Chapter 174:
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"Why shouldn't I co here?"
"You're not supposed to. We agreed on that from today."
"?"
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Tadano pointed at himself, asking. His expression was filled with confusion and bewildernt, not understanding what the woman was saying.
In response to Tadano's reaction, the woman sighed heavily and spoke.
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"Why on earth are you doing this? Didn't we agree to keep our distance? In the morning at the station, we acted like we didn't know each other. But why are you wandering around here again?"
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Taken aback by the sudden accusation from the unfamiliar woman, Tadano couldn't say anything. As she looked at him in silence, the woman sighed again and passed by Tadano.
While passing by, she deliberately bumped into Tadano's shoulder. Whether it was intentional or unavoidable in the narrow shop, Tadano naturally didn't feel good about it.
Entering the store suddenly and yelling at him with unknown words, and even bumping shoulders, it was no wonder he felt uneasy.
Tadano gave the woman a slightly disapproving look.
But then…
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"Sni… Sniff."
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The woman, sitting at a small table in the corner, was barely holding back tears and trembling shoulders.
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‘Why is she suddenly crying?'
——
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It was filled with incomprehensibility. Suddenly, she confronted him, expressing anger. Did she intentionally bump into his shoulder while passing by? And then, unexpectedly, she went to a corner and started crying.
It was a series of inexplicable events.
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"What did I do wrong?"
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No matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing that could make the woman angry with him. There was no reason for her to cry so sorrowfully.
Since he hadn't done anything wrong, Tadano tried to leave the store.
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"Sni…Sniff…"
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However, when he saw the woman crying alone in the corner, his steps involuntarily slowed down.
Even though Tadano had co to resent and despise people, he wasn't so callous as to leave a woman crying alone, possibly because of him.
Tadano approached the woman and spoke.
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"Hey."
"…"
"Hey."
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Tadano called twice, but the woman remained silent. Irritated by her response, Tadano scratched the back of his head and called her again.
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"Sigh. Hey, you. I don't know why you're acting like this but consider my feelings. Suddenly getting mad at soone, crying alone in a corner – how do you think that makes
feel? I haven't done anything wrong."
"Nothing wrong?"
"Yes. I haven't done anything wrong. We just t today, right here, right now. What did I do wrong?"
"…"
"If there's a mistake, you made it. Getting annoyed at soone you just t out of the blue."
——
The woman, hearing Tadano's words, raised her head. In a short ti, her eyes had swollen, and tear stains were vivid on her cheeks.
Using her sleeve, she wiped her eyes, and with slightly clearer eyes, she looked directly at Tadano.
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"…We t for the first ti today?"
"Yes."
"Don't you rember eting at the train station this morning?"
"What morning at the train station? I ca here from Tokyo tonight."
——
With Tadano's repeated words, the woman seed to have finally sensed sothing strange, and she asked with a softer voice than before.
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"About a week ago, didn't we eat ran here until late at night? Don't you rember that?"
"I ca to this shop for the first ti, and no, it's the first ti I've ever been to Sapporo. Isn't it possible that you're confusing
with soone else?"
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As the woman listened until this point, her gaze at Tadano noticeably changed. Now, her eyes held confusion, concern, and bewildernt.
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"Why are you looking at
like that?"
"…"
"Why are you looking at
like that?"
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However, the woman couldn't answer. Instead, she posed one question to him.
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"I'll just ask you one more thing."
"What else do you want to ask?"
"Do you know what day it is today?"
"The date? Why are you asking-"
"Just tell . What day is it today?"
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Even though Tadano thought it was a pointless question, he answered willingly.
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"October 23rd."
"…October 23rd?"
"Yeah."
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Tadano stated confidently, and the woman's expression beca peculiar. When he tried to ask why she reacted that way, she took sothing out of her bag.
It was a thick diary.
Flipping through the pages quickly, she muttered.
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"October 23rd, October 23rd…"
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The woman's hand, flipping through the diary, stopped. After looking at the diary for a mont, she closed her mouth.
She alternated between the diary and Tadano for a while.
Then, slowly, she opened her mouth.
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"…You said you ca for the first ti today?"
"Yes."
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"So, why did you end up here?"
"Why did I co? I just happened to co."
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Upon Tadano's words, Yomi sighed deeply and nodded her head.
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"…Right. It must be just a coincidence. Like that ti."
"Yes?"
"No, it's just… Do you perhaps plan to co back here tomorrow?"
"Not at all. I'll take the first train back to Tokyo tomorrow morning."
"I see."
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After speaking in a trembling voice, the woman stood up.
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"If you're taking the first train to Tokyo tomorrow morning, where will you stay until then?"
"Nowhere. What does that have to do with you?"
"If you don't have a place, I can let you stay at the place where I work for a day."
"Fine. I'll find accommodation after eating. If I can't find one, I'll just sleep at the station for a day."
"…Sleeping at the station might be a bit cold, don't you think? This is Sapporo, after all."
"I'll manage. Don't worry about it."
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Despite Tadano's annoyed tone, the woman nodded reluctantly. Then, she conveyed words that were difficult for Tadano to understand.
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"If we happen to et here again tomorrow… I'll try to do the sa as last ti."
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With that statent and no more words to say, Yomi promptly left the shop. Tadano, once again, found himself puzzled by the woman's mysterious words.
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"Don't bother. It seems like she's a bit ntally unstable. It's better to keep a distance from people like that."
