[Net King] Pilgrim

The Shonan coast in the autumn season is like an old time that was inadvertently recorded but properly treasured. Every frame of film is a painting.

Machida sat on the back seat of the private car, leaning his elbows on the window, watching the scene passing by outside the window like a gradually rolled up curtain on both sides, with calm and long eyes.

When passing through the Yokohama area, there was a light rain. The rain was not heavy but it came suddenly. It went all the way underground and did not stop after entering Kamakura.

An hour ago, when Machida Hisa's casual voice came from the other end of the phone, as if she had expected something, she held the phone and stood up unconsciously.

"I met grandpa." After a whisper of conversation over there, he smiled and told her: "Grandpa said, I miss you so much after I haven't seen you for such a long time, and I want you to come and talk to his old man, and relax by the way."

Machida closed his eyes with a headache.

Maybe because he didn't hear her reply, Machida Hisashi smiled and said to the person next to him, "I'm asking Hajime, don't worry." The voice was not too loud, and it happened to reach her ears.

She thought that if she kept pretending to be dumb like this, he might hand over the phone at any time.

Originally, she had been so busy recently that she didn't think of contacting her grandfather often. Before, her mother reminded her several times, and she responded seriously every time, but she lost her memory when she got busy.At this moment, the old man called her over on the phone. As a junior, how could she let grandpa talk to her in person again.

"Then you tell grandpa, I'll go home and clean up."

After hanging up the phone, Machida sent a text message: someone will pick you up at home later.

Not daring to delay for a moment, Machida rushed home from the library and took two changes of clothes. After hesitating for a while, he made room for review materials in the luggage bag.

Before leaving the house, her mother called her to stop, carrying a packed bag in her hand, "Ajiu said on the phone that you should take these to eat on the road."

The packages of various snacks in the plain white handbag were crowded together. She took it and listened to her mother's advice: "Although I tell you to relax, you must also pay attention to your diet. Don't ignore it as soon as you eat it."

She was a little embarrassed and just about to refute, but was urged by her mother to get in the car quickly.

Sitting in the car, Machida flipped through the bag of snacks beside him twice, and peeked into it curiously.

The person in the driver's seat glanced at her through the rearview mirror, and asked familiarly, "Yi hasn't been to Kamakura for a long time, right?"

She was taken aback, raised her head and smiled, "Well, it's been about two years."

She recognized the driver, named Watanabe.Not only know, but also quite familiar.

Watanabe was his grandfather's personal secretary before he retired, and he was highly valued because of his calm and upright manner. Later, his grandfather retired to the second line and appointed him to assist his father.

The car turned a corner and drove to the cherry blossom approach in front of Hachiman Shrine. Watanabe slowed down the speed, as if stuck in memory, "I remember you and Ajiu would come and live here for a while every year, plus the two brothers from the Fuji family, and What is the boy's name..."

He tried to think about it, "Oh, it's called Zuobo, right? You little Doudings can't stay idle, you laugh and laugh endlessly, which makes the adults worry about you all day long."

His voice was slow, and Machida could see his smile emerging from the wrinkles around his eyes as soon as he sat in the back seat.Childhood memories flooded into her mind intermittently, and she was stunned for a while, but she didn't know how to answer.

Watanabe seemed to be just sighing, and didn't expect her to say anything. Afterwards, he simply asked her about her studies and life, and the two chatted with each other.

When the car finally drove into an alley near Yuling Shrine, the pattering rain gradually stopped.

There are few people in the alley, and the buildings with gray tiles and gray walls have rainwater dripping down the sloping eaves, bringing a little bit of coolness.

The car stopped in front of a private ancient folk house deep in the alley.As soon as Machida stepped on the wet bluestone road with his luggage bag in hand, he suddenly felt that most of the heat had dissipated.

She looked at the house in front of her. The whole building exudes an old-fashioned atmosphere unique to wood. The style is the most traditional construction technique in Japan, and the mango roof is full of a heavy sense of history.

She looked around, a little puzzled.

Watanabe smiled and explained to her: "Ajiu rented this place to live with friends, let me bring you here to store your luggage."

She nodded and was led into the courtyard. A flower stand was set up on the right side of the courtyard, with potted plants placed on it, and there were flowers and plants everywhere.

The owner of the ancient folk house seemed to be familiar with Watanabe. When he saw the two entering the house, he greeted them with a smile, "Mr. Watanabe, the room has been prepared."

The owner is a young woman with a graceful figure, wearing a golden tea kimono with crimson maple leaf patterns, her eyebrows and eyes are charming but not frivolous.

