Chapter 174:

Chapter 174:

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"Why shouldn't I come here?"

"You're not supposed to. We agreed on that from today."

"Me?"

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Tadano pointed at himself, asking. His expression was filled with confusion and bewilderment, 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.

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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?'

——

——

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 come 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 someone, crying alone in a corner – how do you think that makes me feel? I haven't done anything wrong."

"Nothing wrong?"

"Yes. I haven't done anything wrong. We just met today, right here, right now. What did I do wrong?"

"..."

"If there's a mistake, you made it. Getting annoyed at someone you just met out of the blue."

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The woman, hearing Tadano's words, raised her head. In a short time, 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 met for the first time today?"

"Yes."

"Don't you remember meeting at the train station this morning?"

"What morning at the train station? I came here from Tokyo tonight."

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With Tadano's repeated words, the woman seemed to have finally sensed something strange, and she asked with a softer voice than before.

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"About a week ago, didn't we eat ramen here until late at night? Don't you remember that?"

"I came to this shop for the first time, and no, it's the first time I've ever been to Sapporo. Isn't it possible that you're confusing me with someone 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 bewilderment.

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"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"..."

"Why are you looking at me 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 me. What day is it today?"

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Even though Tadano thought it was a pointless question, he answered willingly.

"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 some sleep. The wind wasn't too strong, and it seemed suitable for sleeping outdoors. However, Tadano couldn't easily fall asleep. The words the woman from the ramen shop spoke kept echoing in his ears.

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"If we happen to meet here again tomorrow... I'll try to do the same as last time."

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What could those words mean? 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 became in his mind. It was as if something in his head was insisting that he shouldn't forget those words.

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"Hmm..."

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It was a headache. Not in the metaphorical sense of being annoying or troublesome 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 somehow, he felt like he could manage to get some sleep.

And the next day...

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"Excuse me."

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Someone 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 some 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 remember 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 time. 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 something?"

"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 time 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 moment, 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 me?"

"I... I..."

——

The woman tried to introduce herself, but Tadano didn't listen. Right now, he didn't care about some unremarkable woman.

Approaching the ticket counter, Tadano said.

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"To Tokyo, please give me 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 moment, the station attendant shrugged and said,

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"Well, let me issue a ticket for the Tokyo train. It departs in three hours, so don't miss it this time."

"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 some 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 time had passed,

Tap, tap.

Someone 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 Alzheimer's than a brain tumor. LOL