In late summer, the leaves of the trees are spotless and sparkling as if they have just been washed.
In the backyard of the Furukawa Kaikan, Kitagawa Ryoko walked through the corridor and saw Yukino Riho moving a chair under the flower stand to sketch. As if on the flower stand in the pond, wisteria flowers were paved with purple waterfalls, as if there was a layer of violet flower patterns.
of flannel.
The sun is shining brightly, and the warblers are flying and the grass is growing.
A woman as beautiful as snow lowered her head and thought about her own little things. Among the purple flowers blooming in the courtyard, there was an indescribable loneliness in her silhouette.
Kitagawa Ryoko stepped on wooden clogs and walked over quietly.
"Ah, why don't you say anything?" Riho Yukino was probably frightened, she shrugged her shoulders and closed the sketchbook immediately.
"Hey, sister Yukino, are you drawing?" Kitagawa Ryoko asked with a smile.
The little girl's eyes showed intelligence and agility, but she didn't mean anything.
"The painting is finished." Yukino Riho said angrily.
"Okay, Sister Xueye, wait for me for a while."
Kitagawa Ryoko turned around and ran back into the house.
After a while, she brought a small red basket.
"What's this?"
"It's afternoon tea."
"I'm not hungry."
"Let's eat something together."
At Kitagawa Ryoko's insistent request, Yukino Riho had no choice but to sit on the lawn.
Today is another sunny day, with a gentle breeze and bright sunshine. Looking from under the flower stand, the blooming wisteria flowers look like a thin layer of mist.
Yukino Riho, who teaches music class, still wears a beautiful blue kimono with a silk belt for her dance. The blue satin kimono looks so coordinated on her body, making her look many times more beautiful than ordinary clothes.
.
Just as Kitagawa Ryoko was admiring Sister Yukino's outfit, Yukino Riho's voice came to her ears: "We are leaving the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Well, yes. Sister Xueye, will you dance with us? Or accompany us."
"I don't know how to perform for people."
"Why?"
"Please, I am a snow girl." Riho Yukino picked up a fallen wisteria flower, a fallen flower that looked sad and moving in the bright light of noon, "A snow girl will not dance for others."
"I am the flower protector of Sister Xueye, can't you!" Kitagawa Ryoko also picked up a flower and bit it between her lips as if holding a flute, and then she said: "Any man who comes close to Sister Xueye, Ryoko will treat him
Run away!"
The oriole's song came from the flowers, and Yukino Riho sat on the lawn quietly eating cakes. The almost transparent beauty gave her an ethereal and magical wonderful state, like a rare thing that would never wake up.
Like a dream.
It is really inappropriate to make such a beautiful sister Xueye unhappy!
In Kitagawa Ryoko's heart, she scolded a certain scumbag over and over again.
Yukino Riho didn't know what the little girl was thinking.
She put one hand on her face, tilted her head to look at the easel, and softly hummed an ancient ballad. After singing a few lines, she lay down and rested her chin on her hands folded on her knees. She still had a bite of pastry in her mouth.
Before she swallowed it in her mouth, the glimmer of light from the flower stand spread evenly over the snow-white color, giving off a sheen like ice crystals. Her straight black hair was always tied up at the nape of her neck, revealing her white clothes.
Come on. The white collar matches her chiseled face better than any other color...
On the treetop next to the flower stand, squatted a fat, black crow.
Yukino Riho always felt that the crow looked familiar, as if someone was guarding her every step of the way.
Lying like this in a daze, looking like a lonely seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in the summer sunshine, the Snow Girl... makes people feel pity from the bottom of their hearts.
Kitagawa Ryoko thought that maybe the boy she didn't know yet was having sex with another woman somewhere, and she must not let him get close to Sister Yukino again.
"What are you looking at, Sister Yukino?"
"Huh?...Look at the tweed."
"Wow, what a beautiful flower." Kitagawa Ryoko said as if she was out of words, "What's the name of this?"
"Wisteria flower."
"Where's the tree with the yellow flowers over there?"
"It's forsythia."
"The branches are full of flowers."
"When I was still in the club, I often used forsythia to make flower arrangements. But when the meadowfoam bloomed, meadowfoam became my first choice for flower arrangements."
"Sister Xueye, do you like flowers very much?"
