The light shines from the living room and can only illuminate a small area in the yard, with an upright figure in the middle.
"It's so quiet."
Naruse stood by the edge, looking at the dark sky and silent courtyard, and suddenly felt a little cold.
"Do you live alone in such a big house?"
And there are no neighbors around. At night, it's not much different from living alone in the wilderness.
"Don't sound so pitiful."
Morimi's voice came from the living room, "I want to live here because I can focus on studying."
"And mom will come over to stay with me occasionally." She added in a sniffing voice.
Naruse looked back at her and the bowl in front of her, "You haven't finished eating yet."
"Soon."
He returned to the living room and closed the lattice door.
"Naruse, are you in a hurry to go back?"
"Yeah."
Morimi glanced at him and said, "You really don't hide it at all."
Naruse walked aside and stared at the paintings hanging on the wall, "I think it would be better to be more frank."
"Are you frank... You can't be frank with Haixing."
"One code equals another. Isn't it the same thing when Morimi is in front of a starfish?"
She hummed softly, picked up the bowl again, and took a sip of soup.
Putting down the bowl, she licked her lips and sighed contentedly.
"Thanks for the treat, I'm full."
Naruse came over and said, "I'll wash the dishes, and you can quickly repair that book."
"I can just wash it myself, no need to be so polite," Morimi said.
"I'm not polite to you. I'm still waiting to go home for dinner."
"I just sent a message to Naoko, saying that Naruse was staying at my house for dinner. Naoko also replied that he understood."
"..."
Naruse was stunned for a long time.
"I haven't eaten yet."
"There should be some udon noodles in the refrigerator, let's cook another bowl."
There is indeed some udon left...
No, that’s not the problem.
He looked at her, "What does Morimi want to do?"
The girl on the other side of the low table picked up her glasses and put them on, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Naruse said nothing.
"I want Naruse to stay with me for a little longer."
"Where's the truth?"
"I want Naruse to stay with me all the time."
"..."
Before Naruse said anything, she smiled again.
"It doesn't have to be 'always' so long, just a little longer than 'a little'. Is that okay?"
"Why."
Morimi sighed.
"Let's be honest, I'm actually a little afraid of being alone now.
As long as Naruse stays here, I won't be able to stop thinking all by myself.
You can do whatever you want, you can talk to me, or you can read a book by yourself, just ignore me... please."
Naruse looked at her for a while, without saying anything, but picked up the bowl on the table and took it to the kitchen.
Morimi quickly followed.
"I'll just stay for a while."
"Um...okay."
"Also, it's too dark outside. You have to take me home later."
Morimi laughed.
"How dare you say that."
Naruse put down the bowl and turned on the faucet, "What happened yesterday?"
"What?"
"Things that kept Mori awake all night."
She was silent for a while.
Naruse tilted his head, "Didn't you say you have to be more frank?"
"Because the reason is so simple that it's a bit embarrassing."
She looked at the transparent water under the faucet, "There was an exam at the study school yesterday, and I failed again."
Sure enough, this is what happened...
"So, when it comes to studying, Morimi puts too much pressure on himself."
"I think stress is not a bad thing. If controlled properly, stress can keep me awake at all times and keep moving closer to my goals."
Naruse turned to look at her, "The problem is that I didn't control it."
"It's not because of Naruse."
Morimi suddenly pointed the finger at him, "It's all because Naruse suddenly brought up the matter of Haixing before, disrupting my original rhythm, and things got out of control later on."
"..."
Naruse opened his mouth and subconsciously wanted to refute, but he couldn't find any reason.
She continued: "Everything in the plan is out of place and difficult to control, and the pressure is accumulating more and more in the process...until it reaches this level now."
It was only then that Naruse truly realized the impact of pushing Haixing to her.
He sighed and turned off the water, "Sorry."
Morimi looked at him, "This is all Naruse's fault."
He pursed his lips and did not refute.
