novelraw Page 484
Page 484
"A red cross?" Chu Hua seemed to remember something. "Is that a hospital, or the Red Cross?"
Banami realized this too, and suddenly looked at the girl: "Hatsuka, does the sanatorium where your mother is located have an attached hospital department? I remember you said that there was a large patch of morning glories planted next to the fence at the entrance of the sanatorium?"
“Yes…” Chu Hua quickly took out her phone and flipped through the album to find a photo. “When I visited my mother last time, I thought the morning glories were very beautiful, so I took a picture of them.”
She turned her phone screen towards Xiao Nai, "Xiao Nai, look, is this the place?"
Xiao Nai leaned closer, staring at the photo for a long time, her eyes full of uncertainty: "It looks a bit like it... but I can't remember clearly, the picture is too blurry."
At this moment, Yao Le Nai, who had already finished eating her cat food, jumped onto the dining table, leaned close to the phone screen, stared at the morning glory and fence in the photo, and let out a puzzled "meow".
She felt that this place looked familiar, as if she had been there before, but her mind was blank and she couldn't remember anything.
However, Chu Hua asked with even greater confusion, "But, Xiao Nai, Banami, that's a maternity hospital."
Chapter Seventeen: The Little Wildcat Searches for Its Mother
Before the warmth of breakfast had even faded, Banami set off with Nami and the white cat (Kaname Rakuna) curled up in her arms.
The destination is Tokyo General Maternity and Child Health Hospital—the hospital affiliated with the nursing home where Chu Hua's mother lives, and also the location of the morning glory wall in Xiao Nai's fragmented memories.
Chu Hua had come along as well, but as soon as the car stopped at the hospital entrance, she couldn't wait to say goodbye to everyone and hurriedly ran towards the sanatorium, after all, she still wanted to ask her mother for advice on being a mother.
Ms. Nao: Regarding the filial daughter.
As Banami watched Hatsuka's departing figure, she pondered for a moment, ultimately deciding that Xiaona's matter was more important.
As the three of them approached the hospital gate, they saw the scene from their memories—the old brick wall was covered with purple morning glory vines, the pale purple flowers swaying gently in the breeze, the veins of the vines intertwined with the mottled marks on the wall, exuding a strong sense of history.
This hospital is clearly quite old; even the signs at the entrance show signs of fading.
"Nai, what do you think? Does seeing this remind you of anything?" Banai stopped and asked softly.
Xiao Nai held Yao Le Nai, staring blankly at the wall, her eyes vacant and her body slightly stiff.
Hearing Banami's question, she slowly came back to her senses, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "I'm sorry... Master, I still can't remember anything."
She paused, a pleading glint in her eyes, "But... I want to look at this fence a little longer. I feel like there's something very important here."
Surprisingly, the baby in her arms was unusually quiet, not as restless as usual. It just tilted its little head back and stared at the wall, its jewel-like cat eyes reflecting the shadow of the morning glory, seemingly lost in thought.
Not wanting to interrupt their thoughts, Banai walked alone to the security booth at the entrance.
The security guard, a middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform, was sitting inside drinking tea. "Hello, have you seen a white stray cat with heterochromia near the hospital recently?" Banami asked politely.
The security guard put down his teacup and shook his head: "A white cat with heterochromatic eyes? Never seen one before. I only started working here last month, so I'm not very clear about the situation before that."
Banami's heart sank slightly. Just as she was about to thank him and leave, the security guard added, "But you can ask Nurse Sato at the front desk. She's worked here for several years and is a seasoned cat owner. She knows all the stray cats in the neighborhood very well. If there's a special cat like the one you're talking about, she'll definitely remember it."
Banai quickly thanked her and turned back to Xiaonai's side, saying, "Let's go to the front desk and ask; maybe we can find something."
Xiao Nai followed with Yao Le Nai in her arms, but just as they reached the hospital entrance, Yao Le Nai suddenly became restless and struggled to jump down from her arms. She quickly ran to Ba Nai Jian's side, climbed up his trouser leg and into his arms, pressed tightly against his chest, her body trembling slightly.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Banami quickly reached out and gently patted her back, his tone full of concern. Rakuna simply raised her head, looked at him with her wet cat eyes, let out a soft "meow," and buried her head in his chest, no longer moving.