"That's right." Yukino Riho nodded.
"Do you want to take some back now?"
"No matter how beautiful the flowers are, they are short-lived... Let them stay on the branches and watch the newly blooming flowers every day. This is kinder and more appropriate."
"Sister Yukino is still thoughtful." Kitagawa Ryoko agreed, "Every year in the future, can Sister Yukino come here? Come to this place full of wisteria flowers?"
"Well, okay." Yukino Riho smiled slightly.
"Let's give this place a name!"
"Isn't it Beichuan Guild Hall?"
"It's a name that only Yukino-san and I can say. How about 'Purple Wild'?"
"It reminds me of Kyoto." Yukino Riho shook her head and said, "In Murasakio, Kita District, Kyoto City, there is Daitokuji Temple full of wisteria flowers."
"Just call it 'Violet Trail'?"
"Well, there is a flower-viewing trail in Kyoto, but this is too..."
Kitagawa Ryoko tilted her head and thought for a moment, then persisted: "Is it called 'Flower Hill'?"
"It's too mediocre." Judging from Yukino Riho's elegant aesthetic level, she couldn't accept such a name. Looking at the little girl who was already at a loss for words, she thought for a moment and said with a smile: "I think it's better to call her sister.
chair' bar!"
"Sister's chair!" Kitagawa Ryoko's eyes lit up and she shouted happily: "Sister's chair is placed among the beautiful flowers. How beautiful it is - it was tailor-made just for Sister Yukino!"
As she spoke, she grabbed a handful of grass and sprinkled it on top.
The grass leaves fell quietly to the spot, scattering on the wisteria flower stand called "sister's chair".
Yukino Riho smiled and stared at the happy little girl.
The girls taken in by the Kitagawa Hall are all helpless orphans, some are monsters and some are ordinary people. Kitagawa Ryoko is an ordinary person, but she learns things faster than the monsters. In addition, with her smart personality and lovable appearance, she is very popular in the society.
She is very popular with everyone in the club. In the club, she is especially attached to Yukino Riho. The emotionless Yuki Onna doesn't understand why, maybe... maybe the other party regards her as her sister.
As afternoon approached, the hall bell rang quietly.
To Kitagawa Ryoko, the bell sounded as sleepy as a holiday...
"Go back to the classroom." Yukino Riho stood up and patted the grass clippings on her body. Wearing a blue kimono, she looked fresh, simple, and charming.
"Let's skip class!" Ryoko Kitagawa just wanted to have Sister Yukino all to herself, so she grabbed her sleeve and walked out.
"I'm a teacher!" Riho Yukino tapped her wrist angrily.
"Wow!"
The moment the body touched, Kitagawa Ryoko showed an intoxicated expression on her face, and a long-lost sense of intimacy filled her heart: she had returned to her parents' home where she grew up. The feeling was like an ancient mellow fragrance, refreshing.
On the treetops, the fat and black crow rolled its eyes.
My young master.
Your Miss Yukino is remembered by many people.
Come back quickly.
That does not work!
Dark Crow returned to his human form and took out his cell phone to report to the young master.
※※※※※
In the room that serves as a classroom, the girls are chattering about the Mountain God Festival.
They all wear clothes sewn by themselves, all with fancy and bright patterns, so that the classroom is filled with a midsummer atmosphere...
"Hey, did you know that the team with the best performance can be personally received by the mountain god?"
"That's great!"
"Why are you so happy?"
"Shh!"
"I heard that Lord Mountain God is a handsome young man..."
"You are just looking for other people's beauty!"
"Who wouldn't like her... Hehe, not only is she beautiful, but she also has the glory of the lady of the mountain god... She is the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons in the Hida Mountains. Don't say you are not tempted."
The girls were chattering, but Yukino Riho didn't stop him. Instead, he stood aside with a soft face, thinking about his own affairs. As for the Yamagami-sama they were discussing, it didn't interest her at all. She went to Nagano Prefecture just to see the old man.
Just madam.
"Stop having sex here! By the way, is Mr. Mountain God single?"
"Well, no. Last year, he was the abbot alone at the Mountain God Festival."
"Didn't you say that the mountain god has several wives?"
"Hey, that's the old mountain god. The current little mountain god only started to take over the old mountain god's position last year."
