Chapter 30 Section 29

I'm sitting in the passenger seat. "Are you motion sick?" Tendo looked ahead and asked about my condition.I don't get motion sickness.I like cars and have never been car sick since I was born.I was wondering why he would ask this question, and suddenly thought of the reason.It turned out that I covered my stomach unconsciously. "I'm fine." My complexion didn't seem very good, it was rare to sit in the car driven by Tiantong, but my mood has been gloomy since just now. Speaking of which, last time it also started in the villa.After I saw the pool of blood flowing from Kaori's body, it seemed that it was caused by that pool of blood——

It has been a month since that incident, but I experienced it again in this wonderful form. Today, a month later, I sat in the co-pilot seat of Tiantong again, and I was also heading towards that villa.The sky was as clear as that day, and the wind was blowing in from the open car window, giving it the same cold feeling unique to the plateau as that day.The sun is starting to set now, so the feeling is more similar to when I went to pick up Matsuura later that same day than when I first saw the villa that day. When the car drove to the mountain road, the wild woods beside the road passed by, and the white birch trunks gradually merged with my memory. I compared the scenery in my impression and found that it was almost there.But the scenery gliding before my eyes seems to have a faded feeling compared with the memory of August.There seemed to be fewer and fewer leaves on the tree.Although the summer heat in Tokyo is still there, autumn has already quietly climbed to the plateau.

After the road became a straight line, the setting sun was right ahead, and the scenery seen through the front windshield was all dyed orange.There are several halos of the same color around the sun.Tendo immediately pulled down the goggles.The sunset turning yellow is not unique to autumn, but today's yellow seems to reveal a certain autumn atmosphere, which makes me even more sad in my already melancholy mood. There is only one week left in the investigation period entrusted by Xiuyi.What will happen to me when this is over?What will happen to Tendo?What about Xiuyi? Will Tendo give an answer before the deadline?

There is a sign ahead that says "Welcome to Lake Himegami".Turn left at the three-way intersection and go downhill. "That...can you go around to the other side of the lake?" "why?" Tendo slowed down and asked me why. "I heard that there is a shop selling ice cream there, right?" After listening to my words, Tiantong turned on the left turn signal without saying a word.After driving to the shore of the lake, turn to the left and the lake is on our right. Jishen Lake was still as silent as usual. Except for us, there was no car on the road along the lake. After all, it is the middle of the week in the off-season, and it is even more silent than when we came last time.Opposite the forest that swept back on the left hand side, there should be a gathering place with a hotel, but it is covered with thick green and cannot be seen from here.

After a short drive, I saw a hut built on the shore of the lake, which seemed to be the small shop that Sanjo and Xiazi passed by on the day of the accident.There are still a few boats tied to the lake. It seems that this cabin also doubles as a cruise ship business.Tendo drove his car into the open space behind the hut that looked like a parking lot for tourists. I got out of the car, and the figure stretched long in the deserted parking lot.With the sound of the car door closing, another figure approached me. "I do not want." The current temperature is neither hot nor cold, only Tiantong's voice is cold.I walked to the small store alone.

There was no one at the window selling ice cream. After I yelled, an aunt in an apron came out.I ordered an ice cream, and my aunt operated the machine by the window and poured the slowly squeezed ice cream into a cone-shaped cone. "Here you are. Three hundred yen." I paid, took the ice cream, and licked it while standing still.The cool sweetness from the tongue to the throat is indeed delicious.But my original plan to use the taste of ice cream to temporarily forget the abdominal pain did not come true. I licked my ice cream and headed back to the parking lot.Tiantong was leaning on the car to smoke, the afternoon sun shining brightly on the lake without a single ripple.It's just me and Tendo here.

Before leaving today, Tendo said that this would be the last investigation.This means that today is the last time I will act together with Tendo. The two of us stood by the lake, and our figures overlapped.How I wish time could stop at this moment... But God will not obey my wish, the ice cream melted ruthlessly, and when I saw that it was about to drip from the edge of the cone, I quickly licked it. After Tiantong finished smoking, he slowly took steps, walked out of the road, walked through the grass under the birch trees, and suddenly sat down on the big rock on the bank.Then he took another cigarette out of his pocket and held it to his mouth, as if he wanted to wait until I finished eating the ice cream before driving.

Tiantong looked at the other side of the lake motionless, and I followed his line of sight to look there. Of course, the tower is there. The tower is on the hillside of the hill on the opposite bank, hidden in the green of birch.A red gabled roof can be seen through the gap between the tall green crowns.I could still see the windows on the east side and the terrace outside, but now that the whole hill is in the shade, it is almost impossible to distinguish these small objects. the tower— Ice cream suddenly became a burden to me, so much that I thought of throwing it away.But I don't want to go there yet. Tendo will leave immediately after eating the ice cream.It only takes about five minutes to drive, and there is not much time left.

must be said-- There are many opportunities to speak, such as when I was in the car just now, as long as I want to say, I can say it.But I couldn't open my mouth anyway. I couldn't help but sighed. The pain and cold feeling unique to menstruation were superimposed on the stomach, and I felt that the lower abdomen became heavier.