Chapter 40 Fives

The drinks seemed to come late in the end.However, due to the time difference caused by the route change, it was still timely in terms of results.After the queue returned to the shrine, there were hot food and warm drinks waiting ahead.Although many things happened, the festival finally ended safely, and after that, only the continuation of the Houye Festival remained.The whole lunch had a happy atmosphere, and the dining table was full of laughter. Chitanda and the dolls didn't have time to eat, and went into the worship hall as soon as they came back, as if they were about to hold a decontamination ceremony.

Hina dolls were originally props to bear the filth for human beings, so every time the accumulated filth must be removed as soon as possible.Although I don't know when the puppet festival at Mizunashi Shrine originated, but it is quite strange for humans to take on the role of dolls in terms of sacrifices.If it is considered as a kind of spell, it will even make people feel very dangerous.Therefore, it cannot be said that it is meaningless for living puppets to directly remove the filth without delay. The one who told me this was Satoshi Fukube who "knows all the useless things in the world"... no wonder.It was Ibara who told me this.Putting on my casual clothes and windbreaker, I ate soy sauce dumplings with Ibara and Satoshi at the corner of the shrine.Having said that, I had no idea that Ibara knew so much about spells.

Satoshi told me another thing. "Houtaro, it's a miracle!" He said. "You mean to catch up with the festival?" "Ah, that's right, that was also a miracle. I didn't expect the festival to be postponed as a whole." It is said that he rode over at full speed as soon as his tuition was over, just in time for the second half of the festival and the team crossed the Yuanlu Bridge.Satoshi reached into the sackcloth bag and took out a disposable camera: "Although I'm not very satisfied with this camera, it's better than nothing. I brought it just in case, but I didn't expect it to come in handy." Yes. It’s really a blessing to catch up with that kind of scene, if I really didn’t get it, I’m sure I’ll regret it.”

"Caught it?" "Including the cherry blossoms, everything was included in the photo." Seeing me fall into silence, Satoshi showed a smirk and said, "Just because of Houtaro, you probably can't say 'wash me a copy as a souvenir too'. But don't worry, I won't say it if you don't say it." Will give it." "But to be honest, you don't fit in at all inside." Ihara added a superfluous sentence. Until the end, Chitanda and I were unable to meet at Mizunashi Shrine.Before they knew it, the ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods was over, and as the tourists dispersed, it was difficult for Satoshi and the others to stay any longer. "Then say hello to Chitanda-san for us." After leaving these words, the two walked away.

I don't know when I should be a "relevant person".After lunch, I took an active part in clearing away the dishes.Although all the busy men left early, there were still around ten people still eating and drinking during the banquet. It was already after the sunset when I met Chitanda.I was invited to Chitanda's house, and I met her in the corridor. Originally, I stayed obediently in the living room, but because I went to the toilet, I happened to meet her face to face when I came back. "Ah, Oreki-san. I was going to say hello to you." Chitanda, who had already removed her makeup, said with a smile.This time it was the usual Chitanda from school.Although I didn't stare at her directly, I felt a sudden realization in my heart.Sure enough, I am more familiar with her like this.Chitanda had already taken off her twelfth singlet, and changed into a collared shirt and a plain skirt.But this outfit is still a bit formal when it is called home clothes, so I guess I will have to meet people in a while.

While I was observing her, Chitanda suddenly puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction. "What, what's wrong?" She let out a long sigh of relief, and then shouted imposingly: "Oreki-san!" "..." "Today is really difficult. I have been enduring it all the time. Only today, even I admire myself!" "Oh, you said a doll." However I was wrong.Chitanda shook her head and took a step closer to me.There was a creaking sound from the floor of the brightly lit corridor. "That's not what I endured. The so-called 'endurance' of course means..."

Chitanda clasped her hands in front of her chest, and poured out her thoughts, "Who exactly is calling the Nakagawa construction team, and why? I've always been curious about this!" ……that. "When I was in that room, I felt that Oreki-san must know. But I couldn't ask you at that time. When I thought of this, I even felt that Oreki-san was sticking out his tongue and making a face at me from the other side of the curtain." "I didn't stick out my tongue." "Then what did you vomit?" This is really an unexpected question. "I've thought about it a lot. If the long-term bridge can't be passed through, who will benefit? But today I have an important job, so I can't keep thinking about it, and I can't ask other people..."