Although Banami couldn't understand her words, she could clearly feel the unease and sadness emanating from her, like a small dark cloud enveloping her.
He could only slow down, gently patting Yao Le Nai's back to comfort her, and lead Xiao Nai into the hospital lobby.
The receptionist, Nurse Sato, was a young girl with a ponytail and a gentle smile on her face.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the white cat in Banami's arms, and her voice became excited: "Wow! This cat is so cute! Can I pet it?"
Well, before Banami even had a chance to figure out how to get information out of him, the other party had already become the white cat's captive.
Taking the opportunity, Banami asked, "Hello, have you ever seen a white stray cat with heterochromia like this one?"
Nurse Sato thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No. Such a special cat, I would definitely remember it if it appeared. I've worked here for over a year and have never seen a stray cat like this before."
Hope dashed once again, and Banami couldn't help but feel disappointed. Just then, a kind, gentle female voice came from behind: "Are you... Rakuna-chan?"
Banami whirled around and saw a middle-aged woman in a pink nurse's uniform standing behind her. The woman was slightly plump and had a kind smile on her face. Her gaze fell on Banami, and her eyes lit up instantly: "It really is Banami-chan! I can't believe how much she's grown in the blink of an eye… Is this your boyfriend?"
Hearing the sound, Banami, who was holding Kaname, raised her head and stared intently at the middle-aged nurse's face. She let out a soft "meow," her voice trembling slightly. Banami noticed something was wrong and gently nudged Kaname's arm, prompting her to respond.
"Uh... May I ask who you are?" Xiao Nai asked, somewhat bewildered, after realizing what was happening.
The middle-aged nurse smiled and waved her hand: "Sorry, sorry, I was just too excited to see how big the child I delivered back then has grown. I'm Nurse Yamada here, and I was the one who took care of your mother back then."
"You mean... Rakuna-chan was born in this hospital?" Hanami asked in surprise.
Nurse Yamada gave him a strange look, then smiled and nodded: "Yes. Ryuna-chan's mother, Ms. Kaname, had a difficult childbirth and stayed in the hospital for quite a while. I took care of her the whole time."
She paused, her eyes filled with nostalgia, "After all, children with white heterochromia are so rare. I've only met one like this in my entire life, so I definitely wouldn't mistake her."
Nami understood immediately, while Nurse Yamada held Nami's hands and asked with concern, "By the way, how is your mother now? Why didn't she come with you?"
Xiao Nai was slightly taken aback. Before she could speak, Yao Le Nai in her arms suddenly meowed.
Xiao Nai paused for a moment, then nodded gently and said to Nurse Yamada, "Grandma said that Mom went abroad to study fashion design."
Banami watched them quietly from her arms; this was the answer she was conveying to Xiaona.
Her grandmother had told her this since she was little, but she knew in her heart that it was just a lie and that her mother would never come back.
Upon hearing this, Nurse Yamada looked regretful and said, "Oh, I see... That's such a pity." Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she took Nai's hand and said, "By the way, Nai-chan, come with me, I'll find something for you to see."
As she spoke, she led Xiao Nai toward the nurses' room next door. Banai followed closely behind, carrying Yao Le Nai. As soon as they entered the nurses' room, Yao Le Nai in her arms suddenly became excited, struggled and jumped down, quickly leaping onto the table. She looked up at a row of photos on the wall, waving her little paws incessantly, but she couldn't reach them no matter what.
"Oh, is this child yours? She has beautiful heterochromatic eyes just like you!" Nurse Yamada said with a smile when she saw Kaname's appearance, her tone full of affection, clearly showing that she loved everything about her.
Following Yoro's gaze, Banami and Kona saw a row of group photos hanging on the wall. They were all taken with Nurse Yamada and the mother and daughter before their discharge from the hospital. The edges of the photos were yellowed, indicating that they were keepsakes from a long time ago.
One of the photos caught their attention—in the photo, a mature woman with long white hair was holding a baby in swaddling clothes, smiling gently; and behind her was the wall covered with morning glories at the entrance of the hospital.
"Meow...meow..." Kaoru stood on tiptoe, tilted her head back and stared at the photo, meowing incessantly, her voice urgent and tinged with tears.
