[Net King] Winter Snow

Being led all the way home by her mother, Uemura Yuriko didn't say a word.The slightly longer bangs covered the girl's eyes, making it difficult to see the emotional color in those dark and uncertain eyes.

The dilapidated door lock was opened with a "squeak" and Yuriko Uemura smelled an old wooden smell in the air. The smell of dust mixed with mild mold and daily oily smoke made the girl frown for a moment.

This is her current home, and she has to learn to accept this reality.The once spacious villa has been sealed, but now this apartment full of life is only the size of nine tatami mats.

Yuriko Uemura didn't know if she should blame her father for something, she always felt that there were a lot of things she wanted to ask, but when she thought of the gentle smile on that man's face, she couldn't say anything.There are a lot of things in my heart that I can't let go of, and the depressive emotions in my chest are squeezed by the narrow space of the apartment, making it even more uncomfortable.

Silently, he took the uniform and skirt out of the closet, and the clothes that should have been hung in the closet were piled up in the small space.The uniform dress with small wrinkles was tightly held by Yuriko Uemura, and then let go little by little.Now she really wanted to throw everything on the ground, crying and asking what was going on, but in the end, her rationality stopped the girl's impulsive thoughts.

"Yuriko, it's time to eat." Her mother's voice was very clear in this small apartment. Yuriko Uemura hung the uniform in the most conspicuous place in silence, and then moved slowly and sat down at the low table.

A woman in a light gray apron came out of the corner kitchen with a large pot of soup in her hand, and the sizzling bright yellow light bulbs dyed her coiled hair with an orange glow.Uemura Yuriko stood up a little and helped to set the tableware. She was suddenly stunned by the number of dishes on the table.

"What's wrong?" Noticing the girl's sudden pause, Uemura Ami followed her gaze to look at the low table, only to realize that she had accidentally placed three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, "Ah, look at mom I'm so busy and confused." As the woman said this, she showed an awkward and reluctant smile, and wanted to put the extra bowl and chopsticks on the table into the kitchen.On the other hand, Yuriko Uemura kept standing up slightly, holding the chopsticks that she hadn't put down in her hand, her eyes fixed on the extra tableware.

Suddenly, the chopsticks that had been tightly held by the girl slipped from her hand, and the sound of "click" hit the low wooden table, echoing in the quiet apartment.Uemura Ami was about to put the chopsticks away from the table when she heard her daughter cry suddenly.Tears kept flowing from Uemura Yuriko's eyes as if they couldn't stop, and the girl kept wiping her tears with her sleeve but it just made it more and more fierce.

"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..." The sudden burst of crying shattered the silence in the apartment, leaving only the surging tears and the increasingly hoarse choked crying.With tears in her eyes, Uemura Yuriko could see her mother rushing to the other side of the table and hugged her tightly. The woman's arms and chest were as warm as she was used to, but In addition, it also has the smell of oily smoke and firewood that was not there before.

Reaching out to hug Uemura Ami, Uemura Yuriko buried herself tightly in her arms.All of this happened too suddenly, and all the depression made her unable to find a way to vent.The life that used to be like a dream country can no longer be returned. Now there are only two mothers and daughters left in a happy family of three.

That night, Uemura Yuriko hugged her mother and cried for a long time. When her mother applied ice packs to her eyes before going to bed, warm tears still flowed from the corners of her eyes.

Then on April [-]st of this year, Yuriko Uemura grew up overnight.

There are many things that have happened and there is no way to recover them. Instead of struggling with the past, it is better to look forward.After spending the whole night thinking through this truth, Yuriko Uemura said goodbye to her mother with a refreshing smile on her face.

"I'm going out." The girl waved goodbye to her mother while holding the lunch box in one hand.

"Be careful on the road." Ami Uemura stood at the door, watching Yuriko Uemura walk through the door of the neighbor's house, and then stepped on the iron stairs lightly and went downstairs.

Going down the ramp in front of the dilapidated apartment, Yuriko Uemura still remembers that the intersection in front of her was a cross street where she used to be blocked when she used to go to school by private car, but now she is just a poor girl from an ordinary family.

The cherry blossoms on the side of the road bloom wantonly, and the wind blows down a large number of petals like falling snow.The girl with twin ponytails gently caressed the cherry blossoms sticking to her bangs, and the spring breeze blew her skirt and hair into the air.The morning air still carried some coldness that had not dissipated at the end of winter. Listening to the crisp sound of birdsong, Yuriko Uemura felt that it was not a bad thing to regard this as a new beginning.

