Blessings from Village A Residents

　　"My mother died of illness when I was little."

　　"But I still remember the words I said to him, the stars I saw with her, and her smile that was happier than anyone else even when I was lying in the hospital bed..."

　　Fumino looked back to see Shinichi, apart from nostalgia and emotion, there was no sadness on her face.

　　"My mother is a cheerful and gentle person! Even though she always made people feel unreliable, the atmosphere she was in would never become heavy. She also said that she wanted to be like an air purifier. Humans need to purify all negativity from around us... Although I didn't really understand what she was talking about at that time."

　　"But now, it's too late to understand."

　　"When she died, of course we were all sad… but I immediately cheered up."

　　"Because mom said she wouldn't disappear. She will continue to watch over me in the starry sky, as written in the books."

　　Her eyes fixed on the stars that disappeared and reappeared with the movement of her finger, Fumino muttered.

　　"The lights in the sky are all stars… One day, I can also find my mother's stars, right?"

　　The sound of this sentence became softer and softer, Fumino immediately smiled shyly.

　　"Ehehe, does it sound a bit naive? However, this is what made me really fall in love with the stars... No, it was astronomy. I also want to get involved in this field in the future and embark on the path of accompanying the stars."

　　"For this, I have to go to a good university first!"

　　She looked at Shinichi and suddenly blinked, with a mischievous look in her eyes: "This is the reason why I chose science? How does it compare to Ricchan."

　　"…This is incomparable."

　　After listening to what she said, Shinichi finally spoke.

　　"Because that is the reason to work hard for this, no matter if it is naive, simple, or incomprehensible... As long as it is important enough to you."

　　"After all, humans are creatures who live for themselves."

　　Fumino stared at him for a few seconds, then covered her mouth and laughed.

　　"Oh my, you said something like a famous quote. You really are Asada-san~"

　　Fumino smiled cheerfully and shook her legs.

　　"But thanks, I can hear you comforting me!"

　　The air in the sports warehouse was obviously stale, but when Shinichi listened to her voice, he could feel a breath of fresh air.

　　"You are like air freshener."

　　Without realizing it, he commented like this.

　　"What?" Fumino was about to pretend to be angry and say that Shinichi was using metaphors indiscriminately, but she quickly thought about what he had just said, a blush appeared on her face.

　　Is this secretly praising her for being cheerful and gentle?

　　A feeling of shame and joy spread through her heart, and at the same time she was a little overwhelmed by his sudden attack.

　　"...I-I don't give off the impression of being unreliable to others, right? I think I'm usually a pretty reliable person."

　　Her calves stopped shaking, Fumino placed her hands on her knees and shrunk her shoulders, pretending to be dissatisfied.

　　"Comfort followed by praise, Asada-san's awkward two-hit combo is truly terrifying..."

　　"What did you say?"

　　"There isn't any!" Fumino regained her energy, facing Shinichi's doubtful gaze, and her tone became serious.

　　"So, after listening to my story, what do you think?"

　　"My opinion?" Shinichi tilted his head slightly.

　　"Yes." Fumino put on a listening expression.

　　"Even though I brought up the topic myself, after saying so much, I always want to get input!"

　　"...Makes sense."

　　Shinichi agreed with her theory, as he had just said this to Hachiman yesterday. Even though he didn't get any useful input, he did get a very interesting dark history from the man.

"Let me think about it..."

　　Shinichi held his chin with one hand and thought for a moment.

　　He wanted to get the answer now, which wouldn't give him much time, security would be arriving soon.

　　And after today, it would be difficult to get another chance to be alone in an enclosed space.

　　For some reason, Shinichi felt a little sorry. At the same time, he was also thinking about the answer.

　　"I've said it many times in the past... Besides, I remember saying something similar."

　　Shinichi couldn't help but laugh, while Fumino looked at him.

　　"However, I still have to say this—"

　　Shinichi met Fumino's eyes.

　　"Just do whatever you want, and I will support you. As long as you don't betray your dreams, I won't betray you."

　　"So… Furuhashi Fumino, go and be a brave person who makes your dreams come true."

　　He stretched out his finger and gently touched the girl's forehead.

　　Then, he smiled a little embarrassedly.

　　"This is the blessing of Villager A, please accept it."

　　Fumino felt an inexplicable warmth seem to spread from her brows.

　　She smiled, looked down, and whispered piously.

　　"Then I accept it with great gratitude."

　　"Thank you, Asada-san."

　　Shinichi stretched out an extra finger and lowered his voice, imitating the famous scene.

　　"You're welcome, my stupid student."

　　Fumino understands that this is what Shinichi would do when he feels embarrassed, and he uses a joke to lighten the mood.

　　The feelings in her heart were not reduced by this. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding and her cheeks and chest felt hot. She raised her eyes and looked at the man who was pretending to be serious, and her smile became a little embarrassed.

　　Pushed forward by the atmosphere, Fumino leaned forward, getting closer to Shinichi.

　　"Well, Asada-san, there is one more thing I want to say..."

　　"Especially? There was so much talk about life today…" Before Shinichi finished speaking, he saw the girl's red lips coming towards him.

　　"F-Fumino?"

　　"What you thought I was going to say just now… Can you say it now?"

　　A mumbling sound mixed with hot breath blew faintly onto Shinichi's face.

　　For some reason, Shinichi suddenly could understand the seniors who made mistakes in the sports warehouse.