The silver-haired girl, as if stepped straight out of a movie, had suddenly appeared in Tsunayoshi Sawada’s world on a bright, sunny morning—and just as abruptly left his world on an ordinary morning.
Without any warning.
So sudden, it felt as if it had all been a dream.
At first, Tsunayoshi couldn’t accept it.
He kept thinking that perhaps Molli had only been taken away by her father because of some situation, and she would surely come back soon.
After all, if they had moved, the furniture and belongings would have been taken—but almost everything in the Rain Palace household remained. He couldn’t see that they had taken anything!
Every morning, as he passed Molli’s house, Tsunayoshi would linger at the gate for a long time.
He hoped that her figure would emerge on time.
But each time, it was just wishful thinking. He would inevitably get beaten up by Reborn and leave reluctantly, full of frustration.
Back then, the shock of Molli’s departure dominated his emotions. Sure, he felt sad and frustrated, but it wasn’t unbearable.
Since Reborn had arrived, strange people kept appearing around him. Life was chaotic, exhausting, and he had no time to dwell on sadness.
He once believed that Molli might be the only person in his life willing to call him a friend—but gradually, more friends came into his life.
Their presence softened his sadness, emptiness, and loneliness.
He forced himself to stop thinking about her.
Two months after Molli left, one morning, as Tsunayoshi gathered with Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto to head to school, he reflexively glanced across the street.
That glance froze him completely.
Molli’s front gate was open!
Was she back?!
Excited, Tsunayoshi ran toward it, shouting, “Molli!!”
But it wasn’t her. A strange man stepped out, and together with others, he began throwing all of Molli’s belongings out of the house.
Tsunayoshi panicked and rushed forward to stop him. “What are you doing?! This is Molli’s house! This is the Rain Palace!!”
Gokudera and Yamamoto also stepped in to stop him. The three boys blocked the man, radiating the determination of taking him straight to the police.
The man explained that he was the owner of the house. He had rented it to the Rain Palace family but hadn’t received rent for two months and couldn’t contact the tenants. So now he was clearing out the previous tenants’ belongings to rent it to someone else.
Tsuna couldn’t believe it, but Reborn confirmed it was true.
The boy stood dumbfounded at the gate, watching each item filled with memories being tossed out like trash.
The white ceramic cup—that had been Molli’s.
When she had a fever, he had used that cup to give her water.
He remembered her then: though she was sick, lonely, and on the verge of tears, she had forced herself to act independent in front of him, stubborn and cute, softening his heart completely.
Now, the cup lay shattered on the ground.
At that moment, Tsunayoshi realized:
He might never see Molli again.
The girl who had lit up his life was truly gone.
He hadn’t said goodbye.
He hadn’t said “farewell.”
He hadn’t said “sorry.”
He hadn’t said “I like you.”
It didn’t matter if they couldn’t be lovers.
It didn’t matter if they couldn’t even be friends.
All he wanted was to see her once more.
Such a simple wish.
And now, it could never come true.
When the landlord removed the Rain Palace nameplate from the door, all the sorrow, regret, and pain in the boy’s chest spilled over into uncontrollable tears.
Tsuna wept openly, inconsolable, wailing.
His state worried Gokudera and Yamamoto and even frightened the landlord.
“You’re friends of the Rain Palace, right? I understand how hard it is to part from friends, but time cannot be turned back…”
The man, flustered, tried to comfort him. “If you’re really unwilling to let go, go inside and say goodbye. Take one last look. After that, I’ll continue clearing the place.”
Tsuna sniffled his thanks, wiped his tears roughly, and finally entered the house.
The living room was a mess. Many personal items had been cleared, leaving no trace of the old setup. It felt surreal, as if a piece of his life had been erased.
Countless times, he and Molli had sat on that sofa together—playing games, reading manga, watching TV.
From the kitchen came his mother’s voice. Gentle and caring, she never let Molli be alone, always asking Tsuna to accompany her, while she cooked dinner for the two children.
Molli could be harsh with him, but polite and obedient in front of Nana.
Ever since Molli accidentally called Nana “Mom” and Nana had accepted it, she had continued using it.
In front of Tsuna, Molli was like a white cat ready to lash out; in front of Nana, she was a pitiful, drenched little puppy.
Even Molli herself didn’t know how tenderly, yet cautiously, she gazed at Nana.
Tsuna had never heard Molli speak of her mother, but he guessed that she had probably passed away.
Molli’s father was always away on business and lacked care for her, making her life nearly as lonely as his own.
Sometimes, hearing Molli carefully call out “Mom,” Tsuna felt a pang of sadness. Nana must have felt the same.
That was why she cared so much for Molli, treating her like a daughter.
Tsuna had once felt only his home with his mother was empty and lonely.
But in the Rain Palace household, eating together with Molli, that loneliness disappeared.
