Iruma-san wants to win the Akutagawa Prize

Now it seems that it was a mistake not to exchange contact information when we graduated from junior high school.

"Ah, if you're really worried, you can only go to Xiugao to check it out. But if it were me, I'd be shocked if my junior high school classmates showed up at the school gate because they were worried about me."

Ijichi Hongka saw what Iruma Hibiki was thinking.

In fact, Iruma Hibiki is almost showing his confusion on his face.

He looked sad and was lost in thought, his eyes slightly wandering.

"But Iruma-san really cares about Guitar Hero. Were they close in the past?"

Ijichi Hongxia slightly changed the subject.

She was a little curious about this. After all, no matter what, the concern Hibiki Iruma showed for Guitar Hero at this moment was slightly excessive—

"No, it's not very good. We haven't even talked much. We just stay together all the time."

"Huh? We've been together all this time but we haven't talked much?"

Ijichi Hongxia showed a surprised expression.

It was difficult for her to imagine such a scene.

Because in her opinion, friends talk a lot every day. Is it really possible to stay together and be friends without communicating?

Humans are not capybaras.

Besides, it is only because the capybara is gentle and good-tempered that a lot of small animals gather around it.

Humans can't do what capybaras do.

To be honest, humans are more like walruses basking in the sun on the rocky beach. Although they are densely packed together, if someone crosses the line even slightly, the other side will bare their fangs.

Can two walruses that have never communicated become friends and share a rocky beach?

It’s hard to imagine—

"I'm suddenly curious about your past, Iruma-san. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but if Iruma-san wants a reason—"

Ijichi Hongxia paused.

"I think between best friends, there's no need to worry so much. Just do whatever you want to do."

"Maybe after being startled, the other person will be so moved that they burst into tears."

"Maybe she's also waiting for someone to notice that she's disappeared."

Ijichi Hongxia smiled at Iruma Hibiki again.

"When I was little and had a tantrum with my sister, I'd find a place and disappear for a while. Seeing my sister looking for me would cheer me up. Maybe that guitar hero is also waiting for you, Iruma-san, to find him."

……

"I understand."

In the end, Hibiki Iruma made his own decision.

"Please excuse me for the afternoon."

"Just leave it to me. Thanks to Liang, I'm already very familiar with taking leave. I'm always in attendance."

Ichichi Hongxia's slight complaint made her laugh.

And Iruma Hibiki also felt a little relieved the moment he made the decision.

He wanted to meet Goto Ichiri, at least to confirm that he was still safe, at least at a corner, even if it was like a guy who had stopped growing for more than ten years, standing on hollow bricks, facing the bright headlights, and then speaking to the bow-tie voice changer with a shadow:

"You disappeared for a long time, and I was a little worried."

Of course, this is just a kind of chuunibyou delusion.

In fact, it is not that exaggerated at all.

Iruma Hibiki doesn't know any such capable super solitary old doctor or useless inventor.

Of course, such a scene is indeed very cool, but it is a bit too difficult for Hibiki Iruma.

"Thank you, Ijichi-san."

Iruma Hibiki sincerely thanked Ichichi Kouka.

"You're welcome, haha. There's no need to thank me so formally. To be honest, I'm the one who's being taken care of."

Ijichi Hongxia's reply was slightly polite.

In other words, when being thanked, you should seamlessly say, "I'm the one who's taking care of you."

Iruma Hibiki, who felt a little strange about such honorifics, suddenly realized that he had actually regarded Ijichi Kouka as a very good friend without realizing it.

In a sense, Ijichi Hongxia is his first confirmed friend in this world.

Then the bell rang and the first class this morning was English.

English in high school is completely different from that in junior high school.

After the initial introduction, things start to get complicated.

Iruma Hibiki had no intention of relying on Ijichi Kouka's notes all the time, so today, at this moment, he put aside his somewhat anxious heart and listened to the class seriously.

During this time, he also noticed that Ichichi Hongxia looked back several times.

Although he was a little concerned, Iruma Hibiki was unexpectedly busy the whole morning, so he didn't ask Ijichi Kouka why she turned back at that time.

Before I knew it, it was already noon.

"Iruma-san is going to meet Guitar Hero, right? Will you be back after that?"

"Um……"

Iruma Hibiki thought for a moment.

It was already lunch time, and it was obvious that Ijichi Hongka would go to find Yamada Ryo to have lunch together in the school garden.

They are the standard garden party, not the more isolated rooftop party, nor the bullied toilet cubicle party.

"If everything goes well, I'll come back to catch up on my afternoon classes, but if it's late, I should probably go straight home."

"Ah, come to think of it, Xiugao is pretty far from here. It would be almost time for school to end by the time we get there and back."

Ijichi Hongxia suddenly realized that she had asked a strange question.

Why do such questions come out of my mouth?

