9

"I still remember that when Firefly was first picked up, she was only this big and didn't grow at all."

Kitagawa Ryo began to fill the pit with soil, watching the gray-yellow soil submerge the white body little by little, as if watching the ugly oxidation of an apple.

"It seemed like it was raining heavily at that time, and Liang came knocking on my door with him in his arms, soaked all over."

Ichinose Honami's movements were even faster than Kitagawa Ryo. She subconsciously believed that as long as this matter ended faster, Kitagawa Ryo would feel better.

"Just a few final words."

The two of them did not move slowly, and soon Kitagawa Liang filled in the last bit of soil. On this small piece of grass, a small sand dune appeared.

Immediately afterwards, he threw the shovel aside angrily like a child who had not grown up, and squatted there with his knees in his arms.

When Kitagawa Ryo came back to his senses, he noticed that he had cried. After confirming this fact, he simply put aside other restraints and cried happily, with crystal clear tears. Leave it on your face drop by drop, and then seep into the soil.

He suddenly had a strong urge to dig out the hole again, as if the firefly had come to life again, just like it was trapped in a cardboard box in the rainstorm, waiting for him to save it. As long as he stretched out his hand again, it would Then she would blink her fluorescent eyes and step on the back of his hand with a look of disgust.

"cold..."

Ichinose Honami called out the name of her childhood sweetheart with some worry. In the past fifteen years, this was the first time she saw Kitagawa Ryo, who was one year older than her, so out of control. This unexpected situation made her panic. .

"Hey, Fanbo."

As if hearing her call, Kitagawa Ryo sniffed hard and stopped crying, but his voice still had a serious nasal sound and sounded particularly haggard.

"Firefly, what is it to you?"

At first hearing the question, which was somewhat inexplicable and even unclear, Ichinose Honami opened his lips slightly:

"...a good one, cat."

"Maki likes it very much. Although my mother sometimes dislikes it, I can tell that she doesn't hate Hotaru and will occasionally bring it some food."

"And Ryo gave it to me as a birthday present, so I'm happy too."

Kitagawa Ryo stood up. It was clear that when he was a child, he was a boy who would be afraid of not growing taller if a girl touched his head, but now he is a head taller than Ichinose Honami.

"Honami, do you like Hotaru?"

"Well."

This question surprised the girl, but she quickly answered:

"Of course I like it."

"Then why did you bring others with you? Could it be that if Maki and the others don't like Hotaru, wouldn't Hanami also like her?"

"Are my thoughts that important? And Maki is not anyone else."

"Because this is your cat!"

Kitagawa Ryo scratched his hair a little irritably, his voice was a little hoarse, but he still roared out.

"I don't understand what Liang means. You picked up Firefly and we raised it together. Is there anything wrong?"

"call."

Kitagawa Ryo took a deep breath and calmed down:

"Even without me, didn't Fanbo want to take it in from the beginning and take it home?"

"How could I do such a thing? What's the use of bringing the cat back then to get rid of the clutter in the house?"

As if recalling that rainy day, Ichinose Honami also denied it.

"so..."

Kitagawa Ryo showed a bitter smile and leaned his back against the old sycamore tree.

"Ichinose Honami is always the most sensible child."

He stared at the girl's beautiful appearance and looked at his childhood sweetheart who had been with him for more than ten years from top to bottom.

"Honami is the best daughter, the best sister, and the best student council president. Although she is not yet, she will be one day."

"In short, Honami Ichinose is the most perfect angel."

"But, Fanbo is not the best love...childhood sweetheart."

Kitagawa Ryo put his hand into his pocket and took out a small hairpin:

"This is what Maki has been wanting lately."

"But you won't accept it if I give it to you, right?"

He shook his head and put the hairpin back into his pocket:

"Because Hanami understands Maki and knows that his sister is very sensible and will not make a fuss about asking for this hairpin. You also believe that you can appease her. After all, Hanami is smart, beautiful, tolerant and hard-working. He is omnipotent."

"But if one day Maki really wants something, maybe this hairpin, or something else, Hanami will definitely fulfill this wish."

"What exactly is Ryo trying to say?"

Ichinose Honami stared blankly at the boy in front of her who was completely different from before. Those words full of sarcasm coming out of his mouth made her even more unbelievable.

