Mysterious Email

9:45 AM, December 14, 2013.

As Su Qing'an closed his shop, his phone rang with a pleasant melody.

Who could it be? His phone from his previous world was unusable here. The one he was using now belonged to the Su Qing'an of this world. However, according to his memories, the original Su Qing'an had come to Japan without even attending university, leading to an even narrower social circle than before.

At least he had added his middle and high school classmates. But in this world's equivalent of QQ or WeChat, his contact list was empty except for his parents and a few friends close to them – practically a shut-in.

Even Satou Yunona and Kiana, who were somewhat like friends, were added through his Japanese contact information.

Yet, the notification sound that just rang was the special reminder tone from his Shenzhou software.

Could it be that Sister? In his memories, she was the only one who seemed to look for him. Although he had merged with all of "Su Qing'an's" memories, he could only describe her as "Sister" since he didn't know the appearance or name of the person.

He recalled that Sister's father and his parents were good friends. However, he hadn't seen that man since Su Qing'an was 13. Based on his memories, they were likely colleagues, both in academic fields. Their conversations, beyond casual pleasantries, were completely incomprehensible to him.

Perhaps archaeologists? He had only met Sister before he turned 13. So, apart from her naturally vibrant red hair and the memory of her gently stroking his head, he had no other impressions.

Even her name was simply noted as "Sister" in his social software.

The current awkward situation of asking for a name despite being familiar with her stemmed from his childhood dislike of speaking.

To put it bluntly, while he could communicate normally in social situations, "Su Qing'an" wouldn't engage in any unnecessary conversation beyond that.

Clearly, the name of this Sister fell into the category of unnecessary for him. It seemed names were truly just code words to him.

And since he only had one Sister in his world, extra code words were meaningless.

Such thoughts and actions led to the current predicament.

That Sister seemed very busy, with no posts on her social media.

The reason "Su Qing'an" could open a shop as a minor was because of her. It should be noted that the "Su Qing'an" of this world, somewhat dejected after his parents' passing, had no intention of opening a coffee shop.

However, she had used the excuse that it was his former dream, along with a plane ticket to Japan and photos of a completed coffee shop, to bring him, in his daze, to Changkong City.

According to that Sister, she was working in Japan now, so she must have forcibly brought him here to be closer and keep an eye on him.

Yet, he had been in Japan for several months and hadn't seen her, nor had he received any emails.

This truly made one wonder about the nature of her work.

If she were also an archaeologist, Su Qing'an could understand. After all, his parents, being archaeologists, had a similar frequency of calls and meetings with him.

Yeah. If his parents were indeed archaeologists.

Putting those thoughts aside, Su Qing'an unlocked his phone and began to check the new messages.

Unsurprisingly, it was a message from Sister.

After a general read, it explained that she had been busy due to some recent work-related accidents. She had originally planned to see him when he arrived in Japan but couldn't because of this incident. Now that her work had reached a temporary conclusion and she had some free time, she might come to see him soon.

That was the gist of it, mixed with complaints about her work and concerns and curiosity about his recent situation. He wondered if she was curious because she had seen the online posts about Su Qing'an's coffee shop.

It even included uninspired remarks like whether he had been eating well recently and to exercise often to stay healthy.

Judging by the tone and content of this message, this Sister truly cared about him.

What kind of person would she be? After years of not seeing her, Su Qing'an felt a sense of anticipation for Sister's appearance. Hopefully, it won't coincide with the Honkai outbreak in Changkong City. That outbreak is still three months away.

She must be a gentle person.

Based on his childhood memories, Su Qing'an was certain of it.

He began typing a reply to the message.

The woman took a can of beer from the refrigerator. The cold metallic touch seemed to clear her head a little, as she had only recently woken up. She pulled the tab and, on an empty stomach, tilted her head back and drank the entire can.

Perhaps it was because she drank too quickly, but the liquid slid down her neck, over her beautiful collarbones, and continued downward. The oversized white shirt she wore as pajamas became soaked. The state of being braless made the mature, ample curves appear somewhat provocative.

"Haa~." The now fully awake woman let out a contented sigh. It should have been like this.

But her sigh was not contented; it was even somewhat low and drawn out, the tail end echoing in the empty room, sounding lonely.

Her mind drifted back to the sight of the blood, so tragically vivid, within the ruins that day.

Theoretically, it shouldn't have been her fault.

No one had said she was negligent in her duties.

Even her usually somewhat foolish superior had earnestly comforted her, saying it wasn't her fault and that no one could have predicted such an accident in the ruins.

Yes, an accident.

An accident was an act of God, like an earthquake, a tsunami, or a volcanic eruption. When you truly faced them, you understood what helplessness meant.

Throughout her life, the woman had experienced too much helplessness. Yet, this time, the consequences of her helplessness had nearly crushed her.

No one blamed her.

But the woman alone continued to bear this heavy burden. It was her decision, and it had nothing to do with whether it was right or wrong, or whether it was an accident.

As things stood, the burdens she carried grew heavier. No one could empathize with her situation, and she didn't need anyone's pity.

But, sooner or later. Sooner or later, this battered body and the weight it carried would make her collapse on her journey forward.

But at least, before that happened, she would never choose to abandon the things she wished to carry.

Let's send that little guy an email. The woman wearing the kitchen apron flipped the lightly cooked egg, thinking to herself.

Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach. If that little guy knew I'd chugged a cold beer right after waking up, he'd probably frown and say something like this.

Whether he was a child or almost an adult, his awkwardness in seriously saying he didn't need friends was still this unhealthy.

Even with his good looks, finding a girlfriend would be tough, right?

She scooped the fried egg onto a plate and took another beer from the fridge.

Muryōtō Himeko thought.