Chapter 272: The Necklace

When Lei Yin arrived at the location, he saw Shiraishi Akira standing there alone.

Walking up to him, Lei Yin asked, “Akira, what happened?”

Shiraishi Akira glanced at him and then pointed toward the theme park ahead. “Rumi is inside.”

Lei Yin frowned. “What’s she doing in there?” He could tell the park was already closed.

With an expressionless face, Shiraishi Akira explained, “Her necklace is missing. She’s been looking for it since 6 PM. I couldn’t stop her, so I called Kazumi, but even she couldn’t convince her to stop. She started searching from where we’d been earlier today and ended up here.

“The park had already closed, so she begged the manager to let her in to look for it. He refused at first, and she cried so hard that he finally relented.

“If she doesn’t find it here, she’ll keep searching. The next stop will likely be the cinema. Luckily, the cinema doesn’t close this early. If she doesn’t find it there, she’ll retrace her steps along the way back to the apartment. I don’t know what she’ll do if she gets back and still doesn’t find it. That’s why I called you.”

At this point, Shiraishi Akira looked at Lei Yin and said, “That necklace—it was a gift from you, wasn’t it?”

Lei Yin suddenly remembered. Four years ago, when he returned from Switzerland, he had indeed given her a crescent-shaped necklace as a souvenir. Not only her, but Kazumi, Aiko, and several of her friends had also received small gifts, though he had given them women’s watches instead. If Shiraishi Akira hadn’t brought it up, he might have forgotten about it entirely.

Judging from Lei Yin’s expression, Shiraishi Akira knew his guess was correct.

Walking closer to him, Shiraishi Akira lowered his voice and said, “She needs you.” Then, he quietly walked past and left.

Lei Yin stood motionless until Shiraishi Akira was out of sight.

※※※

During the day, the theme park was lively and fun, but at night, it felt eerie and foreboding.

Though the animatronic dinosaurs had stopped moving due to the power being cut, their metallic eyes gleamed coldly under the moonlight, resembling silent monsters. The towering dinosaur models only added to the unsettling atmosphere.

In the dim surroundings, two figures slowly moved forward with the help of a portable light.

Watching the girl carefully scanning the ground as they went, Kazumi gently said, “Rumi, it’s really late. Let’s continue looking tomorrow, okay?”

But the girl acted as though she hadn’t heard, keeping her head down as she meticulously searched the ground while walking forward.

Kazumi sighed inwardly and continued accompanying her.

They didn’t know how long they had been walking when Kazumi suddenly noticed a shadowy figure approaching them.

“Who’s there?” Kazumi asked cautiously, her gaze fixed on the figure.

“Kazumi, it’s me.”

Hearing that familiar voice, Kazumi felt both surprised and relieved.

When Lei Yin reached them, his eyes were complicated as he looked at the girl still intently focused on the ground.

“Brother, Rumi…”

“I’ve already heard from Akira,” Lei Yin said.

Kazumi said nothing, only silently watching his face.

Blocking the girl’s path, Lei Yin said, “Rumi, stop searching. Let’s go home.”

But the girl acted as though she didn’t hear him, slowly walking around him and continuing forward.

Noticing something unusual in her behavior, Lei Yin quickly stepped in front of her again and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Rumi, do you hear me?”

Finally, the girl slowly raised her head to look at him. But before long, she lowered it again.

Lei Yin noticed the dazed look in Rumi’s eyes, as if she didn’t recognize him. Alarmed, he quickly shook her shoulders and said, “Rumi, wake up!”

Kazumi sensed that something was wrong and asked anxiously, “Brother, what’s wrong with Rumi?”

Lei Yin didn’t answer. He continued shaking Rumi’s shoulders, repeating, “Rumi, wake up!”

After a few shakes, focus gradually returned to Rumi’s eyes.

A moment later, she looked at the man before her with an expression of disbelief, as if she had just woken from a dream.

“Se… Senpai?”

Seeing her come back to herself, Lei Yin let out a sigh of relief and said, “Rumi, let’s go home.”

Upon hearing those words, tears suddenly streamed down Rumi’s face.

