Chapter 323: Karuizawa in August (18)
August 18th was the third day that the wind band came to Karuizawa.
Koizumi Aona and the other two woke up early.
Suddenly they changed to a new environment, the cozy and romantic Karuizawa. The three young women suddenly became more positive about life and made an appointment to go running in the morning last night.
"What a thick fog!" After coming out of the hotel, Akiko opened his arms and exclaimed.
"It's a bit cold." Miyuki Miyazaki sniffed slightly, seeming to be feeling a little uncomfortable.
Looking at the hazy fog, Koizumi Aona recalled the morning in Karuizawa that Watanabe Toru had mentioned many times.
Maybe I would meet him by chance in the fog - this thought came to her mind.
"Where should we go?" Akiko took out the tourist map he got from the hotel front desk.
"Look here," Koizumi Aona pointed to the south of the hotel on the map, "This is a country club with a miniature golf course. How about we go around the golf course?"
To the south of the hotel is the country club's golf course, and to the south of the golf course is the Karuizawa Horse Riding Club.
There is more than one place to play golf in Karuizawa, such as the north side of Kumoba Pond, but this is the only place where you can ride horses.
"It's not far from here, let's go there." Miyuki Miyazaki nodded.
"Go! Go! Go!" English teacher Akiko rolled up the map and was the first to run into the fog.
The mist lingering in Karuizawa dispersed in all directions like the sea water and then gathered again as they ran.
Visibility is very low. If you meet someone walking towards you, you can only see their face clearly when you are very close.
Surrounded by tall and sturdy elm trees, you can hear the sound of birds singing deep in the mist.
"It's so foggy that even if I run into Watanabe, I won't be able to see him."
Just thinking about this, Koizumi Aonai remembered what Watanabe Toru said on the phone: "It was foggy, we couldn't see each other clearly, we just knew that the other person should be a person.", and laughed out loud.
Akiko and Miyuki Miyazaki, who were running beside her, looked at her strangely.
"Do you remember anything funny?" asked Miyuki Miyazaki.
"The protagonist of the TV series I watched last night had a watermelon-shaped head," said Koizumi Aona, trying not to laugh.
"I didn't laugh when I watched it last night, but I'm laughing now?" Huangzi was very confused.
"Don't you...haha...feel it funny? Haha!" Koizumi Aona said while laughing.
She had already thought about the incident in which she and Toru Watanabe could not recognize each other in the fog, and later they talked about their morning exercises and were both startled by the figure in the fog.
Akiko looked at Koizumi Aona, who was laughing non-stop, with emotionless and dazed eyes.
"It's good to smile." Miyuki Miyazaki sighed.
She was beginning to get tired.
Today is still a day of worrying about my big breasts.
After a while, the three of them stopped running and started walking and took a stroll.
The three of them walked and talked about the workplace romance drama they watched last night, in which the heroine, who was the boss, had a vigorous and decisive style;
In campus romance dramas, the male protagonists always look very arrogant, but in reality, where can we find such people? Watanabe Toru fits the description of having a loose tie.
At some point, the elm tree had turned into a larch.
They turned from a straight and wide road into a quiet path with branches overhead.
The trunks of the trees were cut off, and the lonely roots were covered with moss; the pampas grass grew lush and dense; the birds chirped more often.
At this moment, the fog was dispelled by the morning light and the forest began to wake up.
"This road is very beautiful." Huangzi couldn't help but sigh.
"It's a pity that I have to go back to Tokyo tomorrow," said Koizumi Aona.
"Are you reluctant to leave the cool Karuizawa and don't want to go back to the hot and humid Tokyo, or are you reluctant to leave Watanabe?" Miyuki Miyazaki asked her.
"What's there to be reluctant about?" Akiko interrupted, "School is about to start, and we'll be together every day then."
"I have this worry right now." Koizumi Aona opened her arms and did chest expansion exercises.
Her breasts are not as exaggerated as Miyuki Miyazaki's, but they are not to be underestimated. They are round and plump when wrapped under the clothes, making people unable to take their eyes off them.
"What's your worry? Don't want to be with the boy every day?" Miyazaki Miyuki asked curiously.
"It's not that." Koizumi Aona replied, "I can't bear to leave the present, but the future is also very happy. I really don't know what to do."
