Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

I can't say such words.

【My affairs have nothing to do with Su Shi. 】

It is even more difficult to say such words.

So complicated and hesitant.

Like a hedgehog.

There was blood everywhere, but they needed each other.

Perhaps the sharp thorns that pierced each other's hearts also became a bridge of the heart in some special way. On it, the flowing blood mixed, and thus humans who could not communicate with each other's hearts began to try to understand each other.

Iruma Hibiki felt that this was the situation between him and Nagasaki Soyo at the moment.

His fingers trembled.

The warmth of Nagasaki Suyo's body on the skirt was fleeting, but he couldn't calm down when he thought that this was Nagasaki Suyo's property.

I tried to thread the needle more than ten times but failed.

I swallowed my saliva until my mouth became dry.

She should be very skilled at sewing, but at this moment she is as unfamiliar as a novice.

Iruma Hibiki held the sewing kit bought by Nagasaki Suyo, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.

Until, Kara——

There was a sound beside him. It was the sound of a plastic bag containing something crunchy.

When Hibiki Iruma looked up, he saw Suyo Nagasaki struggling with a popsicle.

It was a double serving of popsicles, and its biggest selling point was probably that it could be eaten by two people after being opened.

Iruma Hibiki and Goto Ichiri had eaten there many times before.

It had a somewhat crispy texture, Hibiki Iruma remembered.

Then, after another failed attempt at threading the needle, Nagasaki Suyo handed over one of them.

That one wasn't perfectly disassembled.

Nagasaki Suyo is not an expert in this field. It is better to say that this is her first time making it. She bought this only because she saw its label when she passed by the freezer:

【A crunchy treat to share with your loved ones! 】

15 The bond that cannot be fastened together

The school emblem button of Tsuki no Mori is very delicate, with a metal part, but the parts near the edge and inside are made of a warm material. Perhaps the texture was considered at the beginning of the design. It is slightly heavy, but has a hint of warmth on the back.

The button holes were rare; it was a six-hole button, unevenly distributed. Hibiki Iruma stroked the obvious gaps on the surface and smiled gently.

This layout is very strange.

[Xiang, you've already learned how to sew two-hole and four-hole stitches, and you know how to sew both straight and cross stitches. So, do you know how to sew this button?]

When memories flood back, it is probably the most bitter time for Hibiki Iruma.

He knew—

First, connect the two farthest holes, and sew a line through them using the straight line method.

The thin black lines flipped in Iruma Hibiki's hands, and then the first set of lines was completed.

Then, starting from the hole that was just sewn slightly lower, complete the sewing of two groups of slightly diagonal lines on the left and right sides.

After this step is completed, the sewing thread on the button has turned into a downward arrow, and then comes the last step -

Connect the two symmetrical holes with slightly smaller gaps about 1/3 of the way up the arrow, and a simple anchor-shaped decorative stitching is completed.

Subconsciously, when she finished sewing, Hibiki Iruma slightly raised the needle and thread and pressed the skirt towards her face.

This was his subconscious action.

It was also natural for him who learned sewing from his mother.

but--

This time, the object for sewing was not useless scraps of fabric, nor his clothes, but Nagasaki Suyo's skirt.

Click——

The moment the sound of the wire breaking was heard, some air filled Iruma Hibiki's nostrils.

That was the fragrance of the pine forest, the incense that Nagasaki Suyo used on the day she came. Of course, the fragrance had changed slightly, after all, Nagasaki Suyo had gone through too much time on the long journey.

Iruma Hibiki stood there in a daze.

The thread broke, but the button was sewn very firmly, leaving only the last small thread end, which is usually burned with a lighter to complete the job.

But Iruma Hibiki was unable to do this last step.

He was a little embarrassed, a little worried, and even looked a little frightened.

[What should I do if Su Shi thinks I'm a pervert? ]

This was his first thought.

The sewing bag that Nagasaki Suyo bought was the most advanced one, probably because for her who didn't know how to sew, sewing buttons must be an extremely difficult and arduous battle, so she naturally bought the most complicated one.

Among them was a pair of scissors specially made for sewing. They were not ordinary scissors, but shuttle-shaped sewing scissors that applied pressure from both sides to the blades with only the inner edge.

It looked at Iruma Hibiki.

Iruma Hibiki also looked at it.

How come I didn't realize I could use scissors!

The moment such regret appears, it is probably too late.

Iruma's ringing phone lit up.

"Thank you, Xiang. I'll take good care of this skirt from now on. I'll go change it—"

Yes, pajamas are an emergency measure after all. No one will come in or out of the single room at midnight, but someone will definitely come tomorrow morning.

correct--

Iruma Yoshiaki will also be there by then.

How can I explain Nagasaki Suyo's existence to my father?

