——Padang.

Touch the door gently to isolate the picture inside.

Kato Yusuke took a deep breath and let the cold air flow into the depths of his nasal cavity.

There was no one around in the deserted outdoor area, and the emptiness made it even more chilly, but he didn't care at all.

From just now, his blood flow rate has increased sharply, and his body has become very hot.

The sound of the wind beating on the windows in the cold night and the bustling voices at the station seemed to be far away on the other side of the sky.

He kept taking deep breaths repeatedly, and no other sounds could reach his ears.

My body felt so heavy that it felt like it didn't belong to me.

The inside of my thirsty mouth became sticky.

He wished he could run away home immediately, or go somewhere and get drunk. Exile himself in the depths of the night where he couldn't see his fingers, so as to escape from reality and the feeling of loss.

However, things have become different...

When he thought of the people who were still by his side when he was willing to fall to his own devices, he could no longer indulge himself without letting them down.

Kato Yusuke stretched out his trembling hands and took out his mobile phone from his pocket.

The hands that were hit by the cold wind became cold.

"benefit"

"Eiri Pear"

"Senior Shiyu"

"Little Kano"

「Kosaka Akane」

…

In the list of contacts that had grown unknowingly, he dialed Kano-chano's number.

Toot~

After a short busy tone, the person's gentle voice came from the receiver.

"Kato-kun?"

Kato Yusuke calmed down his mood and said in a relaxed tone as much as possible: "...Good evening, the moonlight is beautiful."

Click, there was some kind of faint knocking sound from the other end of the phone.

Slowly, the woman responded with a softer voice.

"Well, the wind is also gentle~"

"Are you occupied?"

"Fortunately, I'm sorting out the information at home."

"organising materials……?"

"Yeah, I visited several outsourcing companies and got some reference cases and quotations from them. I thought I would show them to you after I sort them out."

"It's so late, don't work too hard."

"It's okay, it's nothing hard~"

Kanoko Hasumi said with a smile: "I started working after I went home, took a comfortable bath and had dinner. This level of intensity is much lower than when I was preparing for lessons before."

Hearing the excitement in the other party's words, Kato Yusuke didn't want to dampen her mood, so he forced himself to continue speaking.

"That's it! Then what did you eat at night?"

"Salad, curry rice, and miso soup. When we got together last time, Xiao Xi said you liked this very much, so I asked her for tips. I'll cook it for you next time~"

"...Xiao Xi has studied in a specialized school, and the difficulty may be very high."

"Well, are you looking down too much on a woman who has been cooking for herself for a long time in order to save money?"

"No problem, I also like the food made by Kano-chan."

Maybe it was because he acted well, but Kanoko Hasumi giggled happily.

"By the way, Teacher Maria and I saw a winter coat when we were shopping yesterday. I bought it because I thought it suited you very well. I will bring it to you later or pick it up when you are free."

"Well, okay. Sorry, I didn't prepare a Christmas gift for you."

"It's okay. I'm very happy that you have this intention. Besides, you still have to participate in the archery competition. Thank you for your hard work."

"Thanks……"

"…………"

Suddenly, their conversation stopped.

"...Kato-kun?"

Hasumi Kanoko asked: "What's wrong with you?"

"No, nothing."

"lie."

Yusuke Kato couldn't help but be startled by the harsh words and fell silent.

'Obviously, I was hiding it well until just now...'

He thought so and responded at the same time.

"...Well, I'm just a little tired after finishing the competition."

"is that so……?"

Hasumi Kanoko asked doubtfully: "Then why did you call me?"

After a brief silence, Kato Yusuke answered her in as cheerful a tone as possible.

"It's nothing, I just want to see what you are doing, nothing else. In short, don't stay up too late for work, and remember to go to bed early."

"Yeah~ I understand, and so do you."

Hasumi Kanoko paused and whispered: "...Also, I miss you too."

…

The two said good night to each other and ended the call.

Kato Yusuke looked at the screen of his mobile phone and was silent for a moment.

He originally wanted to chat with Xiao Kano, but now that he knew that the other party was busy, he couldn't selfishly run to disturb him.

What's more, it doesn't seem appropriate to bring your negative emotions to the people around you without authorization.

There is a bit of loneliness floating in the open space in front of the apartment.

Looking up inadvertently.

The moon, like thin ice, floats in the distant sky.

basically.

Whether it is yesterday, today, tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, helpless tragedies are happening in the world.

Unfortunately, the hands of the clock do not stop for people's grief.

Even after returning home, I wash my hair and take a shower, eat tasteless food, lie under the quilt and cry again, and spend a sleepless night, the world still goes on as usual.

So people continue to wash their faces, brush their teeth, and start a new day.

He also survived this way.

No one can share it with him.

But in fact——

From the moment he saw Sayu, Kato Yusuke felt a tsunami in his heart. He stood there quietly without letting anyone know.

But no matter how hard he tries to hide it, there is still a deep wound in his heart that opens, and bright red blood gushes out from there.

It's like a unique book stored in memory.

His heart began to waver, whether he should continue reading and see the ending of the story.

Especially when he saw the other person's expression on the verge of tears, he felt that his chest was being grabbed tightly, and he couldn't help but want to look away, but he also wanted to get closer.

after all--

That was the girl he once regarded as his life.

However, he could not become Sayu's favorite Iwanami classmate after all.

Ultimately.

It was just an out-and-out fake, not the real thing he was pursuing and longing for.
To be continued...