Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

At this moment, even though Ruo Yemu still wanted to save something, all she could do was respond.

"I'm sorry for speaking so loudly to you just now, Xiao Mu. Can I help you comb your hair today too?"

"Not today, Xiang..."

When Toyokawa Shoko showed her usual kindness to Wakaba Mutsu, she was rejected by Wakaba Mutsu.

"Eh? Why?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked in confusion.

And Ruoye Mu thought for a while before replying:

"I remember Xiang as someone with a gentle smile."

……

An atmosphere of silence spread between the two.

The only difference is that for Shoko Toyokawa, she felt a deep sense of strangeness, as if the person in front of her was not as strange as Wakaba Mu.

And for Wakaba Mu.

At this moment, she felt deeply sad.

In fact, she initially thought that the formation of Crychic might be a good thing.

After all, Toyokawa Shoko showed a side of herself that made her laugh out loud.

It also became brighter.

The two of them spent more time together.

Anyway, it was a good experience during her time as a doll.

But now she felt it was a bad thing.

If I had known earlier that the cost of change would be this, wouldn’t it have been better to have nothing in the first place?

Wakaba Mu has his own thoughts.

He is definitely not as dull as he appears to be.

I think Mu actually has her own ideas, but she just lacks an opportunity. I just need to ask her more.

It was probably at this moment that Iruma Hibiki's words suddenly echoed in Toyokawa Shoko's heart.

There was a dead silence between the two for a long time.

"Xiangzi? Xiaomu? What are you doing here?"

Until the sudden appearance of Nagasaki Suyo broke the silence.

Otherwise, I'm afraid today's lunch gathering will end like this, with both sides suffering.

Ruoye Mu, what I want to say is actually very simple, just——

[Xiang, I don't want to hide this from Xiang anymore, because Xiang is going to break down.]

just.

Obviously, for Shoko Toyokawa, she doesn't want to see such an outcome.

"Su Shi? Hello."

Facing Nagasaki Suyo, Toyokawa Shoko was slightly surprised, but she maintained her courtesy, quickly controlled her emotions, and greeted Nagasaki Suyo.

When choosing a seat, Nagasaki Suyo chose to sit next to Wakaba Mutsu.

"When I came over just now, I saw Xiaomu and Xiangzi both looked very thoughtful. Did something bad happen?"

Nagasaki Suyo asked with a smile.

Her expression was particularly bright, as if something good had happened.

"It is nothing special."

Toyokawa Shoko refused to continue communicating on this topic and glanced at Wakaba Mutsu.

"Yeah, we were talking about Xiang."

As if it was a subconscious reaction, Wakaba Mu cooperated with Toyokawa Shoko in lying.

"Eh?"

……

Wakaba Mu's reply also made the smiling Nagasaki Suyo stunned.

She probably came here with the idea of not wanting to eat alone and wanting to join the band.

But Wakaba Mu mentioned the topic about [Iruma Hibiki], which she didn't want to mention at the moment.

"Haha, it's Xiang's topic? What happened to Xiang?"

Nagasaki Suyo tried to continue the conversation.

"Xiang and Xiang stayed all night."

"Eh?"

When Nagasaki Suyo showed a look of surprise for the second time and then looked at Toyokawa Shoko with wide eyes, she saw the blush on Toyokawa Shoko's face.

"Mu!"

Accompanied by Toyokawa Shoko's somewhat shy voice.

She looked at Wakaba Mu in disbelief.

As for Wakaba Mu.

Maybe the reaction now is [anger].

"Have Xiangzi and Xiang done it?"

"..."

When Nagasaki Suyo asked this question with a hint of indifference and a sincere voice, the scene fell into complete silence.

In any case, the atmosphere of lunch today could not be sustained.

"I...I won't accompany you anymore!"

With her face as red as a boiled shrimp, Shoko Toyokawa found an excuse for herself and immediately turned around and left the pavilion where they often had lunch.

"Wait, Xiangzi."

Then——

Nagasaki Suyo passed Wakaba Mutsu and chased after the running Toyokawa Shoko.

