Chapter 43: A Letter Arrives
"Brother, I'm off to school."
"Be careful on the way."
"Are you not coming with us today? It's the last day of public access."
"I'm not going, it's not very interesting."
"Alright~"
Yagyū Simozi happily stepped out of the door, as long as her elder brother doesn't cross paths with the young and beautiful female student from Far East University. It would be a good thing, and it would keep her happy all day long.
She just didn't notice that Bai Wei's expression seemed somewhat unnatural.
Watching his younger sister's departing figure, Bai Wei sighed unnaturally, his mind indeed drifting to someone in particular.
As long as that person remains in Far East University, he is unlikely to actively approach them in the future.
It is not so much about fear, but rather a desire to avoid unnecessary trouble.
In order to avoid embarrassment and to prevent himself from appearing like a wounded stray dog that grimaces at the slightest touch of old wounds… you must pay attention to one's image, Your Majesty, the ruler of a fallen kingdom.
After Bai Wei had shifted his mood, he intended to spend a lazy day. However, upon turning around, he noticed signs of the mailbox at the entrance being opened.
The mailbox, a familiar object to modern people, has become nothing more than a relic of the era, shedding tears of time.
However, in Edo (Tokyo), it was quite commonplace and frequently used to contain newspapers, milk, letters, and the like.
He touched it gently and then took out a clean envelope. He brought it home, carefully cut it open, unfolded the neatly folded letter, and there appeared before his eyes a line of elegant handwriting.
…
"Respected senior:"
"I wonder what kind of expression you will have when you receive this letter."
"I apologize sincerely for writing this letter without giving you any prior notice."
"This is my first time writing a letter, so there may be some stumbling and inadequacies in my expression…"
"If you are not weary, I would be deeply honored if you would be willing to read this letter in its entirety."
"Thanks to the assistance of you, my mother and I escaped from the past hellish existence."
"I am extremely grateful, no matter how many times I say it, it is still inadequate to express my gratitude."
"My mother and I returned to the small town where my grandmother resides, which is located in Hokkaido."
"Due to its proximity to the north, it is quite cold here, and the weather has already started snowing. However, I have a fondness for snow, so it poses no issue."
"The house left by my grandmother is quite small, but it is still habitable. After a simple renovation, with the addition of some blankets and a fireplace, it has become a cozy home."
"The people of Hokkaido are kind-hearted, and compared to Edo, there are many beautiful places here. There are snowy landscapes in winter and cherry blossoms in spring. It is said that there is even a lavender field, although I didn't get to see it. However, I bought a postcard specifically and will continue to send postcards to you in the future… if you don't mind, senior."
"After completing the school transfer procedures, and after three days, I have now begun to adapt to the living environment here. From now on, I don't need to work, I just need to focus my energy on studying. All of this is thanks to the blessings from my seniors."
"It seems that I have been solely focused on expressing gratitude, I hope it doesn't burden you psychologically."
"I really enjoy the current environment, but I don't want to indulge in it indefinitely. I hope that I can repay the favor and be of use to seniors in the future, though you may not necessarily need it."
"My next goal is to be admitted to Far East University, which is quite challenging. I am fully aware of the difficulties and recognize that I am not a prodigy like Sister Yagyū. However, I still aspire to be accepted into it. I request the presence of you to witness and encourage me!"
"Sigh… Just writing these words has made me break out in a sweat. Looking back at them again, I feel incredibly embarrassed. But this is my sincere expression. I hope you won't ridicule this little girl for her lack of worldly knowledge."
"I am writing this letter to you, senior, firstly to let you know that I am safe, and secondly, to discuss this matter."
"Lastly, there is one insignificant matter remaining."
"After that night in the warehouse, I had several consecutive nightmares. In those dreams, I would always encounter strange and eerie entities that didn't seem human… they were terrifying. Perhaps it was only me who experienced this, but perhaps you have also encountered them."
"To ensure a good night's sleep, I made a deliberate trip to a well-known shrine in Hokkaido. I sought an amulet and placed it on myself, and as expected, I no longer had any nightmares. I specifically obtained an additional one, said to be made of lavender, which is known to be quite effective. I have enclosed the amulet in this letter, though it is by no means a token of gratitude or reciprocation. It is merely a small gesture of goodwill. Please accept it."
"Having reached this point, everything that needed to be said has been said. If you are able to read up to this point, I deeply feel honored."
"I wish good health and all the best to you and Sister Yagyū."
"Your incompetent junior disciple, Guan Ling, at your service."
