Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

"...Yusuke, I mean Yusuke..."

A girl's voice came from behind.

It was a little hazy when I first heard it, but after I regained my perception of the outside world, it immediately became clear.

"——Really, just wait for me for a moment."

Kato Yusuke, who had been walking with his head down, suddenly stopped and froze in place.

The next second.

puff……

A soft impact came from the back.

"Ah, it hurts..."

Looking back.

Huizheng, whose hair was slightly messy, covered his forehead with his right hand and gasped lightly. The fair little face is rosy, and the shiny sandalwood mouth is slightly open.

"Great...you finally stopped."

There was a rare hint of resentment in the quiet and beautiful eyes that looked up.

"It means there are so many people here. I almost thought you were going to leave me here."

"…………?"

Kato Yusuke's eyes, which were like dead water, evoked a hint of emotion, as if he had finally come to life.

Blinking numbly.

The sun has completely set and night has begun. The dark blue color that belongs to the night renders the sky, and little stars begin to twinkle.

On the criss-crossing streets, colorful neon lights decorate the city, and the people coming and going are bustling and flowing, presenting a lively scene.

The piercing sound of whistles and the roar of people came together, sometimes far away and sometimes close.

"...Have you reacted now?"

The girl reminded with a hint of depression: "We're almost at the station here, right?"

"..."

Kato Yusuke took a slow breath, and the cold air entered his lungs, stimulating the depths of his nasal cavity.

"...I'm sorry, it's my fault."

He spoke in a low voice, trying to overlook the entire ins and outs in his mind, but the entrance to Shinjoka's house kept popping up, causing strong interference.

While his eyes were dim and unclear, his mood couldn't help but become heavy.

"Well, you didn't mean it after all, right? Then there's nothing to apologize for."

Hui sighed a little helplessly, "Then, do you want to come and have a little chat?"

Kato Yusuke pursed his lips tightly and forced a smile: "...What are you talking about?"

The girl stared at him for a while, feeling slightly troubled, and then said after careful consideration:

"About this, although I don't have to force you to do anything, your state makes me think it's better to tell you, right?"

Kato Yusuke showed a perfunctory fake smile, but was interrupted by a light and clear voice.

"I won't give up, Yusuke." The girl declared with a rare seriousness in her expression.

After careful observation, he discovered that her shoulders and chest were rising and falling slightly. At the same time, in order not to let him notice, she opened her mouth slightly and was taking short breaths.

Despite this, Megumi said as calmly as possible:

"Even if you are not ready to open your heart to me yet, I will still stay by your side until the day you feel you can tell me."

In the night, the girl was like a snow-white dandelion, smiling at him.

"So when you are dejected, afraid to speak out, and trembling... and you are lost on a night like this when you can't see the moon..."

As he spoke, he grabbed his hand with both hands and held it tightly against his chest.

"——When the time comes, I will definitely stay by your side closer than anyone else."

"——!"

The cold evening breeze blew, slightly swaying the skirt.

The wind made the coat bulge, and his thin shoulders exuded a calm and peaceful look.

The short black hair that she let down at some point was swaying lightly, sticking to her soft cheeks dripping with sweat.

Kato Yusuke looked at this scene and was speechless for a moment.

He burdened her with his vulnerability, his cunning, his sorrow and his regret.

Beat winter beat winter, beat winter beat winter.

As his heart beat, a dull pain erupted from his body.

The body couldn't help but become stiff and heavy, as if it didn't belong to him.

The feeling of loneliness came all at once, rushing straight to my forehead, and the complex emotions were on the verge of bursting.

The expression he maintained with all his strength and the nerves he had been tense suddenly collapsed at this moment.

"benefit……"

As if he was blinded by the dust, he opened his eyes unconsciously, and then hugged the girl tightly into his arms.

"ah……"

A small hum came from Hui's mouth.

A little surprised by his sudden move, the girl couldn't help but open her eyes slightly.