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Deciding not to dwell on thoughts about the woman, Tadano placed his order.
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"Here, the ‘Rock-hil Set.' Please. And for the ran… Miso Ran."
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Not long after placing the order, the dishes arrived.
Tadano, looking at the dish he ordered, inwardly let out a small sigh.
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"Ran with rice, fried egg, and mozuku. I don't know why mozuku cos with ran, but… It's quite a simple composition for a set."
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Although he wasn't pleased, Tadano didn't call the waiter to complain. After all, he didn't co to this restaurant to savor a al; he just wanted to fill his stomach quickly.
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Having finished a quick al, Tadano left the paynt on the table and stepped outside the shop. It was quite cold outside for October.
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"Must be because it's in the north. It's colder than Tokyo."
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Luckily, Tadano was wearing thick clothing.
He left the alley and headed towards the station. He planned to find any accommodation near the station to spend the day.
Entering a place with lights on, Tadano inquired.
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"Do you have any rooms available?"
"Oh, sorry. All rooms are taken."
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Since the rooms were full, Tadano, without saying anything, headed to another lodging.
However…
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"Um… We don't have any vacant rooms."
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Every place he went to was fully booked. Even though it was near the station, it seed improbable for all the rooms to be occupied.
However, there was no reason for the innkeepers to lie. In the end, unable to secure accommodation, Tadano headed back to the station.
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"Sleeping rough for a day won't hurt. As long as I avoid the wind, it should be fine."
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Tying his clothes tightly in a corner, Tadano tried to get so sleep. The wind wasn't too strong, and it seed suitable for sleeping outdoors. However, Tadano couldn't easily fall asleep. The words the woman from the ran shop spoke kept echoing in his ears.
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"If we happen to et here again tomorrow… I'll try to do the sa as last ti."
——
What could those words an? Despite trying not to dwell on it, he couldn't easily dismiss them. The more he tried not to care, the clearer the woman's voice beca in his mind. It was as if sothing in his head was insisting that he shouldn't forget those words.
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"Hmm…"
——
It was a headache. Not in the taphorical sense of being annoying or troubleso but a genuine headache. Whether it was because of the woman's words or sitting in the cold for a while, the headache intensified.
Trying to alleviate the pain, Tadano vigorously massaged his forehead, the back of his neck, and his temples. It didn't have much effect, but at least the pain eased a bit.
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"I should sleep soon. Hopefully, it'll get better if I rest."
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After properly adjusting his slightly loosened clothes, Tadano tried to sleep. His head continued to ache, and the woman's words lingered, but sohow, he felt like he could manage to get so sleep.
And the next day…
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"Excuse ."
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Soone tapped Tadano's foot. Still groggy from sleep, Tadano struggled to open his eyes, and there stood a woman holding a broom.
Tadano, with a faint groan, massaged his forehead. For so reason, he had a headache this morning.
Seeing Tadano like that, the woman spoke with a slightly worried tone.
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"You said you'd sleep rough, and you slept here?"
"Did I sleep here… What are you talking about?"
"…Don't you rember what you said yesterday?"
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Just waking up and with his mind still foggy, it was challenging for Tadano to comprehend the incomprehensible words from a woman he was seeing for the first ti. Tadano lightly brushed his forehead to alleviate the headache and said to the woman.
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"Is it a problem that I slept here? Is there a rule against sleeping rough at Sapporo Station or sothing?"
"No. It's not like that."
"Then don't worry about it and go about your business. I have to catch the first train to Tokyo."
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His body ached from sleeping on the ground. Tadano, struggling to get up, told the woman.
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"The first train to Tokyo has already left."
"What? What ti is it now? Has the first train left?"
"It's eleven."
"Eleven? Did I sleep until then?"
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As if he couldn't believe he made such a mistake, Tadano covered his face with his hands for a mont, then headed towards the station.
Chasing after him, the woman asked.
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"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to catch the next train to Tokyo. But why do you keep talking to ?"
"I… I…"
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The woman tried to introduce herself, but Tadano didn't listen. Right now, he didn't care about so unremarkable woman.
Approaching the ticket counter, Tadano said.
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"To Tokyo, please give
the fastest one."
"Hello? You're here again today? Did you miss the first train again?"
"···What? Missed the first train again? What are you talking about?"
"What am I saying? You missed it yesterday too."
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Tadano couldn't make sense of what the station attendant was saying. As Tadano expressed his confusion with his expression, the station attendant, still smiling, looked at him. After a mont, the station attendant shrugged and said,
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"Well, let
issue a ticket for the Tokyo train. It departs in three hours, so don't miss it this ti."
"Sure, well… Okay."
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After Tadano responded vaguely, he received his ticket. Then, he turned around and headed to the central area of the station where several chairs were gathered.
There were already many passengers occupying seats. Wanting to avoid contact with others as much as possible, Tadano chose a spot where there were fewer people.
Sitting down, Tadano checked his ticket.
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"Three hours later. Until then, there's nothing to do. Might as well get so sleep. My head hurts anyway."
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Tadano rested his head on his fist and settled into the chair. Despite the familiar position, his head still ached, but sleep quickly overtook him.
After an indeterminate amount of ti had passed,
Tap, tap.
Soone tapped Tadano's shoulder. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the repeated interruptions made Tadano reluctantly open his eyes.
Looking ahead, he saw a station attendant with a disappointed smile.
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"Heh… Did you miss the train again, sir?"
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TN: looks like an Alzheir's than a brain tumor. LOL
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