Reina followed behind, watching Rin walk up step by step, listening to her slight footsteps, and unconsciously slowed her own pace.
Third floor, the unit at the end of the corridor.
Rin took a key from her pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open.
Reina stood in the entryway and glanced inside.
The space wasn't large; one could see to the end at a glance, and the overall feeling was very clean.
It wasn't the kind of clean that had been deliberately tidied up, but a cleanliness that had always been maintained.
The shoes in the entryway were arranged neatly, toes pointing outward, each pair placed properly together. On the low table in the living room were a few books, stacked neatly, with the spines facing the same direction.
By the window was a small green plant with emerald leaves, clearly watered regularly.
The only thing that could be called strange was that it seemed a bit too simple.
Reina only saw items for Rin's life alone.
Every piece of furniture was for a single person—a single sofa, a single coffee table, a single bed. The owner of this place seemed to have never considered the possibility of guests visiting.
...Strange.
Where were the traces of her family?
Although Reina had vaguely guessed, like having a falling out with her family, when she saw that Rin had only bought an amulet for herself, the reality observed now suggested the situation might be much worse than she had imagined.
"What are you standing there for?" Rin had already walked in, taken a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them on the floor of the entryway, "Come in."
The slippers were light gray, very new, with the tags still attached.
"Ah, yes."
Reina quickly took off her shoes and put on the slippers. They fit well, though they were a bit large, so they felt a little loose when walking, but they were very soft.
She walked into the living room and looked around.
A bookshelf.
It wasn't large, but it was packed with books. The spines of some books were faded, clearly having been flipped through many times. She squinted to identify the titles; they seemed to be about astronomy, along with some novels whose names she hadn't heard of, with cover designs that looked very old.
On the small table by the window was that green plant, and next to it was a transparent glass jar filled with a few... stars?
No, it was origami, paper folded into the shape of stars.
"Those were folded a long time ago." Rin's voice came from behind, very close, "When I had nothing to do."
Reina turned around.
Rin had already entered the kitchen and was opening the refrigerator.
The cold light from the white refrigerator door shone on her face, outlining her silhouette with exceptional clarity.
Inside the refrigerator, a few items were stacked neatly—eggs, vegetables, a bottle of sauce. Not too many, not too few, just enough for one person to eat for a few days.
"Are there any foods you can't eat?"
"Eh? No."
"Then I'll just make something casual."
The refrigerator door closed, and Rin walked out of the kitchen, holding two tomatoes, a few eggs, and a small bag of white granules; it was unclear whether it was salt or sugar.
"Sit and wait." She tilted her chin toward the low table, "About twenty minutes."
Then she returned to the kitchen.
Reina stood where she was, watching that white silhouette busy herself in the kitchen.
Her movements in tying the apron were very practiced—slipping it over her head, wrapping the ties around her waist, and tying a knot.
Her movements in beating the eggs were also very practiced, the chopsticks whisking quickly in the bowl, making a rhythmic "da-da" sound.
The sound of the spatula hitting the bottom of the pan, the sizzling of oil lightly splattering in the hot pan—everything was very orderly, as if she had done it countless times.
She suddenly felt a bit unreal.
Over an hour ago, she was still standing at the subway exit, teary-eyed and thinking she had been abandoned; now, she was actually sitting in Rin's living room, waiting for Rin to cook for her.
She sat cross-legged by the low table and placed the gift box on her lap.
Her gaze fell back to the glass jar.
Origami stars, so many of them, packed densely together.
A few of them had a different color, deeper, as if they had been placed there for a long time.
She remembered Rin saying "folded a long time ago" just now.
When was "a long time ago"?
Why would she fold so many stars?
She was so curious about everything regarding Rin, whether it was the past or the present.
"What are you looking at?"
Rin's voice suddenly appeared behind her.
Reina was startled and almost threw the gift box in her hands.
"Nothing!"
She hurriedly withdrew her gaze, her heart beating fast, as if she had just been caught doing something bad.
Rin didn't speak; she simply sat down opposite her and placed two glasses of water on the table.
Then she followed Reina's gaze from just a moment ago and glanced at the glass jar.
"Do you want some?" She asked.
"Eh?"
"If you want some, you can take a few."
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Rin didn't say anything else; she picked up her glass and took a sip. The transparent liquid slid down her throat, and her throat moved slightly.
A bubbling sound came from the kitchen, as if the food in the pot was almost ready.
She stood up and went back in.
Reina lowered her head, pretending to tidy the gift box on her lap, though she hadn't even registered how messy the ribbon actually was.
Her mind was a mess; one moment it was that hand hovering at the edge of the train door, the next it was those origami stars in the glass jar, and then it was the calm tone Rin used when she said "If you want some, you can take a few."
It was as if she could give her anything.
And also as if she didn't care about anything.
Reina buried her face in her palms and took a deep breath.
So hot.