"I thought that even if Maki doesn't understand, Ryo knows me best."

"Yes, I know you. I have been with you as long as you have been with me. Our fates and life trajectories have been intertwined since childhood."

Kitagawa Ryo looked into Ichinose Honami's eyes.

The setting sun at dusk emits a fire-like red light, but Ichinose Honami's blue pupils embrace Kitagawa Ryo's hot heart like the sea.

[It's just because I know that I feel sad. ]

Kitagawa Liang raised his head:

"Fanbo."

"Um."

"Do you know what Maki confessed to me two days ago?"

"Know."

"There's no reaction."

"Because Maki is just a child, Ryo must have known this and refused."

"no."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head, smiled at Ichinose Honami and said:

"The reason I refused is because I have someone I like. Her name is Honami Ichinose."

"The person Kitagawa Ryo likes is Ichinose Honami."

He spoke emphatically again, waiting for the answer quietly.

[no. ]

These are two words that Ichinose Honami has heard from his mother countless times before.

If you want a beautiful hairpin, no.

If you want nice-looking stationery, no.

If you want to take in a kitten, of course not.

Mother said it so easily. As soon as her lips opened and closed, these two words could easily block any wish.

But on the other hand, she taught Ichinose Honami to be honest and grow into a being that others can trust, which means that she constantly needs to affirm others.

Can Ichinose help on duty? Can.

Can Ichinose help me with my studies? Can.

Can Ichinose serve all classmates and join the student union? sure.

My brain almost shut down.

She looked at Kitagawa Ryo who was waiting for an answer, and in a trance she saw the kitten who had tried to use the last bit of strength to raise his head and look at her.

Their pupils are so similar and equally beautiful.

"No...no."

Kitagawa Ryo heard the answer clearly.

"Well, it's okay."

He heard himself say this, and he staggered out.

[Goodbye, Firefly, goodbye. ]

Ichinose Honami looked at his back. If he was willing to chase him, he could probably catch up.

But at this moment, her legs seemed to have suddenly lost strength, or she herself didn't know the use of chasing after her. She bit her lower lip lightly, with such force that it almost turned white, but In the end, Ichinose Honami didn't pursue him. She glanced at the small grave again and left in the other direction.

[I like the cat he gave me, I like cats, I like him. ]

[But today, I am still like an artificial satellite, hovering around what I really want to say while responding to his words. ]

[Plot CG: She and his cat, finished reading]

ps: The biggest problem of Ichinose Honami in the original work is that she ignores herself. Her thinking logic is never based on herself but on others. She can choose to steal for her sister, and she can choose to agree to Nagumo so that her classmates will not be expelled. This kind of psychology is caused by the long-term family environment. The theft made her worse, which made her strengthen the concept of compensation. Therefore, if she wants to achieve a real HE with Ichinose Honami, she needs an opportunity.

ps2: I forgot to time it, and it was sent a few minutes late (I was so stupid)

Ichinose Honami's summer reappearance: Chapter 11: Actors please take their places

[Day 7: Today is the last day of Hanami Ichinose's part-time job. After sending her to her destination, you started to wander around with nothing to do. Karuizawa Megumi and Ichinose Maki, who have been pestering you for the past two days, unexpectedly They got along well with each other, and I heard that they had made an appointment to go shopping together today. After knowing the general range of their activities, you started to avoid them consciously, and unknowingly you came to the park where Yingying was buried. ]

[You usually don't come to this sad place on your own initiative, partly because the cat that has been with you for nine years is buried here, and partly because of your confession. ]

[You are a person who has received confessions from time to time since elementary school. The most recent one seems to have been a few days ago. Excluding the 'false' confession that happened in the stadium, you have faced all kinds of confessions countless times. Such girls, some of them are unrestrained and bold, obviously a head shorter than you and even taller, some of them are reserved and shy, their lips will tremble in place for a long time before they can hold back their words, but no matter what kind of girl they are, The words that burst out from their tongues and the passion in their eyes belong to the youthful girlhood, and they like them seriously. ]

[Although they don't understand you, most of the time they just fall in love with an imaginary shadow, an object constructed by others. ]

[They don't know whether the boy likes idol dramas or Dahe dramas, whether the ramen should be harder or softer, whether he usually listens to classical music or rock music. In a sense, all the girls who confess to you don't know you. They are true to you. I don't know anything about it. ]

