The setting sun dyes and hangs in the western sky, elongating the figures in the alley.
The Shiba Inu Alpine ran in front, chasing the front end of the shadow. However, the length of the dog leash was limited, and it could not run far even if it was tightened.
The other end of the rope was held in Soya's hand, and Yoshikawa walked aside. Only when he turned around did he realize that the Kirino family's old house was no longer visible.
"Go this way?"
"ah……"
When she came to her senses, Sogu stopped at the intersection and asked her opinion.
"Any way is fine." Yoshikawa looked around, "You can walk back anyway."
"Then just listen to it."
Soya obeyed Alpine's wishes and chose the left intersection.
Yoshikawa also followed.
"What are Soya doing today?"
"Today." With his back to the setting sun, he looked at the shadow in front of him, "I helped cultivate land and plant vegetables in the morning, and went to the market in the afternoon."
"Sounds quite interesting..."
"It's not boring at all."
Soya looked at her, "Where is Yoshikawa?"
"watch TV."
"Um."
"Gone."
"..."
He looked at her again.
Yoshikawa laughed, "What kind of expression are you looking at?"
"Isn't it boring?"
"Bored. That's why I came out to walk the dog."
Zonggu quickly returned the dog leash to her.
"Speaking of which, does Yoshikawa walk this far every time he walks his dog?"
"…What are you doing?"
"just asking."
Yoshikawa pulled the dog leash, and Alpine looked back at her.
"I have more time today, so I walked a little more. By the way..."
She remembered something, "Soya is going to cook outdoors at Ryuken tomorrow, right?"
"Well, there is a campground on the shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu City that was recently opened. Not many people know about it yet."
"That's it. When will you arrive?"
"Morning."
"If you can't get up, you can ask Soya to get up when I pass by." Yoshikawa picked up the rope in his hand and said, "Walking the dog by the way."
"...Do you also want to walk the dog in the morning?"
Looking at Alpine's round butt, Sogu didn't quite understand what its exercise had consumed.
"No need, I can still get up. And the gathering time is not too early."
"Okay. Do you want to go with Suzuya?"
He shook his head, "Ling has an appointment with someone else."
"Eh……"
"Amamiya-senpai from the Literature and Art Club asked her to go to the National Museum."
Yoshikawa blinked, "Let's go to Kyoto... Is it okay for Ling to be alone?"
"Don't treat her like a child."
"Isn't Ling just a child?"
A child over 1,200 years old.
Zong Gu shook his head, "In short, I will go out with her and separate when we get to Yamashina."
"so good……"
Looking at the burning sky, Yoshikawa sighed.
"It will be fun to camp and have a picnic by Lake Biwa."
"Maybe, at least it's more interesting than staying at home."
She glared at him, and then said smoothly: "Since Soya is alone, take me with you. I also have people I know in Ryuken."
"I'm not alone." Zongya looked to the other side, where there was a narrow drainage channel beside the road. "Tomorrow Kyoko will also go with me."
"..."
There was silence around me.
When he looked back, Yoshikawa just looked at him calmly.
"Yeah."
"We made an appointment the day before yesterday when we went to the shrine."
"Then forget it."
After a while, she continued: "Golden Week... doesn't Sugawara-senpai need to stay at the shrine?"
"I need it. It's just that I haven't been too busy these two days, so I still have time, but I really won't have time after that."
"What a pity." Yoshikawa pulled Alpine with no expression on his face, "I originally planned to invite her to Kyoto together."
Zong Gu turned to look at her, "Really?"
"..."
She immediately stared over.
"I'm going back."
Since he had already walked a long way, Yoshikawa did not return the way he came, but went home in another direction.
The person holding the dog became Sogu again, and he wanted to send her back.
"…Then, my sister also came back from Tokyo."
"Um."
"The reaction was so bland... Oh, I didn't tell Soya, did my sister originally plan to travel to Hokkaido?"
"No."
Alpine, who was originally walking in front, now had to be held by Soya to move, falling behind the two of them.
Yoshikawa glanced back and then said: "It seems because I had a quarrel with my brother-in-law."
"Yeah."
Soya was perfunctory and looked up ahead. Yoshikawa's house was not far away.
"Are you listening?"
"Listening. Sister Yoshikawa is back?"