Ijichi Hongxia felt a sudden sense of guilt spreading in her heart in an instant.

Because the question just now was not asked because she was worried about Iruma Hibiki. In other words, the so-called concern was just a disguise of concern for the other person, but in fact -

Ijichi Hongka found that the reason she said this subconsciously was that she seemed a little happy that she could see Iruma-san every day, and that they had a simple chat and said goodbye every day after school.

There is a feeling that important friends are right beside us and the reunion after separation is just around the corner.

Of course, this feeling only lasts for a moment.

"It would be better if Iruma-san didn't come back. I'll ask for an afternoon off for you."

She was anxious to hide her emotions.

But for Ijichi Hongxia, she was too inexperienced in such matters and acted a little clumsily.

58 The Days When Iruma-san Was Away

In the afternoon math class, Ichichi Hongxia was drowsy.

It is said that in the Moon Forest, in addition to the regular courses of music, sports, literature, home economics, handicrafts, etc., there will also be a series of additional courses such as equestrianism, stargazing, etc. that only young ladies can experience.

However, in Xiagao, where the academic atmosphere is rigorous, even the conventional former are rare.

Boring main courses fill almost every semester of the lower grade high school, which is either studying or reviewing.

The seat behind Ijichi Hongxia was empty, just like it had been during her first week in the class.

After all, Ijichi Nikka is actually a beautiful girl in the class. She is very cute and sunny, and it is impossible to dislike her at any time.

When Hibiki Iruma is not around, girls from her class will talk to her and chat about girlish topics like gossip.

For example, according to the lower masters, it seems that Iruma Hibiki has been rumored to be kept by a young lady.

It was the first time that Ijichi Hongka heard such a rumor, which made her feel at a loss as to how to explain it to Iruma Hibiki. Instead, she burst into laughter because of the huge gap.

but--

A little lonely.

Ijichi Hongxia was shaking her pen, her attention already drawn to the window.

The cherry blossom viewing season is coming to an end. Of course, it is said to be the end, but it is because people who are attached to cherry blossoms have merged the flowering periods of Hokkaido and Kyushu together, so the flowering period has been extended to this day.

In fact, by this time, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo have already withered, and the branches are almost covered with green leaves.

On days when there are no flowers to be seen, the cherry tree is just an ordinary green plant, swaying in front of the window, shaping in the wind.

Ijichi Hongxia subconsciously looked back.

Iruma Hibiki's desk was empty, with only sunlight shining on it.

Just as she said, this spring was unusually sunny.

"Is everything going well with Iruma-san?"

Soon, Ijichi Hongka's thoughts drifted to Iruma Hibiki who had already left.

For Hibiki Iruma, asking for leave at noon was a rather novel experience. In elementary and junior high school, even though he thought his life was a mess, he was still a super attendee.

Same in the previous life.

The feeling of skipping class at noon is really new.

This also gave him the time to reply to Nagasaki Suyo at noon for the first time.

It was also the first time that Hibiki Iruma found out that Nagasaki Suyo always ate lunch alone in the garden of Tsuki no Mori. Along with the photos shared by Nagasaki Suyo, Hibiki Iruma vaguely saw a girl watering a short climbing plant with yellow flowers in the corner.

[How come Xiang has time to contact me at noon today? ]

Nagasaki Suyo was a little curious.

But probably he was happy inside.

The slightest anxiety caused by waiting disappeared immediately. She desired a lot, but got very little. However, despite this, she still felt happy the moment she got it.

……

Hibiki Iruma did not hide what he had done.

Or in his opinion, what he did was actually as he should do.

But just after he finished speaking.

【Hibiki and Goto-san have a really good relationship.】

Nagasaki Suyo didn't think so at all. She felt a little worried.

It's like a parent who has a history of giving toys to other people's children has once again set his sights on his beloved remote control car.

"Actually, our relationship isn't good at all. Maybe he actually hates me, which is why he went to such a faraway school."

On Nagasaki Soyo's side, Iruma Hibiki was able to say a little more than in front of Ijichi Kouka.

After all, she is my girlfriend, right?

At least that's what Hibiki Iruma thought.

Subconsciously, he had already regarded Nagasaki Suyo as a close person.

Of course, how to maintain a distance between the two of them, not too far away but not too close to the point of annoying the other, is still a hellish challenge for him.

However, at least at this moment, Iruma Hibiki had no intention of hiding anything.

So I said a little more.

Nagasaki Suyo typed a lot of words in the chat box, but quickly deleted them all. At the end, she just asked lightly:

【Have you had lunch yet? 】

She had the same smile on her face as always in class, and her thumb was rubbing lightly on the screen of her mobile phone. The nails on her left hand had been trimmed into beautiful arcs because of piano practice, so there was no need to worry about breaking the nails or making them frizzy.

[No, because Xiuhua is really far away. If I don't go there soon, she might have gone home.]

【go home?】