"Xiao Hai Wan?! Why are you here?"
"Ah haha… I didn't expect Asama-kun to run into us…"
Xiao Hai Wan, holding a bag of ingredients, showed her characteristic soft smile, while Rice Shower sat beside her, head bowed, not daring to look up and speak to Kazuo.
Although he really wanted to know why Xiao Hai Wan was here, Kazuo had more important things to do at the moment.
"Rice Shower-classmate? Are you alright?"
Kazuo slowly approached Rice Shower. Hearing Kazuo call her name, her body trembled uncontrollably.
When he squatted down, Kazuo finally saw her eyes were slightly red and swollen; she had clearly been crying a lot. And upon seeing Kazuo, the tears that had stopped began to slowly fall again, patter-patter.
"I'm sorry… It's all Rice Shower's fault. If it weren't for Rice Shower…"
Fortunately, Kazuo wasn't alone at this moment.
Xiao Hai Wan stepped forward and gently hugged Rice Shower, saying:
"It's okay, with Asama-kun here, he'll find a way to help you solve it."
As expected of Xiao Hai Wan, who always takes care of children, she truly had a knack for it.
She skillfully soothed the other's heart, gently stroking little Rice Shower's back, signaling her to relax.
When she first saw Kazuo, Rice Shower's emotions had become slightly agitated again, but because of Xiao Hai Wan, she slowly stabilized.
At this moment, Rice Shower was being held by Xiao Hai Wan, sobbing softly in her arms.
Daijin, meanwhile, took out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Rice Shower, caring for the little girl in her own way.
Xiao Hai Wan took the tissue and gently wiped Rice Shower's tear-stained cheeks.
Adjusting his breathing, Kazuo continued to persuade her from the side: "Rice Shower, I've already heard roughly what Aoi said about the matter, but can we talk about it later? I'll discuss it with the shop owner to see if there's a way to remedy it. Rice Shower, don't take it too much to heart, and don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay?"
Although he said that, it was clearly impossible for her to let go.
However, with Kazuo standing by her side, Rice Shower felt a sense of reliance.
"Speaking of which, why are you two here?"
Kazuo never dreamed he would meet Xiao Hai Wan here, especially since they had messaged each other last night. Logically, Xiao Hai Wan should be back home.
But Xiao Hai Wan was with Daijin—
It was quite unexpected.
"Because I wanted to surprise Asama-kun! I just came back from my hometown today, and I'll be staying at Daijin's house for these few days."
Xiao Hai Wan explained with a smile.
Kazuo, however, sighed with a hint of helplessness:
"Anyway, there are no problems back home, right?"
Kazuo paused slightly, then smiled and said, "While it's certainly a pleasant surprise to see Xiao Hai Wan."
"Since Asama-kun is here, why don't we all have dinner together!?"
Xiao Hai Wan said, holding up the ingredients she bought from the supermarket, "Xiao Hai Wan and Daijin-chan made curry. Asama-kun and Rice Shower, would you like to try some!?"
Xiao Hai Wan, as expected, quickly understood Kazuo's meaning. From his few words, she had already roughly grasped what had happened, so at this moment, she also helped Kazuo divert Rice Shower's attention.
"Anyway, if there's anything, let's talk about it after dinner, okay?"
Daijin also helped persuade her from the side, while Kazuo reached out and held Rice Shower's small hand, saying:
"Then let's do as Xiao Hai Wan and Daijin say. Rice Shower, you come along too, okay?"
"After all, Rice Shower, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'm hungry too, so why don't we just go back to the shop and cook? I remember there should be a kitchen there."
"Oh, right! Now that we've found Rice Shower, I need to call everyone and let them know."
"Rice Shower isn't worth everyone's concern..."
The girl's voice was still low. Kazuo gently patted her head and said, "You mustn't belittle yourself like that, Rice Shower. Everyone has never thought you were a burden."
With that, Kazuo took out his phone, dialed Aoi's number, and put it on speakerphone.
The call rang for only a few seconds before it was answered. Aoi's anxious voice came from the other end: "Have you found Rice Shower!??"
"Aoi, don't worry. I've already picked her up. She's with me now. I'll bring her back shortly."
Hearing him say this, Aoi let out a long sigh of relief, repeatedly saying, "That's great, that's great..."
Then, from her end, came the sound of her thanking the police at the guard post, and they were also giving instructions about preventing such incidents from happening again in the future.
Kazuo specifically looked at Rice Shower, as if to convey some message to her.
"I'll tell my brother. When are you guys coming back?"
Judging by the sound, she seemed to have already left the guard post. Kazuo replied, "Hmm, we'll be back soon, but I wanted to ask, does the shop have a kitchen?"
"Eh... Yes, it does. Is there a problem?"
"Hmm... I have two students who are also coming along. They brought ingredients and said they wanted to make curry, so I thought it would be better to do it at the shop. How about we all have dinner together tonight?"
"Okay! Then I'll buy some drinks and snacks when I come back! Let's have a long-awaited party!"
Aoi instantly understood Kazuo's intention. Holding such a party would help dissipate the awkward atmosphere and make everyone forget about this afternoon's events.
As for how to make amends, that could be left to the adults to worry about.
"Alright, I'll bring them over now."
"Okay! See you soon!"
"Hmm, see you soon."
Kazuo hung up the phone and looked at Rice Shower, saying, "It's okay, no one blames you. Work is work, and life is life. It's after work hours now. No matter what, let's relax today and enjoy the cooking of Xiao Hai Wan and Daijin, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hai Wan also patted her chest with full enthusiasm, confidently saying, "Let me show you what Xiao Hai Wan and Daijin's special dish is like!"
"Don't be like that... It's just cooking..."
Compared to Xiao Hai Wan, Daijin still seemed less straightforward. But seeing the two of them like this, Kazuo couldn't help but smile.
He held Rice Shower's small hand and said, "Let's go. No matter what, we are still by your side, Rice Shower. Whatever difficulties you face, we'll still be here. So—don't worry."
"...Mm."
With red eyes, Rice Shower softly responded, then firmly squeezed Kazuo's hand, unwilling to let go.
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