"The old mountain god is so carefree, but the little mountain god is probably no better."
"I don't allow you to say that about my husband!"
"This is too arrogant!" A few girls turned red in the face. However, most of the girls were still beaming with joy, but they pretended to be sophisticated and discussed the relationship status of Lord Mountain God.
"Has any of you seen him?"
"I met him from afar last year."
"Really handsome?"
"I can't see clearly, I'm wearing a mask."
"Then who said he is so handsome?"
"That's what the monsters in the mountains said."
"Hey, when we go to bed at night, are we in the palace of the Mountain God?"
"If we win first place, we might have this opportunity."
All the girls immediately turned their heads and shouted in unison: "Sister Xueye!"
"Huh?" Yukino Riho looked confused.
"Sister Xueye, please lead the dance and lead us to first place!" The eyes of all the girls were burning with wonderful fighting spirit.
This enthusiastic momentum startled Yukino Riho, and she waved her hands quickly: "It's impossible, I can't jump."
"ah--"
Amidst the girl's tragic wails, the dance class began.
The summer breeze is slightly warm, and the trees in the corner of the courtyard cast shadows on the indoor floor.
Through the open windows, traditional musical instruments such as taiko drums and zithers or the low sounds of silk and bamboo could be heard. In the low singing voice, Yukino Riho's figure danced briskly like an ice elf.
Compared with ordinary kimonos, she wore a slightly improved dance-specific kimono. When the long skirt reached below her waist, it was not bunched up like a traditional kimono, but flowed down like a Tang suit, making her figure slimmer.
Tall. Whenever she dances, her nimble feet wrapped in white stockings appear and disappear under the light blue skirt.
For a dance to be performed on a solemn stage like the Mountain God Festival, the style must be atmospheric.
Yukino Riho's dance is sometimes fast and sometimes slow.
When it rises up quickly, it gives people a gorgeous beauty like the blooming of an epiphyllum; when it slows down suddenly, it takes on a heroic atmosphere, and with the turning of the wrist, it gives people a sense of unfinished speech.
The dozen or so girls who were watching all had their mouths slightly open, obviously shocked.
After performing the last difficult movement in succession, Yukino Riho stopped her body, her light body seemed to be flying, and completed the finishing movement gently and leisurely. She paused for a moment in place, and then tensed her body,
It stretched out.
"Is there anything you don't understand?" she asked the girls.
The girls shook their heads in unison.
"Uh... it's okay to remember a few things, right?" Yukino Riho asked with a headache.
The girls still shook their heads.
"This is the lead dancer's dance. You don't have to memorize it completely. Just pay attention to matching the rhythm." Riho Yukino walked over on the floor and asked Kitagawa Ryoko: "You are the lead dancer this time, are you confident?"
"..." Kitagawa Ryoko hesitated and shook his head.
"There's still time, I'll practice with you a few more times."
Yukino Riho was a little helpless.
Although she has high attainments in dance and music, to be fair, it may not necessarily be due to racial talent. In terms of teaching, she is a bit stupid, and she is not a teacher full of teaching wisdom in any case, except for practicing over and over again.
, she had no other options available.
"I will work hard!" Kitagawa Ryoko encouraged herself and started practicing immediately.
Yukino Riho held up the hem of her skirt and sat down next to her. She picked up paper and pen and stared at the girl's posture. She wrote down the areas that needed correction on the paper. Occasionally when she encountered areas that needed to be pondered, she unconsciously
When she wanted to bite something, she would frown slightly, put the penholder between her neat teeth, and bite it gently, dazed for a while.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
A message has been sent.
[Fujiwara: Miss Yukino, may I ask, what color shoes do you like? 】
Yukino Riho's face instantly showed an expression she hadn't seen for a long time.
In the light and shadow of midsummer, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yukino's sincere expression of joy. Kitagawa Ryoko really felt that she was so beautiful. Moreover, Yukino was happy because of her dancing. Thinking of this, the Kitagawa girl danced even harder.
.
"Shoes, my favorite shoes..." Riho Yukino whispered softly and repeated it several times. She hid her phone in the paper and replied to his message.
