Chapter 2 raindrop communication

When I was in elementary school, I had superpowers Now that I'm over forty-five, it would be a joke if a mother of three said something like that.Otherwise, I might think that I am obsessed with some cult, or that I have watched too many popular supernatural programs! In retrospect, even I thought it was a dream, but the memory of that wonderful voice impressed me deeply, and sometimes I even wondered, maybe I was actually infected with some disease at that time.Fortunately, I don't have any suspicious superpowers now, but every quiet rainy day, I always feel that there are incredible voices coming from somewhere.

So, from time to time, I think about this world, and now it must be full of lonely hearts. 1 Even though more than thirty years have passed, I still can't forget the darkness of that winter. I was eleven years old at the time, living with my mother in an apartment in the outskirts of Tokyo.My parents divorced four years ago, and I was raised by my mother as an only child. The situation may be very different now, but in those days, once divorced, most children were left to their mothers.Parenting is generally regarded as a woman's responsibility, and children basically like their mothers more, so I probably take it for granted!If there is any uneasiness, I am afraid it is the issue of income (Japan has been a society where men are superior to women since ancient times), and my mother has the qualifications of a hospital clerk, so as long as she does not spend too much, the life of mother and daughter will definitely not be a problem.

At that time, I didn't know the reason for my parents' divorce, and I didn't want to know.Because as long as I think back to my father, it seems that I can imagine it. His father is a handsome man with outstanding appearance, but when he is drunk, he will make a scene in the izakaya and secretly owe a large amount of debts outside. He is a so-called hopeless person.In addition, he was almost arrested for stealing a bicycle. If he spends all his year-end bonus alone, even if it is not his mother's other people, I am afraid that he will be very disappointed in him.But he is cheerful and lively by nature, so I liked him very much when I was young.

I remember at that time, I also thought of my father in 1974, which was just a few weeks after the new year of Showa 49 in terms of the year name. It rained early that morning, and there was no sign of the rain stopping in the evening. Thick silver-gray clouds covered the entire sky.If the temperature is lower, it will definitely snow. Holding a red umbrella, I walked alone on the road leading to the shopping street in front of the station.It's not that I went there because I had something to do, but because I had nowhere to go, so there was nothing I could do. Maybe it was because I always felt depressed, so I was nostalgic for the bustle of various goods in large supermarkets, and the bookshelves in bookstores that could be browsed for at least 30 minutes.

(All of this is Dad's fault.) With rough hands that I forgot to wear gloves, I pressed my cheeks from time to time and thought, if my parents hadn’t divorced, I should have been an ordinary child in an ordinary family.Most of my friends live a carefree life, so why am I the only one who has to end up in this kind of situation? The root cause of my depression came from a man who suddenly broke into my life with my mother. This Hiromi is Nakata-san who works in the same hospital as her mother. That person came to the door suddenly, it was Christmas Eve a few weeks ago.I was waiting for the VCR and cake that my mother promised to give me, but I was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the man as thin as a matchstick.

Hiromi, hello, my surname is Nakata. Mr. Nakata squeezed out a forced smile and bowed to me, a primary school student.He was about five years older than his mother, and wore black-rimmed glasses with eyes as small as threads behind the lenses.Well-combed hair in a suit, even at that age, gave people an old-fashioned impression. It's rare to come across Christmas!Are you telling me?Mr. Nakata said he didn't have an event planned, so I thought it's better to celebrate together, so I invited him. I was puzzled by my mother's unusually contrived statement.In the past, it has always been a Christmas Eve that the mother and daughter spend happily together. Why do they have to let irrelevant outsiders join in?

If I were younger, maybe I could puff my face and say no.However, I, who is good at reading people's faces, not only have nothing to say, but also have to eat cakes side by side with Mr. Nakata. Mr. Nakata is a man of few words, and only his mother chirps.I was so busy thinking about their relationship that I had no idea what cake was like. Actually, Mom is dating Mr. Nakata. The next morning, just before leaving for work, my mother said nonchalantly. Mr. Nakata is a pharmacist. He said that he would like to be Hiromi's father. Now that I think about it, my mother is also a clumsy person.If she could have given away a little information beforehand, I wouldn't be so flustered.

It doesn't take much effort to think back to know that after divorcing my father, my mother suffered a lot. With me, who just entered elementary school, I was busy with work and family, and sometimes I had to serve as the school's parent committee member. I also took my work home during the annual settlement and wrestled with the account book until late at night.He even fell ill due to overwork and stayed in the hospital for three days. Just because I saw my mother working so hard, if she could grasp the timing before speaking, maybe I wouldn't be so resistant.But the mother's approach is too direct (no way, that is the mother's personality).Suddenly bringing a strange man back and announcing: This man may become your new father. How could an eleven-year-old girl have a good face.

