Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

It is the mother.

【Akai, the letter from the University of Tokyo has arrived.】

【Um. 】

[It says on the sign that the entrance ceremony will be held on April 1st!]

That's really lucky.

[Yeah, yeah! I can't believe you actually got in, A-Zhao! This past year must have been tough, right? What do you want to eat tonight?]

Kai Uesugi glanced sideways at the two packs of Nissin Cup Noodles in his plastic bag.

The pattering raindrops continued to fill my ears.

I've already bought some instant noodles.

[Instant noodles? No way! That's unhealthy. When you get home, just wait for me to go grocery shopping; it'll be ready in a minute.]

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Unexpectedly, it rang again.

It's Goto.

【Hello.】

[Haha, Uesugi, I passed! I passed!]

【Congratulations.】

Hey, you have no idea how tough it's been for me lately. Every night I wait for the envelope to arrive at home.

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi, phone in hand, gazed at the passersby under their umbrellas as they brushed past him.

[Hey, Uesugi, are you alright? You don't sound very happy. Could it be that you...]

You've passed; don't worry.

[You passed? Haha, that's great! The University of Tokyo... I can't even dream of it. There's a class reunion on Friday, everyone's coming. Are you coming?]

【never mind.】

Hey, no way! The class reunion wouldn't be complete without you! You're a celebrity at our school! Do you know how many girls have asked me for your phone number?

[It wouldn't be much different without me.]

【How can you say that! Every classmate is important! If you don't come, Tsubokawa and I will drag you here!】

There's no need.

"Uesugi, this is necessary. We're worried about you." Goto's tone suddenly became serious.

What do I have to worry about?

[Anyway, it's settled then. 2-6-12 Ginza. Remember to come on time Friday noon, you absolutely have to!]

Kai Uesugi put the phone he had just hung up back into his pocket.

On the way home, the sound of the plastic bag swaying and the rain hitting the umbrella were clearly mingled together.

The words Goto had invited me to the class reunion kept echoing in my mind.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

To say it's perfect is an understatement; it's been imperfect for a long time now.

Uesugi Kai continued walking, the sky overcast with rain, filled with an unyielding chill.

......

open the door.

"I am back."

Kai Uesugi spoke loudly because he secretly hoped that a soft, warm voice would reach his ears.

###Chapter 282 Mr. Reflection###

Heavy, dark clouds lingered in the sky, bringing down a light drizzle that dampened everything in the park.

Aiyi was squatting under a bridge in the park.

The bridge is flat and not high. Below it is a shallow river, and on both sides are emerald green grass.

The bridge pier blocked half of her figure, and her tilted hat seemed about to slip off her beautiful hair at any moment.

She seemed to be lost in thought, pondering some questions.

This made Uesugi Kai, who was standing on high ground holding an umbrella, recall the first day he met her.

That day, she was also lost in thought, head down, staring at the ground.

When asked what she was doing, she said she was watching ants carrying sugar.

This kind of meaningless daydreaming is actually a way to kill time, allowing the brain to go blank and forget everything.

Humans develop in the womb and have their first senses there, which is why many children like enclosed spaces.

When I was little, I liked to bury my head under the blanket at night, covering my whole body. I loved small cardboard boxes, where I could curl up comfortably and sleep soundly. I liked to build a little thatched hut, where I could hug my knees and curl up under banana leaves, looking up at the sky to shelter from the rain.

Kai Uesugi could understand her desire to be alone, but it was never good to make her sister worry.

He stepped on the soft soil beneath the lawn and chose to approach the little girl.

The flowing river in front of Ai Yi reflected the tilted hat on her head.

Kai Uesugi crouched down beside her and tried to talk to her: "Are you alright?"

"Ugh... I don't feel well..."

"If you're not feeling well, you can go home first. If you stay here this afternoon and it's raining, your sister will be very worried."

"Ah."

Ai responded to him, but the response was ambiguous, because she did not stand up or make any further moves.

The air remained silent for a long time.

Kai Uesugi noticed that she kept staring at her reflection in the water.

"What happened today?"

"Um......"

Can you tell me about it?

“I asked Mr. Reflection if he could keep looking at me like this, but he never answered.”

It's a strange problem, and the reflection in the water is a little girl who is the opposite of her, not a gentleman.

“As long as you look at your shadow, it will always look at you,” Uesugi Kai answered for her reflection.

The circular ripples on the water collided and overlapped with each other, making the small river appear anything but calm.

“They’ll see…” Ai-yi gazed at the water’s surface, which was being rippled by the rain.

Kai Uesugi replied, following her words:

"Will do."

The phenomenon of reflection, which we learned in junior high school, does explain this, but Ai-yi is not yet in junior high school and should not know about the phenomenon of light.

In a child's mind, it's only natural that the surface of water reflects images.

Uesugi Kai noticed that her clothes were a little wet. If she didn't go home in this rainy weather, she would definitely catch a cold.

"Let's go back with my sister and take a shower first. We can talk about it slowly then."

Ai shook her head, her delicate, arched eyebrows showing no sign of happiness.

“If I don’t look at Mr. Reflection, Mr. Reflection won’t look at me either.”

“I can see Mr. Reflection even when I get home,” Uesugi Kai said, not understanding why she wanted to see the reflection.

Aiyi was very clever; at least she understood immediately after he said that. "Oh right... Mr. Reflection can also be seen in the bathtub at home, but... if we leave now... will Mr. Reflection become a different person... and no longer recognize Aiyi?"

Kai Uesugi: "No way, not in such a short time."