I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 259 is for your happiness.

The sunset in early autumn seems no different from the sunset in midsummer.

That orange-red light burned from afar.

It was so bright red, like the color of flames, yet you could clearly feel the wind blowing through it becoming cool.

This time, the young man and woman didn't rush to get on the bus, and Asagiri Rin once again went back to her own words. She said that taking a walk was an activity for the elderly, but she herself was strolling with this young man in a familiar area.

It's very quiet here, and the houses aren't densely packed, so most of the area is either greenery or roads. It's also remarkably clean, much like Zhao Ri in Yi Lin magazine.

Of course, not every place in Zhaori is this clean.

More than anything, there were countless people, crowded streets, and congested intersections.

As for the so-called messy garbage, it's just an inconspicuous corner of this huge chaos.

"The air around here is quite nice, and taking regular walks is good for your health."

Gen Tsukino sighed, gazing in the direction where the setting sun was behind him. It felt as if he could be bathed in its radiance, feeling content and gentle.

The young lady beside him wasn't actually that cold, but she still wore a coat to cover her arms and shoulders, which her dress couldn't conceal.

"Why are you thinking about your health at such a young age? Wait until you're seventy or eighty to talk about things like whether the air quality is good or not."

"How could it be too late at that point?"

Tsukino Gen said with a laugh.

That's just how this girl is. Even when she's already doing this kind of thing with him, even when they're taking a walk, she can still say some very sarcastic and bitter things to show how meaningless it is.

Or perhaps it was meaningless in itself, and only when you were with him did it gain any meaning.

"There are all sorts of things to do every day that you don't have time for, so how can you have the mood to waste time on such things?"

Her counter-question seemed quite reasonable.

I woke up too late this morning and didn't have time to put on makeup.

I missed the bus and won't be able to get to school on time.

There's no time to make up for unfinished homework.

The person I liked had already graduated, and I didn't even have time to confess my feelings.

Indeed, there are too many things that are too late to do, and they happen every day.

Like every car in this city that flows endlessly, like every rail on the overpass that constantly weighs down, then rusts and grows old.

The setting sun shone through the gap between the two.

Gen Tsukino turned his head and asked softly, "Do you still feel it's a waste now?"

Asagiri Rin's eyes clearly glanced in his direction, but quickly looked away again.

"I told you, it's out of pity for you."

"But I really rarely take walks like this with people."

Tsukino Gen said with a smile.

"Really? Where's Kazama?"

Asagiri Rin cuts straight to the heart of the problem.

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"We have gone shopping together before, but I don't think we've ever taken a walk together after dinner."

Asagiri Rin narrowed her eyes, without responding to whether she was happy or unhappy to know about this.

Should a person rejoice because they have obtained something that others have not? But doesn't that imply a far worse original sin?

He snorted softly.

"There aren't many paths for walking around here, but there is a park and an artificial lake."

"Then let's go over there."

"I haven't agreed yet."

"I thought you were giving me directions."

"Really."

There seemed to be no other way, so I'll reluctantly lead the way. After all, this boy will be coming here often in the future, and if he gets hurt or saddened by me someday, he'll need a place to secretly cry.

The path to the park is right next to us, a forest trail. There's even a winding path with wisteria vines climbing up it, as if it leads to a secret, unknown fairyland.

The orange-red sunset stubbornly shines through the gaps in these wisteria vines, leaving its glow.

Before they had even reached the end of the path, Tsukino Gen suddenly stopped and looked at the girl beside him.

"Wait."

"what happened?"

Asagiri Rin looked at him strangely, wondering why this person had so many problems. If he wanted to take a walk, he could just take a quiet one. Why did he have to talk so much? She wondered what he was thinking about all day long, his mind full of mischievous ideas to cause trouble.

"Don't you feel like walking here is like the road we're on our way to our wedding? A road covered in flowers, and at the end you can see the priest and hear the bells."

Hearing Tsukino Gen's sudden and direct words, Asagiri Rin was caught off guard.

Her face was like a flower gradually blooming, appearing even more radiant under the setting sun.

About five seconds later, the young lady gradually came to her senses, her eyes widening slightly, her face flushed with anger.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Would I get married in such a shabby place? And with you no less."

Gen Tsukino smiled and leaned closer to his face, as if offering himself up to slap the other person.

"If it wasn't me, did you ever fantasize about anyone else?"

Asagiri Rin turned her head away and continued walking.

The boy followed her around easily, listening to her continue speaking in that disdainful voice.

Even if you don't fantasize about other people, there's no guarantee that things won't change in the future. Don't be too optimistic; life isn't something that can be decided so quickly.

"makes sense."

