Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Sushi has done enough."

Iruma Hibiki sighed.

Perhaps he was gritting his teeth, maintaining the last bit of balance and distance at this moment.

Nagasaki Suyo's attitude is actually very clear.

She was invading, and there were parts that Hibiki Iruma didn't want her to touch, or rather, there were parts that she couldn't touch.

Moreover, at this point, Iruma Hibiki probably knew it.

I don’t know how Nagasaki Suyo knew this, nor do I know how much she knows.

but--

Nagasaki Suyo might have known something about Toyokawa Shoko's affairs.

"ring……"

It was probably when she heard Iruma Hibiki say this that Nagasaki Suyo started to panic.

"Let's go, I'm going to go get my guitar. Do you want to come with me, Sushi?"

"Eh? Okay..."

Iruma Hibiki moved quickly.

Trying to change the subject and cover up one's anxiety in this way.

"Wait for me, Hibiki—"

But he went a little too far.

Nagasaki Suyo hurriedly took out her small bag from the basket beside the table, and then ran after Iruma Hibiki for two steps. She was wearing shoes that were not very convenient for walking today.

Then——

Maybe it was the inertia of the past, or maybe it was because of panic.

The moment Iruma Hibiki opened the door and greeted the cold wind outside, Nagasaki Suyo grabbed Iruma Hibiki's hand and hurriedly followed behind him.

09 Wakaba Mu's Anxiety

After all, what bad things can Hibiki Iruma say about Nagasaki Soyo?

In fact, if possible, Iruma Hibiki feels that Nagasaki Suyo is the person to whom she can confess everything.

Especially now, after both of them have faced what happened in the past...

Nagasaki Suyo probably no longer has any romantic feelings for herself.

Regardless of whether it is accurate or reliable, Iruma Hibiki always feels this way. Nagasaki Suyo's feelings towards him at this moment may be just like his feelings towards Nagasaki Suyo, just an attachment, a helpless and excessive attachment.

In fact, maybe if they had just been friends from the beginning instead of rushing into a relationship, the ending would have been better now, right?

That's what Iruma Hibiki thought until his hand was wrapped around by Nagasaki Suyo. When their fingers were intertwined, Iruma Hibiki saw that Nagasaki Suyo, who was chasing him in a hurry, suddenly lost her balance at the door because he stopped.

The glass sliding door stopped in the air, but was about to turn back and drew an arc, about to hit Nagasaki Suyo.

What came before any thought was Hibiki Iruma's subconscious action.

He used his other hand to protect Nagasaki Suyo, and then used his elbow to block the returning glass sliding door.

bang——

With a small sound, the glass sliding door was blocked, making a slight sound. Although this store is not a century-old store, it has been open for some time.

If Yamada Ryo were here, he would probably be able to tell you the exact opening time. In any case, this door is a bit old and makes an unpleasant noise when it vibrates.

Fortunately, there was no damage, it just attracted the attention of some people nearby.

-

Then, Iruma Hibiki felt a little warmth.

His action of protecting Nagasaki Suyo was, in a sense, very close to a hug.

And Nagasaki Suyo who suddenly stopped——

In fact, she definitely did not lose her balance. Although Nagasaki Suyo was a bit of a sports idiot, she was only at an acceptable level in the Moon Forest.

But when she saw Iruma Hibiki's actions, she was a little dazed for a moment.

The moment the glass sliding door closed, Nagasaki Suyo actually felt that she would be hit on the nose. She subconsciously wanted to dodge, but her body froze in place and she closed her eyes in fear.

But when Iruma Hibiki stopped and protected the person who was chasing her, Nagasaki Suyo felt the reassuring warmth again.

So she—

After a few seconds, I reacted.

Taking advantage of the situation, he leaned gently on Iruma Hibiki.

It seems that the afterglow of the past or the inertia left over from the days of lovers finally blossomed into the flower of evil in the interpretation of "Loss of Balance".

Nagasaki Suyo moved slightly twice in the arms of her lover Toyokawa Shoko, and gained the sense of security on which she depended for survival.

"Are you okay, Sushi?"

After bowing her head slightly in apology to the crowd watching her, Iruma Hibiki gently pushed Nagasaki Soyo away a little, maintaining the final distance.

No matter what, Nagasaki Suyo was already pressed close to him at this moment, and the tilted center of gravity made there was almost no space between the two of them.

"Yeah, it's okay, Xiang, you saved me..."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I left in a hurry and didn't wait for Su Shi."

