Chapter 127: The Girl, the Orphan

Time turns back to that night.

Tokyo, Setagaya Ward, a large housing complex.

With the arrival of December, winter had completely blanketed all of Tokyo. The biting wind rushing toward one's face was mixed with a bone-deep ache. The winter sunset slowly descended into the mist, like an inevitable aging, gradually draining away the last trace of warmth.

15-year-old Saito Asuka was wearing her winter uniform, walking briskly on her way home. Her semi-new Haruta uniform shoes reflected the dim light around her, making this girl chosen by the gods look as dazzling and eye-catching as a winter elf.

The girl's expression was slightly lonely.

She knew that it was about to snow in Tokyo.

Like her older sister, the girl was from Hokkaido; if it were Hokkaido, the first snow should have arrived in October.

On the train just now, her classmates were also enthusiastically discussing this topic. The young girls were excitedly talking about winter snow, New Year's holidays, romantic dates, lively snowball fights, hot winter drinks, and the KFC feast for Christmas.

Yes, in the minds of the Japanese, one must eat KFC for Christmas. This is an extremely successful marketing campaign by KFC; the special imagery combined with the brainwashing slogans has deeply touched people's hearts.

But the girl did not like snow, and the girl had never eaten KFC.

Unusually, Asuka, who was always particularly good at reading the room, remained silent the entire time. She only gave her classmates a brief greeting when getting off the train, then walked toward the direction of home all by herself.

Asuka truly did not like winter, especially did not like snow, and did not like the cold of Hokkaido.

But no matter how she prayed, no matter how she longed, she also knew that one day, snow would cover the entire land of Tokyo, just like it covered the sea of flowers in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, burying all things in a pale desert.

Her small lips gently exhaled cold air as the girl took heavy steps. Her winter high school JK uniform adorned her like a dream; a simple school blouse paired with a bright plush jacket, layered with a thick student blazer. Beneath her blue-gray plaid pleated skirt, a pair of slender, thin legs were wrapped in black semi-sheer Silk Stockings, bravely protecting the girl's delicate skin. Her bright red scarf was carefully tied into a pretty knot, and the girl's long, black hair was blown into a mess by the cold wind.

It was very cold outside.

But it was also very cold inside the house.

There was heating in the housing complex building, but the two sisters could not afford the heating bill. Heating costs in Japan are relatively high; the monthly heating fee per square meter is about 1,000 yen, which means one has to pay about 12,000 to 15,000 yen in heating fees per month.

For an ordinary family, this is a fixed expense worth noting, let alone for the two sisters. Apart from the money the older sister earned from part-time jobs, they had no fixed income, yet the cost of living in Tokyo was an astronomical figure, especially with university tuition fees prepaid every six months, and countless other expenses.

In the year or more since coming to Tokyo, the girl had gradually gone from being ignorant to understanding a thing or two.

"I'm home!"

As she approached her home, Saito Asuka put away her slightly dejected and silent expression. She tried her best to reveal a brilliant smile and a vibrant expression. Her older sister was already working very hard outside; she could not let her sister feel heavy pressure at home as well. She also firmly believed that everything would eventually get better!

Her older sister would have a way!

The girl always believed this. For example, when the tuition for her older sister's second year, second semester was clearly past the prepayment deadline and the university had sent a letter to the house dunning for it, her older sister had suddenly produced a large sum of money and paid it.

It would definitely get better!

The girl shouted loudly.

"Sister, today Hinako and Yuuri—that's the ones I told you about last time... we made so many taiyaki in home economics class today! They're still a bit warm..."

The girl's voice suddenly stopped.

She was greeted only by a smell of moldy wood inside the room and the cold wind rushing toward her.

Her older sister wasn't home?

That's not right, she was supposed to be home today!

Saito Asuka took off her uniform shoes and carefully stepped into the house. Sure enough, she found a note on the small table.

"Ashu, I'm going out for a bit. When I get back, I'll give you a big surprise!"

A surprise?

What kind of surprise?!

The girl's mind immediately recalled the surprise from her fifteenth birthday—that day, her older sister had brought back a Michelin-starred meal!

Spanish Iberico ham, red scarlet shrimp, caviar and black truffle, foie gras, buttered bread, shiso oysters, sea urchin and barnacle fried rice, and slow-cooked lamb.

The girl swore this was the best food she had ever eaten in her life!

Another surprise?

It must be that person! It must be him!

Saito Asuka jumped up and down excitedly in the house, waiting in the small room with a heart full of joy. Filled with anticipation, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed to the ceiling. While suppressing her excitement and restless emotions, she finished all her homework.

Two hours passed, and her older sister had not yet returned.

Saito Asuka was not the least bit anxious; she wondered what surprise her older sister would bring back.

Was it the kind of black semi-sheer Silk Stockings she was wearing on her legs? Her older sister had brought back a big bag of them last time.

No, no, no, that's too cheap, right? How could that count as a surprise?

Was it a pair of Haruta uniform shoes like the ones she brought back last time?

That didn't seem right either?

Could it be another Michelin-starred meal?

