Chapter 253: Something Meaningful
Two more knocks sounded at the door before Kitahara Kaede finally sat up in bed.
He paused for a moment to collect himself, then slid into the wooden slippers provided by the inn and pulled open the door.
Pakura was standing in the hallway.
She wore a neat set of dark casual clothes and held two paper bags. Steam drifted from the openings, carrying the fragrance of freshly steamed buns.
"Morning, Kaede."
Pakura’s eyes curved into a smile, looking bright and energized.
Kaede leaned against the doorframe and let out a long yawn. "Morning."
Pakura glanced at his messy bedhead, then peered into the room. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Not bad. I didn’t wake up once."
Kaede looked toward the window, realizing only then that the sky outside had long since brightened.
Pakura lifted the paper bags and gave them a light shake in front of him. "I brought breakfast. May I come in?"
Kaede nodded and stepped aside to let her pass.
Once inside, Pakura walked straight to the window and placed the bags on the low table. There were a few buns and two cups of soy milk, all still hot.
After setting everything out, she turned back to Kaede and couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t tell me you haven’t washed up yet?"
Kaede raised a hand to smooth his hair. "I haven’t. I only woke up when you knocked."
"Then go get cleaned up first. I’ll wait for you."
Pakura pushed the window open a crack to let the stale air out of the room.
Kaede nodded, grabbed his toiletries, and disappeared into the washroom.
As the sound of running water filled the room, Pakura looked up at the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten o’clock.
The sleep from last night had improved his complexion, but the weariness between his brows remained.
Pakura looked toward the bathroom, her smile fading slightly. Something had certainly happened during his time in Kirigakure. Perhaps it involved Terumi Mei, or perhaps there were other troubles, but he clearly didn’t want to talk about it right now.
Pakura had no intention of pressing him.
After she had been betrayed by Sunagakure, during those first few days in Amegakure, she hadn’t wanted to say a single word to anyone either. The more people pushed for answers, the more irritated she became, unable to stomach even the simplest word of comfort.
It was only after her life gradually stabilized, and especially after meeting Kitahara Kaede, that the burdens she had carried in her heart began to lift, bit by bit.
Suddenly, Pakura had an idea. She wasn’t sure if it would help Kaede, but it could at least give him a chance to catch his breath.
A few minutes later, Kaede emerged, refreshed.
The two of them sat on opposite sides of the low table, and Pakura pushed a cup of soy milk toward him.
"Try it. The soy milk from this shop is great; I had to wait in line for a while."
Kaede took a sip. The warmth slid down his throat and into his stomach, making him feel significantly more awake.
Pakura picked up a bun and casually asked about his plans for the day. "What are you doing later?"
Kaede paused mid-bite, thinking seriously for a few seconds. "I don’t know. I’m not very familiar with Amegakure." He added, "I’ll probably just lie around the inn all day and go nowhere."
Pakura put down her bun and studied him. "Lying in an inn all day is boring. Come out with me."
Kaede raised an eyebrow, sounding somewhat guarded. "Is there something that needs to be done?"
"What ’work’ could there be on a day of rest?" Pakura laughed, urging him to eat faster as she began tidying up the empty paper bags. "It’s rare to have some free time. Let’s go do something meaningful."
Half an hour later, the two of them crossed several intersecting steel walkways and reached the upper levels of the village.
Pakura navigated the route with ease, bypassing two junctions and leading him into an old elevator. Once the iron gate slammed shut, the elevator ascended slowly with the grating sound of friction from the chains.
Kaede looked around and finally couldn’t help but speak. "Your idea of ’meaningful’ is taking me on a tour of Amegakure’s pipe lines?"
Pakura shook her head, intentionally keeping him in suspense. "We’re almost there. What’s the rush?"
The elevator jolted twice before finally stopping halfway up a high tower.
Stepping out of the iron gate, they found themselves in a closed corridor that led to a single room at the end. Pakura took out a key to unlock the door and tilted her chin toward the interior.
"Come in and see."
The room was spacious, with dark wood flooring, bookshelves lining the walls, and a low daybed. The most striking feature was a massive glass window that spanned the entire wall.
The wind and rain were blocked by the thick glass, leaving only the faint, rhythmic sound of rainfall inside.
Kaede walked to the window. Almost the entire Hidden Rain Village fell into his field of vision. The pedestrians below were reduced to blurry dots. In the distance, white steam rose from chimneys, only to be quickly swallowed by the low-hanging clouds.
"After Yahiko took over the village, I took a liking to this place immediately," Pakura said, walking behind a counter to take out tea leaves and two cups. "I asked him to leave the room for me, and I’ve slowly added a few things over time."
She put the water on to boil and looked back out the window, her expression tinged with nostalgia. "Back at the old base, whenever I felt frustrated, I liked to find a place to watch the rain. This place is much better than what I had back then."
Kaede stood by the window for a while, then walked slowly along the glass. There were no people passing by and no noise from the village; it was indeed a perfect place for solitude.
Once the water boiled, Pakura brought over two cups of hot tea and pressed one into his hand.
"Sit. We aren’t talking about missions today."
Kaede looked at her and eventually sank into the lounge chair by the window. Pakura sat beside him, cradling her tea cup as she gazed outside, never once asking about his troubles.
Occasionally, she would point toward a corner of the room and mention a small struggle she’d encountered while decorating. Kaede responded casually. He didn’t have to think too deeply about his words, nor did he have to guess the purpose behind her next sentence.
Around noon, Pakura brought some snacks, and the two of them filled their stomachs with the treats and hot tea. When the tea grew cold, they refilled the water; when they grew tired of sitting, they got up to browse the old books on the shelves.
Eventually, even Pakura stopped speaking, simply accompanying him in watching the rain outside.
Leaning back in the chair, Kaede gradually found that he no longer cared to untangle the mess of troubles in his mind. He closed his eyes for a while, and by the time he woke up, the room had grown significantly darker.
Pakura was still sitting nearby, flipping through a book. Seeing that he was awake, she closed it. "Feels better?"
"Pretty much."
Kaede sat up and noticed that the tea in his cup had been replaced, still holding a lingering warmth.
The two of them tidied up the tea set, left the tower, and followed the same path back to the inn.
Kaede didn’t go inside immediately. He turned to look at Pakura as she prepared to leave. "Thank you for today."
Pakura smiled and waved her hand, stepping back. "For what? It was nothing."
Kaede watched her disappear around the street corner before heading upstairs.
He sat on the edge of his bed, recalling those few hours in the tower. During that time, he had actually thought of nothing at all.
The feeling of his mind being completely idle was something he couldn’t even remember the last time he had experienced.