Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Of course, there are also concerns about Shoko Toyokawa.

There is also concern for Hibiki Iruma.

But Ruo Ye Mu now experienced the feeling of making decisions for himself.

She was slightly different somewhere.

"found it."

Finally, Shiina Riki found the address.

"Let's go there next."

Iruma Hibiki quickly put away his phone and made a decision.

"Wait, Hibiki, are you going to go directly to Toyokawa's house to find her?"

"Yes."

Iruma Hibiki responded to Shiina Riki, and such a decisive reply made Shiina Riki feel a little surprised.

"Isn't this a bit..."

【Discourteous】

That's what Shiina Riki wanted to say.

But she also saw the concern on Hibiki Iruma's face.

"I see."

Finally, Shiina Riki also made her own decision.

She felt a little sad when she saw Hibiki Iruma's uneasy look.

At the same time, she was also prepared in case Shoko Toyokawa blamed them for what happened today and felt that they were rude or offensive.

If she were to say that,

[Who told you not to answer the phone and made Xiang so worried! ]

【And it was my decision to come find you! 】

such.

Then just take the blame.

It doesn't matter if she plays the bad guy.

As long as everything can slowly return to normal from now on, it will be fine.

Thinking of this, Shiina Riki suddenly relaxed. In Iruma Hibiki's eyes, the usually prickly Shiina Riki suddenly seemed to show a tired look.

The hedgehog's sharp spines turned into soft hair and it fell limply onto the oncoming taxi.

And perhaps, Shiina Riki didn't realize anything, and neither did Wakaba Mutsu.

Because Shiina Riki's actual life is always very routine, and she rarely goes anywhere other than her part-time job, school, and home, so when she first learned about this place name, it didn't feel real at all.

If Ye Mu is even more so.

As a young lady, she has no idea about the city of Tokyo.

But Iruma Hibiki is different.

One day in Ikebukuro, he got lost for a long time.

So many places have some memories.

Just like the place name at this moment.

If Hibiki Iruma remembered correctly, that area should be mostly populated by single-family houses that are relatively old.

The address where Shoko Toyokawa registered her residence was not a house that matched her past life.

……

[Xiangzi, what exactly happened...]

The worry in Iruma Hibiki's heart finally reached its peak.

Of course there is also a hint of regret.

He wanted to see Shoko Toyokawa at this moment and ask her what happened next.

"ring."

Suddenly, Shiina Riki called his name.

"what happened?"

Iruma Hibiki forced himself to calm down and responded.

"Here, have some drinks. Let me be clear, I just happened to buy it, and I didn't prepare it specifically for you."

Shiina Riki handed over a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

Facing the familiar packaging, Hibiki Iruma suddenly remembered that a long time ago, when he was still a member of the group Dead Kids, the band had disbanded.

One day at that time.

Kaname Runa was eating parfait, and Iruma Hibiki and Shiina Riki suddenly started talking about drinks.

He saw Dr. Pepper suddenly yearning for the previous world, so he said:

Did you know? A guy who saved the world named this drink Shiina. It's a drink only a brilliant scientist would drink. Just one sip will calm your mind and help you think efficiently.

……

That is the afterglow of the world in Hibiki Iruma's memory.

"Drink this and you'll feel better, right?"

Looking out the window, Shiina Riki said this while hiding his emotions.

Because she felt stupid.

I can't forget the weird things someone once said to me.

56 The Door of the Toyokawa Family

In an era long ago.

There have always been all kinds of strange rumors about sudden changes in identity and status, such as a princess from the moon falling into the house of the Bamboo Cutter, or a raccoon cat turning into a prince.

There are many such legends, and the fantastical stories even became culture for a time, and were later processed into music and works of art and passed down.

How did you feel when you first saw this story?

In fact, Shoko Toyokawa could no longer remember clearly.

I only remember that when I was little, my first exposure to these stories was during the Chinese language class arranged by my father, who was my private tutor.

She had no idea what the princess who descended from the moon was going through in the Taketori family.

I only remember the test that Kaguya set later -

Perhaps she also had some fantasies about love when she was young, and like all children, she wanted to imitate them:

In the future, her lover will also have to complete her test before he can stand by her side.

This was probably what Toyokawa Shoko was thinking at that time.

In the moment when the figure who had completed the test appeared in front of her in the camera lens——

The cold feeling woke Toyokawa Shoko from her sweet dream.

The bad smell in the air made her frown when she woke up. Some dirty windows with reduced light transmittance were half open. Perhaps the rusty lock was opened by the wind tonight, and then the cold wind rushed into the house.

The thin quilt and pajamas were simply unable to withstand the freezing cold.

Shoko Toyokawa stood up and looked for her slippers.

It's 1 o'clock in the evening.

She subconsciously opened Iruma Hibiki's chat mode, but at this moment it showed a notification like "No Signal".

Her cell phone bill is out of balance.

Next to Shoko Toyokawa was a collection notice from the telecommunications company. She had to go to a convenience store to pay the money today before she could continue to use her mobile phone normally. It seemed that the other party had not been able to successfully pay the required fees from the account that had been deducting fees this month.

Finally, the freezing cold wind and harsh reality woke Toyokawa Shoko from her rather nice dream. She walked to the corridor of the dilapidated hut to drink some water.

Her drunk father was snoring at the moment, and the floor was filled with wine cans again. They were just bought tonight, and only a few bottles were left.

The food was also knocked over and scattered everywhere.

Toyokawa Shoko turned on the faucet.

The clean water was gurgling, and she approached it with a somewhat unfamiliar look.

Soon after, she started coughing due to being choked by the cold water. After all, she had not yet adapted to this kind of life.

A mobile phone without internet connection will not be able to see any messages.

Even taking a look at Hibiki Iruma's journey is not allowed...

correct--

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly remembered what happened before.

Was she angry with Iruma Hibiki before?

A momentary impulse turned into remorse and regret in the night after calming down.

That was not what Shoko Toyokawa intended.

She was just a witch with a strange temperament! It was just...

I feel envious, panicked, and worried, accompanied by my recent repressed and helpless life, but I don’t want anyone to notice my self-esteem.

Ultimately, at that time, I used angry words to cover up my anxiety.

She is just stupid.

Say the cruelest words to those who care about you.

Toyokawa Shoko realized this.

I also felt a little bit annoyed about this.

but--

Indeed, Toyokawa Shoko was worried deep down. What if she was met with alienation and ridicule after confessing her feelings?

Her recent transformation has actually earned her a lot of cold stares.

……

It's almost impossible to stay in Tsukinomori anymore. For those who know the situation of the Toyokawa family, perhaps not adding insult to injury is already the greatest mercy.

She is now alone and has nowhere else to go.

In order to maintain the little dignity and image that remains, all I can do is...

dong dong dong...

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Such a sound is indeed a bit scary in the middle of the night.

Rather than answering the call or opening the door, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly became nervous.

In fact, the nearby streets are still frequented by racers and delinquents late at night recently.

Although it is a little hard to imagine causing trouble to others at night, it is also one of the survival rules that Toyokawa Shoko has learned recently.

She looked nervously at the gate not far away, not daring to open it.

The few people in this family who might be able to resist the danger are now drunk and helpless on the bed.

She was left alone to face the current situation.

And ask for help from others——

Indeed, the first thing that Toyokawa Shoko thought of now was to call Iruma Hibiki.

Then ask him for help.