Chapter 356: Taking a step forward in the reed bushes.
"Yumoto Station" is a platform that serves as a gateway to Hakone.
It was November, the peak tourist season, and the platform was crowded with people. The Kamikawa students in their black uniforms stood out.
"The weather is great today, we can see Mount Fuji!"
"Mount Fuji? Where is it?"
"I saw it on the way here. The flight attendant even used the radio to tell the passengers!"
"I fell asleep."
"No, you were playing games."
"Is this true? Didn't I sleep? Why do I feel like I slept?"
The students didn’t mind the tourists’ gazes and chatted excitedly.
"Everyone is here." Koizumi Aona said loudly, "The first day is a group action, so no one is allowed to leave the team without permission. Do you hear me?"
"yes--"
"There will be free time for taking photos, but it must be within the specified scope and time."
"yes--"
"If any unexpected situation occurs, the team leaders must remember to contact me immediately."
“Yes——” This time the voices that answered were much quieter, with only ten team leaders.
The leader of Toru Watanabe's group is Aoi Ikki, and the reason for her election is... In Toru Watanabe's words, Aoi Ikki did the most homework on this school trip, and actually the three of them were lazy.
After saying what she needed to say, Koizumi Aona repeatedly reminded everyone to be careful, and then led everyone out of Yumoto Station and headed towards the first destination, Hakone Yuryo.
Along the way, we passed Hakone's shopping street, where there were all kinds of food shops.
The girls were reluctant to leave and decided to come here on their free trip the next day.
"How long will it take?" Miki Kujo asked Toru Watanabe beside her at the end of the team.
"Team leader Ikki?" Toru Watanabe asked Ikki Aoi who was walking in front of them.
"Let me see," Ichimoku Aoi spread out the travel magazine, "About fifteen minutes."
"Walk for fifteen minutes to see a hot spring." Kujo Miki snorted with a sneer.
If this plan was drawn up by her company's subordinates, she would definitely be transferred to Kanagawa and bid farewell to the prosperous Tokyo forever.
The scenery of "Hakone Yuryo" is pretty good.
As soon as they enter the door, most people are amazed by the scenery before them.
The emerald green evergreens and fiery red maple leaves shade the stone paths in the green shadows cast by these leaves.
After visiting Hakone Yuryo, we took the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora Park on the mountain.
The red iron car climbed along the winding mountain road.
"This railway is said to have the steepest slope in the island country." Toru Watanabe leaned against the window, admiring the red leaves along the way that seemed to be burning.
"And then?" Kujo Miki asked in a 'so what' tone.
"And then?" Watanabe Toru repeated it in her tone, and because he liked her so much, he couldn't help but scratch her delicate and straight little nose.
"Why so many then?" he said with a smile.
Kujo Miki hugged her elbows and looked at him coldly: "Did I allow you to scratch my nose?"
"It seems... not."
"bend over."
Watanabe Toru bent down as if he was going to kiss Kujo Miki.
Kujo Miki smiled disdainfully and kissed him.
"Huh?" Toru Watanabe looked at her in confusion, thinking that Kujo Miki would scratch his nose or pinch his face.
When he noticed that Kujo Miki was looking at Kiyono Rin provocatively, he understood her intention - it was not to punish her, but to do it for Kiyono Rin to see.
"Superficial women will do this kind of thing." Qingye Rin tapped her chin with her hand, a slightly gloomy smile on her face.
"Then let me see what a woman who is not superficial will do?" asked Miki Kujo with interest.
"Watanabe-san." Kiyono Rin turned and looked at Watanabe Toru.
"Watanabe-san isn't here," Toru Watanabe replied. "He told me to tell you that if you go to him in this situation, it's not going to be good, so he's out."
"Hehehe!" The sound of Ikki Aoi's giggles.
The three of them looked at her at the same time, then looked away at the same time, silently admiring the Hakone scenery outside the car.
In addition to the maple leaves that dye the mountains red, you can also overlook the valley of Hayakawa.
"We're almost there, everyone get ready!" Koizumi Aona said, "Remind each other, don't leave your classmates behind."
"I'm going to leave you here." The boy who is more than friends but not yet lovers says to the girl.
When the train arrived at the "Park Lower Station", Kamikawa's teachers and students lined up in pairs to form a long queue and walked to "Gora Park".
After entering the park, we have half an hour of free time.
There are many things to experience, including teahouses, dessert shops, restaurants, and workshops.
There were Kamikawa students wearing black uniforms, four of them appeared here, then a group appeared there, and their figures were everywhere.
Ikki Aoi wanted to try drinking matcha in a traditional teahouse, and Kiyono Rin didn't want to take even one more step, so she followed her.
Miki Kujo was not interested in the tatami mats that had been sat on by countless people, or the tea sets that had been used by countless people, and she started walking around the tea room.
Toru Watanabe followed her.
After leaving the teahouse and walking a few steps, you can see a fountain among the green pines and cypresses.
With just one step, they went from the traditional Japanese garden to the beautiful Western scenery.