"Ah--" Akiko cried out, holding her hands behind her head, "I also want a young handsome guy! Especially a handsome guy who doesn't interfere with my life, so that I can continue to stay with you two all day long, but gives me money to spend."
"Watanabe and I are together for love!" Koizumi Aona scolded with a gentle smile.
"I only envy material things, freedom, and romance."
"These three things are almost equal to love." Miyuki Miyazaki patted her trouser legs, which were wet by the mist and stained with grass.
"You're lying!" Akiko said in a funny way, pretending to be unconvinced. "Miyuki, you mean, I've fallen in love with Watanabe?!"
"Hey——" Koizumi Aona couldn't help laughing.
"Teacher Akiko, I heard it." A smiling voice came from the larch forest.
The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man riding a horse forward in the gradually dispersing mist.
A white horse with skin as white as snow came gracefully. On the horse, a noble boy was dressed in knight's clothes. He was handsome and elegant, with a pleasant and charming smile.
The figure with broad shoulders and slim waist, and the white shirt underneath, is very stylish.
Koizumi Aona looked at him riding towards her on a white horse with freshly picked wild lilies in his arms, and her heart began to beat uncontrollably.
Akiko came back to her senses, blushed, and then pretended to be nothing and said, "This horse is so handsome, I want to ride it too!"
Toru Watanabe got off the horse and walked in front of Aona Koizumi.
"That's great. It saves me the money of hiring someone to deliver flowers." He handed the flowers to Koizumi Aona with a smile.
Koizumi Aona bit her lower lip and looked at him with smiles in her eyes.
"Thank you." She responded quietly and happily, reaching out to take the mountain lily.
"See you later."
"Um."
Watanabe Toru was about to get on his horse when he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Koizumi Aona and said:
"Teacher, can you give me a mountain lily? I only gave it to you yesterday, not to Meiji, and she was angry."
"You can't be partial to one and ignore the other." Koizumi Aina taught her so, with a smile on her face, "Here. By the way, where's Mai?"
"This is secretly for you, teacher." Watanabe Toru said in a low voice.
The main reason is that Asu Mai doesn't care about these things.
Flowers, money, houses, none of them moved me at all, and they are nothing compared to a warm hug from Toru Watanabe.
"How can that be? Take it. There's also Kiyono-san's."
"She gave it too?"
"Of course, we can't favor one over the other."
"Listen to the teacher." Watanabe Toru accepted the three-branch lily.
He rode on the horse that was grazing, and said to Koizumi Aonai, "Then I'm leaving."
"Yeah, okay." Koizumi Aona held the flowers and nodded happily.
Under the gaze of the three people, Watanabe Toru clamped his long legs on the horse's belly, and flew away with the sound of clattering hooves, disappearing into the larch forest.
"This guy didn't say a word to us." Akiko complained to Miyazaki Miyuki, "We are teachers after all, and he didn't even say hello?"
"The school doctor doesn't have such strong teacher dignity." Miyuki Miyazaki didn't care.
"Aona, what do you think?" Akiko asked Koizumi Aona again.
Regarding this, although the two are best friends, Koizumi Aona has no opinion and will definitely not criticize Watanabe Toru.
…
When Toru Watanabe returned to the villa, Kiyono Rin was actually up.
She was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans today, simple and fresh, and her legs were as beautiful as iced soda in summer.
"Why are you up so early today?" asked Toru Watanabe.
"The wind band is even worse than I expected . If this continues, even if we win the gold medal, it will be wasted money and we won't be able to go to the national competition."
"Success or failure, that's their business." Toru Watanabe took a tall glass used by the ladies to drink from the cupboard and inserted the three-branched lily of the valley into it.
"If I hadn't coached them, the band's performance would have been good. But after my coaching, they couldn't even make it to the national competition. I would never allow that."
Watanabe Toru was not interested in this.
"There's one for you." He pointed to the mountain lily in the tall, thin wine glass.
Qing Ye Lin took a look and said: "If you are not the only one, I don't want it."
"This is Mr. Koizumi's intention."
"Thank her for me and return it. I don't like accepting things from others."
"You are worthy of it, R-san." Watanabe Toru admired him sincerely.
