The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

Today's wind is so comfortable~

Chapter 4000: Wind and Afternoon ()

"It's so hot... You little furballs are probably more sensitive to heat than us. Do you regret coming out with me today?"

"Meow, meow~"

"Meow~ Meow~"

"Ah, you actually blame me? Blame me for neglecting you before? Blame me for not letting you transform today?"

Pingxin thought about it...

It seems...is it true?

"Summer is all about playing in the water, so I'll take you to the beach later. That way you can brag about being a cat who's been abroad."

The kittens, perched on his left and right shoulders, peeped out from under his hood and meowed in a two-tone voice. If a passerby saw this, would they envy the cat owner or worry about his mental health?

I do not know.

"What? You're saying those idiots who only think about sleeping, petting cats, and eating can't understand what a 'country' is? ...That's true. How about I go find Gensokyo one day and use my connections to get you in there to play with other youkai?"

There was another burst of meowing, and Pingxin made "hmm" and "ah" sounds to show his understanding.

"So your idea is to find some shade or fish in a tree together?"

After all this time, it turns out to be no different from an ordinary kitten...

Summer is here and the temperature is rising.

Cats that are outdoors during the day feel their paws are burning when they step on the cement road, and they feel like they are being roasted if they lie on the wall, so they all sleep under the shade of trees or on big trees.

Thanks to this, more cats have come to the pet rescue center to use the air conditioning and cool water for free, and cat lovers like Yukina can also find randomly refreshed cats under the shade of the trees.

"There looks to be a nice tree over there by the river...Toru?"

Pingxin only knew that there would be cats under the shade of the trees, but he didn't expect that he could also capture wild beautiful girls. It seems that not everyone likes to stay in an air-conditioned room all day.

He walked quietly to her side, squatted down, and looked at her carefully.

It's really strange. When I was awake, I could see through her no matter how I looked at her, but now she seems like just an ordinary woman.

Ordinary hair, ordinary face, beautiful but without any aesthetic appeal.

"..."

Finally, the silence was broken by a cat's meow. He didn't know how long he had been watching, but the familiar white cat Vanilla had already jumped off his shoulder and lay down on Asakura Toru's belly.

"...Cat? ...Letter-?"

The moment she opened her eyes, the whole world was filled with color. That was the light that God had lit up for the world.

It was as if a dragon had its eyes painted, an immortal had flown into the sky, and a clay sculpture had been infused with a soul.

Ping Xin found a comfortable position and lay down beside her.

Then came the black cat. The kitten he named Sheriff also curled up into a ball on his abdomen. The two young men, with "plush blankets" covering their stomachs in the middle of summer, just looked at each other.

"It's so hot... Are we going to use our precious rest time here? It would definitely be more comfortable to sleep in the office."

Toru thought about it, and thought of Hina lying in her own special place, Enka lying on the bed, and Koito nestled in her arms.

I thought about the air conditioning, snacks, cold drinks and food, the soft pillows and thin blankets that would protect them from catching cold.

——Indeed.

She didn't say anything, just yawned and looked at the sky, not knowing whether she was thinking, daydreaming or fighting sleepiness.

"But I understand..."

Ping Xin also yawned.

It is said that there is a little trick to find out who is paying attention to you in social situations. That is to yawn and then observe who yawns with you.

——Indeed.

"It's scorching hot in weather like this... but that's why the shade under the trees is so comfortable, and the breeze coming off the water is even cooler."

Is this the reason why I came here?

Asakura Toru didn't know.

She was just walking along the side of the road, and suddenly she didn't want to walk anymore, so she found a comfortable place to lie down, that's all.

But if you ask her whether this is the reason, Toru Asakura cannot completely deny it.

After all, according to someone, everyone has their reasons for doing everything. Perhaps she was subconsciously looking for a place like this where she might meet him.

"I didn't come to see it. I was training."

"Sorry... I have some things to take care of over there."

The two kittens lying on their bellies finally realized that this would only make it hotter, so they climbed up the tree one after the other, and they were able to talk without any burden.

"Um...girl stuff?"

"He wanted to ask me for advice on some band matters, and since we're acquaintances, I couldn't refuse."

Ordinary letters avoid the important issues. After all, rejecting one group of people because of another group of people is a taboo in interpersonal communication, no matter in what aspect.

