Lonely Rock for the Blind.

.........

Snap, snap, snap, snap.

Walking home, Nekoyashiki Haru tapped her cane on the ground.

"... "

Her feet slowly moved toward the wall surrounding the road, and then her hand gently touched the wall. Guided by this, Nekoyashiki Haru continued walking toward her home.

"That must have been really tough."

The sudden sound from behind made Nekoyashiki Haru stop in her tracks.

"Yamada-kun?"

"it's me."

Yamada Ryo walked over, gently hooked his arm around Nekoyashiki Haru's hand, and led him toward his home.

"Did you come here specifically to help me?"

"What do you think?"

"No, it's probably because I refused to join the band today, so they have something to say to me. They probably told Hongxia in a joking way that something happened at home?"

"You know me surprisingly well?"

"You guessed correctly, but you used someone in your family's near-death experience as an excuse?"

"This time it's a dog."

"...This time..."

Nekoyashiki Haru didn't continue speaking, but quietly followed behind Yamada Ryo.

Are you distancing yourself from Hongxia?

Suddenly, Yamada Ryo asked.

Gaaah~

There were crows even at this time of year.

There was no deliberate attempt to distance ourselves.

Nekoyashiki Haru said frankly.

"Does it mean occasionally? Avoiding things when you could get closer, something like that?"

"almost."

"... "

Yamada Ryo stopped and turned to look at Nekoyashiki Haru.

"why?"

"I also want to ask why. Is there anything wrong with me keeping a certain distance from Hongxia?"

Nekoyashiki Haru's voice was devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to his usual joking tone when chatting in [Starry Sky].

"Aren't you surprisingly quite cold?"

Yamada Ryo asked with a slight hesitation.

I don't think so.

Nekoyashiki Haru leaned against the wall next to her.

“Hongxia really shouldn’t get too close to me, in every sense of the word.”

Her purple eyes drooped slightly behind her sunglasses.

"Are you afraid she'll fall for you? Is it because you're blind and that's not a good option for her?"

These are only some of them.

Nekoyashiki Haru shook her head.

"Hongxia and I have been separated for a long time, you know that, right?"

"... "

"Several years, many years. Most ordinary people would have forgotten me long ago. Even if they do remember me, it wouldn't be a very deep memory. That's why I didn't come back to find Hongxia at first. Even I felt a sense of things being different when I met Hongxia again."

"so?"

"But Hongxia is different. I heard she often uses my name to talk about you?"

"I'm not talking about it now, probably because you're back."

"Well, that means that Hongxia has remembered me all these years, and even talks about me all the time, so you could say that she has a deep memory of me."

Nekoyashiki Haru nodded.

Is there anything wrong with it?

"I asked Yamada Ryo."

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a little abnormal. When Hongxia and I met again, there was no sense of estrangement."

"Hongxia is very gentle, you should know that."

“Even gentleness can create a sense of distance. Long time no see, feeling apprehensive about returning home. I didn’t feel any of these feelings with Hongxia. It was as if we had spoken the day before we met. If we were to meet again, even if we had a good relationship before, it would take some time for us to get to know each other again before we could return to our previous relationship.”

Yamada Ryo was taken aback.

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"...After Hongxia found out I was blind, she got angry and ran away. Do you understand why something's wrong here?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Nekoyashiki Haru stroked her white cane.

"That's too much of a reaction. If you were suddenly told that one of your childhood friends had lost their sight, no, or even died, how would you feel? Please answer me seriously."

Yamada Ryo paused for a moment, then lowered his head and thought for a while.

"…sigh?"

"It should be... a sigh. Even if that person were standing right in front of you, you should only feel a little sad. But Hongxia's reaction was very intense. She even called me an idiot and ran away after I joked about myself."

Nekoyashiki Haru faced Yamada Ryo, and Yamada Ryo suddenly felt like he was being stared at.

This guy is blind, isn't he?

"The span of time seems to have no meaning."

"...Perhaps, you really do hold a high place in her heart?"

"I asked Yamada Ryo."

"...I'm just a childhood friend, Yamada-kun."

"Nekoyashiki Haru said."

"... "

Yamada Ryo remained silent.

“I didn’t make any unforgettable promises with her, nor did I go through any life-or-death crises with her. I was just a playmate. I wasn’t even her only one. She also had Sister Xingge and other friends.”

"... "

"You understand what this strange feeling is now... If I hold a high position in Hongxia's heart, where does that position come from?"

Nekoyashiki Haru suddenly smiled.

"It can't be that he's after my good looks."

"maybe?"

"That's really bad."

Nekoyashiki Haru shook her head and continued.

"I can only interpret this high status, which I don't know where it came from, as Hongxia having some kind of obsession with me, which is why she cares so much about my affairs."

"...What is it?"

"I asked Yamada Ryo."

"I feel guilty."

"?"

Yamada Ryo tilted his head in confusion.

Nekoyashiki Haru continued speaking to herself.

"Of course, it could be something else. I can't read minds, but Hongxia's current behavior seems abnormal to me."

"So you distanced yourself from her?"

"I'm just trying to keep a friendly distance, Yamada-kun. If I approach Nijika now, ignoring the lingering feelings she has for me from the past... wouldn't that be taking advantage of her vulnerability? Trying to lock Nijika's heart in with those vague remnants of the past?"

"... "

After a moment of silence, Yamada Ryo spoke.

"Maybe you're overthinking it?"

"That means it's possible that I'm right, and that's enough."

Nekoyashiki Haru straightened up from the wall.

"Even if I were to end up with Hongxia, I should wait until this unknown obsession with the past disappears. Before that, I shouldn't do anything that crosses the line."

Yamada Ryo suddenly felt his mouth was dry, licked his lips and asked.

"So you're not joining the band?"

"It's related to Hongxia."

"...You really think too much..."

"This is my weakness, but sometimes I also think it's a strength."