【Xueye: blue.】
[Fujiwara: I have a very good idea, can you help me refer to it? 】
【Xueye: Please tell me.】
[Fujiwara: Contrast colors and gradient colors are all popular nowadays. I think blue and white gradient shoes should look pretty good. The front part is white, and the color gets darker towards the back of the upper, just like the white waves gradually fade into darkness.
A cutscene. The toe of the shoe is white, and when it reaches the back and heel of the shoe, it becomes blue.】
Yukino Riho imagined those shoes, and her slender fingertips tapped the screen with unprecedented flexibility.
【Xueye:Sounds great!】
[Fujiwara: And not just for shoes, the blue and white gradient color can be used as a whole-body clothing match. For example, for stockings, the stockings are white and deepen into blue all the way down to the ankles. The same goes for skirts, from the shoulder straps down.
White bordered by blue. Think about it, if the color of the whole body is concentrated on the feet, wouldn’t it be very eye-catching?】
[Xueye: I’ve seen gradient stockings before, and they really look much better than ordinary stockings.]
【Fujiwara: That's great if you like it too.】
Yukino Riho's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks couldn't help but feel a little hot.
She had a hunch that Fujiwara-kun wouldn't say this for no reason. Maybe he wanted to give her such an outfit... What kind of relationship would give her shoes, skirts and stockings... Riho Yukino was a little confused and a little expecting.
Replied the message with trembling fingertips.
[Yukino: Fujiwara-kun, why do you say this suddenly? 】
[Fujiwara: Oh, just ask. I’m busy. Let’s talk next time.]
"..."
The corners of Yukino Riho's eyes twitched.
Looking at the word "Fujiwara" on the screen, her terrifying eyes were like looking at a dead fish in the freezer.
"Sister Yukino?" Kitagawa Ryoko looked over.
"Oh, it's okay, just dance..." Riho Yukino bit her lower lip lightly and hid her phone.
"Did you have anything to say, Sister Xueye, about the part I danced just now?"
"……Clam?"
Looking at Yuki Ono's expression that she didn't put her mind on this at all, Kitagawa Ryoko felt a chill in her heart.
"Sister Xueye..."
"Huh?" Yukino Riho lowered her head absentmindedly.
She frowned and pursed her lips.
The feet without shoes looked slender and cute, and the body illuminated by the wide kimono was also particularly petite and weak. Kitagawa Ryoko looked at her for a while before coming to her side. She sat down and stayed quiet for a while before speaking.
She said in a low voice: "Sister Xueye didn't put her mind on dancing at all, did she..."
"Uh, I...have some." Riho Yukino looked very embarrassed.
"You didn't look at me at all, and you were biting the pen holder for a while, and giggling at the paper for a while. You weren't helping me find a problem at all, you must have been thinking about that scumbag again, right?"
"..." Yukino Riho opened her mouth.
Originally she wanted to say something, but she still couldn't say it after all.
Actually...she wasn't thinking about Fujiwara Izaya, it was just that Fujiwara Izaya happened to send a message, which disrupted her concentration.
"Sister Yukino!" Kitagawa Ryoko flattened her lips in grievance.
Yukino Riho stayed for a while, looking at the paper with a few words written on it for a while, then raised his head and said softly: "Actually... I'm quite annoyed these days. I've been thinking about when he will come back.
Will you take the initiative to tell me what happened? In short, Liangzi... I'm sorry for what happened just now. Please dance again..."
"I knew it!" Kitagawa Ryoko sighed tiredly, and quietly bent down, leaning her side of her face against Yukino Riho's back, "But Sister Yukino looks like this, I feel so heartbroken!"
"The Sword Comes"
"What's the heartache for?"
"Because I like Sister Yukino!"
"like?"
"Of course! Just like you like that scumbag!" Ryoko Kitagawa shook her head and muttered, "But it will be fruitless for you to like him, so why not like me?"
"But how can we like each other if we are of the same gender?" Riho Yukino asked with a serious expression.
"It doesn't matter if you're the same sex, it doesn't matter to me... Besides, true love is the same sex..."
Listening to her complaints, Yukino Riho turned around, smiled and stroked her head: "Okay, okay, I listen to you. But don't always say bad things about him, he is a very good person."
