Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 104
After briefly tidying up the books and notes on the table and stacking them aside, Morimi made a few cups of hot tea again.

Shangzi returned to the living room with a plate of heated rice balls, put it on the table, and looked at Hikari Takikawa first.

"Is the light head okay?"

"Ah, haha, it's okay..."

"That's good."

Shangzi smiled at her, then pushed the plate towards the middle of the table.

"I've been waiting for a long time. I'm in a hurry at night. I only prepared some rice balls. Let's make it."

"No, I'm looking forward to it."

She picked up the rice ball, and Naruse and the others were not polite, and each picked up the steaming rice ball and ate it.

"It's really good..."

After taking a bite, Morimi covered his mouth, "Sure enough, it tastes better when it's hot."

"The more critical thing is Shangzi's craftsmanship." Takikawa said.

"Thank you." Shangzi smiled.

The rice balls are small and come in several flavors, ranging from sweet to salty, and emit a unique aroma after being heated.

delicious...

Hai Xing stuffed rice balls into his mouth while thinking unwillingly.

She glanced at Naruse again, but he looked calm and didn't comment.

That's right... After all, he is eating the food prepared by Shangzi every day, which is nothing at all.

The others didn't know what she was thinking at this time. While eating rice balls and drinking hot tea, the exhaustion from studying all night gradually melted away in this temperature.

"Alive..."

Sen Jian didn't have a big appetite, and he was full after eating only two small rice balls, "I feel that it won't be a problem to do the questions for another four hours."

"Don't go too far, honor student."

Naruse didn't eat too much, took two sips of hot tea, and then got out of the kotatsu.

"Take your time." Seeing that Shangzi speeded up stuffing rice balls into his mouth, Naruse signaled her not to worry, "I just came out early to adjust to the temperature."

"Sure enough, do you still want to go home?" Hikari Takikawa lay down on the table.

"You can stay here overnight." Naruse felt cold when he came out, and it was difficult to get back into the kotatsu, so he paced in the living room.

Holding the teacup, Mori also looked at her, "Do you want to stay overnight?"

"Well... let's forget about today."

Hikaru Takikawa stared at the last rice ball on the plate, "Let's talk about it after the holiday, it will be more relaxed at that time."

"Are you coming to my house for vacation?"

She smiled and stretched out her hand towards the rice ball, but met the other hand unexpectedly.

"Ah." Hai Xing withdrew his hand immediately, "Just eat."

"Half for each of us." Hikaru Takikawa smiled, divided the rice ball into two halves, and gave one half to her.

After eating the last rice ball and drinking a few more sips of tea, they were ready to go back.

"Continue the study meeting tomorrow." Takikawa suggested before leaving, "until the exam."

Sen Jian nodded, "I have no objection."

Of course the other three would not object.

"Be careful on the road."

Sending off the four at the door, Morimi went back to the living room alone to pack up.

Emotions floated high on an invisible layer, and when she came back to her senses, she found herself humming.

"I'm too excited..."

She touched her face, her palms were cold, but she couldn't cool down the inexplicable joy.

"However...it feels good to have everyone together."

She continued to pack.

On the other side, the four people who were walking on the snow had already walked halfway.

The lights at the intersection of the county road in the distance are bright and dazzling, guiding the direction, and nothing can be seen on the road.

The snow reflects the dark light, and even the expressions on each other's faces can be vaguely seen.

"This time..."

Hikaru Takikawa walked in front, "Haixing's house should be closed."

Before Haixing could speak, Naruse in front of him said, "The rolling door won't be locked, just lift it up."

"...Mmm." Hai Xing also responded.

"That's good."

Takikawa Hikaru didn't talk much about this issue, "Ichiyo's house is still a bit far away. But if I hold a study meeting at our home, I don't feel at ease if Ichiyo has to go back alone after the end."

"Take it as digested after a meal." Naruse said.

She turned her head and smiled, "Shangzi's rice balls are really delicious."

"Thank you."