I like the life of being dependent on my mother, and I see my father almost every six months, so I cannot welcome the appearance of Mr. Nakata after all.As a daughter, deep down in her heart, she still hopes that her parents can reunite after a broken mirror.At that time, my father did not remarry either, so I thought that as long as my father behaved a little better, it would not be impossible. So it was really a bad time for someone like Mr. Nakata to appear. But Mr. Nakata also came to my house on New Year's Eve to watch the Kohaku Song Contest with us.We even watched the new year together, although he slept in another room by himself, after all, he still spent the night at my house.The red envelope he gave exceeded my expectations, which made me very happy (it was the first time in my life that I received a 5,000-yen bill), but I always felt as if he was insisting on becoming a part of my family, which only made me more disgusted.

However, I know that it was not Mr. Nakata's will, but the result of my mother's strong hope. No matter what my mother does, she puts what she wants to do first.Although he speaks as if he cares about the perception of the surroundings, he always takes advantage of the chaos to achieve his wishes shrewdly.She doesn't seem to be aware of it herself, but as a daughter, I have seen through it since I was a child. Presumably, mother really likes Mr. Nakata.So what is so good about being silent and indifferent?I really don't understand (unfortunately, he is so different from his father in terms of looks and stature) that my mother must just want to be with Mr. Nakata under one roof as soon as possible.So even my displeased frown as a daughter couldn't see it, and I pushed this matter a little hastily.

But the more I saw my mother jumping for joy, the more I hated Mr. Nakata.Less than a month after we first met, I had even begun to pray that he would never come to my house again, hoping that his relationship with my mother would break down. No wonder I think so. Children are inherently resistant to things that disturb their world. More importantly, I am disappointed that my mother did not take my feelings into consideration. (Ah! Only myself is left alone.) Walking on the way to the shopping street in front of the station, I thought over and over again.The rain continued to fall, I don't know if it was a psychological effect, and the wind seemed to be stronger. Finally I finally walked to the neighborhood near the station. Ten apartments of the same type are gathered in this area.I remembered that there was a classmate who lived in one of the buildings. I originally wanted to go to her, but I didn't do that after all.I always feel that I don't want to talk to people at the moment. Although it can't be said to be the second best, I decided to go to the children's park next to the community for a short rest.There is a swimming pool for children to play with in summer, and there is a 5-ping-large space with a roof next to it, and some wooden benches are placed. The park was silent.The slide that is divided into left and right slides, and the swing that seems to have just been repainted are covered with raindrops and seem to be frozen.The sand on the battlefield was also wet and turned a cold gray. There was a small plastic shovel that seemed to be forgotten by someone, and the sunken place of the shovel was full of rainwater. I went under the roof, put the umbrella away and sat down behind the bench.It was cool at first, but perhaps thanks to the virtues of the woodwork, it soon felt slightly warmer, and I was finally able to relax the strength in my shoulders. I looked at the park in the rain and thought that I was lonely and my parents left me like this, walking far away.They cared more about themselves than me, almost masochistically, I kept thinking. I don't know how good it would be if I could just resist crying like a child before the injection, but unfortunately I have always been a child who doesn't like to cry.Because I knew from a young age that crying would only embarrass my mother, so I unconsciously developed the habit of gritting my teeth and enduring it no matter when and where. At this time, I didn't shed a tear, but I was shivering from the cold on my shoulders, and licked my loneliness on the bench.It seems that only the amusement equipment such as the unattended rain park are my partners. (It would be great if I could just disappear somewhere.) Just thinking about it and closing your eyes, the sound of rain sounds clearer than before.The sound of falling on the dirt ground, the sound of hitting the leaves of the nearby bushes, the sound of dripping on some kind of metal, the loud sound