Although her expression didn't change much, there was a trace of unwillingness in her tone.There were no curtains in the corridor, so Chitanda's huge pupils, which symbolized Chitanda's curiosity, came within close distance. "Oreki-san. You have been staying at the social affairs office, did you find any clues?" Although I would love to say "no" - But in fact there are.In normal times, I would definitely not pay attention to how a bridge is.However, given today's special circumstances, I have been wondering whether Chitanda would be curious.Because of this, I listened more carefully to the conversations of others.

In that room, Chitanda didn't say "I'm curious", so I thought it was over.I didn't expect that she would stay at home until evening to ask me. I took a half step back and replied, "It's true... I saw a lot of people today. To be honest, I don't even know the names of most of them." "I should know them all." "Don't you think anyone is suspicious?" I tried to ask back.Surprised, Chitanda's curious eyes widened even wider. "Huh? Me?" she asked, pointing to herself.Speaking of which, I seem to see this movement quite often recently.Chitanda tilted her head slightly and thought about it: "...Let me think about it. Although there is no evidence, I do think that one person is more suspicious."

"I also have a skeptic, only he seems to know the situation from the beginning." Chitanda chuckled: "Then what should we do? Write it down and show it to the other party together?" That is to say, but there is neither paper nor pen here. However, Chitanda would not make random comments.She reached into the pocket of her skirt and took out a signature pen. "Here's a pen." "Why do you have a pen?" "Because I was writing an envelope just now. Forget about that—" "Where did you write it?" Chitanda frowned in confusion for a moment, but she quickly came to a conclusion: "Just write it on your hand."

