running boy

"It's a bit presumptuous... May I ask if you know Tsukishima Kaoru?"

Niu Dao, who was holding the phone, suddenly realized...

Kaoru Tsukishima, who only existed in his memory like a hallucination, appeared in reality at this moment and became a palpable existence.

Her name was truly said by the person opposite, and it was transmitted to him through radio waves, sending out real vibrations, stirring the air and hitting his eardrums, "Tsukishima Kaoru", that voice It's really not an illusion.

Nanbo Riri people probably couldn't understand their joy when they received the call and heard someone mention the name Tsukishima Kaoru again.

In the original emptiness, a clue suddenly appeared indistinctly. It was the karma he thought was broken forever, leading to an unknown place he had never been to.

People who thought they were gone forever, connections that they thought were broken...

"know."

He stretched out his hand without hesitation, and grabbed that illusory trace of connection.

……

Andy was very helpless. He planned to take this guest around for a while, but when he walked to the training warehouse and saw Yuedao through the window, the man stopped moving at all.

(Have been standing here for half an hour.)

Andy looked at the absorbed young man.

(what's for lunch?)

He began to wander off.

"Are these people in blue uniforms astronauts?" the young man asked suddenly.

Oh, cheer up Andy, it's finally time to use it.

"Not really, it depends on how you define it. Strictly speaking, most of them are candidates. Few of them can actually go to the sky, and very few of them can really become astronauts in the end."

The young man was still looking at the window, and after a while he said, "It's really not easy."

"Yeah, of course it's not easy. These people were originally selected from thousands of people, and they are all elites—even if they go through layers of selection, they may still spend a few years in this center and never be able to truly become astronauts."

Hearing Andy's words, Ushido suddenly remembered that Tsukishima once asked him whether he was afraid or not.

(She was working with these fears.)

(She often thinks about these uncertainties, suffers from them, and then works hard...)

Ushido slowly raised his hand and pressed it to his heart.

……

He lived with Yue Dao these days, and he should have fulfilled his wish to watch her well.

Kaoru Tsukishima's eating habits are similar to his own. Even though he has been in the United States for a long time, the breakfast has always been unshakable, a bit troublesome Japanese style.

The elderly who get up early and go to bed early, who was ridiculed by her teammates, are also surprisingly in tune with her.

She rarely watches TV, but she has set it to turn on automatically, and the TV will automatically turn on when she washes up in the morning, so it will suddenly become so lively in the morning.

She would video or call home for a while while making breakfast, which happened to be dinner time with her family in Japan. (And knowing the location of her hometown, if in case, she unilaterally breaks diplomatic relations again, he at least knows where to find her.)

Occasionally meditate for a while before meals. (Seems to depend on sleep status the previous day.)

After dinner she went to the Johnson Center, where she stayed all day.

After dinner, sometimes I go to the supermarket, and sometimes I go for a walk in Sun Park. She knows all the pet dogs in the park. (I'm partial to a pug named apo.)

She considered getting a dog but dismissed it because she didn't have the time to take it for a daily walk - but when asked if she liked dogs, she denied it was just because she was lonely living alone.

She washes up at night for a long time (compared to herself, but she emphasizes that it is similar to other women), and there are many bottles and jars in the bathroom-especially a lot of toothbrushes, dental floss, mineral tooth powder, toner toothpaste, rinse Drooling, electric toothbrush, ionic toothbrush, water floss... It is said that it is because of bad teeth when I was a child, so I am very careful.

By the way, she doesn't eat sweets very much, and it seems to be related to this. (Ice cream is absolutely not eaten, but when in the supermarket, I will wander in front of an ice cream brand called Taleni.)

But I like to eat sweet Thai food.

She doesn't like the sweet, fruity aroma of incense, but cedarwood.

My favorite director is Hirokazu Kore-eda.

like……

don't like...

……

Niu Dao looked at Yue Dao in the window—he knew her now.

He has also solved the unsolved mystery in his heart: Kaoru Tsukishima, who dreams of becoming an astronaut, was troubled by dating a high school student who was much younger than him.

Well, now he is probably qualified to think about this question——

Do I like Tsukishima Kaoru?

When Ririren called that day, he was pleasantly surprised, and there was no doubt that he wanted to see Kaoru Tsukishima.

But when the Japanese people asked him if he still liked Tsukishima, he couldn't answer.

Because Tsukishima's question also made him puzzled.

"You don't understand me at all."

"It's not me you like."

After all, did he ever like Tsukishima?

After all, what is love?

