Throw in the coin, select the drink, and with a bang, a bottle of juice falls from the vending machine.
After taking out the juice, Naruse looked at the direction in which the Takigawa sisters left, and estimated that they would not return here for a while.
Looking at Haixing again, she squinted her eyes, lowered her gaze when he looked over, and stared at the two bottles of drinks she had just bought.
——Because her eyes were quite swollen, she didn’t wear contact lenses before going out today, so she had to squint her eyes to see everything.
"They still have a while."
"...Hmm."
"What does Haixing think?"
"..."
She opened her mouth and lowered her head, "What?"
Naruse looked into the distance, then quickly looked back, staring at the redness and swelling under her eyes.
"What happened last night was just a whim."
He specially dragged her over to buy drinks, and it was just for this reason.
"No..." Haixing couldn't remain silent for long, and he didn't know what to say.
At this moment, without the accumulation and promotion of various emotions, she had lost the courage she had when she was awakened by his movements to wipe away tears last night.
She said those words and even took the initiative to kiss him. She said it was just a spur of the moment, but there was actually nothing wrong with it.
But she didn't want him to think it was just a whim.
And realizing that she wouldn't say anything more if she continued to wait, Naruse was a little anxious.
He had to solve Haixing's problem before returning to Tsumae, especially before returning to Naoko.
He changed the question to a direct one: "Does Haixing want to return to the previous relationship?"
She suddenly raised her head and looked at him without speaking.
"It's impossible." He declared the conclusion more directly.
"..."
The two of them stood next to the vending machine. Someone came to buy a drink. Naruse waited in silence for a while, but more and more people came over.
He had no choice but to pull Haixing towards the platform.
When there was no one around, Naruse stopped.
"If the past two days have given Haixing a false impression, then I will apologize... No, I actually want to improve our relationship with Haixing."
He looked at her, "As childhood sweethearts, or friends."
Starfish pursed her lower lip.
"And that kind of abnormal relationship has ended long ago."
Naruse lowered his gaze, "No matter what Haixing has done, this was a mistake I made on my own initiative. I deceived and hurt Haixing, and I'm sorry. So, don't let the mistakes continue..."
"——Only mistakes?" Haixing suddenly said.
"..."
Naruse was startled for a moment.
Of course not.
The mistake was just the beginning, and what he experienced from it was not just the pleasure he got from using deception to hurt her.
There is also a...twisted liking.
An extremely twisted emotion based on the purpose of revenge and harm, wrapped in lies and deception, and as a result, I was unknowingly immersed in it.
Secret and shameful, ridiculous and childish.
The sad thing is that neither of us can forget each other.
"Of course."
Naruse took a deep breath, "The beginning was a mistake, and of course the rest are also mistakes."
"..."
My eyes hurt.
Starfish lowered his head, bit his lips, and kept rolling his eyes to prevent disappointment and grievance from pouring out of the corners of his eyes.
Because the beginning was wrong, do we have to deny everything after that?
Or is she really the only one who still misses the intimacy that briefly existed in the gap of indifference at that time?
Silent, the pain from her lips stung her awake.
"I will never forget..."
Haixing looked up at him, "I won't forget it."
"..."
Before Naruse could speak, she said again:
"I just want to say that I will not forget... and I don't want to go back to that relationship.
I will use this incident to remind myself not to be fooled by you again. I also don’t want to be your friend.”
After looking at her for a while, Naruse turned his eyes to Takigawa Hikari and Takigawa Yue, who were running towards him, and swallowed his other words.
"Whatever you want."
He won't forget, that's all.
......
When the train arrived in Tokyo, it was almost noon.
"Chunhai, it's time to get off the car."
Being shaken awake by Hikaru Takigawa, Naruse picked up his luggage and hurriedly got off the bus and changed trains.
Buzz——
The phone vibrates.
Buzz buzz——
The phone keeps vibrating, it’s a phone call.
Naruse transferred all the luggage to one hand, took out his mobile phone and took a look.
"..."
It’s Chiaki Matsu’s phone number.
"Hello?" He answered immediately.
"Spring Sea~"
The mother's relaxed voice came from the microphone. It seemed that she might not be filming today, "What are you doing."