"It's not good at all. There is no one more scumbag than him in the world! Hate! I hate him! Sister Xueye... wake up quickly, that person is too powerful and you can't control it. Even if he likes you,
You can only be his lover... Women who are always at his mercy, fascinated by him, and desperately want to fall in love with him will not end well! Ah, I'm not saying that Sister Yukino doesn't want it.
Face, but this is the truth..."
The more he talked, the more excited Kitagawa Ryoko became.
Unable to control her mood, she stood up immediately, waving her hands, circling around Yukino Riho like a little hen, and kept yelling.
"Sister Yukino, you need to know more about human beings. It is very common for women to like women. There are many of them in the world. After I leave the club, I will move in with Sister Yukino. You can also like Ryoko.
Yes. Liangzi is so beautiful and cute, and she can also do housework and make money. I guarantee that I can raise you beautifully..."
"No." Xueye Li Sui shook his head.
"Ah, Sister Yukino..." Ryoko Kitagawa jumped up and down next to Riho Yukino as if she was losing her temper.
"If you keep arguing, I'll make you dance for an hour without rest!" Yukino Riho smiled and poked her forehead with her finger.
"Really! It's not a joke, let's live together with Ryoko! Sister Yukino, it's true..." Kitagawa Ryoko kept repeating this, but Yukino Riho just thought she was just a kid messing around. After a while, Kitagawa Ryoko couldn't help but
They all muttered: "Sister Xueye, if you really marry him, what will I do in the future..." After that, they continued to make trouble.
Time passed quickly, and the sun's rays dimmed.
The birds seemed to gather in flocks and return to their nests, chirping and flying over the trees.
After leaving the Kitagawa Hall, Kitagawa Ryoko had to follow Yukino Riho to sleep with her for the night. The two took the train back to Asakusa and walked back to the bakery.
In the distance on a road with few people and cars, you can see the small green lights of a convenience store.
Yukino Riho moved forward slowly, listening to the regular sound of sandals under her feet. At the end of the straight alley, the street lights were shining with dim orange light.
"Here we go again..." She rubbed her brows.
"Good evening, Yukino." Takenaka Akihi said hello in front of the store.
"Is something wrong?" Yukino Riho protected Kitagawa Ryoko behind her and stared at him from a few meters away.
He wears a dark shirt, no tie, his shoulders are of average width, and his hair is combed to one side to cover the scars at the corners of his eyes. The first impression he looks like is that of a neatly groomed short-haired dog.
"No, I just happened to be passing by." Takenaka Akira said enthusiastically, "You just came back from the club, right."
"What's the meaning?"
Takenaka Akihi looked at Yukino Riho's clothes meaningfully: "You look so neatly dressed. You only wear formal clothes when you go to the club. You usually wear private clothes."
"...There's nothing to say about this!" Riho Yukino felt embarrassed instantly, and her cheeks became even redder.
This ghost tribe is very annoying!
What clothes you wear is none of your business. Can you have some self-awareness?
"I think they are all very good." Takenaka Akihi said in a friendly tone, as if he wanted to close the distance, "No matter in private clothes or formal clothes, Yukino is so charming. Speaking of which, Yukino, you like to be quiet, like piano music and dance, and in
You have extraordinary attainments in this area. What’s even more rare is that among the women who came out of the club, the bookishness in you is not fake... How should I put it, in my heart, you are a woman with a real leisurely temperament, and
When you are together, there will always be a feeling of Ning Xin in my heart. I can feel this unique temperament and understand your unique thoughts..."
"Hey, where is this disgusting man?" Kitagawa Ryoko poked her head out from behind and glared at him fiercely, "If you want to find a close friend, please go to Yoshiwara or Kabukicho. You can find him for less than 10,000 yen.
, if it’s not enough, you can continue to add more money. Don’t pretend to be affectionate here to disgust people!”
Yukino Riho pulled the girl: "Ryoko."
"It's okay, the child is still young." Takenaka Akira smiled gracefully and said lightly, "I came here tonight to invite you to go to Nagano Prefecture. The Mountain God Festival is about to start, and I want to go too.
How about going to join us? I can protect you on the way."
"No need." Yukino Risui shook his head indifferently, his expression showing alienation.