that was slightly slower, must be the collective rainwater accumulated somewhere! The park, which was thought to be very quiet, is actually filled with all kinds of sounds, all of which are created by raindrops falling from the sky. That voice, I find it very interesting.Feeling lonely, my heart seemed to become lighter, so I continued to listen quietly. As time passed, I heard more and more voices.The sound of hitting cement, the sound of wet resin animal models, the sound of dripping on the roots and dead leaves. (It's so annoying to ask me to go shopping in such a heavy rain.) Suddenly, amidst the sound of rain, there seemed to be such a small sound, and I couldn't help opening my eyes.It always sounded familiar, like a girl's voice. I slowly looked around, but there was no one in the park.No one was walking on the road outside the fence. (A situation like the one just now is probably called an auditory hallucination!) It was as if hearing ghostly voices frightened me a bit, but I tried not to think too deeply about it.Just, close your eyes again and listen to the sound of the rain. (Mom can't go by herself, I'm doing my homework!) This time, the voice I heard was clearer than before.I couldn't help standing up from the bench and looking around again.At this moment, a girl turned the corner of the road outside the fence. Huh, Hiromi? The girl blurted out in surprise when she saw me.She is my classmate Fangjiang. How can you be in this kind of place? What about you, Xiaofang? I go to the supermarket to buy things.I was doing my homework, but my mother asked me to run errands. She said, holding up the big and bulging paper bag for me to see through the fence.Only then did I realize that what I heard just now was indeed her voice. Were you talking to yourself just now? I?Please, how is it possible. After Fangjiang replied unhappily, he said goodbye and left. (Strange, it should be Fang Jiang's voice just now!) I sat down on the bench again and tried to think, but she herself said no, it shouldn't be Fangjiang's voice!So, whose voice will it be? No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't figure it out. In the end, I simply ignored it and closed my eyes again to listen to the sound of the rain. So, after a while (Ah! If this continues, it will be too late. I will definitely be scolded again.) A young woman's voice came.I suddenly opened my eyes and saw a woman in a red coat at the entrance of the park.She was constantly looking at her watch as she walked quickly towards this side.There must be something urgent, so I want to take a shortcut across the park! (Why is there a weird kid who doesn't know what to do here?) As I passed by, the woman glanced at me from under the umbrella and said, but her lips did not move at all. 2 At this time, I still thought that 80% of the time I read or heard wrong. The woman obviously didn't speak, so it was impossible to hear her voice.It must be because I am too preoccupied and my mind is too tired to have auditory hallucinations. I convinced myself with this idea but that incredible auditory hallucination, I later experienced it again. A few days later, on the same rainy day, when I was alone in an empty community apartment, I casually walked to the balcony to watch the rain scene, and I heard a strange sound coming from nowhere. (Why is everyone bullying me on purpose?) (I will never see that person again.) (That child, where did you go in this rainy day) My house is on the third floor, but these absolutely not loud voices sounded from all directions, making me shudder.I thought to myself, there must be something wrong with my head. I told this to my mother who came back from get off work.Once strange things happen, after all, we can only rely on our parents. Hiromi, stop making such weird jokes. Maybe the way I said it was wrong, my mother didn't want to believe me at all.After I repeatedly emphasized that it was true, my mother raised her eyebrows, dragged my hand to the balcony, and questioned in a strong tone: So, you can hear it now too? Although it was raining at this time, no strange sound could be heard.After I answered so honestly, my mother will reveal it to you!With a look on his face, he asked an unexpected question on the spot: Hiromi, you don't need to beat around the bush like this, just speak out!Do you have any opinion on Mr. Nakata's matter? At that time, most of my mother's mind must have been occupied by Mr. Nakata.So at most she seemed to think that I said such inexplicable words on purpose to attract her attention. I was speechless when she changed the subject so abruptly.If it was the former mother, she probably wouldn't have such a wonderful reaction. This shows