Although Banami couldn't understand cat meows, she seemed to clearly hear her calling, "Mommy... Mommy..."
Chapter Eighteen: A Gift After Twenty Years
Seeing Kaoru rubbing against the photo repeatedly and making soft whimpering noises, Nurse Yamada looked puzzled.
Xiao Nai immediately realized what was going on and explained softly, "This cat is the one my mother adopted before she went abroad. It hasn't seen what my mother looks like in a long time, which is why it's so excited to see the photo."
Nurse Yamada was silent for a few seconds, her eyes gradually showing affection. She reached out and gently patted Yoru Nai's head, then took down the mother-daughter photo from the photo wall and carefully handed it to Nai: "In that case, you can keep this photo. Maybe you can remember your mother when you see her in the future."
As soon as she finished speaking, Rakuna jumped down from Banami's arms and snuggled into Nami's embrace, gently rubbing her cheek against the white-haired woman in the photo. Her movements were exceptionally gentle, as if afraid of damaging the photo with her claws, and her tail rested obediently on Nami's arm, no longer as restless as usual.
Xiao Nai looked down at the white cat in her arms, and naturally revealed a gentle expression. She reached out and gently stroked Yao Le Nai's back with a soft touch.
In order to help Xiao Nai recall more clues and to learn more about Yao Le Nai's past, Banami sat down and chatted with Nurse Yamada for a while longer.
When talking about Yamada's childhood, Nurse Yamada's eyes softened as if she were looking at her own granddaughter: "You child, do you know how much your mother suffered when she gave birth to you? Because of the breech position, she had a lot of bleeding during delivery. Fortunately, you were born safely, crying loudly and healthily, like a little kitten. But your mother was unconscious for a whole day and night before she woke up."
"Meow..." Yao Le Nai's ears drooped instantly, and she lowered her head guiltily, burying her little head in Xiao Nai's arms, not daring to look up.
It turns out that the unease and sadness she felt in the hospital were not without reason—even if she didn't remember the specifics, her body still bore the marks of the pain she experienced at birth, as well as the guilt she felt towards her mother.
Xiao Nai sensed her low spirits and gently patted her back.
After leaving the hospital, Xiao Nai, unusually, took the initiative to speak: "Master, I want to take a picture with Renai-chan in front of that morning glory wall." Her eyes were filled with expectation, and Banai, seeing that she would not refuse, immediately took out her phone.
Xiao Nai held Yao Le Nai in her arms in front of the wall, with pale purple morning glories blooming behind them. Yao Le Nai's little head rested against Xiao Nai's cheek, her eyes looking gently at the camera. With a "click," the image was captured.
A photo rubbing was made; it was a picture of Xiao Nai holding a white kitten, and it looked so similar to a yellowed photo from more than ten years ago.
Looking at the photos on his phone, Banai seemed to be deep in thought: their trip was originally to explore Xiaonai's background, but in the end, they followed Xiaonai's memories and found the hospital where Yaolena was born. This could not possibly be a coincidence.
He became increasingly certain that Xiao Nai was no ordinary white cat.
She may have had an inseparable connection with Yao Lena from the very beginning, or she may even be an existence created by the system based on Yao Lena's obsession in order to trigger the field research mission.
***
The two, a person and a cat, were holding different photos when suddenly, Xiao Nai seemed to remember something and said, "Master, I've remembered some more scenes, but they're not from this hospital."
Banai was somewhat surprised, but quickly realized that as Banai recalled the hospital, her original memories gradually returned.
Moreover, this time Xiao Nai recalled not only fragmented pieces, but she could even vaguely describe the route to her destination.
After several forks in the road, the three of them finally arrived at the destination that Xiao Nai remembered.
We stopped in front of an uninhabited detached house. The house looked quite old, but the weeds in the yard were neatly trimmed, indicating that someone took care of it regularly.
"Meow!" Kaoru suddenly cried out excitedly, jumped down from Banami's arms, circled the house twice, her eyes full of familiarity and joy.
Banami looked at the plaque at the entrance, which clearly read "Want to Stay Home".
"Is this where you grew up?" Banami crouched down and asked the little white cat softly.
Arriving here even gave Banami a feeling that was both unexpected and yet perfectly reasonable.
