44 44 Take the hand of the angel. (1/2)

When Zhou Da arrived at the famous shrine in an area about an hour's drive away from the area where he lived, people still seemed to be uninterrupted, although the number of people was considerably lower than when they saw it on TV.

”Most people are down, but they're still pretty much there.”

”Right.”

”Midday, make sure you don't fall off. I think it's easy for us to get together because we're careful and we have smartphones, but still, we want to worship together.”

”Yes.”

Midday, dressed in kimonos, is the hardest time to move, and your feet are slow. Though shoes are boots, kimonos will walk slower than others as stride is limited.

Though not enough to spark the crowd, it is still to the extent that it is easy for the shoulders to bump into each other, so I have to be careful with this one.

”Well, shall we go”

Shibako's lead led the crowd to clear their hands and mouths toward the water shed first, but many people still have their gaze drawn to them at midday.

There were not many people wearing kimonos, and the middle of the day when they had been wearing kimonos was not that prominent.

Even a uniform with nothing to wear in the first place catches people's attention. There is no way a clear Orthodox girl can be in Japanese costume and discreet.

I gather my gaze because even the tricks that are cleansing my mouth are beautiful.

”... what's wrong?

”Anything.”

Though I didn't think it was funny, I wouldn't talk about it, and Zhou follows his parents who walk forward with their hands and mouths cleansed just like his parents.

I am walking along at midday at first, but it seems that the Japanese costume is still difficult to judge the hem without wearing it to normal, and because of the crowd it was slower than usual.

”Midday, are you okay?”

”Yes, that's about it... hiccup”

Zhou held him down with his arms as his shoulders were hitting other worshippers and he was falling apart.

”You don't look all right.”

”... excuse me”

”Look, give me a hand”

I'm letting you walk dressed like you're unfamiliar with boulders, so there's no way you don't care.

Reach for the little palms peeking through your sleeves and midday will look up at you.

If I tried to pull my hand in to see if I could possibly dislike it, Zhou stared back at me without understanding the translation, as I rushed to lay my hands on top of each other and stared up at Zhou again.

If you look at it, the middle of the day slips away from your gaze and grabs the palm of Zhou's hand.

What is it? It wasn't long before I twisted my neck. I was about to get in the stream and get to the front of the coin box, so Zhou kept my little doubts in my chest, feeling the feel of the connected hand for sure.

”I've been hoping for quite a while, what have I been hoping for”

I'll ask him at midday, where he was quietly praying, a little away from the line after his worship.

In the middle of the day, when I worshipped with such beautiful things as a sample, my eyes were closed about twice as close as Zhou's and my hands were together. I was distracted by the elegance of the thank-you that followed, but I remembered and heard that she was making some wishes.

”Is it a disease-free breath disaster?”

”Wow, the easy one”

Speaking of midday, it seems midday.

I was wondering what I wished for because I didn't really have appetite, financial appetite, honor, etc., so should I say that I clapped it out with something that was within the scope of my expectations?

”And.”

”And?”

”... I hope you have a peaceful day,”

Again, this was a midday wish.

A midday that doesn't like stimulation or change very much is something that seems to wish for, and it would be a unique wish for a midday that prefers peace and tranquility.

”If my mother were here, it wouldn't be calm.”

”That's what you can enjoy.”

Though I thought it was something like that... I don't pinch my mouth because I seem to enjoy myself, I take a soft looking midday hand.

I haven't completely gotten out of the crowd yet, and I'm having trouble getting rolled over by the time I get to my parents, who finish their visit first and wait a little further away.

I held hands in that sense, but in the middle of the day I blinked small, lowered my eyes just a little shy, and then shook Zhou's hand back.

”Both of you, over here.”