The continuous spring rain did not last until the next day. Although there were cirrus clouds in the sky, the morning sun still showed up in the early morning.
When Soya saw Yoshikawa again, she followed Akane Kirino, wearing the morning light together.
Akane Kirino came back last night.
"Good morning~"
"……Good morning."
He had just gotten up and hadn't washed up yet. Unexpectedly, he saw two people walking into the yard as soon as he opened the door.
Welcoming them into the entrance hall, Soya saw Kirino Akane still carrying something in her hand.
"This is a specialty gift from a relative."
She picked up the bag in her hand and said, "There are too many. Mom asked me to bring some over. If you don't mind, just accept it."
Soya took it and found that it contained some homemade miso and pickles.
"Thank you, I'll accept it."
"Mom also said that Zonggu needs to work harder."
"..."
Is it possible that what Kirino Keiko said that night was not drunk?
Kirino Akane asked him while changing her shoes: "Does Soya know what it means?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because I have less time to go to the store recently."
"Is the shrine very busy? If it's inconvenient to ask, I will tell my mother for Soya."
"Need not……"
Zonggu turned and walked to the kitchen, "I will explain myself."
"All right."
Naturally, they came here to make up lessons for him today.
Akane Kirino's motivation comes from the novelty of tutoring her classmates, while Anko Yoshikawa's motivation comes from her;
There is no need for two teachers to make up lessons. In the morning, Kirino Akane, who was absent yesterday, will provide tutoring.
As a tutor, it is difficult for Zongya not to compare the two teachers one after the other.
As far as his own feelings are concerned, Yoshikawa Anko is like another him, with a standard top student style in terms of thinking and logic;
Kirino Akane is more agile - although she has difficulty grasping the balance between agility and calmness, and occasionally becomes out of touch.
The make-up classes in the morning lasted until about twelve o'clock. Soya concentrated on catching up with the progress. When he pulled away, he felt exhausted both physically and mentally, so he decided to go to a nearby ramen shop for lunch.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Kirino Akane and Asagiri Suzu were walking in front, Soya was a little behind, and Yoshikawa specifically stopped to wait for him.
"How does it feel?"
"It's okay." Soya replied.
Yoshikawa gave him a sideways look, and he answered in the same way yesterday.
"I seriously considered Soya's suggestion."
"Yeah."
"Although Soya said not to sacrifice the good for the bad, I find that I always unconsciously think of the idea of 'creating a secret with Akane'."
Zonggu smiled, and gained some strength in his perfunctory response.
"Even if I make Yoshikawa forget what I said now, it's still too late."
"It's too late."
She also smiled, "And just because I can't find any other way to make Qian care about me, this suggestion is even more impossible to ignore."
He looked at the figure in front of him and said, "I need to go to the doctor if I'm sick."
Yoshikawa doesn't think so, "Sotani should be more confident in his suggestions."
"I'm worried that my self-confidence will be transmitted to Yoshikawa and make you have too high expectations." Zongya looked at her, "The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment when they fail, isn't it?"
"..."
Yoshikawa narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"You're so annoying."
"Thanks."
When the intersection turned, Akane Kirino, who was walking in front, looked back at the two of them, and happened to meet Yoshikawa's eyes.
She paused.
"Hurry up and follow."
Soya increased his pace.
"Coming."
...
The tutor for the afternoon tutoring session was changed to Yoshikawa Anko.
But not long after the start, Soya received a message, and then said that he wanted to go to Fuyun Shrine.
"Eh?"
Kirino Akane was startled, "Now?"
"Well, it's a bit urgent."
"Then what should Hongzi and I do?"
"I don't know when I can come back. If you don't plan to go back, you can stay here."
Zongya glanced at Yoshikawa and said, "What you want to say or do is up to you."
Yoshikawa: "..."
"What?" Kirino Akane laughed, "This is my home."
"Yes, yes."
He hurried out, and Asagiri Suzu followed without saying a word. Suddenly, only Kirino Akane and Yoshikawa were left in the room.
"Akane, do you want to go back?" Yoshikawa asked.
Kirino Akane thought for a moment, "It's too early, I don't want to go home yet."
The two of them packed up the books and notes on the table.
"Then do you want to go shopping somewhere else?"
"where?"
"Something like a coffee shop."
"Hmm..." Kirino Akane began to think.
"I have something to say to Akane." Yoshikawa said, adding, "I can only tell Akane to one person."
"Yeah?"
She blinked and then smiled, "Then go."
After leaving the Kirino family's old house, the two of them walked in the direction of Rakusen-tei.
The nearest cafe is actually next to the station, but Yoshikawa said he wanted to go to another cafe near Rakuzentei to avoid Soya, who had just left home.
After walking around in the sun, we arrived at a coffee shop on a weekend afternoon. There were not many customers inside.
When they found out that they were two high school students who came in, the shopkeeper just nodded, then pointed to the menu on the counter, leaving them the time to choose.
"Ah, there are macarons available only in April."
“This strawberry cake looks so cute too!”
The two of them spent a long time choosing at the counter.
Although they had just had lunch, after all, "desserts are in another stomach", they each ordered the same dessert they liked.
After ordering two more cups of coffee, they found a seat by the window and sat down.
Yoshikawa took a breath quietly, brewing his emotions.
Warm sunshine shone on the table, and Akane Kirino sat opposite, curiously looking at the decorations in the store. Just looking at this scene, all the haze left by yesterday's rain was swept away.
After she calmed down, she realized that she had acted too hastily: it was still too dangerous to create a secret out of nothing.
Pretend that nothing happened, just go home after drinking coffee... shrouded in warm silence, Yoshikawa thought.
Kirino Akane looked over at this moment.
"What does Hongzi want to say to me?"
"..."
It doesn't seem to work.
Yoshikawa took a deep breath and met her gaze.
"...I'm a little concerned about Soya."
I don't know if it was because he climbed up the cool stone steps shrouded in the shadow of the cedar trees that Souya paused and trembled for no reason.
Chao Wuling looked over.
"fine……"
He shook his head and continued to climb the stairs. When passing by the platform, his eyes stayed on the carvings on the ground for a second longer.
He had never witnessed this mysterious dance used in ceremonies.
The monthly festival that was originally scheduled to be held a few days ago was postponed due to many incidents after the war, and another date will be chosen tomorrow.
After spending some effort to climb to the top of the stairs, there were a few worshipers sparsely standing in the shrine. The nearest miko looked towards the two of them.
"Sotani-kun, long time no see."
Yuko Harada, a part-time college student miko, held the broom and was very enthusiastic about the unexpected visitor, "Are you coming to see Kyoko today too?"
That's right. After all, it was Sugawara Kyoko who called him here. Soya nodded.
She held the broom and looked at them, "This is not possible."
Zonggu was startled, "What..."
She pointed at Asagiri Bell.
"You are so greedy, Soya-kun, to come to Kyoko when you have such a cute girl by your side."
"..."
This kind of conversation would only get deeper and deeper, and Zonggu immediately realized that this bored female college student was just using him as a pastime, and there was no more response except a brief smile.
Yumiko Harada realized that he was perfunctory and felt bored. She raised the broom and pointed at the social affairs office.
"Kyoko is waiting for Soya-kun inside."
"I understand, thank you."
Before entering the shrine, he looked around the shrine.
The sun shines through the forest and shines on the leaves, and the worshipers whisper their prayers. There is nothing unusual about it.
——The sliding door in front of me suddenly opened.
Soya turned around, and there stood a miko who was a bit cooler than Kyoko, and seemed to be about to come out.
"I'm sorry."
He stepped aside to make way, but the other party crossed his arms and looked at him with a frown.