Ah, at long last, it’s finally finished, I do apologize for the delay. I will try to post all the delayed chapters this week.
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Drip, drip, drip.
The cold raindrops hit the young man’s face, gradually awakening his consciousness. His wet body shivered instinctively as the cold wind blew through the rainy weather, and he wrapped his coat tighter around himself.
It was a seemingly worn-out cloak.
Where is this place?
Who am I?
Under the tattered cloak, the young man raised his face, full of confusion.
He seemed to ponder for a good while before recalling something, such as his name.
The rain continued to fall, and the bone-chilling cold made the young man’s already weak body even more unbearable.
Although Renji’s mind was still in a state of chaos, and he felt like he had forgotten many things that he couldn’t remember, driven by instinct, he struggled to stand up from the ground and found a corner to shelter from the rain.
Although he was finally out of the rain, his tattered cloak had already been soaked through earlier, sticking to his body and constantly consuming what little heat he had left.
Driven by instinct, Renji wanted to take off the drenched, tattered cloak, as it was already in such a state of disrepair that it couldn’t provide much protection against the wind.
But just as the young man was about to remove the cloak, his hands stopped.
This time, it wasn’t a physiological instinct. It was as if some subconscious deep within his heart was stopping him.
Renji looked at his paused hands in puzzlement.
The confused expression appeared on the young man’s face once again. He tried hard to remember, attempting to grasp onto something. But in the end, his throbbing head made him give up. He could only vaguely understand that this cloak must be very important to him.
“It’s so cold.”
Hiding in this small alley wasn’t a solution. Although it could provide shelter from the rain, the cold wind could still beat down on his body.
Renji, shivering all over from the cold, had to find a new place that could block the wind and rain while he could still move.
If possible, it would be nice if it could be a little warmer.
With this thought in mind, the young man’s empty brain finally had some more information. He finally recalled a few more things besides his name.
For example, where his home was.
Right. I must go home.
Although Renji didn’t know why he was out on the street in the rain or why he was wearing such a tattered cloak when he went out, at least it was reassuring to him that he still had a home.
Renji had walked the way home countless times since he was a child, but this time, he still stumbled and took several wrong turns before finally finding the familiar apartment building in his memory.
At this point, Renji was in a terrible state. His body, already as weak as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, had walked in the rain for more than ten minutes. Renji was now panting heavily, feeling that his limbs were no longer under his control, and his hands and feet were ice-cold.
But his spirit was still high because?he was home.
After entering the apartment building, the elevator was temporarily out of service, so Renji could only climb to the fourth floor with difficulty. Fortunately, his home was not on a high floor; otherwise, he doubted whether he could have made it to this floor.
Everything had been the same as in his memory so far. However, when?Renji turned the corner to where his home was located in the corridor, he was somewhat stunned.
Because the door of this “home” in front of him… was different from what he remembered.
Was my original door like this?
Renji fell into a brief state of confusion, but he quickly shook his head. He thought he must have had a fever, his mind a mess, and he must have misremembered. All he wanted now was to get home and sleep in his bed.
The young man habitually reached into his pockets, but there was nothing in the cloak or his pants.
No keys!?.
Renji did feel a moment of panic, but fortunately, he could see that there should still be someone at home because he could smell the aroma of food coming from inside the door and see the warm light through the crack.
Did I have a family?
It was another point that conflicted with Renji’s memory. He had a blank impression of “family,” and his confused mind made the young man a bit fed up. He simply pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong, ding dong.
After the doorbell rang, footsteps could be heard from inside the house, and soon, a slightly impatient voice came from “home.”
“Who is it!?”
Who… who is it?
“It’s me,” the young man replied in a weak voice.
“What!?”
But apparently, the man in the “home” didn’t understand and seemed surprised.
The young man had no choice but to speak again, “It’s me, Renji.”
“Renji? Who’s that? I don’t know you. You must have the wrong door.”
After replying like this, the man on the other side of the door seemed to turn around and go back inside, while the young man stood frozen in place.
Renji first reconfirmed the location and was sure this should be his home, except for the different door.
So Renji rang the doorbell again.
Ding dong, ding…
“Are you f**king sick!?”
After hurried footsteps, the cursing man yanked the door open.
He first glanced at Renji’s appearance, and upon seeing his drenched state and the tattered cloak that looked like it had been picked up from the trash, he gave him an even more disgusted and loathing look.
“Hello, may I ask…”
Before Renji could finish, the man interrupted him directly and said fiercely, “I’ll tell you one more time, I don’t know anyone named Renji. I don’t care if you’re a scammer or some beggar. If you dare to harass me again and don’t leave, I’ll call the police!”
Bang!
After saying that, the man slammed the door shut, this time with force, as if to express his displeasure, making a heavy “bang” sound.
Even after the door was closed, the man’s cursing could still be heard from inside.
“I’m so f**king done. It’s already 2051, how can there still be people like this? This crappy neighborhood, collecting such high property management fees every month, yet not doing a thing about security, allowing such people to come in and harass residents…”
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have been fooled by that dog sh*t real estate agent and bought this old house here back then.”
“…”
The voice from inside the house became inaudible after that. It was unclear whether the man had walked away or if Renji’s mind was buzzing in confusion.
2051?
Although Renji couldn’t remember much, he still had a vague concept of time because a game he particularly enjoyed playing had a release date of Sep 10, 2023. At that time, he was eagerly anticipating it in front of the screen, so the date left a deep impression on him.
But why was it now… 2051? A difference of nearly thirty years?
And also… that game I particularly liked back then… what was it?
When Renji furrowed his brows and tried hard to recall, the feeling of his brain being torn apart immediately surged again, making his head ache as if an invisible wall was blocking him.
His painful head finally made him give up, but next, the young man fell into confusion again.
Because the change of “home” and the passage of time made Renji begin to distrust his own memory.
Moreover, the warning from the man inside just now made Renji not dare to knock on the door again or stay here for too long. If the police and property management really came to the door, it would undoubtedly add insult to injury in his current situation.
The dazed young man had no choice but to return to the streets again.
Back to the dark alley where he had woken up.
After several twists and turns, the young man was extremely exhausted, and his eyelids began to droop uncontrollably.
Renji finally curled up in the corner of the alley, his consciousness gradually blurring. Before falling into a deep sleep, Renji used the last bit of his strength to make a wish in his heart.
If only… the rain could be lighter.
He didn’t know how long it had been.
Maybe a minute?
Or maybe an hour?
Renji’s consciousness was pulled out of the darkness.
The reason was that changes in the external environment made his body instinctively leave sleep.
When the dazed young man raised his head from the tattered cloak and opened his eyes, he found… the rain had indeed stopped.
No… that’s not right.
The rain hadn’t stopped.
Instead… a beautiful big sister with golden wheat-colored long hair, as if she had stepped out of some game, was now in front of him.
She was half-bent, one hand on her knee, and the other holding an umbrella decorated with forest patterns above them, shielding them from the cold rainwater.
The woman seemed to have been watching for a long time.
Until he woke up and made eye contact with those jade-like green eyes, the woman smiled faintly, accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain, and whispered softly.
“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you.”
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