Zongman: Beginning and Snow under the Rain Escape from Raccoon City

"Ah."

Aoyama Nanami nodded slightly, her expression serious: "I've loved the voices of characters since I was a child. After coming to Tokyo, I was finally able to attend professional training classes. But the tuition was very high, and my family... didn't really support me, so I had to work part-time."

She spoke in a very low voice, as if afraid of being laughed at.

Hikigaya Komachi's eyes lit up immediately, and she exclaimed even louder than Hikigaya, "Amazing! She's working so hard for her dream!"

"Machi is much better than Komachi. Komachi has no dreams at all; she only works for her good-for-nothing older brother."

"Help your brother?"

Aoyama Nanami paused for a moment, then smiled slightly: "That's still amazing. I think people who work hard for their families are wonderful too."

"Yo."

Ye Hai pushed open the door and entered, his gaze sweeping over the bookshelves and scattered cardboard boxes.

The afternoon sun cast a long shadow behind him.

"boss."

Aoyama Nanami bowed slightly to Ye Hai.

"Ye Hai'nei!"

Hikigaya Komachi's eyes lit up, and she quickly waved her hand: "Are you here to help?!"

Ye Hai smiled and waved his hand casually: "No, I was just passing by."

"Eh--"

Komachi puffed out her cheeks, somewhat disgruntled: "You look like you have so much free time."

Ye Hai shrugged, offering no further explanation, and casually handed his phone to Komachi.

In the dialog box on the screen, Sawamura Sayuri's name was lit up.

"Aunt Sawamura Sayuri?"

Hikigaya Komachi blinked.

She knew this was Eriri Sawamura's mother.

"Ah."

Ye Hai put his phone away and said calmly, "She asked me to pick someone up at the airport. She said it's a distant relative from England. Although she and Spencer are divorced, they are still related by blood. The child is Eriri's cousin, so naturally I have to receive her."

He paused for a moment, his expression softening slightly: "It's just that Eriri has been having severe morning sickness these past two days, and Sayuri can't leave, so she asked me to go over."

0 ··Requesting flowers····· 0

Eriri's cousin, so now she's naturally Ye Hai's cousin too.

Narita Airport.

The arrival hall was noisy, with announcements of various flights playing over the loudspeakers.

Ye Hai stopped in the crowd, casually put his hands into his pockets, and looked up at the exit.

Before long, a slender figure slowly emerged.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down smoothly, her skin was so fair it was almost translucent, and her eyes were as clear as moonlight. She dragged a small suitcase, her steps light, yet carrying an innate sense of detachment.

0...  

Ye Hai recognized her.

——Shiina Mashiro.

He thought to himself: Does she really have no blood relation to Shiina Mahiru?

Shiina Mashiro stood quietly in the crowd, seemingly out of place in the bustling airport.

Her gaze remained calm, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Ye Hai.

"You are……"

Her voice was soft, as if she were confirming something.

Ye Hai stepped forward and extended his hand: "I am Ye Hai. Your cousin... Eriri's husband. I've come to pick you up today."

Shiina Mashiro blinked and softly hummed in agreement.

Traffic was sparse on the Tokyo expressways.

Ye Hai held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other hand rested naturally on the side of the car window.

The car window was half-open, and the wind, carrying the chill of early winter, blew in, ruffling the stray hairs at his temples.

In the passenger seat, Shiina Mashiro sat quietly.

Her hands were clasped on her knees, and her golden hair swayed gently in the wind, as if it were glowing with a thin halo in the sunlight.

The carriage was so quiet that only the low hum of the engine could be heard.

Suddenly, Shiina Mashiro turned her face, her voice calm and even, breaking the silence.

"...What's your favorite color?"

Chapter 222 Shiina Mashiro

Ye Hai paused for a moment, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye: "Color?"

"Ah."

Shiina Mashiro's eyes were fixed straight ahead, her expression unchanging: "My favorite color."

Ye Hai raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips: "That's quite a sudden question."

"so what?"

She kept her eyes fixed ahead, as if it were just a casual question, yet she was quietly waiting for an answer.

The wind blew, causing the decorations inside the car to jingle.

"Black, please."

Ye Hai spoke calmly, his tone tinged with self-deprecation: "Sometimes I think, my true nature is actually quite dark."