Tsukino Gen and she walked side by side out of the wisteria-lined path. It was a large park, seemingly deserted at this time, but as the sky gradually darkened, the streetlights automatically turned on.

A large, clear artificial lake comes into view, and you can see one or two water birds floating leisurely on the surface.

There's nothing particularly remarkable about the environment; the only thing to mention is how quiet it is, and you don't have to worry about what other people think.

However, Tsukino Gen is naturally thick-skinned and never feels nervous or shy when walking with anyone.

"Looks like you've been here before, otherwise how would you know how to get here?"

Tsukino Gen asked curiously.

Asagiri Rin replied casually, "I used to come here occasionally when I first moved back here, but as the place has gotten bigger, I come less often."

"why?"

"Because I was not used to many things when I first returned to this home, and it was also the busiest time for my mother, I could only see her once a day from morning till night. I probably didn't even have a chance to say goodnight."

"Are you busy with your father's affairs?"

In fact, Tsukino Gen rarely asked about such things before. She only knew that her father had died of illness, and that her mother had brought her back to this family after her father's death. Then, some fragmented remarks from people like Saionji indicated that the woman had experienced a lot of bloodshed and turmoil in the process of gaining control of the family.

Asagiri Rin looked at the lake, and instead of answering immediately, she walked to a bench by the lake.

Then he took off his coat, placed it underneath, and sat down on it.

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, then gently sat down next to the other person, leaning close to their shoulder.

We should provide her with warmth, but would she be willing to do so at this time?

Just as this hesitation arose, a familiar weight appeared on his shoulder. Turning his head, he could see Asagiri Rin leaning slightly against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Without any hesitation, the boy reached out, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into his embrace.

The girl's eyes took on a warm undertone.

she said softly.

"I guess so. My mother loved my father back then, but the family strongly opposed it. So they went so far as to break away from the family to prove their love. And that's how I came to be."

"But how should I put it, the good times didn't last long, or rather, God didn't want to see such a story happen, didn't want such a love story to exist in such a large family. My father fell ill, a very serious illness. The savings they had earned through their own efforts were simply not enough for my father's treatment."

"Seeing my father's health deteriorating, my mother, who had almost no savings left, had no choice but to beg for help from her family. Whether it was money or medical resources, anything that could save his life was fine."

Even as she said this, the girl's voice remained calm.

Just like this lake.

Tsukino Gen tightened his grip on the other's shoulders. "It didn't work out in the end?"

She gave a bitter smile.

"It can be said that it was a success, because the family agreed, only requiring that after my father was cured, she return to the family, serve the family again, and accept all their arrangements thereafter. As for my father and me, we will have no relationship with her afterward."

"So your mother didn't accept it?"

That seems understandable.

Perhaps necessary sacrifices led to the current situation and prevented the relationship between the mother and daughter from becoming so bad.

It's understandable why Rin Asagiri is so stubbornly trying to distance herself from the past. She doesn't want to become her weakness, and she doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes.

Asagiri Rin sighed.

“My mother hesitated, but my father refused. I don’t know what he and my mother said in the hospital room that day. I only remember that after that day, my mother’s tears never stopped. She cried every day. She cried quietly in the kitchen, in the bedroom, and in the hallway. After that day, my father was always smiling, even when his face was pale.”

"Later, I asked my mother about this. She just told me that my father saved her, and he also saved himself."

Having heard this, Tsukino Gen probably already knew the answer.

Although the details are unclear, it is still understandable what choice that man made.

"He didn't want your mother to be a caged bird, nor did he want your identity to be unrecognized. That's why he made the choice for your mother?"

"That's probably how it is, so how could I possibly become some kind of pampered young lady? I might even live a worse life than you."

She eased the slightly oppressive atmosphere with self-deprecating humor.

This was also the first time she had told Tsukino Gen about these things.

It's always been hidden in my heart.

That seems like a way that will never be accepted, even if the price is swallowing bitter pills, it's better than having the wound torn open, right?

Gen Tsukino shook his head.

"How could that be? Whether you are a young lady or an ordinary person like Asagiri Rin, you will find happiness."

"Why? Because I'm pretty?"

She asked, amused.

The boy's smile shone even brighter under the setting sun.

That seemed to be the last ray of sunlight, given to him.

"Because no matter what kind of Rin Asagiri you are, I will find you and make you happy."

"It seems like I was born to bring you happiness into this world."

"Puch."

The girl laughed and threw herself into his arms, pounding his chest.

It seemed to be extremely funny.

But how did that laughter turn into a sob in the end?

But why did the pounding on my chest gradually turn into patches of mottled wetness?
The lake no longer shimmered with the light of the setting sun.

It simply reflects the streetlights.

Two people on a bench under a streetlamp.

……

(End of this chapter)