——People always have to learn to look forward, and if they stop, they will only fall into an endless loop.

Turning around the corner of the not-so-wide street, Yuriko Uemura just turned right when she saw a familiar figure ahead.The little boy who was not too tall was walking in front of her with his schoolbag on his back. His short black hair was blown gently by the wind. His strong and powerful steps seemed a little inconsistent with his height and age, but they were the ones that made her feel the most heartwarming. exist.

"Genichiro—!" the girl yelled, and ran forward with strides.

When Genichiro Sanada turned his head, he saw Yuriko Uemura running towards him, and then barely braked when running past him, and finally the girl almost fell to the ground because she couldn't hold her feet.

Reluctantly, he stretched out his hand to grab Yuriko Uemura's arm. Before Genichiro Sanada could speak to reprimand her for his reckless behavior, he noticed the obvious redness and swelling around the girl's eye sockets.

"What's wrong?" Genichiro Sanada frowned slightly and asked.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Casting a puzzled look at the young boy, Uemura Yuriko blocked the other's words as if she had thought of something before Sanada spoke, "Oh, Genichiro is Do you mean that I went to school by myself?"

"Because Dad did something wrong, the family is impoverished now, and there will never be any private car to pick them up in the future." Yuriko Uemura waved her hand indifferently, showing a relieved smile.

"..." The black-haired young man seemed to want to say something, but in the end he turned his head away in silence and walked straight forward.

"So, I can go to and from school with Genichiro in the future." Not paying attention to Genichiro Sanada's silent and awkward behavior, Yuriko Uemura walked quickly to his side and said with a big smile.

The girl's high twin ponytails brushed Genichiro Sanada's cheeks because of the back and forth shaking, and the slight itchiness made him reach out and touch the side of his face, and then quickly lowered his hands.Noticing the other party's little behavior, Uemura Yuriko covered her mouth and smiled softly, and then instantly returned to her original serious appearance when Sanada turned her head to scold her.

Along the way, most of the girls were talking about something alone, Genichiro Sanada would occasionally speak to her, but most of the time he frowned slightly to remind her to keep her voice down and not to speak loudly on the street. Noisy attracts attention.Having long been accustomed to the dull personality of the black-haired boy, Yuriko Uemura walked backwards in front of Genichiro Sanada with her hands behind her back.

After walking for about 15 minutes, Kanagawa Daiichi Elementary School appeared in front of the two of them.The girl who saw the school gate let out a "hey" and ran towards the bulletin board. The people who surrounded the usually empty school road all stretched their heads to see their grouping situation.

"Yuriko Uemura... Yuriko Uemura... Ah! There it is!" Looking down from the list of Group A, the girl finally saw her name when she glanced at Group C.Silently remembering the groups in her heart, Yuriko Uemura's eyes continued to scan quickly over the bulletin board.Strange or familiar names came into view one by one, until the name [Sanada Genichiro] appeared in Group D, the girl put down her tiptoes and sighed regretfully, "Not in the same group Well, what a pity."

"Groups C and D are at the opposite door." A slightly cold voice came from Yuriko Uemura's side, and the startled girl raised her head only to find that Genichiro Sanada was standing beside her for some reason. side.

"Wow! Now that you know, tell me sooner. It's painful to watch the group on tiptoe!" Slightly puffed up her cheeks, Yuriko Uemura pursed her mouth pretending to be angry.

"...It was you who ran too fast."

Uncommonly choked by the person in front of her, Yuriko Uemura immediately changed the subject, "So, anyway, let's go to class first."

He and Genichiro Sanada waved at the door of Group D, and the girl felt a slight stagnation in the air as soon as she walked into Group C.It seemed that everyone paused the moment she entered the group, but when Yuriko Uemura wanted to observe carefully, she found that everyone was doing what they were doing as before, and there was nothing wrong .Taking all this as her own superstition, Yuriko Uemura quickly found her place.

The person sitting in front of her happened to be Makiko Kitano, who was in the same class in the fourth grade of elementary school. The girl smiled and patted the other person on the back, "Hey, do Kitano-san remember me? We were in the same class the year before last. obliquely in front of you."

"Ah...en." When Muko Kitano turned around, her movements were a little stiff, even with a forced smile on her face.Uemura Yuriko was about to ask what was wrong with the other party when she heard Kitano Muko say, "That, that, Uemura-san, I still have something to do, so I'm sorry."

Saying so, the other party stood up quickly, as if avoiding something, and hastily left Uemura Yuriko's sight.

For a moment, everyone looked in her direction.