"Pat, pat..." Crisp and rhythmic sounds echoed continuously. With every step, water splashed up from under his feet as he walked leisurely along the narrow path through the fields, leaving a trail of deep and shallow footprints.
The oil-paper umbrella made a pleasant sound as rain drummed against it, like a symphony played by nature. Although his shoes were inevitably stained with some mud, it was astonishing that not a single drop of water touched Yoizumi's body, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the falling rain.
Not much further ahead, the familiar outline of Komatsuse's house could be seen. Komatsuse was currently sitting on a small stool, quietly by the door, her bright, watery eyes staring unblinkingly at the entrance, as if afraid to miss any slight movement.
Time passed by minute by minute. Just as Komatsuse was about to lose her patience, a figure finally appeared slowly on the distant horizon. In an instant, Komatsuse, as if infused with a powerful force, excitedly sprang up from the stool.
As the distance grew shorter, his handsome and refined face gradually became clear. The gentle breeze blew, lightly lifting his golden hair, adding a touch of unrestrained elegance. His indifferent expression was like a clear spring in a deep mountain, pure and tranquil; his long, slender fingers held the snow-white oil-paper umbrella tightly, as if it were not just a tool for shelter, but a priceless work of art.
One step, two steps... Yoizumi walked towards Komatsuse unhurriedly.
"Mr. Yoizumi!" Komatsuse, unable to suppress her joy, called out loudly.
Having only been apart for half a day, Mr. Yoizumi seemed to have become even more handsome and charming, Komatsuse couldn't help but think to herself.
Yoizumi gave her an unreadable look. He had only gone out and returned; why was she so excited?
Komatsuse also realized her faux pas and quickly tried to explain herself:
"I saw you hadn't returned for so long, and I thought you'd forgotten the way. I was just wondering if I should go pick you up, and then you came back."
"My memory... is quite good."
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Yoizumi, are you hungry? Grandma made porridge; would you like some?"
As a demon, Yoizumi didn't need to eat human food, but in human society, he had to pretend to be normal and eat some food. Yoizumi had no particular desire for food.
Besides, Komatsuse's family was a bit poor, so there was no need for him to eat their food.
After some thought, Yoizumi used the excuse that he had already eaten at Uncle Nishimura's place.
"Oh, so you met Uncle Nishimura."
"Yes, I asked him for... methods. I'm going to fix... the roof now."
Fix the roof now?
Isn't it still raining?
"But it's still raining! It's not too late to do it after the rain stops."
"I..."
Yoizumi certainly couldn't tell her that he was a demon and couldn't be exposed to the sun. He paused and used the excuse from before, from Kochou Shinobu's Butterfly Mansion, that he had a disease that prevented him from seeing sunlight, to brush it off.
"Eh?"
No wonder Mr. Yoizumi looked so pale; it turns out he had such a strange illness. And Mr. Yoizumi's indifference and inability to interact with people must also be because of his illness!
Komatsuse seemed to see a young Yoizumi, estranged by his family due to a strange illness, while other children played in the yard during the day, he could only stay indoors, and she felt a pang of heartache.
Wuwuwu.
Mr. Yoizumi is so pitiful!
Meeting her sympathetic gaze, Yoizumi tilted his head in confusion.
?
...It was lunchtime, and the elderly woman, feeling unwell, had already returned to her room to rest.
He moved a long-unused wooden ladder, as well as a hammer and nails, from the storeroom. Seeing a few irregular wooden planks inside, he took those as well.
Yoizumi didn't need to use the wooden ladder, but Komatsuse insisted on holding an umbrella for him, and Yoizumi, unable to refuse, agreed.
He easily leaped onto the roof, which was still somewhat slippery from the rain.
Yoizumi had already started to secure the wooden planks when Komatsuse carefully climbed up the ladder.
She opened the oil-paper umbrella, trying to keep Yoizumi from getting too wet.
"Tap, tap, tap~"
He hammered the nails into the wood, and soon the entire hole was patched. However, since the planks weren't perfectly uniform, some rainwater still flowed through the gaps, and even laying thatch couldn't completely block it.
This posed a problem for Yoizumi. Just then, Komatsuse suddenly remembered and told him, "I remember there are still a dozen or so roof tiles in the storeroom! I'll go look for them!"
Komatsuse handed the umbrella to Yoizumi, then turned to climb down the ladder. However, just as she stepped onto the slippery wood, an accident occurred! With a "whoosh," her foot slipped, and she instantly lost her balance. Her entire body uncontrollably slid downwards, and Komatsuse screamed in terror.
In that split second, Yoizumi, who was nearby, was quick-witted and swiftly extended a hand, firmly grabbing Komatsuse. Due to inertia, Komatsuse did not stop immediately but continued to fall, eventually hanging directly from the eaves. At this moment, her heart was in her throat, and she dared not open her eyes to look at the ground below.
Komatsuse, with her eyes tightly shut, trembled all over, filled with fear and worry. She was terrified, afraid that her weight would pull Yoizumi down with her. So, with a tearful voice, she cried out, "Mr. Yoizumi, please let go quickly, or you'll fall too!"
However, Yoizumi remained unmoved, and his calm, unruffled voice spoke again: "Give me your other hand too..." Hearing this, Komatsuse first froze, then a warm current surged through her heart.
It turned out that Mr. Yoizumi cared so much about her safety! Thinking this, Komatsuse no longer hesitated and slowly raised her other hand towards Yoizumi.
Thinking this, she raised her right hand, and Yoizumi's somewhat cold hands gripped both her wrists, but Komatsuse felt the skin where they touched become intensely hot.
The next second,
A calm voice shattered her fantasy.
"I'm going to... let go."
Like lifting cargo, Yoizumi held Komatsuse's hands and brought her closer to the ground. The roof wasn't that high to begin with, and now her feet were only about 40 centimeters from the ground.
Without warning, Yoizumi's hands released.
Komatsuse landed solidly on the ground, feeling her cheeks flush hot.
Covering her face, she ran to the storeroom like a startled rabbit, knelt on the ground, curled into a ball, and silently screamed.
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!
How embarrassing!