This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame-Chapter 602 - 377. The Promise in a Distant Place (Target of 8000 Words Achieved)

Things had developed to a point where it was an irreversible process.

Inagaki Kaori continued, "Xiangli’s mother was a woman whose expression was always especially somber...yet somewhat gentle. When she entrusted Xiangli to us, she asked us to take good care of her, which we promised to do..."

"Jing’s condition was improving, and playing with Xiangli, she was not lacking friends... At that time, Shoyo and I thought about taking them both away from the longhouse and moving back to the harbor area to live well as a family."

At this point, Inagaki Kaori’s voice grew especially heavy, and she found herself unable to speak the words she had organized.

Beichuan Si picked up where she left off, "But you didn’t expect that just two or three days after adopting Shindai Xiangli, an accident would occur."

Yes.

It was supposed to be a happy ending, but the situation suddenly turned for the worse.

"It was a sunny day. Shoyo and I wanted to go and formally process the adoption papers, also taking Jing to the hospital for a checkup... but it was that very day... the accident occurred."

Indeed, no one could have imagined that a gruesome traffic accident would happen so effortlessly.

Why did Beichuan Si find on that day that the doorpost on the other side of the longhouse had fallen?

Why were there significant impact marks there?

And why did the spiritual body of Shindai Xiangli always appear near the path, as if searching for someone’s silhouette?

It was because Shindai Xiangli was struck by a vehicle right there in the traffic accident.

Her small body was effortlessly flung by the vehicle, and she was declared dead before she could reach the hospital.

And the person Shindai Xiangli was waiting for by the doorpost—

"Was me, Shoyo, and Jing."

Inagaki Kaori painfully covered her face.

The old Hyakunin Isshu cards were smeared with glaring blood and scattered all over the place.

By the time Inagaki Kaori and the others received the news and rushed over, all that met their eyes was the cold, long-dead little body.

"From that time on... Jing’s condition started to worsen again."

Inagaki Kaori closed her eyes, her face unwilling to recall the situation at the time.

"She held on for several months, left some things behind, and then passed away, still mumbling Xiangli’s name before she died..."

This was both the beginning and the conclusion of everything.

The arrival of Shindai Xiangli had unlocked something in Inagaki Shizuka’s heart.

And the death of Shindai Xiangli had caused her to sink even deeper.

"Left some things behind?" Beichuan Si’s eyes flickered.

To be honest, the investigation had reached such a stage that there was a feeling it could not continue any further.

After all, following the death of Shindai Xiangli, Inagaki Shizuka had also passed away.

The promise between the two had also turned into mere bubbles.

It was impossible to continue any further.

And under the dead-eye observation of Beichuan Si, he also did not find the spiritual body of Inagaki Shizuka hidden inside the Inagaki household.

Whatever Shindai Xiangli had promised Inagaki Shizuka, it all turned out to be just a moon’s reflection on water, a flower in the mirror, never to be realized.

And the obsession that kept her lingering... perhaps would forever bind her near the longhouse, her spiritual body unable to obtain true rest—

But...

Is this really just the ultimate outcome?

Beichuan Si stared at his teacup.

Would the system issue a task that couldn’t be completed?

Undoubtedly that was impossible.

After all, was Shindai Xiangli truly carrying only the obsession of fulfilling her promise with Inagaki Shizuka?

Shindai Xiangli... she continued to linger under the longhouse, what exactly was she trying to express?

The feelings she wanted to convey to Inagaki Shizuka... her thoughts... did they truly not get conveyed?

Now, Beichuan Si had grasped a thread.

The other end was linked to the answer.

If he continued to probe, he could see the answer he wanted at the end of the thread.

Thinking this, Beichuan Si looked up and asked, "Ms. Inagaki, may I ask if you know of any promise that existed between her and Xiangli from what your love said before her death?"

"A promise...?"

Seemingly captivated by the word, Inagaki Kaori raised her head, "Now that you mention it... there seems to have been something like that."

Inagaki Kaori thought for a moment, "It was also that day... I was taking Jing for a medical checkup, Xiangli talked about something..."

"What was it about?" Beichuan Si’s spirit was roused.

"She hoped that after Jing’s return, they could play a game of Hyakunin Isshu... it seems they were both looking forward to it, probably one of the reasons Xiangli was waiting by the doorpost that day."

A game of Hyakunin Isshu?

Was that the promise between Shindai Xiangli and Jing?

Considering Shindai Xiangli’s character, she might really wait for a long time by the doorpost for such a harmless promise.

And that wait... spanned six years.

Those six years flew by in the blink of an eye.

Shindai Xiangli was still watching by the doorpost for Inagaki Shizuka.

But the person she had a promise with had long left the world.

She could only continue to appear at dusk each evening and fade away sadly into the night.

Night after night.

Without cessation.

But—

"May I please have a look at the things your love left behind? There might be some clues about the situation back then."

Beichuan Si asked.

His grave gaze took Inagaki Kaori aback.

In fact, Inagaki Kaori wanted to ask him.

Even if he knew everything about the circumstances back then, what could he do?

Shindai Xiangli was long dead, as was Inagaki Shizuka, who had followed soon after.

Under such circumstances, even if Beichuan Si knew what had happened at the time, what could he do?

Initially, Inagaki Kaori wanted to refuse Beichuan Si.