Chapter 34 Section 34

Heisuke took a comfortable bath in the bathtub, hummed a ditty before getting out of the water.He wrung out the towel and wiped the water off his body.After leaving the bathroom, he used a bath towel to carefully absorb the water from his hair and body again.Next, he applied hair growth perfume on his head, dried his hair with a hair dryer, and put on pajamas.I went back to the Japanese-style room and looked at the wall clock. I washed it for about 45 minutes. Heisuke looked at the phone, but the extension light was not on.However, when he took out the tape from the tape recorder hidden behind the combination cabinet, he found that there was already a recording on it.Naoko probably hung up the phone after hearing Heisuke's voice coming out of the bathroom.

Heisuke took the tape and went up to the second floor.Naturally, no voice could be heard in Naoko's room.She must have finished the phone call and was lying on the table studying. He returned to his bedroom, picked up the Walkman on the bookshelf, opened the cover, put the tape in it, and closed the cover again.After putting on the earphones, Heisuke started rewinding the tape. Listening to the Walkman has become a joy in Hirasuke's daily life.It had been almost a week since the eavesdropping began, and Heisuke gradually got a general idea of ​​who and what Naoko was talking to on the phone.

There was one thing that made Hirasuke feel very relieved. During this week, Soma Haruki didn't call once.Naoko hadn't called him either.The one who often called her was a classmate of Naoko's named Kasahara Yurie.It sounds like she is Naoko's closest friend.Naoko sometimes called outside, but most of the calls were to her. Heisuke thought to himself, since the call was to a classmate, there was no need to pick me to call behind my back while taking a shower.But he soon realized that Naoko was doing this to take care of her emotions.She hopes to avoid unnecessary worries for herself as much as possible.

The dialogue between Naoko and Kasahara Yuri is also very interesting to others.Most of the time it was Yuri Kasahara who was talking bad about the teacher and the boys, and Naoko was listening while laughing.Since Kasahara Yurie is very skilled in satirizing others, people will not only feel uncomfortable after listening to it, but will feel very happy. Through their dialogue, Hirasuke also learned a lot about what happened in the school.For example, a male dean named Sugawara always ordered the students to abide by the school rules almost frantically, but in private he gave the green light to the girls he liked.Another example is that a guy named Morioka seems to have impregnated a girl from another high school, and rumors are going around the school.Heisuke once again realized that a high school where many students are admitted to the University of Tokyo every year also has various internal problems.

The tape had already been rewound, and Heisuke pressed the play button.He is full of expectations for today's content. "...Hello, this is Sugita's house." First came Naoko's voice.It seems that the call is from the other party. "Ah, it's me, Soma." Ping Jie suddenly felt hot all over.The boy finally called!Apparently he didn't completely stop calling Naoko. "Ah, good evening." "Is it convenient to talk now?" "Well, it's okay, Dad is going to take a shower now." "That's really the case, Sami Nami said it too accurately."

"He has developed a habit for so many years, although he may not realize it." "Huh? You mean he took a shower at 9:30?" "Well. Think about it, don't the night live broadcasts of professional baseball leagues usually end at 9:30? He takes a shower every day after watching the live broadcast, so he has developed this habit unconsciously." "Ah, that's what happened. It sounds really interesting." Hearing this, Hirasuke thought about it, and felt that it was really the case.The time I take a bath every day is indeed around 9:30.Just like Naoko said, every time I watch the live broadcast, I go to the bathroom.On days when there is no live broadcast, he also enters the bathroom at about 9:30.Before, he didn't realize this at all.

From their conversation, it can be inferred that Naoko probably told Soma that if she wanted to call her, she would do so at around 9:30. The next topic of the two turned to the tennis club, and the content was very ordinary.Heisuke thought to himself, since we see each other every day, there is no need to make a phone call. Naoko doesn't use honorifics when speaking to her seniors, which also makes Heisuke very anxious.Questions arose in his mind—since when had their relationship become so close? "Well, Sami Nami, have you considered what I said?" "Are you talking about the night before?"

"Ok." "I've thought about it..." Naoko's tone became a bit vague.Heisuke quickly plugged the ear that was not wearing the earphone.Intuition told him that the following content should not be missed.By Eve they said they probably meant Christmas Eve. "Do you have any other plans?" "That's not true." "Then why are you hesitating? You can't invite you no matter what you do. You should give me a chance on Christmas Eve, right?" It sounded like he was asking Naoko for a date.Heisuke felt his blood rush.How unreasonable!Only such a big kid!His heart beat faster.

