Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 420 cheer up
Starting from the Prefectural Tsuga, the team gathered in front of Tsuzene Park, and then marched slowly along Chuo-dori Street and Dotemachi Shopping Street. The roads along the way were temporarily blocked for today's grand ceremony.The roadside was packed with people, and even though the sky had darkened, you could still feel the enthusiasm of the onlookers.

The Tsudaka Festival has begun, and summer is here!
The rising temperatures brought about by the rare continuous clear skies during the rainy season seem to be proof of this.The first sight is of young students wearing yukata, full of youthful atmosphere, and the feeling of summer is even stronger.

The Tsudaka Festival is a poem about the scenery of early summer in Tsumae, and the lantern parade at this time is so impressive that many people only know about the lantern parade and don’t know that the Tsudaka Festival actually lasts for three days...

I was thinking wildly and diverted my attention, but the exhaustion from hiking for a long time with the lantern still invaded my thoughts unknowingly.

Naruse straightened his arms and stretched.

"Are you tired?" he asked Shangzi beside him.

"Um……"

Shangzi responded and leaned on his arm again, not hiding his tiredness.

The sky has completely darkened, and although the lanterns behind them are bright, they can't shine on their faces. They can relax and don't have to stay tense like before.

"My legs are almost broken." Morimi turned around and said, his eyes meeting Naoko's, "You are so embarrassed to let your girlfriend accompany you to suffer."

Naoko smiled, "I came here myself...and even if I don't exchange with the student council president, I still have to follow the team."

"That's what I say, but it's better to blend in with the crowd behind you."

"This is also..."

Naruse just looked at the two dark yellow lanterns on the left and right in front of him, without thinking about who the "girlfriend" in Morimi's words was referring to.

"I can't even beat the taiko drum." Shangzi turned around. Behind the lanterns, the sound of drums was sparse, and the drummer's weakness could only be heard.

"Even if two drummers are arranged to take turns playing each taiko drum, two hours is still a bit too long." Naruse said, "Actually, I have mentioned shortening the tour time before. One hour is completely enough for this route. The parade has been completed. However, Yoshioka-senpai said that this year is the 150th anniversary, and it is not appropriate to shorten the parade at this point. We can consider it next year."

"She will run away next year," Morimi said.

Naruse looked at the sky. It was already past half past seven, and stars were visible in the night sky.

"Let's talk about next year's matters next year."

After walking around for an hour and a half, they were already on their way back to school, although they still had untraveled roads.

The line was very long, and in the middle, in Class C of the second year, Haixing had his arms hanging down, holding a simple loudspeaker in his hand, and was speechless.

Her throat was hoarse and dry, and she just wanted to drink water.

"cough……"

She cleared her throat, swallowed with some difficulty, and raised the loudspeaker in her hand.

It’s been a long time since I shouted slogans.

Although everyone stopped shouting...

Taking a deep breath, she was about to speak when a hand came over and pressed down on her arm.

"..."

Turning her head to look, the girl next to her shook her head.

"Stop shouting, everyone can't shout anymore. You can hear Class B and Class A in front of us, and they've already lost their voices... Ahem, my throat feels so uncomfortable."

Starfish put down the loudspeaker, and then took out a throat lozenge from the small bag slung on his body, "Want some?"

"What is this...throat lozenge? I would rather drink water...forget it, give it to me."

"I still have a lot." Haixing patted the small bag on his waist.

"Why are you bringing so many lozenges? It's useless."

"This is what others reminded me..."

"Who? Boyfriend?"

"……Um."

"Hey - it turns out that Maki has a boyfriend. Which class is he in?"

Haixing's face felt hot, and he hid it in the darkness, "He's from Class A."

"what is it call?"

"This can't be said..."

"Okay. In fact, you are so beautiful and don't like to study. It's strange that you don't have a boyfriend."

"..."

Haixing looked at the sky, not knowing how he should react to her words of praise or derogation.

"But he probably isn't very smart, or he doesn't have such experience."

"Eh?"

"Otherwise, I'll ask you to bring water."

"Well...he doesn't know that I brought this bag." Haixing tried to make up for him.

"Hmm? Before the cruise, didn't you guys give me a kiss and a hug and say 'see you later~'?"

"..."

She didn't want to talk about this topic anymore.

Starfish raised the loudspeaker in his hand, "One, two, three, four!"

"..."

Although he was a little surprised, the members of the atmosphere group beside him also responded at the top of their lungs.

