Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

The next morning.

Joey, wrapped in a bathrobe, carefully picked up the clothes from the ground and held them in her arms.

He looked just like a little squirrel that had stolen something.

She tiptoed to the door, placed her hand on the doorknob, and glanced back at Jiang Chuan on the bed.

He was still asleep.

Her breathing was steady, and the corners of her mouth seemed to be slightly upturned; she was probably having a sweet dream.

Joey bit her lip, a strange emotion welling up inside her.

It's sweet.

I'm also a little reluctant to part with it.

She hesitated for a second.

Then she tiptoed back to the bedside, leaned down, and gently kissed Jiang Chuan's lips.

It was very light, as light as a feather falling on the water.

He regretted it as soon as he kissed her.

What if I wake him up?

Joey covered her mouth, held her breath, and stared at Jiang Chuan's face for a full five seconds.

He's not awake.

She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed her clothes and slipped out of the room.

The door closed silently behind her.

The corridor was quiet.

This large suite has four rooms surrounding a large living room, which is furnished with a sofa and coffee table. The curtains are not yet drawn, so the light is a bit dim.

Joey, wrapped in a bath towel and carrying her clothes, tiptoed through the corridor.

She had only one thought in her mind: to quickly slip back to her room, change her clothes, and then reappear in front of everyone as if nothing had happened.

Everything was as if it had never happened.

At least for now, she hasn't figured out how to face other people's gazes.

Especially Xiaoxia.

And there's Hanako-nee.

As she walked to the center of the living room, her pace quickened unconsciously.

Just a few steps away.

Her room was at the other end of the corridor, and the doorknob was already in sight.

Just then.

A voice came from behind me.

Gentle, familiar, with the languidness of just waking up.

"Good morning, Miss Joey!"

Joey froze on the spot as if he had been electrocuted.

My whole body tensed up, and my legs instinctively came together.

Shrug your shoulders.

She hugged the clothes in her arms even tighter, as if she wanted to mash them into her chest.

Hanako stood by the bar counter between the living room and the kitchen.

She was wearing a light gray loungewear dress, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders, and holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.

He had a smile on his face.

That smile was all too familiar to Joey.

Yesterday at dinner, Hanako-nee looked at her with this smile and said those things to her.

It was a knowing smile.

Joey's face turned bright red all the way to the roots of his neck.

"Hmm... Good morning, Hanako-nee."

Hanako walked over with a cup of coffee, her cotton slippers making a soft sound as she stepped on the wooden floor.

She walked up to Joey and looked him up and down.

She didn't say anything sarcastic, she just handed the coffee cup in her hand forward.

"Want a sip?"

Joey shook his head, then nodded, and finally freed one hand to take the cup.

The coffee was very hot, but she still took a small sip.

The bitter taste melts on the tip of the tongue, mixed with a hint of sweetness.

Hanako's smile deepened as she looked at her.

She leaned forward, her voice very low.

"How is it?"

"Was what you ate last night sweet?"

Joey's hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly.

She shrank her neck, her shoulders unconsciously hunching upwards, as if trying to hide her entire face in the bath towel.

But the smile couldn't be hidden; it started from the corners of her mouth and spread out little by little, impossible to suppress.

She nodded.

Hanako smiled when she saw Hanako's expression.

She reached out and patted Joey's shoulder; her palm was warm, and she could feel the warmth even through the towel.

"Now that you've tasted the benefits, why get up so early?"

Hanako's voice carried a hint of knowing mockery.

"The sweet aftertaste lingers from this morning~"

Joey understood. As a nursing student, she naturally knew what Jiang Chuan had done that morning…

But she still shook her head.

"No, no..."

Joey's voice sounded a little flustered.

"I'm afraid... Xiaoxia and Huazi-nee, you'll both be awake and hear this... then it will be awkward."

Hanako smiled after hearing this.

"So you secretly ran away?"

Joey nodded sheepishly.

"In the end, you still caught me, Hanako-nee."

At the end, there was a hint of helpless reproach in his tone.

"Hanako-nee, why are you up so early?"

Hanako smiled helplessly: "At my age, I don't need much sleep."

"I'm used to it."

Several seconds passed before Joey spoke again.

"Hanako-nee... I don't know how to tell everyone."

"Tell me about Jiang Chuan..."

Hanako burst out laughing when she heard that.

"Just say it!"

"Didn't I tell you a long time ago? We all support you."

"Do you think Xiaoxia would mind? Do you think I would mind?"

"Joey, didn't you already figure it out yesterday?"