"Well, it's mainly for your safety." Takenaka Akihi came up and said in front of her, "The Mountain God Festival is a mixed festival, with gods and monsters from all walks of life attending. You have a simple personality, and I'm afraid you will be bullied. Just
Like that guy named Fujiwara, you have been deceived by him for so long. I can’t bear to see something like this happen a second time.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, wanting to hold Yukino Riho's hand.
Yukino Riho took a step back, then slapped him in the face with a backhand.
"Please respect yourself."
After saying this coldly, Yukino Riho took Kitagawa Ryoko back to the bakery.
"You will regret it..." Takenaka Akihi stood quietly, watching the store door close tightly before turning around and leaving the path, meeting Yaeko who was waiting there to discuss the plan for the Mountain God Festival.
※※※※※
When she got home, the first thing Yukino Riho did was rush into the kitchen and wash her hands.
After washing it many times, she still felt a little disgusted... She was a little angry, angry with Takenaka Akira, and also angry with Fujiwara Izaya. She thought that at least Fujiwara Izaya should talk to her and let her know what happened.
What happened so that he can help him refute it instead of letting others slander him behind his back.
"Sister Yukino, men are disgusting things, aren't they!" Ryoko Kitagawa's slender bare feet stepped on the floor and danced slowly, "Whether it is this or that, they should disappear from the earth.
"
As she spoke, her body swayed, and she was about to fall, but when she was about to hit the floor, she quickly turned around, waved her hair into a circle, and took a backflip towards Yukino Riho, freezing her body.
Then, he bowed down naturally.
"Sister Yukino, let Ryoko protect you!"
"You should think about yourself..." Yukino Riho felt better and took out the ingredients from the refrigerator to start making dinner.
"What do I have in mind?"
"Do you have someone you want to marry?" Yukino Riho asked with a smile.
"..." Kitagawa Ryoko frowned, walked into the kitchen angrily, and wanted to reach out and hug her.
"Don't make trouble, we're cooking!" Riho Yukino avoided it deftly.
"Fujiwara can hold Ryoko, but can't he?"
"He hasn't hugged me either. Besides, he's very polite to me, so he doesn't hide his sexual intentions like you."
"Sister Xueye will only protect him." Kitagawa Ryoko came to Ken with a cucumber and muttered: "Wait, let's see Ryoko seduce him and let you see what scum he is! Hum hum, if you really dare
If he touches me, I will fight with him, and I will never let him hurt Sister Xueye. If he can't beat me, then I can believe in love with Sister Xueye..."
"Full of nonsense..."
"Hee hee." Kitagawa Ryoko probably thought of some good plan and laughed like a pig.
That night, she originally wanted to sleep in the same bed as Yukino Riho, but Yukino Riho was not used to someone sleeping next to her and ruthlessly kicked her out. She didn't want to sleep in Fujiwara Izaya's room, so she just
I was able to sleep on the sofa in the living room for one night.
※※※※※
The next day it was bright and lightly raining.
Early in the morning, Fujiwara Izaya flew back to Tokyo and landed when no one was around. When he approached the store, he found that the store door was not open, but in the distance, he could see thick black smoke coming out.
Could it be on fire?
Fujiwara Izaya ran back quickly.
I took out the key and opened the door, and I immediately saw that the place where the smoke was coming out was the kitchen on the first floor. In the billowing black smoke, there was a figure holding a book and fanning slowly, coughing, and non-stop.
Talking about something.
"ah……"
"Why is there a lake..."
"Please, don't explode..."
Who else could this person be besides a stupid woman?
Her face was quite blackened, and she was holding a book in her hand and trying to fan away the black smoke. Her expression was a little panicked and entangled, probably because she was thinking about whether to save the things inside. In the midst of making a difficult decision, she suddenly heard something in her ears.
When she heard the movement, she turned her head and saw the person coming, her expression suddenly froze.
"Good morning." Fujiwara Izaya couldn't help but smile.
After staying for a few seconds, Yukino Riho also laughed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand a little embarrassedly: "Well, it rained today and I didn't want to go to the bread factory... so I tried to make some things to sell.
...But it seems to have failed..."
The back of her white hands kept leaving deep black and gray marks on her forehead and cheeks. The smile on her elegant melon-shaped face was very panic and shy, but her frightened rabbit-like expression matched the dark gray of her skin.
, it will only make people feel pure and flawless...