Chapter 106: The Girl Waiting for Her Mother to Return

"Ha... so cold..."

Nozomi was dragging a lot of bags, wrapped in thick down, and walking slowly through the snow-covered forest.

'Although I came here to find inspiration, it's too cold... And the snow is a bit heavy, heavy snow in mid-to-late October... Seriously? Is it that early?'

'Forget it, we have to hurry, otherwise, it will be dark.'

However, Nozomi still overestimated his ability to move or underestimated the hindrance that heavy snow would cause to human movement. In addition, he was carrying musical instruments and luggage, so that when it got dark, he had to move forward with a flashlight, and he still hadn't arrived at the town he planned to go to.

"Wow... I should have set up camp here... I'm going to be exhausted..."

Leaning against a tree, Nozomi unscrewed his kettle, drank the last bit of water, and then spoke with some distress.

"If I want to go to the location myself, I still need to prepare more... I failed this challenge, and I will be teased by fans again."

Nozomi said this to himself, but his words did not sound distressed... After all, this was his own choice, so he would not have any complaints.

But as expected, if you want to rely on your own legs or ride a bicycle to reach the destination like the "Bard," it is still too difficult. However, if you make more preparations, you can still do it, and more importantly... the scenery along the way is beautiful.

Thinking back to the photos he had taken earlier, Nozomi smiled subconsciously... Speaking of which, fans recently complained that he was almost becoming a travel blogger... How could be? I am still singing! It's just that I have seen more beautiful scenery recently, and I want to share it with others!

"Ah...Come to think of it, I wonder if Sakura is getting used to the new job..."

While taking a short break, Nozomi was thinking about some random things... his and Eden's company had already been opened, and Eden's work had recently been getting on track, so she began to have free time to explore some art other than music. Therefore, Nozomi notified Yin and invited Sakura to be a model.

Although Sakura was a little confused when she heard the news at first, after confirming with Nozomi several times and getting the approval of her sister, Rin, Sakura agreed to the job and moved to Mu Continent with Rin... Nozomi and Eden are rich, and they provide accommodation for those who come to work here.

Although Sakura seemed a little reserved when she first arrived, and even wanted to avoid Nozomi's sight... She seemed very worried that Nozomi would do something to her, but she didn't seem to be very resistant.

To be honest, Nozomi was a little speechless... Although she did have some inexplicable feelings for Sakura, it had not reached that level... and is he looked like that... um... "that kind of person"?

Anyway, after a somewhat subtle explanation, Sakura put aside her worries, but for some reason she felt a little lost, and went to be a fitting model for Eden... Well, I hope Eden will like it.

"Besides, Eden's birthday is coming soon... I have to go back after this... The design I prepared should be almost finished, right? I hope Eden will like it by then."

Nozomi shook his head, stood up again, and started on his way... They were almost there, so he couldn't give up just yet!

Slowly, Nozomi moved to the edge of the town. Under the light of the flashlight, he could see the dim and dark town... This was understandable. It was late at night and time to go to bed. How could there still be lights?

And what's worse is... he didn't seem to see any hotels or the inns here had closed down.

"Wow... are they so unlucky? And why is there a description of the hotel online even though it closed down? And it even says [Open for business], isn't that a lie?"

Nozomi subconsciously complained about the irresponsibility of the innkeeper, but on second thought, this town is very remote, and if Nozomi was not looking for the scenery of the snowy forest, it would be difficult for him to find this place directly... Don't ask why he didn't make a plan in advance. The answer is that he was not well prepared on his first attempt and ended up "dying suddenly."

"I must share this experience with others so that everyone can have a laugh. Haha... I am such an unlucky guy."

However, Nozomi doesn't really care about this. Sometimes, sharing bad luck with others can also bring happiness to others. In this way, the complaints caused by bad luck will be dispersed, and the joy and comfort of others will be fed back. In this way, everyone will be very happy.

"But I still have to find a way to get some hot water to drink... I'm freezing and thirsty... I should have set up camp and made a fire to boil water from the snow... Ugh... I still have a lot to learn."

Nozomi had a sad face but was comforting himself as he moved towards the edge of the town... he had just seen lights there. Although he didn't know which family was still awake so late, this undoubtedly helped Nozomi. At least it allowed him to get some water.

'Well... on such a snowy day, people should allow me to ask for hot water... I just hope the person I meet is not some "magical" person' Nozomi thought so.

