Chapter 285 Confession (Part )

The snow in Tokyo is very different from the snow in Otaru.

The snowfall in Otaru is much greater than that in Tokyo, and the snowflakes are larger and thicker.

Compared to the snow in Tokyo, it is more like a drizzle that falls on your hands and disappears in a flash.

Fujii Itsuki took Akai Muko on the subway and headed to Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

This year's theme of Tokyo Disneyland is "A Fantasy World Guided by the Magic Spring", and the architectural style is mainly taken from the two works "Frozen" and "Tangled".

For this purpose, the park specially built an extra-large ice sculpture in the courtyard.

Princess Elsa, wearing a blue princess dress and singing to the sky, stood above her castle.

The castle is cut in half with huge ice bricks, and the background around Princess Elsa is decorated with colorful lights.

Any tourist who enters from the front can see this spectacular sight.

Fujii Itsuki led Akai Muko to check their tickets and enter the door, and he also raised his head at the first glance.

Akai Muzi kept watching.

"By the way, the prices at Disney are really high. Are they specifically designed to rip off tourists?"

Akai Muzi, who had been staring at the ice sculpture Elsa's face, suddenly came to her senses and smiled at Fujii Itsuki:
"When parents bring their children in here, the first thing they say is 'How about we take you out to play?' Couples will say 'How about we go see that?' Why is it that when it comes to you, Shu, the tone is completely different?"

"I'm a pragmatic person. Look at that pizza. For 1700 yen, I can buy at least three pizzas out there!"

"Then you are willing to spend money to bring me here for a walk?"

"I'm definitely willing to spend this little money."

There was nothing flawed in Fujii Itsuki's words and expression. After looking at him for a while, Akai Muzi just smiled and followed him deeper into the garden.

Today is the Ice and Snow Festival in the park.

Naturally there are many ice relief sculptures that can be viewed up close.

Although Fujii Itsuki had long felt that he was past the age of liking Disney animations, he was still attracted by the ice sculptures in front of him.

Their movements and expressions are lifelike.

Akai Muzi was watching the whole thing, and seemed very happy, just like the other children who were surprised when they came here for the first time.

The only difference was that she no longer screamed with joy like those little kids or young girls.

Fujii Itsuki knew that if Chitose came to such a place, she would be very happy.

All kinds of strange noises and excitement are bound to be inevitable.

She also definitely wants to experience the huge ice slide in the middle.

Muzi was happy, but he rarely spoke.

"How does it feel?"

While strolling along the way, Fujii Itsuki bought some French fries and a Coke for Muzi. When they sat together by the flower bed, Fujii Itsuki asked her.

"It's pretty good. It's so big, it's quite shocking to look at it."

"Then why do you just watch and not talk much?"

"Because I was thinking, if I hadn't gone to the United States, would we have been able to come here together half a year after we left Otaru?"

Akai Muzi looked up at Elsa on the most important ice castle.

"The only difference is that the ice sculpture here was Elsa ten years ago, and it's still Elsa ten years later. It hasn't changed much. I'm happy to be here, but I always feel like something is missing. I don't have the excitement I used to have, to the point where I could shout out 'I like it'."

Fujii Itsuki was silent at first, then took the initiative to smile at her and said:
"What are you talking about? I'll take you to see the attractions in this amusement park."

"For example.?"

"For example, the big ice slide in the ice castle just now, how about it, do you want to ride it?"

"Ashu, do you still treat me as a little girl?"

"You are not originally here, otherwise you wouldn't have wanted to come and see it when I mentioned it, right?"

Fujii Itsuki's question left Akai Muko speechless.

She stared at his smile for a moment longer, then nodded her assent.

"Okay, let's go there."

The large ice and snow slide in the castle is configured for two people.

Official staff will equip tourists with a plastic boat and then push them down from a high place.

The ice and snow slide is divided into age groups, adults and children.

The height of the adult ice track makes people feel nervous. Fujii Shu planned to take Muzi to the children's side to experience it, but Muzi disagreed. She said that if she was going to ride it, she had to ride something more exciting.

She is the master today, and Fujii Itsuki has no choice but to listen to her.

After waiting in line for nearly half an hour, it was finally their turn.

Fujii Itsuki walked up the stairs made of ice and then stopped on top of a magic castle covered with a blanket and supported by an iron frame.