"150 years!"

"Poetry of early summer scenery!"

"Tsugao Festival!"

Inspired by Class C of the second year, other classes that had been silent also started shouting.

The sound of flutes and drums also cheered up.

"Tsugao Festival!"

Takigawa Hikaru shouted at the top of his lungs, then looked around, "Why are you shouting again?" "Because it's almost time to reach school." The person next to him said.

"There are still more than 20 minutes."

"Well... Anyway, we just follow the shout. We will do what others do."

"I like how you put it."

"Eh?"

Hearing the sudden drumming and shouting behind him, Naruse was slightly surprised and turned his head to look.

From this angle, of course, you can only see the lanterns behind you.

"Why are you so energetic again?"

"Who knows...Fortunately we don't have to shout."

Sen Jian was weak, "There are only three of us, and it would be too embarrassing to shout that kind of slogan."

"I think it's okay." Shangzi said.

"..."

Morimi curled her lips towards the roadside, knowing in her heart that she only said this because her boyfriend came up with the slogan.

After walking forward for a while, we finally reached the turning point.

The police car leading the way turned around, and the two lanterns following it were held crookedly and swaying, like fruits on an autumn branch, looking as if they might fall off at any time.

Naruse heaved a sigh of relief as he dragged the car around the corner.

After turning around this intersection, it's not far from Jingao.

Continuing to walk forward, they passed by a crowded place. The principal and his entourage who were staying here merged into the group again, and Mori Jian murmured again.

"If we let an old man like the principal follow us for two hours, we probably won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow." Naruse said, looking forward.

Morimi looked at him and said, "If you propose shortening the trip to one hour next year, Mr. Principal will definitely agree."

"Next year it's none of my business."

"I can also come to the executive committee to help Chunhai next year." Naoko said.

"Really? Then I'll think about it again..."

A few minutes later, when they walked to Shinjimachi Bridge, the Hamono Cafe appeared in the sight of the three of them.

"By the way, how did your parents come here?" Naruse asked Morimi.

"Of course I drove here by myself."

"Where are they?"

"They should be sitting in some shop on the roadside..." Morimi was not sure, "I'll ask after I go back to school."

"Then let's go back with Haixing." Naruse said again, and the person he spoke to became Naoko.

"Okay."

Morimi glanced at the two of them and said, "You can also take my car."

"It depends." Naruse said perfunctorily. He hadn't been to her bookstore for a while, and he was a little worried about what Mori Miki would ask.

A few minutes later, the police car stopped on the roadside outside the gate of Jin High School. The two students holding lanterns continued to walk in, and a member of the executive committee who had been waiting here came to replace Naruse.

The short period of relaxation is over, and the finishing work of the lantern parade is about to begin.

Seeing that he ran away, Morimi also dropped the lantern and got out of the carriage.

"..."

Shangzi was stunned for a moment, looked at the executive committee member next to him who replaced his boyfriend, and suddenly smiled: "Thank you for your hard work."

"Eh……"

She ran away too.

Fortunately, one person could completely drag the float. Naruse didn't say anything about Naoko and Morimi letting go, and just asked the person who took over to drag the lantern to the designated place.

"Yes, Chairman."

"Thanks for your hard work."

The student council president who was dragging the second lantern was also replaced and stopped in front of Naruse.

"I can finally breathe a little easier."

"Yes."

The lantern parade is the event that everyone pays attention to. As for the activities in the Budokan and Tsugao campus in the next two days, their importance is completely incomparable.

Now that the lantern parade has come to a perfect end, the boulder hanging in their hearts can finally be put down.

Glancing at Naoko standing on the other side, Naruse asked, "How come Yoshioka-senpai swapped with Naoko?"

Fumiko Yoshioka was startled and said:

"Because Minister Ika wants to stay with Naruse-san, and I don't like being in the spotlight, so I agreed."

Don’t you like to be in the limelight…

Seeing that he didn't quite understand, she smiled again.

"All I need is the experience of organizing this 150th Anniversary Tsutaka Festival. No matter whether I stand at the front of the line during the parade or not, this will not change."

"...The president is really straightforward."

"I thought Naruse-san had noticed it a long time ago."

Naruse glanced at the tall figure next to Naoko. The first person he saw was on the phone, seemingly contacting his parents.

"Okay, we can't relax now, Naruse-san, let's bring a perfect ending to today's parade."

"Ok."

(End of this chapter)