Dig a spoonful of cherry yokan into your mouth, stir it with the tip of your tongue, and the sweetness quickly spreads.
Morijian picked up the teacup and took a sip to dilute the sweetness.
Putting down the teacup, she looked at Hikaru Takigawa, who was talking about her sister.
"...This weekend is the common exam. In the past few days, it will be a little harder than usual."
She paused, "Although I think at this time, things other than study are more important, such as physical condition and rest."
Mori looked at Naruse sitting opposite him again, and he shook his head.
"That's something to consider in the last day or two."
Shangzi also said: "If you relax too early, encounter difficult questions during the exam, and can't find your ideas for a while, you will feel like you didn't try your best when you should have worked hard." p>
Takigawa Hikaru thought for a moment and nodded.
"That's right. Just like my training before the game, if I'm lazy, I won't be very confident in the shots I throw during the game."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and made a shooting motion out of thin air.
Morimi glanced at Haixing again, and as she listened to the conversation between several people, she had a dazed look on her face.
Regarding learning, she has not yet reached the point where she will reflect on herself when her efforts are insufficient.
Morimi wanted to sigh, but the corners of his mouth curled up a little.
Starfish has worked hard enough...
Around the low table, several people ate snacks, chatted, and accompanied the patients. The morning passed quickly.
"You should be able to go to school tomorrow."
Morimi stood up and touched Haixing's forehead, "Should we rest for one more day?"
"It's okay." Haixing raised his eyes and looked at her hands, then looked at her again.
Morimi nodded and looked at the other companions, "I'm going back first."
"It's already that time." Hikari Takigawa stood up and stretched, "It's time for us to go back."
"Starfish should have a good rest."
"Yeah."
Everyone said goodbye to Haixing. She sat on the bed and waved. When her eyes met Naruse's, she nodded to him.
"..."
Naruse was startled and confirmed with his eyes, and she nodded again.
The two have never had any similar agreement, but the tacit understanding at this time seems to be innate.
"You guys go down first." Naruse said to the other three people.
Takigawa Hikari had already walked to the door, and looked back at him. Morimi and Shangzi also looked over.
"I have something to tell Haixing." Naruse said again.
Morimi frowned.
Shangzi looked at him and said, "I'll wait for you downstairs."
"Yeah."
Looking at Haixing again, she went out with Morimi and closed the door behind her.
There were only two of them left in the room.
"It won't be long." The two looked at each other and Haixing said, "I only have a few words to say."
Naruse shook his head and said he was not in a hurry.
Haixing smiled, then sat upright on the bed and lowered his head.
"I'm sorry that I have troubled you all this time."
"..."
Naruse opened his mouth.
"I'm serious."
Haixing raised his head and looked at him, "After lying in bed for two days, I have figured it out: from beginning to end, it was just me trying to survive."
Naruse looked at her but said nothing.
He didn't expect that she stayed with him to apologize.
"I should have understood it when I was in Kyoto, but I didn't understand it... It should be said that I refused to give up.
We've obviously been that close before, even if you lied about saying you like her, but the physical feeling... No, that's not important anymore.
I understand now that it is impossible for you to give up Shangzi.
I'm sorry for causing you trouble by rejecting again and again.
All interruptions end here."
The starfish lowered its head again.
"I don't want to be bothered by this anymore - I want to end everything in the past."
"..."
Naruse looked at her without blinking, his eyes falling on her hair.
This time, she seems to be serious.
End everything in the past?
He was silent for a while.
"...I also have a responsibility."
Naruse took a deep breath and continued:
"The root of everything is me. If I hadn't pretended to like starfish before, there wouldn't have been what happened next."
He finally stopped being silent, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I can't blame you entirely. After all, at that time, I really said something outrageous to my aunt...but I actually pretended to like it to get revenge. What on earth did you think?"
Naruse pursed his lower lip.
"Because my mother really likes Haixing... I want Haixing to also experience the feeling of being deeply hurt by the person she likes."
Recalling his true thoughts when he was young, Naruse felt a little ashamed.
"...I'm sorry."
"Why did you apologize to me..."
Starfish laughed and took another deep breath.
As she said goodbye to the past, she chose to confess everything.
"I have liked Chunhai for a long time.
Every time you look at me with that look, my heart almost breaks...
I really feel that feeling."
"..."
That childish face suddenly appeared in my mind, and gradually merged with the girl in front of me, and her voice also echoed in my mind.
【"I like Chunhai!"]
At that time, I also liked starfish.
After swallowing these words, Naruse sighed softly.
"I'm sorry."
"..."
Starfish bit her lower lip and smiled again.
"It's all over."
"Well...it's over."
"Is there any other misunderstanding between us?" She looked at him, "Only today, I will tell you everything."
Naruse shook his head.
"I already know everything I need to know."
"Really?"
"I'm looking at starfish too."
"..."
She was startled for a moment, forced a smile, but felt like crying.
She quickly held back.
"If you say that, I can't help but continue to like you."
He lowered his eyes, "I'm talking about the kind of eyes you have as a friend."
"Okay..."
After a moment of silence, she looked at him and asked, "Can you forgive me for those previous interruptions?"
"Yeah."
He also looked at her, "Can Haixing forgive me for the things I did before?"
"Yeah."
It no longer matters who is wrong and who is right, or who made the first mistake.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then looked away at the same time, hiding the thoughts in their hearts that had not yet been fully revealed.
"That's what I want to say..."
"Yeah."
Haixing looked at him for a while, "There is one last thing... No, that's it."
"Let's talk."
"Will you agree?"
"If it's nothing..." Naruse glanced at her and suddenly understood, "Would you like a hug?"
"..."
She opened her eyes in surprise and nodded again.
"Well, a hug...a hug to bid farewell to the past, okay?"
Naruse responded and prepared to walk around the bed.
"No need...I'll just come over."
She got out of bed, crawled from the head to the end of the bed, knelt on the bed, and straightened up.
She looked at him as if they were meeting each other for the first time, and opened her arms shyly and expectantly.
He took a step forward and hugged her.
"..."
Buried on his chest, she took a deep breath and tightened her hands unconsciously, wanting to get closer to him, even closer.
Holding her soft body, he carefully and restrainedly hugged her tighter and then tighter.
Hugging.
Feeling his body and temperature, smelling his scent, she didn't want to break the brief silence, but she still spoke.
"Thank you, Chunhai..."
He responded, as if waking up from a dream, and relaxed his hands a little.
She subconsciously wanted to get closer to fill the gap between them, but she held back.
"That's it."
"Yeah." He let go of her.
"Thank you." She looked at him and said again.
Her eyes were already red.
Naruse understood that he should leave.
"From now on, everything in the past is over..."
Starfish said, her voice began to tremble.
"Are we just... friends starting over... still friends?"
"Well, we are still friends."
Naruse turned around and opened the door, no longer looking at her, "I should go, Naoko is still waiting for me below."
She nodded stiffly.
"Be careful on the road..."
Snap, the door closed, isolating the long-suppressed sobs.
Haixing sat slumped on the bed, holding back her tears with her hands.
"That's good..."
The things that have persisted in my mind, that have tortured me to this day, and that have not received any response, will all be over.