Wiping his hair, Hikaru Takigawa sat down next to Naruse.
"Suddenly I discovered that a B&B is a better place than a hotel: it feels like being at home, especially when taking a bath."
"Although it's someone else's home." Naruse moved slightly to the side, and Haixing had already climbed back into his bed.
"I originally wanted to hang out for a while, but I got a little bored sitting alone, so I came out."
It was a cold night. Hikaru Takigawa stepped on his left foot and put his right foot on the bottom alternately. "It would be great if there was a hot spring here. We can take a bath together... Is there one?"
"No." Naruse shook his head.
"Where is it?" she asked again.
"As for hot springs..." Naruse thought for a moment, "Arashiyama, Kurama, or Okoto Hot Spring over in Otsu."
"Otsu?"
"On the other side of Mount Hiei, next to Lake Biwa, you can get there by train."
"Then let's..."
"——We are going back tomorrow."
Takigawa Hikaru leaned aside and bumped into him, "Don't spoil the fun."
Naruse was knocked sideways by her, but quickly hit him back again.
"Haha." Takigawa Hikaru didn't exert any more force, leaned on him, turned to look at Haixing, who had been silent for a long time, "What were Harumi and Haixing talking about just now."
"Hey...we talked a little bit about earrings."
Starfish looked at the two people huddled together and regretted crawling back just now.
"Earrings..."
Hikaru Takigawa looked at Naruse, who was leaning against him, and suddenly raised his hand to touch his ear.
Haixing opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.
"Why is it black?" Hikari Takigawa touched the earrings and pinched the soft flesh of his earlobes.
Naruse followed her touch, "I don't understand what you mean."
"I think the silver one looks better."
"Maybe." Naruse didn't deny her taste. "It's just that at the age when I had earrings, I felt that black was more in line with my personality."
Takigawa Hikaru laughed, "It sounds like it has been many years."
"That's how it feels."
She looked at him again and said nothing.
While chatting and watching TV, Takigawa Hikaru leaned against Naruse and didn't stand up until he dried his hair.
"I'm going to see if Yue is asleep."
"Yeah."
Watching her walk out of the living room, Naruse shook his head. He always felt that what she just said made her feel like she was taking care of her sister or daughter.
"What's wrong?" Haixing, who had not spoken much, asked.
"It's okay."
After a while, Takigawa Hikaru came down lightly.
"Asleep."
"You must be exhausted today."
She smiled and stopped when she was about to walk over. She stood in front of the sliding glass door and stared at the rainy yard outside for a while.
"...Too bad."
She murmured, "I've only been here for half a day and I don't want to go back anymore. What should I do?"
"..."
Naruse pretended not to hear.
"Is it because of skipping school, traveling, or being with everyone?"
Her voice rose a bit, and he didn't want to help her analyze it, so he got into the quilt that had already been laid out.
Starfish said "Ah" next to him.
"Chunhai..."
"I have everything. But I have to go back tomorrow."
"I know."
Takigawa Hikaru turned around and sighed, and then suddenly opened the glass door leading to the yard.
"Hello..."
The cold wind rushed in along with a few raindrops.
She opened her arms and blew the cold air for a while before closing the glass door again.
"A bit cold."
"..."
"Will it rain again tomorrow?"
"The weather forecast says it won't happen...it's not certain."
Takigawa Hikaru returned to the living room, closed the other glass door connecting the edge, then stepped over Naruse and Haixing, and got into the innermost futon.
"Are you going to sleep?" Haixing looked at her.
"Huh?" Hikaru Takigawa crawled out again, supporting his head with one hand, "Not yet, I just feel a little warmer under the quilt."
Haixing nodded and looked at Naruse, who was lying on the other side. He took the remote control and changed the program.
"Chunhai, have you booked your ticket for tomorrow? What time is it?"
"Don't worry, I'll call you when I get up."
Takigawa Hikari lay forward, looking past Haixing's pillow, "There is something else I care about."
Naruse looked this way.
"We can return to Aomori tomorrow afternoon, do we still have to go to school?"
"I want to go home first."
"Go home first...do you mean you have to go to school later?"
"Well, I'm going to pick up Shangzi."
