I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

Today...I guess I can skip school.

I seemed to have woken up from sleep. However, for some reason, my eyes still felt a dull pain. Perhaps it was due to illness, or perhaps it was simply because I had been talking to her until late last night before falling into a deep sleep.

"what...."

Hopefully, she won't be late or anything because of this.

After all, she also said that she has been able to sleep more peacefully recently. All in all, this is a good thing.

The sky outside the window was still dark. The sound of rain had perhaps subsided compared to yesterday's memory...

"Cough-cough-"

I coughed softly, and the pain in my throat subsided a bit, but it looked like I was still sick. My body temperature probably rose again during my sleep, causing my pajamas to stick to my back... It was really uncomfortable.

Come to think of it, since my mother didn't wake me up, it means that either it's not time for class yet, or she has already asked for leave for me... Guessing this, I picked up the phone beside me.

"Wow, it's already this late..."

It was 10:46 in the morning, and not only was it almost time for class, it was almost time for lunch.

“…I see.”

Judging from the thermos and medicine on the bedside table, my mom must have come over, but she didn't wake me up when she saw me like that. Regardless, being able to slack off and not go to school was a blessing for me.

“Gurgle—Gurgle.”

After downing half a cup of warm water in one gulp, my dry mouth finally felt a little moistened. At the same time, noticing no apparent hunger, I slowly moved my still-not-quite-tired body towards the bathroom.

“Swish—swish—swish—”

The water spraying from the shower head sounds like rain.

What did I talk about with her yesterday?

My groggy brain caused a hazy memory to fill my mind. Now when I tried to recall it, it felt like watching a distorted disc, disjointed and disconnected.

However, the only thing I remember is when that topic was mentioned.

“Ugh…Ah—”

The water falling from above seemed a little too hot, and my body involuntarily avoided it.

If possible, I would still like to take a good bath, but I don’t really want to go to the bathhouse. In order to make more space in the bathroom, the bathtub was removed a few years ago.

"...What on earth is going on..."

Once you try to touch upon those special places on Yao Qiong, she will become quite unusual... Logically, the best way to deal with this situation is to ignore it and not mention it. However, even if I don't care now, those who she comes into contact with later will definitely be curious about it.

In other words, in the long run, she still needs to become like a normal person.

"Ah sneeze——"

Still feeling a chill.

...It seems that the idea of ​​taking a hot bath to make the illness heal faster still doesn't work.

Chapter 20 Gradually Begins to Change

I seemed to have had another nice dream yesterday... I was just walking aimlessly in a barren land with no end in sight and where it seemed like nothing had ever grown.

I've never known what a desert is like, but if I were to describe it, it would probably be something like a dream. Such an endless walk...how long could it last? I'm eager to see the end of that journey.

"Stop staring at the cutlery. You're going to be late if you don't eat quickly."

My foster mother popped her head out of the kitchen to remind me. It was then that I suddenly realized I still had to go to school today...

"...Oh, I see."

If only the day off could come sooner. This thought occurred to me for the first time, and the reason was simple... If I didn't have to go to school, I could probably finish this dream I had worked so hard to achieve.

"You know everything, why don't you pick up your chopsticks?"

"Well..."

Lately, I've even been daydreaming more often... because there are more things worth reminiscing about. Ultimately, this is probably all thanks to him.

It's a strange feeling to say, but I really want to see him right now. Maybe it's because we haven't seen each other since that trip, or maybe it's because he didn't show up when I was feeding Xiao Hei... In short, for some unknown reason, I just want to see him once.

Will we meet by chance on the way to school?

Although I have never encountered him before...but since there is only one road leading to the school, there must be a chance of encountering him somewhere close to the school.

"Hey, Joan! Remember to take your umbrella!"

I was standing at the door when I was reminded by this voice. Suddenly I realized that I didn't bring any rain gear with me, so I was about to step into the drizzle.

"Oh, I see—"

Going to school in the rain without an umbrella...you might get sick.

Thinking of this, I suddenly remembered for some reason that person who was dating me was wearing very thin clothes but still stayed with me in the cold wind.

I didn't see him because he was sick...

"Why haven't you left yet? You're really going to be late at this rate!"

"Got it, I'll leave now—"

After picking up an umbrella from the umbrella stand, I walked towards the school as usual, not knowing what kind of knowledge I could learn or what knowledge could bring me.

"Patta-Patta-Patta-Patta-"

Small and dense sounds hit the top of the umbrella, and the cold wind mixed with tiny raindrops kept blowing across my face, forcing me to lower my head continuously.

"..."

Will it appear?

I couldn't help but start to worry.

It's not just the little black guy who has been waiting for me to feed him in the pavilion, but also that guy... who I don't know why I started to care about him.

It seems that those two guys really have something inexplicably in common... Could it be that they all look a little weird compared to their own kind?

No conclusion can be drawn.

No matter how hard I tried to recall the knowledge points and information I had learned from classes and books, I still couldn't get the answer to this question.

"...Are the things in the textbooks really useful?"