After the staff signaled the two to come forward, they later got on a small boat together.

Fujii Itsuki is behind and Akai Muko is in front.

"Keep your legs straight and don't ever unbuckle your seatbelt! And don't move around!"

After repeated instructions from the staff, the plastic boat carrying Fujii Itsuki and Akai Muko was pushed to the starting point of the ice track.

Fujii Itsuki held the two sides of the plastic boat with his hands and looked down through the slightly reflective ice track. He estimated that the drop was at least 20 to 30 meters!
The ice track is winding and there are ice caves with ice holes in the middle.

If this kid comes here, won’t he be scared to death? !
"Ready, three, two, one!"

"etc--!!"

Before Fujii Itsuki could finish his words, the staff member pushed the boat forward.

The plastic boat experienced a one-second cushioning, then quickly dropped downward like a rocket.

cluck cluck
Fujii Itsuki had ridden roller coasters before, but never one that was as thrilling as this one.

My body was falling rapidly, and the slope of the ice track was so steep that it seemed like the boat would be blown away at any moment.

Fujii Itsuki had just passed the first turn. He didn't like roller coasters to begin with, and just when he wanted to take a breath, he was stunned by the rapid drop at the second turn.

Before I could recover from the falling state, my sight was immediately covered by colorful ice holes, then caves, and then all kinds of magical ice sculptures from Disney.
After these intense stimulations, even Akai Muzi in front of him said it was so exciting.

After finishing, Fujii Itsuki wanted to take a break, but Akai Muzi became even happier.

"This is great value for money! How about another try?"

".Okay, but Muzi, can you go alone?"

Akai Muzi smiled and patted his back, "When did you become so weak, Ashu? You used to be fearless! How come you can't beat a woman like me?"

".It's just that the last time I rode a roller coaster with Chitose, I found that I was not used to this kind of thing. I felt a little dizzy."

"So are you okay?"

"It's okay, just sit for a while."

Fujii Itsuki stayed with Muzi today. Seeing that Muzi was happy, he accompanied her to play in the snow, to the ice rink, and to ride the Snowflake Ferris Wheel. When they were tired, they went to the Ice and Snow Food Restaurant and had some "ice and snow barbecue" there.

The taste is pretty good.

At first, Muzi said that he had grown up and was not interested in these things.

But as Fujii Itsuki accompanied her along the way, he found that the more she played, the happier she became, and the more she wanted to play.

According to her, today she experienced at least 50 things that she had never experienced, seen or tasted before!
By the time we finished eating and came out, it was dark.

There must still be colorful snow falling in the park, but when you sit on a bench and look into the distance from the high point of the park, you can still see the darkness of the night.

Fujii Itsuki bought two cups of hot milk tea, handed one to Akai Muzi who had been sitting on the bench, and then sat on the other side of her chair.

".Happy time is always short, isn't it?"

“So we should cherish the present moment even more.”

"Ashu."

Akai Muzi held the milk tea that he bought for herself in her hand, and the temperature through the wall of the cup warmed her palms.

"I'm still very grateful to you for taking the initiative to invite me out today, and for staying with me for so long, and even for helping me realize my long-cherished wish to come here. Thank you."

".It's no big deal, I just want to be with you."

"Don't say that. Without you by my side, I would never step into a place like this in my entire life. As you know, seeing so many people here, so many families, so many couples, if I came alone, I would just feel quite pitiful, so... thank you."

Fujii Itsuki stared at the milk tea straw in his hand: "."

"."

The air was silent at this moment.

"Ashu, you have something to say to me this time, right?"

"Um"

Fujii Itsuki responded softly.

He knew without thinking that Muzi had guessed his thoughts.

Akai Muzi stretched out her hand and caught a few snowflakes, but within a second, they melted on her hands.

She smiled and said, "Then I still feel that I have something to be thankful for. At least I can still be happy for the whole day before I get the answer."

"."

Fujii Itsuki suddenly felt that he was a little cruel.

But isn’t this how it feels when faced with a choice?

I felt conflicted and uncomfortable, as if something was holding back what I wanted to accomplish.

But at the same time, Fujii Itsuki also knew that he had not said anything to Muzi in the hospital before, but was just concerned about her condition for this reason.

And now.
Fujii Itsuki thought for a long time. He didn't look at Akai Muko beside him, but kept his head down. Many scenes of today and his high school days flashed through his mind, and then he closed his eyes.