"Don't we see each other every day?" Well said, as it should be! ——Heisuke muttered in his heart. "You, don't you like being with me?" "That's not the problem. Didn't I explain it to you before, I usually can't get away from here at home." Tell him directly that you don't like being with him, isn't it over?Ping Jie thought. "I know this. I know that Sami Nami is usually too busy with a lot of housework. But, it's only one day, there will always be a way, right? Sami Nami also has the right to enjoy her own time."

Hirasuke clenched his fists when he heard this. —How dare a little boy say that!You know what a fart! "Everyone thought we were dating. People often asked me questions like 'where did you go on a date' and 'what did you two do?' I replied that we were not dating, and they looked at me like that . At that time, I felt so embarrassed." Then you continue to embarrass yourself!Heisuke said inwardly. "Didn't I tell you before, if you want that kind of relationship, please find another girl." "Look at you! That's it again! Do you think I'm the 'this one won't work and I'll get another one' type of person? I'm serious about Sami Nami!"

Naoko was silent.Her silence made Hirasuke anxious.After listening to the other party's words, Naoko's heart seemed to be touched. "I have already made plans for Christmas Eve, where to play and where to eat, I have already thought about it, because I want to book in advance." "I'm really embarrassed..." "I will never give up until the end. Please think about it, Sami Nami, and think about it in a positive direction." "what……" Why not categorically refuse.Ping Jie gritted his teeth and thought, "Isn't it enough to tell him not to call in the future?" "Ah, by the way, I saw a very strange animal on TV just now..." Probably not wanting to end the conversation in such an embarrassing way, Souma changed the subject.Naoko also followed suit.This topic continued for several minutes.Afterwards, Naoko said something like "Daddy came out of the bathroom" and hung up the phone. In the week before Christmas Eve, Pingjie was absent-minded in everything he did, and he couldn't get into work at all when he was in the company.Fortunately, it was the end of the year, and the upper and lower levels of the company were relaxed. Otherwise, if he was in a daze at every turn like now, his boss, Kosaka, would definitely blame him. His mind is full of one thing now—what is Naoko's plan?Since that night, Soma has not called again, so Hirasuke has no idea how far the discussion between the two has progressed.Did the two talk about it again at school?But Ping Jie felt that this possibility was unlikely.Through the previous eavesdropping, Ping Jie learned that it is not allowed to speak casually during tennis club practice. As if to prove the point, Naoko had also been behaving abnormally this week.Many times she was there in a daze, and she would not agree to call her.She is probably struggling with how to deal with Soma's invitation. Heisuke imagined that in her body, the former Naoko part and the 15-year-old girl part were interacting subtly.The adult part can understand reality and calmly judge what to do, but the girl part is in a very unstable state like other ordinary girls.This must be the main reason for her confusion. Soma's call finally came on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve.Heisuke listened to their conversation with the Walkman in the bedroom as before. "Tomorrow at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we will meet in front of the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku. Is it okay?" Soma's voice has a sense of compulsion. "Wait a minute. I still can't go." "Why, is it because your father disagrees? Then I'll ask him. " "It's useless for you to ask him." "What am I? How do you know if you don't try?" "Anyway, I can't go tomorrow." "Aren't you okay?" "I have something to do. I have something to do at home. I'm sorry." "You're lying! Sami Nami is lying! It's useless for you to lie!" Naoko didn't know what to say.Hearing this, Hirasuke tensed up again. "I'll be waiting for you. At 4 o'clock, I'll be waiting for you in front of the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku! If you don't want to come, you don't have to come, but I will keep waiting!" "Don't say that, I'm very embarrassed." "It's me who is in trouble! I don't understand what Sami Nami is thinking at all, so I don't think about it now, I just do what I want to do." "Anyway, I'm not going." "It doesn't matter. But I'll go anyway. Remember it's 4 o'clock!" Without giving Naoko a chance to fight back, Souma hung up the phone directly.After thinking about Naoko, he might call Soma.Hirasuke continued to listen for a while, but there was no recording after that. Heisuke put away the Walkman and left the bedroom.After a moment's hesitation, he knocked on Naoko's door.Naoko agreed inside, but her voice sounded dull. "I'm coming in." Said Heisuke and pushed the door open. Naoko was sitting facing the desk, and there were notes and reference books in front of her, so it didn't matter if she was studying or not. "Is there still a lot to review today? Would you like to go down and have a cup of tea?" "Ah... I don't want to drink now. It's rare to hear you say that." "Ah, yes, I just remembered it all of a sudden." "There is a cake in the microwave, you can eat some when