584 Thank you, Mrs. Nakano Rena

Not only did Shinichi reply to the quintuplets one by one, he also informed the group of six about the meeting tomorrow morning.

　　It's a coincidence that tomorrow is the death anniversary of the mother of the quintuplets, and they will be visiting the grave in the morning. The cemetery they are in happens to have the Asada family's joke grave, which seems to be in the same area.

　　Since his parents were away, he had no intention of paying his respects during the Obon Festival, and he had only gone there once on a death anniversary a month ago.

　　This gives Shinichi a reason to meet the quintuplets.

　　It is impolite to disturb people's worship for personal reasons, but it is understandable if he goes there to worship his ancestors and just meet friends and chat for a while.

　　Of course, he had to wait until they had finished all their business and were free before it was his turn.

...

　　Time passes and time passes without knowing its geometry.

　　Soon the next morning.

　　Sunday.

　　Shinichi went downstairs and returned to the room after showering. Seeing Rui who was still sleeping soundly in bed, he took his wallet keys and cell phone and slipped out of his room like a thief.

　　It was past 7 am now, and the quintuplets weren't going to go visit the grave until around 9:30 am, but they had a special car to pick them up, and Shinichi relied on his legs, so he had to get out early.

　　Even so, Shinichi did not speed up his steps, and walked for more than an hour to the cemetery.

　　He bought two bouquets of flowers from a newly opened shop, rented a set of grave sweeping equipment, and walked towards the location of the tombstones.

　　Apart from the Asada family grave here, there is another one in his hometown. However, because of the long distance, their family only comes home once a year.

　　If his parents had not gone abroad, he would probably have returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors and visit his grandmother.

　　Shinichi still remembers that there were two little girls in his hometown who often came to disturb him while he was reading and calming down, but he ignored them.

　　Playing with small children is not as important as studying. Shinichi still adheres to this idea even though his personality has changed a lot compared to last year.

　　If his grandmother hadn't asked him to look after two neighborhood girls named Sayama Chie and Adachi Tenka, Shinichi would never have bothered to look after them, he would have just sat in his room without air conditioning and read in seclusion until he returned home.

　　If he returns to the countryside next year...

　　Just bring a few sets of exercise books specifically for studying in Tokyo and supervise them to complete them all within a week!

　　The two little girls must have shed tears.

　　Shinichi wiped the tombstone and couldn't help but smile warmly.

　　(Ah, I have indeed changed)

　　(I'm getting more used to thinking about other people.)

　　He stood up, clasped his hands in front of the tombstone, and closed his eyes.

　　With a sincere expression and a slight movement of his lips, Shinichi said silently:

　　(Thanks to this world for letting me meet them)

　　(Ancestor, rest assured. I am living a good life now)

　　△

　　After putting a bouquet of flowers into a water vase, tidying it up, and pouring a spoonful of water over it, Shinichi returned the sweeper.

　　There is still time. He decided to walk around the cemetery. After completing a circle, he finally stopped in front of an ordinary tombstone.

　　Nakano family grave

　　Fortunately, there was only one Nakano family grave in this cemetery, and the small words engraved on the side confirmed that he had found the wrong person.

　　Nakano Rena.

　　Even though the quintuplets never mentioned their mother's name, based on this naming method, if Shinichi was still wrong, then there was nothing he could do, just think of it as offering flowers to the deceased who was a stranger.

　　Of course, Rena, the mother of Ichika and the others, was also a strange person for Shinichi.

　　He looked at the tombstone and didn't clean it without permission, he didn't even touch the water bottle, he just placed the bouquet of flowers in his hand on the tombstone.

　　Then he squatted down, stared at the name, and was silent for a few seconds.

　　"Excuse me, I'm Asada Shinichi. Your daughter's friend… Um, now a friend."

　　First, Shinichi introduced himself politely. Even though he was the only one there, his lonely voice echoed in the empty grave.

　　Shinichi talked to himself in front of the tombstone.

　　"I don't know, do you care about them down there?"

　　"Even though it seems a bit nosy to say so..."

　　"Ichika works hard to maintain her dreams, and as an older sister, she is perfect. I really hope she can be free from so much pressure and laugh happily."

　　"However, I think she is very reliable."

　　"Nino's cooking skills are as good as those of a great chef. Even though she was gentle and somewhat clumsy, she was always straightforward. She even punched me in the past to protect her family."

　　"But I think she's cute."

　　"Miku has made progress and changes. Even though her is confused now, she can definitely find her own future and dreams and become stronger than me."

　　"So, I think she is very brave."

　　"Yotsuba's physical abilities are truly monster-like. She deserves to be an expert who gradually makes me stronger. But what I admire most about her is her character who burns for everyone and wants to shine on everyone with her smile."

　　"So I think she is very gentle."

　　"Itsuki has a serious personality and likes to eat. She was the most awkward person among everyone, and she was so honest that people could always catch a glimpse of her heart. Although she seems a bit stalkerish, she is caring and responsible and dedicated to learning. She's a good kid."

　　"And, I think she's really cool."

　　"Rest assured, it's not just me, there are still many people in this world who like and care about them."

　　Shinichi tells the quintuplets' current situation to the tombstone.

　　It's just that he avoids the love aspect and focuses on talking about achievements, life growth, and fun and funny things, so that the other person can be happy in heaven.

　　Of course, it could also be that he was afraid that if he told those ridiculous things, the other party would directly ask him to solve the problem with him through dreams.

　　The wind in mid-August was not very cool, and only a rustling sound.

　　"Um?"

　　Shinichi stopped chatting and turned to look.

　　A green cherry tree stood in the corner of the cemetery, its branches swaying in the wind.

　　Although it is not as beautiful as when it is in full bloom, it has a different peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

　　"...Illusion?"

　　Shinichi was very sensitive to sight and didn't notice anyone looking at him, but he seemed to have heard the moving footsteps earlier.

　　The flags were set, so Shinichi wouldn't be careless.

　　He walked behind the bushes, quickly speeding up his movements and looking around.

　　There's no one here.

　　Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid planting more flags, he didn't say anything. Instead, he took out his cell phone and called Ichika.

　　Under the gentle breeze, the call was answered quickly.

　　"Are you almost there? It doesn't matter. I'm not there yet. I'm on my way... Let's visit our own graves first and finish our work before we talk..."

　　After hanging up the phone, Shinichi was completely relieved. Luckily, they didn't hear it.

　　There was no roof for him to jump off of here, so he couldn't commit suicide by crashing into someone else's tombstone just because of his embarrassment.

　　Back at the Nakano family's grave, Shinichi clasped his hands together for the last time, lowered his head thirty degrees, and looked calm and gentle.

　　"...Thank You."

　　(Because of you, I can be changed by your daughter)

　　Then when he heard the sound of a car engine in the distance, Shinichi glanced at the wreaths on the grave and by leaving through the other exit of the cemetery.

　　The shadows of the trees danced, and a figure walked out from the corner and walked towards the opposite exit.