At this time, Akai Muzi was also looking forward.

She knew what Fujii Itsuki was going to say next.

She kept comforting herself and telling herself in her heart.

I accepted it myself.

I have already accepted it.

There is no need to be nervous, just wait, patiently wait for the answer immediately.

Can.
Akai Muzi was still vaguely aware of her own nervousness.

She began to question herself rapidly in her heart.

Aren't you ready to accept it?

Didn’t you even tell Xinchun?
You've come this far, why are you still——

Fujii Itsuki crossed his fingers in front of him, and spoke again while moving them back and forth. "I'm sorry, Muzi. Now and in the future, I need to focus on them. After the national competition, I will say goodbye to you at the airport."

"."

".Muzi?" "."

"Muzi?"

Akai Muzi held the milk tea, turned around and said to him with a smile:

"It's okay! Then we can still be friends in the future, right? Besides, haven't we always been friends?"

"Ah."

"Even if I go to Shikoku Island in the future, Ashu, you can come to my flower shop and have a look."

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I won't have the chance to go there in the future."

Akai Muzi's words and expression were choked at this moment, but she quickly returned to normal, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

"."

Fujii Itsuki did not respond. As Akai Muzi spoke, the smile on her face became less and less.

Within two seconds, she held the milk tea, lowered her head, and fell silent.

"How about you, Ashu, tell me what you just said again."

"do you need?"

"."

"."

"Forget it."

*
Shinjuku district, along the Kanda River.

Matsumae Shinchun picked up her cell phone, turned on the screen, and found that it was early morning.

As I recall, Mr. Fujii and Ms. Muzi returned to the hotel around ten o'clock in the evening. After returning to the hotel, the two separated and went into their respective rooms.

As for the woman sitting by the Kanda River drinking beer, Matsumae Shinchun could only assume that she had sneaked out to relax when no one was paying attention.

The girl walked down the steps to the river, along the lawns on both sides of the river, towards Akai Muzi who was sitting by the river.

The other party soon discovered her.

While turning her head, Akai Muzi was still holding the beer can that she had just taken a sip from.

"Xinchun?"

"it's me."

Matsumae Shinharu crossed her arms, her long hair blown by the night breeze by the river.

The girl approached silently and sat next to Akai Muzi.

She looked to the right side of Akai Muzi and saw at least ten cans piled up there.

Matsumae Shinchun raised her head and looked at Akai Muko's red face again:
"For Mr. Muzi, what is the most precious memory of you and Mr. Fujii in the past?"

"Hiccup, Xinchun, why are you asking this?"

"Teacher, you are drunk."

"This. This is not important."

"One is curiosity. The other is still curiosity. I want to know what Mr. Fujii was like in the past."

"He, he, actually, was always like this before he met you guys. If you want to talk about precious memories, it must be when Shu rode his bicycle to take me to school every day, every day."

As Akai Muzi spoke, her tone became melancholy due to the alcohol.

"Every day?"

"every day."

"Then Teacher Muzi, do you think that memory is precious?"

"Yes, for sure!"

"Teacher Muzi, you drank too much."

"It's okay. No one cares anyway."

"Teacher Muzi, I care about that, please don't drink it yet."

"you?"

Akai Muzi turned her head, glanced at the girl, and immediately smiled gently.

She reached out and touched the other person's head. "Thank you, Xinchun, you are such a kind-hearted child. But even if you care about me now, can you still care about me for the rest of your life? You now have someone who cares about you for the rest of your life."

After saying that, she finished another can and threw it into the pile of cans beside her.

Matsumae Shinchun saw this again and could only sigh.

"Ah, I'm almost done drinking."

Akai Muzi tried to stand up, but couldn't stand steadily. Matsumae Shinchun hurried forward to support her, "Where are you going, teacher?"

".Go..Go buy something to drink from the nearby vending machine."

"no!"

"Then Xinchun, can you help me buy it? Good boy."

Matsumae Shinharu finally got Akai Muko to sit down again. She straightened her posture and looked at Akai Muko, who had a sad face, although the outline of her face was a little unclear because it was dark.

"Before we set off, didn't Teacher Muzi tell Xinchun to let it go?"

"Yeah, put it down."

"But this pile of beer cans here, don't tell Xinchun teacher that you put it down!"