you are hungry." "Ah, okay, then I'll go eat." Heisuke said and walked to the corridor.Before going out, he turned his head again: "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, isn't it?" "Yeah." Naoko had already turned back to the direction of the desk. "Do you have any plans?" "Well... nothing special." "Really. Then where should we go to eat delicious food at night?" "But tomorrow, it is estimated that everywhere will be full. Because it is Christmas Eve, and it is Saturday again." "Then let's buy sushi and have a Japanese-style Christmas Eve." After finishing speaking, he was about to go out when Naoko stopped him: "Wait a minute." "What's wrong?" Hiroki asked. "I might go out tomorrow." Naoko said with some scruples. "Where are you going?" Hirasuke could feel his expression stiffen. "A friend asked me to go shopping with her, but I haven't discussed it with her yet..." "yes." Heisuke knew very well what Naoko was thinking.She herself probably hasn't made up her mind what to do.In order to find a reason to go out in case of emergency, she made a preparation tonight. "Will you come back late if you go out?" "I don't think it's too late. I'm going to be back right away...just two hours." "Oh." Ping Jie nodded and left the room. Hearing that it was an hour or two, Hirasuke felt a little relieved.It seems that even if she decided to meet Soma, she would just go to a place like a coffee shop to talk for a while and come back. Even so, Hirasuke still didn't sleep well that night.He felt that letting Naoko go to see Soma Haruki would be accompanied by great risks.He was afraid that those emotions that Naoko was suppressing in his heart would suddenly explode on the surface. It wouldn't be fair to say he hadn't had a good night's sleep, because it was Christmas Eve morning after he hadn't slept much at all. As if Tiangong intends to present a gift to the couples who are dating this day, the sky is clear early in the morning.Looking at the dazzling sunlight in the yard, Heisuke ate fried rice made by Naoko.This is both breakfast and lunch.He didn't sleep all night, and Hirasuke didn't start to get confused until dawn, but it was already past 10 o'clock when he crawled out of the bed. "I want to tidy up the warehouse today," Heisuke said while drinking tea after dinner, "there should be a lot of useless things in there, and there is only one time left before the end of the year to throw out non-burnable garbage, so let's clean it up first." It's better to tidy up." "But aren't the bulky waste products piled up in the warehouse? Even if it's a day to throw out non-burnable garbage, you can't throw it out." "It doesn't matter, tidy it up now, and it will save trouble when you throw it away in the future." "You messed up all the things that can't be thrown away right away. It looks so annoying. Besides, it will be the first month soon, and there is no need for a big cleaning at the end of the year." Naoko picked up the small teapot and poured it into Heisuke's teacup. some tea. "Really." Heisuke took a sip of tea.In fact, he didn't really want to clean it up, he just wanted to find a reason to tie Naoko at home. Around the backlog, another idea occurred to him. "Ah, by the way, where is that thing? A Christmas tree. Didn't Sami Nami buy one when she was a child?" "Ah, isn't that in the closet?" "Is it here?" Heisuke said standing up and opening the sliding door of the closet. "What do you want to do? You don't need to take out that kind of thing too?" "Why not? It's Christmas Eve, so take it out." The closet was cluttered with cardboard boxes, garment covers, and paper bags.Heisuke poured out the contents one by one and put them on the straw mat, while Naoko watched his actions frowning. A long cardboard box was revealed inside, with some gleaming plastic paper peeking out from the mouth of the box. "Found it!" Heisuke opened the cardboard box, which contained Christmas trees and decorations. "Are you really going to decorate it?" "Of course. Is there something wrong?" "That's not true" Heisuke noticed that Naoko was looking at the wall clock on the wall from time to time.It's past noon. Hirasuke spent about an hour assembling the Christmas tree, and then stood it in the living room. "It's kind of like Christmas now." "Yeah." Naoko, who was washing dishes in the sink, glanced this way. "Hey, let's go out this afternoon." Hearing what Heisuke said, Naoko straightened up. "Get out? Where?" "Go shopping. You haven't bought any new clothes recently. I'll buy you one as a Christmas present. By the way, let's go buy some cakes. I finally got the Christmas tree ready, so let's just go about it Let's have a festival." Naoko didn't answer right away.She stood there, staring fixedly at the sink.After that, she turned around slowly and came to the Japanese-style room. "Didn't I tell you once yesterday that I have to go out today." "But didn't you say yesterday that you haven't settled down yet? Besides, it seems that your friend hasn't called you all this time." "I called her. That's when I called her." "Push it away, just say you have something to do and can't go." "But she wished very much that I should go with her." "Isn't it just to find someone to accompany her to buy things? Let her find other friends." "But...let's talk on the phone first." Naoko finished speaking and left the Japanese-style room.It looked