Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 476
Haixing decided to stay overnight, and when Naruse and the three left Morimi's house, it was already dark, and there was only the light of two motorcycles on the long county road.

There were no other cars on the road. The two cars were riding side by side, not very fast, and Naruse was slightly behind.

Sitting behind his sister, Takigawa Yue turned to look at him and suddenly said: "Harumi is really not used to being alone."

Naruse just smiled.

"Shangzi..."

As soon as she opened her mouth, she stopped and thought for a while, but there was nothing more to say.

And she didn't have to ride the bike by herself. She could always turn her head and look to the side. Naruse had no choice but to ask, "What's wrong with Naoko?"

Takigawa Yue pondered for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"I think Naoko is a little too worried about her family... Harumi, please don't tell her that I said it."

Naruse pursed his lower lip, "Yeah."

"And I always feel that Naoko might do something."

"what?"

Takigawa Yue frowned, "I don't know, even if I have this feeling... Harumi has been staying by Naoko's side, can't he notice it?"

"..."

Naruse didn't know how to tell her. Naoko's parents didn't even know that the two were dating.

"It's vague."

Hikaru Takigawa glanced back at him, then quickly turned back and looked ahead, illuminated by the high-beam headlights.

"All in all, Harumi should pay more attention... If anyone can unravel Naoko's worries, that person must be Harumi." Yue Takigawa said.

Naruse nodded, then responded.

Riding motorcycles, the three of them soon arrived at their respective intersections.

"good night!"

"Good night, Chunhai."

"Good night...that's right."

Naruse pressed the brake and said, "Sister Yue, my mother will come back tomorrow, do you want to come over?"

Takigawa Yue thought for a while and said: "If it's early in the morning or afternoon, I'll come over. It's almost evening. Don't rush this day."

Naruse nodded.

After all, tomorrow is the day to welcome the soul, and in the evening, every family will have to light the soul-welcoming fire.

He said goodbye to the two of them again, turned the throttle, and rode back.

After parking the car, he came to Ichika's house, said hello to Shangzi, saying that he was back, and chatted with Ichika and his wife for a while before going back.

After taking a shower and wiping his hair, he returned to the room. Before it was time to go to bed, Naruse sat down at the desk and looked at a few books he had brought back in the afternoon.

Picking up a book at random, he originally just wanted to flip through it, but he quickly read it.

When I put it down again, I had read nearly half of the book, my hair, which I had only wiped a few times, was already dry, and it was almost midnight.

"It's so late..."

After stretching, he stood up and moved around, and found that the window opposite was lit.

He walked to the window and knocked twice.

Shangzi soon appeared behind the window on the other side and waved to him.

The two communicated on the phone.

"When did Shangzi come up?"

"It's been a while."

"I was reading a book just now." Naruse said.

She smiled and said, "I guessed it."

Remembering what Takikawa Yue said on the way back, Naruse was silent for a while and said, "We had shabu-shabu for dinner tonight. It's a pity that Naoko didn't come."

"Then let's eat shabu-shabu at home next time."

"I mean, Shangzi can actually come with me today."

"..."

Across the distance between two windows, Naruse saw a look of surprise on her face, followed by half a minute of silence.

"Is Harumi angry?"

"...What are you thinking about?"

The surprise was transferred to his face, and then turned into helplessness, "It's just a pity that Shangzi is not here."

"Because I have to accompany my parents..."

Naruse took a breath and let it out slowly, "Yeah."

Now is not the time to delve deeper.

"Today we ate beef. If we eat it by ourselves next time, let's boil some fish fillets and try it."

Shangzi looked at him from a distance, then smiled, and the voice rang in his ears.

"Okay."

After chatting by the window for a while, the two of them went back to bed, and the call continued.

When Naruse woke up the next morning, the phone had been hung up.

Shangzi left a message for him and asked him to come over for breakfast when he woke up.

After getting up, washing up, and coming to the house, Naruse said hello to the couple who had already had breakfast, and Naruse sat at the dining table. "Is Harumi's mother coming back today?" Nakazawako asked in the living room.

He raised his voice and answered, "Yes."

"What about the specific time?"

"Morning or afternoon."

"Not sure yet."

"Yes."

"Has Chunhai prepared the things for the welcome pot?" The person who asked the question became Souka Tetsuya.

Naruse suddenly felt a lot of pressure, "Go and prepare after breakfast..."

Fortunately, the two adults didn't say anything.

Naoko asked in a low voice: "Does Harumi know what you want to buy?"

"I still know this."

"Ah."

After breakfast, Naruse went to the supermarket.

At this time of year, supermarkets usually set up a separate area to display Obon supplies, which saves customers from searching everywhere.

Naruse picked and picked and quickly bought everything.

When checking out, when she saw what he wanted to buy, the clerk at the counter reminded: "Haruhai should set up the elf shed as soon as possible."

"Ok."

Carrying things home, he passed by the Maki Hotel. Maki Seiichiro stood at the door and said hello to him, and also saw the things he was carrying.

He didn't say much, just nodded and looked after him.

After returning home, Naruse put down his things and started cleaning the Buddhist niche.After cleaning, I decorated it with the things I just bought.

"This length should be about the same..."

Insert thin wooden sticks under the cucumbers and eggplants to make elf horses and elf cows, and place them in front of the Buddhist altar together with tributes such as melons, fruit snacks, etc., and you are almost ready to welcome them.

After sitting on his knees in front of the Buddhist niche for a while, Naruse lit a stick of incense, rang the bronze chime, put his hands together and bowed.

"..."

Without warning, past memories came flooding back without discussion, whether they were happy or painful parts.

He suddenly regretted that he had arranged things too quickly.

At least when he's alone, doing something trivial can distract him.

Perhaps this is also the more practical meaning of this ritual besides the illusory comfort, he thought.

The waiting time always passes slowly, especially when one is waiting alone.

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Matsu Qianqiu returned home.

"Didn't Ms. Sato come back with you?"

"Yangzi also has her own hometown and ancestors. I let her go back."

Looking at the taxi retreating, Naruse didn't say much and stepped forward to take the light luggage in her hand.

As he got closer, Song Qianqiu suddenly noticed that the corners of his son's eyes were a little red.

"..."

A long-lasting sadness passed through her heart. She controlled her expression and touched his hair.

"I am back."

"Ah."

Naruse didn't notice her gaze and gestured to the house opposite, "Naoko's parents are back. Do you want to say hello?"

"Don't worry, we'll go there later."

Song Qianqiu walked into the room and sat down in front of the Buddhist altar.

"It's very well decorated. Everything you need is there... Harumi must have decorated it all himself."

"Ah."

"Fortunately, Harumi is here."

Glancing at the fresh melon and fruit snacks on the elf shed, she picked up an incense stick and lit it with the candle next to it.

"I'm back, Mamoru."

Song Qianqiu shook the incense in his hand, extinguished the open flame, and then slowly inserted it into the incense burner.

"Tokyo...is really far away."

Naruse turned away.

The daylight slowly moves downward, and the colors become dull.

A familiar yet unfamiliar smell began to fill the air.

At five or six o'clock in the evening, Matsu Qianqiu came to the yard outside with a pottery plate. Naruse broke off the hemp branches, placed them randomly in the pottery plate, and then lit them.

Flame jumps.

The hemp branches burned quickly, and a wisp of white smoke rose up, drifting into the dim sky, and then disappeared.

In the courtyard opposite, a soul-welcoming fire was also lit.

Naruse looked at the couple, and then at Naoko. She lowered her head, looking at the gray embers after burning the hemp branches, feeling deeply sad.

(End of this chapter)