…
After finishing reading the letter, Bai Wei poured out an amulet made of lavender and a postcard depicting a snowy landscape, with a hand-drawn figure on the back.
Bai Wei leaned on his cheek and said, "I never expected her to actually write a letter."
Writing letters to stay in touch with each other is a rather old-fashioned method, and modern people are leading busier lives, hardly accustomed to this kind of ink-stained communication.
However, exchanging letters also carries a sense of old-fashioned romance, as the temporal dimension of communication is stretched. The words written in the letters undergo careful consideration, scrutiny, and refinement, making them more enduring to read and better able to reflect one's true heart and genuine emotions.
Throughout the course of several centuries, letters have served as a means of long-distance communication among humanity. Many individuals have relied on them to alleviate loneliness and seek solace for their inner longing and yearning.
The letter contains an earnest expression of her true feelings and reveals the sincere anticipation and courage she mustered when mailing it. One can sense the uneasiness and anticipation she had while awaiting a response.
Now I really have to reply.
Bai Wei found the stationery and began composing his reply.
What should I reply?
Of course, I would write something trivial… Study diligently and make progress every day, looking forward to your postcard, I believe you will definitely pass the exam, I really like the amulet you gave me… and so on.
It's not that he doesn't want to write something profound. This girl is very easy to understand. From this letter, one can easily analyze her personality model and the motivation behind writing this letter.
Without a doubt, this girl is…
Understands the virtue of gratitude and reciprocation!
The problem is that he doesn't really understand Guan Ling. They are only acquaintances at best, and even chance encounters. Moreover, Bai Wei is a complex individual, so complex that he has developed a habitual tendency to not open up to anyone.
The purpose of writing a letter is to exchange information or emotions. Even if there is no specific topic, one must create a topic. There always needs to be one party taking the initiative.
After writing a few hundred words, Bai Wei stopped and glanced over the trite words he had written. Not to mention expressing genuine feelings, even the perfunctory sentiment was confined to the realm of mere words.
Therefore, he tore the letter apart, intending to sincerely write a response. However, even this time, he started to feel dissatisfied halfway through.
An involuntary sense of annoyance surged within, and emotions manifested merely on the surface of the paper, permeating with a strong atmosphere of dusk.
"I do… indeed despise writing letters."
"When being an emperor, I didn't even write my own letters. The unimportant ones were delegated to the court secretary; as for the important confidential letters, Gray Cat almost always ghostwrote them. Her handwriting is much more beautiful than mine, and she is even adept at writing in the splendid imperial style reserved for the royal family."
"Indeed, emperors don't readily open their hearts to others, but is it solely due to their imperial mindset that they refrain from correspondence?"
"It shouldn't be because of that reason, but rather because…"
Bai Wei pulled out the bookshelf next to the desk, where a stack of vertically arranged letters was displayed. On the other side were numerous postcards, totaling in the hundreds, all meticulously stored within an album.
"Tell a story."
"I once had a pen pal."
"Okay, I've finished speaking."
He closed the drawer, unaware of the amount of force he exerted, only to hear a heavy sound.
It turns out that the sense of unconscious unease can gradually arise within one's heart, and it is difficult for one to self-notice.
"I too have been deeply influenced by the past, which is quite normal. Even in a half-awake state, I am still myself after these twenty years."
Bai Wei placed Guan Ling's letter and postcard into the empty drawer on the left.
Continuing to sit at the desk, he began to compose a reply.
Suppressing one's emotions, exercising restraint to avoid perfunctory sentiments, and embellishing the writing to make it more enriched.
Finished.
After checking it three times and confirming that there were no major issues, the somewhat lacking in richness but emotionally adequate letter was inserted into the envelope.
Bai Wei pondered, considering what kind of gift would be more impressive as an additional gesture.
After contemplating from every angle without any great ideas, he then opened his wallet and stuffed in 100,000 yen.
Then feeling that he had stuffed in too much, he retrieved 50,000 yen.
However, still feeling excessively generous since he had already given so much, he took back 40,000 yen.
The solitary banknote lying inside the envelope seemed oddly derisive no matter how it was observed.
With a sudden burst of inspiration, he began folding the paper, shaping it into a gourd-like form. Upon completion, he took a moment to admire his craftsmanship, which was quite remarkable.
Finally, he placed a postcard brought from the Ming Country, sealed the envelope, and dropped it in.
"Done… sending the letter."
PS1: Volume 7 hass been published on Amazon. (https://amzn.to/3t9i8ik)
PS2: The translation of Volume 8 will be released two weeks later.
