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"I-I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, let's try again."
"I made a mistake again..."
"Relax your body, don't be so tense. Everyone gets nervous at first, it'll be fine once you get into the rhythm."
"..."
Kitahara Makoto quickly realized he was wrong.
He thought Togawa-san would be a genius gaming girl, but after starting the game, he realized she was a gaming idiot. She played the piano so well, yet she was flustered holding a game controller.
After finally getting through a small level, Kitahara Makoto couldn't help but sigh:
"I always thought Togawa-san was a genius beauty, a genius in every field, but I didn't expect to be mistaken."
"I'm really sorry to disappoint Kitahara-kun," Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at him, "There's no such thing as a perfect person in the world, is there?"
Kitahara Makoto casually said:
"Togawa-san half an hour ago, in my heart, was a perfect person."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she nervously looked at the TV:
"Hurry up and move."
"..."
As one of the best co-op games in the world, "It Takes Two" was an absolute masterpiece for Togawa Sakiko, who had never played games before. It easily captivated her, making it difficult for her to extricate herself.
Unfortunately, she was still a gaming idiot.
It took them a full three hours to finally clear the first chapter.
"It's over."
Kitahara Makoto let out a long breath.
It wasn't easy.
It really wasn't easy.
If they weren't playing It Takes Two, but the newly released Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, they probably wouldn't even clear the first boss even if they played until dawn tomorrow!
"Let's take a break," Kitahara Makoto put down the controller, picked up the barley tea next to him, "Togawa-san, you've worked hard. Have something to drink first."
"Mhm."
Togawa Sakiko gently responded, held up the juice with both hands, took a small sip, and suddenly heard the crisp sound of wind chimes drifting from outside the house.
She instinctively turned her head to look outside. What met her eyes was a clear, pristine blue sky, with kites floating distantly in the far horizon.
Togawa Sakiko withdrew her gaze and looked at the young man beside her. A sense of tranquility, difficult to describe in words, welled up in her heart.
A summer afternoon.
The sky was clear and blue, like a freshly washed canvas.
The air conditioner was on.
Drinking juice.
Playing a masterful two-player game on TV.
The sound of wind chimes drifted from an unknown house, peaceful and distant.
More importantly, the boy sitting beside her…
Looking at Kitahara Makoto's profile, Togawa Sakiko suddenly felt a subtle premonition.
This scene, this moment, and her current feelings would surely transform into golden memories, forever etched in her mind, never to be forgotten.
(This feeling can become a memory, but at that time, I was already lost…)
The ancient poem that suddenly surfaced in her mind made Togawa Sakiko subconsciously bite her lip.
(Why must it become a memory?)
(I can clearly…)
(I say the weak me is dead, but isn't constantly running away true weakness?)
"Togawa-san, why are you staring at me?"
Kitahara Makoto turned his head to look.
"It's nothing…" Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she nonchalantly averted her gaze, "Kitahara-kun, there's something on your face."
"Huh? Where?"
Kitahara Makoto raised his hand, ready to wipe it.
"I'll help you wipe it." Togawa Sakiko extended her right hand, holding her breath slightly, and gently wiped Kitahara Makoto's face, "There, it's done."
Their eyes met.
The girl tilted her pretty face slightly, a few curly strands of hair making her look a bit more playful, her amber eyes clear and bright, as if she had made some kind of decision, gazing at him without flinching.
The air quietly stilled.
Kitahara Makoto quickly sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off, cleared his throat twice, and broke the silence, saying:
"Thank you, Togawa-san… I'm sure we won't be able to clear the next chapter, so let's stop here for today, shall we?"
Togawa Sakiko couldn't help but show disappointment:
"Is that all?"
Even if you make such a disappointed expression, I won't soften and agree! If we keep playing, I won't be able to complete my other tasks!
"They say the next chapter takes even longer to clear, so we definitely don't have enough time." Kitahara Makoto explained, "I'm also planning to go for a run to exercise. Let's play again when I have time next."
Togawa Sakiko bit her lower lip lightly, her voice unable to hide her disappointment:
"Since Kitahara-kun has something to do, then let's stop here for today…"
Hey, you're cheating!
Normally, she's so serious and aloof, but now she suddenly looks so pitiful, that's clearly cheating!
Kitahara Makoto truly couldn't resist the temptation and relented:
"Half an hour more, at most."
Togawa Sakiko looked up at his words, a bright smile quickly appearing on her pretty face: "Thank you, Kitahara-kun~"
"…"
Another hour passed.
It was already four in the afternoon. Kitahara Makoto ruthlessly turned off the TV. If he kept playing, he really wouldn't be able to finish his other tasks.
"Kitahara-kun, see you tomorrow."
Togawa Sakiko reluctantly got up to leave, but as she stood up, her body suddenly swayed.
"What's wrong?"
Kitahara Makoto asked with concern.
"Nothing…" Togawa Sakiko covered her forehead, her voice hesitant, "Maybe I sat for too long, feeling a little dizzy."