Finally at the intersection, the lights were reflected, and there was silence on both sides of the county road. All the shops, including the Shinki Hotel and Morimi Kohonen, were closed.

When I came to the real wood hotel, the shutter door fell, and the lights inside were still on.

wow——

Handing the things in his hands to Shangzi, Naruse bent down and lifted the shutter door, letting Haixing in.

"thanks……"

Inside and outside the door, the two looked at each other and looked away at the same time.

"Lock the door."

"Yeah." Starfish nodded.

Several people said good night to each other.

wow——

Pulling down the shutter door, Naruse clapped his hands, and faintly heard Seiichiro Maki's voice coming from inside the door.

The doors were closed, and there was no need to say hello, he turned and left, "Let's go."

At the intersection of Naruse's house, Takikawa Hikari didn't need to see him off, so he waved goodbye to the two and went back by himself.

The two also walked home.

"It's so late, Shangzi still wants to take a bath at my house."

"Well... can't you?"

"I'm not afraid that it will be cold when I go home, and I can do whatever I want."

"nothing."

After school the next day, the few of them still went to the school library to study together—because the air conditioner was on.

Sen Jian didn't need to be on duty today, so there was no need to sit at the entrance, so she specially chose a seat near the air-conditioning vent.

Near the end of the term, there were a lot of people who came to the library to study. Naruse saw several students from Class C, including the boys who had come to him for tutoring.

Even if you don't look at the face, the combination of the first two grades is really eye-catching, and the other party quickly noticed him.

The two looked at each other, and the other party was not ignorant enough to come over to him for counseling at this time, but raised his eyebrows from a distance, with an ambiguous expression on his face.

"..."

Naruse was dumbfounded, and quickly looked away.

"What's wrong?" Sen Jian looked at him.

"It's nothing." Naruse turned the pen in his hand, "I just think Morimi really chose a good position."

The steady stream of warm air blowing on his face made him feel a little hot.

She smiled, didn't say anything, and continued to explain the topic to Haixing.

Withdrawing his attention, Naruse touched Hikaru Takikawa's foot under the table again.

"Don't fall asleep."

She sat up straight at once, then lay down again.

"It's a little too comfortable here..."

"So don't fall asleep."

She rubbed her face and took a deep breath, "Well, I won't fall asleep."

The warm wind above the head continued, although it dispelled the chill, but after staying for a long time, it also made the mouth dry.

Seeing that Shangzi and the others were all immersed in the questions, and seemed unable to ask questions for a while, Naruse got up and prepared to buy a bottle of drink and come back.

"Where is Harumi going?" Takikawa Hikaru asked.

"Buy a drink."

"I want juice, any flavor."

"Ah."

Shangzi also looked over, and before he could speak, Naruse nodded.

"Where's the starfish?"

"……It will be all right."

He looked at Sen Jian again, and she stretched her waist and stood up too.

"Can you take it? I'll go with you."

Leaving the library, through the long corridor, the vending machine is placed at the entrance of the auxiliary building.

bang-

A bottle of juice fell down, and Naruse chose another box of strawberry milk.

drop--

"Is the strawberry milk Naoko's?"

"Ah."

"By the way, I want coffee."

Naruse chose another can of coffee.

bang-

Morimi bent down to take out the dropped bottles of drinks, opened his own coffee and drank it.

Looking outside, snow covered the flower beds and bushes in the atrium, and the cold wind blowing in made her more awake.

"If you sit there all the time, you will really fall asleep."

"The air conditioner is so comfortable." Naruse also opened the juice and took a sip.

"Stay here for a while before going back." She shook the coffee in her hand.

"Ah."

The two chatted without saying a word, and someone came over in the corridor, it was the boy from Class C.

Seeing Naruse and Morimi standing next to the vending machine, he just smiled at Naruse, bought a bottle of coffee and went back.

"People you know?"

"Ah."

Neither of them cared.

When he returned to the library, Naruse suddenly noticed that there seemed to be more eyes looking in this direction.

(End of this chapter)