Even if I asked this question to the top student in the class, she probably wouldn't know the answer. So, I can't help but doubt what I'm doing now... But if I asked that person named Sheji what the meaning of what I'm doing is to me, he would probably be able to answer it without hesitation.

I have no basis for this, that's just what I think. And in fact, that's how he makes me feel...

"..."

The pace gradually slowed down and then stopped.

I moved the umbrella to my free left hand so that my right hand could take things out of my pocket.

Without any effort, I pulled the phone out of my pocket.

Honestly, this is the first time I've ever thought about bringing my phone to school... I know it's against school rules. But when I think about him doing it before, I feel like even if I did it, it wouldn't be a big deal... It's really strange, isn't it?

"...If you still can't find him today, try calling him."

Anyway, he said that I can call him anytime, so...it's not abnormal to do this...right?

The emerging interweaving

After entering the school, I still couldn't find him.

Logically, there's no reason to be lonely... After all, I have no memory of meeting him before. If it weren't for that chance encounter, I might never have known that such a person existed in the world.

"...I always feel..."

If I think about it this way, the world I live in is really huge... Maybe I have realized how insignificant I am a long time ago.

"Patta-Patta-Patta-Patta-"

Do the raindrops that keep hitting the umbrella understand the significance of what they are doing? Are they performing an essential action for the world's water cycle? Or have they just started doing this a long time ago and will continue to do so like now?

"......"

"You're almost late, what are you still doing here?"

The figure that passed by me quickly looked back and spoke to me hurriedly.

"Oh... sorry." I apologized subconsciously.

"What are you talking about... Stop being so slow. Hurry up and run—"

The girl, who I had no memory of, started talking to me. It was then that I suddenly realized she hadn't brought any rain gear, and her long hair, which should have been flowing, now hung wetly on her shoulders and back like seaweed.

"Uh...ok."

The ground was uneven, and there was even water in some places. If you just ran over without thinking... you'd probably get your shoes and socks wet.

"Don't use an umbrella at a time like this." She snatched the umbrella from my hand, folded it neatly, and then pulled up my sleeve. "Follow me and run quickly. Be careful not to fall."

"Hey, but you'll step into a puddle if you do that..." I said as I saw one of her feet had already stepped into the puddle.

"Of course you'll step on it on a rainy day. It's unavoidable."

She retorted without turning around.

"But... being late is certainly avoidable! As long as you're fast enough, you won't be able to catch up with the school bell—"

What a strange statement...

"what..."

Following her lead, I stepped hard into the puddle, and my warm shoes instantly became damp and cold. Since it was already like this, I didn't care anymore... I didn't know why I had to run with her, but I still managed to get to the teaching building before the bell rang.

"Hoohoo, that's what I said."

She seemed quite pleased with herself... Her clothes were already soaked through, so what was the point of catching up on time...

"You're already in second grade, and you can't have such a poor sense of time."

"...Hmm."

Is she actually lecturing me now? But judging by her uniform, she's definitely a senior who's already in her third year. So, I'm being taken care of by her? But it feels like I'm actually getting more trouble than I should be... My hair and shoes are soaked, and I don't have any way to dry them.

"Well, I should be leaving too—you should hurry to the classroom too." She pulled a towel out of her bag and wiped her hair as she said goodbye. So I couldn't stop her and ask the common question, "Since you brought a towel, why didn't you just bring an umbrella?"

"....oh."

What a strange man.

Chapter 21: The Intertwining

When I put the first bite of rice into my mouth, I felt the long-suppressed hunger finally return. Compared to the feelingless swallowing before, I realized that being able to eat normally is a very happy thing.

The meat pieces, which were of the right hardness, burst out with delicious gravy as I chewed them. Although it had been a while, it was still delicious. Before the taste spread in my mouth, I swallowed the reheated rice in big mouthfuls.

At this moment, I have gotten great satisfaction.

Oh no, something seems to be leaking from the corner of my eye. After wanting to eat but not being able to, and then having no appetite at all... I'm finally feeling a bit normal again. It seems the bad luck that's been lingering on me is finally over.

"Uh--"

I choked because I ate too fast, and suddenly felt that I was happy too early.

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

The weather was gloomy, and it seemed like many people were not happy. Even the guys who used to play around in the classroom during their spare time were now sitting quietly in their seats, occasionally chatting about topics I didn't understand.

Things like "Mie Mie Zi," "Zha Zha Hui," "Great Sword," and "Gun Lance" are probably hard to come by in real life, so if we're just talking about a certain game... that way, that person should be able to fit in easily.

"correct..."

I suddenly realized that I could use this long break to go look for him in the classroom. Although there was no reason, just seeing him once wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Thinking this, my body moved on its own, heading for the door. Then, I thought about which class he was in... Anyway, did he really tell me which class he was in?

“…”

Thinking carefully, he never once mentioned which class he was in. But thinking about it, it shouldn't be that hard to find him... Because if he was in Class 5 or Class 4, which are relatively close, then I'd definitely have a chance of seeing him. In other words, the most likely places he'd be were Classes 1, 2, and 3.

There was still a long time before class started, so instead of waiting in my seat, I might as well walk around. Driven by this thought, I started walking towards another classroom.

........