Tokyo, My Childhood Friend is a Ghost Story

Chapter 9 The Girl in the Middle of the Trash Can
Summer rains are like Fujiang's mood; they can change in an instant, giving no one time to react.

One second the sun is shining brightly, the next second there's lightning and torrential rain.

I stood by the roadside carrying the clothes and tableware I had specially bought for Xiao Fujiang, and it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

In order not to keep the little one waiting too long, or for Fukie to come home and find out about Fukie's existence, Uta Kasaya was forced to buy another umbrella.

At the bus stop, I looked at the clothes, toys, and tableware in the bag. It took me a lot of time to buy them. After the shop owner heard that I was buying toys for my younger sister, he smiled like an aunt and said I was buying them.

Some of them are even directly taken from old dolls or figurines by the owner. They are a bit pricey, but the quality is really good.

The real problem now is washing them after we get home. It's definitely not appropriate to just throw these small clothes in the washing machine. Who knows if they'll end up in the drain after being spun around in the washing machine?

Braving the torrential rain, I rushed onto the bus and found a seat in a corner.

Looking at the skyscrapers outside, it's hard to imagine that these buildings won't change much in the next few decades.

I got off the bus and headed home carrying the things I bought for Xiaofujiang.

Just as Uta Kassapa was about to take out his key, open the door, and go inside, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a pair of small black leather shoes silently peeking out from between the two trash cans in the corner.

At first, Uta Kassapa thought it was someone's unwanted shoes that had been thrown away carelessly. Just as he turned around to enter the house...

The little leather shoes suddenly shrank back, trying to avoid the raindrops that kept dripping down the edge of the trash can.

Uta Kassapa was taken aback, somewhat confused as to why there was someone there.

With a mix of worry and curiosity, Uta Kassapa cautiously walked over to the trash can and took a look.

A girl, sitting between two trash cans, had a piece of cardboard, found somewhere, placed under her long black dress, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees, her face buried in them.

"Are you OK?"

When asked softly, the girl seemed not to hear him, remaining silent with her head down.

Utakayo took a closer look at the girl and realized that she was the same girl he had met on the bus earlier.

"Need help?"

There was still no answer. Uta Kassapa thought for a moment, then placed the umbrella on the ground to cover the girl's bare shoes, which were constantly being soaked by the rain and mist, which were exposed outside the trash can. He then rushed into his house.

"Kasyapa~"

Upon hearing the door open, Xiao Fujiang immediately jumped up from her comic book with delight.

"Fujiang didn't come, did she?"

No, not at all.

Xiao Fujang shook her head and casually told a lie.

Without much thought, Uta Kassapa placed the bag on the table and then took out the clothes and miniature tableware inside one by one.

Looking at the dazzling array of clothes and various tableware, Xiao Fujiang was as happy as a child, picking them up one by one to examine them.

Meanwhile, next door, Fu Jiang was so angry she was itching to bite him.

"Baka Kasyapa, you've never bought me a gift before!"

No, I've already bought it.

Before Fujang could finish her complaint, she remembered that Uta Kasyapa had bought her the necklace.

That was a gift that Uta Kasyapa bought for him shortly after he started menstruating in this new identity.

I've never really worn a necklace that costs 50,000 yen because it's cheap.

Thinking of this, Fujang hurriedly got out of bed and went to her dressing table, where she found the necklace that she had casually hidden deep inside.

She picked up the necklace and held it in her hand, noticing its unusually rough workmanship compared to the jewelry others had given her.

Fu Jiang herself didn't even notice that a smile had crept onto her lips. Thinking back now, she realized that he must have spent a considerable amount of time working part-time back in junior high to buy her that necklace.

Fujang picked up the necklace and held it up to her neck for a while, humming a happy tune as she looked at it with increasing delight.

A few minutes later, Fujang took out a gift box containing a pendant, opened it, casually placed the gold pendant in a corner, and carefully put the necklace, which looked cheap and rough compared to the gold pendant, into it.

After adjusting its position several times, Fujang finally closed the drawer with satisfaction and lay back on the bed.

"What's there to be happy about? He worked specially to buy this for me!"

At Uta Kasyapa's house, Xiao Fue sensed the thoughts in her mind, and the happy expression on her face twisted in pain.

Fortunately, Uta Kassapa was busy with other things and did not notice.

Quickly regaining her composure, Xiao Fujiang happily called out to Utakayo.

"Kasyapa, Kasyapa~ Isn't it beautiful?"

Uta Kassapa, who was dealing with the clogged drain in the yard, turned around when he heard the shout. He looked at Fukie, who was barefoot on the floor and had somehow come to the doorway, leaning against the door frame and looking at him.

The red princess dress looked much better on her than on a doll.

Giving a thumbs-up, Uta Kasyapa got up, picked her up, and carried her into the house.

"Aren't there some shoes that don't fit? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Hearing Uta Kasyapa's concern, Fukie happily leaned against his chest.

"They're not comfortable to wear; I prefer going barefoot."

"alright."

Boom!

Just then, a piercing clap of thunder suddenly came from outside the window, startling Xiao Fujiang on the table.

Seeing this, Uta Kassapa quickly patted her head to comfort her, but at that moment, the image of the girl in the middle of the trash can on the next street reappeared in his mind.

Uta Kassapa was still somewhat worried, so he picked up little Fukie and went to the bedroom.

"Don't speak or come out for a while."

Looking at Uta Kasyapa's serious expression, Xiao Fujiang quickly nodded and let him place her next to the pillow.

Watching Uta Kasyapa pick up his umbrella and head out the door, Fukie fell into deep thought.

On the street, Uta Kassapa took an umbrella and went to the trash can. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and his trouser legs were already soaked after only a short while. This made him even more worried about the girl.

Sure enough, when he found the girl, even with the umbrella providing cover, the cardboard beneath her was already soaked.

"If you have nowhere to go, come to my house first, and leave when the rain stops."

The girl remained silent, and Utakata frowned but did not speak, simply waiting quietly.

Seeing that the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon, she was bound to run into trouble sooner or later.

After thinking it over, Uta Kassapa apologized, put away his umbrella, and bent down to try to help the girl up.

The first attempt to pull her up failed.

"I'm not a bad person. If you don't believe me, I can take you to the police station right now. You'll get sick if you stay here."

After he finished speaking, there was another silence, except for the raindrops.

In the midst of silent perseverance, just as Uta Kasyapa was about to give up, the girl who had been keeping her head down slowly raised her face.

Looking at the bright, clear eyes in the center of the black hair, eyes as deep as the night sky, for some reason, Uta Kasyapa felt a chill run down his spine.

(End of this chapter)