"Is that so... Are you good at instruments?"

"A rare moment of pride."

"So what kind of musical instrument is suitable for me?"

"Bass." Ping Xin answered immediately.

"That's it..."

Asakura Toru closed his eyes, faced upwards, without speaking or moving, as quiet as a corpse.

But even then, it was certainly a beautiful corpse with a soul.

"Teach me after that, Bess."

"Okay."

On the river bank, the green grass in the distance swayed gently and the green trees swayed gently.

"The wind is coming here."

As he said that, Toru closed his eyes again.

"A cool breeze...nice."

There was a long silence between the sentences. After all, how could a third person overhear the conversation between two people?

He straightened up, stretched, and stood up.

"I'm leaving—"

"Hmm...eh?"

It seemed like a beautiful dream was interrupted, and also like being awakened.

"But you're all sweaty..."

As he spoke, Pingxin took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from Tou's forehead, neck, collarbone and arms.

"...Are you leaving already?"

"Yes, after all, every time has its own things to do, and the secret to success is to use your time wisely."

After wiping the sweat, Pingxin put the handkerchief in the river water to wash it, wrung it out, soaked it again, and finally put it back on Tou's forehead.

"Just let it accompany you...train, keep working hard."

With a wave of his hand, Ping Xin left.

"......Um."

He stood up and looked at his back, then lay down again, looking at the wet handkerchief in his hand, and fell silent.

But people’s silence does not mean that other things have to be silent too, like the wind by the river and the cat jumping down from the tree.

"I see... You guys were left behind too."

I don’t understand, but that doesn’t matter. After all, humans and cats have their own ideas.

"...Let's go back together."

A man and two cats moved with difficulty from one shady place to another, like soldiers looking for cover in a war.

A breeze blew, but it was not as cool as before.

"Summer is so long—"

......

...

..

"Ah, Enka is here too."

"...Please don't talk to me casually when you're outside. People will misunderstand you."

Although it was unpleasant, what she said was true, which made it even more unpleasant.

"Xiaoyuan, are you here to help your mother buy groceries?"

"What about you, busy cooking for the new woman in your house?"

Hearing the displeasure in Higuchi Enka's words, Heishin suddenly felt much better.

"Yeah, yeah, so when can Ms. Higuchi come live in my house too?"

"..."

Seeing Hirayoshi's expression, which showed no sign of anxiety at all, Enka understood.

It's like two old rivals who fight every other day, and neither of them knows the other's tricks.

Although there was no words, the two walked side by side. Although there was no rehearsal, the two cooperated with each other tacitly.

Those who pay pay, those who accept things speak their thanks, those who choose ingredients move their hands, those who carry ingredients move their feet——

"Isn't it all me who's doing it?"

Pick out the goods, take out your wallet, and pick up the bag.

"Why, you're not convinced? I remember someone usually rushing to do these things, or is it that you can't act when you're not in front of the camera?"

Enka, who has been following him, is like a female boss who supervises the work. Although she is very strict with her subordinates, she always puts on a smiling face to customers.

"Although I am dissatisfied, it is not because of this."

Pingxin lifted the bags in his hands. A dozen bags were not heavy for him, but it was very troublesome to carry them.

Anyway, he had already demonstrated his ability, so he simply loosened his hands and let them return to the embrace of gravity, and then floated against gravity on Newton's coffin.

"...Jealous? You're such a child—"

"Yes."

"..."

Faced with his straightforward answer, Enka didn't know how to respond. After all, this relationship came suddenly, developed in a twisted way, and the outcome was unknown.

Of course, this was also within Ping Xin's expectations. After all, no one knew how to deal with him better than him, so of course he would deal with Enka as well.

Choose your stuff, pay, pick it up and leave.

When things become repetitive routines, mechanical labor becomes efficient but dull and tedious, just like the dry air between two people.

They walked all the way to the old park, and Ping Xin suddenly said, "Want to climb on the climbing frame?"

"......All right."

This time it was Pingxin who was surprised, after all, he had been rejected before.

Seeing his expression, Enka sneered, "I don't have a choice anyway, right? You always say 'three times the limit'. If it doesn't work this time, you'll force me to do it next time. I understand."

No, actually, if you really don't want to play I won't really force you, and I really just saw it so I just mentioned it in passing -