...I don't care, but don't you have to attend the banquet soon? After taking off the cap of the pen, Chitanda began to write in her white hands without hesitation.As soon as she finished writing, she quickly passed the pen to me: "Here, Oreki-san." I had no choice but to write.My left hand is so itchy, it took me a lot of effort to hold back the funny smile.But because of the effort he put into it, maybe his expression became weird instead. We both clenched our fists.The rain windows in the corridor are wide open, maybe the outside can spy in.No, there should be no need to worry.Chitanda's house had a wide courtyard with high walls. "I said 'ready, open' and open it. Okay, ready...open!" On Chitanda's left hand is written 'Mr. Kosei's son'. On my left hand is written 'tea hair'. Chitanda compared the writing on both hands back and forth, then nodded slightly, and said very satisfied: "Mr. Xiaocheng's son's hair is brown." "At first I thought that Ah Yuan was very strange. Even though his family was still in mourning, he came to help the festival." "Ah, Mr. Yuan... His mother-in-law should be close to a hundred years old." "However, this is not an absolute doubt. If there are two surnames Yuan in the village, then it will not be a problem." Chitanda nodded: "Although they are related, there are indeed two Sono family. There are quite a lot of families with the same surname." "That's right. Because of this, Ayuan can be ruled out. Next is Zhongzhu who is in charge of preparing the drinks. He asked the drinks to arrive at one o'clock, but was scolded by the white-haired grandfather. Because the bridge was blocked, the parade went around A long way, as far as the result is concerned, the drinks delivered can be regarded as catching up. "However, it's ridiculous to ask people to start construction in order to make the drinks catch up with time. And the construction team received the call the day before yesterday, so it's more natural to consider the drinks as a simple arrangement error." "Mr. Nakatake... isn't he a bad guy?" It's because I can't speak, so please forgive me. "Then there are the Nakagawa construction team, Murai city councilors, and Tanimoto who are negotiating with them. I wonder if anyone is lying between them. Will the construction team put the construction period first and refuse to let go of this matter?" One day? Will Murai give Tanimoto a guarantee, but say to the Nakagawa construction team, "On the face of it, you can continue to work as usual"? "However, the construction did not start at all at that time, and the Changjiu Bridge was still passable until this morning. In other words, the construction period has just begun. Generally, in order to deal with rain and other unforeseen circumstances, the construction period will be extended by a few days. Therefore, this inference The question is: why is the construction team rushing to work in such a hurry? And the assumption that the 'City Councilor is lying' is even more unthinkable." Chitanda chuckled lightly.I thought I made a mistake, but she said, "Indeed, it's a bit unbelievable to say that Mr. Murai would do such a thing." Yeah, and I don't know any city council members. "Everyone seems to have nothing to do with this matter. There is only one person, and he is the only one who acted on the premise that 'the long bridge cannot be crossed'." "Is it Mr. Xiaocheng's son?" "I don't know what his name is." It was also tiring to stand and talk all the time, so we sat by the verandah.The setting sun is very dazzling.In this way, it would be a disaster if there was another three-haired cat and a cup of Japanese tea. "That man said he made a 'special trip back to his hometown' to see the 'rarely seen parade'. Don't you think it's weird? You've been acting as a puppet every year since you were in junior high school, right? That means the festival is held every year. Every year Although it is true that it is not frequent, but since it is held every year, it is very strange to say 'rarely seen'." "...There's something wrong with it." Chitanda nodded cautiously.I glanced at her side face, which seemed to be quite red.It must have been dyed red by the setting sun.Turning my gaze back into the air, I continued, "However, this year did have a 'rarely seen parade.'" "what?" Chitanda was taken aback when he heard that. I remembered what Satoshi said: "It's a miracle." "A cherry tree beside the river bloomed out of season, and the long-term bridge was impassable due to renovation. Although I don't know where Xiaocheng lives now, since his hometown is here, this kind of information should be available. . "If the parade detours over the Yuanlu Bridge, the miraculous scene of 'a procession of dolls passing under the cherry blossom trees' will appear this year. This is a 'rare parade' that is worth 'going back to my hometown' to watch." "actually……" Chitanda covered her mouth in surprise. "It's just for this kind of thing!" she exclaimed.But "this kind of thing" I actually thought about it. In my head, Ishikawa Goemon is jumping and jumping.Amazing view, amazing view.It is really stingy and stingy to say that Chunjing is worth a thousand dollars. Sakura and Chitanda dressed as a queen.Even when viewed from behind, the combination is breathtakingly beautiful.Such a view is indeed worthy of careful appreciation.In other words, there is indeed value in playing tricks on it. But I won't say it. I turned my head away and turned to Chitanda and asked, "Why do you think it's that guy?" Hearing this, Chitanda lowered her head and said, "Well, I said at the beginning that there is no evidence, right?" "I said so. I won't laugh at you." Even when it came to this point, Chitanda still hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "I think, if anyone can disrespect Mr. Murai without a care, it is only Mr. Xiaocheng's son." I see.But with that said, Fukube Satoshi is also an important suspect. Of course, I don't intend to denounce Xiao Cheng for a specious statement.If I want to find out the truth thoroughly, I guess I have to stay here and do another investigation. But what's the point?Although there was indeed an obstacle, the festival ended safely.We just entertained ourselves by showing each other palms.Fortunately, Chitanda was quite satisfied with this. The sun was setting and the air was getting colder.Just as I was about to say, "It's getting cold, let's