In the morning, it’s practice, practice, and practice again.
The competition is on August 25th, and there is no time to waste for them.
At lunch time, everyone was so tired that they couldn't even muster an appetite.
"Teacher, let everyone take a break after lunch so as not to affect the afternoon practice." Kiyono Rin said to Koizumi Aona.
"Well, Kiyono-san, you should also make sure to rest and don't push yourself too hard."
After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms for a nap under the supervision of Koizumi Aona.
"Team leader, please supervise us. We are not allowed to chat or play with mobile phones, and we must take a nap." said Hayami Xun.
"yes!"
After they left, Toru Watanabe said to Rin Kiyono, "Where are we going?"
"Walk around and kill time."
The two left the hotel, rode their bicycles, and prepared to go to Ginza Street to have a cup of coffee and then ride back.
Riding on the forest road, the cool breeze on your face, the shade of the trees above your head, the mottled sunlight, and Kiyono Rin's white shirt, all five senses are greatly satisfied.
Toru Watanabe even wanted to reach out and touch the sunlight.
The sky is blue and the clouds are white, and the scenery around me is like a postcard.
The natural scenery on the plateau makes people feel the vastness of the world.
When we passed by Karuizawa Eastern Elementary School, Watanabe Toru said, "Let's go to Kumoba Pond?"
"Um."
The two turned into the woods and headed towards Yunchang Pond.
Yunchang Pond is a long and narrow pond with clear blue water, and is also known as Swan Lake.
A full walk around the area takes ten to thirty minutes, depending on how fast you walk.
When Toru Watanabe and Rin Kiyono parked their bicycles, a group of children on children's bicycles rushed over.
"Archer! Sister Rin!"
"Ah, it's the big brother standing under the slide and peeking under girls' skirts!"
"A big brother standing under the slide and peeking under girls' skirts!"
The child was like a tornado, laughing and heading towards Ginza Street in the blink of an eye.
Watanabe Toru: “…”
The scattered tourists around looked at Watanabe Toru with surprised and strange eyes.
"A big brother standing under the slide and peeking under girls' skirts." Qingye Rin covered her mouth with her hands and smiled happily.
"If I run into that brat Kaori on Ginza Street later, I'm going to beat her up."
The water of Yunchang Pond is like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, as if the sky and clouds are already in the lake, not above your head.
Surrounded by lush greenery, the two walked along the path around Yunchang Pond and under the shade of trees, as if they were walking into a painting.
"If you think about it carefully, we have been to many places and done many things," Toru Watanabe said leisurely.
"Training camp, wind instrument competition, cultural festival, school trip, sports festival, winter camping, New Year celebrations in Iwate Prefecture, family trip." Kiyono Rin said them one by one in the same leisurely tone.
Mount Takao, Kyoto, Iwate Prefecture, close your eyes and those scenes seem to appear before your eyes.
"Speaking of the cultural festival, we also went to Mt. Takao to shoot." Toru Watanabe turned his head and looked at her with a smile.
"You also said 'Look, it's the pyramid'."
"Now I remember, that's what happened. The look in your eyes at that time seemed to bury me in Mt. Takao."
"Don't worry." Qing Ye Lin said with a slight smile on his face, "Given the relationship between the two of us at that time, I would just leave you there alone."
"We have a very good relationship." Watanabe Toru applauded.
"We two have the best relationship." Qingye Rin nodded.
“…”
"Are you hesitant about this?" Qingye Rin stopped her already slow pace.
Watanabe Tetsuya stopped, looked at her and said:
"I recently read a book that said, 'When you have physical intimacy with a woman who was originally the second person in your heart and establish a stable relationship with her, you will slowly appreciate her gentleness, constantly discover more of her advantages, and your feelings for her will gradually deepen, even surpassing the first person in your heart.'"
"So you love Kujo Miki more now?"
"I love Kujo Miki the most." Watanabe Toru, who didn't know the answer, said to Kiyono Rin.
"No, your favorite is Qingye Rin." Qingye Rin said with a smile.
Watanabe Toru was not surprised at all, and turned his gaze to the calm water of Kumoba Pond: "But before I asked this question, I wasn't sure who I loved the most."
"Have you completely forgotten your previous hatred for her?" Qingye Rin also looked at the pool water.
