toyokawa began to feel a little dissatisfied with Wakaba Mutsu.

There should absolutely be no such concealment in the relationship between her and Ruoye Mu.

"..."

Faced with Toyokawa Shoko's question, Wakaba Mutsu remained silent.

There was silence for a long time.

"I know Mu has his own secrets, too. I won't ask any more questions."

After realizing that she could not know the secret, Toyokawa Shoko became slightly angry. She gave up asking questions and did not blame anyone. Instead, she handed the small yellow-green comb decorated with turquoise musical notes to Wakaba Mutsu. Then, with Wakaba Mutsu's slightly shocked and pitiful look, she walked towards her class.

"Xiang..."

By the time he realized something and stood up, Toyokawa Shoko had already disappeared from Wakaba Mutsu's sight.

Until school is over——

Wakaba Mu was waiting at the school gate early, and then she saw Toyokawa Shoko also walking out alone.

"Greetings, Mu."

Toyokawa Shoko greeted Wakaba Mutsu as if nothing had happened.

"Xiang, do you want me to go to your place today too?"

Wakaba Mutsu asked Toyokawa Shoko.