When he was a teenager, he felt that Kaoru Tsukishima was different from others, someone he couldn’t miss, and hoped that she would always be by his side—but did he like it?

When I'm with her, when I talk to her, my mood is different from when I'm with other people.

If it was someone else who left suddenly at the beginning, he would probably say goodbye calmly and not hold a grudge.

Are these likes?

But isn't the love he heard about devotion?Isn't it to make each other better?

Why is all his desire for Tsukishima Kaoru out of his own consideration, all out of his own selfish feelings-is this like it?

(However, the feeling of wanting to be together is true, and the feeling of not wanting to be separated is also true...)

(However, if Ruo Xun doesn't want to...)

A sense of resistance suddenly rose in Niu Dao's heart.

(I guess, will be sad.)

……

Andy looked at the guests who became silent again, and became bored again.

(Just two sentences and it’s over?)

(Is it nothing to do with me? Can I go?)

……

After Andy left, Ushido waited until Tsukishima finished training and came out as he wished.

Against the eyes of everyone, Yue Dao bit the bullet and went out to meet Uu Dao.

"Didn't I ask Andy to show you around?" Everyone was watching inside, and Yue Dao felt a little uncomfortable.

"So Xun is so amazing, I'm sorry, I didn't know it before." Ushido suddenly praised him bluntly.

Tsukishima Kaoru raised his head and opened his mouth wide.

(Suddenly praised by Niu Dao?)

(I am timid and entangled? I was praised as "remarkable" by that radiant Ushishima Wakari?)

Tsukishima suddenly became tongue-tied.

"Xun had such an amazing dream, why never mentioned it before?"

"I……"

The surprise of being praised suddenly cooled down.

"Actually, I... probably feel a little inferior to Ushido..."

It was more than just a dream, she had hidden too many things from him.

When he saw the radiant Udo, he yearned for it and felt inferior at the same time, so he didn't dare to let him see his true self.

Niu Dao was silent for a while, but did not comfort her.

"Xun, you are a person with a lot of thoughts, right?"

"Ah."

"Indecisive and overthinking."

(Too, too sharp...)

(Because it was Ushido who said it, so it was a big blow?)

Ushishima Ruori knew that Tsukishima Kaoru was a very delicate person, because of his delicateness, he thought a lot and worried a lot.

And he himself seems to be born with only one thought in his heart, and there is no room for other distracting thoughts, so he seems unable to understand Yuedao's distress.

But she forced herself, forced herself to suppress the worries in her heart, forced all distracting thoughts to a corner, and the way she worked hard and single-mindedly was very moving in his eyes.

"Because you are such a thoughtful person, it is even more rare to be able to suppress all worries and distractions, and force yourself to have nothing else to do."

Tsukishima Kaoru opened his mouth wide open again foolishly.

(This, is this approved by Ushishima Ruori?)

Ushishima Ruori felt that Kaoru Tsukishima was "more rare" than herself.

Looking at Tsukishima who is training hard, he will think, so you are advancing with such fear?

A person who can break through obstacles and move forward is more remarkable than a person who has no resistance.

"Seeing you like this, I will feel strangely excited, and my heart will beat violently."

Niu Dao raised his hand to hold his heart.

Just now, his heart has been beating vigorously non-stop.

"I think you're amazing."

"..."

Tsukishima Kaoru did not speak, and lowered his head silently.

After being silent for too long, Ushido was a little confused.

Suddenly Tsukishima's shoulders trembled, and large drops of water fell on the ground, wet the floor.

"Xun..." Are you crying?

Kaoru Tsukishima slowly raised her head, she raised her hand and wiped the tears on her face fiercely, "We have to start again..."

She wanted to say something, but she opened her mouth and began to cry even harder.In the end, he could only grin, lowered his head and kept wiping the tears on his face.

On the opposite side, Ushido Wakari showed a rare look of being at a loss.

After a long time, Kaoru Tsukishima finally calmed down, she raised her head with red eyes, and looked at Ushishima Wakari seriously.

Everything in the past was built on false starts.

Even if there are good parts, it all starts with her deceit.

(So, I have to re...)

"Koru Tsukishima, 29 years old, dreams of becoming an astronaut."

"I am engaged in a high-risk occupation, but I will not give up."

"He is a very timid person. He once suffered a little setback and lost his strength - he even lost the courage to speak out his dreams."

"Now I am going all out and working hard for my dream."

(I have always hoped to be able to stand in front of you as frankly as I am now.)

(I hope I can let you see my truest appearance without shame.)

(hope……)

(Can restart right with you.)

(Start with really knowing me without hiding.)