go into the room", Chitanda said, "Oreki-san. I said in that room that I should contact the palace secretary." I nod.Chitanda went to contact the palace secretary, and Chitanda's father contacted the clan representative.I just conveyed this sentence, and the chaos caused by the "no traffic on the long bridge" was magically ended. "It might be boring, but listen to me." It wouldn't be surprising for Satoshi, but I've never heard Chitanda use such an opening line.Therefore, I failed to say the phrase "it's cold". In the twilight, Chitanda looked beyond her courtyard, beyond the fence, and focused on the mountains surrounding the village. "Because of land improvement, it may not be visible now, but a long time ago, this area was divided into two parts by a wetland. It is said that there was a swamp on the side of Changjiu Bridge at that time, and our village was to the north. To the south is another village. Now the two villages have been merged, which is the Zhenchu ​​area of ​​Shenshan City." I didn't understand what she was saying, but I listened quietly. “Our village has a Mizuna Shrine, and the villages in the south also have a Shuoshi Shrine. Although there are no land or water disputes, the shrines are still separated from the north to the south. Therefore, crossing the line without authorization during the ritual ceremony is like stepping into someone’s house. The same, both sides will feel very awkward. "Because of the helplessness of this incident, the devotees of Shushi Shrine will also forgive. Mr. Hanai and other men who help him understand this. However, crossing the border without permission will become the fuse of conflicts, so The other party should have been notified in advance. However, not many people have this kind of communication channel. "I said 'it's not a big deal', right? That's because, as long as I say I'll contact Shuoshi Shrine, everyone can feel at ease and go south across the long bridge." "……I see." I candidly admire it. "It's no wonder Satoshi called your family a 'famous family'." Unexpectedly, Chitanda raised her voice slightly and asked, "Is that so?" "..." "It's just a small world, isn't it? In the northern part of Kamiyama City, the name of the administrative district is Jinide. I just coordinated the North Jinide and South Jinide here. Oreki-san, I don't think this is unimportant , but it’s not a big deal.” The sun had already set on the hills.The surroundings were shrouded in fiery red, and night gradually fell. "Mr. Xiaocheng's son seems to dream of becoming a photographer. For this dream, he is studying at a vocational school in Osaka. Oreki-san said that he wants to see rare scenery, and I agree. In this way, while watching, he I should have taken a picture too. On the other hand, I will definitely go to university after graduating from high school. "...But unlike Mr. Xiao Cheng's son, I will definitely return here. No matter what the journey is, my destination will definitely be here——Shenshan City." Having said that, Chitanda smiled at me and asked, "Oreki-san. How did you choose the liberal arts department?" Because the topic was so sudden, I didn't understand it for a while.Realizing that she was referring to the choice of arts and sciences from the first year of high school to the second year of high school, I replied, "Ah, I chose arts and sciences." "why?" "Because I like chemistry the most for the four subjects of science, and I like Japanese history the most for the four subjects of liberal arts. Compared with chemistry, I prefer Japanese history." Chitanda folded her hands to her lips and said with a smile, "It's quite reasonable." "You can rest assured." "...I chose science." Chitanda's grades should be in the top five in her grade.Although she didn't say it herself, and the result rankings won't be posted, it can be roughly guessed.In short, for this guy, he can choose a wide range of education directions. But Chitanda didn't think about this kind of thing: "I don't think it's disgusting or sad to come back here. Chitanda's family has a certain leadership position in Hokujin, and as the daughter of the family, I want to do my best. For this reason, I thought about what I should do in school. "One way is to be the first to grow crops with high commodity value and make everyone rich. "Another way is to increase production efficiency from a strategic perspective at the business level and lift everyone out of poverty. "In the end I chose the former, and therefore chose science." To me who fell into silence, Chitanda asked again: "Do you know what is the most important reason for me to make up my mind?" "This..." As I said that, I thought of something: "I just think that the latter method is not suitable for you." Chitanda nodded slightly: "That's right... The direct reason was the commotion surrounding the anthology during the cultural festival. After causing you a lot of trouble, Oreki-san, I realized that I probably wasn't suitable for you. Operating companies." Indeed, I think so too. Chitanda sat on the edge of the verandah and spread her arms in the air.The sky has basically sunk into night, and a few stars have also emerged. "Look, Oreki-san. This is where I belong. How? There is only water and land, and the villagers are getting old. Even if trees are neatly planted on the hillside, what about the commodity value? I don't think this is the place. The most beautiful place, and I don't think it's full of opportunities. But..." Chitanda lowered her hands, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, "I want to introduce this place to Oreki-san." A long-buried question in my heart has finally been answered at this moment. So I plan to say this: "How about I fix the 'strategic vision at the management level' that you gave up?" But what happened.I obviously wanted to say that, but I couldn't say it at all. This is the first time this has happened.And this new experience is a key to unraveling the unsolved mystery in my heart. I see. I understand why Satoshi Fukube wanted to break Ibara's chocolate. To put it simply—— Now, at Chitanda's house in the twilight, the reason why I didn't tell the truth, but found another explanation, was roughly the same reason. I tried my best to pretend to be indifferent, and said: "It's getting colder." Chitanda widened her eyes in surprise, then smiled softly, and slowly shook her head: "No, it's already spring."