Hayato couldn't recall where he had heard the name Yamano Yuta.
The name was too common.
Names like Shota, Shouno, Shouno, Shota, Yuta, and Liangtai were all common male names in Japan.
Perhaps there were people named that in Baiqiu High School as well.
Hayato was currently sitting on a bus, watching the scenery slowly drift by outside the window.
Small places like Yaso Inaba didn't have subways, and even calling a taxi was inconvenient. The most suitable method of transportation for ordinary high school students was the bus.
It truly was different from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
The atmosphere of the small town of Yaso Inaba was notably quiet.
The bus didn't even need air conditioning; the evening breeze by the window was comfortable enough.
Beside the road, bathed in the vibrant sunset, were rice paddies filled with water.
The lush green rice stalks still looked a bit shriveled, not yet reaching their fullest state.
On the other side was a nearly transparent stream. The main channel visible from this section of the bus's route was very narrow, as if one could cross it in just two or three steps.
Along the stream, there was a faint shimmer of light, whether from broken glass bottles or glistening pebbles, it was hard to tell.
The stream water flowed gurglingly.
Occasionally, it would rush onto the riverbank, washing over the stones there.
In his ears, he could hear the chirping of unknown insects and the calls of birds, sometimes near, sometimes far.
The evening breeze blew, scattering Hayato's bangs.
It also made the leaves rustle.
The road wasn't wide, and there were even fewer pedestrians.
After a good while, Hayato only saw a few elderly people leisurely pedaling bicycles.
They probably heard the sound of the bus behind them and instinctively moved to the side.
As the bus passed by, the old man on the bicycle looked up.
He met Hayato's gaze.
The old man offered him a kind and gentle smile, and slowly nodded.
Unfortunately, the bus was much faster than the bicycle, so by the time Hayato wanted to return the nod, they were no longer parallel.
"...Yaso Inaba is as peaceful as ever," Nanao Akane, sitting beside Hayato, exclaimed sincerely.
"Rather than 'peaceful,' I'd say it's more 'dilapidated,'" Yamano Yuta, sitting behind them, shrugged and said.
He had grown up in the small town of Yaso Inaba his whole life, only visiting Tokyo a few times, and those were when he was very young.
So, what Nanao Akane considered 'hometown,' to him was just an ordinary town he had grown tired of.
He specifically said to Hayato:
"Kobayashi-chan, this place is really super boring, even during holidays—no amusement parks, no water parks, you even have to go to the neighboring town to watch a movie. How pitiful, to be tricked back by Akane. I think you'll get bored after five days...oh no, three days!"
"What do you mean 'tricked'?" Nanao Akane glared at Yamano Yuta, without turning around, displeased.
"Tokyo is so much fun!" Yamano Yuta said dejectedly, "If I didn't lack funds, I'd definitely go play for a week after the holidays!"
"Actually, it's just average," Hayato said with a smile. "Big cities have their advantages, and small towns have theirs too."
"Ah, ah~" Yamano Yuta spread his hands and said, "That's the kind of thing only people from big cities say. It's just to give us small-town folks a little comfort. I get it, I get it, I won't take it seriously."
Hayato didn't respond, still looking at the endless fields outside.
In the distance, there were faintly visible low mountains.
Although the sunset was already blood-red, he could still see their greenish-blue color.
"Speaking of which, Akane, how did you manage to get Kobayashi-chan?" Yamano Yuta idly inquired.
"Why do you put it so unpleasantly? What do you mean I..." Nanao Akane paused mid-sentence, thinking carefully.
Ah, at first...no, rather, even in the 'mid-term' and 'late-term' of her relationship with Kobayashi-chan, she was the one desperately trying to get close to him.
But as a girl, how could she say such a thing? Especially in front of a male who grew up with her and was a year younger than her, it was even harder to speak.
Nanao Akane secretly glanced at Hayato.
She saw that he was completely focused on the novel scenery of Yaso Inaba.
She quickly and softly whispered to Yamano Yuta:
"He was the one who pursued me."
After saying that, she cautiously watched Hayato, afraid that her big talk would be exposed.
Seeing that he still hadn't reacted, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But Yamano Yuta wouldn't give up and continued to gossip, "I don't see it that way, you're talking Nonsense..."
In Yamano Yuta's eyes, Nanao Akane was still the 'country girl' who came out of Yaso Inaba, while Hayato was a native Tokyoite.
A Tokyo 'master' was the real master.
He had priority in mate selection. Although Akane wasn't bad-looking, there were too many beautiful girls in Tokyo.
"Shut up," Nanao Akane changed the subject. "Don't talk about me, talk about yourself. Do you have a girlfriend?"
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