He, a fatherless boy, and Molli, a motherless girl, sitting together with Nana, felt like a real family. They shared countless joyful dinners.
Those laughs seemed still to echo in his ears—but now the white tablecloth and vase were gone, leaving only empty, bare furniture.
Tsuna entered Molli’s bedroom.
It hadn’t been cleared yet. Everything remained as it had been when she left.
A thin layer of dust covered the floor and desk.
Books she had read, pens she had used, her night lamp, her textbooks—all neatly arranged.
The wardrobe was full of her elaborate dresses, expensive ones, almost all left behind.
The bed was unmade, messy, with a fifty-centimeter-long stuffed rabbit lying there as if asleep.
It was Molli’s favorite, a prize they had failed to win at the arcade claw machine despite spending so much money, until the shop owner gave it to them.
Every night, Molli had hugged it to sleep.
She hadn’t taken it with her.
As if she had completely abandoned their connection.
Why? Why leave without a word, without letting him know—so selfishly?
Too cruel. Too cruel, Molli.
Tsuna picked up the rabbit, his tears staining its smiling face.
With the landlord’s permission, he took the rabbit with him.
Afterward, every trace of the Rain Palace father and daughter was gone from that house.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye. Tsuna grew from 14 to 18.
Over these years, as time went by, he buried his longing for Molli deep within his memory.
With many friends and companions, countless battles, and experiences of growth, he was no longer the fragile boy who cried outside the Rain Palace gate.
Yet—even though his life was now full and happy—on every birthday, when the noise of the day settled, Tsuna still felt a pang of longing.
He remembered Molli.
He remembered the promises they had made: to spend every birthday together, to prepare gifts for each other.
Thinking of her made his breath bitter, his chest tighten—but a faint smile would still appear on his lips.
Tonight, the moonlight was beautiful.
Was Molli, now, under the same sky, gazing at the same moon as him?
Wasn’t that, in a way, still being together?
Tsuna sincerely believed this. So, when his tutor Reborn asked what he was thinking, he answered honestly—and promptly got beaten up.
“Forget it. I already knew what kind of fool you are.”
“You’re an adult now, soon leaving Japan to go to Italy to inherit your family. You should settle this before you go.”
“I’ve found Molli Rain Palace’s whereabouts.”
Reborn adjusted his hat, his dark eyes fixed on him. “Do you want to see her?”
Tsuna’s eyes widened in shock, his pupils trembling, breath forgotten.
His heart raced. Without hesitation, he nodded. “Yes!!!”
Since this trip was Tsuna’s personal mission, he didn’t bring anyone else to avoid disturbing Molli. Only he and Reborn went.
Reborn told him that after leaving the Rain Palace, Molli and her father had disappeared completely for a year.
Even the Vongola intelligence couldn’t track them.
When Molli reappeared, she was an orphan, alone.
She was no longer the rich young lady who spent money freely. She became an ordinary person struggling to survive, living harder than most.
She studied in Yokohama, working for scholarships and tuition, and secretly took part-time jobs after school.
On the train to Yokohama, as Reborn relayed this information, Tsuna’s heart tightened in pain.
He could hardly imagine proud, fragile Molli—the princess-like girl, who complained about her father but still loved him—enduring all these hardships alone.
Tsuna had never faced being completely alone. He had his mother, Reborn, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Lambo, I-Pin, Hibari, Chrome, Futa, and others by his side during the hardest times.
Molli had only herself.
According to Reborn, Molli had been alone since age fifteen. How did this child face such pain and hardship alone all these years?!
Tsuna couldn’t wait to see her, to help her.
But he also knew Molli would probably not want to see him.
She hated anyone seeing her vulnerable side, and if it was him, she would feel even more ashamed and upset.
So, to prevent an awkward reunion, Tsuna decided to secretly observe her first and wait for the right moment to approach.
Of course, part of this caution was also his own nervousness.
Wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a mask, and hiding behind a newspaper, Tsuna, along with a disguised Reborn, arrived at the café where Molli worked.
It wasn’t one of those suggestive maid cafés with revealing outfits.
The café had an English-style decor. Male staff wore British-style waiter uniforms; female staff wore traditional European maid dresses.
Molli worked part-time as a barista.
Like the other female staff, she wore a simple black-and-white maid outfit: long skirts reaching her ankles, apron tied in a bow at the back, a maid headpiece holding her beautiful silver hair half-up.
Though everyone wore the same outfit, Molli stood apart. Her expression was serious, her movements elegant, and she exuded the presence of a white flower blooming in an oil painting. One could not look away.
Across the door and several steps away, when their eyes met—her emerald eyes meeting his—Tsuna felt the seed that had died in his heart because of her silent departure suddenly take root, growing instantly into a towering tree.
Flowers bloomed in full splendor.