Lonely Rock for the Blind.

Goto Ichiri suddenly froze, staring blankly at the blonde-haired, red-eyed girl in front of her.

"Hongxia..."

"Hmm? Yili? Did you forget something?"

The girl named Ichika Ichiji smiled at Ichiri Goto, but suddenly froze when she saw the other person next to her.

"...Huh?"

"Nijika? Are you Nijika Ijichi?"

"…Yes…"

Ichi Nijika said, somewhat stunned.

Nekoyashiki Haru smiled after receiving the reply.

He then said.

"Long time no see, Nijika."

Chapter Three: Idiot

"Ah...you're here."

The long-haired blonde woman, Ijichi Seika, sitting in front of the counter turned to look at the boy tapping the ground with his cane, then glanced at her younger sister, Ijichi Nikka, who was still lost in thought, and the timid Goto Ichiri behind her. After sighing, she looked at Nekoyashiki Haru again and greeted her.

"Xiao Qing, it's been a long time."

"I saw him just a few days ago."

"Tsk...who knew you were back already, and had been staying in Shinjuku all this time..."

"Hey…"

Nekoyashiki Haru scratched her head, seemingly a little embarrassed.

Ijichi Seika gritted her teeth in annoyance, just about to say something more, when Ijichi Nijika suddenly snapped out of her reverie.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute! Sister, you call him Xiao Qing! He is... he really is..."

"Yes...your real childhood friend, Nekoyashiki Haru..."

"But that's not right! It's not right in any sense!"

Ichi Nijika looked at the boy beside her, her eyes trembling as she looked at his sunglasses and white cane.

"Is this... performance art? Or some kind of special experience for blind people?"

"... "

Ichi Hoshika sighed and put the straw from the Goodbaby juice into her mouth to sip.

“…Sorry, no, it’s not Hongxia.”

Nekoyashiki Haru smiled. Although he wasn't sure if he was facing Nijika directly, his general position was correct.

"Two years ago, there was a little accident, so... I'm sorry, I really can't see anymore."

The atmosphere suddenly froze, and Goto Ichiri had already silently climbed into the trash can next to him.

It turns out... it's Hongxia's childhood friend... Come to think of it, Hongxia used to often talk about her childhood friend.

What “kitten” once said, what “kitten” would never do such a thing… Ah, this phrase is usually used to criticize Ryousang.

So "kitten" was referring to Mr. Nekoyashiki?!

Click...

Ichi Nijika clenched her fist.

"...Two years ago..."

"Um…"

Ichi Nijika's breathing gradually became heavy.

"Not the temporary kind? I mean, the kind that's treatable but takes time..."

"No, it's completely invisible."

Nekoyashiki Haru gripped her white cane tightly.

"The light is also gone."

"How...how could this be! This is total blindness! This shouldn't happen!"

"It's just that I had a bit of bad luck~ Don't worry about it."

"There's no way I wouldn't care! I've been looking forward to seeing you again! And then you..."

Ichi Nijika's voice suddenly stopped.

She bit her lower lip and then lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No need to apologize, Hongxia. Although I'm blind, my hearing has improved a lot, which is pretty good, right..."

"Nekoyashiki Haru said with a smile, but these words made Ijichi Nijika's hair stand on end. It wasn't a metaphor; she really felt like her hair was about to explode."

"Not at all!"

"Ichi Nijika shouted, her voice filled with anger."

"This kind of thing...this kind of thing...Little cat...Little cat idiot!!!"

After shouting, Ichiji Nijika ran towards the door.

boom!

Nekoyashiki Haru froze for a moment, and tried to chase after Nijika following the sound of the door closing, but was stopped by a hand.

"If you can't see her, don't go. She won't get into any trouble outside."

"Ijichi Seika said, tugging at Nekoyashiki Haru's clothes."

"...I see."

Nekoyashiki Haru sighed, and the smile on her face faded considerably.

"Ugh…"

Ijichi Hoshika sighed, then looked at the trash can next to her.

"Pochi, why don't you go home first?"

"Thank you so much!!!!"

Suddenly emerging from the trash can, Goto Ichiri performed a backflip, then landed on all fours, fleeing from the stars as if for his life.

boom!

As the door closed, silence fell over the Starry Night.

"As expected, it will still hurt her."

Nekoyashiki Haru used her cane to find a chair, sat down, and said...

"After all, she misses you quite a bit."

"That's just how Hongxia is, she's too gentle with her friends."

Nekoyashiki Haru lowered her head.

"So, is that why you didn't contact her immediately after returning to China? Were you afraid to face Hongxia?"

"Ichi Hoshika said."

"A little bit..."

"Yeah…"

Ichika tilted her head slightly and continued to ask.

"Are your parents still just sending you money?"

"Well, they are really busy with work after all."

"You're blind."

"So when I first went blind, my mom skipped a very important meeting to take care of me."

Nekoyashiki Haru smiled.

"There is too little care."

Ichiko handed over a box of Goodbaby juice.

"That's enough for me."

Nekoyashiki Haru took the Goodbaby Juice and put the straw in her mouth.

"Actually, I didn't come to you directly because I thought you might have forgotten me, after all, we were just neighbors back then."

"It's hard to forget, isn't it? After all, back then you were just a little kid living almost alone, and my mom practically raised you like her own son."

Upon hearing this, Nekoyashiki Haru was stunned. She pursed her lips and responded softly after a long while.

"…Um…"

Ijichi Hoshika was also stunned for a moment, and then suddenly lost interest in speaking.

The deceased can indeed leave one speechless for a moment.

The two silently finished their Good Boy juice when Ichiji Hoshika suddenly asked a question.

"Where are you staying tonight? Want to come to my place...?"

"No, I've already bought back the house I used to live in."

"…so."

Ichika sighed again, feeling as if she had been sighing her whole life today.

"It must feel terrible to be unable to see."