r18novel Chapter 34 Their Story Will Be Told Slowly
Chapter 34 Their Story Will Be Told Slowly
The night wind, carrying the lingering moisture from the rain, swept through the streets and alleys. Rito stood at the crossroads and looked back. Bai Ma's figure had vanished without a trace, along with her white dress, completely disappearing among the colorful neon signs.
Holding the phone in his palm, the screen still lit, he couldn't wait to send a message to the new number in his contacts, wanting to find an answer to the question in his heart.
Add me on Line.
Soon, the other party replied, mentioning an app that had just appeared this year. This app, which copied a neighboring country's software, was indeed very popular, but it didn't seem like something a girl who was careful with her money for food and clothing would be interested in.
Without hesitation, Rito immediately copied the ID, opened it in LINE, and the profile picture that appeared was a photo of a snowy landscape in Hokkaido. Rito stared at that pale sky for a long time, so long that the screen automatically dimmed, only to be illuminated again by his finger. He tapped the profile picture again, zoomed in, and found a line of unclear text in the lower right corner. He vaguely recognized it as: "それでも、生きていく".
Even so, we must live on.
Rito put his phone back in his pocket and turned to walk towards the parking lot. On the way, he called Konno and briefly explained tomorrow's tasks. Konno noticed the unusual tension in Rito's tone and asked if something was wrong. Rito didn't explain, only telling him not to call him unless it was urgent. After hanging up, he opened the driver's side door, got in, started the engine, but didn't immediately shift gears. The automatic doors of the convenience store opened and closed in the distance, and he unconsciously tapped the steering wheel, his thoughts sinking deep into his mind.
"System, do you know anything about Nanami Hashimoto? Anything related will do."
The only response he received was a deathly silence. That was always the case with the being in his mind; unless it wanted to speak, he could not expect to hear any useful information from it.
"Fine, I won't say. I'll just go and see for myself." He muttered to himself, shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and drove away from the parking lot.
When Rito arrived at the address on Line, it was nearly midnight. After turning several corners, he drove along a street that was gradually losing its vibrancy. The signs of convenience stores and chain izakayas went out one by one, replaced by a drab residential street and the occasional lonely vending machine. Rito parked the car in front of an old, two-story wooden apartment building, turned off the engine, and didn't get out immediately.
A faint, orange-red light shone from the outermost window on the second floor, like a bedside lamp. The apartment was even more dilapidated than he had imagined; most of the plaster on the exterior walls had peeled away, revealing the blackened wooden planks underneath. The incandescent light in the first-floor porch flickered occasionally, emitting a faint electrical hum.
He took out his phone and dialed the other party's number.
"Hashimoto-san? This is Kubo Rito. I'm downstairs." His voice was a little hoarse from nervousness, but it was very clear in the enclosed car.
There was a silence of about three seconds on the other end of the phone. Rito stared at the second-floor window and noticed the curtains move slightly—it was just a fleeting glimpse, but enough for him to recognize the other person.
Then a clear female voice came through the microphone, unhurried and with a hint of northern chill, like snow falling on snow.
"Kubo Rito-san, the door is open, please come in."
Rihito paused slightly, "Is this alright? Isn't it getting a bit late?"
A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone, instantly breaking the eerie atmosphere: "I even sacrificed my beauty sleep to wait for you, please, hurry up and come up."
Li Ren hung up the phone and sat in the car for a few seconds. He suddenly had a strange feeling—he was like a fox walking on the northern wilderness, about to be shot through the chest by a hunter's bullet at any moment.
He climbed the rusty iron stairs to the second floor, and sure enough, the door at the end of the corridor was ajar. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The room was small; after putting in a single bed, there was only about ten square meters of space left. On a desk were miscellaneous books, paints, brushes, and an unfinished painting.
Nanami Hashimoto stood by the window. When Rito saw her for the first time, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak. She was wearing a white-based Japanese-style dress with distinctive wide, flared sleeves. The cuffs and body of the dress were decorated with graceful oriental scroll and cloud embroidery, making it look both traditional and modern. It was difficult to describe her accurately with a single word.
However, Rito knows a perfect way to refer to it—the center stage outfit for Nogizaka46's 16th single, "The Meaning of Goodbye," which is Nanami Hashimoto's graduation single.
"Heh." Seeing such a bizarre sight, all the probing questions he had prepared were rendered useless. He shook his head with a wry smile, turned around, closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and casually asked with a "what the heck" attitude, "A time traveler?"
"No, not at all." Nana frowned, helped him off her bed, gestured to the folding chair opposite the low table, and sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, her hands folded on her knees, slightly bowing. "My humble abode is small, I'm sorry to have troubled you, Kubo-san. After all, you know I'm a germaphobe, right?"
"Of course, I understand."
"You are honest."
"There's no other way."
Nanamin smiled freely, seemingly quite satisfied with his honest attitude. She leaned to the side and took out a CD from under her pillow, handing it to him.
Rito looked down and saw it was Nogizaka46's first single. On the cover, Nagahama Naru stood in the center, Inoue Kazuha on the left, Hoshino Minami on the right, and the other members lined up behind her.
"To be honest, it feels a bit out of place," Nanamin said, lightly tapping her index finger on the cover. "But at least there are a few familiar faces; you put in the effort."
"How do you feel?" Rito asked instinctively, then suddenly realized his reaction was a bit ridiculous, so he shook his head. "Sorry, you tell me."
"I'd like to know, did you choose these members yourself, or...?" Nana Min raised her chin slightly, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"No, not at all." Rihime used her literary vocabulary as she learned it, and didn't hide it from her, casually explaining, "They were all given as rewards for completing tasks. You can think of it as me playing a second-generation game, and the members are characters I pulled."
"No wonder, did you just pull that out?" Nana Min's eyes flashed, and the corners of her mouth slightly lifted.
"How did you know?" After the initial surprise, Rito was now more curious, especially about what Nanamin knew and what kind of person she was.
"Because I've been to Gunma Prefecture, and the Shiraishi family didn't have a daughter named Mai at all until this summer." Nana Min's eyes suddenly sharpened, tearing away the brief moment of tenderness and pointing straight to the crux of the matter: "So, President Kubo Rihito, who knows about Nogizaka46's existence, can produce so many Sakamichi songs, and can even make members appear out of thin air and perfectly integrate into this world, please tell me."
With the groundwork laid, the plot can now be sped up.