Chapter 286: Old Friend

“Lei, come over here and take a look.”

Hearing Naoko’s call, Lei Yin reluctantly walked into the women’s swimwear section, feeling somewhat out of place.

As he approached, Amy, wearing a pink one-piece swimsuit with a cartoon design in a size small, ran up to him and asked, “Lei, does it look good?”

Lei Yin took a good look at her, then said, “Did Naoko help you pick this out? It looks great.”

The little girl’s face lit up with happiness, and she turned to Naoko, saying, “Naoko, Lei thinks it looks good too, so I’ll choose this one!”

Naoko smiled and nodded.

Lei Yin patted Amy’s head and said, “Now that you’ve bought your swimsuit, how about I take you to the pool tomorrow and teach you how to swim?”

“Really?” Amy looked at him excitedly.

Lei Yin smiled and said, “I promised to teach you swimming last time when we went to Kagoshima, but the storm got in the way. This year, I’ll teach you before we head to Okinawa. Alright, go change out of your swimsuit in the fitting room, and then we’ll go to some other places.”

“Okay, Naoko, come help me,” the little girl said hurriedly as she ran toward the fitting room.

Naoko glanced at Lei Yin before smiling and following her inside.

As Lei Yin took out his credit card to pay, Naoko suddenly, with a slight blush, placed a swimsuit she had been holding behind her on the counter and said to the saleswoman, “There’s one more item. Could you please wrap them separately?”

“Sure.”

After handing over his credit card, Lei Yin turned around, looking at Naoko with a strange smile.

Naoko, noticing his gaze, blushed even more.

After leaving the swimwear section, Lei Yin suddenly muttered to himself, “I wonder what that swimsuit looks like?” He said this with a mischievous grin, watching her.

Naoko, hearing his words, unconsciously imagined the style of the swimsuit, feeling her face flush again.

Normally, with her somewhat conservative nature, she would never have chosen such a bold swimsuit. However, sensing that Lei Yin seemed to have certain expectations about how she might look in one, she had picked it out for herself while helping Amy choose her swimsuit earlier.

Seeing her shy expression, Lei Yin smiled, and while holding Amy’s hand with one of his own, he gently took Naoko’s delicate hand with his other hand, leading them forward.

Naoko looked up at him, her eyes slowly filling with a gentle warmth. She smiled softly, then clasped his hand in return as they walked together.

As they passed the children’s clothing section, Naoko noticed several cute outfits on display. On a whim, she decided to buy a skirt for Amy. Lei Yin, seeing how excited she was, agreed to the idea.

“Amy, do you like this skirt?” Naoko asked, pointing to a light green skirt on a small mannequin in the display case.

Amy took a careful look, then nodded.

Naoko, delighted, said, “Then why don’t you try it on? You’ll look absolutely adorable in it!”

Amy glanced at Lei Yin, then nodded in agreement.

Seeing her agree, Naoko immediately turned to a saleswoman in the children’s section and said, “Could you please bring me a skirt in the same style as the one on the mannequin?”

After asking Amy’s height and size, the saleswoman soon returned with the right size for the little girl.

“Amy, let’s go try it on,” Naoko said, looking even more excited than Amy. With a big smile, she pulled Amy toward the fitting room.

Seeing Naoko’s happy smile, Lei Yin couldn’t help but feel good. He realized that no matter how old women were, they always seemed to have a nurturing instinct when it came to children or animals. Kazumi’s classmate, Takeshima Shinobu, was like this, and so was the mature and gentle Naoko.

Not long after sitting down on a nearby chair, Lei Yin’s phone suddenly rang.

Inside the fitting room, after Amy had changed into the new skirt, Naoko crouched down to examine it closely. Then, smiling, she said, “Amy, you’re going to be such a beautiful girl when you grow up. There will be so many boys chasing after you.”

The little girl became a bit shy and asked in a soft voice, “Really?”

“Of course, it’s true. Let’s go out and show Lei your new skirt.”

“Thank you, Naoko.” Amy hugged her, deeply moved.

Naoko kissed her cheek, then took her hand and led her out of the fitting room.

The little girl ran excitedly in front of Lei Yin, who was sitting in the chair, and asked eagerly, “Lei, do you think this skirt looks good?”

Lei Yin looked her up and down, then gently patted her head and said, “Naoko has a good eye. This skirt suits you very well.”

Though the little girl was happy inside, she deliberately pouted and said, “So, is it good-looking or not?”

Lei Yin pinched her little face and gave it a tug, saying, “You little rascal, you know exactly what I mean.”

The little girl couldn’t help but giggle, then put out her arms and coquettishly said, “Lei, hug me.”

Lei Yin lightly tapped her head with his hand, then picked her up and placed her on his lap.

The little girl happily wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled brightly.

Naoko, who had been walking up from behind, slowly sat down next to him, looking at him with a soft, affectionate smile.

Lei Yin, feeling a little guilty, said to her, “Just now, Aikura Ai, one of Aiko’s classmates, called me. She said she has an urgent matter to discuss, and I think I need to go see what it is.”

Naoko nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Amy. Will you be back for dinner tonight?”

“I’m not sure. If I can’t make it back tonight, I’ll call you in advance.”

Naoko leaned her head on his shoulder, softly saying, “Be careful.”

“I will,” Lei Yin replied, then gently kissed her forehead.

The little girl sitting on his lap stared at them without blinking.

※※※

Seeing Amy gazing longingly at Lei Yin’s figure as it gradually disappeared into the escalator, Aiko gently comforted her, “Don’t worry, he’ll be back tonight.”

