"It's good. With that little thing, at least you won't feel lonely along the way. Remember to call me when you get to the village entrance."

"Hey, Takiichi-chan, look forward to the gifts I bring you from now on."

On the rumbling Shinkansen subway, countless sunlight is isolated from the outside world despite the loud noise of the iron door.

But...this little bit of light that can still be seen is just like Nako's clear state of mind at this moment.

Early this morning, I woke up from my sleep, washed up, and confirmed from my agent that there was no important schedule today. It was already afternoon.

It's like doing the same routine many times, carrying a bag and leaving a note for my parents.

When I finally regained consciousness, I was already sitting on the train heading to Kyoto Prefecture.

He confirmed that the orange cat following him was sleeping obediently in his bag.

If I could go back in time, I would stay with Sakura every time.

Whenever one of the two parties dials Takichi's phone like this, the other person will always prick up his curious ears and listen quietly.

At this moment, she was shrinking her little body and leaning on the rest area between the two carriages.

The cold air between the gaps outside the window passed between Nako's cheeks and passed through the roots of her hair below her ears.

Leaning against the slightly shaking glass window, even while talking on the phone, I couldn't help but look at the scenery passing by in the distance.

Even so, that heart has already flown to a place far away.

Rather than saying that the scenery outside the window is just passing by, it is better to say that it always stays there.

No matter who is there or not, it always stays there unchanged.

Starting from Tokyo, if you don't look at the navigation on the map, you won't know where you have passed and how much time and distance you have spent.

Having no one by your side feels like being exiled naturally. The same goes for that person, right?

Thinking of this, Nako unconsciously opened the communication device that had been held in his hand.

After September last year, Takiichi gave her a silver-colored mobile phone, Apple brand, the latest model 5s.

The surface is painted with a layer of bright silver, which is cool but smooth to the touch, and has square buttons protruding outwards below.

Every time I open it, the light blue light on the big screen lights up, not only because of the novelty of the latest model, but also because of the person who gave it to me.

Passengers passing by did not notice that the girl standing here was a member of hkt48.

"When I turn eighteen, Takiichi-chan will have to give me an unforgettable gift, otherwise I will be angry."

The curvature of the corners of the mouth and eyes, as well as his own mood, are transmitted to the ear of the listener on the other end along with the transmission of network and satellite waves.

Taki said this half-jokingly.

"This time, it won't be another weird gift, right? To break it down, you gave me pebbles on the beach, saying they were falling from the stars in the sky, and you also gave me a hamster, but you raised it to death first.

Already...and..."

"How could it be? This time, I spent a lot of effort to buy it."

The most unbearable thing for anyone is the doubts from her closest friends. Although she has many dark histories in the past, she cannot refute.

But... those slightly bright eyes were lingering in front of the bottle in the other hand, and even the reserved tone before had a lot more confidence.

"If I can't satisfy you this time, I will announce my retirement."

"Nani? Ah... I'm really looking forward to this."

Nako's mood-raising announcement was like a sedative, driving away all the negative emotions in Taki's mind. This effect surprised even himself.

"Thank you...nako."

What appeared in Nako's ears together with these words was another subway train passing by outside the window.

The humming and rumbling sound of the whistle just covered Taki Ichi's sincere gratitude.

"Hey? What were you talking about just now?"

At that moment, Nako blocked the ear hole that was about to be turned away, and subconsciously moved the phone away from her face.

Noise is indeed the best weapon to ruin your mood.

"Nothing...I didn't say anything..."

Takiichi smiled softly, but he would not say some words a second time, otherwise the original flavor would be lost.

"What is it exactly?"

"Think about it yourself, I'll wait for you at home, bye~~"

Beep....beep....beep....

The busy signal on the phone that never hung up forcibly interrupted Nako's further questioning.

"What are the words? I just heard 'I' and 'you'. What's in between?"

Taking back the phone, Nako pressed against the window, sighing blankly at the glass in front of her.

At this time, there was a thunderstorm outside the window, and the clouds in the sky were filled with a dark veil.

Dazzling thunder and lightning crisscrossed in the distance, and occasionally two of them collided, emitting hot and dazzling sparks.

"Tick tick tick~~"

The rapid raindrops were devastated by gravity before people could react.

It landed on the ground at the fastest speed. Even if there were obstacles in the middle, it still couldn't stop them. It was determined to become one with the ground.

The endless tram, with its carriages soaked by the rain, passed on the rails.

"I...you..."

Nako's eyes were washed over and over again as he gradually lost his vision.

The girl's slender fingertips were dotted on the cold surface, and from time to time she used the heat from her mouth to write the words 'I' and 'you'.

"Hey, you just confessed to me, right?"

Behind him, a pair of passing students seemed to have witnessed a conversation about the birth of love, causing Nako to turn around.

Among the crowded crowd, you could vaguely hear the girl's voice full of joy and surprise.

"Is that so... the sound was too loud just now, I didn't hear it clearly."

The inadvertent conversation was like a ray of sunshine in the dark clouds, shining in Nako's heart: "Is that a confession?"

(The tone and pronunciation of ‘I like you’ and ‘thank you’ in Japanese are similar)

Even though there was still a thunderstorm outside the window, it was like the bright blue sky in the past had lost its original brilliance and became dull and completely gray.

"If you say something like that once, how can you say it a second time? Just pretend you didn't hear it."

The boy's red-faced defense turned out to be a cute expression in the eyes of others.

Girls of the same age will always be more ignorant about adolescent emotions than boys.

The girl smiled secretly and pulled the boy's shirt playfully.

"Huh? So... do you like me? Say it again, say it again and I will think about it."

Is it a confession?

Inadvertently, Takiichi's words of gratitude that he didn't want to say a second time, which were covered by the loud whistle, evolved into the whisper of "I like you" in Nako's heart.

Perhaps, as the boy said, if you say something like that the first time, it is impossible to say it a second time. Because it is the first time, it is especially precious.

This thunderstorm, should not be said to be a thunderstorm, came and went away quickly.

After the sun had rested, it swayed with elegant light, and a faint golden face poked out from the clouds.
Chapter completed!