how much she cares about Mr. Nakata.At least this daughter cares more than me. Sorry, probably my illusion. After understanding what my mother was thinking, I kept silent. From then on, I never mentioned those wonderful voices to my mother again.No, it's not just about the sound, even what happened at school or the boring topics I saw on TV, I rarely bring it up.Because the very act of talking to my mother made me feel very reluctant. In a way, I locked a part of my heart that was open to my mother, but I just want you to understand that it wasn't solely my fault.Regardless of whether my mother is clear or not, she trampled on my heart first, so in order not to suffer the same treatment, I can only do this. I could still hear the strange voice afterwards.I always thought there was something wrong with my head, but finally, I noticed some kind of law: ∮ That sound can only be heard when it rains. # If it's sunny or cloudy, no matter how much you prick up your ears, you won't be able to hear any extra sounds.Only when it rains, when I concentrate on listening to the sound of the water dripping continuously, can I hear a wonderful sound. (This, could it be some kind of telepathy?) The reason why I thought so was because in March of that year, there were enthusiastic reports on foreign superpowers on TV. I think most people should still remember his name. He used his mind to make a scrapped clock run again, and he seemed to be able to bend a metal spoon with his mind, and he actually performed in front of the camera.In addition, he also appealed to viewers to prepare faulty clocks or spoons in advance, and he would repair the clocks or bend the spoons from the TV (correctly speaking, from Canada).As a result, when the program was broadcast, many people called the TV station one after another to say that their clocks were repaired or their spoons were bent. In fact, it is said that many viewers complained that nothing happened at all, but since the broadcast of that program, this person has also been enthusiastically reported in newspapers and magazines, and superpowers have become a big trend.In addition, around that time, there were also Nostradamus's great prophecy①, the movie "Exorcist" (Exorcist), and the popularity of spiritualism introduced by spiritual comics, which can be called the era of popular supernatural phenomena.I am only eleven years old, it is impossible not to be infected by that huge trend.I searched around for books on superpowers, and learned that the incredible power is subdivided into telekinesis that can move objects without touching them, clairvoyance that can see things invisible to the naked eye, and telepathy that can talk with the heart And so on. I began to wonder if the voice I heard on a rainy day was one of those telepathic sensations. ①Nostradamus (1503︱1566), a French-Jewish prophet, left behind his prophecy collection "Hundred Poems", which many people in later generations believed implied the French Revolution, airplane Prophecy of important events such as inventions. A certain book I read at the time used the radio as a metaphor for the operation of telepathy. The radios in ordinary households can only receive broadcasts in Japan, but the high-performance radios used by experts (what experts are they?) can even receive radio programs from the other side of the world.The ability of telepathy is like this, which is equivalent to having a high-performance radio that can receive longing waves that ordinary people cannot detect.And like sports or learned talents, they seem to be strengthened through practice. Later, every rainy day, I would secretly do this experiment.The essentials are exactly the same as when I first heard the voice of my classmates in the park. As long as you close your eyes and listen to the sound of the rain, the feeling will become more and more acute, and you can even hear the small sound of falling to the ground.If you continue to listen, you can also distinguish the different sounds of raindrops hitting various things, and then you will hear the incredible voice.Interestingly, it's easier to hear when your head is empty than when you're trying to concentrate. I was ecstatic to learn that I had this power. Just having power that ordinary people don't have is enough to be proud of.I seem to have taken a few steps ahead of others, which makes me feel proud that I am the only one chosen. However, I didn't say that kind of power even in front of my friends. If I say it, the other party will definitely ask me to perform on the spot.But, unlike bending a spoon, only I could hear it, so I was bound to be suspicious.In addition, only rainy days can hear it, how many people can honestly