"Village chief, it's raining, why aren't you at home? What are you doing down here?"
Watanabe looked at the group of people who had come down and asked them a question.
The group descending the mountain paused slightly, with the village chief leading the way being the first to come down.
"Hey! Don't even mention it. I went hunting in the mountains yesterday, but I forgot to take my things. That's why I called a few people from the village to go look for them today!"
After saying that, the village chief looked at Watanabe and asked:
"But what about you guys? Why are you delivering things on a rainy day!"
"Hahaha... Today's the last day! Of course we have to deliver it!" Watanabe explained with a laugh.
"Why bother? We've been working together for so long, a day or two late won't hurt! Remember next time, don't bother delivering when the weather's bad!" the village chief instructed.
"Ah! Thank you so much!" Watanabe said.
The village chief called out to the group of people who had come down the mountain together:
"What are you all standing around for? Come and help!"
Upon hearing this, the others snapped out of their daze and rushed to both sides of the cart to help push it.
With more people, the speed naturally increases.
The group quickly returned to Kuroishi Village.
After all the goods were unloaded, Shinsuke finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uncle Watanabe, I'm going out for a bit!" Shinsuke said as he approached Watanabe.
Watanabe, who was holding a notebook and calculating the accounts from this incident, looked up at Shinsuke upon hearing this and said:
Are you still going to look for that child on a rainy day?
Shinsuke nodded. "Yeah, I promised him I'd buy him a roly-poly toy, so I brought it over especially for him this time!"
As he spoke, Shinsuke pulled out a red roly-poly toy shaped like a Daruma doll from his pocket.
Watanabe nodded. "Okay, then come back early! We need to get back early even on rainy days!"
"Um!"
Shinsuke nodded in agreement, then turned and walked out.
Arriving at the familiar little house, Shinsuke raised his hand and knocked on the door.
" Yuta, open the door quickly, look what I bought for you!"
After waiting for a while, no one came to open the door.
"Isn't he here? But where would he go on a rainy day?"
Shinsuke frowned and turned to look around.
The neighbor who was sitting at the door watching the rain had been following Shinsuke's gaze ever since Shinsuke arrived.
Seeing that Shinsuke was looking over, the neighbor quickly looked away.
Seeing this, Shinsuke hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked:
"Auntie, do you know where Yuta went?"
Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, the neighbor had no choice but to turn around again, a slightly stiff smile appearing on his lips.
" Yuta, he went to visit his relatives!"
"Relatives?" Shinsuke frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Didn't he say he had no relatives?"
Upon hearing this, the neighbor's smile froze for a second.
"Kids don't understand all this. After his parents passed away, fewer relatives visited, so he thought he had no relatives left. But he still has relatives!"
"Is that so..."
Shinsuke muttered something under his breath, thanked him, and walked away.
Along the way, Shinsuke asked a few more villagers, and the answer he got was that Yuta had gone to visit relatives.
but...
That's what makes it strange, even though there aren't many people in this village.
But how could everyone possibly know where Yuta went?
Recalling what Yuta had said during his last visit, Shinsuke returned to the village chief's house with a belly full of doubts.
Noticing that Shinsuke's expression was off, Watanabe came over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shinsuke glanced at the village chief, who was still busy in the distance, and chuckled softly, saying:
" Yuta has disappeared?"
"Gone?" Watanabe asked, puzzled.
Shinsuke nodded, his face grave. "Yes, everyone's saying Yuta went to see his relatives, but Yuta clearly told me before that he doesn't have any relatives!"
"What do you mean?" Watanabe frowned.
Shinsuke said, "It seems they don't believe in Inari anymore, and have switched to believing in the Goddess of Harvest."
Having said that, and recalling the news he had recently received, Watanabe naturally understood what Shinsuke meant.
Seeing Shinsuke's expression, Watanabe scolded:
"Behave yourself. Even if it really is something like that, it's not something we can handle. Just focus on your own work! Do you hear me?"
Upon hearing this, Shinsuke realized that he had acted somewhat inappropriately and quickly nodded.
"Brother Watanabe, something seems off about this account!" the village chief suddenly shouted.
Watanabe responded and then quickly walked over.
"Hey! They're here!"
Honshu Island, Osaka.
As early as the Edo, this place had already begun to emerge, becoming one of the country's important economic and transportation hubs.
After joining the international community, Osaka, with its unique geographical advantages, has soared rapidly to greater heights like an eagle spreading its wings.
The Seto Inland Sea to the southwest provided it with trade routes with countries around the world; Kyoto to the northeast amplified the role of those trade routes many times over.
With these two factors combined, Osaka has developed rapidly, with buildings springing up like mushrooms after rain, and neon lights shining brightly on the streets every night.
In a luxurious banquet hall illuminated by the dazzling lights of a bustling city, a business cocktail party is in full swing.
Takahashi stood alone in the corner, his gaze downcast as he stared at the noisy crowd ahead.
He swirled the wine glass in his hand slightly, the red wine inside reflecting a dim light under the lamplight, a faint and powerless glow, much like his state of mind at that moment.
Not long ago, his beloved wife passed away in a sudden accident.
Since then, Takahashi's world has become bleak and colorless.
Every day when I return home, I feel as if I can hear my wife's voice, but no matter how hard I search every corner of the house, I can no longer find that familiar figure.
In the empty room, only his lonely figure and endless memories remained.
This pain was like ants, densely crawling all over his heart, constantly gnawing at his soul, making him toss and turn every night, unable to fall asleep.
"Mr. Takahashi." A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Takahashi slowly turned his gaze toward the newcomer. His eyes were somewhat dazed, as if he were still immersed in his own world, before finally focusing on the newcomer after a while.
The visitor was Yamamoto, the head of another trading company he had previously worked with.
Yamamoto stood out from the crowd. In an occasion where most men wore suits to show off their fashion sense and internationalism, Yamamoto was dressed in a kimono.
It's not that kimonos are bad, but in today's internationally-oriented and modern business-oriented settings, suits are the most appropriate choice.
However, Takahashi wasn't in the mood for that right now. He focused his attention on Yamamoto and asked:
"Mr. Yamamoto, is there something you'd like to collaborate on?"
Yamamoto shook his head, a hint of concern on his face. He took a step forward, closer to Takahashi, and said softly:
"Mr. Takahashi, I've heard about your wife's situation. Please accept my condolences!"
Takahashi forced a smile and nodded slightly in thanks.
Yamamoto continued softly, "Instead of dwelling on the past, you should try to find things that can make you happy!"
"For example?" Takahashi asked with a forced smile.
Yamamoto smiled slightly and said:
"Mr. Takahashi, I actually have a suggestion. You should know that I am a religious person, right?"
Perhaps you could join my religion.
You're sure to find solace there!