[Three-year Class E] Asagao

The box in her hand was snatched away, the girl bit her lips, her voice was a bit submissive, as if she was afraid of being scolded by her mother.

"Mother, I'm sorry..."

It probably shocked her when she found out, He Yinfang softened her tone and comforted her: "In the future, Xingzhi won't come here alone, it's very dangerous, okay?"

"Um……"

Ignorantly let her mother pull her out of the room, she even looked in at the door, facing the dim room, the feeling left in her memory was very complicated, it seemed to be reluctance, or curiosity, or maybe It is doubt.

It was a special impression of the very few gaffes in the memory of his mother Heyin, but he did not expect that it would become an important clue for Xingzhi to find the lost property now.

Seeing that Xingzhi was staring at the food in front of him, keeping one movement but not making any other movements, Yiye reminded him in a low voice without regard for politeness: "Sister, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah..." The girl who came over suddenly blinked, then put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands, clasped her hands together, "Thank you for the hospitality, I'm sorry."

The words fell, and the girl had long since disappeared.

Facing Xingzhi who suddenly flew away just now, Yiye stretched out his hand to hold down the lacquer bowl on the opposite side that almost overturned, with a familiar calm on his face.

——His sister...

She rushed back to the room and started rummaging through boxes and boxes. Fortunately, she was the only one in the whole yard, otherwise the noise she made would undoubtedly be classified as a first-class noise nuisance.

Because of maintaining a stiff posture, his waist was sore and his back ached, Xingzhi sat down and patted his back, looking at the mess in front of him, he even suspected that he might have the potential to do demolition.

Suddenly, the sound of something vibrating came from the messy and quiet Japanese room. She rubbed her aching forehead, and she resigned herself to lying on the tatami and began to search.

It was the cell phone she had thrown out from the beginning.

The vibrating sound has not stopped, which shows how patient the caller is.

The girl who finally found her mobile phone under a pile of books grabbed the high-tech product, opened the barrier with one hand and sat down, sweating from her back again made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Seeing the caller ID, she quickly pressed the call button: "I'm Xingzhi."

There came a voice that seemed to be about to cry: "Student Xingzhi has answered the phone, if you don't answer the phone, you will commit suicide as a teacher."

"Then it seems better if I don't pick it up?" She tucked her sideburns behind her ears, and asked, "Is it okay to kill Teacher?"

After a round of explanations and explanations, Xingzhi understood the other party's intentions and plans.

After thinking about the time, she was just about to say no: "Tomorrow's fireworks show? Now that I'm in Kyoto, it's possible..."

"Student Xingzhi doesn't have to worry about this, I can come pick you up as a teacher!"

Hearing the speed of the other party's speech, which was almost omitting sentence reading, Xingzhi was momentarily at a loss for words.

——It seems like an invitation that cannot be refused.

The light of the stars in the night sky was reflected in her eyes, and the girl sighed in compromise.

"Then... trouble the teacher."

After hanging up the phone, a burst of fire suddenly burst out in the night, scattered in the form of falling flowers, and then disappeared in the black background.

The light comparable to that of the stars, and the man-made fireworks are like the light of fallen stars.

Speaking of which, there seems to be a festival here in Kyoto today...

Remembering the advertisements and notices posted on the road when he came here, Xingzhi narrowed his eyes.

Night Breeze swept into the house through the unclosed shoji, and pushed the scattered papers on the tatami in all directions.

Hearing the rattling sound behind her, the girl hurriedly turned around to hold down the restless documents, but a neat shadow not far away attracted her attention.

With nothing blocking it, the large dark object that looked like a shadow exuded a soft luster.

With some hesitation for unknown reasons, Xing Zhi hesitated for a long time before reaching out her hand in disbelief, her heartbeat echoing in her ears like a drumbeat.

The smooth and delicate feel has not changed at all from then, but it is no longer difficult for her to pick up this box now.

Moreover, no one will stop her for unknown reasons.

She tentatively tried to match the small key in the palm of her hand with the small hole on the box, but a light click caught her by surprise.

