"Toru-kun!"
Kayako stood up from the steps in surprise.
The slender girl wore a thick white down jacket and was bundled up tightly, with cotton gloves on her hands.
Tokyo was a little colder than usual this late winter. The tip of Kayako's nose was red from the cold, and her cheeks were even rosier.
Even so, the joy she felt upon seeing Toru made her blood rush, sending waves of warmth through her body as though she were sitting in a heated room.
"Kayako, why are you still sitting here in weather this cold? At the very least, you should get up and move around. Otherwise, you should just stay home."
Toru walked up to Kayako. His tone sounded slightly reproachful, but it carried far more concern than criticism.
He carefully examined the petite girl in front of him.
Compared to when they had first met, Kayako's appearance had improved greatly.
He still remembered how small and thin she had been back then, with almost no flesh on her body. Her sunken skin seemed to cling to her bones, showing signs of severe malnutrition.
For someone to suffer from such severe malnutrition in modern society, it had to be related to her family circumstances.
However, as time passed, the young girl gradually filled out after receiving proper nutrition.
She had not become fat. Kayako was still very thin, with the typical slender figure of a young girl.
However, compared to the dull state of her skin when they first met, Kayako's skin was now incredibly smooth, and the youthful fullness of her face revealed the beauty of a young girl.
The most beautiful feature, however, was probably Kayako's dark, lustrous hair.
Even when she had been malnourished, her hair could have been used in a shampoo commercial.
Now that she was getting proper nutrition, Kayako's hair had become even darker and shinier.
Her hair was also extremely long, almost reaching her calves. If she let it fall loose, Kayako could easily cosplay Sadako.
Hmm, wait a minute. Why do I keep thinking about female ghosts lately?
Toru quickly shook his head, driving away the strange thought.
Kayako noticed Toru's gaze, and her heart began pounding. She shyly and somewhat anxiously checked her clothes before asking cautiously,
"Toru-kun, is there something strange about what I'm wearing? Or am I dirty somewhere?"
"No. It's just that you've become even prettier than before, Kayako, so I couldn't help looking a few more times," Toru said with a gentle smile.
Kayako became even more embarrassed. She lowered her head, her face flushing red, then suddenly gathered her courage and said, "It must be because I met Toru-kun that I've become prettier."
After saying that, she did not dare raise her head, much less meet Toru's eyes. She looked like an ostrich trying to bury its head in the sand.
Toru smiled. Knowing that Kayako was easily embarrassed, he stopped teasing her and repeated his earlier question.
Kayako breathed out a cloud of white mist.
"I knew Toru-kun wasn't in Tokyo before, but I thought that once you came back, you would definitely come here to run."
"In weather this cold, aren't you afraid of freezing, Kayako?"
"I'm not afraid of the cold. I, I just wanted to see Toru-kun as soon as possible."
After saying that, Kayako startled herself.
She did not know what had come over her today. She was being so bold, saying things that almost sounded like a shy confession.
Toru-kun won't dislike me for that, will he?
Kayako immediately grew anxious.
She was not sure what kind of feelings Toru had for her.
However, Kayako was already more than satisfied with their current relationship. She had no desire to ask for anything more.
Having grown up in a home filled with violence, the timid personality she had developed from childhood made Kayako understand better than anyone that asking for too much could cost her everything.
She was afraid that her greed would destroy the precious bond they had worked so hard to build.
That fear made Kayako hurriedly search for an excuse.
"I, I'm sorry, Toru-kun. What I said might have made you feel uncomfortable."
"But I didn't mean it that way. I, I only have you as a friend, Toru-kun. I like spending time with my friends. I didn't mean anything else."
Seeing Kayako's anxious expression, as though she were about to cry, Toru chuckled.
Who would have imagined that this timid, almost submissive, adorable girl would become such a terrifying evil spirit after her death?
Toru took Kayako's hand.
The girl's hand was slender and cold, almost frozen stiff.
With Toru's warm hand wrapped around hers, Kayako no longer noticed the cold wind outside. She even imagined that she had stepped into a warm, springlike garden filled with flowers.
"Meow."
It was not until a cat meowed that Kayako returned to her senses.
A black cat with glossy fur, also dressed in clothes, walked over from the side and rubbed against Toru's pant leg.
Kayako scolded it, "Komuro, don't get Toru-kun's clothes dirty!"
The black cat seemed to understand her. It let out a pitiful meow and no longer dared to rub against him.
Toru stopped Kayako.
"Don't scold Komuro. Cats rub their faces against things to leave their scent behind. It means he likes me."
"Is that so?"
Knowing nothing about cats, Kayako awkwardly crouched down and apologized to the little black cat.
This girl really is cute.
"It's too cold outside. Let's sit in the convenience store for a while."
"Okay. Is Toru-kun not going to run today?"
"It's so cold that I don't feel like running either."
The main reason was that a stalker was following him, so Toru had abandoned his running plans for the day.
Kayako giggled softly.
So Toru-kun is like everyone else. He has moments when he feels lazy too.
This Toru-kun feels more real.
There was a 7-Eleven nearby.
The first time Toru met Kayako, he had bought her rice balls there and cat food for Komuro.
Since then, the two of them had become regular customers, and the store had nearly become their usual meeting place.
"Welcome!"
The clerk greeted them.
Toru took two hot drinks from the warmer and selected some steaming oden, including potatoes, daikon, kelp, and fish balls.
The convenience store had a counter seating area beside the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was empty at this hour. Toru carried the oden over and sat beside Kayako at the wooden counter.
Kayako removed her gloves and fluffy earmuffs. Her pale hands tightly held the paper cup of oden. Feeling its warmth, she closed her eyes, revealed a happy smile, and hummed softly.
Outside the convenience store, Tomie hid in a corner and watched Toru and Kayako chatting and eating oden through the glass window. Her face was filled with jealousy and envy.
"Is that girl his little girlfriend? Just look at her expression. She practically reeks of romance."
Jealousy filled Tomie's seductive eyes.
"Woo..."
A cold wind blew past, making Tomie shiver.
She rubbed her hands together and jumped vigorously in place to keep herself warm.
If she had known it would be this cold, she would not have worn such thin stockings just to look good. Who had she even worn them for? No one was looking!
"Damn it! You're eating oden in a heated convenience store while I'm freezing outside. You lovey-dovey jerks! Ugh, you jerks!"
Tomie spat to the side and cursed from the corner.
(To be continued.)