Iruma Hibiki apologized.

And Nagasaki Motoyo also withdrew from this warmth at the right time.

After all, this warmth does not belong to her now, and it is something she cannot be too greedy for.

If you are greedy at this moment, you may lose it forever.

The two walked towards the station in silence. Although Nagasaki Suyo felt a little nostalgic, she had no reason to hold hands again. She just followed Iruma Hibiki half a step behind him uneasily.

It's approaching noon.

It's lunch time in Tsuki no Mori.

Today, Shoko Toyokawa probably has a hint of anticipation.

It's like a rare ray of sunshine in a rainy season.

Beside her, Ruo Yemu felt a little apprehensive——

She became a whistleblower.

A sense of crisis of rupture that came from nowhere enveloped Wakaba Mu.

Perhaps this is the ultimate expression of the fish-headed man's joy and the sorrow of others.

Shoko Toyokawa, who is still strong at the moment and is happy about the return of Hibiki Iruma, and the possibility of a slightly better future, sits face to face with Mutsu Wakaba, who has become an informer and is finding it difficult to face Shoko Toyokawa.

Fortunately, Ruo Yemu usually doesn't have any emotions or expressions.

The current disguise is just right.

Although Toyokawa Shoko noticed some of Wakaba Mu's emotions, after all, they had been friends since childhood. Even if it was just a pet dog, she could probably understand the meaning of some of its small movements, not to mention that Wakaba Mu was also a human being.

However, Shoko Toyokawa found a reason for Wakaba Mutsu.

Rather than believing that Wakaba Mutsu had betrayed her, Toyokawa Shoko would rather believe in other possibilities.

For example, Wakaba Mutsu's uneasiness is because of the subsequent "Haruhi no Kagome", or at this moment Wakaba Mutsu is actually looking forward to reuniting with Iruma Hibiki.

"Mu, what do you think of Xiang?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked.

"It's a little weird."

Wakaba Mutsu gave a response that made Toyokawa Shoko slightly dissatisfied.

"What's strange about that, Xiao Mu?"

Then——

Shoko Toyokawa's words made Wakaba Mutsu retreat a little bit unnoticeably. After all, Shoko Toyokawa's tone at this moment was a bit like that of Nagasaki Suyo, who had ulterior motives.

Although the two are very different.

But the reactions in some parts were strikingly similar.

"Hibiki, very caring."

"Is this a strange place, Xiao Mu?"

Toyokawa Shoko laughed again.

"Ah."

But then Ruoye Mu gave a positive answer.

"With this answer, it's actually Xiao Mu who's the weird one."

"Yeah, Xiang is right."

Wakaba Mutsu didn't explain.

I just agreed silently and enjoyed the lunch in my hand.

She observed Nagasaki Suyo quietly.

It was obvious that since she had reported the incident, Iruma Hibiki had not taken any action until now, and Wakaba Mutsu was actually feeling a little impatient because of this.

It wasn't until lunch time that Shoko Toyokawa became a little silent.

Only then did Wakaba Mutsu dare to secretly glance at Toyokawa Shoko.

Toyokawa Shoko was looking at her mobile phone at the moment, and Wakaba Mu noticed that she was browsing Nagasaki Suyo's blog.

"Xiang."

"What's wrong, Xiao Mu?"

With Wakaba Mu's reminder, Toyokawa Shoko finally came back to her senses.

"..."

Wakaba Mutsu looked at Toyokawa Shoko with a hint of concern.

"If it's about that, it's better not to ask Xiao Mu."

"You should be very clear about my situation."

Then——

Sure enough, Toyokawa Shoko acted with a slightly indifferent attitude.

"Xiang..."

"Mu, you should have kept it a secret for me, right?"

Toyokawa Shoko confirmed what she cared about most at the moment.

Perhaps only at this moment did she reveal her very uneasy side.

She bit her lips tightly and curled up in place.

It's like a melon bull that retreats into its shell when hurt.

This time, Ruo Yemu didn't say anything, but just turned her head and nodded slightly. Her light green hair reflected a gentle and soft light in the sunlight.

"Mu, if everyone knew about this and started to laugh at me, I might really... not be able to hold on any longer."

Then, Toyokawa Shoko said this.

10 The gap between him and Shiina Riki

Flipping through the notebook in his hand, Shiina Riki faced the same past again.

Because her path to higher education was already determined, the rest of her junior high school life had become somewhat meaningless. She didn't care about her grades or deviations, and had recently focused all her attention on arranging music.