"She has been with me throughout this trip. How are you going to confess to her?" Miki Kujo stood by the blue fountain.
"Even if I have to confess, I can't leave you alone." Watanabe Toru said.
"Do you need me to give you a chance?" Miki Kujo turned sideways and looked at him teasingly.
"I have the habit of jogging in the morning, and she has the problem of insomnia on the first day in a new place. There is a chance in the morning."
"You know her well."
"I know you better, and I know that you like to sleep..." Under Kujo Miki's eyes of 'go on, keep talking', Watanabe Toru looked up at the clear sky and white clouds in the distance, "What a nice weather."
Kujo Miki snorted and spared him this time.
"You practiced morning jogging. Did you plan it in advance?"
"Plan ahead?" Watanabe Toru looked away and looked at Kujo Miki in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Rin told me that I killed you twice on purpose. In fact, it was something you had planned long ago. I don't know how many times you have restarted your life."
"…Doesn't she lie?"
"Guess." said Kujo Miki.
"It would be nice to be able to do it again." Watanabe Toru said with a hint of longing.
"Suppose," Kujo Miki looked at him, "you could start over, how would you plan your life?"
Watanabe Toru put his hands in his trouser pockets, stared at the blue spring water and thought for a while, then turned to Kujo Miki and said:
"It seems... there is no need to start over?"
"No need?" Kujo Miki stretched out her hand to Watanabe Tetsu's waist and said harshly, "If you can go back to the past, come to me first, remember?"
"I ran excitedly to Miss Kujo and said, 'Miji...' Before I could finish my words, the 15-year-old lady stood up handsomely, took out Shizuru's pistol, and shot me three times, 'bang bang bang'. Watanabe Toru fell to the ground on the spot and couldn't get up."
Kujo Miki smiled, released her hand, and said:
"It's a third-rate script, full of mistakes. First of all, the only place you can see me is at school, and I won't have Jingliu by my side at that time; secondly, even if you saw me in advance, there's no way I could do it myself."
"Or do you want to give me three shots?"
"See what Jingliu thinks. I only want you to die."
"Then you might as well do it yourself." Toru Watanabe hugged her from behind, his hands on her tight belly.
Miki Kujo leaned in his arms, and the white cumulus clouds in the distance stretched comfortably.
Ikki Aoi came out of the tea room and praised the matcha highly, while also envying the elegance of the waitress who poured the tea.
After leaving Gora Park, everyone went to the hotel where they were staying.
After lunch, we rested for a while and then set off again.
Owakudani, with its sulfurous smell and white mist;
I bought a bag of black eggs, 500 yen, 5 eggs, and Watanabe Toru ate two.
"Hakone Shrine" hidden in the forest;
The thick trees around it rise from the ground like pillars supporting the sky. The shrine's approach leads to the mountain on one side and to the shore of Lake Ashi on the other.
Finally, we took a pirate ship and took a circle on Lake Ashi. We leaned against the cabin to look at Mount Fuji in the distance and took pictures of the red torii gate in the water.
When the outer mountain was illuminated by the sunset and became even redder, the first day's collective action was over.
For dinner we had steelhead trout that were said to be caught from Lake Ashi, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.
Toru Watanabe still sleeps in the same room with Miki Kujo.
The hotel in the mountains of Hakone seemed very quiet in the night, which was much quieter than Tokyo.
In the luxurious bedroom, Toru Watanabe stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the screen-like Gairen Mountain.
The vast fields, the golf course in the woods, the moonlight flows like water.
I’m not sure if it’s an illusion or because the air in Hakone is cleaner than in Tokyo and there are no neon lights, the moon looks much clearer than in Tokyo.
There was finally a sound in the silent bedroom, and Miki Kujo walked out of the bathroom.
She was wearing a well-fitting yukata, her breasts were full, a ribbon was tied around her slender waist, her hair was piled high, and she was looking at Watanabe Toru with a smile.
"So beautiful." Watanabe Toru couldn't help but say.
"You are very stylish too." Miki Kujo said with a smile.
"I'm telling the truth."
"You are the only one who tells the truth?" said Miki Kujo unhappily.
"What I mean is that I'm more than just handsome." Toru Watanabe held her in his arms.
"Still lecherous?"
“Our hearts are connected.”
The two of them snuggled up to the French window, quietly looking at the outer mountains and enjoying each other's body temperature.
"Meiji." In the safe and comfortable atmosphere, Watanabe Toru spoke softly.
"Um?"
"Can I kiss you?"
A year ago in the summer, in the middle of a dance, the two of them slipped onto the boat, and Toru Watanabe had made the same request.
"You're going to confess to Rin tomorrow, but you still want to do it with me today?" asked Kujo Miki with a smile.
Watanabe Toru's lips were almost touching her face: "I am with you now."
For the sake of tomorrow's Kiyono Rin, he neglected today's Kujo Miki; for the sake of today's Kujo Miki, he forgot tomorrow's Kiyono Rin. These are not what Toru Watanabe should do.
Their situation is complicated, and when they are with someone, they should think about each other wholeheartedly. This is the right thing to do, at least that's what Toru Watanabe thinks.
