Continuing along the shrine, you will see the vermilion gate. Reflecting the white snow, the colors of the shrine buildings appear more vivid.
Naruse didn't have time to appreciate it, so he passed under the building door and stopped to take a look.
Climb up another flight of steps and you will find the worship hall of Iwakiyama Shrine, and on the right is a snow-covered path leading to the nearby Mosha Shrine.
Morijian came out of the worship hall and stood on the steps against the flow of people, looking at him below.
The two are looking for starfish.
"Not here."
"Then we'll go this way." Naruse looked at the path to the right. The footprints on the snow were messy and nothing could be seen.
"If she comes in." Morimi looked outside the building door.
Before entering the building gate, there is another road leading to the left, and many people go there.
"I'll go look outside."
She walked down, took out her phone and took a look at it, "Still not replying to the message... what on earth did you say to her."
"I don't like her."
"..."
Morijian paused in her steps, but the worshiper behind her couldn't avoid it and bumped into her.
Naruse stretched out his hand to support her.
"Ah, I'm sorry." The man stopped and apologized, "Are you okay?"
"It's okay."
She quickly stood firm, broke away from Naruse's hand, and stared at him for a few more seconds.
She didn't say anything after all.
"I'll go look outside."
"Yeah."
After passing through the gate, Morimi squinted his eyes and saw the three people walking towards the shrine from a distance.
The snow was deep, and Takigawa Hikaru could not walk fast even while supporting his sister and Naoko.
She looked back again, but Naruse was no longer visible.
Taking a deep breath, Mori looked for the path on the other side.
On the side path leading to the end of the shrine, Naruse kept walking among the worshipers in groups of twos and threes until he came to the Inari Shrine at the end of the path.
The fox statues on both sides have been covered by snow, but among the worshipers who put their hands together and bowed, there is still no starfish.
On one side of the path is the courtyard wall of the worship hall, and on the other side is a sea of trees and snow composed of towering trees that reach into the sky. She doesn't seem to be here either.
Naruse could only turn around and look elsewhere.
Walking back along the roadside, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a series of footprints that had deviated from the road.
"..."
The footprints on the snow lead to the sea of trees.
A solitary string is hard to find, but once you notice it, it is very conspicuous.
Naruse raised his head. Overlapping giant trees blocked his sight, making it impossible to see too far.
He took a breath and walked in, following the footprints. He hoped that she would be at the end of the series of footprints, but he didn't really want to be alone with her again.
"..."
Not far away, when Naruse saw the back of the starfish, he didn't know how to describe his feelings.
Naruse: Found it.
Morimi:Where?
Naruse: Let’s talk later.
She was sitting behind a big tree, seemingly in a daze.
Hearing the footsteps, she turned her head and glanced. When she saw it was him, her eyes lit up at first, then dimmed soon after.
Naruse stopped by the tree, "What are you doing."
"...Nothing done."
"Where are you going?"
Starfish looked down at the snow on the ground.
"Not going anywhere."
She kept walking without thinking about where she was going. Suddenly she found that the road came to an end and turned into a sea of trees.
After walking a few steps, she vaguely felt that if she continued walking, she would definitely get lost in this icy and snowy jungle, so she stopped.
She also saw the news about Morimi and wanted to stay alone for a while, but she didn't expect that he would find her so quickly.
She didn't even have time to sort out her mood.
After he said a few words, he stopped speaking, and both of them remained silent.
Haixing didn't know if he was also waiting for her to speak.
After a while, he suddenly took a few steps forward and sat down next to another tree opposite, facing her.
Looking around and around, and even at the broken sky above his head, Naruse looked at her again and said, "Let's talk again."
This is far more suitable for private conversations than the back seat of the bus.
Starfish looked at him and hugged his knees.
"...what do you want to talk about."
"Talk about the fact that you like me."
"..."
She pursed her lower lip, hugged her legs tightly, and gradually shrank her body into a ball.
"What else is there to talk about."
"There is really nothing to talk about. I... like Shangzi. There will be no results between you and me."
"..."
The starfish stared down at the snow on the ground.
"But if Haixing never gives up, it will be a problem for me."
She grabbed a handful of snow and threw it over.
"——I have already given up!"
The white snow flew away, and he just squinted his eyes and patted his body a few times.
"That's what I thought when I came back from Kyoto."
She stared at him.
"But what the actual situation is, Haixing knows better than me."
Naruse paused.
"Or do you think that after we reconcile, this matter can start again?"
Haixing couldn't answer because she couldn't remember when she regained hope.
Is it after the so-called reconciliation, or during the earlier study meeting?
He suddenly sighed.
"I have hurt you before and now, but I still can't let you give up?"
"...What exactly do you want to say?"
Naruse looked at her, "I've made it very clear: don't make things difficult for me anymore."
"..."
"What should I do to make Starfish give up completely?"
The starfish fell silent.
Do you want to give up...
She couldn't imagine herself really giving up liking him.
Even if my heart was broken just now, even if it was all lies in the past.
As long as he looks at her, she will want his eyes to stay on her.
Unless, she will never see him again.
"Unless..."
Naruse was not afraid of her making conditions, but he was afraid that she would remain silent, "Unless what?"
"Unless I die."
"..."
He was silent for a while, then suddenly stood up, walked to her, and stared at her without saying a word.
"...What to do?"
"How long do you think it would be before someone was discovered if someone died here?"
"..."
The starfish moved back.
He squatted down, raised one hand, and slowly stretched towards her neck.
She quickly retreated, and his hand stopped in front of her neck.
"Why don't you do it?"
Naruse looked at the sky, closed his eyes again, and sighed deeply.
"Stop saying stupid things."
In the cold darkness, a cold and soft hand came up and pulled his hand to her neck.
"..."
He opened his eyes, stared into her eyes for a while, and used a little force on his hands.
"Why can an idiot like you grow up healthily till now?"
"I don't understand either...well..."
There is a feeling of suffocation on the neck.
She closed her eyes, held his hand, and continued to exert force.
"Suddenly I remembered...well...the first time you kissed me...you pinched my neck."
Breathing gradually became difficult, and he suddenly let go of his hand.