"Yusuke...?" Hui asked, turning her face slightly, but she could only see the back of his head.

"..."

Without saying anything, Kato Yusuke hugged her a little tighter and said in a dumb voice: "...Give me a little more time, one day...I will tell Kei..."

The dull voice accompanied by the hot breathing lingered faintly in the girl's ears as if asking for permission.

For no reason, Hui completely softened immediately, then carefully and slowly raised her hands, hugged him with her backhand, and gave a soft hum.

"...It's okay, it's okay, I'm here."

As if she were treating a child, she patted his back gently.

"No matter what happens, I will not sit back and let you wallow in such emotions alone. I will stay by your side closer than anyone else."

"..."

Kato Yusuke remained silent, his thirsty mouth feeling sticky. In the end, he just buried his face in her hair, not wanting his expression to be seen clearly.

There was a rather long, depressing silence.

In this silence, the body that always gave people a strong impression began to tremble slightly involuntarily.

Sensing this, Kei lowered his eyes slightly and continued to comfort him as if he didn't notice anything.

"It's okay, it's okay. Like I said, I'll be with you."

While she said this tirelessly, she secretly hoped that her voice could reach the bottom of the other person's heart.

I hope that I can make this person a little more warm, just like the boy who once appeared in her world when no one cared about him.

Until a certain moment.

Quietly, a warm and cool feeling of moisture spread on her shoulders, just like the warm-to-cold temperature on a spring night that soaked her clothes.

What followed was a slightly trembling, choking voice.

"Ah, don't lie to me..."

There was an unbreakable sadness in his voice, like an abandoned puppy.

"Well, I won't lie to you."

A gentler and firmer voice responded.

Like a glimmer of light shining in the depths of the dark night, the girl like the bright moon shines quietly here.

"..."

Kato Yusuke's heart was shaken.

Thousands of sorrows are mixed together, forming like a torrent of emotions, surging endlessly.

After a few months——

The person who closed his heart when he returned from Hokkaido;

He has been pretending to be the calm and steady person since he returned to school;

The same person who could maintain his dignity and push through when seeing Sayu again.

——Finally couldn't help but moisten his eyes, blurring his vision.

Not paying attention to the eyes around him, the young man held the girl in his arms tightly, with intermittent and silent sobs escaping from his throat.

Faced with Kato Yusuke's reaction, Kei felt very uneasy inside.

Honestly.

She was surprised and surprised to see this calm and strong person who had always been respected and admired by everyone show such a weak posture.

But at the same time, she also felt that she was closer to the other person.

As soon as I reach out my hand, it feels like I am about to touch the secret that no one knows...

The hand that gently patted the crest of his back never stopped.

Ignore the strange looks from passers-by.

She just stayed with him quietly, unwilling to let him be alone again.

…

I don’t know how much time passed.

With the girl's soft voice echoing in my ears, my tears seemed to have reached the end.

"Feel sorry…………"

The young man said in a low voice, in exchange for a sentence.

"Well, it's okay. And here's your handkerchief."

It's like not letting depression take advantage of it.

The handkerchief he gently picked up from his pocket stopped in front of Kato Yusuke's face, burning into his eyes, but he did not reach out to take it.

Dry the corners of your eyes carefully with the cuffs of your coat, lower the brim of your hat, and take a deep breath quietly.

After getting ready to calm down, he finally backed away without leaving a trace.

The figure of the girl who dared not look directly at her because of cowardice, shame and guilt was as elegant and beautiful as ever.

——Like the weeping cherry blossoms blooming quietly in a hidden place where no one knows.

On the shoulders where his face was buried, the military green jacket was stained with dark green.

However, the girl seemed to be completely unaware of this. She gently put away the handkerchief and asked nonchalantly: "Do you feel better? Yusuke."

Kato Yusuke hummed, hesitating not knowing how to speak.

But as if she understood his mood at the moment, Hui nodded and showed a soft smile.

"So, have you decided how to deal with that girl?"