believe it? To put it further, the voices I hear are all lonely for some reason. Maybe my high-performance radio can only receive this kind of frequency rain. They are all sad, lonely, restless, or lament. (Why did I have to end up like this?) (I want to die) (I'm sure I'll fail!) (He must have hated me.) Since we must concentrate on listening to the rain, we must find a quiet place to listen, so I often do experiments in the park.Therefore, it is impossible to pinpoint who the owner of the sound heard is, and can only listen to the lonely voice mixed with the sound of rain like listening to the radio. At one point, I tried to respond to the voice with the mentality of trying my luck, but no matter how I called (in fact, I just thought so in my head), I didn't receive a decent response.Presumably, the other party only has an ordinary radio and cannot receive my voice! Looking back now, I think it was a useless superpower. If it is beneficial to some extent, at most it makes me understand that there are many people in this world who are as lonely as myself. That voice made me understand that people in this world really do not distinguish between adults and children, or just because they are adults and children, everyone keeps their own loneliness in their hearts.So to explain it a little more romantically, maybe someone (I won't say who that is) gave me that power for a certain period of time in order to make this clear to me when I was depressed. If this is the case, even though it is a waste of other people's good intentions, I still have to say that this is nosy. A smart person may become strong just by understanding that truth, but I couldn't do it at the time.Even if you know that others are carrying heavy burdens, your own burdens cannot be lightened, but you can't help but doubt, why do you have to continue to carry burdens at this point? Hiromi, are you feeling unwell? Gradually, I lost the cheerfulness that a girl should have in the past, and was so silent that my mother had to ask.I remember that was when I was in sixth grade. No. I just replied one sentence in displeasure.In short, talking to my mother has made me extremely impatient. If you are angry about Mr. Nakata, Mom also thinks that you may be a little too hasty.But he's really a nice guy You can see if you can't do it yourself. Mother was interrupted by me midway with her words of defense. If you like him, you can marry or do whatever you want, right?It has nothing to do with me anyway. It has nothing to do with you, you child! Mother's eyes widened in astonishment, and she couldn't speak any more. Shouldn't it be irrelevant?I already have a dad and I don't need another dad But if I can, can I wait another seven years?When I graduate from high school, I will naturally leave this house. Whatever you want! This time it was my mother's turn to interrupt me with an angry voice. 3 From then on, my relationship with my mother became very bad. No, my mother tried many times to take the initiative to show her affection to me, but I stubbornly refused.It wasn't a reaction caused by relying on each other in the past. In short, I started to contradict my mother in everything, and the atmosphere in the house where there were only mother and daughter suddenly became dignified. At that time, I met Lingmei. Only hazy memory now, but it was when the cherry blossoms were dying, so I guess it would be after mid-April at the latest! It began to rain lightly that morning, and the rain had stopped by the time school was over, and Chunyang finally showed his face belatedly.After saying goodbye to my friends, I went back to the community apartment alone. When I walked to the big sports field, I was suddenly stopped by a girl in the first grade of elementary school.It was a cute girl with a curly cut and big eyes. Eh!Look at this, it's fun! The girl said that what she showed was an umbrella.It was a black umbrella for grown men. She pointed the handle at me and handed it over with a smile on her face.One front tooth exposed in the mouth is missing. ah?No brains, what is this for? It happened so suddenly, I was very surprised, but after all, I was defeated by the girl's friendly smile and took the umbrella.It was an automatic umbrella that opened at the touch of a button. Facing the umbrella to the side, give it a try. It means tell me to open it!Although I felt a little suspicious, I did as the little girl said and pressed the umbrella to the side. As soon as the black umbrella was opened, countless cherry blossom petals popped out and danced around. Look, it's fun!I invented it.This is called a fully automatic flower rain machine. The girl finished talking like a cannonball, took my