Joey opened his mouth, about to say something.

A door next to it opened.

Xiaoxia's room door.

The doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open from the inside. Xiaoxia, wearing a pink nightgown, with her hair a mess, squinted and groggy, walked out of the room.

She was woken up by the urge to urinate.

The same routine every morning.

With her eyes not fully open, she groped her way along the floor towards the bathroom.

It felt like I was still in a dream.

Hanako glanced at her, then turned back and smiled at Joey.

That smile carried a hint of "You watch me."

She raised her voice slightly, speaking casually as if she were remarking on the nice weather.

"Oh, good morning, Xiaoxia."

"Miss Joey has joined our family!"

Xiaoxia squinted and mumbled a reply, still half asleep.

Good morning!

"Welcome, Miss Joey!"

The sound was drawn out, like someone talking in their sleep.

After saying that, he continued walking towards the restroom.

Hanako shrugged and gave Joey a "See?" smile.

"Look."

"Xiaoxia is so ordinary."

"I gladly accept it."

Joey watched Xia's dazed figure walk away, then looked at Hanako's serene smile.

The huge weight on my heart has finally been lifted.

It really is that simple.

It turns out that nobody really makes a fuss about it.

It turns out that everything Hanako-nee said was true.

She took a deep breath and then stood up straight.

Although she was still wrapped in a bath towel and her hair was still wet, her upright posture suddenly gave her a more solemn air.

"Hanako-nee."

"Please take good care of me from now on!"

His tone and posture were just like a junior saluting a senior.

Hanako reached out and stroked Joey's arm, the warmth of her palm seeping through the towel.

"Same to you."

Let's look after each other!

The two were talking.

A scream suddenly came from the bathroom.

"ah--!"

The sound was as sharp as boiling water, piercing through the entire suite.

Then came the sound of urination abruptly stopping.

Then came a rapid rushing sound of water.

Immediately afterwards, the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open, and Xiaoxia ran out of it.

The pants were pulled up, but the waistband of the pajama pants was still crooked.

She rushed into the living room, her eyes wide open, the sleepiness on her face vanished, and she felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water, completely awake.

"Ah! What?!"

"What did Miss Joey join?"

Her gaze swept back and forth between Hanako and Joey.

Hanako held her coffee and looked at her with a smile.

Joey was wrapped in a bath towel, clutching her clothes, her face flushed, and she was smiling.

Xiaoxia opened her mouth, pointed at Qiao Yi, and then pointed in the direction of Jiang Chuan's room. Her mouth opened and closed as if she was imagining what had happened last night.

Hanako and Joey exchanged a glance, then nodded simultaneously.

Their movements were so synchronized, it was as if they had been rehearsed.

At that moment, Jiang Chuan suddenly sat up; the scream he had just heard had abruptly pulled him out of his dream.

"What exploded?"

The three little ones on the living room sofa were also startled awake.

Ibrahimovic and Togepi both bristled up at the same time; one curled into a ball of fur, while the other's horns stood up.

Pikachu remained calm, stretching out its two little paws to stroke Eevee and Togepi, making a soothing "Pika Pika" sound.

Xiaoxia was fully awakened by that exclamation in the early morning.

...............................

At breakfast time, Miss Joey still felt she should make it official, and once she made up her mind, she was absolutely certain without any further hesitation.

"I...I want to say this very seriously."

"Hanako, Kasumi, from today onwards, I'm just like you. Please take care of me."

Xiaoxia found out as soon as she went to the bathroom, but she was still shocked. She threw down the cushion and jumped up from the corner of the sofa.

"When? What happened? How did it happen?"

Her questions rained down on Jiang Chuan like a machine gun.

"Huh? Didn't we have a delicious meal last night, and then we ate so much that we passed out?"

"So you did this while I was unconscious......"

Jiang Chuan raised his hand, extended a finger, and gently tapped Xiaoxia's head.

"You ate so much you passed out."

No one else fainted.

Xiaoxia tilted her head and glared at Jiang Chuan.

Its mouth puffed out, like a squirrel whose pine cone had been stolen.

"ha!"

"You big bad guy!"

"They started their mischief while I was unconscious!"

Jiang Chuan smiled and did not refute.

Hanako held her coffee cup, took an elegant sip, and her eyes were full of smiles.

Joey lowered her head, her face flushed again, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up.

After scolding Jiang Chuan, Xiaoxia turned around and looked at Qiao Yi.

She stared at Joey for several seconds.

Then he suddenly laughed.

