Chapter 123: Love Falls Like Rain

"Mr. Gunn..."

After leaving the "Fire Moth" and returning to the company, Nozomi looked at his agent, then looked at the vehicle on the side that was filled with all kinds of things, and was speechless for a moment.

"Although I'm planning to go out and plan on my own this time, but aren't these things... a bit too much?"

"Any questions? It's better to be fully prepared than to find out halfway that you didn't have enough supplies, right?" Gunn said this with a smile.

"I can replenish them when I pass through other towns along the way, right? And I always feel that I can't use all of them by myself. Even if Sakura and I are together, we probably can't use them all... Then I have to bring them back? Um... No, no, why not just give them away, find a church or an orphanage to give them away..."

"Okay, okay, you're the one who thinks too much... But since you've already thought about this, haven't you thought about other things?"

"Hmm?"

"Haha...sometimes I don't know if you're pretending to be like this, or if you're really that cute...never mind, you might be unhappy if I say this..."

"No? How can I not be happy when you praise me?" Nozomi tilted his head, somewhat confused.

"Pfft...Okay, okay...I was complimenting you...Never mind, I won't tease you anymore. Pretending to be the Riddler or something like that isn't really my style."

Gunn shook his head helplessly, took out the terminal, checked Nozomi's itinerary, and after confirming that it was correct, he handed the terminal to him.

"I discussed it with the people [over there] and adjusted your schedule a little bit… I hope you don't mind."

"[Over there]? Oh… I see." Nozomi was stunned for a moment, then realized that Gunn was talking about the "Fire Moth" and began to check his itinerary carefully, but soon he had a new question.

"Is this the itinerary?" Nozomi always felt that something was wrong. He always felt that the places he was going to go in the book were all the ones he liked, and there were also many arrangements for entertainment... Most importantly, there was no such sentence as "Please accept the call-up arrangements when necessary" that "Fire Moth" had always left in the book.

There was even... a "notice" left in it, saying that "Fire Moth" temporarily transferred Sakura away and needed her to undergo a physical examination. She might be needed for a certain research of Mobius and Mei. At the same time, Vill-V also made a new set of equipment and needed Sakura to try it.

In other words, this time the "Bard" project might become the same as before, carried out by Nozomi alone... right?

"That's it, Nozomi."

A slightly amused voice sounded from the side.

"Eden~"

"Hehe... Sorry, I'm late."

"…Hmm?"

"I'm with you this time, huh? Are you unhappy?"

"No, how could that be? I'm so happy..."

"Sakura might be unhappy if she hears that, right?"

"Hmm…"

"Pfft...Okay, okay, I apologize."

Seeing Nozomi in such an awkward situation, Eden smiled and opened her arms.

"Give you a hug, forgive me?"

"Hehe~"

Nozomi chuckled and reached out and held Eden in his arms, and rubbed her cheek affectionately to show that he "forgave" her.

"Hey, hey, hey, although I know you two have a good relationship, but can you please pay a little attention? There are other people here."

At some point, Mrs. Fidel had come over and stood beside her husband, pointing and talking at Nozomi and Eden who were being so close to each other.

"You should do this kind of thing when no one else is around. It'll be embarrassing for others to see."

"Really? But Mrs. Fidel obviously does this all the time..."

"No, it's different. We're married... Oh, forget it. I won't argue with you about it."

Fidel retorted subconsciously, but then immediately reacted and waved his hand, not wanting to dwell on the topic with the two.

"Anyway, this is the two of you going out together...just treat it as a honeymoon and have fun."

"Honey, honeymoon is what they call it after they get married...they haven't gotten married yet..."

"Who cares? Besides, I'm just a metaphor. Do you understand?"

Fidel curled her lips and ignored her husband's correction. She looked at Nozomi and Eden, who didn't care at all about what she had just said, and pulled Gunn to her side and whispered in his ear.

"And to be honest, looking at the signs between them, I can't imagine that they won't get married in the future...it's just that these two big guys are moving too slowly, like running a marathon, long and slow."

"This is a rare opportunity. I have to point it out quickly and let these two guys realize that this is a good opportunity to get close to each other."

"......"

"What's that look in your eyes?"

"My dear...you seem to have forgotten one thing."

Gunn sighed, speechless about his wife's behavior.

"When they were in college, Nozomi and Eden were often together. They were still in their youth at that time. Nothing happened between them then. As for now... it's even harder to say."

"Besides, when they were in the lakeside town, Eden and Nozomi lived alone in a small house. Um... Although I heard them live in separate rooms, they lived under the same roof anyway. But in the end, nothing happened... Do you think your actions are still useful now?"

"...Okay, you're right."

Fidel thought carefully about her husband's words, and finally covered her head and closed her eyes in pain, and said helplessly.

"What are you whispering about?"

At some point, Nozomi had come up to them and asked with some curiosity, but soon, Nozomi's voice was filled with a hint of laughter.

"Mrs. Fidel was just talking about us, but she turned around and started whispering to Mr. Gunn?"

"This is different!"

Fidel's face flushed slightly, and her voice of rebuttal subconsciously rose a little. Then, as if to prevent Nozomi from continuing to dwell on this topic, she reached out and turned Nozomi around, and gently pushed him.