hand and dragged me into the sports field. I live in a very large community consisting of more than fifty apartments. There are parks and sports fields everywhere, and this is the largest one.Only two minutes away from the school campus, it is surrounded by cherry blossom trees. In the blooming season, not only residents but also foreigners will come here specially. It is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot.At this time, although the flowers have all fallen, a large number of petals have fallen from the roots of each tree to form a tapestry. Doing so will make it more beautiful! The girl put away the umbrella and sprinkled a pinch of cherry blossom petals into it.Immediately after that, raise the umbrella over your head and press the umbrella button.The umbrella opened suddenly, and the petals flew again.Maybe it was wet from the morning rain, and the sticky petals looked very cute on the girl's face and head. Wow, really beautiful. I looked at the flying petals and said. Sister, try it too. My umbrella is not an automatic umbrella, I wonder if it will work? In the mood to play with the girl, I also put a few flower petals in my umbrella.Then, try to open the umbrella with your hand as quickly as possible, but it may not be able to match the instantaneous explosive force of the powerful spring, and the petals are not flying beautifully. Then, let me lend you Lingmei's fully automatic flower rain machine. The girl said, and lent me the automatic umbrella for men.I readily accepted it, and after putting in a large number of petals, I quickly raised it to my head and pressed the automatic button like the girl did just now. Snapped!With a muffled sound, the umbrella opened, and the petals of the cherry blossoms fluttered beautifully.The girl saw it, clapped her hands, jumped up and down and said: Sister, you are awesome, awesome! The secret is to pick as many dried petals as possible. I have already noticed that this little girl seems to have mild mental retardation.Thinking about it again, I seem to have seen it several times in the park and on the road before. I played with the little girl for a while with the automatic flower rain machine.Although it was boring, it seemed like it had been a long time since I let go of my mood, so I was very happy. My name is Reimi Komatsu, how about you sister? Hiromi Kizaki. ah?Smoldering Rome? The little girl who claimed to be Reimi raised her hair covering her ears and asked back.Behind her ears, there are large hearing aids with skin color. It's okay, just call me Romy!Sounds pretty cool, but I don't like hearing smoldering stuff. In fact, I quite like the name of the main character of the shojo manga.Lingmei and Luomei sound like sisters and it's not bad.It's just that the smoldering can be avoided because it fits my mood of depression at that time. Since then, I have often met Lingmei in the community. As soon as she sees me, she will definitely run over and call Sister Luo Mei to act like a baby to me.I, who was in a cold war with my mother, devoted the intimate conversation and playfulness that I could no longer expect at home to the game between me and Lingmei.It seems that although I try to be brave, I will still be lonely after all! Sister Luo Mei, you are so gentle. When I comb Lingmei's disheveled hair with a comb, or wash her bruised knee when she falls, Lingmei often says this. Every time, I feel a sharp pain in my heart. (I'm actually not gentle at all.) How can a really gentle and kind child hinder the mother's happiness.How could he always be so irritable that he wouldn't even look at his mother. After my mother and I fell out, Mr. Nakata's visits to the house dropped sharply. Even if he came occasionally, I shut myself in my room and refused to show up, not even saying hello.The next day, if I saw him bring a cake to stay, I would even deliberately throw the cake into the trash can.Looking back now, even I myself feel that I was really a narrow-minded and ignorant girl at that time. I must have been so unreasonable for no reason that I couldn’t even get down the stairs.If I don't do this, I always feel that my mother will really forget me and go far away. But at the same time, I know that's not right. My mother has suffered so much for my father and me.Now she just wants to live with the person she likes, at least she should be considerate.As long as I say a word to express my agreement, my mother can do it, but I just can't nod in agreement. I don't want my mother to be taken away by others, and I'm even more afraid that she and my father will never get back together again.Maybe my mother has long been disheartened by my father, but I haven't given up yet. My