That smile was clean and sincere, without the slightest hint of reluctance.

"Never mind, never mind."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway."

"Welcome, Miss Joey!"

Joey looked at her, and her eyes suddenly felt a little hot.

She nodded vigorously.

"Okay! Thank you!"

After breakfast, Jiang Chuan and the other three went back to Joey's house.

Everyone helped Joey's house with a thorough cleaning. After working for most of the day, Jiang Chuan dusted off his hands and walked up to Joey.

"Joey, I still have one more badge to collect, so I might have to continue my journey for now."

Joey nodded, his face beaming.

Yesterday, Hanako-nee told her that they were going to collect the last badge and then participate in the Quartz Convention.

This was Jiang Chuan's path to becoming stronger, and she didn't act like a typical little woman, clinging to the past.

She simply stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed Jiang Chuan on the corner of his mouth.

"Keep it up, Jiang Chuan!"

"We need to get a good ranking at the Quartz Conference."

Jiang Chuan looked down at her and smiled.

"Of course."

Hanako walked over and took Joey's hand.

"Joey, let's talk a little longer before we leave."

The three people entered the room.

The door closed gently, shutting out the sounds of the waves and the wind outside.

Joey's bedroom wasn't big, but it was very clean. Several potted plants sat on the windowsill, and sunlight streamed through the curtains onto the bed, casting warm, dappled patterns of light.

The three women sat on the bed, and for a moment none of them spoke.

Hanako spoke first.

"Joey, what are your plans for the future?"

Joey thought for a moment.

"Let's get the Pokémon Center in good working order first."

"I still have a lot of tasks to complete at the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island, so I can't leave here for now."

Hanako nodded.

"and then?"

Joey looked out at the sea.

"And then... when you finish your trip and arrive at the Quartz Convention, I'll try my best to come and cheer him on!"

Hanako smiled and said, "This is a good arrangement."

Xiaoxia, sitting next to me, swung her legs and suddenly interjected.

"Actually, you can come with us."

Joey paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, the Pokémon on Cinnabar Island still need me; it's my responsibility."

"Besides, I'm not very good at Pokémon battles, and I'll be a hindrance to you guys if I go into the wild."

She smiled.

"I'm right here."

"You can come back anytime."

Xia looked at her, then suddenly stood up and gave her a big hug.

"It's a deal then!"

"Take good care of yourself!"

See you at the Quartz Conference!

Joey felt a warm glow in her heart as she was held in Xia's arms, and she reached out to pat Xia's back.

"Okay. See you at the Quartz Conference!"

Hanako also came over and hugged Joey from the other side.

The shadows of three women were projected onto the wall, overlapping each other, making it impossible to distinguish who was who.

……

On the dock.

The ship's horn sounded.

The ferry returning to the Kanto mainland had docked, and passengers boarded the ship one after another.

Jiang Chuan also came in, interrupting the three sisters' farewell: "The boat has arrived!"

Afterwards, Joey and Jiang Chuan arrived at the dock.

Xiaoxia stood next to him holding Togepi, while Hanako stood on the other side carrying her luggage.

Joey stood opposite them.

She was still wearing that beautiful dress, her pink hair swaying gently in the sea breeze.

A smile graced his face. That smile was completely different from the restrained demeanor he displayed while dining at the hot spring town yesterday.

It's a smile that comes from the bottom of your heart, free, at ease, and with a sense of steadfast happiness.

Jiang Chuan reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Wait for me to come back."

Joey didn't flinch, nor did she blush.

She just looked up at him.

"Um."

"The sea breeze on Crimson Island is always salty."

"When you come back, I'll treat you to seafood ramen."

Jiang Chuan smiled.

It's a deal.

He turned around and walked towards the ship.

Xiaoxia waved to Joey.

"Bye-bye, Miss Joey! We'll miss you!"

Hanako waved back, her smile carrying a hint of something only the three of them understood.

Joey stood on the dock, watching them board the ship, watching the ferry slowly leave the port, watching that familiar figure grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared on the horizon.

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the still-pulsating sensation there, a sensation she called sweetness.

It's the kind of sweetness that Hanako-nee mentioned yesterday.

She tasted it.

And this sweetness won't expire.

Because Jiang Chuan will come back.

And she will wait for him here.

The sea breeze was still blowing at the pier, and the waves were crashing against the rocks on the shore, splashing up white foam.

On the distant sea, the ferry's shadow had disappeared, leaving only a vast expanse of azure water merging seamlessly with the horizon...