[Net King] Take away my heart

I am an invisible man because people refuse to see me. —Ralph Ellison

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In the second half of the third grade semester, the school arranged some off-campus practical courses for us.

The day of off-campus practice is arranged on Wednesday. Everyone gathers outside the school in the morning and disbands in the evening, which means that they will not go to school for the whole day.

I have encountered similar things before, and usually I would ask Nioh to feed Rinrin for me, but this time Nioh's class was also arranged to practice outside the school on the same day, and I don't seem to have anyone else to ask besides him.

If it's just for a day, it should be fine, right?I deliberately bought three times more dried fish than usual and put them on the flower bed, thinking that as long as I had these amounts, Lin Lin would not be hungry.

"Be good, I will come to see you when I come back the day after tomorrow."

I wanted to reach out and touch Lin Lin's head, but Lin Lin let out a "meow" and avoided me.

Sure enough, he is still so snobbish.I smiled wryly as I left the backyard.

At that time, I didn't know it at all, and this was the last time I saw Rin Rin alive.

On Friday, I rushed to the backyard at noon as promised.The food that was placed on the flower bed the day before yesterday had long since disappeared. I took out the fresh dried fish that I had prepared and waited for Rin Lin to appear as usual.

However, 5 minutes passed, 10 minutes passed, and 10 minutes passed... Lin Lin never appeared.

"stern?"

I tried to call it, but there was no answer except the rustling of branches.

Is it because I put too many things here the day before yesterday, and Rin Lin is already full, so I am too lazy to come over to get them?I think this possibility is not impossible.

Since the dried fish has already been brought, I have no intention of bringing it back.I came to squat in front of the flower bed, intending to leave the food here as before, and let Lin Lin eat it by herself.

But when I scattered the dried fish little by little on the edge of the flower bed, I suddenly saw sporadic blood stains that had turned dark red on the edge of the flower bed.

Bloodstains...bloodstains...whose bloodstains are there?

No one would go to the backyard to play without any problems, and the only one who would haunt here has always been Rin Rin.

——It was blood stains.

An ominous premonition floated in my heart, I threw the dried fish aside, I stood up and looked around.

There is no harsh shadow anywhere, only the wind that is getting stronger and the gloomy weather overhead.By the way, the weather forecast said that today will usher in the first rain in early autumn. After this rain, the whole of Japan will officially declare that it has entered autumn.

Rin Rin...you have to find Rin Rin.

It's not far from the end of the lunch break, but I can't care about it.The blood on the edge of the flower bed spread all the way towards the wall, I speculated that Rin Lin had already run out of the school.

Don't be afraid, Linlin, I'll come to you right now.

Dropping the things in my hands, I ran all the way to the school gate without hesitation.

"Rin Rin? Rin Rin! Where are you—"

There was a drizzle in the sky, the sun was covered by dark clouds, the whole world suddenly became gray, and there seemed to be a layer of fog on the lens.

Akiyama was slowly passing through the corridor, I ran fast and bumped into her who was walking towards here.

She stopped, and I stopped too.Across the autumn hills, I could see the school gate right in front of me.I gasped for breath, and Akiyama looked at me silently.

"Rin Lin is gone." I said.

A look of surprise flashed across her face.

I didn't bother to take the umbrella, Akiyama and I were just desperately looking for Rinrin near the school.Where will Rin Rin go after leaving school?Apart from the vicinity of the school, the wild cat gathering place in this area should be the park in the residential area opposite.

"Look separately!" I said to Akiyama, she nodded, and we each ran to different places.

"Rin Rin! Rin Rin! Please—come out—"

The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and you can feel the coolness on your shoulders and back.

The park was in a state of depression, only the sound of pattering rain could be heard.I stepped on puddle after puddle to the place where wild cats often gather.

Since the school ordered the ban on feeding stray cats, the only cat that used to haunt the backyard was Rin Lin.Rin Lin didn't get along well with other wild cats, and even injured his tail in a fight with them, so it's understandable for him to stay alone.

Because apart from the backyard of the school, there is no place for Rin Rin anymore.Other feral cats have taken over the park, and the backyard is the last place it can stay, its only home.

Maybe it was the food I left that killed it.