That girl was, of course, Serizawa Yu.

Kato Yusuke was silent for a while and replied: "I want to help her..."

"I know this, and I'm willing to help if needed. But, how exactly can I help?"

The girl asked calmly.

"If she contacts you later, do you plan to let her live with Shinjo-san?"

"Even if Shinjou-san will most likely agree, have you thought about the girl's schooling?"

"The Sword Comes"

"And if the girl's relatives call the police on this kind of thing, how are you going to respond?"

The objective reality and problems are laid out one by one, as if to tell them that this is not something that can be done impulsively based on good intentions.

Kato Yusuke knew this very well, so he expressed the answer in his heart, "...I will find a way to let Aunt Mina adopt her."

"Hey, Mina...Auntie——?"

"Well, that's what I thought."

"..."

The girl looked at him quietly and asked a little troubled: "Well, that means...are you going to keep her all the time?"

Kato Yusuke nodded in affirmation: "I hope she can live freely until she can survive independently in society. I have also made some other preparations."

"...Other preparations?"

Without leaving her confused for too long, the young man told her all the preparations and plans he had made.

Wait until you hear those things.

Even Ruhui, who has an indifferent personality, can't help but be affected by this, showing a dazed look.

"Um, um...even though, Yusuke, don't talk to me yet, I need to calm down...!"

Resolutely raising her hand to stop someone from challenging her nerves any further.

In order to calm down her agitated mood, the girl pressed her chest lightly and breathed quietly for a while.

Then he slowly raised his head and looked at him with a complicated expression.

Even though there are thousands of words in his eyes, there is only one sentence that comes out in the end.

"Why would you do that to a stranger...?"

"..."

Kato Yusuke was silent for a moment, "I think the miso soup she cooked... is delicious."

"What?"

Hui asked in confusion: "...What kind of reason is this?"

A disappointed voice responded to her.

"Yeah, what's the reason..."

"Really, this is not an answer at all."

"...If anything, I just want to help that girl, that's all." Kato Yusuke said slowly.

"..."

The girl looked at him slightly distressed, her hands habitually clasped behind her back clenched slightly unconsciously, and finally she dropped her shoulders as if giving up.

"...Although I understand your good intentions, there is no need to emphasize "girls", right? It always sounds like it has other intentions. "

"Other intentions...?"

Kato Yusuke frowned slightly, then shook his head, "I didn't think so, and I won't lie to Kei."

"...Your statement is really cunning." Huidu muttered and took a step forward.

"Tell you what, Yusuke."

With the distance almost touching each other's toes, the girl gently leaned her forehead against his chest, with a sigh in her tone.

"Although I was a little scared just now, I think what you want to do is very meaningful. It would be great if you can do it smoothly..."

Kato Yusuke looked down at her, the scent of her hair was all over his nose, and he felt peaceful in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Hui. I got you involved without permission..."

"Well...that's all, but have you ever told anyone else about this except me?"

"not yet."

"That's it..." Hui whispered and nodded, rubbing her head against his chest, feeling a little itchy.

"...Actually, I'm a little surprised. I didn't expect you to be an idealist, Yusuke."

"Idealist...?"

"Well. After all, if you are not a kind-hearted person, you won't make that kind of utopian decision, right? It's just like what the teacher said in class."

Hearing this, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"Nothing like that, this is just my wishful thinking and self-satisfaction... I just can't escape the shadow of the past..."

The girl listened quietly, then raised her head.

"Anyway, if you are willing to promise me something, I will help you with this matter."

"help……?"

"Hmm~"

A delicate little finger then stretched out.

"The premise is that when you encounter problems in the future, you must remember to report, contact, and discuss with me as soon as possible. In that case, I will help."

As Hui said this, she looked up at him slightly. There seemed to be something rippling in her beautiful eyes, which were very moving when she blinked.

"..."

Kato Yusuke also stared down at her, then raised his right hand.

"--good."

So calmly and surely, I made a promise with that tender little finger.

…