“Senpai… the necklace you gave me is gone. You don’t care about me anymore… and now the necklace is gone too. I have nothing left…” As she spoke, tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

A powerful wave of sadness rose in Lei Yin’s chest. Unable to help himself, he pulled her into his arms. “How could I not care about you, Rumi? It’s just a necklace. Forget about it. Let’s go home.”

Rumi clung to him tightly, sobbing like a child.

Lei Yin couldn’t fully grasp the importance of that necklace, which he had long forgotten, to Rumi. For her, it symbolized a cherished memory.

Back then, if she wanted to see him, she could easily do so. Though her cooking was terrible at the time, he would force a smile and eat it anyway, telling her she had improved slightly. He used to spend time every day teaching her swordsmanship or occasionally watch TV with her, mockingly criticizing overly dramatic plotlines while she laughed beside him. Back then, he was so warm, so kind.

But now, he had a fiancée. He no longer ruffled her hair affectionately or listened to her talk with a smile. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid seeing her.

She was no longer the naïve girl who had just arrived in Tokyo. She understood that everything he did was to help her become independent, yet it still hurt—a deep, unbearable pain. What he didn’t know was that during this time, she had relied on that necklace and those memories to pull herself together.

But now, the necklace was gone, and she felt as though she had nothing left.

She didn’t know how long she cried before her sobs finally subsided.

Lei Yin realized that she had cried herself into exhaustion and fallen asleep.

Gently, he lifted her onto his back. Together with Kazumi, he left the park.

At the park entrance, Kazumi returned the portable light to the manager and thanked him.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” the middle-aged manager asked.

Looking at the girl sound asleep on her brother’s back, Kazumi nodded and said, “Yes, we found it.”

“Really? That’s great,” the manager said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Bowing deeply to him, Kazumi quickly caught up with Lei Yin.

When they returned to Kazumi’s apartment, Lei Yin carefully laid the sleeping Rumi onto her bed.

After tucking her in, he sat quietly by her side, gazing at her pale face in silence.

He didn’t know how long he sat there before he finally stood up and left her room.

When he returned to the living room, he saw Kazumi and Takeshima Shinobu sitting there.

After Lei Yin sat down, Kazumi poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Is Rumi still asleep?”

Lei Yin nodded and slowly took a sip of tea.

Takeshima Shinobu mumbled apologetically, “I’m sorry… It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t forced her to go to the gathering, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

Kazumi shook her head and said, “This has nothing to do with you. Besides, the necklace might not have been lost during that time. It could’ve been misplaced somewhere else.”

After a while, Takeshima Shinobu noticed that neither Lei Yin nor Kazumi spoke again, so she stood up and said, “You two keep talking; I’ll head back to my room.”

Watching her retreat a little hastily, Lei Yin smiled and said, “I wasn’t trying to make her leave. Your classmate sure has an active imagination. Is it because she’s influenced by living with you?”

Kazumi shot him a glare. “How can you joke at a time like this?”

Lei Yin sighed and said, “I didn’t expect her to be so attached to that necklace. I was already planning to ask Old Kuang to guide her in swordsmanship.”

Kazumi sighed and said, “Actually, we were all wrong. We thought she was starting to recover, but in reality, she was just wrapping her wounds up and not letting us see them.”

Lei Yin said nothing, quietly sipping his tea.

After a moment, Kazumi continued, “Brother, I think…”

Before she could finish, she saw Lei Yin suddenly put down his tea and stand up.

“Rumi seems to be awake.” With that, he headed toward her room.

Gently opening the door, Lei Yin saw Rumi sitting in the dark with her head buried in her knees, quietly crying.

He turned on the light and walked over to her. “Rumi, what’s wrong?”

Hearing his voice, Rumi immediately lifted her head. Just like in the park, she looked at him with a gaze of disbelief. “Senpai?”

Lei Yin sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Once she confirmed it was truly him, Rumi threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly.

Gently stroking her hair, Lei Yin comforted her, “Don’t be afraid; it was just a nightmare.”

