Yu Duojiaye yawned as he walked down the street. Today, his classmates had dragged him to sing Karaoke. To be honest, the average size of Karaoke rooms on the island nation was truly indescribable.
A room for five people was about the same size as the bathroom in a large private room back in Daxia from Yu Duojiaye’s memory. It was really something else.
Even going out to use the restroom was a hassle.
Moreover, the time restrictions were quite strict. In places like KTVs on the island nation, minors under 16 could only use them before 6 p.m. After that time, staff would come and tell you to get lost.
However, enforcement wasn’t that strict. Usually, if you said you were seventeen, they’d let you stay until before 10 p.m.
As for wanting to continue past 10 p.m., don’t even think about it. If someone reported you, it wouldn’t just be a simple fine.
Fortunately, he was already an adult, but he still had to catch the last bus.
After saying goodbye to Fuyuki Saburo and the others, Yu Duojiaye headed toward the bus stop.
If there was one good thing about the island nation, it was probably that public transportation like trains and buses operated for relatively long hours, usually until midnight.
After all, with a small land area and sparse population, the only way to minimize losses was to extend operating hours. Thinking about it that way, it made sense.
After a bumpy bus ride to his neighborhood, Yu Duojiaye went to a convenience store to buy some snacks and drinks, planning to restock his refrigerator.
Tomorrow, Fujiang would definitely come to his place. If he didn’t have these things ready, she’d throw a fit and make him go out to buy them.
Besides, Little Tomie also liked snacks. Compared to Fujiang, Little Tomie was incredibly easy to please.
Just two potato chips would fill her up completely, leaving her lying beside him, too full to move, humming contentedly.
After discovering this, Yu Duojiaye stopped bothering to cook specially for Little Tomie. After all, if a little snack could solve the problem, why go through the trouble?
Moreover, snacks came in a variety of flavors and options, offering more choices.
Of course, if Little Tomie insisted on having a proper meal, Yu Duojiaye would oblige. It was no trouble—he’d just set aside a portion for her after cooking.
Carrying the snacks, he walked toward home. The streetlights divided the narrow street into clearly defined segments.
In an alley still some distance from his home, a figure suddenly appeared ahead.
If the person hadn’t passed under a streetlight and revealed their form, Yu Duojiaye might not have even noticed them. This was probably the secret to how ninjas disappeared into the darkness.
So, Yu Duojiaye finally understood why in island nation anime, villains always emerged from places not illuminated by streetlights—because the range of the streetlights here was really very limited!
The figure ahead seemed to be a girl, carrying a large black bag filled with things.
Looking closely, she appeared to be picking through the grass along the roadside, as if collecting trash.
Realizing what she was doing, Yu Duojiaye was taken aback. It wasn’t that he discriminated against a girl collecting trash, but he was surprised that someone in the island nation would actually do such a thing.
After all, in this country, collecting trash could be illegal and even land you in jail!
The first time Yu Duojiaye learned about the relevant laws, he was utterly shocked. Damn, even something like this could be illegal—it was beyond belief.
At this thought, Yu Duojiaye couldn’t help but give a mental thumbs-up to the other person’s courage.
Most importantly, scavenging for trash wasn’t easy on the island nation. With trash bins off-limits for rummaging, the only way to find discarded items was to try one’s luck in high-traffic areas.
After all, trash that had been meticulously sorted and organized was not allowed to be illegally collected.
It was already late, and judging by the girl’s full bag, she must have covered quite a distance to gather this much.
Glancing at the nearly empty soda can in his hand, Yu Duojiaye tilted his head back and finished it in one gulp, then jogged a few steps forward.
“Hello, I have a soda can here. Do you need—”
The girl in front turned around in pleasant surprise upon hearing him and quickly expressed her gratitude.
“Ari—”
“Jiayezi?”
Hearing the question, Jiayezi, who had been slightly bowing, froze abruptly. Her eyes flustered and disbelieving, she slowly looked up.
“Ka… Kanade-kun…”
Hearing the faint tremor in Jiayezi’s voice, Yu Duojiaye glanced at the overflowing recycling bag in her hand.
“How did you—”
“No… no!!”
Before Yu Duojiaye could finish his sentence, Jiayezi’s eyes reddened instantly. She shook her head repeatedly, stepping back a few paces, then suddenly turned and dashed forward.
In her panic, she even stumbled and fell hard.
Her sudden flight left Yu Duojiaye momentarily stunned. Realizing that Jiayezi was afraid he would look down on her because of this, he quickly dropped the snacks in his hand and chased after her.
“Jiayezi, Jiayezi, stop!!”
“No, Kanade-kun, don’t look at me!!”
Amidst tearful, self-deprecating cries, Jiayezi sprinted forward.
But the fall had clearly injured her leg, and with her limping gait, Yu Duojiaye soon caught up and grabbed her.
“Why are you running? Don’t you know you’re hurt?!”
Faced with Yu Duojiaye’s scolding, Jiayezi merely pursed her lips and shook her head silently.
“No… no…”
Muttering helplessly, she kept trying to break free from Yu Duojiaye’s grip.
Yu Duojiaye frowned at the sight.
“Stop moving!”
“No…”
Ignoring his stern tone, Jiayezi, lost in her emotions, continued to murmur and struggle.
Looking down at the blood on her knee, Yu Duojiaye instructed, “Wait here for me. I’ll go buy a bandage.”
With that, he turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Jiayezi suddenly grabbed his arm, her voice trembling with a heartbreaking plea.
“Kanade-kun… please… please don’t hate me…”
Yu Duojiaye froze, and before he could turn around, he heard Jiayezi sobbing and begging.
“I… I won’t scavenge for trash anymore, Kanade-kun. Please don’t hate me, okay? I’m begging you…”
Turning to face her, he saw Jiayezi’s tear-streaked face, her eyes pleading and timid.
For some reason, Yu Duojiaye suddenly felt she resembled a stray dog—ownerless, wandering the streets alone.
At this thought, his heart softened inexplicably.
“I won’t hate you. I absolutely won’t. Stop crying.”
Lost in her fear and anxiety, Jiayezi couldn’t fully process Yu Duojiaye’s reassurance. She merely clung tightly to his arm, whispering over and over, begging him not to hate her.
People with personality flaws often become so consumed by their emotions that they can hardly hear the outside world.
Jiayezi was clearly in such a state. Watching her pull at his sleeve while weeping softly, Yu Duojiaye sighed and reached out to draw her into his embrace.
“Don’t cry. I won’t dislike you.”
Amidst his gentle comfort, Jiayezi’s emotions gradually settled.
Meanwhile, on the windows of surrounding houses, the all-devouring darkness also began to fade away.