It wasn't until the last day before the start of Golden Week that Soya knew that several relatives of the Kirino family would move into the old house starting from tomorrow.
Akane Kirino, who told him the news, only learned about it from her parents this morning.
"The first ones to arrive were relatives from Saitama. A couple, over sixty years old."
On the swaying tram, she held the handrail tightly and looked at Zong Gu next to her.
"They will come over by Shinkansen and arrive probably tomorrow afternoon. I will also go back with Soya today to tidy up the room they will use."
Zonggu nodded, expressing understanding.
Seeing Akane Kirino's hesitant expression, he asked, "Do we need to avoid it these days?"
"No, no... there are many rooms. Souya and Suzu can just stay here. You don't need to worry about entertaining relatives."
She shook her head quickly and explained again.
"It's just that they are older and more old-fashioned, and are less able to accept things that are too avant-garde... and there are others."
Zonggu was startled for a moment, and then he came to his senses.
"You mean confinement?"
"……Yes."
After all, there are only a handful of people who know Tsukuyomi's true identity. Other than that, everyone including the Kirino family and Yoshikawa Anko regard him as an "avant-garde human" with mixed gender.
What's more, he still looks like he's too lazy to eat.
"I see."
Zong Gu nodded. The problem seemed complicated, but it was not troublesome to solve.
"I'll let him stay in his room and show his face as little as possible."
"Feel sorry……"
"Don't worry."
However, most of the relatives of the Kirino family came here for vacation, and the destination was the beautiful scenery around Kyoto and Lake Biwa. They would not stay in the old house forever, and Tsukuyomi would not be aggrieved for too long.
After leaving the station, on the way to school, someone caught up from behind and tapped Soya on the shoulder.
"Hey, Soya."
"Fushimi..."
Zong Gu turned his head and smiled in surprise, "It's really rare. Did you get up late today?"
Fushimi Keisuke had a mess of hair and his uniform was askew. He looked like he was in a hurry when he went out.
"That's true, but I woke up before six o'clock."
He shrugged, "I was just chatting with those guys on Line about tomorrow's social gathering, and I forgot that I still have to go to school today."
"Yeah."
After Fushimi appeared, Kirino Akane, Yoshikawa and Asagiri Suzu kept a little distance from Soya and followed behind, even when climbing the stairs.
He looked back at the three girls and whispered to Soya:
"Golden Week... Soya is going on a date with Yoshikawa, right?"
"..."
A misunderstanding had arisen, and Zonggu felt that he couldn't explain it for a while, so he did not deny it.
"So, it's been decided, right?"
Fushimi seemed to be confirming something and waiting for his answer.
Zong Gu immediately understood what he meant, "You mean dating?"
"yes."
"I have no plans yet."
"I understand."
Fushimi smiled mysteriously, not knowing what he understood, and patted Soya on the shoulder again.
"But since Soya chose Yoshikawa, that means you gave up on Kirino Akane and Asagiri Suzu?"
"..."
Soya didn't answer directly, but asked instead, "Fushimi wants to pursue them?"
"No, no, I still know myself."
Fushimi shook his head and spread his hands slightly exaggeratedly, "But others are different."
"Didn't I say that there are many boys in the first grade who are interested in them. Before, because Souya was ambiguous with them, they didn't dare to take action."
And Soya and Yoshikawa's date in Kyoto was like a signal, giving them confidence again.
"Just watch, it's Golden Week starting tomorrow, and someone will definitely take action today."
Fushimi's words came true - after arriving at school, when Akane Kirino was about to change her shoes, she found a letter in the shoe cabinet.
"..."
Zong Gu was watching from the side.
Fushimi raised his eyebrows, gave him an "I'll tell you what" look, and then went upstairs first.
Akane Kirino was very calm when she found the envelope. She put on her shoes and opened the letter on the spot.
"I said I wanted to meet in the atrium during lunch break..."
Asagiri Suzu watched silently, while Yoshikawa next to him looked like he was used to it, "Which class are you in?"
"I don't know." Akane Kirino read the letter over and over again, "There is no name, and it doesn't say which class it is from."
Yoshikawa was quite disdainful of this.
