It was getting late to send Kyoko home. Soya turned around and left, and got on the tram that he went back.
The journey home was only two short stops. Before he arrived, he received a call from Akane Kirino.
"Songgu..."
"Tungno." Only her voice came from the other side of the phone. The environment was quieter and seemed to have returned to her residence. "How are you?"
“Not very good.”
Her voice was not high and she was a little hoarse.
"I will cry when I stay in the mourning hall, my eyes hurt so much. I don't feel like I'm in the mood to eat supper. Mom asked me to come back first."
“…”
Through the phone, Zong Gu didn't know how to comfort him.
"It's not okay to not eat supper."
"Well, I'm a little hungry..."
He lowered his eyes, "Go and eat something."
"You'll go after calling Soya."
Akane Kirino continued, "The mourning hall is set up at home, and parents are there to watch the night. The aunt has prepared a night of vigil, and there should be some sushi left."
"Yeah."
Zong Gu thought about it and asked again: "Is the place where you live far?"
"Not far. My parents and I live at my uncle's cousin's house, and it only takes a few minutes."
"That's pretty close..."
"Zonggu."
"Um."
"I didn't see my uncle's spirit."
“…”
Zong Gu was silent for a while and spoke slowly:
"As soon as a person dies, his soul may dissipate with his life, or he may escape from his body, becoming a "confused spirit" that is temporarily unconscious... Maybe Mr. Tanijima has become a spirit body and is heading to that world
On the way to the underworld.”
Although he understood that he was just comforting himself, Akane Kirino asked:
"Will uncle come back?"
"When the spirit body recovers, if he still remembers his family, he should come back and take a look... Of course, the spirit body's thinking cannot be grasped. Mr. Tanijima might linger on the road and will not return for a long time."
Akane Kirino sat on the tatami with her legs in her arms, her head resting on her knees, “There are so many people in the family waiting for uncle to come back.”
"Even if you come back, ordinary people can't see him."
"At least I can see it. By the way, there are so many spiritual enlightened people coming today, and I don't know any of them."
"Yeah."
"It should be all people from the 'institution' that Soya said."
Soya responded and said, "After all, Mr. Tanijima was also a member of the institution before."
"And after my uncle retired, he often helped everywhere."
"Um."
While the two were talking, the tram also arrived at the station.
He got out of the car and walked outside.
"Is Soya still outside?" Akane Kirino heard the sound from the station.
"Just come back from Kyoko."
"oh."
The other side of the phone fell into a brief silence.
The station lights shone behind him, and Soya walked down the steps, "Tungno?"
She responded dumbly.
"Go to eat something first." He cared about her physical condition more, "and then take a break soon."
"Where has Zonggu been?" she asked suddenly.
"I? Just walked out of the station."
"Then I will get up again when Zong Gu arrives home."
"Okay, then I'm ready to run."
“… Just walk back normally!”
Zong Gu smiled. Although he didn't really plan to run back, his pace still accelerated a little.
“Is it still raining there?”
"Um."
"The Kanto is just cloudy. When you come here in the morning, you can still see the sun."
"Yeah."
With her long hair loose, Akane Kiriyo slowly lay down, put her phone in front of her ear, and closed her eyes slightly.
"Hongzi has come to find Sonoya today?"
"No."
Soya then remembered that before leaving the house in the afternoon, he sent a message to Yoshikawa, but she had not replied.
"The messages I sent to Hongzi are all unread," said Akane Kirino.
"So too, my side."
"What is Hongzi busy with?"
"have no idea."
Holding an umbrella in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, Zong Gu maintained this state, strolling in the night rain;
Akane Kirino on the other end of the phone briefly raised her mood and soon fell into a quiet depression.
On the way from the station to Kirino's old house, the two of them didn't say a few words, and spent most of their time listening to each other's breathing, thereby judging that the phone was still in a connected state.
"Are you asleep?"
“…No.”
"Get up."
"Have Soya arrived home?"
"Um."
"All right."
Akane Kirino sat up, rubbed her eyes, "By bye."
"You go out first." Zong Gu stopped outside the yard, "It's not too late to hang up the phone when you get there."
She smiled, "Okay~"
As soon as he got up and left the place where he lived, Akane Kirino walked out of the alley and saw the Tanijima family not far ahead.
“…”
Taking a deep breath, she walked over and stopped outside the yard.
"Zonggu, I'm here."
“It seems that it’s really close.”
She had no strength to laugh anymore, and he didn't say much.
"Then let's take a break early, good night."
"Well, good night...and, thank you."
After hanging up the phone, the two of them walked into the yard.
Entering the brightly lit mourning hall, Akane Kirino's return attracted a few gazes, but they were all removed soon, except Hiroyuki Kirino and Keiko Kirino.
"Mother……"
Kirino Keiko sat quietly with her husband and touched her daughter's face, "Can't you sleep?"
“I’m a little hungry.”
"There is sushi in the kitchen, I'll take you there."
"No, I know where it is."
Kirino Keiko nodded and said, "Don't disturb others."
"I see."
Leaving the mourning hall, Akane Kirino walked towards the kitchen, and on the way, she met several middle-aged men wearing black formal clothes standing together to talk.
When they were a little closer, both sides sensed each other's identity as spiritual enlightened people at the same time.
Because they didn't know each other and because there was a big gap in age, the two sides just nodded and had no more communication after looking at each other.
Like those people during the day, these people should be from institutions, Kirino Akane thought.
As she was about to walk away, she heard a sigh and they started talking in a low voice.
"I'd better have found out earlier..."
"That's 'Hui Guang Ling'... When it was discovered, it meant..."
Return to the light spirit?
What the few people were talking about was the death of Uncle Kayajima Chaoyang while climbing the mountain. Akane Kirino couldn't help but slow down and wanted to learn more.
"Ani?"
Keiko Tanijima, dressed in mourning clothes, came out of the kitchen with a tray, "I see you didn't have supper, are you really hungry?"
"aunt……"
Her eyes immediately turned red.
Aunt came over and there was some vegetarian sushi on the tray.
"There is still there in the kitchen, Akane should do whatever she wants. If it is not enough, Aunt will prepare again."
The red-eyed girl shook her head repeatedly.
Keiko Tanijima sighed, then comforted her for a few more words, and left with a tray.
After going to the kitchen to eat two pieces of sushi, Akane Kirino felt uncomfortable. She stayed for a while and then returned to the place where she rested at night.
The guest room was covered with bedding. After washing, she lay in the bed.
“…”
Pinching her cell phone, she wanted to call Sonogu - even if she didn't say anything, she was just silent about each other.
She let go again.
"pain……"
Akane Kirino closed her eyes and rubbed her for a while.
When his eyes were blurred, the phone suddenly rang.
......
The phone suddenly rang.
There is new news.
Zong Gu looked at the pocket of the phone, raised his head and continued to brush his teeth.
Buzz —
Another message.
Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth. Take out your cell phone.
Two messages came from two people.
Kirino: Hongzi fell ill.
Yoshikawa: Sorry, I got a fever when I came back last night... I slept all day.