"Alright, alright, go and have your fun. Eden has specially made time to spend with you this time... You must cherish it."

"Yes, I will."

In response, Nozomi nodded seriously, without any sign of joking.

"…Ah, I really don't know what to say to you."

Fidel pinched her brows with a headache, and finally could only secretly make an encouraging gesture to Eden... Nozomi, the big wooden man known as the "diamond", could no longer be relied upon, so she could only hope that Eden would take the initiative.

Really, that's the bad thing about Nozomi. He actually wants girls to take the initiative in this regard, which means Eden is willing.

After doing all this, Fidel dragged her husband away... The rest of the time was left to them.

"...Then shall we...set off?"

"Okay~"

No need for too many words, just a smile and a nod, that's all.

They stuffed the suitcases filled with their clothes into the only remaining space in the back seat of the car, sat in the driver's and co-pilot's seats respectively, and hummed a light-hearted and cheerful tune, conveying the anticipation in their hearts.

He immediately started the vehicle and slowly drove out of the city.

There is no need to say much about what happened next. In joy, the two of them went on according to their itinerary, leaving behind some laughter and songs that belonged to them both.

The performance on the street was also going on as usual, but this time in order to avoid a large number of fans gathering and blocking traffic, both of them deliberately disguised themselves to avoid being recognized... But there were still some people who recognized them, or rather, recognized Eden.

There was nothing he could do, because Eden's voice was so easy to recognize. But sometimes Nozomi would get a little playful and imitate Eden's voice in front of the fans who came up to him. After seeing their puzzled and thoughtful expressions, he would smile softly, and when they realized something, he would raise his hand and make a quiet gesture, signaling them not to say anything.

When the fans saw Nozomi and Eden's actions, they also realized what you two were doing. Most of them were willing to suppress their excitement and not shout out in ecstasy. After accepting the two's autographs with their bodies trembling slightly, they hurriedly ran away... If they didn't run away, they would have been unable to hold back and shouted out loud!

Of course, there were a few times when you was recognized and ended up being surrounded by fans on the street, and even approached by some media, which was quite annoying... But fortunately, you managed to leave successfully with the help of the police.

Although being surrounded is still a bit annoying, this kind of experience is also interesting, isn't it?

After all...they are together~ when they encounter something troubling, they will laugh unconsciously.

A warm breeze blew gently, carrying the two people's laughter and songs away into the distance.

......

.........

Tick-tock——

It is the sound of rain falling.

"It's raining~"

It was Nozomi's cheerful voice.

"Luckily we set up the tent in advance, otherwise we would be caught in the rain now~"

"But Nozomi, you seem particularly happy."

"Of course, I like it, after all, rainy days and all~"

Nozomi responded with a smile, and at the same time stretched his hand out of the transparent shed, letting the night wind bring the cold rain to the palm of his hand... He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Nozomi always felt that after he said that just now, the rain conveyed a joyful emotion, as if it was happy that he liked the rain.

"It's a pity that tonight is not suitable for stargazing... I was actually quite happy when I first discovered this transparent shed."

Nozomi withdrew his hand and said with some disappointment... He really liked rainy days, but he felt even more sorry that he could not fulfill the agreement he had made with Eden.

"It doesn't matter. There will always be opportunities later, right?"

Eden didn't really mind it, as long as the two of them could be together.

"That's true~"

Nozomi smiled again and nodded in response...then he quickly walked forward and together with Eden, they moved the oven and charcoal fire from the car, as well as some food and sauces purchased from the town. Accompanied by the rain and the night wind, they prepared dinner with laughter.

Although it is impossible to enjoy a barbecue under the stars, it is possible to enjoy it in the sound of rain.

And this time Eden seemed to be in high spirits. She asked for help and tried to grill the food herself...but she accidentally put too much chili powder, which made the food very spicy for both of them.

However, the taste is not bad~ Eden seems to have some talent in this aspect~

After finishing dinner, the two of them sat in their respective seats as agreed, slowly drinking the prepared drinks and listening to the melody of falling rain.

"Nozomi, would you like some?"

Slowly pouring the gorgeous liquid into the gorgeous cup, looking at the wine that was similar to the color of her hair, shaking it gently, Eden asked with a smile.

"Um...no, I can't drink much. It would be bad if I get drunk."

Nozomi looked at the wine bottle, then shook his head and refused.

"That's true~ Well... I've never seen Nozomi drunk before, which makes me a little curious~"

"Eden...you can't do this..."

"Haha, don't worry ~ I won't ~"

Eden took a sip of the red wine in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and said with a smile.

"Although the feeling of being tipsy is fascinating, the feeling of being drunk is not so good... Besides, I want someone to take care of me when I'm drunk~ right~"

"Yes, I will."

"It's really reassuring~"

Eden laughed again, happily.

"So..."

Immediately, Eden drank the wine in the glass, and after letting her face turn slightly red, she took out a bag of marshmallows from the side.

"It's still warm enough~ Do you want to try it? I've also prepared cookies and chocolate~"

"The heat will explode, right?"