That would be great! But today isn't any special day, is it?

Or perhaps, the Toshiba laptop her older sister mentioned last time?

Hehehehehe~ The girl rolled around on the tatami mat excitedly, both to release her emotions and to keep warm.

There was no help for it; there was no heating in the house, and sitting on the floor only made one colder.

Amidst the girl's excitement, the sun set and the stars filled the sky. The sound of a television came from next door, along with the thin, long whistling of boiling water in a kettle, followed by the whispers of family members. The aroma of food drifted into the girl's nose, and her stomach let out a series of mournful cries.

Hmph~ What's so great about that!

The girl thought defiantly: Just wait, I'll be eating something even better than yours!

Just like that, four hours passed.

Her older sister still had not returned.

Dinner time had already passed, and the aroma of food had dissipated. After the initial excitement ended, the girl finally could not help but curl into a ball. The weather was getting colder and colder; clothing alone could not keep out the cold. She was forced to take out the bedding and wrap herself in the quilt and mattress—and, of course, the taiyaki she had saved for her older sister.

Six hours passed, and her older sister still had not returned.

The girl finally couldn't take it anymore. She was so tired and hungry from waiting. She could only boil some water and eat the taiyaki, which had already frozen hard, mixed with the hot water.

Sister, what on earth did you go to do that required so long?

For the first time, this thought emerged in the girl's heart.

But it didn't matter; she would wait!

Eight hours passed, ten hours passed, and finally, unable to hold on any longer, Saito Asuka drifted slowly into dreamland, exhausted and hungry.

She dreamed of the snow in Hokkaido, the flowers in Asahikawa, the red leaves covering the mountains and plains, and that shattered home.

In her memories, there was no mother; there were only her father and her older sister, who had worked together to raise her. Her father was a very strict and hardworking man; he worked extremely hard and would only return home late at night, so the father and daughter rarely had the chance to see each other. Most of Asuka's childhood memories came from her older sister.

Her memories of her father were limited to his decent craftsmanship; whenever their old, dilapidated detached house had any issues, he would repair them himself. She learned to be frugal from a very young age because she could feel the stifling atmosphere in the house whenever the monthly bills arrived. For instance, regarding the heating bill, her father would only allow the heat to be turned on in one small room on the first floor starting on December 1st, and it had to be turned off on March 1st, no matter how cold it was.

This life continued for a while, until her father's health deteriorated due to his grueling work, and until one morning, she and her sister suddenly received a phone call... their father had passed away on his way to work.

Because he did not die suddenly while on the job, the construction company only paid a small amount of compensation. At their father's funeral, the two sisters cried incessantly. After that, the older sister got into university, and the two sisters came to Tokyo with their father's compensation and the money from selling their house.

The older sister decided that even if she had to work while studying, she would definitely complete her hard-won education. Relying on her father's old connections and her sister's pleas, she also managed to complete the enrollment procedures.

The future would surely get better and better, right?

Saito Asuka fell asleep sweetly just like that.

She dreamed of her sister graduating from university and receiving an offer from Sony; she dreamed of the two sisters moving into a detached house with floor heating throughout; she dreamed of her sister and "that person" walking down the aisle, the three of them forming a new family; she dreamed of...

"Knock, knock, knock~"

What woke Saito Asuka up in the morning was not her school alarm, but a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

The girl only then realized she had fallen asleep in her uniform under the covers, but that didn't matter anymore!

Her sister was back!

Sister, you clearly have a key, why not just open the door?

You must have brought a lot of gifts and can't spare a hand!

The girl immediately got up, nearly falling due to malnutrition, and rushed to the door in two steps: "Sister! You finally..."

"May I ask if you are a family member of Saito Nanami?"

However, what rang out at the door was not her sister's voice, but the voice of an oily middle-aged man.

The girl almost immediately fell silent, covering her mouth and sitting down on the cold tatami mat like a duck.

Oh no! The NHK door-to-door collector is here again!

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

There was no way to pretend there was no one home now; she had to...

"We don't have a television in my house!" the girl shouted loudly toward the door.

There was a pause outside for a moment, and the oily middle-aged man's voice sounded again: "We are not NHK collectors; we are the police. I am Tanaka Naoki from the Otsuka Station in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. May I ask if you are a family member of Saito Nanami?"

"Family member?" The girl was stunned.

Dead memories surged in her mind once again.

"May I ask if you are a family member of Saitou Ryoukou?"

Through the peephole, she saw Tanaka Naoki's police notebook, so the girl tremblingly pulled open the door.

Clearly, Tanaka Naoki had not expected that the person inside would be a JK girl?

"Are you a family member of Saito Nanami?" Tanaka Naoki could only bite the bullet and ask.

"Yes, I am her younger sister." Saito Asuka answered blankly, a bad feeling already rising in her heart: "May I ask, is something the matter?"

"We are here specifically to notify you." Tanaka Naoki only felt bitterness in his heart; he handed a notification certificate to the girl.

"I am very sorry, my deepest condolences."

"Your sister, Saito Nanami, passed away last night."

"Eh?!"

(End of this chapter)