Even though he comes from the countryside, he doesn't have any of the rustic charm of country boys, but he's not so noble that he feels unapproachable.

A very strange person.

There were many girls like me at that time who were interested in everything about him.

Later, from Hashimoto Kenta's mouth, Hashimoto Nanami learned more things that she had never felt before.

On the first day of school, he caused a sensation in the school due to his outstanding appearance and past straight-A results.

The girl in the next class, who was already in the "precocious" stage at that time, once watched him walking past the classroom and was so distracted that the teacher hit her head with chalk and did not wake up.

During recess, I often receive love letters and lunch boxes from girls in the next class, which makes me unable to walk freely in the corridor.

And he seemed to be accustomed to the situation before him, and he declined the pursuit of those girls in a non-harmful way.

At the same time, the desserts and lunch boxes that were forced into his hands were distributed to the boys in the class in a short period of time.

During his three-month stay at Asahikawa Elementary School, he was able to freely enter and leave any grade or class.

There are some familiar people in every class, and you can call him by name naturally when you meet him. It is said that he once entered the principal's office with great swagger, and when he came out, all the teachers accompanying him couldn't hide their proud smiles.

But... just like this almost perfect classmate, suddenly disappeared from Asahikawa Elementary School, Class A for the fourth year, one day.

After many years, Hashimoto Nana would sometimes come into contact with certain things and naturally think of that young figure.

When I graduated, I was looking through the class roster and tried to find some useful contact information about that boy.

But when I dialed the number, all I heard was a cold mechanical voice prompting "The number you dialed is unavailable."

Regarding his home address, only the word "Kyoto" was written.

The house originally rented in Asahikawa was later sold to other people through the landlord.

In short, the boy appeared here without any warning and left without any warning.

It seemed that except for herself, teachers and classmates, no one would be like her, repeatedly mentioning and nostalgic for a person who was "more humble and outstanding than the previous transfer students".

During this period, the only thing that allowed me to feel that the boy's mark was real and not a dream was the small object hanging around my neck.

When you hold it, a strange yet familiar warmth comes from the palm of your hand, which must have been left behind by the previous owner.

If she had received such a gift in adolescence, Hashimoto Nana would have thought that like ordinary girls, she would fall into the narcissism of love, giggle all day long, and walk in a cheering posture.

This wood carving also became a secret between the two of them. The girl kept it safe and hid it with her until now.

Neither his father who passed away nor his mother and brother who were far away in Asahikawa knew about him.

"Hirai-kun...where are you now?"

Trapped in a certain age, although it was a short-lived but profound memory, Nana Hashimoto instinctively put her hand on her chest.

Inside that inconspicuous piece of clothing, there was a wooden sculpture of a little girl connected by red silk ropes.

Nana Hashimoto wore it around her neck like an amulet for seven years.

The wood carvings are made of very special materials, the names of which I have long forgotten.

Hashimoto Nanami only knew that it had been eroded over the years, and even though it was wetted by rain, there was no sign of decay.

"Taki-san, do you know? If... you catch the cherry blossom petals before they fall to the ground, those wishes hidden deep in your heart will come into view."

At the same moment, next to Nana Hashimoto and Sayuri Matsumura, there was a corner covered by mountains of woods within a wall.

There was a girl with a single ponytail lying behind Takiichi, her pink lips slowly pressing against his ear and whispering.

People around them would cast envious glances at the interaction between the two from time to time.

Although some girls think that this couple looks too inconsistent, more like a bunch of siblings than lovers who can tell the age difference just by looking at them.

But it is undeniable that the boy that this very thin girl is leaning against is the one that all the girls present dream of dating.

"Really?"

Takiichi maintained a sitting posture, and his hands unconsciously climbed up the catkin wrapped around the girl's neck from behind, and then clasped his fingers together.

Thump thump thump...the two heartbeats of different frequencies began to merge into one with the necklace on the knuckles.

"real!"

A gust of fragrant wind hit her nostrils, and the girl with a single ponytail sat on Takiichi's lap with a coquettish tone, condescending.

"My grandma told me this when I was in Kagoshima.

At this time every year, our family will eat barbecue in the courtyard of grandma’s house, with countless cherry blossoms falling from the sky.”

"How about we go see the cherry blossoms tonight? By the way, Sakura, let's see if what you said has any effect."

"Huh? Tonight? Emmmmm..."

Sakura felt embarrassed by Takiichi's sudden request for a date. "Not today, I'm running out secretly. We have a theater performance in the evening."

From the beginning to now, Sakura has lost count of the number of times she has said this to Takichi because it was difficult to cancel her work schedule. It has been so many times that she can no longer change it, and every time she says the same thing.

And every time he said it, he would feel uneasy once he collided with those starry eyes that did not belong to this world.

At certain moments, another voice will appear in my heart: "You can't do this. It will consume Taki-san's love and enthusiasm for you bit by bit. One day he will choose to leave after being completely disappointed and resolutely

leave".

Under the spell of such a voice, Sakura would always lower her head and bury herself in his arms, greedily smelling the breath that seemed to exist in his blood and bones.

After that, the voice disappeared under unknown circumstances.

"I'm sorry Taki-san, I also want to have a good date with you, but... you know, right? You understand my thoughts, right?"

"I know, so don't put too much burden on me."

After being rejected by Sakura again and again because of work, Takiichi has learned how to adjust his mentality, from being uncomfortable at first to becoming accustomed to it later.

At the same time, in order not to let Sakura's loss affect her subsequent work, Takiichi chose to reach out and stroke the girl's messy hair.

"Work is important, and what Sakura is going through now is the most important stage.

As an idol, you can't be careless at all, I understand, so please work hard."

"Thank you."

Being understood by the most important person when she felt the most guilty was the motivation and reason for Sakura to feel happy and to move forward firmly on the path of becoming a top idol again and again.

Every time I missed an appointment, I could always hear Taki-san’s gentle encouragement.

Although as a girlfriend, there has long been a serious bias in how much time she spends on work and spending time with her boyfriend.

But... Sakura believes that when she succeeds in the future, there will be such a person who will feel the same joy as herself.
Chapter completed!