"The guy who doesn't even dare to leave his name... just throw it away and ignore it."
Kirino Akane put the letter back into the envelope.
"No, I'm going to take a look."
She was stunned and didn't notice Sogu looking over.
"...Eh?"
...
Throughout the morning, Yoshikawa was distracted and in a daze, always wondering why Akane Kirino agreed to the invitation of the unknown boy.
As soon as lunch break came, she immediately came over to Sogu and asked him to go out with her.
"...I haven't had lunch yet."
"I can't eat it!"
Soya had no choice but to let Asagiri Suzu eat by herself, and then followed Yoshikawa out of the classroom.
After waiting in the corridor on the fourth floor for a long time, she couldn't find Akane Kirino in the atrium below.
"Did you go somewhere else? Let's go down and have a look."
Soya asked her to calm down and took a look at the door of Class B. Sure enough, Kirino Akane was still inside eating her lunch slowly.
"..."
Yoshikawa finally calmed down a little.
"Let's eat first."
Back in the classroom, just as Sogu sat down, she came over again with a lunch box.
"Go and eat in the atrium."
The two of them came to the atrium and found a bench to sit down. They could see the entrance and exit of the main building at a glance. If Akane Kirino came to make an appointment, they would be able to spot it immediately.
"...Since middle school, Akane and I have often received anonymous letters like this."
Yoshikawa took two bites and then talked to himself.
"Although we have no intention of dating anyone, in the beginning, after receiving such a letter, Akane and I would still go to see each other and explain things clearly in person."
Zonggu, on the other hand, just ate his food and showed no reaction.
"Are you listening?"
"Um."
"Why don't you speak?"
"What did you say?" He glanced at her, "Who didn't come here like this?"
"..."
Yoshikawa opened his mouth.
She almost forgot that Soya, her and Akane Kirino were actually the same kind of people - at least their experiences of being courted by the opposite sex were almost the same.
"In this case..."
Yoshikawa became curious and moved towards him with his bento, "How many girls has Soya rejected?"
"If you mean face-to-face rejection, there is only one."
"..."
In other words, he only went to see the other party after receiving the first letter, and then ignored him.
"It's so heartless. I even went to see four or five of them, although they were all in the same place."
Yoshikawa held the lunch box and said, "Akane is about the same. If I receive a letter like this in the future, I will never go to an appointment."
"so……"
Soya swallowed the food in his mouth, "This time Kirino suddenly agreed to go to the appointment, so Yoshikawa will be very concerned about it."
"yes."
She glanced at him quickly.
"If it's because of me..."
If Akane Kirino wanted to start an encounter because of the influence of her "secret love" Soya, then... Looking at the interlaced light and dark floor tiles, Yoshikawa didn't know how to describe his mood.
"Because of Yoshikawa?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I... Akane is out!"
Soya raised his head. Akane Kirino, who had just come downstairs, was standing at the entrance to the main building, holding the letter in her hand.
Looking left and right, she didn't notice the two people who were a little far away, so she found a bench on the other side of the atrium and sat down.
She was waiting for someone over there. Yoshikawa over here also had a premonition of what was about to happen, so he ate faster and choked as expected.
"Ahem...ahem!"
"..."
Soya shook his head, put down his lunch box, and went to a nearby vending machine to buy two bottles of juice.
"Thanks……"
After drinking the juice, Yoshikawa finally recovered.
On Kirino Akane's side, the boy who had an appointment with her also showed up.
After saying hello, he sat down on the bench with his back to the two people here.
"I've never seen a boy before." Yoshikawa pushed up his glasses and squinted at the back, "I can't tell what grade he is in."
"Okura Kenji from Class G of the first year, from the football club."
"Really...eh?"
She looked back at Zong Gu, "Does Zong Gu know him?"
"I don't know."
Sogu ate the last bit of his lunch box without looking over there.
"I just inquired a little bit about Fushimi, and it was easy to find out. I know his character, background, and middle school experience very clearly."
"..."
Yoshikawa looked at him blankly, "Why?"
Full.
Soya closed the lunch box and wiped his mouth.
"Because I promised Mrs. Kirino not to let anyone with ulterior motives get close to Akane."