Without hearing the conversation outside and being disturbed by alcohol, Shimizu Cho never knew what happened that night, but there was always an inexplicable subtle feeling that couldn't be dissipated in his heart.

However, the New Year is just a few days after the New Year's Eve. With this feeling, Shimizu Tetsu took the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto Station, and then swayed on the somewhat unfamiliar bus for half an hour, and returned to his home alone, which was not far from Ginkakuji Temple.

Entering the yard, Shimizu Tetsu stood in front of the door, recalling the scene of that night, while taking out the key from his backpack, suddenly a feeling of unknown premonition.

Sure enough, before inserting the key into the door lock, the door opened from the inside, and a gentle sound came.

"Ah, I guess it's Xiao Che, you are back."

Looking at the woman in a plain kimono in front of her, Shimizuki bowed slightly as she pressed the corner of her eyebrows.

"Mother...you saw it from the access control system?"

"I guessed it before I saw it."

"Is it true?"

After saying perfunctory, Qingshuiche changed into slippers at the entrance, and after getting up, she saw her holding the door and looking out.

“What are you looking at?”

"See if you have brought the girls back."

“…You’re thinking too much…”

"How could it be? I'm very confident in Xiaoche."

Shaking his head, Qingshuiche stepped in, turned the entrance hall, and saw a middle-aged man with a straight body at the end of the living room.

"Father."

"Well," he flipped through the documents in his hand and said in a seemingly indifferent tone, "Why did you arrive so late?"

"I wasted some time at the station, but I didn't expect the bus route to be adjusted."

"Hmph," he put away the document and showed a serious and tough face. "A Kyoto man is not familiar with Kyoto's bus routes? If he had been to college in Kyoto, there wouldn't be such things. He had to go to that place in Tokyo... Is Kyoto University still not as good as Waseda?"

Shimizu Tetsu couldn't help but press his forehead with his hands.

"I've discussed this two years ago..."

"If you listened to me at that time, I wouldn't be able to raise my head in front of my colleagues..."

"Stop it," Shimizu Tetsu's mother rushed over from behind and stopped the quarrel that had been repeated several times. "Hongzhi, please put away your teaching style at home."

She turned to Shimizu Tsuke again, "Xiaoche, don't bother with him. I'll tell you quietly that in fact, your new book was not sold in Kyoto when it was first released. Your father asked someone to buy a hundred copies from Tokyo and gave them to colleagues and students. He looked like that... Humph, I took a photo with my phone."

"is that so?"

"Of course."

Shimizu Tetsu moved his eyes and saw his father lifting up the documents again, still as serious and stern as a professor.

Turning around, he decided to ask his mother to send the photo to himself.

---

Although he had the idea of ​​doing something for his family, as the New Year approached, everything was ready and perfect, and he was just missing.

The arrangements at night are no different. After eating soba noodles, I took out the oranges and cold cuts, sat in front of the quilt specially taken out for the day, and watched the unshakable red and white songs every year.

"This year's host of the red group is Maho Inoue. As expected, he chose the person from the protagonist of the morning drama."

Listening to her mother's slightly complaining tone, Shimizuki put a petal of orange that had completely removed the white beard into her mouth and took over the topic.

"After all, Red and White and Morning Drama are both from NHK. Speaking of which, who do you want to host?"

"Well... it's true that gakki is still there, but it's likely that she will have to wait until she starred in the morning drama... By the way, Xiaoche, you have run an arts and energy firm? How about it? Have you signed a cute girl?"

Before Shimizu Tsuki responded, his father's slightly serious voice sounded first.

"Artist firm? Why do you go to do such things if you don't make a good writer?"

"Oh, don't interrupt. Xiao Che, please tell me quickly."

"Ah, this..."

The rest of the time before the New Year is almost a reenactment of this scene. While Shimizu Tetsu avoided his father's questioning, he also wanted to find a way to deal with all kinds of wonderful ideas that emerged from nowhere by his mother.

"Why don't you go to your uncle's house tomorrow? Mio is very cute now. Speaking of which, she has always admired you..."

"And your Aunt Yumiko..."

"Since you have opened an art office, will Xiao Che be in Hongbai in the future..."

It was late at night that the Red and White Song Club had already arrived at Kosai Ishikawa's "Tianqi Strait? Winter Scenery". When the new year was about to usher in, the sudden ringtone of the cell phone finally rescued him.

Avoiding his parents' sight, Shimizu Tetsu came to the courtyard alone and pressed the answer button.

"Hey, see you seven."

"Qingshui, Happy New Year."

Her gentle voice spans thousands of miles through the radio waves, like a piece of snowflakes in Hokkaido suddenly landing here.

"Well, happy new year."

After listening to the silence in the microphone for a few seconds, Shimizu Tetsuki remembered that he should take the initiative to take the topic.

"By the way, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing? You're calling," her smile was already spreading in the air in Kyoto. "Okay, I've just gone to see the fireworks with my sister and just got home."

"So Qi saw you have a sister."

"Well," she said in a light tone, as if she didn't want to mention this matter, "That... I'm sorry I didn't go back to Kyoto with you, my family is still..."

"It's okay, there are still many opportunities in the future, and it's also important to meet your own family."

"Then thank you Shimizu, but next year... it should be fine..."

Listening to her softer words, Shimizuki raised his head and looked at Qianyue hanging in the sky, curled up the corner of his mouth: "Then let's say that..."

Before he could finish speaking, a clear bell rang in the distance, completely overshadowing the two of them. He returned to calm after a full 108 rings.

"Seven see you?"

"Well, was it the New Year's bell just now?"

"That's right, it's Kyoto after all, there are more temples than stations."

"That means that it's January 1st now?"

"Yes, do you want to say Happy New Year again?"

"No," she seemed to take a light breath, her tone as hazy as the night, "Qingshui, happy birthday."

Kimizu Tetsu held his cell phone and stood there in a daze. It took a long time to react, with a smile on his face.

"I forgot it myself, but I didn't expect Qi to remember you."

"Of course I remember... I wanted to give you the gift in advance, but I was afraid there would be no surprises... so I'd better give it to you when I returned to Tokyo."

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it."

"Um…"

With concentration, time passed quickly, and I don’t know when I talked to her until I went to bed. The next morning, Shimizu Tetsu was woken up by a cell phone ringtone again.

Close your eyes and touch the answer button, press it and send it to your ears.

"Hey, who is it?"

"That...Qingshuisan, I'm Nian..."

"Oh, can you make it a New Year, Happy New Year. So early, is there anything?"

"That...I got lost at the station. Can you please pick me up by Qingshuisan..."

Her voice was filled with timidity, as if she was afraid of being rejected.

"Huh? Which station?" In a daze, Shimizu Tetsuki didn't realize anything.
Chapter completed!