Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

As long as Shoko Toyokawa still has such a smile.

Then Crychic should never end.

It's just a little harder.

Tired, he expressed his inner thoughts in this way.

When the train arrived at the station, Hibiki Iruma was stunned for a moment. After a while, he walked out of the train and headed towards Shoko Toyokawa's house.

"Xiang got off the bus?"

"Ah."

"How about I come meet you at the station?"

"The shoes Xiangzi is wearing today are not suitable for walking."

"Eh?"

Even Toyokawa Shoko didn't notice that she was wearing sandals that she rarely wore on weekdays.

They are definitely not the kind of shoes suitable for walking.

"So Xiangzi, just wait for me here. I'll check out the nearest store—"

"ring……"

Such a small concern made Toyokawa Shoko happy in an instant.

For her, the joy at this moment surpassed all the previous troubles.

30 【I want to be with Xiang tonight】

There were some dark parts of the road at night, and light footsteps could be heard in the darkness that was not illuminated by the street lights.

Shoko Toyokawa is actually a little unfamiliar with going out at night.

She actually had the access control system that all big families had.

From childhood to adulthood, she could probably count on one hand the number of times she had wandered the streets of Tokyo late at night.

So when the footsteps sounded, Toyokawa Shoko was a little nervous. She lowered her head and looked at her sandals. She was in a hurry to go out, so she didn't go to the closet to get socks, but hurried to the entrance to put on her sandals.

This combination of bare feet and sandals made Toyokawa Shoko a little uncomfortable. Although she was not a conservative traditional lady, she rarely wore this kind of dress outside.

And this private clothes.

This was a new purchase for Toyokawa Shoko. She probably decided to buy this dress after reading the love manual that talked about how to capture a lover's heart.

Just removed the tag today.

It's my first time wearing it.

【Will Hibiki like it? 】

Such thoughts filled Toyokawa Shoko's heart.

Naturally, Toyokawa Shoko also hoped that Iruma Hibiki would be the first to see her private clothes.

The sound of steady footsteps approached from the further end of the street.

The large area of Toyokawa Residence makes the corners with insufficient light too dark.

Shoko Toyokawa shrank a little towards the door with a little fear.

until--

There was a familiarity in the frequency of the footsteps. The figure gradually approached the light, and a faint outline appeared in the darkness.

Shoko Toyokawa's eyes lit up, like an elementary school student running to the cafeteria, a junior high school student rushing to the arcade after school, a high school student who heard that there was a new adult magazine in Toranoana, Akihabara, or a college student who heard about the girls' university social gathering. Shoko Toyokawa started running with all her anticipation and excitement.

The sandals don't fit my feet well and are not suitable for running. It's probably because the soles are a bit hard but thin, which makes my feet vibrate when I run and makes it inconvenient to move.

I can't run fast, and I can't make any big movements.

If you walk for a long time, it will hurt the soles of your feet.

"ring."

But Toyokawa Shoko just ran towards the darkness where the lights of the Toyokawa residence could not illuminate her, and then—

Iruma Hibiki felt a sense of weight.

Compared to him, Toyokawa Shoko is petite and cute.

In fact, the height difference between Toyokawa Shoko and elementary school students is perhaps only about 10 centimeters, which means that her figure is somewhat recognizable. If you don't believe it, you can compare her with Kaname Rakuna, who is currently in the first grade of junior high school.

The conclusion must be that Xiangzi is an elementary school student, while Yao Lena is a standard junior high school student.

So, for Iruma Hibiki, her flying pounce was within his reach.

But even though he caught the girl, Iruma Hibiki still kept a certain distance from Toyokawa Shoko and did not hug her.

Even if lovers have been apart for a long time, such a hug is very common when they reunite.

But for Hibiki Iruma, he has some concerns.

For example, would long-distance travel make the smell of his body become a little strange?

He could even smell the pungent smell of disinfectant on his body, so he didn't want it to bother Shoko Toyokawa who was flying towards him.

At this moment, Iruma Hibiki noticed that Toyokawa Shoko had some light makeup on her face.

It looked like it was just a temporary make-up. Based on what Iruma Hibiki learned from Chihaya Aine, this was just a temporary make-up done outdoors.

But no matter what, Toyokawa Shoko's heavy makeup, light makeup and temporary makeup are actually very suitable, and there is no possibility that she will be less cute or less beautiful because of this.

