Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Everyone subconsciously thought that Iruma Hibiki had returned to Kyoto. During a conversation, Iruma Hibiki said that his seriously ill grandmother was in Kyoto.

But no one thought that it was in Shanghai.

Regarding Iruma Hibiki's situation, everyone is increasingly relying on Goto Ichiri.

If we were to say what the biggest change in Hibiki Iruma was after the band disbanded, it would probably be that he became silent.

But is this a transformation?

For Ichiri Goto.

this is not.

Because Goto Ichiri knew it.

This is what Hibiki Iruma really looks like.

Just like the story, in a distant forest, there was a rabbit who was full of expectations for the outside world. One day, it finally decided to leave here, leave the constraints of the treetops and forests, and made up its mind to change itself. It wanted to find the land under the sun.

However, the first step it took, it encountered an eagle soaring in the sky.

If the courage to leave is crushed by setbacks at the very beginning.

Then it is normal for him to return to the tree hole where he was originally and stare blankly, and then hug his companions and shiver.

Just like the saying:

We are all little monsters. When Ultraman comes, we can only hug each other and tremble.

It's just that everything is back to the beginning.

But such a beginning is a little cruel for some people.

And when such cruelty comes like a tide, the warmer people are, the more hurt they will be, just like someone who has just taken a hot bath in the bathhouse, and then stepped on a sea urchin while walking on the beach, and then slipped and fell among the snow-white waves in January.

18 Ain's Light Seed

The setting sun shone into Ichichi Hongxia's room. She had spread out the quilt. As it was a rare warm day in January, her quilt was dried in the sun and smelled warm and fragrant. It was perfect. A day's hard work was finally rewarded.

It's almost time to go to bed.

Ijichi Nikka saw Goto Ichiri's reply.

Iruma Hibiki accepted the invitation and everyone can start a party the day after tomorrow.

Goto Ichiri said this.

Then Goto Ichiri seemed to want to say something. Her words were hesitant, which was very much her style, but it was a little confusing when conveying the message.

Ijichi Hongxia is very patient.

She still remembers it in the summer.

It was probably when the band was just starting out.

During the entire vacation, because everyone had various arrangements, they naturally thought that the same was true for Goto Ichiri. However, they did not expect that everyone ignored Goto Ichiri throughout the summer vacation, and when it was nearing the end, Goto Ichiri was about to break down.

So during this vacation, Ijichi Hongxia paid special attention to Goto Ichiri.

Unexpectedly, Goto Ichiri and Iruma Hibiki set off on a long journey together.

Maybe I'm a little envious.

That trip after the summer vacation was only for one day.

But this time, Goto Ichiri really embarked on a very long journey, and this journey was a little bit——

It is a trip that Hibiki Iruma and Ichiri Goto take after Christmas.

It's as if...

Although their relationship has not been made public, Ijichi Hongka already has a vague premonition.

Then an inexplicable feeling suddenly spread over my heart. I didn’t know how to describe it, nor how to describe it. It was like a spider web entangled between trees, leaving no trace in the dream, and only in the moment when the sun shines, it will be noticed by a flash of light for a moment.

Perhaps only a dream catcher can capture the emotion of that moment.

But for Ijichi Hongxia, ever since then, she always felt strange, with an inexplicable feeling——

estranged.

unhappy.

She began to have frequent dreams about the past.

It's not anything to do with the band.

Of course there are.

She dreamed of her mother when she was still alive.

I also dreamed of standing under the starry stage for the first time.

She dreamed of the time when her sister had just started to build the Stars.

I also dreamed of the original ending band.

She saw Nagasaki Suyo smiling. She was obviously a bad woman but pretended to be very innocent. Then she gracefully picked up the teacup and took a sip. The sunlight illuminated three-quarters of her face, leaving a shadow on her snow-white neck.

Ichichi Hongxia turned her head.

"what happened?"

Suddenly, Hibiki Iruma asked her this.

With a smile and a twinkle in the eye.

In the reflection, Ijichi Hongxia saw herself standing there stupidly.

It was as if she had been in a daze a lot recently.

Yes, that day, when she was talking about whether she wanted to come back, Ijichi Hongxia also had the same feeling.

She didn't mean to say that.

Maybe I don’t think I should say that.

It was just an inexplicable emotion that made her speak unconsciously at that moment.

Of course, the dream is still repeating and continuing.

Ichichi Hongxia dreamed of spring.

At that time, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the birds were singing, and the excitement of starting school made her walk happily to the campus.

Her back seat was empty, deserted.

Then suddenly one day, Iruma Hibiki came.

She kept looking back, distracted, but looking at the boy behind her.

Hibiki Iruma, who wants to form a band and become an author, is working hard to move forward as if with some kind of persistence.

He is a guy with a very irregular lifestyle.

very bad.

It is natural to sleep in class.

But for some reason, every time Iruma Hibiki relied on her notes, Ijichi Kouka felt helpless but also a little happy.

That is the satisfaction of being needed.

Gradually, the relationship between the two improved.

At this point, the scene in the dream suddenly changed.

The memory stopped abruptly.

Ijichi Hongka becomes unable to control the direction of her dreams.

Some subtle hallucinations appeared before her eyes, and she could not tell whether she was in a dream or reality. Her body felt heavy and she could not move.

She stood in front of Hibiki Iruma in the dream.

Then he said something.

Then, Ijichi Hongxia woke up from her dream, gasping for breath.

Weird emotions are still spreading.

But for some reason, Ijichi Hongxia once again felt a little sad in her heart.

She sent her usual greetings to Hibiki Iruma.

And Iruma Hibiki also responded.

only--

That subtle sense of distance has not disappeared.

After such a fantasy dream, when facing the reality again, Ijichi Hongxia felt a little sad and aggrieved.

But she didn't show it.

The distance between the two is widening.

I don’t know who took the first step to leave the other.

Or maybe no one left.

They were just fledglings that once depended on each other, one was a kestrel and the other was a turtledove.

Gradually, some decisions also had to rely on Goto Ichiri to come.

She became the mouthpiece.

This is not good.

but……

Goto Ichiri was very happy because of this.

For her, being useful is the whole meaning of life.

Being relied upon by friends is Goto Ichiri's happiness.

Being needed is the sunlight, water, air and food that Goto Ichiri depends on for survival.

The distance was stretched again.

Daily greetings gradually began to become shorter.

Until one day, Hibiki Iruma suddenly said to her:

[Is Hongxia planning to perform before winter break? ]

【Eh? But Pochi-chan isn't here right now.】

We plan to go back.

"Is that so? If you come back now! We can perform together again!"

-

At that moment, Ijichi Hongxia suddenly felt that the past seemed to have returned.

Nothing seems to have changed.

Perhaps it was just that Hibiki Iruma had been feeling a little down lately. It was no big deal. After a while, he would sit at the same spot on the Starry Table as before, leaning gently on his beloved piano.

By his side——

Nagasaki Suyo smiled gently.

Probably at this moment, Ijichi Hongxia once again felt that subtle emotion.

[Captain Aine, do you have any plans to return to your country recently? ]

While chatting with Chihaya Aine.

I don't know when Chihaya Aine started to show some homesickness. It was probably something like this.

So half-jokingly, Ichichi Hongxia said this.

Half a joke.