I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 57 isn't so bad (Seeking monthly votes!)

"Wow, heading out so early. Where are you taking Miss Mizuki in that stroller?"

"Never mind that, we're on a date."

"Oh oh oh."

"Don't believe him! Help me! He's going to sell me! Waaaaah! I don't want to go out!!"

The old gatekeeper watched this scene with a sigh.

"One is laughing, the other is making a fuss. How youthful!"

He completely ignored the girl's wild antics as she was pushed; in his view, young people joking and playing around was what youth was all about. Otherwise, who would want to watch those teen romance dramas?

I thought that Tsukino Gen was done with it, that he was just scaring himself, and that he would stop once he was out on the long street outside the neighborhood to bask in the sun.

Unexpectedly, Tsukino Gen pushed her directly out of the street, even to the side of the subway station.

Kiyono Mizuki could feel the increasing gazes from passersby. She didn't think it was because of her stunning appearance that she attracted these gazes. She just felt that perhaps it was because she was with a boy like Tsukino Gen, and because she happened to be a girl in a wheelchair, that she received this attention.

She is not adaptable.

She kept asking Tsukino Gen to take her back along the way, and even lowered her head, afraid of making eye contact with any strangers.

She herself didn't know the root of her fear, but felt as if she hadn't left the house in so long that she was almost developing social anxiety.

Gen Tsukino nudged her and whispered.

"What's there to be afraid of? You're not the only one in the world who uses a wheelchair. At most, you're just a little prettier and have a better temperament than them."

Kiyono Mizuki kept her head down.

"That's not the reason at all. I can't do anything even if you bring me out. If you want to sunbathe, you can just stay at the entrance of the community. Why come here?"

"I'm not doing anything, just letting you look around. You need topics and inspiration to write a book, right? Do you expect me to provide all your inspiration?"

"You're not my inspiration!"

"That would be even better, giving me even more reason to take you to see it."

What exactly do you want?

Kiyono Mizuki had no way to deal with this boy.

The warm sunlight shone on her body, and the morning, which wasn't too hot yet, made her want to shrink her whole body and become invisible.

"I'm not doing anything, just telling you not to be afraid."

Upon entering the subway station, the crowds became even denser, as many people chose to travel on Sunday.

Upon seeing Tsukino Gen, who was pushing Kiyono Mizuki, appear, many people chose to make way for him, seemingly giving him special treatment.

However, all of these things made Kiyono Mizuki uncomfortable.

She was afraid of seeing pitying looks from others, and even more unwilling to have anyone imagine any tragic stories about her in their minds.

She wished those people could treat her indifferently, like Tsukino Gen. They would treat her like a normal person and not hesitate to joke about her disability.

This would make her feel like she was living a normal life in this world, no different from them.

The different treatment she received made her feel guilty and pretentious.

What's even more pretentious is that she can't bring herself to say these things. How can she ask for more when she's already like this? Other people's sympathy and courtesy are a form of preferential treatment and respect for her, but that's just not what she wants.

She knew she was an awkward person, and only in front of Tsukino Gen could she appear more normal and unleash her personality and temper without restraint.

This is also why she doesn't like to go out.

Even a work of art would probably feel ashamed if exposed to everyone's view.

What calmed her down amidst these complex emotions was Tsukino Gen's soft words.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed about these people's kindness, because sometimes releasing kindness and goodwill is also a form of self-satisfaction. Just like some people who like to feed stray cats and dogs. Animals can't say thank you, but just doing that kind of thing can make people feel happy."

"That sounds so strange. And I'm not a cat or a dog."

"Hmm, maybe I misspoke. But that's roughly the idea. And not everyone's gaze is one of pity. I just felt that the guy in the hoodie was trying to hit on you, which was really annoying."

"Pfft. Don't make me laugh."

"Seriously, if I weren't so handsome and outstanding that he felt ashamed and lost his courage, he would definitely have come up and asked you for your contact information, believe it or not?"

"Why are you still trying to glorify yourself? You narcissist."

Suddenly, the journey didn't seem so difficult anymore.