Rumi said nothing, only hugging him tighter, as though letting go would make him disappear.

Standing at the door, Kazumi witnessed this scene. A gentle expression appeared on her face before she quietly closed the door and returned to the living room.

After some time, Rumi, still nestled in Lei Yin’s arms, began to speak haltingly between sobs. “Senpai… don’t ignore me… please don’t ignore me, I beg you…”

Lei Yin’s heart ached at her plea. He softly reassured her, “I won’t, Rumi. You’re the sweetest, most adorable girl. I could never ignore you.”

Rumi suppressed her sobs and continued, “Senpai, I… I won’t dream of becoming your wife anymore. Let me be your sister, okay? Please let me be your sister… just don’t ignore me…” She broke down into uncontrollable tears.

Hearing her powerless plea, Lei Yin felt a heavy weight press on his chest, as if something was blocking his heart.

Taking a deep breath, he softly said into her ear, “Rumi, be good and go to sleep now. Tomorrow, I’ll be here when you wake up. I won’t avoid you anymore. Sleep now, okay?”

“Really? I’ll see you again tomorrow?” Rumi asked in a tearful, trembling voice.

“I wouldn’t lie to you. Now be good and sleep, okay?”

Rumi nodded and lifted her tear-streaked face to gaze at him blankly.

Lei Yin gently wiped her tears away and helped her lie back down on the bed.

Even as she lay there, she continued to stare at him intently. Lei Yin smiled and said, “Hey, close your eyes and go to sleep now.”

Rumi gave him a deep look before slowly closing her eyes.

When Lei Yin tried to turn off the light, he noticed that her left hand was still tightly holding onto his right hand, unwilling to let go even for a moment.

With a sigh, he flicked his middle finger toward the light switch using his free hand. A small gust of wind hit the switch, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness with a soft “click.”

Since he couldn’t sleep in the same bed with her and there was nowhere else to lie down, Lei Yin leaned against the headboard to rest.

Even in the darkness, Lei Yin could clearly see her peaceful and gentle sleeping face.

※※※

“Miss, I’m sorry, the car suddenly broke down. I can’t do anything about it; you should take another taxi.” The driver apologized to his passenger.

Hasegawa Aiko was aware that complaining wouldn’t help, so she resigned herself to bad luck.

Looking around at her surroundings, she asked the driver, who was making one last attempt to repair the taxi, “Do you know where I can catch another taxi around here?”

The driver pointed ahead and said, “I remember there’s an intersection up ahead. If you walk straight ahead, you should be able to hail a taxi.”

“Thank you,” Aiko said, then walked in the direction he pointed.

Although there were streetlights along the road, this was her first time walking here. After walking for a few dozen meters, she began to feel increasingly uneasy.

She was torn between wanting to see someone and being afraid of encountering anyone.

With these conflicting feelings, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

After walking for a while, she reached the end of the road, only to realize that it wasn’t an intersection at all, but a fork in the road.

She thought about going back to ask the driver again, but after a moment’s consideration, she decided against it. Going back and forth would be too much trouble, and the driver might not even remember the roads around here. After some thought, she turned right onto one of the roads.

After walking about 100 meters, she saw a person leaning against a streetlight, doing something she couldn’t quite make out.

Aiko felt a bit scared, but as she got closer, she saw that the person was a drunk man, leaning on the streetlight and vomiting.

Relieved that it wasn’t anything worse, she continued walking.

Just then, the drunk man slowly stood up and began following her.

After walking a few more meters, Aiko realized he was following her. She was startled and immediately quickened her pace.

Not long after, she suddenly saw three figures ahead and felt a slight sense of relief.

As she got closer to them, Aiko saw that they were three young men.

While she was sizing them up, the three men were also looking at her.

Noticing their gaze, Aiko quickly lowered her head and picked up her pace.

However, at that moment, the three men walked toward her. Seeing the malicious look in their eyes, Aiko knew trouble was brewing.

Sure enough, one of the men, wearing a black leather jacket, spoke up, “Miss, are you alone?”

Aiko coldly replied, “What’s it to you?”

