The second-hand store is located near the Central Station. You have to make a long detour to get to the street where the restaurant is located.
The prerequisite is to take a broad road.
When he was still living in Aomori, Naruse rarely came here and was not familiar with the surrounding area, but he remembered that there was a path that could pass through the densely populated low-rise buildings between the two streets and go directly to the opposite side.
"...When we were in Primary 5, there was a boy named Tamura in our class. He seemed to live nearby. He took me there several times."
He walked in front, relying on intuition and a little vague memory to lead the way for Shangzi and himself.
But after diving in, the road became narrower and narrower, and the houses on both sides became visibly dilapidated. Every step forward consumed his little confidence.
When you come to a certain intersection, you have to make a choice, which puts this confidence to the test.
"Which side is Chunhai more familiar with?" Naoko asked from behind.
He looked around, and when he looked back, even the path he had just walked through seemed strange.
"I'm not familiar with either side."
Shangzi couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't panic at all.
"be lost."
Naruse also smiled helplessly, turned around quickly, and chose the one that looked easier to walk on from the two unfamiliar paths.
"Since there is a way, you can always go out... It's just that the place you go out may not be the same as expected."
"Yes." Shangzi was not worried and followed closely.
The path is winding and winding with no end in sight. The only good thing is that the ground is not dirty and it is easy to walk.
"It reminds me of the time when I used to follow Harumi around."
With half the sun shining, Shangzi looked up at the line of sky between the two old buildings. His mood was as light and relaxed as the white clouds in the middle. "I often get lost."
Naruse tilted his head and said, "Who said that? Isn't it possible to find a way back every time?"
Shangzi laughed, "I'm just talking about the results."
He didn't refute, he kept walking, and his memory returned to the days when he was wandering around Qingliu countryside.
At that time, in addition to Naoko and Hikaru, the children following him were a bunch of other children of the same age, too many to count with both hands;
But at that time, he had no scruples and everything depended on his mood. He was much more unruly and public than he is now. He led a group of similarly immature children around to be naughty. He was a troublemaker to the locals who gave him a headache.
If nothing happens later...
Naruse took a deep breath and calmed down.
He looked back and saw that Shangzi was looking at the moss on the wall by the roadside and didn't notice his gaze.
Shangzi's biological father and mother are both scholars. They have a serious personality and discipline her a lot. Every time she gets into trouble or gets lost and comes home late, she is the one who gets scolded the most by her parents;
But the next day, she would still find a way to get out of the house and follow him closely.
"What's wrong?" Shangzi finally noticed his gaze.
Naruse turned his head and looked ahead, "Don't lose me."
"Okay." She smiled and quickened her pace.
Turning another corner, he found a moss-covered statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva standing in the corner. Naruse's previously missing confidence suddenly emerged again.
"This is the road. I remember this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
"Very good."
The two of them passed in front of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Shangzi slowed down and bowed with his hands clasped together.
Naruse turned around and saw her movements, bowed a few times and said, "If you can see Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, it means the exit is not far away."
"Yes." Shangzi raised his gaze, "I saw the building in front of the Central Station."
"The exit is right next to the building." Naruse said, feeling quietly relieved in his heart.
Although I got lost once on the way, I didn't stop or go astray on the way. Overall, I saved a lot of detour time.
The path became wider, and Shangzi followed him, still pointing at the building: "Sister Yue seems to be attending classes at a study school on a certain floor of the building."
"Really?" Naruse remembered that when he left Tsugao yesterday, he saw an advertisement for a certain study school outside the school gate. The location seemed to be right next to the Central Station.
"I should have come here today. I heard that Sister Yue's preparatory classes seem to have classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the summer vacation."
Shangzi said, paying attention to his expression at the same time, "If Guang's motorcycle is repaired, he will ride there to pick up Sister Yue."
Naruse's expression remained unchanged and asked, "Does she usually ride a motorcycle to school?"
"Yeah. Because I have to stay in school for training, I will stay late and may not be able to catch the bus."
"The sports department is really hardworking..."
He sighed casually, but what he was thinking about was that in the past four years, Shangzi had never taken the initiative to talk to him about his childhood sweethearts, including Guang.
He got a mobile phone when he first moved to Tokyo. A short time later, he got Naoko's contact information from Matsu Chiaki, and this was his only contact with his hometown.
"——I saw the exit."
Naruse looked ahead and saw a narrow gap between the two towering buildings, connecting this remote path with the street outside.
"In my impression, the exit here will be wider."
"The nearby streets have also been slightly renovated," Shangzi said.
Naruse remained silent, only thankful that the exits were not blocked during the street renovation.
The area around Central Station is considered the busiest place in Tsuzen City. Shops are concentrated. The closer you get to the exit, the more clearly you can see the hustle and bustle outside.
The moment he saw the light of day again, Naruse turned around and was about to say something when Naoko grabbed him and said, "Ahead..."
He stopped in time to avoid hitting the person in front of him.
The other party took a step back and grabbed his bag. He was obviously startled by the two people who suddenly jumped out of the alley.
"Feel sorry."
Naruse quickly apologized.
The person he almost hit was a girl wearing glasses. She was wearing a uniform and had a slender figure. Although she was not as tall as Hikari Takigawa, she was still tall among girls.
Her eyes quickly turned around on his face, but she said nothing and nodded, probably accepting his apology.
Just as he was about to leave, his eyes fell on Shang Zi's face behind him, and she stopped unconsciously, looking a little surprised.
"Shangzi..."
Shangzi looked at the other party, his face was no less surprised than the other party, "Yiye."
"'One Leaf'?"
Naruse was stunned for a moment, a name emerged from the depths of his memory, and a face that didn't match the girl in front of him at all, "... Morimi?"
The girl named Kazuha looked at him again, pushed up her glasses, as if looking carefully, and spoke again after nearly half a minute.
"Just saying that Naruse is back seems to be true."
Morimi Kazuyo, a girl whose family runs a bookstore, is thin, timid, and inconspicuous... This short visit of four years has completely covered the impressions in Naruse's past memory.
The thought just passed by, and he quickly said: "Long time no see."
"Long time no see." Morimi nodded, then looked at the remote road behind the two of them, but did not ask directly.
Naoko noticed her gaze and did not explain, but asked: "What is Kazuye doing here?"
She was wearing a school uniform and carrying a bag, giving the impression that she was going to school.
"Attend class."
Looking away from her, Morimi pointed to the building next to her, "The study school on the fourth floor."
"Is Kazuha also taking classes here?"
"Well, this summer vacation just started."
She was only in the first grade and came to the study school. It seemed that she already had a clear goal of entering higher education, Naruse thought to himself.
"It's almost time for class." Morimi looked at his watch, then looked at the two of them, his meaning was very obvious, "I'm going to go first."
Polite, distant.
New impressions were gradually taking shape in Naruse's mind, covering the past. He nodded, "Goodbye."
Shangzi waved his hand and smiled.
"goodbye."
They met suddenly and separated quickly, both heading towards their respective destinations.
When he was about to enter the building in front of the station, Mori saw Kazuha slow down and turned his head to look.
The two familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar figures walked side by side and were already far away.
"What are you thinking about when you come back at this time?"