"..."
She bumped his arm.
The two of them continued forward and came to the yard of Yoshikawa's house. Someone was standing at the door talking on the phone.
"..."
It's Yoshikawa Aoko.
She first looked at Zong Gu, who was holding the dog, and then looked at her sister beside her, raising her eyebrows.
"You can go to Hokkaido alone. See you later!"
After hanging up the phone, Qingzi did not greet her sister, but turned around and shouted at the door:
"Mom, Hongzi brought her boyfriend back."
"Eh...no, no!"
Hongzi hurriedly went over to explain.
"Woof woof!"
"..."
Looking down at the joyful Alps, Sogu realized that he would not be able to leave for a while.
...
When she learned that Soya was going to have dinner at the Yoshikawa house that she was "passing by" in the evening, Kirino Keiko, who was so busy that she was dizzy, still took a few seconds to regret it.
It's just that the matter has come to this, and it's too late to regret it. She can only hope that Zonggu will, as he said, "have no plans to fall in love for the time being."
"Then get ready to eat... Akane, go ask Ling and Mr. Tsukiko to come down."
On the other side, the Yoshikawa family's meal was earlier, and Soya, who was left behind, had already been eating for a while.
On the cassette stove, the rich soup is bubbling in the pot, and the cubed tofu is piled together, next to it are enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, green onions... all kinds of ingredients are gathered into one pot, and the aroma is fragrant.
Zonggu picked up a large piece of beef that had just been cooked, stirred it into the egg liquid a few times, and accidentally bumped into the person next to him with his elbow.
"Feel sorry."
"fine……"
Hongzi shook her head and moved to the other side, but was immediately pushed back by her sister.
The sisters looked at each other, Yoshikawa Aoko raised an eyebrow and winked at Soya.
"..."
Hongzi pursed her lips and moved a centimeter that way.
The eldest son-in-law did not come back with the eldest daughter, and Soya was an unexpected guest, so Mrs. Yoshikawa initially chose a low table on the tatami as a place to have dinner.
A family of four can sit on one side, making it intimate and not crowded.
But after Soya was left to have dinner, things became different. Her parents and sister took separate sides, and Anko could only squeeze in with him.
"Why don't you go to the restaurant..."
"Why do you want to go to the restaurant? I just came back after a long time, and I also want to get close to my parents and my sister while eating."
"Obviously I just came back last month."
"When Hongzi gets married, she will know how rare it is to go home."
"but……"
"——If Anko doesn't take action, the beef will be eaten by Dad and Soya-kun."
"..."
Suddenly mentioned, Zonggu nodded to the sisters, "The beef is really good."
"right?"
Hongzi glanced at him, and Qingzi smiled, "Sotani-kun, feel free to eat as much as you want. I bought a lot, and there are still some in the refrigerator."
"Eh?" Hongzi turned to look at the kitchen again, "The beef in the refrigerator was all bought by my sister?"
"yes."
"This is very high-end beef, right...Did sister give you a bonus?"
"No, this is the cost of traveling to Hokkaido originally planned."
Later, while drinking beer, Aoko complained about the suddenly canceled trip, not minding that there was an outsider like Soya at the dinner table.
The Yoshikawa couple paid more attention to him, although their youngest daughter had strongly denied their speculation.
"Coming from the northeast...it's really far away."
"Living at Kirino's house?...The Kirino who runs the izakaya? He is my middle school classmate. By the way, his eldest brother seems to have been abroad for many years. That old house is really big..."
When the meat and vegetables in the sukiyaki pot were almost eaten, Mrs. Yoshikawa brought udon noodles, and Soya was very satisfied with the meal;
Hong Zi, who was concerned about the distance due to the attention of her family, soon let go and started eating and drinking as she usually did with him.
"Thank you for your hospitality..."
When Zonggu said goodbye, the sky had completely darkened, and he looked up to see the clear night sky.
"It looks like there should be good weather tomorrow."
Standing at the door, Hongzi lowered his head to look at him again, "It's best to have a sudden shower while Zonggu is lighting the fire."
"You are really evil-minded." Zonggu stood outside the door and looked behind her, "Is it okay, Miss Aoko?"
"It's okay. My sister talks nonsense when she drinks too much. Just go to bed and she'll be fine."