Chapter 172, Crowd

The sky is getting dark.

In the blink of an eye, the fireworks display filled with the chirping of cicadas is about to enter its main topic.

The red afterglow marks the end of the horizontal plane.

Utsunomiya Shuo walked in the shadow of the awning, and the last rays of sunlight shone through the gaps between the stalls onto the girl in front of him - the stalls were close to each other, and there was a constant stream of people. At a glance, it was a sea of ​​people, and the people in the venue were shoulder to shoulder.

I had a lot of stuff on me and there were so many people around me that I had to squeeze between two people's shoulders with every step I took.

In this situation, couples shopping together will hold hands or hold their partner's arm tightly to avoid getting lost.

When he looked up, he could see a girl walking calmly among the bustling crowd. Her situation was completely different from Zhuo's.

Easy.

Zhuo looked at her back. Her long light golden hair showed the most elegant and charming posture under the high-quality fabric of the pure white T-shirt. She was wearing a pair of light-colored jeans with a very thin waist and high pull-ups, which made even the petite girl look with long legs.

Looking at her in the crowd, I suddenly realized that Ling actually has a very feminine body. If she were enlarged in proportion, she would have a figure like a supermodel.

——People couldn’t bear to squeeze her.

different.

completely different.

It is completely different from myself who will be lost in the crowd if I am not careful.

As a look of amazement flashed in Utsunomiya Shuo's eyes, his pace slowly slowed down, and he couldn't tell the feeling in his heart.

I can't tell where this sense of distance comes from, and then there is an overwhelming sense of loss and irritability, but I don't know how to resolve it...

"..."

Utsunomiya Shuo stood in the crowd, looked at the girl's back getting farther and farther away, and stopped.

After a while, Zhuo shook the pendants on his body and continued to squeeze in the direction where Ling disappeared.

"Give me a moment, thank you."

"Please give way, thank you."

"Thank you, thank you. Please make way for me."

This process was really annoying. All kinds of laughter echoed in his ears. A group of boys and girls gathered together with dreams of the future. The youthful vitality overflowing was like a volcano burning everything. However, he felt that he was the only stubborn stone among them, silently watching the excitement of others.

Aimlessly.

I don’t know where to go.

I don't know how many times I shouted "sorry", "thank you", and "please make way" along the way. I didn't pay attention to the gender and age of the people around me who gave way to me, and I can't remember how many delicious restaurants I passed by.

He just repeated the process aimlessly.

Really boring.

Also boring.

Want to go back.

In a dull trance...

This monotonous journey continued until a certain moment, when the flow of people suddenly accelerated and everyone was rushing in the opposite direction of him - the fireworks were about to begin.

Zhuo hurriedly hid in the gap between the stalls to avoid the crowd. In front of him was a dark mass of people, like stars in the sky.

Zhuo tiptoed and looked around, then leaned against the stall shed in boredom.

"Young man, why don't you go to the beach? The 'ship' has started to set off fireworks."

Zhuo, who was in a daze, blinked and looked at the goldfish stall owner who was talking to him, "...I got separated from my friend and I'm looking for him."

"Is that so?" The old lady nodded. "There is a radio that can be used at the seaside. We can go there and try it. It's right next to the lighthouse. We can see it at a glance."

"I get it, thank."

"I heard that there will be special activities on the 'ship' this year. Remember to go and see it with your friends." The old lady smiled enthusiastically.

Zhuo thought about it after hearing this, and it was hard to say anything, so he could only nod in agreement, "I understand, thank you."

In fact, no matter what the activity is, Zhuo is not very interested.

Nodding is just politeness.

The boss was kindly reminding her. When people came to the stall, the old lady went to deal with the business, after all, she had to make a living.

Zhuo continued to wait for the crowd to pass in boredom.

Then, about ten meters away, he made eye contact with the girl in front of him who was looking up in his direction.

Zhuo blinked.

Didn't move.

The girl stood under a store, the flashing neon lights shining on her face, dreamy yet real. Her deep blue eyes were as peaceful and tranquil as the sea under the blue sky, reflecting the fragmented light.

Utsunomiya Shuo lowered his head slightly, pretending to observe the hand-made paper fishing net placed on the table.

A couple was squatting on the stall, and the girl in a yukata was trying to fish the goldfish out of the small pond with thin rice paper.

In the distance, Zero discovered Utsunomiya Shuo and quickened his pace. In a few tens of seconds, he went against the crowd and came in front of him. He looked up at him with a calm expression.

Zhuo closed his mouth and thought for a moment: "... Sorry, I didn't catch up."

Zero looked away and shook his head.

The couple at the stall also noticed the sudden appearance of Zero and were dazzled by her appearance.

The old lady at the stall followed their gaze and saw the girl standing in front of Utsunomiya Shuo. The old lady smiled at Ling, stood up, took an apple candy from the straw bundle beside her, wrapped it, and handed it to her with a bunch of jasmine flowers.

Candy apples are almost a standard feature of fireworks displays. Regardless of whether they eat them or not, almost every girl has one.

Ling was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and pointed at Zhuo.

"Thanks, but no thanks. He'll buy it for me."

The old lady glanced at Zhuo, smiled and withdrew her hand.

Zhuo glanced at the enthusiastic old lady and asked Ling, "Do you want to play for a while?"

"…You know, I have no interest in these things."

"Too."

Originally, they wanted to return the old lady's enthusiasm, but neither of them really liked this kind of thing. It would be bad to show too much support - it would make people feel pressured.

"Let's go, they have prepared the place."

Zero said as he turned around and was about to dive into the crowd again.

"Oh."

Zhuo nodded to the old lady again and hurriedly followed behind.

It's getting late now.

There is not much time left until the fireworks display officially begins.

Because it was a fireworks display, even though night had not yet fallen, there were still many people who went to the venue in advance to occupy positions with a wide view. The two small figures of Zhuo and Ling blended into the bustling crowd and might get separated again if they were not careful.

Everybody was in a hurry and the place was so crowded that even the pretty girls didn't get any special treatment.

Ling, who was walking in front and leading the way, looked back from time to time and kept an eye on him to prevent him from being separated by the crowd again.

In the crowd, Zhuo suddenly felt someone grabbing his wrist.

Bow down.

The hands were a little small, and their skin was as white as a baby's, as if water could be squeezed out of them at once. The skin was white, like the first snow, but there was no sign of paleness.

Zhuo blinked his eyes, feeling an itchy sensation in his heart, as if there was a feather on his chest.

The hand was a little cold, yet also a little warm. The warm feeling spread along the palm, washing over every cell in his body.

　Thanks to brother strixA for the 100-point reward.

　　Thanks to my brother whose name I can’t say for the 100-point reward.

　　Thanks to brother 20230122080532615 for the 100-point reward.

　　Thanks to brother 20240131135158299 for the 500-point reward.

　　Thank you all for your monthly tickets.

　　thank.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)