Chapter 20: An Encounter with a Dirty Bun
Rei Furuya looked up at the sound and froze again.
The black cat that had just run away disappeared into the bushes not far away, and a person whose figure seemed somewhat familiar to Furuya Rei stepped out from behind the branches.
Although he hadn't seen the person's face clearly yet, his subconscious instincts gave Furuya Rei an answer before his rational thinking could even process it, and a name naturally popped into his mind.
That's it, it must be—Nekono Ikuya.
Why is Nekono here? Furuya Rei frowned, quite surprised.
He carefully observed Nekono Ikuya, who had suddenly approached by parting the bushes, and then unconsciously paused for a moment.
The other person was dressed in casual clothes that allowed for easy movement, and there was a hint of imperceptible irritation in his movements. He still had black hair, but it seemed to have been messed up a bit by the playful branches, with a few unruly strands sticking to his forehead.
Rei Furuya's gaze lingered subtly on the leaves entwined in his hair for two seconds.
Most importantly, the other person's eyes today were slightly round in shape, with the corners slightly upturned, making them very standard cat eyes, mixed with a hint of sharp, deep wildness and an unfathomable mystery, and the color was a clear and transparent emerald green.
The eyes of the mysterious black cat from before bear a striking resemblance!
Those bright green cat eyes that gave Furuya Rei a strong sense of déjà vu blinked in surprise when they saw Furuya Rei, revealing a hint of astonishment.
Clearly, Nekono Ikuya hadn't expected to run into Furuya Rei here.
“…Nekono-kun?” Furuya Rei was somewhat dazed. The Nekono Ikuya in front of him was different from any of the ones he had seen at school in the past week, yet he had a strange resemblance to that black cat.
He subconsciously looked behind Nekono Ikuya, trying to find traces of the departing black cat.
Nekono Ikuya blinked her cat eyes slowly, then blinked again after a moment, her expression unusually awkward.
His clear eyes clearly reflected Rei Furuya's current appearance:
His blond hair was disheveled and covered in dust, his mouth was cracked, his clothes were wrinkled, and even the exposed skin on his elbows had a few minor abrasions.
The other party now looks like a dirty bun, clearly having just returned from a fight, with a lingering low-pressure atmosphere surrounding him.
It's still a grumpy, dirty bun!
However, at this moment, while Rei Furuya's appearance certainly resembled a dirty bun in Ikuya Nekono's eyes, Ikuya Nekono also looked quite pathetic in Rei Furuya's eyes.
Nekono Ikuya awkwardly raised her hand and used it as a comb to smooth her hair, then, under Furuya Rei's silent gaze, removed the leaf hidden in her hair.
As it turns out, it's sometimes necessary to listen to the advice of a reliable person, especially one named Blake, who is usually very calm and dependable.
Nekono Ikuya now understands that cats and dogs are truly two completely different kinds of creatures. The latter will obediently follow their owners, while the former, when given the opportunity, only wants to travel the world alone with a sword.
...Or perhaps it was because Ikuya Nekono was so bored today that she bothered the cats too much and they complained that she was too clingy?
After all, when Ta Xue looks at Nekono Ikuya, it's like looking at her own cub; she's quite indulgent towards her.
Despite searching everywhere for and catching the cat, Nekono Ikuya always manages to "fail miserably," which makes her somewhat resentful. However, while tracking the cat's tracks and playing a real "hide-and-seek" game with the cat, she unexpectedly encounters Furuya Rei, which is undoubtedly an unexpected surprise.
Thank you for the gift, dear cat!
Since there's more than one person in a sorry state, none of them are allowed to laugh at each other.
Nekono Ikuya walked over naturally and sat down in the empty seat next to Furuya Rei, neither sitting too close nor keeping too far apart.
"What a coincidence, running into each other on the weekend." His tone was casual, and his gaze naturally didn't linger on the cut on Furuya Rei's lip, nor did it linger on the scratches on the other's skin or the dust in his hair, nor did it mention the other's wrinkled clothes.
Rei Furuya hadn't yet recovered from Ikuya Nekono's sudden appearance and the "cat-eye similarity theory," and subconsciously mumbled, "Yeah."
After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "Nekono-kun, did you... see a cat just now? It was a black cat, with only the tips of its ears, tail, and four paws being white, and its eyes were a beautiful green, very similar to Nekono-kun's eyes today."
Huh?
Before Nekono Ikuya could answer, Furuya Rei was stunned for two seconds after he finished speaking.
Uh, something doesn't sound quite right. Isn't comparing Nekono's eyes to a black cat's eyes? Does that sound offensive?
However, Nekono's eyes today really look like those of that black cat. Not only are they similar in shape, but they also give off a very similar feeling.
Nekono's black hair looks very similar to the black fur of that black cat; it's also jet black and smooth, like the finest brocade.
...I wonder how it feels compared? Furuya Rei's mind wandered unconsciously.
Stop!
Realizing what he was thinking, Furuya Rei abruptly stopped his thoughts with a blank expression.