father may indeed be a hopeless man, but to me he was a loving and happy father.Just as my mother was my only mother, so my father was my only father.It doesn't matter if it takes a few more years of detours. I really hope that our family can go back to the beginning.If Mr. Nakata takes my mother away, my dream will really turn into a fantasy.So, I really can't accept it. That kind of mood, which can change somewhat later, is still because of that wonderful superpower. I remember it was probably June, and it rained early in the morning.Perhaps it should be said that it is the rainy season, and even the nearby apartments are obscured by the rain curtain.It had been raining torrentially all day, and the rain did not abate after nightfall. After receiving a call from my mother to inform me that I had to return late from work, I finished dinner alone and listened to the rain on the balcony in a daze.It was already past ten o'clock, and I was awkward, secretly guessing that maybe my mother had to come back late because of overtime work, but actually wanted to meet Mr. Nakata. After that, I quietly closed my eyes and listened intently to the sound of the rain. After the fight with my mother, I stopped using that superpower.Anyway, all I hear are lonely words, and listening to them one by one will only make my mood worse, so I simply sealed them before (saying this, it seems a bit exaggerated). Although it's been a while, but listening to the scale formed by countless raindrops as usual, the incredible sound came again. (Looking at this, it will rain tomorrow and the excursion will be cancelled!) (He doesn't know how he is doing now. He must have forgotten me.) (Asshole! Why are you killing yourself!) The world is still full of sorrow and lamentation. There may actually be more sadness than I'm hearing, but as it happens, those voices never come into my head all at once.Presumably out of countless beings, I can only hear voices that match my frequency.Alternatively, it may also have to do with location or distance, but I have no intention of delving into those. (I have no choice but to give up.) After standing on the balcony for about five minutes, I suddenly heard my mother's voice. I almost opened my eyes, and managed to regain my composure.Once you open your eyes and interrupt your concentration, you have to start over from the beginning. At that time, you may not be able to catch that voice again. (That child, 80% of the time, still likes that person. For that child, only that person is the father. I really can't bear to tell her that her father left home because of another woman.) (I'm so stupid that I'm already a mother and still daydreaming. However, as long as Hiromi can be as cheerful as before, I will be content.) After a few seconds of clearly hearing my name, I finally couldn't help but open my eyes. (Was that voice just now mother?) The unmistakable opponent clearly mentioned Hiromi.However, there should be many people with this name in this world, right? The moment I thought so, the entrance door opened, and I really heard my mother's voice. I'm back. I hurried into the room and saw that my mother was wiping clothes at the entrance. It was raining so hard that the river in front might be full. you are back. I just said this and went back to my room. 4 The day came to the beginning of July and was affected by Typhoon No. 8. There were serious disasters in various parts of Japan. A landslide in Kamakura crushed cabins, and the Noto and Tokai areas were flooded due to heavy rain.A landslide also occurred in Shizuoka, and eight houses were submerged. A total of 146 people were killed and missing nationwide. The last time I used superpowers was when this typhoon landed in the Kanto region. It started raining heavily a few days ago, but this day it was even heavier than before.It's almost like a waterfall that deserves such a comment, plus there is a strong wind howling. In such bad weather, Mr. Nakata came to my house by taxi.why?Because today, July 6th, is my twelfth birthday. Hiromi, happy birthday. Thank you so much. At this time, my attitude has softened a bit.Of course it was because I heard the suspected mother's voice last time, but I didn't approve of the relationship between my mother and Mr. Nakata because of this.It is impossible for a girl in sixth grade to change her position so easily. However, it is no longer a question of my disagreement.On this day, Mr. Nakata actually came to say goodbye to me specially: I talked to your mother and the final conclusion is that it is best to keep your distance from each other.I'm really sorry for making you unhappy during this time. Mr. Nakata, who was originally silent, spoke