Summer rain was as unpredictable as Fujiang’s mood, changing without giving anyone time to react.
One moment the sun was shining brightly, the next lightning flashed and rain poured down.
Standing by the roadside holding clothes and tableware specially purchased for Little Tomie, Yu Duojiaye noticed it was already 4 PM.
Not wanting to keep the little one waiting too long, or for Fujiang to discover Little Tomie’s presence upon returning home, Yu Duojiaye was forced to buy another umbrella.
At the bus stop, he examined the contents of the bag – clothes and toy tableware he’d spent considerable time selecting. The shop owner had worn a knowing smile upon hearing they were gifts for his “little sister.”
Some items had even been dismantled from old dolls or figurines by the owner. Though slightly expensive, their quality was genuinely good.
The current challenge was how to clean them after returning home. Throwing such small clothes into the washing machine definitely wasn’t appropriate – who knew if they might end up going down the drain through the drainage system.
Braving the heavy rain, he rushed onto the bus and found a seat in the corner.
Looking at the skyscrapers outside, it was hard to imagine these high-rises would remain largely unchanged for decades to come.
Getting off the bus, he walked home carrying the items bought for Little Tomie.
Just as Yu Duojiaye took out his keys to unlock the door and enter, his peripheral vision caught sight of a pair of small black leather shoes peeking out from between two trash cans in the corner.
At first, Yu Duojiaye thought they were just discarded shoes someone had thrown away. But as he turned to enter his home, the small leather shoes suddenly retracted slightly, attempting to avoid the raindrops continuously dripping from the trash can lids.
Yu Duojiaye paused, confused about why there would be someone there.
Driven by concern and curiosity, he carefully approached the trash cans to take a look.
A girl sat between two trash cans, with some cardboard she’d found from somewhere cushioning beneath her black dress, arms tightly hugging her knees, her face completely buried between them.
“Are you okay?”
He asked softly, but the girl seemed not to hear, remaining silent with her head buried.
Yu Duojiaye looked more closely at the girl and realized she was the same girl he’d encountered on the bus earlier.
“Do you need help?”
Still no response. After thinking for a moment, Yu Duojiaye placed his umbrella on the ground to shield the girl’s exposed shoes from the rain, then quickly rushed into his house.
“Kayasen~”
Little Tomie happily scrambled up from her manga upon hearing the door open.
“Has Fujiang come by?”
“Nope~”
Little Tomie shook her head, casually telling a lie.
Yu Duojiaye didn’t think much of it, placing the bag on the table before taking out the clothes and super-miniature tableware one by one.
Little Tomie gazed at the array of clothes and various tableware, happily examining each item in her hands like a child.
Meanwhile, next door, Fujiang was grinding her teeth in frustration.
“Baga Kayah, you’ve never specially bought me gifts!”
Wait, that wasn’t entirely true.
Before Fujiang could finish her complaint, she remembered the necklace Yu Duojiaye had bought for her.
That was a gift Yu Duojiaye had bought for her shortly after her first period in this identity.
A necklace costing fifty thousand yen – because it was so cheap, she had hardly ever worn it.
Thinking of this, Fujiang hurriedly rushed off the bed to her dressing table and found the necklace she had casually tucked away in the depths.
Picking up the necklace and holding it in her hand, she looked at its exceptionally rough craftsmanship compared to the jewelry others had given her.
Without even realizing it, a faint smile had crept onto the corners of her lips.
Now that she thought about it, to buy her this necklace back in middle school, he must have spent a considerable amount of time working part-time, right?
Holding the necklace up to her neck and admiring it, the more she looked, the more she liked it, and Fujiang began humming a cheerful tune.
A few minutes later, Fujiang took out a gift box containing a pendant, opened it, casually placed the gold pendant in a corner, and carefully placed this cheap and rough-looking necklace inside instead.
After repeatedly adjusting its position, Fujiang finally closed the drawer contentedly and lay back on the bed.
“What’s there to be happy about? He worked part-time just to buy this for me!”
In Yu Duojiaye’s home, Little Tomie sensed the thought in her mind, and her happy expression twisted slightly.
Fortunately, Yu Duojiaye was busy with other matters and didn’t notice.
Quickly adjusting her emotions, Little Tomie cheerfully called out to Yu Duojiaye.
“Jiaye, Jiaye~ How does it look?”
Yu Duojiaye, who was dealing with a clogged drain in the yard, turned around at the call and saw Little Tomie standing barefoot on the floor, somehow having made her way to the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and watching him.
The red doll princess dress she wore looked far more beautiful on her than it ever did on the doll.
Giving her a thumbs-up, Yu Duojiaye stood up, picked her up, and brought her inside.
“Aren’t there some shoes? Not suitable? Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Hearing Yu Duojiaye’s concern, Little Tomie happily snuggled against his chest.
“They’re uncomfortable to wear. I still prefer being barefoot~”
“Alright then.”
Boom!
Just then, a sharp clap of thunder suddenly sounded outside the window, and Little Tomie on the table shuddered at the noise.
Seeing this, Yu Duojiaye quickly patted her head to comfort her, but at that moment, the image of the girl in the trash bin on the neighboring street resurfaced in his mind.
Unable to shake his worry, Yu Duojiaye picked up Little Tomie and went to the bedroom.
“Don’t speak or come out for a while.”
Little Tomie, seeing Yu Duojiaye’s serious expression, quickly nodded and let him place her beside the pillow.
Watching Yu Duojiaye grab an umbrella and head out, Little Tomie fell into thought.
On the street, Yu Duojiaye made his way to the trash bin with an umbrella. The rain grew increasingly violent, and within moments of stepping outside, the bottoms of his pants were already soaked, making him even more concerned about the girl’s condition.
Sure enough, when he found the girl, even with the umbrella shielding her, the cardboard beneath her was already drenched.
“If you have nowhere to go, you can come to my place for now. Leave when the rain lets up.”
The girl remained silent. Yu Duojiaye frowned but said nothing, simply waiting quietly.
Seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon, he knew she would eventually fall ill if this continued.
After some deliberation, Yu Duojiaye apologized, moved the umbrella aside, and bent down to try and help the girl up.
But his first attempt to lift her was unsuccessful.
“I’m not a bad person. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to the police station right now. You’ll get sick staying here.”
After these words fell, only the sound of rain filled another stretch of silence.
In this wordless stalemate, just as Yu Duojiaye was about to give up, the girl who had been keeping her head lowered slowly raised her face.
Gazing at those eyes—set in delicate, bright features framed by black hair, yet profound as the night sky—Yu Duojiaye inexplicably felt a chill run through his body.