After crossing the Aoyagi Bridge and walking along the prefectural road, you will see a shrine not far away.
The shrine is located on a small slope, surrounded by pine trees on both sides. It is not large in scale, and occasionally people from nearby come to worship.
After passing through the torii gate, walk up the stone-paved shrine for a few steps and you will reach the end. You will see the worship hall in front of you, and the shouzui shrine is on the left hand side.
"Is there no one at the shrine?"
Naruse asked Morimi Kazuha who was walking towards the Tesumui House.
She picked up the spoon and got water to wash it, "Are there people visiting the shrine in Tokyo all the time?"
"It seems like a larger shrine." Naruse also walked over, "I mean the people of the shrine."
"You mean the clergy?"
"almost."
"Never."
After cleaning, Morimi handed him the spoon.
"This place is not located in a metropolitan area, and it does not worship the god of studies, wealth, or love. It is just an ordinary unmanned shrine."
She looked at him and asked with her eyes: Have you forgotten?
"I don't have any impression anymore." Naruse said, looking at the almost broken bamboo spoon, "I didn't come here often before."
After all, this place is more remote than the remote Morimi family.
Snap, snap!
After paying homage, Naruse walked around the shrine and looked around.
The temple has been in disrepair for a long time, and the stone lanterns are covered with moss. The sunlight shines through the branches and leaves on the stone slabs in the atrium, and falls in spots.
When he shifted his attention to another person in the shrine, he found that she was also looking at him.
"Morimi just said he had a question to ask me, what was it?"
Morimi pushed up his glasses, "Is Naruse going back to the countryside to settle down?"
"From the current point of view, this is correct."
"at present?"
"Before graduating from high school." Naruse said.
Morimi was thoughtful, and then asked: "Prefectural Tsugao?"
"That's right."
"Where's the class?"
"Maybe I haven't decided yet." Naruse thought for a while, took out his mobile phone, and sent a message to Naoko.
Morijian was thinking about something again and did not ask further for the time being.
After standing in the shrine for a moment, Naruse saw nothing to see and decided to leave, "Let's go."
"Um."
After passing through the mottled torii gate, he chose to return the same way, and Morimi followed him.
"Aren't you going to move forward?"
"You can walk for a while when you go back."
After crossing the Qingliu Bridge and arriving in front of Morimi's house, Naruse hesitated for a moment and decided to go back along the way along the river.
Morimi suddenly laughed.
These step-siblings are really similar in some ways.
"Naruse."
"how?"
She pointed to the county road beside her, "Actually, I'm going to the store. You haven't been here for a long time, do you want to take a look?"
Naruse hesitated for a few seconds, then turned around and came back.
Morimi walked in front, "People who walk generally don't like to take the same route."
"I like the riverside." Naruse said.
This is both the truth and an excuse.
"Since Naruse came back, he hasn't seen any starfish yet."
"..."
Naruse was silent for a moment.
"No. I went to visit Maki Hotel yesterday, but she didn't seem to be at home."
"Naruse would probably be shocked if he saw the current starfish."
"There have been enough changes to scare me."
"What?" Morimi turned around, saw him looking at her, and reacted, "Are you talking about me?"
Naruse nodded, "There is still light."
She was silent for a while, half-smiling but not smiling, as if she was feeling a little sentimental, but she soon stopped.
"Four years is a long time."
It has been so long that the timid little girl at the beginning has grown into the mature and talkative person she is now, Naruse thought in his heart.
During the second half of the journey, Mori rarely spoke again.
Go straight along the prefectural road and turn at the end, which is the road where the Maki Hotel and the Morimi family's Furuhonten are located.
The former is closer.
"Do you need me to go over and take a look first?" Morimi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked.
"Need not."
Naruse couldn't tell whether she was joking or seriously suggesting it, but since he decided to follow her this way, he was already prepared to meet his former stepsister.
Passing by the hotel, he glanced inside. Seiichiro Maki was sitting alone at the counter, looking down at something;
He looked at the second floor again. The windows were tightly closed, and he didn't know what was inside.
"It seems like she's not at home." Morimi said.
"Can you tell?"
"If Haixing is at home, he will leave the window open."
"It seems that you know her very well." Naruse said casually, but Morimi remained silent because of this. He walked to the door of his bookstore before speaking.
"You're welcome, please come in and take a look."
She walked into the bookstore, and her father, Morimiki, who was behind the counter, raised his head and said, "Kazuha..."
He also saw the boy who followed her in.
Naruse walked straight to the counter. He came here for a casual look, but he couldn't treat himself as a strange customer who came to the door for the first time.
"Long time no see, Mr. Morimi. I am Naruse."
"Haru Hai? Long time no see——"
After saying hello and exchanging pleasantries, Naruse wandered around in front of the bookshelves.
Mori Mi Kazuha provided him with some simple guidance, then took a book and sat at the counter instead of his father, only occasionally raising his head.
While browsing, Naruse quickly found a book that interested him and stood in front of the bookshelf to read through it.
Time flows quietly, and the only sound left in my ears is the sound of turning pages.
I don't know how long it took, but when he was withdrawn from the world in the book, he noticed Morimi standing next to him.
She looked at the book in his hand and asked, "Is Naruse interested in this kind of subject?"
"I don't have any special hobbies in terms of subject matter. As long as it is interesting, I can read most genres. The beginning of this book is very interesting, so I kept reading."
When looking back, Naruse realized that he had read nearly half of the content.
"Absolutely the same as me."
Morimi acknowledged his reading hobby, and then said: "But as the daughter of a bookstore owner, I hope you can buy it."
"Okay." Naruse smiled, took the book and went to the counter to pay.
drop--
"Four hundred yen."
"Oh so cheap."
"After all, it is a second-hand book, although it is no different from a new one." Morimi took the thousand-yuan banknote and gave him change. "After reading it, you can sell it back to our store."
"Really? What's the approximate recycling price?" Naruse asked casually.
She gave him the change, "One hundred yen."
“What’s the price for re-listing?”
"Four hundred yen."
Naruse decided to fill up all the bookshelves in his room first, and then think about selling second-hand books.
"It's almost noon, Naruse, do you want to have dinner at my house?" Morimi suddenly asked.
He was stunned and said, "No."
She looked at him, "Then it won't be convenient for me to speak."
"...What do you want to say?"
Morimi took out a rolled-up poster from the counter and motioned for him to open it with his eyes.
This is a promotional poster for the Morimi Furu main store.
After glancing twice, Naruse raised his gaze, and Morimi explained: "Dad wants Miss Matsu's autograph."
"..."
He shook his head and rolled up the poster again, "If you have to exchange it for lunch, one meal probably won't be enough."
"You can also stay for dinner."
"forget it."
Naruse stuffed the poster into the book bag and said, "I will bring it over next time I come to buy books."
Morimi smiled slightly, "Thank you."
"gone back."
“Welcome to visit next time.”
After coming out of the bookstore, Naruse looked at the Maki Hotel from a distance. There was a bicycle parked at the door, and the window on the second floor had been opened.
Buzz——
The phone vibrates.
It's news from Shangzi.
Shangzi: Sorry, the reply is late.
Naoko: I asked the teacher. Harumi’s class is Class C.