"It's okay, but I won't do that this time~"

"And when I gain weight, I'll say it was Nozomi who did it~"

"That's too much... If you get fat, don't come to me and cry, okay?"

"No way!"

Eden said this coquettishly as she placed the skewered marshmallows on the still warm grill. She slowly turned the marshmallows with one hand and poured herself a glass of wine with the other, slowly drinking it.

'My face feels hotter and hotter... It must be red, right? Oh my god, has my alcohol tolerance gotten worse? I always feel like I'm getting drunk...'

Eden shook her head slightly, savoring the feeling of being tipsy that intoxicated her.

Seeing the snow-white surface of the marshmallow gradually turn brown, Eden retracted her hand, skillfully pinched off the crispy surface, stuffed it into her mouth, closed her lips and teeth, and could feel the wonderful crispness and sweetness filling her mouth.

Then sandwich the remaining part together with the chocolate between the biscuits and gently bite it, and the feeling of happiness instantly comes into her mind.

Calories? What are calories? As long as it tastes good, it's fine.

"Eden has become more skilled~"

"Hmm~?"

Eden snorted a few times, looked at Nozomi's outstretched hand, and angrily took the remaining marshmallows into his arms.

"Not for you..."

"…Please, I really want to eat it, just give me one, just one~"

"Mine, all mine~"

"Please, Eden..."

"You beg me~"

"Please, Eden, I'll do anything~"

"Really?"

"Real."

"Hmm~?"

Eden narrowed her eyes in pleasure, with a cunning feeling of having succeeded in her plan.

"That..."

Eden supported her face with one hand and held a string of roasted marshmallows in the other hand. She gently waved it in front of Nozomi to attract Nozomi's attention. Then, when Nozomi was about to reach out her hand, she took it back to prevent Nozomi from touching it.

"Close your eyes for a moment, okay?"

"I won't be fooled by the same trick a second time, okay?"

Although he said this, Nozomi still closed his eyes and waited quietly.

His vision became dim, and his other senses became sensitive... he could hear the sound of raindrops hitting the awning and the light sound of raindrops falling on the leaves. The noisy rain covered up too many sounds, and the damp smell covered up too many smells.

... Nozomi could still feel and hear the slight sound of the chair when Eden stood up, the sound of her footsteps approaching, and the slight scent of alcohol on Eden's body.

She tapped her fingertips on his shoulders, slowly pushing Nozomi's body backward, leaning against the back of the chair, and gently moving his arm away, leaving space in his arms. Then, slowly, he could feel her sitting down with her arms around his neck.

Squeak——

There was a slight noise coming from the seat under him, but at this moment, no one paid attention to it.

A warm breath with a slight smell of alcohol approached him, and he felt a soft sensation on his chest... and then he could feel her kiss on his lips.

It tasted sweet, with a hint of the alcohol she had just drunk and some cotton candy flavor.

Soft, just like her body, and just like the eyes she looked at him with.

So, he gently hugged her in his arms and responded to her softly and gently... But she seemed to be angry and kept pushing her body weight forward as if she wanted to take away the initiative.

And when he saw the slightly smiling look in her eyes, he was not annoyed, but just let her be.

The rain is still falling, and the sound of the rain is noisy, covering up too many sounds, but it cannot cover up the sound of each other's heartbeats.

The night wind is still blowing, turning the surroundings cold and taking away the warmth that dusk left on the earth, but it cannot take away the warmth between them.

The love in each other's eyes almost overflowed like water bursting a dam.

Squeak—bang!

The chair under them finally couldn't bear the weight, and after a teeth-grinding sound... it suddenly broke, and Nozomi and Eden fell to the ground because of their subtle movements.

The sudden change made Nozomi subconsciously grab Eden's arms to help her steady her body, so as to avoid the two of them bumping into each other's teeth or biting their tongues.

"......" x2

"Haha..." x2

The two of them were silent for a while in this up and down position, and then they laughed together.

"Eden finally gained weight. Even the chair can't support your weight."

"I'm going to bite you? I'm not fat! If you don't believe me, just touch me!"

"Hmm... doesn't seem like it is?"

"Of course~ And even if I gain weight, it's because of you. You have to take responsibility for me when the time comes~"

"Okay~"

Nozomi smiled and nodded in agreement.

"But it seems that the problem is still with the chair. I have to report this to the two agents when I get back. The chair actually broke all of a sudden..."

"Yeah, it almost led to some bad accidents~"

Eden responded with a smile, then gently moved closer and lay on Nozomi's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Is the marshmallow delicious this time~"

"Um."

"Then... there will be more in the future?"

"That could be better~"

"Hmm~"

Eden hummed happily a few times, moved her body slightly upward, and the ends of her burgundy hair gently rubbed Nozomi's chin and neck to show her intimacy.

The jade-like fingertips moved on his forearm, slowly, touching his wrist bit by bit, stroking his palm, overlapping and interlacing with his fingertips, and finally... interlocking.

This time, they rarely sang, but just let the silence permeate between them, along with the love in their hearts.

Crash——

The sound of rain became louder and louder, like the joy in each other's hearts.

The rain was getting heavier like the love overflowing between them.