Akai Muzi was in a daze, and only then did she see Matsumae Shinchun's serious expression. She shook her head, "Xinchun, why are you so serious?"

Matsumae Xinchun sighed, "I just think that you, Mr. Muzi, are just deceiving yourself. If you really let it go, then you wouldn't have interrupted Mr. Fujii's second repetition when you were at Disney before."

Akai Muzi's eyes widened.

She didn't expect that Xinchun had been following them all along.

What was even more unexpected was that what she said was absolutely correct.

Akai Muzi still didn't want to admit it, she hugged her head uncomfortably.

Memories kept flashing back in my head, memories of the past.

She kept trying to deny these images.

But the more we deny, the more obvious these images become.

The timeline of memory goes further and further back.

She returned to her childhood, that time that she couldn't bear to look back on.

Akai Muzi thought of her past self.

The self who had to brush off the dust on her body and smell herself to see if there was any strange smell before entering school, the self who was given nicknames.

The time of memory suddenly went back, and various blurry images kept flashing.

After she had finally stabilized and seen all the images clearly, she realized that every scene and every part was the image of Fujii Itsuki standing by her side when she was in high school.

Akai Muzi now wanted to laugh at herself thoroughly.

Xinchun was right.

She never let it go.

Seeing Akai Muko like this, Matsumae Shinchun tried to get closer to her and asked:

"In fact, Teacher Muzi has never forgiven me, right? Even though Teacher Fujii said many times that he didn't care about the past, Teacher Muzi just never forgave me."

Akai Muzi raised her head and saw the girl's face.

"Teacher, you may even think that what you are going through now is all your own fault, that it is all deserved, that all the discomfort and pain are deserved. It was you who caused Mr. Fujii to have a very uncomfortable time after you left.

"But Mr. Muzi, you only saw the mistakes you made, but didn't see your guilt and remedies for them afterwards! You always listen to Mr. Fujii's complaints and always respond to Mr. Fujii's calls.

“Every time Mr. Fujii was sick, you took his place in the class and took care of his work.

“Teacher Muzi, not only did you agree to play the wind instrument that you didn’t want to play anymore for him, but you also came all the way here.

“Yes, these are certainly your compensations.

"But when you make a mistake and want to make amends for it, isn't the most important thing to have a positive attitude towards making amends?

"Mr. Muzi, you have done so much. Do you think Mr. Fujii really didn't notice your actions?

"Why do you think Mr. Fujii said this? He no longer cares about what he said before?"

Matsumae Shinharu's words made Akai Muko even more dazed.

But when she calmed down and thought about it, they were all right.

"Xinchun, you kid, you told me all this. How did you know this?"

Matsumae Shinchun smiled, "It's very simple. I have always wanted to see such a positive heart to make amends, but before I could see it, my mother said goodbye to me completely. I never had the chance to tell her that I don't care about the past as long as my mother is willing to come back, even if it's just to look at me."

"."

Akai Muzi didn't know what to say at this moment.

She just asked the girl to leave her alone for a while while she thought about it carefully.

Upon hearing this, Matsumae Shinharu also waited patiently on the side.

"Is the teacher feeling better?"

"So Xinchun, what do you think the teacher should do now?"

"It's very simple. Teacher, what you lack now is the initiative, which is a key factor."

Akagi Muzi thought for a moment and asked again: "Then why did you say these words to me, Xinchun? These are obviously..."

"Teacher Muzi, don't you think that Teacher Fujii has also been troubled by your situation? I think it's just that the two of you haven't fully revealed your most sincere thoughts."

"What if it's revealed? What if it really happens?!"

Matsumae Shinharu smiled rather gently: "Of course, just treat it like Chitose and Satsuki. It's no big deal."

This sentence directly hits Akai Muzi's three views.

It took her a while to recover.

".Are all of you in the Matsumae family like this?"

"At least my grandfather was like this. My grandmother never said anything about my grandfather's problems in this regard. My grandfather was also married into the Matsumae family. The relationship between the two is still very harmonious, and my grandfather has never lied to my grandmother.

"Xinchun now wants to be like grandma."

".So what should I do?"

"Teacher, do you still remember the barbecue party Xinchun mentioned last time?"

Akai Muzi looked at her, ".Really?"

Matsumae Shinchun leaned close to her ear and whispered softly:
"The teacher will know when he goes there."

(End of this chapter)