After Watanabe said hello, she turned her side slightly, and she noticed Machida Kazu who was a step behind, and she was delighted: "Eh? You are the youngest daughter of the Machida family, right?" Lower body, "Hello, my name is Amakusa."

Machida was stunned by her sudden enthusiasm, and raised his eyes to meet her black eyes with a smile.

She nodded, lightly grasped the woman's slender fingers, "Hello, my name is Machida Kazu."

"Well, welcome!" Amakusa looked serious and smiled even more, "Your brother and the others went to Enoshima after lunch, please ask me to take care of you for a while."

She straightened up and took Machida's hand hanging by her side naturally, and showed her the room with great interest, "I guess you don't like those fancy things very much, so I simply arranged them."

Machida looked back at Watanabe in a hurry, saw him standing with his hands behind his back and nodded at her with a smile, she felt at ease.

When passing the corridor leading to the back door, Amakusa suddenly stopped, pointed to the direction of the backyard, and whispered to her: "The old man is having tea in the backyard, you pack up and come down."

Machida was puzzled for a while, and noticed Amakusa's suddenly submissive expression, and after a little thought, he realized that the "old man" in her mouth was referring to grandpa.

She put the luggage bag on the tatami in the house, and didn't bother to look at the furnishings of the room. She just took off her coat and hung it up, went around the sink to tidy up, and hurried downstairs.

It has just rained and the backyard is a bit muddy.

Surrounded by several green bamboos in the courtyard, the bamboo leaves are sparse.The clouds and mists of the distant mountains are in front of you, and you only feel remote and peaceful.

There is a pergola under the lush bamboo.Machida walked along a path that had been opened.

The pergola is a little crude, with only a desk and a few bamboo chairs in the middle, a few ancient books scattered on the desk, and a stove and tea kettle on the other side.

Machida Shusaku was lying in the rocking chair with his eyes slightly closed, with a thin blanket covering his legs, as if he was taking a nap.

Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he just sat up, his eyes were clear and energetic, and his dark blue kimono made him look particularly tough.

Machida Kazu was standing by the desk, picked up a piece of tea from the tea bowl, put it in his mouth, and ground it finely.She didn't have much research on tea, she only felt that the tea had a high aroma and a sweet and mellow taste.

Machida Shusaku raised his hand subconsciously, and she handed him the freshly poured tea, "Grandpa."

The old man paused, looked up to see her, his eyes fainted with a smile, and while taking the tea bowl, he beckoned her to sit in front of him, "You girl, you haven't seen anyone for more than half a year, if I just ran into Ajiu, I don't know where to catch you."

She sat on the bamboo chair in front of her with a guilty expression on her face, "It's Ah Yi's fault, I will definitely pay attention to it in the future, and come to talk with you more often."

The old man turned the tea bowl, skimmed off the foam and took a sip, looked at her and snorted coldly, without expressing his opinion.

Machida didn't dare to go against it at this moment, he quickly laughed and laughed: "Is grandpa still in good health? Why do you remember going back to Kamakura?"

The grandparents of the Machida family lived in Kamakura for generations. It is said that the ancestors once produced samurai. Although there is no way to verify it, Machida Shusaku went to Tokyo alone when he was young, and he has a spirit of tenacity and faith in his bones.Later, when the foundation of his career was solid, he trained his son to take over slowly, and he himself retired early and moved to Yokohama.

It’s just that because of getting old, people and things from the past often appear in my mind like a movie, which always makes people feel bored, and the old man has a restless temper, so he has come to Kamakura every once in a while in the past few years stay.In the early years, Machida and his children often came here to hang around, but now it is very deserted.

The old man kept looking ahead in a daze, and didn't answer. Machida Kazuya shut his mouth wisely, lowered his head and beat his leg silently.

"Are your parents okay?"

Asked suddenly, she was slightly taken aback, but she also answered seriously: "Yes. Dad is on a business trip recently, and Mom is not as busy at work as before, and she always cooks a lot of delicious food for us."

She answered seriously, and the old man was instantly happy when he heard it. He curled up his fingers and scratched her nose lightly, "I'm full of food! If you are such a food lover, I don't see how much meat you have."

Machida Kazu also laughed, "That's because grandpa used to take us to exercise, so we are delicious and not fat."

The old man was so happy after being coaxed by her few words, he was no longer worried just now, but when he saw her slightly thinner face, he still couldn't help but lower his voice, "You should also go out and walk around more, don't spend all day Compete with that book."

