Forty minutes ago.

Outside the restroom of the barbecue restaurant, Hashimoto looked through the mirror at Fukawa, who was bending over to wash his hands.

The other person lowered his head, his bangs hanging down blocking his eyes. Only then did Hashimoto have enough courage to stare at Fukawa for a long time. She hadn't looked at her friend so seriously for a long time - ever since that confession on the subway platform.

.

"Okay. Nanamin."

Fukawa took out a tissue and wiped his hands. He happened to spot Hashimoto's voyeuristic and evasive gaze in the mirror, and smiled, "What's wrong?"

"……fine."

"Then let's go back."

"Um."

Hashimoto followed Fukawa with his eyes lowered.

She always felt a little shy or something was wrong, so she always subconsciously avoided Fukawa.

Hashimoto also felt that he was becoming less and less like himself. He used to be straightforward and neat, and gradually became indecisive. Although he pretended to be calm and untroubled by worries, the person in front of him might have seen through it long ago.

Fukawa. Fukawa.

Living in the same dormitory for more than a month with this girl who always smiled gently was just a very ordinary thing. All the happy and joyful memories, although precious, were not special. It was just after a confession.

Everything ordinary has turned into some kind of subtle emotional color.

Did he think too much, or was Fukawa looking at himself in a different light from the beginning?

"Maimai."

She tried her best to speak in a calm and discreet tone, hiding her inner feelings as much as possible.

"Are you... going to graduate?"

Of course Hashimoto knew there was a better way to take a detour, but at this time she no longer had the mental energy. She thought she was tolerant enough to be able to bear it until now.

Fukawa paused for a moment, but continued walking forward.

From the position where Hashimoto was half a step behind, her specific expression could not be seen.

"...Did Nanxiang-san tell you?"

"No," Hashimoto shook his head, "It was Harina-chan. She accidentally overheard your conversation with Nango-san."

"That's why she's in such a low mood," Fukawa turned around and smiled, "I feel very sorry for Harina-chan. I plan to publish it later."

"Why do you want to graduate?" Hashimoto asked, "Don't you think... it's too early? Wouldn't it be better to stay for a while longer?"

"So when does Nanamin think the time is right?"

"...I don't know, at least, not now."

Seeing that Fukawa didn't speak, Hashimoto continued: "Look, we are all standing on the red and white stages of the Budokan, and it will only get better and better in the future. Mai Mai, your goal is to be an actor, and the group will become more popular."

, it will be smoother after graduation——"

"Nanamin." Fukawa interrupted her, "I am already 25 years old."

"It has nothing to do with age, we are still young."

"But how long can you stay young?"

Hashimoto's tone paused, "This..."

"Nanamin, you can feel the cruelty of the entertainment industry to some extent. There will always be more beautiful and capable people joining in. If you stay in Nogizaka and dare not go out, your dream of being an actor will be really out of reach.

.Moreover, this is something that has been decided before.”

Fukawa talking about his graduation so calmly made Hashimoto a little scared. Hashimoto knew it when Fukawa wanted to stay together with his dream of becoming an actor.

She will leave Nogizaka and Hashimoto's side one day. Hashimoto has never thought about such an obvious thing in her heart.

Perhaps noticing his friend's depression, Fukawa turned around and comforted him softly: "Graduation is not a big deal. Even if we leave the group, we can still get together."

Although Fukawa said it was easy, the reality was not so easy.

……fraud.

Hashimoto whispered.

She followed Fukawa without saying a word. When she walked around the corner of the corridor, she happened to see Nishino and Takayama outside the box.

She suddenly thought of all the emotions and will at Wu Geng's home, and the ruins and ruins after the fierce collision. In the taxi back, with worries about the future that almost overwhelmed her, Hashimoto asked:

We can't go back, can we?

At that time, although the driver misunderstood and started talking without permission, Fukagawa, who asked to keep driving forward, seemed to have given the answer.

Obvious answer.

We can't go back.

Once the train derails, it will take all the passengers towards their destined death. What a miserable and tragic fate. Once a mistake occurs, everyone must bear the corresponding responsibility.

But Fukawa chose the most cunning and lazy path.

After graduation, can everything be treated as if it never happened?

At the end of the Christmas LIVE, Fukawa said to her:

If possible, let's all forget about these unpleasantnesses. I promise that there will never be any problems again.

Hashimoto originally thought that Fukawa meant to treat the confession as if it didn't exist, but he didn't expect that the final solution she gave was to graduate.

This is too despicable...

She raised her head and stared angrily at Fukawa's back as he was about to open the box door:

"Because of me?"

"Nanamin...what did you say?"

Hashimoto did not dare to meet Fukawa's cold and heart-wrenching gaze, so he could only fall to the floor, but he had already made his own decision in his heart.

The reason why Fukawa chose to graduate...

Just yourself.

——

"Um...can you hand over your daughter Feiniao to me?"

The camera shifts back to Little Bird's home.

Saito's parents faced the two girls who were only sixteen or seventeen years old and were sitting in front of them. They were shocked by the straight shots until they could no longer go straight.

The silence lasted for four or five seconds, and the only sound left was the crisp ticking of the clock in the living room.

The little bird's head was lowered to his lap, his face was as red as a no-passing warning sign on the roadside, and he could not help but let out a puppy-like whimper in his nose.

Wu Geng, who was sitting next to her, had his legs shaking. At this moment, he was thinking crazily about whether he had gone too far. He was obviously just trying to help his sister ease the relationship with Nishino Asuka, but he couldn't hold back his emotions for a moment and did something like this.

It’s reached the point where I’m meeting my parents to discuss marriage.

She could already roughly imagine her sister's expression after she came out, facing the drastic change in their relationship, as if she was suffering from aphansia.

"Shixiao-chan, you..."

Mother Bird was about to speak, but she was muffled by Father Bird's roar.

"Of course not, what are you thinking about!"

Father Bird stood up suddenly, and the chair behind him fell to the ground with excitement. His eyes were as big as bells, and his lips were trembling with anger.

Not to mention it was the fifth watch, it was probably the first time for little Feiniao to see his father like this, and he trembled with fright.

"Asuka is only sixteen years old, she is still a child, you just want... you..."

Father Bird blew his beard and pointed at Wugeng. Halfway through his words, he remembered that the little girl sitting opposite was also a child, only seventeen years old. This made him later talk about "animals", "lolicon" and "human beings".

"The accusation is completely unspeakable.

So I kept saying "you, you, you" for a long time, but nothing came out. As a father, my intimidation was once reduced to freezing point.

Mother Bird raised her hand and pressed Father Bird's arm down.

"they--"

Faced with Father Bird's worried but unable to say anything, Mother Bird just pursed her lips and shook her head.

Father Bird opened his mouth, finally turned around, straightened the chair, and sat on it sullenly.

"Shixiao-chan," Asuka's mother faced Wu Geng and avoided her previous request, "Have you and Asuka finished your work?"

Wu Geng knew that the other party was referring to Hongbai's matter. She looked at the silent bird next to her and nodded, "Well, it's over. There will be a dinner party or something after that."

Mother Bird looked at the clock in the living room, "Is the dinner party over too?"

"……not yet."

"So you secretly abducted the little bird... and brought it out?"

"We told Nanxiang Sang that we are feeling a little unwell, so we will go back first."

Mother Bird's eyes swept back and forth between the two of them, "...you lied, right?"

"……yes."

Wu Geng cannot argue with this point.
Chapter completed!