Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 5 Shortcuts
The second-hand store is located near the central station, and it takes a long circle to pass from the street where the restaurant is located.

The premise is to take a wide road.

When he was still living in Aomori, Naruse seldom came here and was not familiar with the surrounding area, but he remembered that there was a small road that could pass through the dense and low buildings between the two streets and go directly to the opposite side.

"...When we were in Primary [-], there was a boy named Tamura in our class who seemed to live nearby. He took me there a few times."

He walked ahead, leading the way for Shangzi and himself based on intuition and a little vague memory.

It's just that after he plunged in, the road became narrower and narrower, and the houses on both sides became dilapidated visibly, and every step forward was consuming his little confidence.

When you come to a certain intersection, you have to make a choice that puts this confidence to the test.

"Which side is Chunhai more familiar with?" Shangzi asked from behind.

He looked left and right, and then turned around, even the way he just walked was strange everywhere.

"I'm not familiar with either side."

Shangzi couldn't help laughing, but he didn't panic at all.

"be lost."

Naruse also smiled helplessly, then turned around quickly, and chose the one that seemed easier to walk from the two unfamiliar paths.

"Since there is a way, we can always go out...it's nothing more than a place to go out, which may be different from what we expected."

"En." Shangzi was not worried, and followed closely.

The path is winding and winding, with no end in sight. The only good thing is that the ground is not dirty, and it is still easy to walk.

"I remember the time when I followed Chunhai to wander around."

Sunny half the wall, Shangzi looked up at the line of sky between the two old buildings, feeling as light and relaxed as the white cloud in the middle, "I often get lost."

Naruse tilted his head, "Who said that you can always find your way back?"

Shangzi laughed, "I only speak from the results."

He didn't refute, he kept walking, and his memory returned to the days when he was drilling around in the Qingliu countryside.

At that time, apart from Shangzi and Guang, there were a bunch of other children of the same age who followed him, too many to count with two hands;

At that time, he had no scruples, and everything depended on his mood. He was far more aggressive than now, leading a group of immature children to play around.

If nothing later...

Naruse took a deep breath, and calmed down.

He glanced back, Shangzi was looking at the moss on the wall by the side of the road, and didn't notice his gaze.

Shangzi's biological parents are both scholars, with a serious personality and a lot of discipline for her. Every time she gets into trouble or gets lost and returns late, she is the one who is scolded by her parents the most;

But the next day, she would still find a way to get out of the house and follow him closely.

"What's the matter?" Shangzi finally noticed his gaze.

Naruse turned his head and looked forward, "Don't lose track."

"Okay." She smiled and quickened her pace.

Turning another corner, I found a statue of Jizo Bodhisattva covered with moss standing in the corner, and Naruse's confidence that had disappeared suddenly came out again.

"That's the way. I remember this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

"Great."

The two walked in front of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Shangzi slowed down, put his hands together and bowed.

Naruse turned his head to see her movements, bowed a few times, and said, "I can see Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which means that the exit is not far away."

"Yes." Shangzi raised his eyes, "I saw the building in front of the Central Station."

"The exit is next to the building." Naruse said, heaving a sigh of relief.

Although I got lost on the way, I didn't stop or go astray on the road. In general, I saved a lot of time for detours.

The path became wider, and Shangzi followed him, still pointing at the building: "Sister Yue seems to be teaching in a school on a certain floor of the building."

"Really." Naruse remembered that when he left Tsugo yesterday, he saw an advertisement for a certain school outside the school gate, and the location seemed to be right here at the central station.

"Should have come over today too. I heard from Guang that, for the preparatory class like Sister Yue, the summer vacation time seems to be from [-]:[-] am to [-]:[-] pm."

Shangzi said, paying attention to his expression at the same time, "If Hikari's motorcycle is repaired, I will ride to pick Sister Yue back."

Naruse's expression didn't change, and he asked, "Does she usually go to school by motorcycle?"

"Well. Because I have to stay in school for training, I will stay later, and I may not be able to catch the bus."

"The sports department is really hard..."

He sighed casually, but what he thought in his heart was that in the past four years, Shangzi had never taken the initiative to talk to him about his childhood sweethearts including Guang.

He got his mobile phone when he first moved to Tokyo, and after a short period of time, he got Shangzi's contact information from Matsu Chiaki, and this was the only contact he had with his hometown.

"—I saw the exit."

Naruse looked forward, leaving a narrow gap between the two standing buildings, connecting this remote path with the street outside.

"In my impression, the exit here will be wider."

"The nearby streets have also been slightly remodeled." Shangzi said.

Naruse was silent, only fortunate that the exit was not blocked during the street renovation.

The area around the central station is considered the busiest place in downtown Tsumae, with concentrated shops, and the closer to the exit, the more clearly the hustle and bustle outside.

The moment Naruse saw the light of day again, Naruse turned his head and was about to say something when Shangzi grabbed him: "Ahead..."

He stopped just in time to miss the person in front of him.

The other party took a step back and grabbed the satchel tightly, obviously startled by the two people who suddenly rushed out from the alley.

"Feel sorry."

Naruse quickly apologized.

The girl who was almost bumped into by him was a girl wearing glasses, wearing a uniform, with a slender figure. Although she was not as tall as Takikawa Hikaru, she was considered tall among girls.

Looking quickly at his face, she nodded her head without saying anything, probably to accept his apology.

Just as she was about to leave, her eyes fell on Shangzi's face behind him, and she stopped unconsciously, looking a little surprised.

"Shangzi..."

Shangzi looked at the other party, with no less surprise on his face than the other party, "Yiye."

"'Yiye'?"

Naruse was stunned for a moment, a name emerged from the depths of his memory, and a face that didn't match the girl in front of him at all, "... Mori?"

The girl known as Yiye looked at him again, pushed her glasses, as if she was looking carefully, and spoke again after nearly half a minute.

"Just saying that Naruse is back, it seems to be true."

Morimi Kazuyo, the girl who runs a bookstore at home, is thin, timid, and inconspicuous... The short time of four years of absence completely overwhelms the impressions in Naruse's past memories.

The thought just flashed by, and he quickly said, "Long time no see."

"Long time no see." Mori Jian nodded, then glanced at the remote path behind the two of them, but didn't ask directly.

Shangzi noticed her gaze and didn't explain, but asked, "What is Yiye doing here?"

She was wearing her school uniform and carrying a bag, giving the impression that she was going to school.

"Attend class."

Looking away from her, Morimi pointed to the building next to him, "The school on the fourth floor."

"Yiye also attends class here?"

"Well, this summer vacation just started."

She is only in the first grade, and she comes to the school to attend classes. It seems that she already has a clear goal of going to school, Naruse thought.

"It's almost time for class." Mori Jian glanced at his watch, then looked at the two of them, his meaning was very obvious, "I'll go first."

Polite, alienated.

New impressions are gradually forming in Naruse's mind, covering the past, he nodded, "Goodbye."

Shangzi waved his hand and smiled.

"Goodbye."

They met suddenly and separated quickly, and the two sides walked towards their respective destinations.

When he was about to enter the building in front of the station, Morimi Kazuyo slowed down and turned his head to take a look.

The two familiar and unfamiliar figures walked side by side, and they had already gone far away.

"Choose this kind of time to come back, what are you thinking?"

　Thanks to the leader of the book friends [April 4th of the Doomsday Year].

　　
　
(End of this chapter)