Her fingertips were trembling slightly, Xingzhi's hand reaching into the box touched something soft and cool, she stroked it, and thought it might be the cover of a booklet.

When taking out the booklet, a piece of half-worn paper fell from the gap, and the moment the girl bent down to pick it up, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

It was a group photo of the two of them, and the background was a place similar to a laboratory.

A man and a woman in white coats are smiling at the camera.

Those were people she had never met, even though the words [Xiaoyuan Hoshiaki] appeared in her eyes.

The name that can move her all the time.

There is no light in the whole house, the only source of light is the moonlight in summer and the brilliant colors of fireworks.

The girl whose eyes reflected the fireworks in the distance fastened the leather cover of the thick notebook in her hand with her slender knuckles.

Hoshieda, who returned to Kyoto, naturally couldn't escape the tasks and responsibilities she had to undertake as the agent of the head of the house. Originally, when she was in Tokyo, these things were fully entrusted to Kazurai to complete.

Now she only shared about half of those chores and felt overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the office where these things are handled is not a Japanese room, otherwise it would be a different kind of suffering for her to sit upright for a long time in what can be regarded as formal clothes.

After signing the last page of the report, Xingzhi moved his wrist and stiff neck.

She hasn't had time to take a closer look at the relic of her mother Heyin, but the photo leaked from it last night made Xingzhi feel a little out of place.

That young man was indeed her elder brother, but she definitely had never met the woman next to Xing Ming.

Moreover, the woman's face was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't think of any similarities in facial features, so she couldn't find out the related person.

——It's a dead end.

Rubbing the center of her brows with her fingertips, the girl sighed, and the hands of the wall clock in the room ticked, followed by a unique sound on the hour.

Realizing the time, Xingzhi put away his thoughts, got up and went back to his room to pack his luggage.

In the process of packing her suitcase, she suddenly regretted why she had agreed to the request to participate in the fireworks show in a flash of her brain.

Obviously this kind of self has not thought it through at all, about my loss of control at that time, about...

attitude towards something and someone.

——Are you really qualified to be extravagant?

——You are a sword that can hurt others.

Faintly, such words sounded from the bottom of my heart.

Sighing deeply, the girl let go of her shoulders, and the slowly sinking mood made her a little breathless.

In the evening of the summer festival, boys and girls in yukata are a beautiful sight.

However, among the crowd, Xingzhi knew how conspicuous and out of place she was in formal attire without even looking. The girl sighed and lowered her head, and followed Teacher Sha in front of her step by step to the area where Class E students gathered.

The first to discover her existence, Kataoka waved to her: "Xingzhi—this way!"

Then she was surrounded by girls with strong observation skills, and girls always lack some resistance to beautiful things.

The visitor embroidered with the family crest, which is a rare flower in the pattern of the kimono, easily highlights its own existence.

Gently tugging on his sleeve, Xing Zhi, who glanced at one side of the booth, saw the culprit who caused this situation as expected...

silhouette of ...

Hoshieda, who had changed into a kimono because she was dealing with some business at the main house, didn't have time to change back to her regular clothes, and she didn't even have time to wipe off the light makeup that Kazuku had put on to support the scene.

Although she was extremely suspicious that this Mach-speed killing teacher didn't want her to have this opportunity.

The girl can clearly remember that when she went out from her own courtyard to see Teacher Sha, that round face, eyes that were shining strangely for no reason, and...

Dessert crumbs around the corner of the grinning mouth.

It might be some kind of biscuit, the dark color is particularly obvious, it doesn't look like it just arrived at all.

That expression must be planning something messy again.

- lost to it.

I was dragged to many small stalls, selling all kinds of snacks, fishing for goldfish, lottery...

Xingzhi was somewhat familiar with the style that was basically the same as the summer festival in Kyoto. She bit the straw of the soda in her hand, and her thoughts began to wander.

If the person who brought her to the Summer Festival could see her again, maybe she would do whatever it takes.

Laughing secretly at the horror of his crazy thoughts, the corner of the girl's raised mouth froze suddenly in the next second.