Only then did Amy slowly pull her gaze away, though the joy she had earlier had faded from her face.

Naoko took her hand and sat down, then asked, “Amy, do you like Lei?”

“Mm-hmm.” Amy nodded firmly.

“Can you tell me why?”

The little girl thought for a moment, but a slightly troubled expression appeared on her face. “I don’t know. I just know that when I’m with Lei, I feel really happy.”

“I see. But Lei likes you to be your usual energetic self, and you’re the cutest when you smile. Can you smile for me now?”

Amy looked up at her, then slowly smiled.

Seeing the little girl’s smile, which was even more radiant and charming than usual, Naoko couldn’t help but be momentarily lost in admiration.

The little girl gently held Naoko’s hand, then rested her head on Naoko’s shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry, Naoko, for the way I used to tease you.”

Thinking back to last summer, when Amy would often play pranks on her whenever Lei Yin wasn’t around, Naoko couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s still early. How about we walk around some more? What do you think?”

“Mm-hmm.” The little girl nodded.

After asking a saleswoman to pack the skirt and paying, Naoko took the little girl’s hand and walked out of the children’s section.

As they walked, Naoko asked her how life at school in Switzerland was, and the little girl slowly shared bits and pieces of her school life.

Naoko, who had never studied abroad, found the stories of her school life very interesting. She would occasionally interrupt to ask questions, and the little girl answered earnestly.

As they unknowingly passed the women’s clothing section, they nearly bumped into a young woman who had just come out from inside.

Naoko quickly apologized to the woman, but at that moment, the woman suddenly said, with a slightly uncertain voice, “Are you Naoko? Hasegawa Naoko?”

Naoko looked up and saw a very elegant young woman, and she suddenly felt that this woman looked familiar.

“May I ask, who are you?”

The woman, now sure that it was her, smiled and said, “You really are heartless! You’ve even forgotten an old classmate. I’m Momo Yoshiko, your high school classmate!”

“Is it really you? Oh my goodness, how long has it been since we last saw each other?” Naoko, excited to see her old high school friend, could only tightly hold her hand, unable to think of anything else to say.

Momo Yoshiko smiled and said, “It’s been almost ten years since we graduated from high school, hasn’t it? You haven’t changed a bit—or rather, you’ve become even more beautiful. It’s honestly unfair.”

Naoko, still brimming with emotion, replied, “Ever since you moved back to Hokkaido, I haven’t heard anything from you. I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime.”

Seeing Naoko’s teary eyes, Momo Yoshiko was moved. Holding her hands, she said, “You’re exaggerating. Japan isn’t that big; we were bound to meet again eventually. By the way, is this little girl your daughter?” she asked with feigned surprise.

Naoko laughed. “Her name is Amy. She’s the child of a friend of my fiancé. Since her guardian is very busy, my fiancé is temporarily taking care of her.”

“You have a fiancé? Is he here? Can you introduce him to me?” Momo Yoshiko looked around, curious about Naoko’s fiancé.

“Sorry, he had to leave for something urgent. I’ll introduce you next time. How about we find a place to sit and catch up?” Naoko was eager to hear about her old friend’s life.

Momo Yoshiko thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t you come to my place?”

Naoko hesitated. “Wouldn’t that trouble your family?”

A strange look flashed in Momo Yoshiko’s eyes, but she quickly smiled and said, “Not at all. My car is parked just outside the mall. Let’s go.”

Naoko nodded, then crouched down to Amy’s level and said, “Amy, this lady is my high school classmate. I’m going to her house for a while. Would you like to come with me?”

The little girl glanced at Momo Yoshiko and obediently nodded.

“Thank you, Amy.” Naoko couldn’t resist giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

At this moment, Momo Yoshiko turned to a sales assistant in the women’s clothing section and said, “Please bring those bags to my car.”

“Of course, Ms. Momo,” the assistant replied.

Naoko was surprised to see the assistant carrying eight or nine shopping bags and following them.

Turning to her friend, Naoko asked, “Yoshiko, are all these clothes yours? Isn’t this a bit much?”

Naoko wasn’t one for shopping sprees. Between her busy schedule helping Mari’s magazine and writing articles, she rarely went out shopping unless Lei Yin took her. And even then, Lei Yin often picked out clothes for her to try, which was how most of her wardrobe had been bought. Some of the more daring designs, though, she never dared to wear in public.

Momo Yoshiko smiled nonchalantly. “It’s not just clothes; there’s also a hat and a silk scarf in there. This is nothing. I know a few wives who treat shopping malls like their personal wardrobes, buying dozens of outfits and shoes at once. Besides, dressing up nicely has its perks for women. By the way, if you see anything you like, let me cover it for you. I’m serious—don’t hold back.”

Naoko glanced at her, then shook her head. “No, thank you. I only came to buy a swimsuit for Amy, and I’ve already bought it.”

“Is that so? Alright, let’s go.”

As Naoko led Amy forward, she glanced back at the sales assistant trailing behind with Momo Yoshiko’s shopping bags. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

※※※

Arriving at the amusement park Aikura Ai had mentioned, Lei Yin bought a ticket at the entrance and walked in somewhat reluctantly.

Although it wasn’t a weekend, some middle schools had already started summer break, so the park was bustling with students enjoying themselves.

Taking out his phone, Lei Yin dialed the number from earlier.

“Hello, this is Gennai. I’ve arrived at the amusement park. Where are you now?”

“The arcade entrance? Alright, wait there. I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, Lei Yin asked a balloon vendor for directions to the arcade and then headed there quickly.