However, it also made Kiyono Mizuki realize that not all unfortunate people are as lucky as she is to be reborn after such a disaster.

How much patience must he have to tolerate this awkward version of himself?
Once on the subway, it was quite crowded, and I needed to keep an eye on Kiyono Mizuki at all times, so I simply pushed her next to the handrail and leaned against it myself. Actually, not having the handrail wouldn't have affected his center of gravity, but it did seem a bit childish. A man's prime is indeed very short; even the time he can be childish is so brief.

Having somewhat adapted to the outside environment, Kiyono Mizuki was able to lift her head and exchange a few words with Tsukino Gen, and was also able to somewhat ignore the stares of those around her.

Then, she saw a woman leading a little boy who looked about five or six years old approach her and Tsukino Gen.

The young mother seemed normal, not paying any attention to Kiyono Mizuki's presence, but the child was different.

In a child's world, nothing seems taboo, and they can't fully distinguish between good and evil, kindness and malice. For children of this age, the whole world seems so new and full of curiosity.

When she saw the little boy's gaze move from her face to her legs covered by a blanket, and then to her wheelchair.

Kiyono Mizuki immediately lowered her head.

A sense of tension was spreading, and she felt the air around her becoming somewhat suffocating. The occasional clanging of the subway felt like a countdown.

Until that innocent child's voice finally rang out.

"Sister, why do you have a chair? And a tire too? Can I sit on it?"

Such a voice sounds harmless, or rather, it's just innocent childish talk; nothing a child says is worth taking seriously.

But when the people around her turned to look at her because of those words, she could already hear some barely suppressed laughter.

Kiyono Mizuki's scalp tingled, and she didn't know how to look away from her astonished gaze.

She knew the child's gaze was merely one of curiosity, devoid of any ill intent, but her body already felt an uncontrollable urge to tremble.

At that moment, Tsukino Gen, who was standing nearby, made a move.

He seemed to be trying to bypass himself and go to the little boy, but at that moment, Kiyono Mizuki reached out and grabbed the hem of Tsukino Gen's clothes.

The boy looked down at her.

She bit her lower lip hard and just shook her head.

She didn't know what Tsukino Gen was going to do, but she knew clearly that if Tsukino Gen was going to discipline this child, he would be seen by others as a delinquent who was petty and argumentative with children.

This is entirely my own business. Even without him, I wouldn't stay home forever; this is something I'll inevitably encounter. How can I expect him to handle everything, only to be looked at with hostility because of it?
Just as the two were frozen in place...

The little boy's mother realized what was happening, so she knelt down, hugged her child, and said to him.

"This isn't a toy, it's called a wheelchair. This pretty lady is injured, so she can only sit in it for the time being. Before, when you fell on the ground, you couldn't even get up, didn't Mommy carry you to get up? This lady can sit in her wheelchair by herself, isn't she much stronger than you?"

Kiyono Mizuki looked at the young mother, at a loss for what to do.

She gave the girl an apologetic look.

The little boy nodded, seemingly understanding, "It seems so."

The young woman continued, "When you fall to the ground and people laugh at you, don't you feel sad?"

"I'll be a little angry."

The little boy lowered his head and said softly.

"That's because you feel they don't respect you, right? So what should you say to this woman?"

The little boy hesitated for a moment, then looked timidly at Kiyono Mizuki and said in a childish voice.

"I'm sorry, sister, I wasn't laughing at you."

Kiyono Mizuki slowly loosened her grip on Tsukino Gen's clothes, and she stopped biting her lower lip.

A young and beautiful girl, confined to a wheelchair, reached out and patted the boy's head with a smile.

"It's ok."

As Tsukino Gen pushed Kiyono Mizuki to get out of the car, the mother, who was holding the boy's hand, looked over with a smile and said softly.

"I wish you a speedy recovery."

"Thank you."

Kiyono Mizuki did not tell the other party that her injury was not simply a matter of being temporarily unable to stand up.

However, she thought that perhaps the other party didn't need to know these things.

When I turned around, I could still see the little boy with cheeks as red as apples waving goodbye to me.

Fortunately.

The world is not as bad as my life.

……

(End of this chapter)