But she smiled and said, "This is how it feels to pass all the responsibilities onto others. Suddenly I feel much more at ease."
Or maybe it was just because she said it, she thought.
Seeing her smile, Naruse's heart, which had been so high up in the condemnation, relaxed a little.
"Can I still adjust after that?"
"Who knows." Morimi stared at the kitchen window. It was pitch black outside and his vision had nowhere to rest.
"..."
Her vision suddenly blurred, she shook her head, and the blurry feeling disappeared again.
"No, it will always be adjusted. It's just a matter of time."
Naruse didn't have much to say, "Come on."
"Well, thank you."
She looked over again, "I feel a lot better after telling these things."
"The person you talk to doesn't have to be me, your parents can too."
"I don't really want them to worry about me. However, I will consider it later."
"Then can I go back?"
"No."
It was just a bowl, which was quickly washed. He wiped his hands and prepared to leave the kitchen.
Morimi was a little surprised, "Won't Naruse get some food?"
"Well, I'm already very hungry though."
She was startled, and then sneered: "Do you want me to pity you and let you go back early?"
"Well, please have mercy on me."
"Don't even think about it." She pushed him out of the kitchen, "Continue to be hungry."
Back in the living room, Morimi finally continued to repair the broken book, while Naruse sat aside and watched.
There are many items in the opened tool bag.
"Is that sandpaper?"
"Yeah."
"What is it for?"
"Polish."
"...I know. What I mean is..."
"Polishing the incision."
Morimi picked up the book and pointed at the upper, lower and side edges, "These are the incisions of the book. Just like this book, the incisions will become dirty after being used for a long time. If you polish it with sandpaper, it will at least look better. It is necessary.
Polish it?"
"Whatever... no, let's forget it. This is not my book, and the client only asked for repairs." Naruse said.
Morimi ignored it and turned to talk about his club, "The Department of Restoration of All Things, it's running in a decent way now."
"Shangzi is very serious about this matter."
"Am I your foreign aid?"
Naruse smiled and asked: "Does Morimi want to officially join?"
"Forget it, it's too much pressure."
"A club is a place to relax."
"I mean..."
Morimi paused and changed his words: "I don't have time."
Naruse just mentioned it casually without forcing it.
Use a knife to scrape off the remaining glue and debris on the spine of the book, then apply white latex, press on the fallen cover, align it, and press it tightly. Morimi turns the book upside down and taps it twice.
"Leave it overnight and it will be fine when the glue dries. Leave it here for now. Naruse will come over to pick it up tomorrow... What's your expression? Are you unhappy?" She frowned.
"Your home is so far away... No, I mean, it's okay to take it back and leave it there."
"You just applied glue, don't move it."
Naruse could only nod.
After finishing the work, Morimi felt a little tired. He lay down on the table and lowered his eyes not knowing what he was thinking.
Buzz——
She raised her gaze, and Naruse took out his phone, took a look at it, and then lowered his head to reply to the message.
"Shangzi?"
"Yeah."
"I'm really worried."
Naruse didn't speak or raise his eyes.
She pouted.
The two were speechless, and after a while, he put down his phone.
"I told Shangzi that I will go back later."
Morimi lay down lower than before, looking weak, "Didn't Naoko ask Naruse why he stayed here?"
"Asked."
"Naruse is not talking nonsense..."
"Of course not."
"If you dare to speak out... I'll kill you."
Naruse suddenly felt something was wrong and took a closer look at her.
"Morimi?"
"What's wrong..."
She moved her head on her arm and looked at him: "I'm a little tired and I don't need Naruse to accompany me anymore. You can go home."
"Are you just a little tired?" Naruse stood up and came over, raising his hand and pressing it on her forehead.
His bangs were lifted up and Morimi looked at him closely, feeling his cheeks get hot.
"There is good news and there is bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Huh?...Good news."
"The good news is I can go home."
Naruse put down his hand and looked at her ruddy and confused face, "The bad news is, you seem to have a fever."