"I'm..." Naruse looked at the three people who stopped to wait for him, and motioned them to continue forward with his eyes, "I'm busy."
"In Kyoto? I know. I was asking what you are busy with."
"..."
Naruse began to sweat on his forehead, "How did you know?"
Song Qianqiu smiled, "Guess."
"...Shangzi told you?"
She laughed again and didn't let him guess any more.
"No, Harumi's bills for the past few days have been sent to my mailbox. 'AKANE Kyoto Gion Store' is in Kyoto, right?"
"..."
Naruse silently, for some electronic payments, he used the card given to him by Matsu Chiaki.
"So, what did Chunhai do?"
"Study trip..."
"Wow, is Chunhai already in third grade? Time flies so fast."
Naruse had no choice but to confess: "I went to Kyoto with the school trip team."
"Does Harumi like Kyoto so much? Didn't I just go there during last year's school trip?"
"Relax once in a while." Naruse didn't want her to think too much or complain, so he didn't say that Hikari Takigawa had dragged him here.
"So, I actually skipped school."
"Well... I skipped school."
"Well..."
Song Qianqiu pondered for a while, then suddenly sighed, "Forget it, just let Chunhai feel happy."
"Don't deliberately say such things to make me feel guilty."
"Haha."
She laughed, and then asked: "Chunhai couldn't have gone to Kyoto alone, right? Is there anyone else besides Shangzi?"
Naruse looked at the sky.
"Shangzi didn't come. There are still lights and starfish."
"Haixing?...Hey, isn't Naoko going with Harumi?" The two girls' choices surprised Matsu Qianqiu.
"Shangzi's parents were going to come back to stay for a day, so she didn't come with them."
"Well, 'originally'."
"Well...I still didn't come back in the end."
Song Qianqiu couldn't help but sigh, feeling sorry for Shangzi.
"Where's Haixing? Have Harumi and her reconciled enough to go out and play together?"
"No, we just broke up with each other this morning."
"Ah?"
Naruse didn't explain much, but turned the topic back to her side.
"No shooting today?"
"Yes." Her tone suddenly rose a little, "But I'm not in Tokyo. I have to go somewhere not too far away to shoot the scene. I just got in the car now. Guess where I'm going, Harumi?"
Naruse called while walking, "Karuizawa?"
"It's not Karuizawa. The filming over there has ended - and Karuizawa is too close."
Too close...
He thought again, "It can't be Kyoto, right?"
"Bingo~ There is a scene about a business trip to Kyoto. I want to visit Kyoto University, and then sit on the steps next to the Kamogawa Delta for a while to enlighten the younger generations."
Song Qianqiu said and smiled again, "How about it, do you feel nervous about being caught playing truant by your mother?"
"...I'm in Tokyo."
"I know...huh?"
Naruse was a little helpless, "I skipped school for a few days, it's time to go back."
"——Harunami is still at Tokyo Station?" Matsu Chiaki suddenly asked.
"Um...which platform are you on?" Naruse immediately reacted and stopped.
"Platform 18... No, there's no need to come over."
Naruse also heard the voice over there and ran away.
Platform 18 was right next to it, and when he ran over, the safety door beside the railway had been closed, and the Shinkansen train bound for Kyoto was slowly starting.
He looked around, and just as he was about to ask, Song Qianqiu, who was standing at the junction of the carriages, appeared in front of him along with the train.
"..."
Song Qianqiu was in the car and saw him first, smiling and waving through the car window.
"I didn't catch up."
The train was speeding up, and with a quick glance, Naruse only had time to wave.
"Okay, hurry up and go to your own platform." Song Qianqiu said on the phone.
"Yeah." Watching the train leave, Naruse also walked back.
"I think tomorrow is the weekend. If Harumi hasn't gone back yet, he will probably stay in Kyoto for two more days... What a pity."
"It was already delayed by one day. When will you return to Tokyo?"
"I have to come back after shooting in the afternoon. After all, I didn't go on vacation. I was supposed to go there yesterday, but it rained so I postponed it to today. What's wrong, does Harumi want to stay in Tokyo for one night?"
"No, I'm just asking." Naruse felt a little regretful and didn't say much.
When he arrived at the 23rd platform where he was supposed to go, neither the Takigawa sisters nor Haixing got on the train, but were waiting for him on the platform.