After getting a good look at her face, the three men’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

They exchanged glances, and the man in the leather jacket smiled and said, “Why don’t you come have a drink with us? We’ll take you to a fun place.”

Aiko hated men who casually approached women like this, and didn’t want to speak to them any further. She turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

But the three men quickly blocked her way.

“What do you want? I’ll call the police,” she immediately said, pulling out her phone.

“Don’t be so nervous, we just want to have some fun with you. Your phone is really nice; let us take a look,” one of the men, wearing earrings, suddenly grabbed her phone from her hand.

“Give me my phone back!” Aiko shouted angrily.

“After you play with us, we’ll give it back to you. Come on, it’s really fun,” the man in the leather jacket said as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Aiko couldn’t take it anymore. She elbowed him in the ribs and then ran desperately backwards.

“Catch that bitch!” the man in the leather jacket yelled, clutching his stomach in pain.

The other two men immediately gave chase.

Although Aiko was running as fast as she could, her high heels slowed her down. Soon, one of the men caught up to her and grabbed her by the hair.

“Let go of me, you bastards!” Aiko screamed as she struggled.

The man in the leather jacket walked over and said, “Hold her down, don’t let her scream.”

One of the men reached out to cover her mouth, but Aiko bit him hard, making him cry out in pain.

“Useless, you can’t even handle one woman,” the man in the leather jacket cursed as he squeezed Aiko’s jaw, preventing her from screaming.

At that moment, another man who was holding her arms said, “Hey, won’t this cause trouble?”

The man in the leather jacket sneered, “If you’re scared, then don’t play later.”

The other man immediately fell silent.

Just as the three men were about to drag her away, someone suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Let her go,” the man said.

“It’s none of your business, get out of the way,” the man in the leather jacket pointed at him.

“Let her go,” the man repeated.

The man in the leather jacket exchanged a look with the one whose hand had been bitten by Aiko. The man nodded, then walked up with a smile, saying, “If you’re interested, we can play together.”

As he reached the man, he suddenly threw a punch at his face.

The man easily dodged and quickly kicked in return.

The kick was powerful, and the man screamed as he clutched his groin and fell to his knees.

“Let her go,” the man said again, now standing in front of the other two men.

The man in the leather jacket threw a punch at his chest.

The man blocked the punch with his hand and quickly countered with a kick to the leather jacket man’s abdomen. The man in the leather jacket had to block with his other hand.

The two men started fighting.

It was clear that the man in the leather jacket was skilled in karate. He quickly gained the upper hand, while the other man was primarily on the defensive.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Aiko, who was still held by one of the men, stomped on his foot with her high heel.

The man yelled in pain and instinctively released her arms.

Seizing the opportunity, Aiko sprinted away.

Hearing his companion’s cry of pain, the man in the leather jacket was startled, and his movements slowed. He was then punched by the other man.

“Run, that bitch will call the police!” the man in the leather jacket shouted as he turned to flee.

The other two men, also injured, quickly followed him.

“Little brat, remember this!” the man in the leather jacket cursed as he ran off.

The man, seeing that they had fled, slowly sat down. He was feeling light-headed from the alcohol, and if he kept fighting, he wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

Five minutes later, he saw headlights approaching. The light was so bright that he had to shield his eyes.

A woman stepped out of the car and walked toward him.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” He recognized her as the woman from earlier.

“I just called a taxi, let’s get in.” Aiko was worried that the three men might come back.

He shook his head and slowly got up, walking toward the taxi.

Once the car had driven for a while, Aiko finally relaxed. She noticed that the man was actually very young.

“Thank you so much for saving me earlier. My name is Hasegawa Aiko. May I know your name?”

“It was nothing, just drop me off on the side of the road. I’ll hail a taxi to go back.”

Aiko reluctantly agreed to drop him off at a place where he could catch a taxi.

Seeing that he was about to leave without saying a word, Aiko couldn’t help but stop him and ask, “What’s your name? Can you tell me?”

He glanced at her and said, “My name is Shiraishi Akira.” After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Aiko softly repeated his name, then watched as he walked toward another taxi.