[But Ichinose Honami knows everything. ]

[She knows that your favorite ramen flavor is hard noodles, slightly spicy, vinegar, no coriander, and a lighter soup. ]

[She knows your birthday and will prepare birthday gifts for you in advance. ]

[She knows you once had a cat. ]

[You set your sights on the sand dune that is no longer obvious. After a year has passed, the place has become a bit more desolate. If you didn't note the location specifically, it would be difficult to find this small grave. ]

[Because the big sycamore tree next to it has been cut down, not even the roots are left, as if there has never been a sycamore tree here. ]

[Have you ever read in a book that memory needs a carrier? This carrier may be something, a certain scenery, or a certain smell. When you come into contact with them again, it is like facing a password safe, those personal Memories came flooding back. ]

[But even if this sycamore tree disappears completely, you think you will still not forget the time you spent under this big tree, just like the fireflies that may have degraded and become part of the earth, their departure will not make Your memory becomes blurry, or forgotten. ]

[You touched the bead chain on your right wrist. It was a gift given to you by Ichinose Honami when you were twelve years old. It was the result of stringing the beads she bought loose one by one. I remember that she seemed At first, I planned to fold 1,200 paper cranes for you, but in the end I canceled it due to lack of time. However, the dozens of colorful paper cranes I made before are actually placed in the glass bottle beside your bed. , you say goodnight to them before you fall asleep. ]

[The memories between you and Honami Ichinose don't need any carrier. The two of you are the best carriers to carry this time. As long as you see her, you will naturally think of the past. The time you spent with each other was originally It just blends together. ]

[So, Ichinose Honami should know that you like her. It should not be harder to detect this than to write down all the taboos of a boy since childhood. ]

[The sun at noon became fierce. You stood in front of Yingying's grave and stayed quietly for a while before leaving. ]

[In the afternoon, junior fellow student Yosuke Hirata sent you a message. He seems to be a little worried about the issue of entering college next year and wants to ask you some questions. ]

[You made an appointment at a nearby coffee shop. When you arrived slowly at the agreed time, Hirata Yosuke was already sitting there waiting. ]

[After a brief chat, you began to ask the other party about his plans for further studies. During this period, you also revealed that you were going to study abroad for a year after the summer vacation. Hirata Yosuke couldn't help but sigh:]

["For an outstanding senior like our senior, even if he does not enroll in Tokyo Ikusei High School, his future achievements will certainly not be low."]

[You notice the name Tokyo Ikusei High School in the other person's name. You have also heard of the reputation of this school. It is famous for its 100% admission rate and its ability to ensure that students can engage in voluntary work after graduation. You actually had some intentions at the time. , but after hearing that this was a fully closed high school, they canceled this idea. ]

[Although Hirata Yosuke has the idea of ​​​​entering this school, he does not know whether he will be admitted, so he has been worried about gain and loss recently, so he sent you a message to discuss. ]

[You actually know that Tokyo Ikusei High School's annual admissions model selects all freshmen in advance. Although the basis for the selection is not clear yet, this fact still comforts Hirata Yosuke, and he has agreed to play football again when he is free next time. Say goodbye to each other. ]

[Day 8: Today is the day you agreed to go shopping with Ichinose Honami. Set your usual alarm clock half an hour earlier. After taking care of yourself a little, you rushed to Ichinose Honami's house. Downstairs, not long after, you saw Honami Ichinose coming downstairs in casual clothes. ]

[A pure white shirt and a light blue pleated skirt with a belt, white high socks and flat leather shoes. Ichinose Honami rarely chooses fancy styles for his regular clothes. They are usually in elegant white and blue. Because of the angle below, you were waiting at the stairs and looked away awkwardly. ]

[When Honami Ichinose came downstairs and stood next to you handsomely, you turned your head back and walked side by side with her on the path leading to the street. It was the season when the iris flowers were in bloom. In this slightly... In the cool morning, you and Ichinose Honami started the day. ]

[Although they said they wanted to buy hairpins for Ichinose Maki, both of them tacitly agreed not to mention it. In fact, you haven't gone shopping together for a long time. At least a year ago, you came from the house opposite Ichinose Honami. Since you moved out, the two of you have been limiting the number of times you see each other. ]