After all, he had met some people with "magical logic" before.

So Nozomi came to the only room with the light on and knocked on the door gently.

Knock Knock——

"Mother?"

A somewhat confused young female voice was heard from inside the room, and the first address made Nozomi stunned.

"Ah... I'm sorry to bother you. I'm not your mother. I'm just a traveler passing by... Can I have a cup of hot water? My kettle is empty."

Hearing that it seemed that only the girl's voice was coming from inside, Nozomi also lowered his voice as much as possible to make himself appear friendly... After all, a man knocking on a young woman's door on a snowy night... It looked like he was planning something bad! It was very dangerous!

And Nozomi had to keep silent. If someone saw him from inside the house, the misunderstanding would be even bigger...

"......"

There was no response from the house. Come to think of it, a man was knocking on the door in the middle of the night asking for water and claiming to be a traveler... It's terrifying to think about it.

"Um...can I put the kettle on the windowsill? Just help me fill a kettle with water, thank you very much."

As he spoke, Nozomi placed his kettle in a conspicuous position on the windowsill so that people in the house could see it, and then moved back a few steps to show that he really just came to ask for water.

After a while, Nozomi saw a little head cautiously poking out from the house and looking at him outside through the glass, as if to confirm whether he was friendly.

What caught his eye was a head of gorgeous purple hair, and her pupils were golden like Eden's, which was very beautiful.

(TL: Sirin?)

She first looked at Nozomi outside the house nervously, and after making sure that he had gone far away, she slowly opened the window, took out the kettle from the windowsill, and then quickly closed the window. After a while, she put the kettle out again.

Nozomi waited for a while, then walked over, took the kettle, opened it, and found that it was indeed filled with hot water... It seems that she is indeed a kind-hearted girl~

After replenishing himself with some water, Nozomi prepared to leave and find a place far away to camp and rest... he couldn't stay in front of a girl's house, it would be bad to scare her.

"That…that…"

However, at this moment, a timid voice sounded from inside the house.

"Are you going to... look for a hotel? The hotel in this small town is closed now... There are no rooms available..."

It seemed that she believed Nozomi was a person who traveled here and was even willing to provide some information.

"Oh, I know. I just passed by there... I'm a bit unlucky. I saw on the Internet that the hotel here is still open."

"So...how are you going to spend the night?"

"Pitching the tent, this kind of thing should have been done earlier, but I'm not very experienced and didn't arrange the time well... Ah, but don't worry, I won't disturb you. I'm lucky to have met you who are still awake and to have been able to get a drink of water... Otherwise, it would take some time to light a fire and burn the snow again."

"But...but...it's snowing at night...it's very cold..."

"It's okay. The tent and sleeping bag I bought are of good quality. But you, my lovely child, as a girl, it's better for you to go to bed early. Staying up late is the enemy of girls."

Nozomi was a little surprised that this girl was willing to chat so much with her, a stranger.

"Well... well... if you don't mind..."

The girl seemed a little hesitant but finally bit her lip and spoke nervously.

"You can rest here... There's a fireplace in the room, it will be much warmer..."

"...Child, are you home alone?"

"Yes..."

"That's dangerous... especially since you invited a stranger like me."

"But... you look like a good person..."

"You're judging people by their appearance, aren't you?"

"Sorry...but...I can hide in the room first...I'll leave the living room for you to rest..."

The girl suggested timidly, and it was obvious that she knew her move was dangerous, but at the same time, she left herself some room.

"...Okay, but I won't go in until you enter the room, okay?"

Nozomi tilted his head and decided to go inside... It's snowing late at night, who doesn't want to live in a warm house? Who wants to sleep in a tent or sleeping bag? And have to keep themselves warm...

However, necessary etiquette is still required, and you must remain as friendly as possible.

"Uh-huh."

As she spoke, the girl gently opened the door, then turned around and quickly ran into the house. After a while, the sounds of the door closing and locking were heard.

"Have you entered the room? Do you want to lock the door?"

"Um!"

Before entering the house, Nozomi asked specifically to avoid any problems.

After entering the house, Nozomi noticed that the house seemed a bit... deserted. There were very few pieces of furniture and only the fireplace slowly emitting heat.

However, Nozomi didn't intend to care so much. It was not a good habit to comment on other people's homes casually. He just found a relatively empty corner, put down his luggage and musical instruments, and then tidied himself... He had to rest early and leave early tomorrow to avoid disturbing the girl again.

