I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

Came in front of me.

Ye Yue Li Ya looked down and met her gaze.

"..."

"I am coming."

"..."

"You should go and have some rest."

"..."

There was no response, but her mother stood up anyway.

With a hesitant look, he walked to the side.

"..."

Hazuki Reiya took her mother's seat.

She glanced at the person on the bed, just a quick glance, not daring to look closely.

The white quilt covered the body, leaving only the head exposed.

His face was haggard and his eyes were closed.

Hazuki Reiya's gaze shifted away.

She looked at her mother, who seemed to be moving slowly. She took out some clothes from the closet next to her and walked out quietly.

Ye Yue Li Ya withdrew her gaze and stared at the white bed and bedding.

……

It was half an hour later when her mother came back.

"Reiya."

The dry, unlubricated sound came from her mother.

Ye Yue Liya stood up and looked at her mother who had changed her clothes at the door.

"Yes."

"Come out for a moment."

"……Yes."

Looking at his mother at the door, although he didn't know what was going on, Ye Yue Li Ya still walked over.

As she walked over, her mother's eyes were fixed on her.

Her mother didn't look away until she reached the door and walked out.

"Let's go back for a while." she said suddenly.

"What?" The voice was too dry to be heard clearly.

Her mother's hand grasped her arm: "Go back a moment."

"..."

Now Ye Yue Li Ya heard it clearly. She turned around and looked at the person on the bed through the gap in the open door of the ward.

"I just fell asleep. I won't wake up so soon."

"……Oh."

"Bang." The door was closed, blocking the view.

Her mother held her arm and walked on.

Some of my dry hands were so painful from scratching through the winter clothes.

Ye Yue Li Ya pursed her lips and followed.

But not a few steps.

"mom."

Hazuki Reiya pulled her mother's hand.

"..."

Her mother stopped walking suddenly, turned her head suddenly, and stared at her stiffly.

Ye Yue Li Ya pointed to the clothes in her mother's hand: "Your clothes are still there."

"..."

She reached out and took the clothes.

"Shall I put it back?"

"..."

After a moment of hesitation, her mother grabbed her hand tightly, then slowly let go and watched her return to the ward.

He put his clothes away, came out of the ward again, and stared at her again until she walked up to him step by step.

Her mother grabbed her hand again, and like before, turned around without saying a word and walked out of the hospital.

Hazuki Reiya continued to be pulled forward.

"What are you going back for?"

After walking a few more steps, with the sound of footsteps echoing in the empty corridor, Ye Yue Li Ya finally asked the question.

But I didn't get an answer.

Her mother continued walking forward without saying a word.

Ye Yue Liya closed her mouth and walked forward in silence.

……

The wind blew in the night.

The evening breeze in Kyoto in December just feels cold when it blows in your face.

Ye Yue Li Ya took a look at her mother's clothes which were not very thick.

Or just finished taking a shower.

"Are you cold?" The words she was about to ask got stuck in her throat for some reason as she looked at her mother's pale face.

"Why are we going back?"

Ye Yue Li Ya asked again.

The only answer she got was the whistling of cold wind.

……

The two people standing at the hospital entrance saw a car stop in front of them. It was a taxi.

Ye Yue Li Ya looked at the taxi, and then looked at her mother's outstretched hand, which seemed to be frozen in mid-air, hailing a taxi with a puzzled look.

"mom?"

"..."

Hazuki Reiya shouted in surprise, but her mother just looked at her.

"boarding."

The clumsy machine uttered a few syllables.

"..."

……

Taxis are expensive in Japan.

It would definitely be expensive to get back home from here.

It’s not so expensive that I can’t afford it, but it’s definitely an unnecessary burden... There’s another person lying in the ward.

Ye Yue Li Ya stared at the speedometer in front of her with some anxiety, and then looked at her mother who was sitting in the back seat with her and still holding her arm.

The dim light in the taxi made her mother's already gloomy face look even more terrifying.

"mom--"

Hazuki Reiya shouted once again, hoping to get an explanation.

However, her mother's eyes did not move, she did not even look at her, and stared at the backrest in front of her.

……

Hazuki Reiya was definitely feeling uneasy.

She struggled slightly with her grasped arm but was unable to free herself.

"What happened?"

When they arrived at the door of the house, her mother took out the key from her pocket with one hand.

"mom?"

"..."

As she asked, the door was opened with the sound of keys jingling.

……

Her mother pulled her into the dim home.

"Go change clothes."

As soon as she walked in, before she even changed her shoes, her mother gave her instructions.

Hazuki Reiya looked at her mother.

In the darkness, her mother's eyes reflected a faint light.

Ye Yue Liya reached out and turned on the light.

The lights suddenly came on, and her mother's face and eyes suddenly appeared completely in her field of vision.

"Your school uniform."

Her mother blurted out the second sentence.

"…school uniform?"

"Take a bath first." Her mother blurted out the third sentence.

"..."

Ye Yue Li Ya hesitated for a moment, and put the three sentences together into one sentence: "Take a shower, and then change into school uniform?"

"Ah."

Her mother nodded stiffly.

"..."

Hazuki Reiya felt more and more uneasy.

Pale face under pale light, dull eyes,

"Why? What's this for?"

She asked again, but got no answer.

……

In the brightly lit bathroom, Ye Yue Liya finished her bath.

Through the frosted glass door, she could see that her mother was standing at the bathroom door and didn't leave.

"..."

Reiya Hazuki changed into Uyama's school uniform and opened the bathroom door.

As soon as I went out, the coldness invaded my still damp body.