Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

My eyes, having adapted to the darkness, could see everything inside the house.

Any details.

Packaged empty cans and wine bottles.

Recruitment flyers scattered on the table at the side.

The small room was filled with the smell of alcohol, and in the distance, in the room at the end, a man's loud snoring could be heard.

Is this where Shoko Toyokawa lives?

Why is this happening?

Iruma Hibiki didn't understand.

But he understood that at this moment, Shoko Toyokawa wanted him to leave.

But precisely because he understood it, Iruma Hibiki couldn't pretend it never happened.

"If Xiang doesn't leave, we'll break up... It's so ugly, showing up unexpectedly at night..."

"I'm troubled."

"Even lovers shouldn't..."

"Xiangzi."

Iruma Hibiki called out Toyokawa Shoko's name a little loudly.

He might also be a little angry.

"I'm so sorry to have troubled Xiangzi."

"But then something like that happened—"

Iruma Hibiki paused.

"How could I not come to see you? If it weren't for Xiangzi, I..."

Iruma Hibiki made a slight assumption.

If tonight really is the end of everything.

Shoko Toyokawa just disappeared from this world, in this dilapidated house, carrying with him his doubts, confusion, and surprise at Shoko Toyokawa's current situation.

So what happens?

Even at the initial stage of the hypothesis, Hibiki felt fear.

Will that kind of temperature never be felt again?

Past relationships will become memories and artifacts.

The lips that kissed could never touch again.

He lost Shoko Toyokawa?

This was the only possibility that Hibiki Iruma could not accept at all.

"We are lovers, aren't we?"

"I like Xiangzi."

Iruma Hibiki said this, and then took the initiative to hug Toyokawa Shoko tightly.

This chapter has not been reviewed

This chapter has not been reviewed

60 Forced to face reality

Iruma Hibiki booked a room at a nearby hotel on her phone.

The nearest hotel was about 2 kilometers away and had no standard rooms, only business king-size rooms. A hotel farther away had double rooms, but Hibiki Iruma didn't have the confidence to go there.

In fact, at this moment, after calming down his impulsive mind a little, Iruma Hibiki realized the amazing heat behind him.

At this moment, Shoko Toyokawa hugged her tightly and pressed her whole body against her.

It was just like the hug before.

But this time it was behind him.

Hibiki Iruma is actually very unfamiliar with carrying people on his back.

The degree of unfamiliarity was almost comparable to his experience.

So much so that his movements were actually a bit awkward, and his hand that was wrapped around Toyokawa Shoko's thigh was a bit at a loss.

The two of them continued forward.

Iruma Hibiki walked the 2km distance with great confidence, stopping to rest many times along the way.

And Toyokawa Shoko seemed to be asleep, with her head buried and not saying a word.

Because he had probably heard that falling asleep in a cold environment was a scary thing, Iruma Hibiki actually chatted with Toyokawa Shoko in the middle of the trip.

Calling her name.

But every time he called out, the response he got was not words, but the slightly shaking Toyokawa Shoko.

What to do next?

Late at night, the streets of Tokyo are deserted.

Iruma Hibiki thought so.

Until the hotel lights came on in front of me, illuminating a corner of the dark alley.

Iruma Hibiki walked along the welcome carpet in front of the hotel to the front desk and picked up the room key card.

"Want to take a bath, Xiangzi?"

Hibiki Iruma asked.

It was indeed too cold tonight, so Iruma Hibiki turned on the air conditioner and turned up the temperature.

Shoko Toyokawa sat on the edge of the bed with her head down, and her expression was unclear.

"I'll go out and buy some clean clothes later, okay?"

"ring……"

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko spoke. She raised her head and looked at Iruma Hibiki who was treating her gently at the moment.

"Feel sorry……"

She apologized to Iruma Hibiki.

"It's ok."

And Iruma Hibiki sighed and responded.

"After Xiangzi, can you tell me what happened?"

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"I'll contact Lixi and Mu and tell them to go back without worry. Has Xiangzi had dinner yet?"

Facing Iruma Hibiki, Toyokawa Shoko shook her head again.

"I understand. Xiangzi, take a good bath first. I'll go buy you some clothes and dinner."

Iruma Hibiki tightened his coat and pretended to go out.

Of course, this was not his intention.

only--

After the previous contact, he needed to calm down a little, otherwise something extremely terrifying would definitely happen tonight.

Perhaps Hibiki Iruma was not without expectations for something like this.

The object is Toyokawa Shoko, which is a happiness that is too great to even imagine.

but--

Want to do it?

Should I just follow my desires at this moment?

Hibiki Iruma thought about it, then walked out of the room. The moment he closed the door, he realized that he seemed to not know the size of Shoko Toyokawa's clothes.

When he returned to the room, Shoko Toyokawa had already walked into the bathroom.

Through the frosted glass, you can see that she is slowly taking off her skirt.

Because of the previous mischief, her skirt, one of the few things she was wearing that was still in good condition, was stained and had some black marks on it.

It's very troublesome to wash, and it definitely can't be solved tonight.

Tomorrow is Sunday so maybe I can wait a day, but in any case, losing this dress means I will not be able to attend the next few interviews tomorrow.

……

Toyokawa Shoko was silent, slightly protecting her body and looking at herself in the mirror. The blush on her face did not fade as she looked at her skin which seemed to have lost some of its luster.

"Dong dong..."

It was not until there was a knock on the door that Toyokawa Shoko woke up from her dream.

She quickly covered her front with a towel and asked:

"ring?"

She nervously checked who was coming.

Yes, at this moment, only Iruma Hibiki can bring any sense of security to the person named Toyokawa Shoko.

I don't know when it started, but the relationship between the two became like this, just like an old-fashioned soda with a glass bead pressed in it. Unless the bottle is broken, the glass bead can never be taken out and will accompany it forever until it is abandoned.

"Xiangzi...I..."

Iruma Hibiki hesitated slightly, his face flushed.

"I don't know your dress size."

Even though he said that.

But Toyokawa Shoko suddenly realized what the clothes represented.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been extremely shy and would not have been able to say anything.

You might even feel that the other person is being a little rude and is talking about something embarrassing.

but--

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko whispered to Iruma Hibiki.

"I'll be back soon."

Then Iruma Hibiki agreed to her.

Toyokawa Shoko heard the door close as Iruma Hibiki went out.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then took off the last of her clothes and put down her towel.

The warm water had been there for a while, and she simply stepped into the current, chasing away the chill of the night.

For some reason, when she was enjoying this process, she couldn't help but have an illusion, as if she had suddenly returned to her past life, instead of having to face the difficulties that followed.

What happens next?

What should I do?

Toyokawa Shoko didn't know.

In fact, she was quite confused.

For a newborn bird, dying from the cruel reality is natural, and surviving is a miracle.

The fledglings that spread their wings and fly into the sky are not born as darlings of the clear sky. If they do not fly, they will fall to the ground and die when they fall to the ground. That's all.

Iruma Hibiki came back halfway and put the clothes he bought at the bathroom door.