"Well...um...are you still there?"

"Hmm? I'm here, huh? If you really mind, I'll leave. After all, I've been very rude."

"No, no... I didn't mean to chase you away... I just wanted to make sure you came in to rest... It's snowing heavily outside, and you'll get sick if you stay out for too long."

'Her voice sounded a little flustered, but one could tell she cared about me... she turned out to be a good kid as expected' Nozomi thought.

"Please don't worry. I'm in good health. If it's just one night, it won't be a problem... maybe. But now I have your help, so please don't worry."

"Uh-huh..."

"If you're nervous, you can talk to me...ah, or I can sing a song for you."

"Sing?"

"Yes, I am now a [bard], and everyone agrees with that. It just so happens that I can use this song to thank you for your help, huh."

"[Bard], pfft... it's a singer, right?"

"Yes~"

Nozomi deliberately responded to the tune he would use when singing, which sounded particularly light and cheerful.

"pfft..."

"By the way, you can also request songs here~"

"That's amazing."

"Anything you want to hear?"

"No, it's all right..."

"Is that so? Then I'll change to a more soothing song."

Nozomi said this, and then took out his violin, checked the tone, and then slowly pulled the bow, letting the music flow quietly.

Hmm~

Like a mountain stream, like the warm sun in the early morning.

After one song, the room fell into silence for a short time, and then a burst of rapid applause rang out as if to make up for the silence just now.

"That's amazing...better than what I usually hear."

"It's great that you like it. Um... But it's late at night. You should go to bed early. Staying up late is the enemy of girls."

"No... no need. Ah, come on... are you willing to rest with the lights on? I want to keep the lights on in the living room so that if mom comes back she can see..."

"Is that so? I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."

Nozomi didn't suspect anything and didn't delve into it too much... It's not good to pry into other people's family conditions without permission.

And... Mom... Wouldn't it be difficult for her to find someone other than her daughter at home when she comes back? It would be funny if I couldn't explain it.

But if I explain it properly, there shouldn't be any problem, right? Hmm... Ugh... I feel like a lot of new questions will pop up.

...Forget it, let's not think too much about it for now. Today's incident will become an interesting anecdote~ Even if it is misunderstood later, it may become an interesting story~

As Nozomi thought this, he put away his musical instruments, took out his sleeping bag, lay down in it, curled up in the corner, gently closed his eyes, and fell into a light sleep.

......

.........

The next morning, Nozomi woke up just as the sky began to lighten... his biological clock recently made him wake up at this time.

He first glanced around and found that the light in the living room was still on, the door did not seem to have been opened, and the objects around him did not seem to be missing... It was obvious that the girl did not come out at night.

'This is fine' Nozomi thought so, and then quietly and quickly packed up his things, took out some cash and put it on the table in the living room, and pressed it down with decorations as payment for his one-night stay, and then quietly left.

Squeak——

However, not long after Nozomi left, a faint sound of a door opening was heard. The girl hiding in the house quietly observed the living room through the crack of the door. After finding that Nozomi had left, she walked out with peace of mind. She first checked the items in the living room and the door. After confirming that everything was fine, she noticed the cash left on the table. After counting it carefully, it was almost the price of one night in a standard hotel.

"He's a good person..."

The girl muttered to herself.

"he sings really well and looks pretty... It's a pity that I don't know his name and I don't know if I'll be able to see him again..."

The gentle melody last night really made her linger, but since he was a traveler, a [Bard], he must have been passing by here, and she would probably not see him again in the future.

This is just a small episode...

"Ah... No, no, don't let your imagination run wild!"

The girl hurriedly shook her head, her gorgeous purple hair swaying with it, and raised her hand to gently pat her cheek, trying to bring her thoughts back to normal.

"But... Mom still hasn't come back..."

She looked out the window. The world outside was still covered with snow, but apart from the few traces left by Nozomi, there were no other footprints... She felt a little lost.

She turned off the lights in the living room and locked the door. She walked back into the room in a depressed mood, huddled down on the bed, wrapped herself in the quilt left by her mother, and curled up as if she could feel some of the breath her mother had left behind.

She took another look at the photo frame on the bedside table. It was the only photo of her and her mother left. Then... she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. She did not sleep last night because she wanted to wait for her mother. But last night was just like the previous day. Her mother did not come back.

"Mother..."

In her sleep, a crystal tear quietly ran across her face.