I push the kid!

The softness of the wind, the greenness of the grass, the clear sound of the train: no matter how many springs and autumns pass, this will become a memorable memory. That day was November 9th.

They used the bland silence to fill the time before arriving at the station.

The two got off the train one after the other until it arrived at the signal station.

After leaving the station, although he had expected it, Taku Makimura still didn't expect that the autumn here was so cold. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was deep winter.

He tightened his thin clothes and took a few quick steps.

Hoshino Ai glanced at him and took off the white scarf wrapped around her neck: "Do you need it?"

"Thank you, but forget it." Makimura Taku waved his hand to refuse.

"What should I do if I catch a cold?"

"No, I exercise when I have nothing to do, and my physique is pretty good."

“People who exercise regularly are more likely to catch a cold.”

"Yeah."

"Okay..." She folded the scarf in half and held it in her hand, as if she didn't want to explain any more. "Squat down."

"...Squat down?" Makimura Taku repeated like a robot.

Hoshino Ai thought for a moment and said, "Does it mean I have to say 'be obedient'?"

"I'll do it myself," said Taku Makimura.

"Thank you for your help." She smiled cutely and handed the scarf to Taku Makimura.

The two waited for about twenty-five minutes and left by bus from the bus stop not far from the platform.

According to the travel guide, they found a hot spring hotel called HatagoIsen to stay in.

There weren't many guests, but there were only single rooms left, as the others were occupied by family tour groups, so they planned to book two rooms.

"Would it be better to have one room?" Hoshino Ai asked him when they checked in. "If we get two rooms, it will cost more than 20,000 per night."

The price per room is 24,370 yen.

Makimura Taku was stunned for a moment: "It doesn't matter to me as a boy, but it doesn't matter to you? Living with me, aren't you afraid of what I might do to you?"

"How about me?" Hoshino Ai made a strange expression.

The young kimono-clad lady at the front desk who was in charge of registering the passengers' information looked at the two of them and said with a smile:

"For couples, one room is actually enough. Although it is a single room, the beds in our inn are quite large, and the pillows are enough for two people to sleep in."

"Sorry, we are not a couple." replied Taku Makimura.

"I'm sorry," the kimono-clad woman said with some regret, "You two look so well matched, and your temperaments match each other. It's totally appropriate to say that you are a perfect match... but you are not a couple."

Makimura Taku pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe there are some similarities."

He was about to take out enough cash from the hidden compartment of his bag when a voice suddenly interrupted his action.

"Please change it to a room." Hoshino Ai said to the woman in kimono.

"Ms. Hoshino?"

"Listen to me." She looked at Makimura Taku with unquestionable determination.

Makimura Taku licked his teeth and did not answer.

The kimono-clad lady at the front desk looked them over and asked, "Sir, which room did you decide on?"

"One room." Hoshino Ai said to him again.

A middle-aged man wearing a coat and a black woolen hat to keep warm walked in from outside the hotel, his rubber-soled shoes making the floor squeak.

When he passed behind Makimura Taku and the other man, a unique aroma of Japanese sake emanated from him that was difficult to conceal.

"Okay..." Makimura Taku sniffed and nodded, "Please book a room."

"Ok."

They paid for five days' room first, but they didn't have to pay a deposit. The money was paid 50-50 between the two of them.

After returning to the room and tidying up, Makimura Taku seemed to remember to take off his scarf.

Looking back, I saw Hoshino Ai lying on the tatami covered with a thick quilt, looking very happy.

"It's so comfortable!" she couldn't help but exclaim.

Taku Makimura casually spread the scarf on her, just covering her heaving chest.

She stared at it blankly: "Is it useless?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She didn't move, feeling the warmth from the quilt.

At this time, the wind had completely stopped, and even though the windows were not closed, the room didn't feel too cold.

Taku Makimura took out a book from his bag and sat down to read. It was not too thick and was the original English version of "The Great Gatsby".

A woman who was not the same as before, but also wearing a kimono, knocked on the door and brought them hot tea.

The two thanked her, and the woman in kimono left the saucer and left with it.

For a period of time afterwards, although they stayed in the same room, they were doing two completely unrelated things:

One was drinking tea and reading a book, while the other was lying on the tatami with no distractions.

The atmosphere is quite harmonious though.

After looking at the wooden ceiling for a while, Hoshino Ai knew exactly where the tiny gap was, where there were some spider webs that had not been completely cleaned, and where the squeaking sound came from.

Without any warning, she straightened up and stared blankly out the window for a moment.

"Makino-kun," she said in a voice that was not loud but could reach every corner of the room, "Let's go hiking this afternoon."

Thank you everyone for your recommendation votes.

Chapter 4: Spring Strolling from Early Winter

Chapter 4 4. Spring Strolling from Early Winter

"Mountain climbing?" said Makimura Taku.

When he turned around, he saw Hoshino Ai staring at him intently, with anticipation in her eyes.

She knelt on the tatami with her cashmere scarf draped over her thighs.

The early morning sunlight slipped into the room, the light extended to the side of her face, and then cast a beautiful shadow, disappearing on the floor which was not stained with much dust.

The golden beam of light spun with almost transparent particles, and when the sun rose, even the girl's fingertips were tinged with mysterious colors.

"May I?"

"no problem."

"That's great!" Hoshino Ai smiled and raised her scarf above her head, making a cheering gesture.

When facing such a girl, Taku Makimura always feels friendly and favorable towards her - she never hesitates to smile.

Until noon, Taku Makimura continued reading, reading "The Great Gatsby" and translating it into English.

Translated into Chinese, translated into Japanese, and finally crushed and thrown into the ocean of thought.

This is a book that you will never get tired of reading no matter how many times you read it.

Vivid and beautiful text, fascinating plot, smooth as a polished mirror, and Gatsby, who is always full of determination and born great.

Every time he opened the book, Taku Makimura would read the opening chapter again and again, and his heart would be filled with emotion every time.

"Then wear the golden hat, if it pleases her; and if it makes her jump high, do it for her, until she cries out, 'My love, my love jumping high with the golden hat, I must have you!'"

In order to enrich himself, he also wrote something like a "schedule":

every day:

Squat x100

Push-ups x80

Sit-ups x100

Long-distance run of 5 kilometers [Later note: If it rains, use the treadmill instead (get a monthly gym membership), if you really can’t run, use dumbbells]

long:

Always work hard, always be polite

Keep reading, don't drink, don't smoke

Invest in yourself, spend money on yourself

Learn at least three ball sports (Temporarily choose table tennis, baseball, and golf, 20xx.4.2 mark)

Treat mother better - later crossed out. Change to: Treat everyone equally

It was a great plan. Even now that he lived alone, Takuya Makimura never slacked off.

“It’s a very profound book.”

At some point, Hoshino Ai, wearing a scarf, knelt down beside him, touching her red lips with her fingertips and looking at the pages of the book.

"A great masterpiece." He coughed dryly and stood up from the tatami. "Eat?"

"Yeah," Xingye Ai smiled mischievously, "Do you want to watch it for a while longer?"

"If you look at it again, it will be out of control."

Hoshino Ai also stood up: "Is it really that beautiful?"

"no doubt."

"I believe you," she said with a charming smile, "Please lend it to me later!"

Makimura Taku nodded: "Of course. I wish everyone in the world would read this book several times. If it works, it would be best to let those guys memorize the whole text."

"Haha, is it really that exaggerated?" Hoshino Ai said with a smile, "It can even be used as an advertising slogan."

"How much is the endorsement fee?"