The quiet water surface reflects the lush green trees and seems to be rippling faintly.
"Maybe the life between Meiji and I will only officially begin after we hurt each other."
"You have something to say to me?"
Just as Toru Watanabe was about to speak, the ripples in the lake grew larger, and in a flash, the sky, which had been sunny just a moment ago, began to rain.
"Go back by bike?" asked Toru Watanabe.
Qingye Rin put his hands above his head, looked around quickly, and ran towards the shade of a tree in front.
There, there is a place where rain cannot reach because of the dense shade of the trees.
"This way, Watanabe!" Kiyono Rin stood there and waved to Watanabe Toru.
Watanabe Toru ran over quickly.
The moment he hid inside, the rain suddenly got heavier.
The raindrops were connected like thin threads, like a sweater called "Sky". The ends of the threads were hooked by the ground and the whole sweater began to unravel.
The rain poured down, and the place where the two were staying suddenly became an isolated island and was constantly eroded by the sea water.
"Watanabe-san, the Karuizawa rain shower you wanted to see." Kiyono Rin introduced the Kumoba Pond in the rain to Watanabe Toru.
"I can see whatever you want. Am I the god?" Toru Watanabe looked at Kiyono Rin in confusion.
She still maintained her calm demeanor, and the sudden rain did not bring her any negative emotions.
The thin white shirt, after absorbing the rain water, revealed the color of the underwear.
There was also the wet black hair and the extremely elegant and well-proportioned waist.
The scenery was a thousand times more beautiful than Karuizawa, and Watanabe Toru didn't know where to go.
"Behave yourself." Qingye Rin scolded coldly.
"I have met so many women, but none is more beautiful and more attractive than you, R-san." Toru Watanabe turned his gaze and looked towards Kumoba Pond in the rain.
"My loveliness, no doubt about it."
After a moment of silence, Watanabe Toru sighed, "It's good that it's raining, it's a good time to chat."
"What are you talking about?"
“That heavy snow two days ago?”
"Tell me about it."
"Have you forgotten? We were trekking in Hokkaido. It was snowing heavily. You couldn't even see your calves. You found a wooden house and called out to me, 'This way, Watanabe-san,' and we hid in the snow inside."
"Then what?"
"We wanted to start a fire, but there was only a summer sale flyer in the cabin that said "Sea urchin rice bowl 1,500 yen." And at the time, even if we could find firewood, we didn't have the tools to start a fire."
"continue."
"I couldn't sleep or warm myself by the fire, so I could only say 'Let's chat'. You asked me 'What to talk about? '. I said 'The rain shower two days later, when we were walking around Kumoba Pond in Karuizawa...', and we kept chatting, and time didn't even move forward."
After saying that, Watanabe Toru turned around and asked Kiyono Rin: "What time?"
"Three points."
"How low! I thought it was pretty good!"
Qing Ye Lin smiled optimistically: "Watanabe-san, how many drops of water are there in a rain?"
“Are there so many stars in the sky?”
“How many stars are there in the sky?”
"So much for one rain?"
"Throughout the ages, the number of people has been the same." Qing Ye Lin looked at the pouring rain, "There are so many people, I just want to be myself."
An insect buzzed over.
Qingye Rin frowned and waved his hand.
Watanabe Toru broke off a branch above his head to drive away the insects, who knew whether they were here to hide from the rain or just to annoy him.
"You guys get out of here (order), even I worship Qing Ye Lin as a saint, how dare you bother her."
Kiyono Rin smiled slightly, looked at Watanabe Toru with her innocent eyes without any doubt, and said to him in a clear voice like a saint:
"No matter what others say, I will live as myself."
At that moment, the shower stopped.
Watanabe Toru held a branch in his hand and looked at Kiyono Rin, who looked more beautiful than usual.
Just as he said, no matter how beautiful a girl is, she will pale in comparison to her.
Such a beautiful woman, who belongs to no one, will always remain cold and aloof.
"...No matter what, I will always support you." said Toru Watanabe.
Even when the rain stopped, raindrops continued to fall in the forest.
The silhouettes of the two were reflected in the still rippling Cloud Field Pond, surrounded by the slightly dull air of late summer and early autumn.
