Chapter 70
Sakaki Chika closed her eyes slightly, nuzzled her teacher, and asked softly:
"Can I... come see you again in the future?"
Then, she lowered her gaze, waiting for an answer.
After the woman hugged her for a while, she calmly said—
"Don't tell anyone, okay?"
--Volume One, End.
Volume Two: Ordinary Corporate Slave
Chapter One: Unemployed Female College Student
A few years ago, in Maple Plain City.
The past few days have been overcast, probably because it's the rainy season. That's how the weather is in this city; during this period, it's always shrouded in dark clouds, giving it a gloomy and cold feel.
As citizens, most people are basically used to it.
But for some who have only recently arrived in the city, this kind of weather can be a bit depressing.
"Mom, did you live here when you were little?"
At a crowded intersection in the city, a mother and daughter stood, seemingly waiting for a bus.
The one called "Mom" was a girl who looked no older than a college student. She was somewhat thin, wore thick black-rimmed glasses, and had short hair that only reached her neck. She looked like a quiet and somewhat dull female student.
However, she was dressed in a black Formal Attire that didn't quite match her student image; she looked like a working woman.
"There weren't so many tall buildings before, but the weather was about the same as it is now."
The female college student spoke calmly.
The girl she was holding hands with was a very pretty middle school student, with black hair and black eyes, well-behaved and quiet. Next to the female college student, she looked more like a younger sister.
"If Mom works here in the future, will she have to take the tram to work every time?"
"Yes, I'll take it home too."
"Then let's move here together after I graduate."
Although it seemed a bit unbelievable at first, the two of them really did appear to be mother and daughter.
Other people waiting for the bus nearby couldn't help but look at them curiously.
After all, the daughter looks quite old, while the mother is at most a college student. So how old was this girl when she gave birth to the child?
In addition, the fact that it was just a woman taking care of the child alone, and that she seemed to be from another city, inevitably led people to think of some unpleasant things.
Among the people waiting for the bus, a woman dressed in Formal Attire looked up.
The woman was tall and slender with a refined air, but her hair appeared to be dyed, a grayish color, with a strand hanging from her forehead to her ear and the rest falling down her back. She had a cold and aloof appearance, with a beauty mark near the corner of her eye.
Because the woman was very beautiful and tall, many people around her looked at her.
However, the woman only glanced at the mother and daughter for a short while before quickly looking away and continuing to read her book.
Afterwards, the woman and the mother and daughter boarded a bus.
There weren't many seats left on the bus, so the woman sat down right behind the mother and daughter, where she could hear their remaining conversation.
"Mom, you don't seem very happy."
"A little."
"It's okay if I don't get the job, I'll stay with my mom."
Judging from their conversation, it seems the mother is looking for a job.
The daughter was very sensible and considerate, while the mother seemed a bit indifferent, as if she didn't really want to talk to her daughter.
Women have seen many such examples.
After all, women who have children so early are often unable to take responsibility for their children, and some may even dislike them.
However, it's not good to make malicious assumptions about others.
Finally, the mother and daughter got off the bus near Evening Light Street. The woman remembered that there was a public high school nearby, but it was not very good, and it was full of local students with low academic performance in Maple Plain City.
After that, the mother and daughter were seated in other people's seats, and the woman stopped listening to the others and continued reading her book.
[Ms. Haihara, thank you for recognizing our school. We all agree that your academic qualifications and teaching standards meet our requirements, but unfortunately...]
Haihara received a text message on her phone; she hadn't been hired this time either.
Considering the better educational resources in her hometown, she took advantage of her daughter's summer vacation to return home, hoping to find a job here so that she could transfer here after Kiriori graduates from junior high school.
However, since returning to the city, she has been rejected by three high schools.
She met the educational requirements and the interview went smoothly. Haihara didn't know why she was rejected, and could only assume it was because of her lack of experience and poor resume.
Today, she brought her daughter with her. During the interview, her daughter usually waited for her outside, and they would go home together later. After all, it was a place she hadn't been back to in a long time, and Haihara didn't feel comfortable leaving Kiriori alone at home.
While waiting for the bus, Haihara received a phone call.
The information above is "Kougami Kage," a friend of hers before high school, but who later went abroad.
After they separated, they would occasionally keep in touch by phone, but it was always the other person calling her, because international calls were very expensive, Haihara herself couldn't bear to make them.
I recently heard that this Doctor went abroad to study is coming back.
It seems he suddenly said he wanted to come back after a phone call with her, but Haihara doesn't know the specifics, and it doesn't really concern her.
Haihara answered the phone.
Since the bus hadn't arrived yet, Haihara started chatting with the other person.
"You've already gotten off the plane? You're in Maple Plain City..."
Somewhat unexpectedly, it seems that Kougami Kage has already arrived at the destination.
[Lily, where have you been staying lately? You must have just arrived.]
I live in my old house in my hometown.
