Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

However, now that her cell phone couldn't be reached, she was actually at her wit's end.

Until a voice came from outside the door——

"Could this be a mistake? Why is Xiangzi living here?"

"Drink-"

The moment the sound came from outside the door, Shoko Toyokawa took a step back and gasped.

Yes, that was not the prisoner's voice.

It was Hibiki Iruma's voice.

She wouldn't be wrong.

"That shouldn't be the case. Fengchuan's handwriting is quite unique and easy to recognize. The address there should be the one she left behind."

Next is Shiina Tatsuki.

"What do you think, Mu?"

……

When she realized there were three people standing outside the door, Shoko Toyokawa quietly took a few steps forward.

In a place so close that you can see the person you want to see just behind a door.

With his back turned, he blocked the door.

Only through the cat's eye, looking at the scene outside the door——

Yes, those were Iruma Hibiki, Shiina Tatsuki and Wakaba Mutsu, all with worried and anxious faces.

They are here now.

In the middle of the journey.

I came here because I was worried about her.

I found the door.

"By the way, take a look at this—"

Suddenly, Shiina Riki's voice rang out.

"The nameplate hanging here is indeed Toyokawa, right?"

She noticed the newly inserted printed paper with the word "Toyokawa" on the name card at the door.

"..."

"Does Xiangzi live here now?"

Iruma Hibiki was a little bit incredulous.

But it is obvious that the current situation, no matter what, is already a confirmed fact.

Just when Iruma Hibiki was having a headache about what to do next.

Suddenly, the door lock of Toyokawa's house made a slight sound.

Iruma Hibiki quickly turned his head and looked towards the door.

-

But, it all seemed like his illusion.

That sound was just a delusion.

It was quiet on the other side of the gate, and no further sounds were heard afterwards.

Shiina Riki actually wants to ask now:

What to do next?

Because no matter how you look at it, coming here now is already the limit for us. Anything more would be too much and very dangerous.

But she said nothing, just stood there, acting as if she would accompany Iruma Hibiki in whatever he wanted to do tonight.

She could still hold on despite the fatigue from playing all day.

After all, this is much better than the inferiority and pain in the middle of the night. At least she is still by his side at this moment.

As for Wakaba Mutsuki on the side, he was also in a strange state of joy.

At least at this moment, she had no doubt about one thing, that is -

【As long as Xiang takes action, Xiang should be fine.】

Subsequently.

Probably a few minutes later.

Iruma Hibiki takes time to think about his next step.

The door lock of the Toyokawa family rang again, followed by a rotten creaking sound.

The shabby door opened a crack.

The moonlight and the light from the street lamp blended together to form a dirty gray light, which poured into the pitch-black room through the crack in the door.

It's like a basin of dirty water.

It just splashed into an extremely small area.

57 Ripple after 16 years of practice

"What's the matter with you coming to my house so late at night?"

The unusually cold tone actually made Iruma Hibiki, who was rushing in the front, stunned for a moment.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he noticed that Toyokawa Shoko was in a strange mood at the moment.

Worried and confused, he couldn't utter any words he wanted to ask at this moment. He just stood there in a daze, just as he had done before, when he was facing a completely different Toyokawa Shoko.

Human growth often takes just a few moments.

In fact, Iruma Hibiki often heard this sentence.

When he was lying on the bed in frustration, watching various videos, emptying his mind, and just wasting his time.

But he never actually felt the reality of such words.

Because for him, after experiencing several lifetimes, he actually has no idea what so-called growth is.

There was no special experience.

He seemed to be standing still.

There is no desire to move forward.

Instead, it is one that is suffering from all kinds of troubles.

Every act of bravery will result in failure.

Every time I try, when I think I have found a goal that I can work towards my whole life and a person I can spend my whole life with, I am severely slapped in the face by reality.

Hibiki Iruma has no idea about the concepts of maturity and growth.

So much so that in fact he might be a little disdainful of it.

It seems that such topics are green, rotten flesh flowing with turbid pus, and are the remains called life and youth.

But at this moment, he may be facing the growth of a person, or in other words—

Just throwing a tantrum?

Iruma Hibiki didn't understand.

But he definitely felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the person in front of him.

Even his first reaction was, was it someone, or the future Shoko Toyokawa, who traveled through time and space into the body of his lover?

Next, he roared, "Give me back my Xiangzi." Then he went through an epic adventure like a Dragon Quest, and finally rescued his princess at the end of his youth, fell in love, and got married.

You see, weren't all the heroes around fifteen or sixteen years old before they set out, but when they came back they had already reached the age of 20, the age at which they could legally get married?

Youth is adventure, and adventure is youth.

Of course, this is just some idle delusion.

The idea of a sudden death would be written into a light novel.

The person Hibiki Iruma was facing at this moment was Shoko Toyokawa.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko was standing in the crack of the door, staring coldly at Iruma Hibiki.

"what……"

Finally, Iruma Hibiki wanted to say something.

But he felt a sense of crowded power.

At first, someone held his shoulders, then the body pressed forward slightly, followed by the feeling of an arm caressing him, and then a close contact.

A warm touch came from the side of his arm. When Iruma Hibiki subconsciously looked to the side, he saw the serious and somewhat angry profile of Shiina Riki.

but--

That's fake.

This was Hibiki Iruma's first reaction.

Now Shiina Riki is just pretending to be angry. Yes, Shiina Riki is a fool, who has no idea how to hide his emotions.

Anyone who has known her for a while or understands her well will realize that she is not good at lying at all.

So much so that——

If you are honest with her, you will feel more comfortable when you are with her.

After passing by Hibiki Iruma and coming to within half a body length of Hibiki Iruma, Tatsuki Shiina felt for a moment that he could lean on Hibiki Iruma's side, and thus felt a terrifying sense of security.

She retorted in a restrained yet somewhat stern tone:

"You left a bunch of cold words behind and then suddenly lost contact. Who else could stay there peacefully? What's wrong with you, Fengchuan?"

This is how Tatsuki Shiina questioned Shoko Toyokawa.

"..."

Obviously, such a tough attitude made Shoko Toyokawa waver.

The already incomplete indifference and strength also began to crack.

When false anger meets real concern and feigned indifference, the latter shatters even faster.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Iruma Hibiki who wanted to say something but just stood there looking at Shiina Riki.

"Xiangzi... We were very worried about you, so we came here. Mu and I tried to contact you many times, but every time..."

Of course, Hibiki Iruma made the decision even faster.

five two six six five two two five one

To be honest, when he chose to stand here.

In fact, deep down in my heart, I have already made up my mind about what to do at this moment.

"ring……"

Facing Iruma Hibiki.

Toyokawa Shoko's indifference was completely shattered.

It was like a wine bottle broken on the ground.

It shattered into sharp pieces of glass.

first timing--

Shoko Toyokawa wanted to escape, wanted to just close the door and shrink back, pretending not to see anything, and just cover her head with the quilt and cry.

After all, the current situation is such that all other options have been exhausted.

Everything about her.

All that was unbearable had been revealed to others.