Takigawa Hikaru thought for a while, "Then let me go with Harumi."
Naruse was silent for a moment and said, "Just stay at home with Sister Yue. Your motorcycle can't carry three people."
"Well..."
Takigawa Hikaru thought about it for a while, then turned over and lay down in a more comfortable position. However, his thoughts were interrupted by this simple action and he could not go back.
Then she quickly noticed another thing.
"Why is the starfish still sitting?"
"Ah..."
Both Naruse and Hikaru Takigawa had gotten into bed and lay down. Only the starfish in the middle was still sitting, tilting his head, watching TV absentmindedly.
"...I'm not sleepy yet," she said.
Naruse also looked at her, and suddenly thought of the previous conversation between the two, feeling a little helpless.
Is she waiting to go out for supper?
I looked at the time and it was just past nine o'clock.
"Are you hungry?"
"..."
Haixing turned to look at him, then quickly lowered his gaze, "No."
"Let's lie down for now. We'll talk about what happens next... later."
She lay down reluctantly and looked at the ceiling.
Under the quilt, a touch of warmth suddenly touched her calf.
Haixing looked at Takigawa Hikari, who stretched out her legs and smiled slightly at her: "What's wrong? Haixing seems a little reluctant."
"It's okay..."
She turned sideways to her, but had nothing else to say.
Takigawa Hikaru didn't ask any more questions, took back his feet, and looked at the ceiling above his head.
"Chunhai, will you turn off the lights?"
"Well..." Naruse turned around and looked for the switch, "Do you want to turn off the light?"
"No need. I can sleep with the light on, just turn it off when Harumi wants to."
And indeed, as she said, she fell asleep not long after with the light on.
He was distracted while looking at her starfish, and didn't notice the decisive moment when she fell asleep completely.
So awesome...
After staring at her for a while, Haixing lay down and looked at Naruse on the other side.
He was lying on the bed watching TV, with his cell phone in his hand. The buzzing sound had not been heard since Guang fell asleep.
Haixing turned to look at him, and after a while he unconsciously turned over and turned sideways to face him.
He was sending a message to Shangzi, she guessed.
There is no news, just because it is turned off.
And when she took a shower, she took off her contact lenses and didn't bring out the pair of black-rimmed glasses she usually used at home, so she couldn't see the expression on his face clearly.
"..."
But he suddenly turned his head to look at her, which was still visible.
Seeing Haixing shrinking into bed, Naruse smiled and said, "Do you want to turn off the light?"
The sound of rain outside has never been quieter. There is probably no chance to go out tonight...
Haixing nodded resignedly and sighed in his heart, "Turn it off."
Snap, Naruse stood up and turned off the light, and the living room suddenly became dark, leaving only the light of the TV.
"Where's the TV?"
"...whatever."
Naruse didn't turn off the TV and got back into bed.
After the room darkened, she could more intuitively guess what was going on on his side - when his face was illuminated by the phone screen, he had received a new message.
There is a lot of news about Shangzi...
She couldn't help but think.
She wanted to see the expression on his face more clearly.
Starfish moved towards him in the quilt, and then moved again, until he could no longer get closer - a little further away, there was his quilt.
She stopped and could see clearly, staring silently.
["Because... I like starfish."]
"..."
Even then, his face had never shown such a gentle expression.
I already knew you were a liar...
But even so, I couldn't help but immerse myself in it, pretending not to notice it, until the adults decided to separate.
If they had never been separated, would the pretense between him and her continue until now?
Will it turn from pretend to reality...
She closed her eyes.
......
After an unknown amount of time, Naruse put down his phone, lay down and stretched his body.
"It's almost time to sleep..."
He picked up the remote control and was about to turn off the TV, and casually glanced at the starfish sleeping next to him.
"..."
The corners of her eyes were filled with tears.
The hand that was already pressing on the power button was released.
After being silent for a while, Naruse moved a little further to that side with the help of the light reflected from the TV screen, and reached out to wipe the corners of her eyes.
Did you dream about your deceased mother...or did you dream about him in the past?
"...Still just like a child." His fingertips were wet, he stroked her face and whispered softly.