Click——

The sound of Nagasaki Suyo closing the door was heard, and Iruma Hibiki looked in the direction where Nagasaki Suyo left with a hint of worry and trouble.

Compared to the embarrassing troubles, the accumulation of troubles at the moment is the real problem.

But at this moment, Iruma Hibiki was a little too tired.

So when Nagasaki Suyo came back, Iruma Hibiki started the classic nodding and dozing off gesture.

The coolness of the mint popsicles could no longer overcome the sleepiness, especially the fatigue that came from the heart.

Nagasaki Suyo came to Iruma Hibiki and moved slightly closer to him.

The button on Iruma Hibiki's shirt was sewn very well, and Nagasaki Suyo felt a sense of security below her belly. She would touch the button with her hand from time to time.

Then——

The cunning Nagasaki Suyo moved closer to Iruma Hibiki's arm and gently guided the sleepy boy towards her shoulder.

Until Iruma Hibiki fell asleep there.

[So this is what it feels like to be leaned on by someone... Was Xiang also this happy that day? ]

In her heart, Nagasaki Suyo thought so.

The moment she was needed, her heart was slightly filled with something, and something that had been empty for a long time began to be replenished.

It was like a refreshing rain after a severe drought. Even if people were covered in mud, they would run excitedly in the rain.

Nagasaki Suyo once again appeared where Iruma Hibiki needed her most.

Relying on Iruma Hibiki.

Needed by Iruma Hibiki.

Nagasaki Suyo took on the responsibility of checking every half an hour.

Although this responsibility is a bit heavy, as someone who has received some aristocratic education, she naturally understands the importance of not interfering in certain matters and protecting herself.

but--

This time is different.

Nagasaki Suyo replaced Iruma Hibiki in the inspection. She stretched out her other hand to take pictures of some difficult-to-see places.

As for Hibiki Iruma—

He woke up with a start after his cell phone vibrated, and when he woke up he saw the smiling Nagasaki Suyo working hard for him.

[Xiang can sleep a little longer, it should be fine, but I might need to change the water soon.]

His grandmother's saline solution has to be hung until 4 a.m. every day recently, which is why the caregivers can't sleep well and why Yoshiaki Iruma completely cannot trust the caregivers.

For important family members, no accidents are allowed to happen. This is roughly the family motto of the Iruma family.

And at this moment, Iruma Hibiki was experiencing this for the first time without being the target.

[Sorry, Sushi, I just—]

My shoulders aren't as broad as Xiang's. Is Xiang sleeping uncomfortably?

Nagasaki Suyo's smiling question killed Iruma Hibiki's answer.

Under the blue screen, Iruma Hibiki could see Nagasaki Soyo's smile.

She doesn't stay up late, and at this moment in the midnight her eyes are blooming with beautiful brilliance, dazzling, eye-catching, gentle and elegant.

Do you want to answer [comfortable]?

Do you want to answer [uncomfortable]?

Neither of these two answers is acceptable.

Even if it is a compromise, it is actually an answer that leans towards [uncomfortable]. No matter how you look at it, it is taking advantage and being ungrateful.

Iruma Hibiki hesitated for a long time without typing anything. He knew that at this moment Nagasaki Suyo was looking at his phone. When the two chose to communicate in this way, they gave each other the right to intervene in this somewhat private space.

Or rather, from the very beginning, Nagasaki Suyo gave him such right.

He is still keeping a distance from Nagasaki Suyo.

It's as if he is still trying to do it at this moment.

[Thank you, Sushi. Sorry, my actions just now were a bit rude...]

"Besides my mother, this is the first time someone has fallen asleep on my shoulder. Hibiki's sleeping form is surprisingly adorable—"

Nagasaki Suyo responded, breaking the awkwardness.

It was as if she was some super love master, a mature wife who could easily shatter a man's delusion of virginity.

Of course, these are all nonsense.

In the dim light of the cell phone, Nagasaki Suyo's face was also stained with a little red.

until--

[Sushi, it's better for us to keep some distance between us... Sushi, it's better to put your return to Tokyo on the agenda. I will send you to the station like last time.]

Iruma Hibiki said these words to Nagasaki Motoyo with some difficulty.

Yes.

Hedgehogs can ignore each other's sharp thorns and bloody wounds for the sake of warmth and mutual understanding.

But if one day, this pressure makes the thorn bend and about to break -

Then, the hedgehog, who cherishes its thorns just as it cherishes this warmth, will eventually come to its senses.

Just like the rules of survival in Iceland——

[Geothermal vents are warm and can alleviate the cold, but if you rely too much on them, you will lose the chance to escape the ice forever. (Note 1: This part is from Bear Grylls' documentary "Man vs. Wild")