Tomie thought she was well hidden, but in Toru's eyes, she was as exposed as if she were standing naked in front of him. Her entire figure was completely visible.
Inside the 7-Eleven, Toru bit into a fish ball, his eyes carrying a faint smile as he looked through the glass window at Tomie, who was shivering in the cold wind.
However, from this distance, it was impossible for Tomie to notice that Toru was laughing at her.
Otherwise, with Tomie's personality, she would have already stormed inside and angrily accused Toru of being heartless.
"Toru-kun, what are you looking at?"
Kayako sat beside Toru and unconsciously moved closer to him.
She lowered her head as she ate the oden from her paper cup, secretly peeking at Toru with her pitiful eyes.
Seeing that he seemed to be looking outside, Kayako also turned her head curiously.
However, the road was dark, and the dim streetlights were not enough for Kayako, an ordinary person, to see clearly. She had no idea that a miserable girl was hiding in the corner.
"Nothing. I'm just looking at a pitiful little dog."
Toru chuckled softly.
"A puppy?"
Kayako looked startled and said worriedly, "...It's so cold outside. A stray dog would definitely freeze to death, wouldn't it?"
Toru had only compared Tomie to a puppy, but he had not expected Kayako to believe there was actually a stray dog outside.
Kayako really is a kindhearted girl. She even worries about stray dogs.
Thinking about it carefully, Kayako had lived in such poverty in the past, yet she had still taken in Komuro, a stray cat. That alone showed that she was an extremely kind girl deep down.
Yet after death, a girl like her would become such a terrifying vengeful spirit.
Perhaps it was precisely because she was so kind that she became even more terrifying after turning evil?
Toru did not understand.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Not everyone in this world can be saved."
"Just like stray dogs and cats, there are countless numbers of them in the world. You can't save every stray animal."
"Kayako, simply having that kind of compassion is already admirable. You saved Komuro, which is far better than those hypocrites who only talk but never act."
"Meow."
Komuro meowed beside Toru's leg and rubbed against his pants again.
Toru smiled and bent down to scratch Komuro under the chin. The cat let out an adorable purr.
Watching Toru interact with Komuro, Kayako smiled unconsciously.
She nodded vigorously.
"Toru-kun is right. Not every person or stray animal in this world can be saved. Those who are saved must have met a god who took pity on them."
Just like Toru-kun saved me. Toru-kun is my god. I'm truly glad I met him.
Kayako murmured softly.
After a pause, she whispered again, "When I have the ability in the future, I also want to help stray animals."
"If you need it, Kayako, I'll provide financial support."
"Wouldn't that be asking too much? Toru-kun has already helped me so much."
Kayako spoke softly, feeling embarrassed.
That was her dream, and she did not want to burden Toru because of it.
Kayako did not know what she could do in the future. Since people disliked her, she did not believe she could work normally like everyone else.
Because of that, Kayako would sometimes let her thoughts wander late at night.
In the end, she felt that perhaps she could do charity work. Maybe if she devoted herself to helping others, people would no longer dislike her so much.
"Kayako, your desire to do good should be supported. If good people can't receive good outcomes, then this world truly is too dark."
"I don't have the power to change the entire world, but I do have the power to change the lives of the people around me."
"That's why I'm willing to support your idea and the good deeds you want to do."
Toru chewed the oden in his mouth and spoke sincerely with a smile.
Hmm, this piece of daikon is a little hard. It isn't fully cooked.
Kayako thought for a moment and said softly, "Just like Toru-kun said before, if you became Prime Minister, you would bring fairness and justice to the people?"
Toru was startled, then could not help laughing.
"Haha, Kayako, you even watched the video of my entrance speech at Tokyo University."
Kayako's face turned red.
She did not dare admit that she had watched almost everything related to Toru online.
Whenever she could not sleep at night, she would take out her phone and browse through videos about Toru, giggling foolishly beneath her covers.
The convenience store clerk was tidying up nearby.
Watching Toru and Kayako chat and laugh together, she muttered, "Even a woman who reeks of decay can find a boyfriend. God really is blind..."
"Why doesn't any handsome guy like me?"
Toru heard the clerk behind him.
He was not angry. Instead, he frowned and fell into thought.
What the clerk had said proved many things.
For example, Kayako was very beautiful. She might not possess breathtaking beauty, but at school, she would definitely be the kind of girl regarded as the prettiest in her class.
A beautiful and well-behaved girl like her might be bullied, but there was no reason for everyone to dislike her.
Especially that smell of decay. Almost everyone who met Kayako used the same description.
Yet Toru had never felt that way about her.
In his eyes, Kayako was simply a beautiful, ordinary girl. Aside from feeling sympathy for her, he felt no disgust at all.
I didn't notice the problem back then, but Tomie's appearance made me realize that something was wrong.
Toru was only now beginning to understand.
It was very likely because of the system's power that he could treat Kayako like an ordinary girl, unlike everyone else, who instinctively felt disgust toward her.
Kayako and Tomie's influence on others were almost two sides of the same coin.
Everyone liked Tomie. Everyone loved her and wished they could love her to death.
Kayako was the complete opposite. Everyone disliked her, despised her, and stayed away from her.
Without Toru's appearance, both of their fates were already obvious.
Tomie would inevitably be killed by someone driven mad by her ability, causing countless Tomies to appear until she became a complete monster.
Kayako would also inevitably live in isolation, hiding from the world because of everyone's disgust, until one day she went insane, was killed by someone, or took her own life, becoming that terrifying vengeful spirit.
Only Toru was immune to their abilities!
Could it be that I was truly sent by heaven to save this world?
Toru muttered to himself inwardly.
I never expected that I was actually the savior.
His gaze casually shifted outside, where Tomie was still stubbornly enduring the cold, even though she was practically freezing to death.
For a moment, Toru also became curious.
What would happen if Tomie and Kayako actually met?
Would their worlds collide in some unexpected way?
Perhaps he would soon see the answer for himself.
(To be continued.)