"Come on." Miki Kujo raised her snow-white neck.
Watanabe Toru opened his lips slightly, and the two rosy and crystal clear lips of Kujo Miki separated and their lips were embedded in each other.
Bathed in the moonlight, just like when they were on the boat in Tokyo Bay, the two kissed each other.
The outline of the outer mountain became clearer and clearer, and the moon climbed to the top of the mountain, shining brightly.
"Yeah!" Kujo Miki left Watanabe Toru alone and panted, "It's almost done."
"To the bed?"
"Um."
Toru Watanabe took his right hand out from the front of Kujo Miki's yukata, then placed this still warm hand behind Kujo Miki's knees and picked her up.
Miki Kujo was lying beautifully on the bed.
Toru Watanabe leaned over and kissed her again, and at the same time, his hands gently pulled the ribbon around her waist.
The rustling of clothes being taken off, the panting sounds, the whispers calling each other, these are the only sounds passing by my ears in the silent night.
◇
At five o'clock the next morning, Kujo Miki was still sleeping soundly. Watanabe Toru quietly got out of bed and changed into his school sportswear.
Walking in the corridor, it is so quiet around me that I can almost hear the sound of mist flowing.
"Good morning." As if it was destined, or as if it had been agreed upon long ago, he and Kiyono Rin met.
"Would you like to join me for morning exercises?" Toru Watanabe invited.
"Forget about running." Having woken up early, Qing Ye Lin did not change clothes and wore the school sportswear that he used as pajamas last night. "If you want to take a walk, I can accompany you."
"Stay with me."
The two walked out of the hotel, and the cold air hit them in the face.
Once you get used to the cold, you will feel comfortable because of the fresh air.
"Is there any place you want to go?" asked Qingye Rin.
"No, do you?"
"Yeah." Qing Ye Lin hugged her body, "I want to go to Sengokuhara. I saw in a travel magazine that in autumn, the whole mountain there is covered with golden silver grass."
"Today is a free trip. Wouldn't it be better to wait until the sun comes out before going?" asked Toru Watanabe.
At this time, the sky and the earth were still dark, and the moon hung reluctantly on the outer mountain, like a crab about to be fried, desperately holding on to the edge of the pot with its pincers, trying its best to lift itself up.
“There are more people during the day.”
"so."
After a moment of silence, Qing Ye Lin asked: "You run every day, is it okay not to run today?"
"Actually, walking and running don't really mean anything to me as exercise."
“Then why do you keep running?”
"I know exactly what you would say." Watanabe Toru said with a smile.
Qingye Rin looked calm and did not deny her dislike for sports.
Watanabe Toru continued, "I don't insist on running, but I look forward to meeting you because you have a habit of insomnia."
"lie."
"Didn't you tell Miki yourself?" Watanabe Toru pretended to be surprised, "You said that I deliberately let her hurt me twice so that I could be with Mai-senpai and Aona-sensei."
"That's just a possibility." Qingye Rin got used to the temperature outside and loosened her arms slightly.
"impossible."
"Mr. Koizumi doesn't remember going to the future ."
"That's two different things."
"Maybe when you get old, or one day, something happens to one of us, you will gain the ability to restart the timeline."
"I think I know why you know Superman's settings so well."
The two walked and talked until they arrived at Sengokuhara.
A dirt road with human-high reeds on both sides, covering the entire mountain and making rustling sounds in the morning breeze.
"Watanabe-san!" Kiyono Rin turned her head and looked at Watanabe Toru in surprise.
Watanabe Toru looked at her and smiled.
Kiyono Rin seemed to like the deserted Sengokuhara very much. She walked briskly among the reeds.
Watanabe Toru followed behind her one step behind, looking at her curvy back and her long black hair that was blown and swayed gently in the wind.
The sky gradually brightened, and the morning light shone on the wilderness covered with reeds, making everything golden.
Toru Watanabe recalled the winter camping trip last December.
On the first day of arriving at the campsite, in the cool mixed woods, Kiyono Rin sat on the roots of a tree to rest. The sunlight shone straight down, enveloping her like a holy sound.
But what Toru Watanabe thought of was not Kiyono Rin at that time, but her lying on the white snow on the advanced ski slope.
It's time.
I wanted to move forward, but I couldn't move my feet.
My throat has become dry again and my voice is definitely hoarse;
My heart was beating violently, my palms were hot and I felt like I was going to sweat;
Nervous, worried, even a little scared...
But precisely because of this, I have to speak up and take big steps forward, so that she can hear my heartbeat and feel the warmth of my palms.
These are all proofs of loving her and wanting to get her.
"Kiyono-san."
Qingye Rin stopped, turned around, tilted her slender neck, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Hear the sound of wind blowing through the grassland.
At this time, Toru Watanabe decided to do what he really wanted to do.
The November sky stretched out above Watanabe Toru's head, and there were only him and Kiyono Rin in the Sendai Plain covered with golden silver grass.
It was a November morning that was so clear that it was almost transparent.