From a distance, I saw Akiyama squatting by the bushes, staring at something in a daze.

The rain wet her hair, dripping down the edges of her cheeks.I walked towards her and knelt down slowly beside her.

It was there that we found Lin Lin's body, which still had a trace of warmth.

The bruised Lin Lin was lying in the puddle, unable to breathe.At the corner of its mouth is half a piece of dried fish that was bitten tightly. It was something I left on the flower bed two days ago.

Akiyama took off his uniform jacket and gently covered Rin Rin's body.Then she picked up Rin Rin, held it in her arms, and said sorry over and over again.

"sorry Sorry sorry……"

In the heavy rain, Akiyama cried.

I don't know why Akiyama apologized, but I know it's my responsibility.It would be great if I didn't buy so many dried fish, if I didn't go to practice outside the school, if I was by Rin Rin's side when he was bullied—it's all my fault, it's my fault.

Rinlin was still desperately protecting its food until it died, because that was its territory and its property, so other wild cats were absolutely not allowed to snatch it——

Holding such self-esteem, Rin Rin fought to the last moment.

I put my hand on Lin Lin's stomach, under the soft fur, although there is no heartbeat, the body temperature is still there.It's so warm, so warm, it's so warm, and it's the first time you let me touch it so obediently... but it's already dead.

The rain blurred my vision, and my shoulders began to tremble.

I obviously didn't want to hurt anyone, I obviously wanted to protect everyone around me, but the ending always taunted me mercilessly.

When I finally realized that I can't actually protect anyone, everything is just my wishful thinking, the pouring rain seemed to collapse the whole world, crushing me instantly.

I cried like a child who had never wailed so loudly.

It must be cold, it must be painful, it must be lonely.I'm sorry, Linlin, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...

I regret not being able to protect you to the end.

Akiyama was still whispering sorry, her coat tightly wrapped Rin Rin in her arms, but she was drenched all over.Looking at Akiyama who was trembling and still crying and saying sorry, I suddenly thought, if only tears could be dried.

I took off my coat and put it on the crying Akiyama.

Thank you, thank you for accompanying me to find Linlin, thank you for being here to cry with me, thank you for everything you have done... Enough is enough.

Unable to tell whether it was tears or rain all over his face, Akiyama raised his head little by little.The instant our eyes met, we seemed to be back in our first encounter in the backyard.Akiyama who was shaking the mobile phone chain and smiling, Rin Rin who was meowing happily at the mobile phone chain, and me watching them from a distance under the umbrella.

Bell bell, bell bell... from the voice of an angel shaking the bell.The dark clouds began to recede, the heavy rain gradually stopped, and the sky finally cleared up. Everything in the world was purified and became pure and beautiful. That's what I saw and what I heard.

Rin Rin is just like its name, it brings me the most beautiful voice in the world.

Jiayin is just like her name, bringing me the most beautiful voice in the world.

I lost Rin Rin, what is left of me now?

Taking Rin Rin from her hand, who had fallen into a long sleep, I felt as if I was embracing hope that was as fragile as glass, and I felt that my whole body was screaming.

"I'm sorry... because of my fault... because I'm too ugly, so ugly that everyone can't help but turn around, so..."

So everyone who wants to protect is leaving me.

"There's no such thing... there's no such thing."

You are not ugly.

I almost thought I was hallucinating, but when I met Akiyama's sad eyes, I realized it was not a dream.

She saw me, and I saw her, through the torrential rain, not wearing a mask or disguise, but extremely real, extremely holy, extremely kind and kind——

A true heart of forgiveness.

I am not alone.

I found hope, I found the meaning of living, and I found the person I most want to protect besides my mother and sister.

Love, a word that could never have been born in my heart in the past or future, began to sprout silently, and brought me out of the abyss of the past with a gesture of conquering everything...

And thrown into another situation from which there is no turning back.

The author has something to say: Liu Sheng's perspective is about to enter the countdown~

Next, because I have to go back to China to deal with some things, Toru will temporarily enter the precipitation period~

It is expected that I will come back to meet you in a week or two, update the ending part of Yagyu and open the perspective of the real male protagonist Yukimura ~ XDDD

So please wait for me a little bit~

See you soon~(^_^)