slowly and carefully in the face of a child like me: Your mother seems to want to take good care of you until you grow up.I also think that is better.After all, you are the most important thing. Listening to Mr. Nakata's calm voice broke my heart. The child is very willful and obviously hopes that his mother will regard himself as more important than anyone else, but he does not want his mother to sacrifice for himself. I didn't know what to do, and I really wanted to cry, but I never cried, and I couldn't change this problem for a while.Yeah?I couldn't say anything other than answering so calmly, and I couldn't even meet Nakata-san's eyes. Someone like me can't be Hiromi's father after all.Originally, I kept thinking how great it would be if I could be your father. Perhaps because he thought this was the last time, today Mr. Nakata rapped more than usual.However, at most, it can only reach the level of ordinary men! The birthday present I got was the long-awaited Finger5 vinyl record, and I also ate the rare whipped cream cake at that time.After taking a shower, I went to bed early. After talking calmly with his mother in the next room, Mr. Nakata planned to leave despite the storm.I listened to their conversation in the dark, thinking, it must be very hard to go back in such a big typhoon.Mother seemed to think the same way, and tried her best to persuade Mr. Nakata to stay overnight. Well, I'll leave tomorrow before Hiromi wakes up. Mr. Nakata seemed to be concerned about my feelings until the end.After that, the paper door was ajar, and my mother took out the guest bedding from the closet and spread it in the living room, and she slept next to me as always. It's probably close to twelve o'clock, even though the mother next to me has started to snore quietly (my mother's work place is far away, so she always goes to bed early), I still can't fall asleep.I felt guilty for ruining my mother's happiness, but the more I lay down, the more awake I became. I barely closed my eyes, just wanting to escape to sleep as soon as possible.At this time, I strained my ears to listen to the sound of the crazy rain outside. Before I knew it, I performed the ritual of listening to that wonderful sound. (It hurts! Dad. Sorry, sorry!) Suddenly, there was a screaming sound.I almost opened my eyes, but stopped at the last moment. (It hurts, it hurts! Stop hitting me.) (Lingmei will be a good child and will definitely be obedient.) (Sister Luo Mei, help me.) (Sister Luo Mei!) I suddenly opened my eyes and jumped up without thinking. (The voice just now was Reimi?) 絕對不會錯那個聲音自稱令美，更重要的是，清請楚楚的在喊羅美姊姊。叫那種名字的小孩，有那麼普遍嗎？ （令美出事了！） 我不禁馬上起身，之後該怎麼辦，卻毫無頭緒。 妳怎麼了，弘美？ 睡在身旁的母親，以睏倦的聲音問道。 我剛才聽見令美的聲音！她在喊救命。 妳怎麼還在說那種話？ 我不管語帶困擾的母親，逕自打開房間的燈。睡客廳的中田先生，把紙門拉開一條縫隙窺探究竟： 怎麼了，弘美？ 上次我不是跟你提過嗎？她說聽得見什麼古怪聲音之類的她又開始這樣說了。 看來在母親與中田先生之間，之前發生衝突時的事，早已成為話題。 是真的啦，媽！我剛才真的聽到令美的聲音。 妳說的令美，是二十七號棟那戶小松家的孩子？那個戴助聽器的。 幸好母親認識令美但她一聽見名字便臉色大變的模樣，並未逃過我的眼睛。 媽，妳是不是知道什麼？ 那家的爸爸好像會打那孩子。 彷彿講到什麼髒字眼，母親以低不可聞的聲音回答。 從那孩子還小時，他就動不動又打又踢的。那孩子的耳朵不好，也是被打壞的附近鄰居曾經一再提醒過他了，他卻堅持是在管教小孩。 我想起令美缺了一顆門牙。該不會，那也是她爸爸的傑作？ 弘美，妳猜那孩子幾歲？ ah?大概六、七歲吧？ 就體型來判斷，我猜應該只有那麼大。 其實，她已經九歲了。好像是因為心理壓力造成發育不良。 巨大的衝擊令我啞然之際，紙門被猛然拉開。不知幾時，中田先生已換好衣服站在門口。 那孩子的家在哪裡？我過去看看。 我與母親不禁面面相覷。 不會吧弘美只是睡糊塗了說夢話。 我相信弘美，是真是假去看看就知道了。 聽到這句話的瞬間，我的心臟彷彿被人狠狠揪住。連母親都不肯相信我，這人竟然說他相信？ 我來帶路！ 我感到眼皮發熱，一邊衝進自己的房間，慌忙換衣服。 那也犯不著冒著這種風雨去萬一只是一場誤會 如果是誤會，就當是笑話一場也就沒事了。 見母親還想勸阻，中田先生笑著這麼說，與我一起衝進暴風雨中。雖然撐了傘，但不到一分鐘就不能用了。 這種事，你怎麼會相信連我媽壓根都不肯相信。 任由狂風暴雨直接打在臉上，我高聲向中田先生問道。 我也折彎過。 中田先生同樣扯高嗓門回答。 尤里．蓋勒（uriGeller）的那個電視節目湯匙折彎了。所以，超能力的確存在。 說著，他的小眼睛瞇得更小了。 我們終於抵達令美住的那棟公寓，一口氣衝上五樓後，頭上捲著髮捲的歐巴桑，正滿臉不安地站在樓梯轉角處。 What's wrong? 頭上滴水的中田先生這麼一問，歐巴桑立刻語帶求助的說： 我住在樓下小松家從剛才就一直傳來令美的哭聲。好像是她爸爸在打她。 我與中田先生面面相覷。看樣子，那奇妙的力量頭一次派上用場了。 那妳為何不勸阻？我忍不住說道。 Nah!之前我就勸過了結果他發了好大的脾氣，吼著說他管教小孩不用別人插嘴。所以，我不知該如何是好令美她爸是個很粗暴的人。 聽到我質問，歐巴桑畏畏縮縮地回答。 她媽媽呢？ 小松太太要上班，晚上只有令美和她爸爸在家。ah!聽不到令美的聲音了剛才明明還哭得好大聲。 中田先生聽到她這麼說，立刻衝上樓梯想敲鐵門。我情急之下拽住他的手臂問： can you?中田先生？ 很遺憾，正如我一開始提過的，中田先生的體型細如火柴棒。面對據說很粗暴的令美爸爸，我實在不相信他能應付。這時候好像還是報警比較好吧？ 弘美覺得自己是對的時候，千萬不可隨便猶豫。人命關天的時候，尤其是如此。 中田先生一邊說一邊咚咚敲響令美家的門。看著他那拚命的模樣，我好像多多少少理解母親何以會愛上這個人了。 果然如我所料，令美遭到她爸爸的虐待，已經昏迷不醒。 樓下的歐巴桑叫了救護車，緊急將她送往醫院，能夠這樣做，是因為令美她爸聽到敲門聲火冒三丈來開門時，中田先生不容分說便闖進屋內。他大概是認為，現在已經不是徒然議論什麼管教問題或個人隱私的時候了。 事後得知，令美的左鎖骨及頭蓋骨骨折，傷勢嚴重。過了一週左右，我去醫院探望她時，她躺在病床上看起來氣色還不錯，但最後，她終究沒有回到這個社區不過，各位可別想歪，她是在出院後，直接被送往社福機構了。 令美的爸爸被警察帶走了，之後如何，不得而知。過了很久以後我聽母親說他因傷害罪被捕，據說被判了好幾年的徒刑，同樣也沒有再回到社區裡。公寓那邊，好像只剩下令美那個從事特種行業的母親，但那個女人據說也在不知不覺中消失了。 話說回頭 我生日的隔天早上，中田先生與母親在雨勢稍減的雨中連袂出門上班。離家時，中田先生向我要求握手：有機會的話，他日再見了。He said.我默默不語，只是握住他那隻手。 我從公寓的窗口，望著他倆一路從三樓走到樓下的入口。然後在水泥做的簷下，二人各自打開自動傘時，我清楚地看見，剪碎的色紙碎片，倏然間美麗飛舞。 二人起初一臉驚愕，旋即醒悟，不約而同地仰望公寓窗口。 妳幹的好事，弘美。 母親不知為何笑得好像快哭出來，我朝她用力地揮手。 那種奇妙的超能力，彷彿約好般在我滿十二歲之後消失，從此再也沒有出現過。也可能，是因為我變得很忙，不再有時間獨自聽雨，所以在不知不覺中失去那種能力。我覺得那樣也好但我想，即便現在，這個世界一定仍舊充滿寂寞的聲音吧！ 最後再補充一句，我在國中畢業的同時改姓中田。父母依然健在，至今感情十分融洽。