After a brief moment, the two of them went out together. After seeing Togawa-chan off to the Train Station, Kitahara Makoto turned and headed to the park for a run.
Ten kilometers, easily done.
"I'll do push-ups slowly when I get home tonight. Now, all that's left is catching fish and shrimp…"
Kitahara Makoto remembered there was a small river nearby. On summer evenings, many people would go for walks and enjoy the breeze on the riverbank.
He bought a can of fruit juice and headed straight for the small river.
The answer book's query uses were all used up, so he wouldn't be venturing into the Otherworld today. Kitahara Makoto had already told Nijika at noon that they would go to the Otherworld tomorrow, so he felt completely at ease now.
The journey was silent.
Twenty minutes later, the small river from his memory appeared before him.
The river wasn't wide, only five or six meters, and the water was very shallow, estimated to only reach a person's knees. A gentle breeze blew, and the water sparkled, a sight that made one feel comfortable.
Kitahara Makoto took off his shoes and walked barefoot into the water. The heat on his body was quickly washed away by the river water, and he couldn't help but feel satisfied:
"Happiness is truly this simple."
Catching fish and shrimp is a hunting instinct engraved in male genes; no one can refuse it.
Kitahara Makoto happily began turning over stones to catch fish and shrimp. However, not long after, a girl's voice suddenly came from the bank, sounding exceptionally familiar:
"Kitahara-kun?"
"Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto looked up and saw a cute girl with short gray hair standing on the riverbank, one hand covering her wind-blown skirt, looking at him curiously.
"Tomori-chan?" Kitahara Makoto was surprised, "Why are you here?"
Takamatsu Tomori walked down the steps along the river: "My house is nearby. It gets a bit stuffy staying in my room for too long, so I came out for a walk and to look for pretty stones… What are you doing, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara Makoto smiled: "I'm catching fish and shrimp."
"Eh?"
Seeing the smile on Kitahara Makoto's face, Takamatsu Tomori's eyes couldn't help but drift for a moment.
He was still the same Kitahara-kun, but for some reason, his smile today was incredibly beautiful, and her heart couldn't help but beat faster because of it…
Kitahara Makoto explained:
"Today is Sunday, and I have nothing to do, so I came to experience some childhood fun."
"Childhood fun?"
Takamatsu Tomori pursed her pink lips at his words, her slender eyelashes drooping.
Her own childhood hobbies were a bit unusual; she liked collecting round things, round stones, and even round insects.
When she was little, she once gave someone a roly-poly, because roly-polies roll into a ball when touched, which is very cute, but in the end, she made the person cry. If Kitahara-kun knew, he would definitely laugh at her…
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
What's going on?
He hadn't said anything, so why had the atmosphere suddenly become heavy?
Today was a day for happily catching fish and shrimp; he didn't want to be oppressed by gravity until he couldn't breathe!
Kitahara Makoto, with quick wit, quickly picked up a pebble at his feet:
"Tomori-chan, what do you think of this pebble?"
Takamatsu Tomori looked up: "It's round and very pretty."
Kitahara Makoto handed the pebble over: "Then it's for you."
"Eh?" Takamatsu Tomori was a little flustered, nervously shaking her head, "It's too… too valuable, Kitahara-kun should keep it himself…"
It's just a pebble, how is it valuable?
You must not have received gifts from others before, that's why you're so nervous you're saying the wrong thing!
"I'm not very interested in pebbles. Since Tomori-chan likes it, I'll give it to you." Kitahara Makoto paused, his gaze falling on Takamatsu Tomori's legs, and suggested, "I just saw a lot of beautiful pebbles. If Tomori-chan is interested, why not come into the river and pick some yourself?"
Please don't misunderstand.
Wanting Takamatsu Tomori to go into the water wasn't to look at her legs, but because the stockings on Tomori-chan's legs were emitting a faint glow.
Clearly, Tomori-chan was wearing those optimizable stockings again today…
You definitely have to take off your shoes to play in the water.
After taking off your shoes, you can't still be wearing stockings, can you?
Kita had said before that if you wear stockings into the water, they'll smell bad after being soaked…
Takamatsu Tomori looked hesitant: "I… I've never been in a river."
"Never been in?" Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand, "Then you should definitely come in. A childhood without catching fish or shrimp is an incomplete childhood. Tomori-chan, come down quickly, let's complete our childhood together."
"Complete childhood…"
Takamatsu Tomori's eyelashes trembled slightly. She clenched her right hand into a small fist, pressed it to her chest, took a deep breath, and said:
"I… I'll take off my shoes first."
Tomori-chan was wearing round-toed leather shoes, so she definitely had to take them off before entering the river.
Not disappointing Kitahara Makoto's expectations, after taking off her shoes, Takamatsu Tomori quickly took off her black over-the-knee socks as well.
So white.
The skin on the girl's legs was snow-white and delicate, as if made of piled snow, dazzlingly white in the sunlight.
Kitahara Makoto said solemnly:
"Just leave your shoes by the river. Don't worry, no one will steal them."
He paused, then silently added in his mind:
"Whether the stockings will be stolen, that's another matter…"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr