Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

"Yi Li, maybe you can perform one more show with Hong Xia and the others before the end of winter break?"

"Well, let's go back then."

Goto Ichiri said this.

Also made my own decision.

"Is everything okay over there?"

"Of course it doesn't matter."

Iruma said this with a sigh.

He turned around, looked at Goto Ichiri who was frowning, and gently hugged her.

"But, always avoiding it will lead to no results."

Iruma Hibiki spoke softly.

"Ah."

Goto Ichiri responded, and then she suddenly thought of something and said:

"Hibiki, Suyo... She remembers this place, right?"

"..."

Iruma Hibiki was silent for a moment.

"Ah."

Then he responded with affirmation.

"if……"

With a hint of a smile, Goto Ichiri tried her best to make Iruma Hibiki understand her decision.

"Su Shi is the same as me. If there is no sound, there is nothing we can do."

"I really can't bear to see her like this, because I used to feel the same way..."

"So, if Hibiki and Suyo can reconcile, I..."

"I don't mind."

"Ah...I mean..."

As if worried that he had said something too much, Goto Ichiri continued to explain.

"I'm terrible. I'm not as pretty as Su Shi and the others, I'm not smart, and my grades aren't good either... Apart from my guitar, I don't have anything to show off. But when I was at my saddest, Xiang made me feel better."

"If it hadn't happened, I might not have been able to hold on in junior high school and would have dropped out of high school."

"Then there would be no later events and no present."

"So, if Sushi also views Xiang in this way, I can understand her feelings."

Goto Ichiri explained hurriedly.

In fact, at first, Iruma Hibiki thought that it was not serious, but just some stupid words to comfort him.

Until one moment, he realized that Goto Ichiri was serious.

That was a rare decision made by Goto Ichiri.

Although such a decision is ridiculous.

In short -

If Nagasaki Suyo can accept her as his lover, then she will also accept Nagasaki Suyo.

……

06 Disappearance and Reunion

What does it feel like to realize you've fallen out with someone?

In fact, Iruma Hibiki had no idea about the subtleties of this matter.

He was completely clueless, and when he really faced the situation, he was unable to react.

In Iruma Hibiki's opinion, it was simply unreasonable for him to quarrel with someone and then break up directly. Even if they quarreled now, maybe one day in the future there would be a chance to reconcile, right?

Just like what happened between him and Nagasaki Suyo before.

However, in Tokyo, there is a rule of friendship -

No one can live without anyone else. If you feel unhappy or inappropriate with each other, it's okay to say goodbye as soon as possible.

……

It wasn't until many days had passed that Hibiki Iruma realized that he had broken up with Shoko Toyokawa.

Don't you have to worry about her anymore?

Is this the end of the planned future?

Is this the end of the work we did together and the future we envisioned together?

Hibiki Iruma actually didn't quite understand.

not understand.

Even less acceptable.

He couldn't face the facts at hand.

So he tried to contact Toyokawa Shoko again and again.

until a certain moment.

He found that he seemed to have been blocked.

This was probably the first time he was blocked by someone.

That night—

"Want to do some laundry?"

“Yes, how much does it cost here?”

Hibiki Iruma responded to the middle-aged woman in front of him. The small laundry shop was now filled with the smell of soapy water. It was still a bit troublesome to find a laundry shop these days. This shop was a little far from where Hibiki Iruma lived. Fortunately, the snow had stopped and it would be sunny in the next few days. The snow removal work on the road had also begun. The vehicles responsible for snow removal made a buzzing sound, shoveling away the white snow, revealing the black road, as if it was a channel left by a big ship on the pure white ocean.

"These clothes are 60. Just come pick them up tomorrow morning."

"OK, thanks."

Iruma Hibiki left Goto Ichiri and his own cotton coat behind, then turned around and looked at the glass sliding door with the red word "laundry" on it at the entrance of the store.

The traces of time have made the glass no longer transparent, but rather blurry and yellowed.

This shop seems to have been here for a long time and has gone through many years.

Such heavy snow is not uncommon for it.

perhaps--

It was probably on that day too.

Iruma Hibiki saw Nagasaki Soyo through the glass sliding door.

After the band suspended its activities, Iruma Hibiki never met with the other members again.

On the one hand, he didn't know what to say, and on the other hand—

Shiina Riki took the initiative to find Takamatsu Touma and comfort her.

In the past few days, their relationship seemed to have improved rapidly. Iruma Hibiki saw a photo of her and Shiina Riki going to the aquarium together on Takamatsu Teru's account.

This is a good thing.

For now, that's all that's needed.

The chance encounter with Nagasaki Soyo at this moment actually surprised Iruma Hibiki a little.

Because this is Kasai, it is not a place where Nagasaki Suyo would come. He knows that under the appearance of a modern housewife, Nagasaki Suyo is actually a homebody who lacks love.

Iruma Hibiki was a little concerned.

So he quickly picked up the bill in the prototype plastic transparent bucket, hurried to the front desk to check out, and then left the warm yellow-lit store and ran towards Nagasaki Suyo.

This scene is somewhat familiar.

At some point, he seemed to have experienced the same thing as looking for Nagasaki Suyo everywhere.

But this time, Nagasaki Suyo didn't run away. She just walked along the street alone, as if she was thinking about something. If she really wanted to say something -

It was like the first time the two met.

The real look when we first met.

Hibiki Iruma followed Nagasaki Soyo silently without going up to speak to her because he didn't know what to say. Following her would be a bit scary, as if he were some kind of terrible stalker.

but……

Perhaps deep down in his heart, Hibiki Iruma knew what he should say at this moment, and also knew why he ran away.

Ever since Toyokawa Shoko announced the suspension of her activities, Iruma Hibiki has been worried about Nagasaki Soyo.

There has been no news from her for several days.

Crychic's official account naturally stopped updating.

How has she been these days?

With this thought in mind, Iruma Hibiki wanted to see Nagasaki Motoyo's face, so he walked slightly to his right.

Then he saw Nagasaki Suyo's face, which looked very similar to usual, but definitely different.

"..."

At this moment, he was discovered by Nagasaki Suyo.

"Xiang, why are you here?"

With a faint smile, Nagasaki Suyo came forward.

As if nothing had happened, that gentleness and smile.

In fact, Hibiki Iruma felt that their reunion shouldn't be so peaceful.

"I was just in the store and happened to see you and followed you out."

Hibiki Iruma answered.

"I see, what a coincidence..."

A smile appeared on Nagasaki Motoyo's face again, and she even chuckled in front of Iruma Hibiki.

"Well... ever since..."

"No, these days."

As soon as Nagasaki Suyo opened her mouth, she avoided the topic that no one wanted to mention. She did not say words like "the band disbanded" or "suspended activities", but changed her words in the middle.

"Everyone was very quiet, and I didn't know what to say, so I wondered if everyone would just calm down."

"I'm also wondering if it would be better for me to get used to being alone."

"So lately I've been trying it out by myself."

Iruma Hibiki's voice got stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to say.

"Hibiki, are you worried about me?"

Until the moment Nagasaki Suyo asked.

"Of course, don't disappear suddenly at this time!"

……

When he opened his mouth, Iruma Hibiki realized that he had done something wrong.

It was just that the emotions accumulated deep in his heart finally erupted at this moment.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard for Hibiki to be alone."