Questioning

Uncle Xu suddenly turned his head to look at the old maple tree.

This was where he had first met Missy.

It was also where he had come most often after she disappeared.

He always sat or stood beneath the maple tree, spending the whole morning there.

The seasons turned, and he had lost count of how many times he had watched the maple leaves turn red.

He always remembered how, the year they first met, he had encountered the girl with red maple leaves adorning her white hair.

She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, from as far back as he could remember—and even to this day.

She was just like a spirit conjured from the maple tree.

Rather than being cold, she had an ethereal, elusive air about her.

She was always expressionless, gazing up through the gaps between the branches at the distant sky.

Her white eyes were still and calm. Even though they were a little uncanny, she was still astonishingly beautiful.

Whenever he saw Missy, Pudding was already curled up beside her.

Right beside her long white hair, which spilled onto the ground behind her.

So quiet, it seemed to be asleep.

The black cat, the white hair, and the red maple leaves—whenever he saw that scene, it always left him dazed.

And so he always forgot to ask Missy whether she minded letting her hair trail on the ground like that.

Wouldn't it get dirty?

Looking back now, that concern had been perfectly reasonable.

But it really had been a rather mood-killing thing to think about.

He had even bought Missy a hair tie once.

He'd spent ages picking one out.

But in the end, he hadn't given it to her.

Because he'd realized