Ome Quartet of Snow Country

Chapter 604 Stomach Pain
Takayama City, morning, Hida Takayama Hot Spring Resort Hotel.

Naruse had been a little uneasy since he woke up alone in the hotel bed.

The expectation of pursuing all the way, and the impatience to rush here all night, all turned into hesitation overnight.

He would find Naoko soon.

This also means that he will soon face Shangzi again.

"..."

After lightly beating his chest twice, Naruse sat up and told himself not to think too much until he actually found Naoko.

After washing up and having breakfast in the restaurant upstairs, he woke up early and it was just after 08:30 when he left the hotel.

The hotel is right near the station. It takes about half an hour to walk to Kamiichi-no-machi, and the post office starts working at [-] am.

The express mail sent from Tokyo yesterday afternoon was said to be delivered here before [-] noon today. In other words, if everything goes well, he will be able to wait for Shangzi who comes to pick up the package at noon.

When passing by a convenience store, Naruse went in and bought a mask, planning to put it on while waiting for someone to prevent Naoko from seeing him first and escaping.

Facing the rising sun, he continued to move forward and came to the riverside of Miyagawa River. He walked down the river again.

On the other side is the Miyagawa Morning Market, which is the busiest time in the morning.

Naruse watched from a distance, without stopping, until he reached the middle bridge near the Takayama Jinya and then crossed over the bridge.

After walking a while, he looked at the map, turned at the intersection, and walked onto another street.

It was nine o'clock in the morning, and there was no one on the road. The shops on both sides opened one after another, and it was relatively deserted.

After walking for a few minutes, an inconspicuous beige building appeared on the side of the road. If it weren't for the red mailbox standing at the door, Naruse probably wouldn't have noticed it was a post office as he walked past.

【Takayama・Kamiichi-no-Machi Post Office】

After confirming that this was the place he was looking for, he stopped.

It was just after nine o'clock, and the post office had just opened. There was only one post office worker busy inside.

Naruse looked around and saw that the street was deserted. Not to mention Naoko, there were only a few passers-by.

It would be too conspicuous if he waited here.

Diagonally across from the post office was a small restaurant. It had just opened its doors not long ago, and Naruse became the first customer to come to the door today.

"Welcome to 'Taste of Spring'...ah, today's first guest is so beautiful, I feel like my mood has improved."

The shop owner is an old aunt in her 50s or [-]s. She greets customers with the same beautiful words warmly.

Naruse had to wait here all morning, maybe longer, so he forced a smile and responded to her greeting.

"Please feel free to take a look."

He took a look at the menu. This shop mainly served fried meat patties. If he came here at another time, he might have a good appetite, but now he just felt greasy.

The store also provides seats, and one of the seats is right by the lattice window, which is perfect for observing the movement of the post office opposite.

"A glass of freshly squeezed juice."

"Is that all right?"

"I just had breakfast, and I'm not hungry yet." Naruse told the truth, and then added, "I want to wait until noon to taste the delicious food here."

The shopkeeper's aunt didn't say anything, smiled slightly, let him do as he pleased, and then prepared juice for him.

Naruse walked to the lattice window and sat down. He looked through the window at the post office opposite and began to wait.

The juice was delivered quickly.

"Please enjoy."

"Thank you." Naruse took it, took a sip and put it down.

"Are you waiting for someone?" There were no other customers at the moment, so the shopkeeper asked one more question.

"Yes."

"College Students?"

"Yes……"

Naruse responded again without changing his expression.

It doesn't sound nice to say that he is just skipping school. From the perspective of such an elderly adult, it may be a bit subtle.

"Come here and find a friend."

"I see."

The shopkeeper's aunt didn't ask any questions and quickly returned to her seat.

Naruse looked out the window and continued to wait. An hour passed quickly.

During this time, more and more people were walking on the street outside, and a few people came to the store to buy croquettes and eat them while walking. However, there was still no movement at the post office opposite.

This building was smaller than the local post office in the countryside of Qingliu, and it was also more deserted than there, as if this was the norm for all post offices that he had never noticed before.

Naruse continued to wait and could only wait.

An hour has passed.

Another hour passed.

By noon, the Taste of Spring shop was already bustling with activity, and there were many people queuing up at the door to buy croquettes.

The meatloaf was frying sizzlingly in the oil pan, and Naruse was also suffering from the anxiety that was gradually becoming impossible to ignore. It was just noon, it was still early, he comforted himself.

Aren't you ready to stay here all day?
It’s just noon…

There were many more people walking on the street outside than in the morning. Although he knew that he only needed to stare at the people who walked into the post office, he still couldn't help but look at every pedestrian who walked by.

Not Shangzi.

No.

Not Shangzi...

His eyes were sore from staring, but the more this happened, the more he couldn't stop.

He had to do something, even if it was meaningless, to resist the constant attack of anxiety.

The glass of juice he ordered in the morning had long been drained, and by noon, he had no appetite at all.

Unconsciously, the anxiety in my mind flowed into my stomach, burning the stomach wall.

"Well……"

Be more patient, Naruse endured the sudden stomachache and reminded himself.

"Are you okay?" A middle-aged man sitting next to him asked when he saw that he didn't look right.

"I'm fine..."

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"A little bit...just sit down for a while."

The other party looked at him again and didn't ask any more questions. After a while, he finished his food and left.

Naruse took out the mask he bought at the convenience store this morning and put it on.

After noon, the excitement in the store gradually subsided. He sat still, and the condition in his stomach gradually improved, at least it was not as crampy as before.

He still had no appetite, so he got up and went to the front desk, asking for a glass of hot water.

"Hasn't your friend come over yet?" the store manager's aunt asked.

"Yes……"

Naruse thought for a moment, then took out his phone and flipped through Naoko's photo to show her.

"Excuse me, have you seen this girl here?"

"Let me see……"

She took the phone and stared at it for a while, then slowly shook her head.

"It's cute, but I'm not impressed."

Naruse's heart suddenly sank, and he immediately comforted himself that Naoko should not be active here, and this aunt had to receive so many guests every day, even if she met her, she would probably not leave an impression.

"I see……"

"Wouldn't the guest have something to eat?"

"No, I can't eat it for now."

After taking the hot water, he returned to the window and sat down.

The mail package was delivered this morning. It's already past one in the afternoon, and there is still no sign of Naoko.

Did you not notice the message, or was it because you couldn't get away for the time being?
By the way, today is Thursday, Naoko may be in class. She might have transferred to the school here.

No, he just called all the high schools here before...

His stomach began to hurt again, and Naruse couldn't help but want to lie down on the table for a while, and then looked up at the post office outside the window.

Most of the day passed, and the post office was no longer as deserted as it was in the morning. People came in and out from time to time. At this time, a short girl with short hair just walked in.

"Well……"

His stomach churned, and Naruse lowered his head.

He looked up sharply again.

Boom!
"..."

There was a sudden silence in the small restaurant, and the guests looked towards the boy who stood up suddenly while holding the table by the window.

"keep the change."

Dropping a thousand yen at the front desk, Naruse walked out of the restaurant and walked straight to the post office opposite.

The glass door also opened at this time, and the short-haired girl who had just entered walked out and looked down at the package in her hand.

When she noticed someone stopped in front of her, she raised her head and her eyes suddenly widened.

"..."

Naruse took off the mask and her body trembled.

"Shangzi."

Snap, the cardboard box in Shangzi's hand fell to the ground.

Then she turned and ran away.

(End of this chapter)