"...?" Nanao Akane was startled.
She thought she had misheard.
She didn't understand what Grandma meant by that sentence.
Hayato was even more surprised because he understood.
It wasn't perfectly enunciated, but what Nanakio said was indeed Chinese.
"You... understand?" Hayato stopped singing. He asked blankly.
He hadn't even adjusted his language, still using Chinese.
Hayato reacted slightly, just about to ask again in Japanese, when Grandma, with an almost clumsy Chinese pronunciation, said, "Li Yiwei, when this old woman was young, she also stood with Chinese people. Because of that fellow, she learned Chinese for a period of time."
"...Let's speak in Japanese."
It was a bit grating on the ears, Hayato suggested.
But that's not right, shouldn't Japan have been suffering from the bombing of the Second World War when you were young? There shouldn't have been any Chinese visitors to Japan during that time, right?
However, it was too dark, Hayato couldn't bring himself to ask.
He thought it over again.
No, although Grandma had white hair and a face full of fine wrinkles, she shouldn't be that old.
It must be the heavy pressure of life that had weighed down this old woman, making her look especially tired.
Nanao Akane was only seventeen now, at most, Grandma was in her early sixties, so by the time she was young, it had already been some time since the Second World War invaded Japan.
Hayato nodded, feeling it was reasonable.
But then, he broke out in a sweat again... No, no, no, still not right.
It should be... 'even more wrong'!
This song was indeed called "Sunny Day," but it was a song he had heard before he transmigrated. In this world, it should be nonexistent, just like "betrayal's evening glow"...
"How do you know the song title?" Hayato asked cautiously.
Nanakio, however, pushed up her glasses and let out a somewhat puzzled "Huh?" "What are you talking about?"
"Sunny Day."
"...Is that a song title?" Nanakio asked with some confusion, "This old woman just heard you suddenly sing a Chinese song and wanted to say something in Chinese to express her feelings, but having not spoken it for years, many words have been completely forgotten... I could only say today's weather."
Saying that, she pushed up her thin glasses again and chuckled coldly, "Is it actually a song title? Well, that's quite a coincidence."
Hayato looked at the old woman in front of him.
She remained composed, not appearing to be lying.
Hayato nodded then, saying nothing more. A coincidence, then.
"Alright, the watering is pretty much done." Grandma waved the scissors in her hand. "You go and rest quickly. If you get tired, Akane will be heartbroken."
Hayato smiled faintly; he wasn't that delicate.
However, he still listened to Grandma, put on his indoor slippers, and entered the nure-en.
Hayato only learned about nure-en after transmigrating to Japan. It is a type of Japanese-style corridor, with the eaves on the outside of the corridor, making it less likely to get wet. In contrast, the one inside is called nure-en.
However, such things are not common in big cities like Tokyo, as not everyone can build such a large Japanese-style building in Tokyo.
Nanakio looked at Hayato's back with a mix of amusement and coldness, then chuckled and shook her head, before lowering her gaze to continue pruning the branches, then humming softly in a voice only she could hear:
"Once upon a time, there was someone who loved you for a long time~~~ But the wind gradually blew the distance far away~~~"
Still Chinese.
Still so clumsy and unstandardized that it was laughable.
Hayato went to the bathroom first.
Although he wasn't tired, a thin layer of sweat had still formed on his forehead.
After washing his face, he returned to the guest room.
By then, Nanao Akane had already pounced on him, asking, "Grandma was speaking Chinese, right?"
"Ah, yes," Hayato said.
"When did you teach her?"
"...Huh?"
Nanao Akane could only guess the content of their conversation.
Actually, ever since she heard about Hayato's plans to study abroad and even immigrate in the future, Nanao Akane had been trying to learn this ancient language, but it was too much of a nightmare. After two or three days of suffering, Hayato personally ordered her to stop.
Language could wait; he still suggested that Nanao Akane first improve her academic performance.
So, Nanao Akane's current understanding of this language couldn't be described as thorough, but she was almost there.
"No, didn't you know Grandma could speak Chinese?" Hayato asked.
Nanao Akane also caught on. "Didn't Kobayashi-chan teach her?"
Hayato shook his head and repeated what Grandma had said.
Nanao Akane was stunned but didn't think too much of it:
"I heard Grandma did experience some things when she was young, but I haven't heard her mention the details much."
"I see," Hayato nodded.
Then he reached for the Hachijojima High School uniform.
"You're going out?" Nanao Akane's eyes widened.
"Yeah, want to come along?" Hayato asked.
"Uh..." Nanao Akane's pretty face twitched slightly. Why would she want to go to school when it was summer vacation?
Although, if she was with Kobayashi-chan, it seemed pretty fun even at school. But...
"I'll stay home and keep Grandma company," Nanao Akane said. She felt it was a bit of a waste of vacation, and besides, her home didn't have a girl's Hachijojima High School uniform, so she probably couldn't bluff her way in.
"Alright," Hayato said.
"...You," Nanao Akane looked a bit unhappy, and she hesitated to speak.
"I'll be back early," Hayato said.
Nanao Akane nodded sullenly, still wanting to say something, but she didn't. Her displeased little mouth pouted first: "You better not..."
The words "bring other girls back" were still unspoken.
Nanao Akane felt her lips slightly warm, as if something soft had blocked them.
Eh?
By the time she reacted, Hayato's face had already moved away again.
But the lingering warmth on her lips was definitely still there.
"All better?" Hayato asked.
Nanao Akane subconsciously touched her lips: "No, I didn't..."
Her intention in pouting wasn't to get a kiss; it was just to express a little emotion.
"Huh?" Hayato had already turned around to organize his school bag.
"...Then be careful on your way," Nanao Akane said.
"Mm, I'll be back early," Hayato repeated.
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