Chapter 91

As the days passed, Halloween drew closer.

Among the young people in Kōtōbu, a new rumor began to circulate.

Four college students, two boys and two girls, were chatting in an izakaya.

"Sei, do you know about a really scary movie?"

"Scary movie? What's the point? It won't scare me."

"This one is different, it's very realistic. Many people who watched it were scared to tears."

"Are you kidding? That sounds like a total lie! Sumi, let's go and expose this lie, what do you think?"

The thin young man, who clearly didn't take it seriously, immediately invited the girl next to him.

"I'll be scared~" the girl, Sumi, looked worried, "What if it's really too scary?"

"Come on, these movies are always exaggerated. Besides, I'll be here, so you won't be scared~"

At this point, a boy nearby heard and snickered, looking at the thin guy.

"Sei, don't cry when you get scared!"

"What are you talking about? I won't cry! I've even watched 'Kwaidan'!"

"Since we're all adults, why make such big claims? If you're so brave, why don't you try it and see if you get scared?"

"Are you saying you cried? Hahaha"

"Of course not! A weakling like you would cry!"

"Hahaha, then I'll go and show you! Where can I get the tickets?"

"Right now, only that disco is giving out some tickets. There are a few theaters in Tokyo that have them, but the number is very limited."

"Which disco?" Sei was a bit unsure, was it the one they often talked about, the original disco in Kōtōbu?

"Yes, that one!"

"In that case, this sounds interesting~"

It always seems like the young people in Kōtōbu have so much going on,

spending their days not working or studying, just spreading gossip and rumors.

...

Let's switch to another story.

After a few autumn rains, the weather started to warm up again,

but it wasn't the late summer heat; it was more like the tail end of summer giving one last push.

This weekend, there was nothing special,

Nagayama Naoki woke up naturally again,

opened the window, and the cool, fresh air and bright sunlight sneaked into the room,

what a beautiful day~

After washing up, he hung the clothes from the washing machine on the balcony. The scent of detergent mixed with the breeze, giving a refreshing feeling.

As he looked down, he noticed the cosmos flowers in the old house downstairs had bloomed, with delicate pink petals among the short green leaves, as if playing hide-and-seek.

When he bought the seeds, they were a mix of various colors. Now, he could see white, pink, light yellow, orange, and light purple flowers in the yard.

Just like in the book, it was indeed a good idea to recreate the scene from the book in real life.

Nagayama Naoki watched for a while, feeling satisfied, then returned to the room,

took some milk and bread from the fridge for breakfast,

and while eating, he glanced at the phone.

"Seems like I made a promise with Aki and the others to invite them over when the flowers bloom."

Nagayama Naoki looked at the phone again, it would be a bit shy for girls to call and make plans, right?

Without hesitation, Nagayama Naoki dialed the number.

Beep beep beep...

"Moshi moshi, this is the Nakamori household." This time, it was Nakamori Aki who answered.

"Aki-san? This is Nagayama Naoki."

"Ah, it's Naoki-san, good morning~"

He looked at the clock; it was already past 9, indeed morning.

"Hi, good morning to you too, Aki-san." Nagayama Naoki got straight to the point, "As we agreed, when the cosmos flowers in the courtyard downstairs bloom, I would invite you and Aki-san over."

He paused, "The flowers have bloomed. It's a weekend today. Do you and Aki-san have any plans? Would you like to come and see?"

"Huh? So early? Good morning, Naoki-san." Aki was surprised, then moved the phone away, seemingly talking to someone at home.

Nagayama Naoki heard the noise on the other end, leaving him on hold while talking to others...

After a few moments, Nakamori Aki came back,

"Naoki-san?"

"Hi, I'm here."

"Sumimasen, you said the cosmos flowers have bloomed?"

"Hi, it seems the temperature has risen a bit, so they bloomed earlier."

"Eh... Is that so?" Before she could finish, he heard, "Aki, what are you doing... I haven't finished..."

"Naoki-san?" After some noise, Aki's voice came through the phone.

"Hi, I'm here."

"Sumimasen, you said the cosmos flowers have bloomed?"

Speechless, even the questions were the same.

"Hi, yes, it seems the temperature has caused them to bloom earlier."

Nagayama Naoki explained again, "So, would you like to come today? It's a weekend, after all~"

"Hi, I'd love to come!" Aki's voice was very excited.

"Haha, then come over to my apartment. I'll cook lunch for you~"

Nagayama Naoki invited them directly, "Do you know the address?"

"Hi, yes, it's written in the letter, and Tsuruko also told Aki."

"Eh? Aki-san and Tsuruko are that close?"

"Indeed, they are. They're even planning when to have another gathering."

"Hahaha, that's great. Aki-san and Aki, come over quickly. It's 301 on the 3rd floor, to the left of the stairs. I'll be preparing a big meal~"

"Hi, thank you, we'll be there soon~"

After hanging up, Nagayama Naoki was a bit surprised by the relationship between the girls. Tsuruko and Aki had only met once during a visit, yet they became good friends. It was really hard to understand.

...

It takes about an hour to get from Seirai Town to Waseda Station by train,

so this was a good opportunity to buy some ingredients.

Can't cook what you buy? What a joke!

A man who has lived alone for nearly 50 years, if he can't cook, he'd starve to death.

In his previous life, he cooked a lot. Before working, he had no money, and after working, he needed to save, so he tried to save wherever he could.

Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating out or ordering takeout, plus there are so many online tutorials, so he developed a good cooking skill.

Dishes that are popular in Japan include Mapo Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, and Sichuan Pepper Beef, all home-style dishes. It would be interesting to serve Chinese food today.

However, he didn't usually keep the ingredients for these dishes at home, and even the seasonings were limited, so he had to buy them all.

Fortunately, city supermarkets usually have everything,

Nagayama Naoki bought the necessary ingredients and seasonings, and also prepared some drinks.

Come to think of it, the house should be cleaned, after all, guests are coming,

Thinking about it, an hour seems quite tight,

He wasn't sure if he could finish before Nakamori Aki and Nakamori Aki arrived.

...