I called Takiichi and was answered shortly after. A buzzing whistle sounded in my ears, which seemed to indicate the way Takiichi had arrived.

"Hmm~~You can probably let it go, right?"

After hanging up the phone, Nako looked at the orange cat lying on the two gifts, stretched out its two little hands and compared them in the air like a puppet.

"It's the first time without Sakura, it's really unaccustomed to me~"

Holding gifts in each hand, Nako walked along the path outside the railway tracks with the orange cat in her arms.

Every scene and thing is still the same as before.

The signboard "2.5km ahead, Kagaya" stands on the roadside. In this village, Kagaya is the only building that everyone knows.

It is also the only hot spring in the village.

The longing in her heart to meet her was pulling her forward, but in the end, maybe there were too many things, so Nako directly put the orange cat in her arms on the ground. She walked in front, and the orange cat followed behind.

A person and a cat, two slanting shadows, and a plane with flashing lights crossing the sky, perfectly fit together.

"Keep up, taki..."

Nako nodded his little steps and stared at the end of the distance with his bright eyes.

As the distance to the destination shortens, one can vaguely feel that the beating frequency of the two hearts is synchronizing bit by bit.

After walking a few steps, I discovered rows of trees growing on the right side. Looking up at the sky, I could clearly see patches of clouds slowly moving in a certain direction.

This road spirals upward, and at the end of the winding road is Kagaya, which is also the hot spring hotel of the Taki family.

During this time, it is rare to see residents going out to relax.

In the quiet village, the barking of local dogs can be heard everywhere. It is really a great test for outsiders who break into the village alone.

On the concrete path from the easternmost part of the village to the northwestmost part of the village, a pink little sheep was driving very fast.

The speedometer needle on the car was increasingly raised to the other extreme.

Nako's arrival completely aroused the emotion called "can't wait" in Takiichi's blood. Even though Sakura is not here, he can feel the preciousness of this person.

At least, she always comes from Tokyo every once in a while. The loyalty of friends sometimes surpasses the status of love.

With his right hand, he increased his speed to its peak, and the two rows of woods passed him by little by little.

Until some time later, as the field of vision gradually broadened, at the end of the front, Nako's figure slowly appeared in Takiichi's pupils.

At that moment, it wasn't just me who cheered.

"Takiichi-chan~~"

She raised her arms, standing on the left side of the road and waving them crosswise, her tone as lovely as ever, bringing people energy.

"Zhizhizhi~~"

Afraid of missing the other person's moment, the wheels quickly skidded in the middle of the road, leaving a shallow mark.

The smoke that is accidentally discharged quickly merges with the air.

"Are you so impatient to come here because you're afraid something will happen to me?"

Although Takiichi came here after a long journey, his embarrassment made her eyes curl up.

Taking off the helmet that covered his face, Taki got out of the car and leaned against the little sheep.

"At night, there are few people in the village, and no one will be at ease if a girl is out. Moreover, although there are many people coming to my birthday party tonight, you are different from them."

His tone was filled with a relaxed and cheerful warmth... Especially, those big bright eyes were particularly eye-catching in front of him.

Looking into Nako's eyes, raising his head and lowering his head, just for a moment, seemed to span eternity.

"Thank you, Nako, thank you very much for coming~~"

"Is it just a thank you? As best friends who came here not far from Tokyo, shouldn't they give me a friendly hug?"

Nako swung his arms, clapped his palms and came forward. Two blushes quietly appeared on the corners of his mouth, and he moved forward with his swinging hands.

At that moment, when they were attached to Takiichi's generous body, there was only a soft blessing between heaven and earth.

"Happy birthday, Takiichi-chan, nineteen years old, one year older."

"Yes, I'm another year older. Although Sakura is not here this year, it's good to have you."

The little sheep's headlights flickered on the edge of the field.

The orange cat on the ground tilted its head, and its pair of green eyes reflected the scene of a man and a woman embracing each other.

Time flies, things change and people change, but there are still some people who will not leave. Love is gone but friendship is left.

For Takiichi, this may be the best outcome.

"It's really nice. I didn't expect Takiichi-chan's embrace to be so warm."

Nako and Takichi felt each other's warmth, and a touch of warmth, accompanied by each other's taste, lingered in their hearts.

"Long time no see, I'm much taller than before. I was so tall before, but now..."

He knelt down and teased Taki, who was kneeling on the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't have anything with him that the cat could eat.

This orange cat was also given to Nako by Takiichi. The difference is that although it has the same name as him, it is much cooler than Takiichi.

"Thanks to you, I am now one centimeter taller than before."

Taki turned around in surprise, scanning Nako's body from bottom to top, tilting his head slightly, "What's one, four? One, four, seven? Or one, four eight?"

"Hehe...one four seven point six."

After eight o'clock, you can no longer feel the wind blowing in the air, but you can often see cherry blossoms or leaves being swept into the sky and then slowly falling.

It was cool in Miyama Kimura at night. When walking side by side with Taki, the street lights that could only be seen from a distance of more than ten meters cast a light yellow color on the dark areas that could not be illuminated.

Stepping on the familiar ground, the occasional rustling sound of the soles of the shoes rubbing against the dust and stones on the ground made Nako feel extremely happy.

Taki pushed the little sheep under him, and two searchlights dyed the road ahead into a snow-white color. Because of the reflection of the white light, he could feel the sparkling preciousness even more in the dark night.

This was the first time for the two of them to walk on such a night path. It was so stable that Nako ran freely without fear of the pain in his feet.

"Be careful, don't fall down Nako."

Takiichi's worried chatter appeared behind him, and the path that ran through the fields was completely assimilated into darkness due to the night.

Assuming there are no towering trees or telephone poles on both sides of the path, perhaps it is not clear whether you are walking on a path or in a field.

"Don't worry, this is the first time I feel the night here. It's really quiet."

Nako walked back step by step with her little hands behind her back.

Behind the girl, in the darkness in the distance, one could vaguely see the telephone poles arranged neatly and orderly. The pale moonlight shone on them, and the dark clouds hidden in the darkness immediately stood out.

Following the lights under their feet, Takiichi and Nako walked side by side on the dark road home in the countryside.

Sometimes they step on their respective shadows, and after leaving, it will be proven that they left their own traces there.

"Takiichi-chan...."

An atmosphere that is too quiet will always be broken inadvertently.

"Nani?"

Taki pushed the little sheep's forward legs and stopped suddenly.

"Is that the tree?"

Walking to the center of the village, a cherry blossom tree standing in the distance under the full moon attracted Nako to speed up his pace.
Chapter completed!