like she was going up to the second floor to make a phone call. "Let's fight here." Hirasuke said.But Naoko went straight up the stairs.It was impossible for her not to have heard Hirasuke's words. Heisuke stared at the phone.The extension light came on.It seemed that she was indeed calling someone.Maybe it's Soma's house?Hirao thought. The call ended within a few minutes.Then Naoko went downstairs. "She still insisted that I go. I'll go for a while and I'll be right back." "Who is it? That friend you mentioned?" "Yuri, Kasahara Yuri." "Where are you going?" "Shinjuku. Let's meet at 3 o'clock." "3 points?" "That's right. So I have to start preparing." Naoko finished and went upstairs again. Hijiki tilted his head.If I remember correctly, Souma said on the phone that it was 4 o'clock yesterday, and we met in front of the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku.Could it be that she called Soma just now and changed the meeting time? The phone call just now should have been recorded as well.Hirasuke had the urge to listen immediately.It would be difficult if Naoko found out when he took out the tape recorder, Heisuke resisted his impulse and waited. Naoko left the house just after two o'clock.She was wearing a red sweater and a black coat with a hood over it.In addition, she also put on light makeup, which made Hirasuke very concerned. After she went out for a while, Hirasuke confirmed that she had really gone far, and then released the tape recorder.He rewound the tape directly on the tape recorder, then pressed play. "Hi, I'm Kasahara." "Ah, Yurie? It's me." "Ah, Sami Nami. What's the matter? Call me at this time?" "I need your help with something, can you listen to me?" "What's the matter? Is there something bad going on?" "It's not bad. But it might be bad in the future." "Really. What's the matter?" "It's like this. I'm going out now. I lied to my father and said that I went shopping with you, so I hope you can cooperate with me." "Haha, it turns out that you want to make a proof on the spot yourself!" "I'm sorry. Although Dad probably won't ask you for confirmation, I think it's better to tell you." "I understand. Then I won't answer the phone all day today. I'll talk to my mother again and tell her what to say when your father calls. Mom is relatively easy to talk about in this respect. " "I'm sorry to trouble you." "Just invite me to eat next time! Don't talk about this, you have to work hard!" "Huh? What does that mean?" "Don't pretend to be confused with me. Ask me to help you create evidence on Christmas Eve, and a fool will know what's going on, but I'm going to be miserable." "I'm really sorry." "You don't need to be so polite with me. You'll be late for the appointment if you hang around for a while." "Then goodbye." At this point, the phone was hung up. Naoko already guessed that going out today would arouse Hirasuke's suspicion, but she went out anyway.Hirasuke didn't know if she really wanted to see Soma, or if she was worried that Soma would wait as she said.But one thing is certain, that is, Xiangma holds more weight in her heart than herself today. Heisuke sat cross-legged on the straw mat and folded his arms.His eyes were on the wall clock. An ominous thought ate into his heart.The fear of losing Naoko surrounded him like a huge shadow. For nearly an hour, Hirasuke sat like that.There was no heating in the room, but he didn't feel cold, and beads of sweat even oozed from his forehead. He stood up suddenly, rushed up the stairs, and hurried back to the bedroom to change his clothes. It was already 3:50 when we arrived at Shinjuku Station.Heisuke hurried to the direction of Kinokuniya Bookstore.Although it was not yet 4 o'clock, he couldn't feel at ease.As soon as they met, they would leave there at once. It was 3:55 when we arrived in front of Kinokuniya Bookstore.Hirasuke looked in front of the bookstore from a place a little further away.There are many people waiting for appointments in front of this famous bookstore, and most of them are young people today. Beside a square pillar, stood a young man who had some impressions in Heisuke's mind.He was wearing a well-fitting dark blue woolen fleece coat, and he was carrying a paper bag in his hand, which should be a gift.He lowered his head slightly, looking not very energetic, probably because he thought that the other party might not come. The young man raised his head slightly, his slender and delicate eyes seemed to have caught something, and his expression became brighter. Heisuke followed the line of sight of the young man, and saw Naoko walking towards him.She seemed a little shy and approached the young man.That was the expression of a 15-year-old tall girl. Heisuke also took big strides and walked straight towards Soma Haruki. Haruki Soma took a step forward, and Naoko began to trot.The distance between the two was only 5 meters.Then, 4 meters, 3 meters... Naoko opened her mouth to speak, but she probably wanted to say "Have you waited long?" But she didn't make a sound because she saw Heisuke. Naoko stopped in her tracks, as if time stood still.Her whole body, face and expression froze there. Hirasuke approached the ground silently.Soma also realized the abnormality of the situation, and turned his head towards Heisuke like a puppet. Like water ripples spreading, a surprised expression gradually appeared on his face.