The Black-Haired Lady stepped beneath Shade's black umbrella through the sound of rain. The umbrella had not been meant for two people, so they were now standing very close together.
Not even the damp scent of the forest in the rain could cover up her perfume. Shade was in a very good mood at that moment:
"I'd like to ask you to come into the city with me to look for someone. Afterwards, whether we find anything or not, I want to talk to you about Miss Danist. Don't worry, I'm not going to persuade you to see her."
"Then let's go."
The Black-Haired Lady took Shade's right hand, which held the umbrella handle, in her left hand, and the two walked into the rain together.
Returning to 8 Vanilla Garden Alley in reverse after thirty years, Shade found that the low building, which would be a standard slum in the present era, looked even more dilapidated under the gray sky than it did thirty years later.
But at least the alley and neighborhood were full of life now. With Vesta City still expanding, every house on Vanilla Garden Alley was occupied. Even on such a rainy day, smoke rose from chimneys, married couples could be heard arguing through the rain, and the foul stench of rotting household garbage lingered in the air.
The two were no longer sharing one umbrella. Following the elderly landlady's memories, Shade had Mrs. Carter knock on the door. When it opened wide, the "old lady," who still looked like a middle-aged woman, appeared behind it.
She stood in the doorway in almost exactly the same posture as thirty years later, bracing herself against the doorframe with her right hand. Only because she was fuller-bodied now than in old age did the door open wider