Machida responded with a smirk, not intending to mention the fact that she packed a dozen review materials before she came.

The mist in the mountains gradually faded, and the sun peeked out through the thin clouds.

The old man closed his eyes and took a nap while talking, and when he woke up, he found that the girl was still there.

Machida was leaning over the desk to study the ancient books, and when he didn't know much, he saw his grandfather waving his hand to chase away people, "Why are you still sticking to me, an old man, hurry up and go find Ajiu and the others while it's dawn."

"..." Didn't you ask me to come and accompany you?

As if guessing what she was going to say, the old man frowned, "I have an appointment with a friend to play shogi at Mingyueyuan in the afternoon, and Watanabe sent someone to take me there later." After a pause, his voice added a bit of loneliness, "North It’s far away, so you and Ajiu don’t need to visit me if you have nothing to do. It’s fun to come here when it’s rare, and you can tell Amakusa if you need anything.”

Machida was dumb for a moment, then walked over, picked up the thin blanket on the old man's lap and lifted it up, "Then we will visit you after you return to Yokohama to rest."

He nodded imperceptibly, closed his eyes and waved, "Go."

-

After Machida returned to the room, he sent a text message to Machida Hisashi asking where he was, but there was no reply after waiting for a long time.

Remembering that Amakusa mentioned that they went to Enoshima just now, she thought about it, and felt that she didn't have the guts to make small moves under the nose of her grandpa, so she stopped hiding in the house and read a book, took her coat and went out to find someone .

The phone in her pocket vibrated twice when she passed the Kamakura High School Station on Enoden.

Machida Hisashi: Enoshima Shrine.

After getting off the Enoden, she walked all the way to the island along the Benten Bridge.The sea breeze blows over the bridge, and there is a layer of mist on the calm sea. The sea water is an indescribably beautiful blue.

The sky had cleared up, and the outline of Enoshima appeared in the sea where the water and the sky met on the golden sea level.

After passing a commercial street, you can see the vermilion torii in front of the shrine from a distance.Passing through the torii gates and going up the stairs, the walls at the entrance of Enoshima Shrine are decorated with colorful paintings.

Machida told her that she was at Enoshima Shrine, but did not elaborate on the exact location.She crossed the crowd and looked around, but of course it was unsuccessful, so she went to the temple to beg Zhi Yushou first.

As she walked, she lowered her head and put the begging guard into her pocket. The pocket of her coat was a bit shallow, and she fiddled with the palace for a while before putting the guard away.

Every time Machida thought about the half a minute of dawdling, she felt very grateful, because it was the difference between minutes and seconds that made her miraculously avoid a "little accident".

As soon as she stepped out of the palace door with one foot, when she raised her head, she felt something flying past in front of her eyes, and lightly brushed the broken hair on her forehead.

She froze in fright, her body froze for a moment, and she instinctively turned her head following the sound, just in time to see a soda can fall accurately into the trash can by the wall.

Machida blinked, and his brain slowed down by half a beat.

She was... almost accidentally injured?

While hesitating, a muffled voice suddenly came from the other side: "Sorry."

She turned her head and was taken aback when she saw the person coming. After a while, she subconsciously asked, "Is it true that tennis players have such a high hit rate?"

Echizen Ryoma never expected to meet Machida Kazu in this place.

He walked half a circle around the outside of the temple just now, and casually threw the finished Ponta into the trash can in the corner, completely confident of where he landed, but forgot that this was the main entrance of the temple, and people would come in and out at any time.

When Machida looked at him, he still maintained a sluggish expression. To be honest, it looked a little funny. He was asked for a while, but he thought about it, and calmly said a little arrogantly, "Not necessarily."

She looked at the trash can suspiciously again, intending to tell him that throwing things like this was dangerous, but remembering that he had apologized just now, she thought about it and decided not to mention it.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm here to find my brother and the others." She didn't realize it until she mentioned this, and quickly looked around, "Are you not together, Echizen-kun?"

Echizen Ryoma was completely out of shape, "Who is your brother?"

After Machida heard it one by one, he felt that he might have been preconceived, so he explained, "My brother's name is Machida Hisashi, and he came here for an outing with members of the Seigaku Tennis Club on weekends."

She thought she had expressed it clearly, but the other party was still puzzled after listening, and only a syllable came out of her mouth: "Long?"

Echizen Ryoma flipped through his memory, and after a while he showed an expression of "I know who it is", but Machida always felt that his sudden realization was somewhat different from his own understanding.