Of the three, only Ruoye Mu was left, opening his lunch box and eating his dinner.

39 Vacation in Kyoto and a Call from Chihaya Aine

Iruma Hibiki has reasons to stay in Kyoto, but he also has an urgent desire to return to Tokyo. However, all this is just missing some opportunity to speak up.

Just like for most people, it is always difficult to express gratitude to their parents, and when they decide to change their lives, they will also face some resistance from daily inertia.

I don’t want my family to say things like, “You’ve changed a lot recently.”

So it is natural that there is a bit of unnecessary hesitation and awkwardness before making the decision to change oneself.

It's like I'm having a fight with myself and my inner self.

It was not until the next morning, when Yoshiaki Iruma came to change shifts, that Hibiki Iruma got up. Then, in the empty hospital corridor in the early morning, he finally made up his mind.

"Father, I remember that in the past, our family would go back to our hometown in Kyoto in the summer to accompany Grandma..."

"Hmm? Yes, but later on, since you, Hibiki, didn't seem to like the countryside of Kyoto very much, we cancelled it."

……

At that time, the reason why Hibiki Iruma didn't like it was actually very simple.

At that time, he was grateful to his current family, but he also felt hatred for his sudden time travel.

He even thought about it.

If possible, he would rather have died in that car accident.

As long as that girl is still alive, it's enough.

So naturally, it was taken for granted that he could not feel any joy during his vacation in his simple hometown. In fact, the so-called rural life was also far away from him, and he had never felt any sense of reality about it.

But now, all this has changed slightly.

Experienced this.

Iruma Hibiki also made a slight decision about his family.

"Can we restore it to its original state in the future, at least before grandma dies? It's not that I don't like it, it's just the past, and I don't know how to accept it..."

Iruma Hibiki said to Iruma Yoshiaki.

Just these few words had already exhausted all his courage.

After all—

Perhaps, his experiences since high school have brought him many changes. If it were the old him, he would definitely not have the courage and perseverance to say these words at this moment.

"Xiang... well, let's do this. You've really changed a lot since entering high school. No, maybe it's not that you've changed, but that you've always been like this. Actually, although your mother always said that you were different from ordinary people when you were young, at that time, I always felt that you were too mature."

A smile appeared on Iruma Yoshiaki's face.

On the other hand, Hibiki Iruma showed a calm and slightly shocked expression.

Speaking of which——

In fact, in Iruma Hibiki's impression, every time something happened because of him, such as when he was hospitalized for observation and psychologists frequently intervened, it was his father who stepped forward to stop it.

And insist on using [family treatment].

When dealing with a psychologist, family therapy is always the first choice.

"Rest and get ready to go back."

Finally, the early morning chat ended and Iruma Hibiki set out on the road back to the hotel.

Probably on the way back, Iruma's cell phone rang in his pocket. He subconsciously took out his cell phone and answered the call.

"Xiangzi?"

Maybe it's because of recent inertia.

He subconsciously called out Toyokawa Shoko's name.

After all, the only person who would call him recently was Toyokawa Shoko, especially at this time. It couldn't be that something had happened to Shiina Ritsuki again, and their troublemaking seniors came to tell tales again, right?

Probably not.

Shiina Riki should be staying in Crychic while suffering now, right? Her problems will definitely not be underestimated when she returns.

After all—

He said, "I want to prove myself on a higher and farther stage with Shiina."

Do you really have the awareness and ability to take on the life of Tatsuki Shiina?

Of course, such thinking is a bit strange now.

"Well, I'm Xiangzi."

There was a strange voice coming from the other end of the phone.

Iruma Hibiki took the phone away, only to find that it was an international call from the UK, and the caller ID displayed on the phone was Chihaya Aine.

"It's not Xiangzi..."

"Hey! Hibiki, were you serious about that frustrated tone you just had?"

A voice full of energy came from Chihaya Aine's other end.

The climate in England today is similar to that in Kyoto. Chihaya Aine, wrapped in a scarf, stood outside the school corridor, slightly avoiding the sight of her classmates.

Choosing to call Iruma Hibiki was probably an unintentional act.