It was still raining in Tokyo, a quiet, fine rain.
The streets were mostly empty, the sun hadn’t come up, and only the breakfast shop by the roadside exuded the morning’s hustle and bustle. Fujiwara Reya walked past a coffee shop with an umbrella, got a cup of coffee in a paper cup, and sipped it as he walked back to Asakusa.
Cars drove by, splashing the thin layer of water on the road surface.
Fujiwara Reya had loved Tokyo at this time of day since the first day he arrived.
Morning mist, the aroma of coffee, people’s sleepy eyes, early-rising crows, clear air, a day untarnished by pollution...
There was also a hint of the sea in the wind.
Of course, the scent was faint, the breeze blowing from the direction of Tokyo Bay, perhaps only he could smell the sea.
After finishing the coffee in the paper cup, Fujiwara Reya saw the small building of the [lemon] bakery in the distance.
A two-story detached house, its originally white exterior walls subtly yellowed by long-term exposure to the sun, as if weathered by wind and rain. On the narrow balcony of the second floor, there was a slim flower bed ten centimeters wide. The flower bed was neatly trimmed, and Yukino Ritsuko had said that in spring, crocuses, pansies, and calendulas would bloom there, and in autumn, cosmos would bloom.
Fujiwara Reya really liked the feeling inside.
This was a discreet and elegant area by the Sumida River, strolling leisurely along the river, it wasn’t hard to trace its past glories, with the quaint Edo-style buildings lining the road. Children and women played among them, and the air was always filled with the warm aroma of food.
Arriving at the bakery door, he found it wasn’t open yet, and the door was tightly shut.
A blue lady’s bike was parked out front, with the basket empty of bread from the bakery factory.
He checked the time, half-past six in the morning.
At this time in the past, Yukino Ritsuko would have already opened the shop... Fujiwara Reya took out a key to unlock the door and went directly up the small staircase to the second floor.
As he pushed open the partition door on the stairs, perhaps overly sensitive, or maybe because he was injured, Fujiwara Reya felt the air inside the room was unprecedentedly cold and heavy, like being in a Siberian winter forest, with no sense of human presence around.
The whole world had only the scent of snow.
Fujiwara Reya took off his shoes at the entrance and walked towards the living room.
No lights were on, the light was dim, and the hallway seemed much longer than before. The house was silent, with only the footsteps making a peculiar sound, like stepping on ash.
In the living room, he glanced at the sofa, and only then could Fujiwara Reya’s anxious heart settle down.
In the faint light that poured through the curtains, Yukino Ritsuko had her legs curled up and was asleep on the sofa. Because of the misty morning light, her body outline appeared even thinner than usual, almost translucent.
On the coffee table in front of the sofa, there were cold leftovers.
The coffee in the transparent kettle was white and turbid, like the water of the Sumida River during the rainy season.
Did she wait all night for him... Fujiwara Reya moved to the sofa, looking down at this woman he thought of as foolish. She wore the same blue cardigan she usually did, as if she had cut a piece of the sky, with her hair tied into a bundle and tucked into the neckline, emanating a chill, while light particles danced on her back illuminated by the morning light.
Just looking at her body made one feel the piercing cold, chilling to the bone.
Fujiwara Reya called softly.
Yukino Ritsuko groggily opened her eyes, muttered dreamily, and then closed her eyes again.
"Miss Yukino." Fujiwara Reya called again.
Only then did she rub her eyes and slowly opened them.
When she saw who was in front of her, this woman as cold as snow broke into a subtle smile, like the first ray of sunlight after a snowstorm.
"I’m glad you’re okay..."
"Yeah, I’m fine, sorry to have worried you."
"You look very tired..." Yukino Ritsuko sat up, pushed back her bangs, "Did something happen last night? I tried calling your phone, but I couldn’t reach you all night..."
"It’s nothing, just a bit tired." Fujiwara Reya shook his head, "Sorry for making you worry."
Yukino Ritsuko nodded slightly.
Last night was a hard one for her. She heard some news from the Furukawa Conference Hall, and she was worried about Fujiwara Reya, but she couldn’t reach him by phone and spent almost the entire night in anxiety.
"Are you hungry? Let me heat up some food for you..." With that, Yukino Ritsuko got up, took the food on the table, and headed to the kitchen to heat it. Without a microwave, she could only add water into a pot and use steam to heat it up.
"I’ll buy a microwave tomorrow."
"Oh, I wouldn’t know how to use it."
"It’s simple, I’ll teach you. You’ll get the hang of it with one use."
"Thank you, Mr. Fujiwara."
Soon, the water in the pot was boiling, making a pleasant sound.
Yukino Ritsuko came out with a pot filled with stew, including onions, potatoes, and various mushrooms. In addition, she brought some walnut bread to the table. The two sat opposite each other, eating without a word. The meal itself was simple, and the seasoning was a bit strange, but the taste wasn’t bad at all. After eating, they felt warm all over.
Fujiwara Reya thought, this warm feeling was one hundred percent a psychological effect.
After the meal, he went back to his room and put on his priest outfit. Yukino Ritsuko leaned against the door, watching him tie his belt: "Are you going to the Onmyo-ryo later?"
Fujiwara Reya looked back at her, "You know about this?"
"I know a little..." Yukino Ritsuko averted her gaze slightly, "Will it be okay?"