It's just that today's Nekono-kun and that black cat from earlier look so alike. The timing of their departure and reappearance was almost identical, making it hard for Furuya Rei not to connect the two!
Rei Furuya waited quietly for Ikuya Nekono's answer.
Nekono Ikuya, however, didn't notice the strange look that flashed across Furuya Rei's face for a moment. With a slightly sullen expression, he said, "Black cat? I didn't see it!"
That's not a lie; Nekono Ikuya really didn't see the black cat, since Fuyuki was avoiding him.
As he spoke, Nekono Ikuya glanced at Furuya Rei's trouser leg. He had excellent eyesight, so he could easily spot the few black hairs clinging to it.
Nekono Ikuya could recognize that it was Tatsumaki's cat fur at a glance, and coupled with Furuya Rei's description just now, the evidence was practically irrefutable!
Fine, she'd rather play with Furuya, whom she's just met, than pay attention to Nekono Ikuya, whom she's watched grow up. She even hid herself before she could sense his presence. Damn you, Fuyuki, how awful!
Nekono Ikuya couldn't help but wonder if she was being disliked.
Nekono Ikuya was devastated!
He unconsciously puffed out his cheeks slightly. Hmph, so what if he accidentally disturbed it a couple of times while sunbathing in the snow today? Is it really necessary to avoid it?
...Uh, thinking about it, it seems a bit excessive.
Nekono Ikumi reflected on it and realized that he could understand Fuyuki's disdainful behavior towards him earlier.
Achievement: Cat dislikes dog dislikes cat dislikes.
However, Tayuki usually ignores everyone except a few people, so why is she being friendly with Furuya today? It seems Tayuki really likes Furuya, which is quite rare.
Nekono Ikuya asked curiously, "Does Furuya-kun like cats?"
"...It's alright." Furuya Rei composed himself, not wanting to reveal too much of his emotions.
The two remained silent for a moment, but the atmosphere between them was not awkward; rather, there was a strange yet reassuring calm.
Perhaps it was because the sunlight was so bright, perhaps it was because she had just experienced emotional ups and downs, or perhaps it was because Nekono Ikuya looked so much like the black cat that had comforted her before.
Rei Furuya looked at the branches on the bushes in the distance and suddenly said softly, "...I just got into a fight."
Nekono Ikuya's cat-like eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by Furuya Rei's sudden confession, but she quickly regained her previous languid demeanor.
He tilted his head and looked Rei Shirogane up and down: "I can see, the battle is fierce..."
"So... you lost?" You lost, that's why you look so depressed?
Rei Furuya unconsciously dug his fingers into the seat, his voice muffled: "We won."
"You won?" Nekono Ikumi's tone rose, her eyes revealing genuine confusion: "Why are you sad if you won? Shouldn't you be happy if you win?"
Nekono Ikumi bent one leg, casually resting her arm on her knee, and made wild guesses: "Didn't you enjoy the victory? Did the other party cheat? Did you strike first, and then realize you were in the wrong? Or... were you also badly injured after the fight, and are you just putting on a brave face?"
As he spoke, he leaned closer, as if wanting to carefully observe whether Rei had any internal injuries.
"It can't be because the other person is very important, right? It's the kind of situation where winning would make things worse?"
Rei Furuya leaned back slightly, feeling a bit awkward, and was somewhat defeated by Ikuya Nekono's peculiar thought process, which also dispelled his originally gloomy mood.
"No, it's just... even if we win, it doesn't seem to make any sense."
"Hmm?" Nekono Ikuya uttered a questioning sound, then sat up obediently again, eager to hear more.
Rei Furuya shook his head, remained silent for a moment, and then lowered his voice even further: "It's not because of that, it's because... a very nice family I knew moved away."
Nekono Ikuya didn't press for details, but simply nodded understandingly and said softly, "Parting... parting is indeed sad."
"Hmm." Furuya Rei's expression darkened. "It'll probably be hard to see you again in the future."
“I see.” Nekono Ikuya’s voice was even softer. He paused for a moment, then suddenly said, “Then they must be very good people.”
Rei Furuya paused for a moment and looked at him.
Nekono Ikuya turned her head as well, her bright green cat eyes shining: "Because Furuya-san looks really sad. Someone who can make Furuya-san so sad must be a very kind and good person to you!"
His tone was exceptionally firm, as if he were stating a truth.
Rei Furuya nodded in agreement: "The Miyano family are truly wonderful people! Dr. Elena is so kind! Akemi is too!"
As for Mr. Atsushi Miyano, he hadn't had much contact with him, but he seemed to be a very nice person.
“So,” Nekono Ikuya shrugged, speaking matter-of-factly, “being treated so kindly by such a good person is something to be happy about, right? Even if you’re separated now, the memories you shared and the feelings you had for each other won’t disappear.”
“I won a fight, and I also got to know such a nice family…” Nekono Ikuya counted on her fingers, pretending to be surprised as she looked at Furuya Rei.
"Hey, Furuya-kun, didn't you win twice in one go? That's a double win! What are you still upset about?"
A note from the author:
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