Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Page 277

He hasn't forgotten his dialect yet.

More than ten years have passed.

09 Two people met

What kind of situation was it when you first made the decision?

Hibiki Iruma actually couldn't figure it out.

He only remembered the very beginning. The moment he saw Goto Ichiri, his mind went blank and a terrifying buzzing sound was buzzing in his ears.

At that time, he had just arrived in the country and had just rented a house where he had lived before. There were no family members he was familiar with in that room, nor were there any traces of his past life.

In this world, the owner of this house seems to be a wealthy lady, and this entire floor is her rental house.

Iruma's arrival came at just the right moment, as this was the only empty room left.

It is actually completely different from his impression of his hometown and has changed a lot.

After all, to be honest, it was still a long time before he traveled through time. Now more than ten years have passed, and it is almost impossible to expect nothing to change.

Shanghai is not Tokyo. Even the urban area has only been replanned twice, and each time lasted a long time.

But at this moment, he saw Goto Ichiri standing in front of him.

In fact, when he first received the call on his mobile phone, he felt a little bit unbelievable, but when he saw the person in person, he had a different reaction.

"One mile?"

Iruma Hibiki muttered the name of the person in front of him as if to confirm.

Goto Ichiri, who was standing in front of him, made extremely complicated expressions and movements.

At first, perhaps because she was nervous about coming to a foreign country, she curled up her body, lowered her head and just looked at him.

Later, she seemed to have heard her own name, so she raised her head and a hint of joy appeared on her face.

Then the joy quickly dissipated and turned into a frown again.

Just at this moment, a cold wind blew, and Goto Ichiri's long hair fluttered in the air.

She had been a little embarrassed in the past few days. As a person with social anxiety, even with the reception of her father's friends, she didn't dare to say anything in front of strangers. Fortunately, her father knew her character well enough and didn't let his friends take her to his home. He just arranged a place for her to stay, which was a hotel near the airport.

After learning about Iruma Hibiki's news today, Goto Ichiri asked him to help him check out.

At this moment, she was pulling the suitcase, and after a brief period of depression, she suddenly stomped her feet.

Hibiki Iruma saw the determined look on Goto Ichiri's face.

"ring!"

Then——

The distance between the two was about 3 meters. Goto Ichiri took two big steps and quickly came in front of Iruma Hibiki and hugged him tightly.

"Higashi's curse is over, right?"

She said so.

Because she couldn't see Hibiki Iruma's face during the hug, her courage was somewhat maintained at this moment.

It was as if I was going to die in the next moment.

Goto Ichiri hurriedly wanted to say something.

She had a lot to say.

She thought a lot along the way.

However, she couldn't say anything at this moment.

Probably because I want to say everything.

Anyway, Goto Ichiri made silly mute sounds until Iruma Hibiki hugged her.

"Well, it's over. Why did Yili..."

"I'm here to look for Hibiki."

Goto Ichiri replied.

"I came here because I was worried that Xiang would never come back."

"too……"

【mess】

That’s what Iruma Hibiki wanted to say.

To be honest, his recent life was not extremely disappointing to him, but he was also disheartened.

However, Goto Ichiri's arrival was like a beam of strong light.

It was like someone suddenly shining a 2000 lumen flashlight in your face on the darkest night.

But Iruma Hibiki couldn't bring herself to say such a reply.

"I... don't know what I can do for Xiang. I've thought about it a lot, but I've been stuck. When Xiang confided in me, I couldn't do anything, but..."

“I remember it when I was in junior high school.”

Goto Ichiri's nose felt a little sore.

But her tone was initially calm.

There weren't too many waves.

She hugged the person in front of her.

He placed his head on Hibiki Iruma's shoulder and poured out his thoughts like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

"When I was in middle school, whenever I felt sad, I would feel better as long as Xiang was by my side."

"I'll suddenly feel courageous and happy, so I wonder if it's the same for Xiang..."

"Anyway, I can't leave Hibiki alone."

"because……"

"I……"

Goto Ichiri was silent for a moment, and then she closed her eyes.

"I like the sound."

Then she said this.

……

Goto Ichiri is actually very similar to Iruma Hibiki in some ways.

Especially in dealing with interpersonal relationships.

However, the experience of the previous life was not only a curse but also a gift to Iruma Hibiki.

He has the ability to go out, and just a change of thought can change his life.

So on the day he graduated from junior high school, he made a decision and reaped the rewards, even though the fruit was just a cashew nut.

The flesh of the upper part of the fruit is indeed sweet and juicy, which is very tempting, but due to its expiration date, it rots prematurely, and the remaining nut part is a burning pain just by touching it or trying to peel it open.

"It must have been a tough journey..."

Iruma Hibiki said this.

In an instant, Goto Ichiri deflated and nodded.

"I never thought that Yili could come here."

"I haven't thought about it at all..."

"Are you scared?"

"Um……"

There was even a hint of trembling in Goto Ichiri's voice.

"I lost consciousness on the plane and wasn't alerted until I was getting off. Even after landing... Everyone was speaking a language I couldn't understand, and I had no idea where to go. The English I learned from the flight attendant was completely useless to me..."

"When I went to pick up my luggage, I was so worried because I waited for a long time and didn't see my suitcase..."

"But it was great to see Hibiki."

Goto Ichiri showed a tired smile. Her body was gradually losing strength and she fell into Iruma Hibiki's arms.

It was like confirming her confession.

She poured out all her strength, weakness, and current powerlessness and cowardice on Iruma Hibiki.

Then he handed himself over.

Yes--

For someone like Goto Ichiri who is not good at socializing and is similar to Iruma Hibiki in the past.

Tokyo's rules are not universal.

No one can live without anyone else?

No.

Goto Ichiri cannot live without Iruma Hibiki.