Shiina Mashiro blinked, and almost imperceptibly repeated "033" in a soft voice: "Black..."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she were keeping the answer in her heart.

After a brief silence, she added softly, "I like white."

"Huh? That actually suits your style quite well."

Ye Hai glanced at her sideways, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Like snow, clean, cold, just a little dull."

"stay?"

Shiina Mashiro's golden ahoge (antenna-like hair sticking up) twitched slightly, as if she didn't understand why Ye Hai said that.

Ye Hai gripped the steering wheel with one hand, a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "Yeah, think about it, I didn't show any credentials at the airport just now."

“We’ve never met before, and you’re just coming with me like this.”

Shiina Mashiro blinked quietly without saying a word.

"In other words, if I weren't Ye Hai, but just any random stranger—wouldn't you be kidnapped by now?"

The wind howled in through the car window, ruffling a few strands of her golden hair.

Shiina Mashiro turned her head, her clear, untainted eyes landing on Ye Hai, but her tone remained calm: "But you are."

"what?"

"You are Ye Hai."

She spoke softly, as if stating a self-evident fact: "That's why I'm going with you."

Ye Hai was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud: "...That answer is even dumber."

Shiina Mashiro didn't refute anymore, but simply turned her gaze back to the window.

She held her hands on her knees, her golden hair swaying gently in the wind.

Ye Hai looked away.

"Well, there are advantages to being a bit slow, I guess."

At least living isn't tiring.

A black sedan was parked in front of Sawamura's house.

Ye Hai opened the car door and reached out to help Shiina Mashiro take off her suitcase.

The girl's long golden hair shimmered softly in the setting sun, and her almost translucent white skin made her seem like she didn't belong in this bustling city.

Someone quickly pushed open the door.

"You're back!"

Sawamura Sayuri greeted them with a beaming smile. Her appearance was still radiant, but her eyes now held a touch of the gentleness that only a mother could possess.

"truth!"

Sayuri Sawamura quickly stepped forward, opened her arms, and gave her a very affectionate hug: "You must be tired from your journey."

Although she and Spencer had a falling out, it was only directed at him personally; she wouldn't take her anger out on Spencer's relatives.

Shiina Mashiro simply blinked and nodded slightly.

Inside the room, Eriri Sawamura was leaning back on the sofa.

Morning sickness had made her face pale. She was holding a cushion in her arms. When she saw Ye Hai enter, she immediately turned her face away and complained in a low voice, "Why did you take so long?"

They said they could pick the person up at 1 p.m., but it's already 4 p.m.

"Huh? It was your mom who told me to pick her up."

"Besides, the flight delay isn't my fault, is it?"

Ye Hai shrugged helplessly and pushed his suitcase aside.

"Humph……"

Eriri gave a soft hum, but still turned her gaze to Shiina Mashiro: "Mashiro, it's been a long time."

Although his tone was gentle, it conveyed a sense of closeness.

Both of them love drawing, which naturally makes Eriri feel a little fond of Shiina Mashiro, who shares the same hobby.

Although the two of them were drawing completely different things.

hiss--

Should we be careful that Eriri doesn't lead Shiina Mashiro astray?

Ye Hai stroked his chin, thinking.

Beside Eriri, Saki Kawasaki stood quietly, dressed in a clean maid outfit, deftly adjusting the position of the cushion for Eriri.

Since becoming Eriri Sawamura's personal maid, she has been by Eriri's side almost all the time.

"This is Eriri-san's cousin?"

Saki Kawasaki looked at Mashiro and confirmed softly.

"Ah."

Ye Hai nodded.

Kawasaki Saki bowed slightly and said in a steady voice, "Welcome to Japan. I am Kawasaki Saki, and I will assist you in adapting to life here."

Shiina Mashiro gazed at her quietly, and after several seconds, she softly said, "Thank you."

Kawasaki Saki was slightly taken aback.

Kawasaki Saki had met all sorts of rich young ladies and heiresses. Some were arrogant, some were gentle, some were sociable, and some were reserved and shy—but Shiina Mashiro's temperament was completely different.

She stood there quietly, like a blank sheet of paper, even her breathing carried a sense of detachment, as if "isolated from the world".

Eriri leaned back on the sofa, stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly tugged at Ye Hai's sleeve and muttered, "Hey, she's still the same as always."

"I don't know what she was like before."