At least in Iruma Hibiki's eyes, Toyokawa Shoko is always bright and charming.

It's like moonlight.

On a cloudy night, it is like holding the pipa with half of her face covered.

In the clear night sky, it is bright and beautiful.

Even if there is no heavy rain, the moon is still bright in my heart.

In short, as a lover, Shoko Toyokawa is an incredible existence for Hibiki Iruma, and it makes him feel lucky and happy.

Perhaps there is also a slight sense of inferiority hidden in it.

Just like at this moment, he wanted to hug but kept some distance.

But when the hand holding came immediately afterwards, Hibiki Iruma did not avoid it.

When Toyokawa Shoko extended her hand, it was very relaxed, without any strength, neither a clenched fist nor a tense palm.

Her hands didn't feel the same as Nagasaki Suyo's.

The skin on Nagasaki Motoyo's left hand is relatively hard, and there are some scars left by previous practice, but her right hand is extremely soft, feels good to touch, and is often warm.

However, there was no such contrast in Toyokawa Shoko's hands. Her hands had become slightly rough after years of practice. Despite careful care, some marks on them could not be erased.

When Iruma Hibiki held it, he couldn't help but think of the time when he played galgame in his previous life.

He remembered that when he was playing "White Album", he saw the male protagonist describe Touma's hands as rough.

At that time, Iruma Hibiki had no sense of reality at all.

Never mind the rough hands.

His only impression of girls' hands was probably the female models in clothing stores that he touched when he was a child.

But at this moment, he felt for the first time what was described in the galgame.

Then——

Shoko Toyokawa slightly crossed her fingers with his, and at this moment, the two of them holding hands turned into clasped hands.

Iruma Hibiki was slightly surprised by this.

But by the time he reacted, he felt the force coming from Toyokawa Shoko on his palm.

The moment when that slightly cold, uneasy palm was pressed against his hand almost without any gap.

Iruma Hibiki's surprise disappeared.

He held Toyokawa Shoko's hand in return.

Holding hands is a magic that only lovers can have.

A virgin would never understand.

Because at the moment of holding hands, humans will truly rely on each other.

"Hibiki... I'm a little shy... I've seen this kind of hand-holding online before, but this is my first time in person."

A blush appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face.

It wasn't very obvious under the night light, but it couldn't escape the eyes of those who only had eyes for her at the moment.

"I……"

The words that Iruma Hibiki was about to say stopped at his lips.

In fact, at this moment he subconsciously wanted to say:

【This is my first time too.】

But, no matter how you look at it, this is all a lie.

The first time, the person who held hands with him, the Reimu!, was actually Nagasaki Soyo.

"ring?"

Toyokawa Shoko's question came, and Iruma Hibiki subconsciously prepared to end the previous topic.

"Is there any place Xiangzi wants to go?"

Hibiki Iruma asked.

Shoko Toyokawa was wearing a little thin clothes tonight.

So no matter how you look at it, standing on a street like this is not a good choice.

What's more, Xiangzi's physical fitness is at the level of an idiot, and Iruma Hibiki knows it. While waiting for him, her feet must have been sore from standing.

What's more, Toyokawa Shoko is a girl.

Since she is a girl and a young lady, she will naturally care about her clothes and will not lean against the wall on the side of the road to save energy.

"I don't know. What about Xiang? What are your plans for tonight? The shop from before? Or something else? I want to spend the whole night with Xiang, is that okay?"

Shoko Toyokawa's words were very sweet.

Very naive.

Smile brightly.

I never thought about the shock and hurt that such language would bring to a virgin boy in his puberty.

Fortunately.

Hibiki Iruma would not misunderstand Shoko Toyokawa.

He could feel that Toyokawa Shoko's joyful heart was filled with longing, dependence, and pure love, just like the moonlight.

Even a bustling city like Tokyo will have moments of silence under the moonlight.

31 【I like you】is not necessarily just a confession

Tokyo actually has many great places to go at night, but there are fewer places suitable for couples to date.

Of course, don't give an answer like "love hotel" to this question.

Hibiki Iruma was not prepared.

Toyokawa Shoko is even more so.

For them, this is a little early.

So, the place where I can spend the whole night is——

Iruma Hibiki didn't want to go home. Although he was very tempted to go to the Seaside Park, Toyokawa Shoko was dressed too thinly. He was not a fool to take a girl like that to the beach.