The crowd of people rushing past her shoulder to shoulder, the voice that suddenly reached her ears was too clear, causing her to tremble.

"... Star Branch."

It was the voice that really called her, and the girl who suddenly turned her head felt the temperature of her blood flowing faster in an instant, and her heartbeat suddenly slammed into her ears, arousing certain emotions.

Cold drops of water dripped from the glass bottle of iced soda as she moved, and wet the foot pockets on Xingzhi's feet.

The voice just now was like a hallucination, hidden in the noise of the crowd behind.

"Star branch?"

The clear young voice sounded behind her, and she froze subconsciously.

Slowing down her breathing, she tightened her fingers holding the glass container slightly, and turned around as if nothing had happened.

At the first second when he saw the girl in full dress, Akabane's thoughts were indeed filled with the word "amazing", but when he met those dark brown eyes, he found something similar to the place where the girl was trying to whitewash the peace. different emotions.

Confusion, confusion, and astonishment.

It was the same color as when he was suddenly called out on the boat on the school trip back then.

He narrowed his eyes.

The girl who was trying to break the silence was preempted by other sounds, and brilliant colors were dotted on the canvas of the night sky along with the sound, and the sound of a bump caused everyone to stop and look up.

Amid the exclamations for the beautiful fireworks, Xingzhi felt a bit of unpleasant breath.

There was a strange sight, nailed straight to her back without any scruples.

The other party was obviously confident that she would not be able to see through her identity, so he made such a blatant close observation.

But now she doesn't plan to delve into it, after all, her top priority now is not to pick out those guys who plan to study her.

Maybe something can be found by deciphering the things left by the mother found according to the old man's prompt.

Habitually biting the nail of his left thumb lightly, Xingzhi lowered his eyes and thought.

Suddenly a temperature that didn't belong to her came over her, the girl froze for a moment, then quickly waved away the opponent's hand, and took a few steps back like a frightened small animal.

Dodging her eyes, the girl's dark brown eyes seemed to glow with a little water, and her originally gorgeous lips were eaten pale: "Sorry. Just please, don't touch me..."

"This is not a good habit." Of course he understood what the other party was afraid of, Akabane withdrew his hand, raised his chin, and reminded him softly.

Understanding what he was referring to, she pursed her lips, and she responded in a low voice.

"……Um."

In the next few days, Mr. Sha and the students in Class E worked together to bring back their absent classmate.

Horibe camp.

Of course, there was a figure wrapped in a white cloth next to the boy.

That Bai who was threatened by Xingzhi last time, but for some reason, that gaze seemed to stay on the girl intentionally or unintentionally.

The gaze revealed behind the white cloth made her a little creepy.

Now it can be confirmed that Shiro was the one who observed her at the Summer Festival.

--but why?

Even if he knew the relationship between Xiao Yuan and himself, he wouldn't covet those antiques...

If you want to experiment with those things, probably only a really crazy person can do it.

But her inner feelings secretly contradicted these self-comforting views.

The restlessness was forcibly suppressed by her, but she didn't notice the undercurrent turbulent under the peaceful study life, and it seemed that she was about to tear the fragile illusion immediately and burst out.

Because of the classroom seats, Xingzhi and Akabane still looked up and looked down.

But for some reason, she noticed that the other party was skipping classes more frequently than before.

——This is not something she should care about.

Shaking her head, she tidied up and planned to go home.

It's been a long time since returning home alone, but Xingzhi felt that this was the most suitable way for her.

Thousands of thoughts are entangled in the girl's mind, Xingzhi will walk extra fast when thinking about things, as if this can clear up those messy things.

"Ah, is it Ms. Shimizu?" She didn't use her mailbox very often when she was suddenly stopped by the postman downstairs, who smiled and handed her a black envelope, only the waxed part had other colors, "You Oh letter."

The golden wax and the flower.

"Ah, thanks."

Xingzhi took a look and saw the familiar handwritten address and name.

It was sent from Kyoto, a letter from my younger brother Ichino.