Even so, she was still not very familiar with the place and the people. After a few years of university, the city had been so renovated that she hardly recognized it anymore. Besides, her family used to live in the old city, and she needed to find a job in the new city.
Are you tired of job hunting lately? Want to come stay with me for a while? I just found a new place, and it's been renovated for a while now...
Haihara lowered her head and did not answer immediately.
We haven't seen each other in a long time, would you like to go out for a meal with me?
"Let's talk about it later..."
Although Haihara knew Kougami Kage, she knew that what he said just now was probably not just polite talk, but she still refused.
She didn't really want to go out with this old friend.
After all these years, their lives are now worlds apart.
Okay, is there anything I can help you with?
Haihara intended to brush it off as before, but when she looked down, she saw her sleepy daughter holding her hand.
Should we trouble this old friend...? We can treat them to a meal later.
It's a rare holiday after all, and it would be a bit unfair to my daughter to have to go to interviews with me every day.
"... Could you please look after my daughter for a few days?"
If she still can't get the job after a few more days, she should consider giving up and looking for other types of work.
[Okay, okay, of course no problem, I'll take good care of you...]
The voice on the other end of the phone was initially cheerful, then gradually slowed down, finally becoming as if frozen in place.
[... daughter?]
Chapter Two: Big Sister
It's currently summer break, so the woman doesn't need to go to work, but she still takes the bus every morning as usual. Sometimes she goes to a coffee shop, sometimes to the library, and sometimes she goes back to her workplace to handle some temporary work.
A few days later, the woman saw the mother and daughter again.
It seems the mother couldn't find a job.
The woman was also curious about when this young girl with glasses would find a job.
Moreover, considering that the girls usually get off at stations near schools, the woman guessed that she was probably applying for a teaching job.
After a while, the woman raised her head, glanced at the sky, and looked at the weather. It would probably rain for the next couple of days.
She wasn't originally from here; she came to live here later due to certain circumstances. After many years, she got used to the weather and now, like a local, she can tell when it's going to rain just by looking at it.
If you're going out tomorrow, you'll need to bring an umbrella.
For women, rainy days are not bad either; the surroundings are quieter, their mood can be calmed down, and time seems to pass more slowly than usual.
The next day, the sky was a little darker than usual.
That morning, the woman encountered the somewhat gloomy-looking girl as usual, but this time, her daughter didn't seem to be with her.
The female student stood there all alone, waiting for the bus, even on such a gloomy day.
Although it is very common for such a person to be out in the world.
But the woman felt that this female student had a kind of pitiful quality, like a homeless stray puppy.
The female student would occasionally glance at the woman casually, probably because they had met like this many times in the morning, but they never spoke to each other.
Normally, if things continued like this, they wouldn't have any further communication.
Suddenly, the woman felt a cool sensation on her head, as if water droplets had fallen on her hair. She looked up and saw that gray clouds had somehow enveloped the city.
Soon, raindrops began to fall, staining the bricks and asphalt. It was raining in the city, and the rain was about to intensify.
The woman took out the umbrella she had prepared earlier and used it to shield herself from the rain. However, when she looked to the side, she noticed that the female student hadn't brought an umbrella and was simply standing there, letting the rain soak her.
In less than half a minute, the rain had soaked the female student's shoulders, her white collar was stained with wet spots, her hair was wet with water droplets, and her already gloomy face became even paler.
The bus arrived soon, so the female student probably didn't seek shelter from the rain because she was afraid of missing it.
Although the two women didn't know each other, the woman couldn't bear to see the other get soaked in the rain.
She went over and held the umbrella over the female student.
Fortunately, her umbrella was quite large; otherwise, since both she and the female student were quite tall, some of them might have gotten wet.
The female student looked somewhat surprised, but still lowered her head and whispered:
"Thanks."
The other person was as shy as they appeared, and spoke very softly.
The woman said calmly:
"You can... move a little closer to me, be careful not to get wet."
Seemingly out of embarrassment, the female student leaned out a little, as she might get wet.
The female student then leaned closer to the umbrella, inevitably pressing herself against the woman.
The female student was about 1.7 meters tall, or slightly shorter, but very thin and frail. When she was close to the woman, she gave off a delicate and fragile feeling, making the woman have to be careful with her movements.
Perhaps it was seeing the girl's pale face, or perhaps it was seeing her downcast eyes, like a wet puppy, that stirred a feeling of pity in the woman as she looked at this girl who was much younger than herself.
Are you from out of town?
The woman wanted to find something to talk about.
This child doesn't seem to be familiar with the local weather, otherwise he wouldn't have forgotten to bring an umbrella.
"I went to school here when I was a child, and later went to university in a nearby city. I haven't been back for a long time."
The female student remained quiet and gloomy.
She had just gotten a little wet, and there were still many water droplets in her hair, which were now dripping down her damp ends, some sliding onto her skin, giving her a melancholic and broken beauty.