"Meow~~" Yoruichi exclaimed excitedly, running quickly to the flower bed in the courtyard. She pried open a loose flowerpot with her paws and pulled out a black key from underneath. Hachimi took the key and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, Kaoruna dashed in like a wild horse, running happily down the corridor and occasionally sliding down the stair railing, as if recreating for the two of them just how mischievous Kaoruna was as a child, practically like a wildcat.
"Is this what you saw?" Banami turned to ask Xiaona. Xiaona's face was a little pale. She nodded gently, her eyes filled with a dazed look, as if she too could see the scene of Yoru playing in the house when she was a child.
The two followed behind Yoro Nai and toured the entire mansion.
Finally, in a bedroom on the second floor, Xiao Nai suddenly stopped and walked resolutely towards a cabinet against the wall. She opened the cabinet door and found several square items wrapped tightly in dustproof paper at the bottom.
Xiao Nai reached for a paper package and slowly opened it. "Meow!" Yao Le Nai immediately ran over and hissed at her, as if protesting, "These are Mommy's things, don't open them!"
But when the oil paper package was fully opened, Yao Lenai was stunned—inside was a light pink dress, with delicate lace embroidered on the hem, looking exceptionally beautiful. As the dress was unfolded, a neatly folded piece of paper fell out.
"A sixteenth birthday present for my cutest little Lena."
Yoro's paws obviously couldn't grasp the small note, but seeing the familiar and endearing handwriting, Yoro let out a sad "woof".
Banami gently picked it up and immediately realized who had left this gift.
After a moment of silence, Banami said softly, "Rakuna-chan, can we open these oil paper packages? Don't worry, we'll wrap them up for you after we've seen what's inside."
Rakuna nodded gently, and then Rakuna and Banami began to unpack the oil paper packages.
There were twenty oil paper packages in total; obviously, this number meant something.
Sure enough, as the two gradually unpacked them, beautiful dresses and lovely clothes were revealed to the three of them.
Banami doesn't know much about clothes, but she knows that there are Mori Girl style, British style, street style, and more cute styles.
Even Banami could sense that the person who made the clothes probably didn't know what kind of person her daughter would grow up to be or what kind of clothes would suit her. Therefore, she would make several sets of clothes in different styles for each age.
Perhaps, this is also a kind of aspiration.
What kind of clothes will my lovely little Lena wear when she is ten years old?
This light and airy dress is nice.
Ah, this Rococo style looks quite gorgeous; maybe we could even make a matching set for parents and children.
……
……
Chapter Nineteen: Xiao Nai and the Sewing Machine
After Banami and Kona unwrapped all the oil-sealed paper packages, they finally understood what these packages meant.
The dazzling array of clothes before me were all birthday gifts that Ms. Yaobei had prepared for Yaolanai.
The outfit included a light khaki preppy overall dress, a pastoral floral apron dress, a British-style school uniform dress, a light pink Rococo-style lace tulle skirt, and finally, a burgundy French retro satin coming-of-age gown for her 20th birthday.
Every garment was ironed perfectly flat and folded meticulously. The fabric felt soft and thick to the touch, clearly made of carefully selected high-quality materials.
Banami picked up the long dress for her 20th birthday coming-of-age ceremony. The rose pattern on the hem was lifelike, with fine and even stitches, as if you could see Ms. Kaname sitting under the lamp, embroidering the pattern bit by bit.
This white-haired lady, whether she had a premonition or simply imagined what little Lena would look like when she grew up, then, in front of the sewing machine, she sewed her love and longing into the clothes stitch by stitch.
"Meow..."
The white cat, Kaname, jumped down from Banami's arms, rubbed her head against the light pink dress worn by a sixteen-year-old, and let out a pitiful and sad whimper.
She twirled around the skirt twice, carefully tucking her little head under the hem, her tiny body rubbing against it as if she wanted to wear this gift left by her mother.
But she's just a little white cat now, and the dress is too big for her. No matter how much she tries to adjust it, the dress just sways around her body and doesn't look like her at all.
As Yoro's movements gradually ceased, she emerged from her skirt with drooping ears and a listless tail hanging on the ground.
Banami knelt down and gently pulled her into her arms, softly rubbing her little head with her fingertips: "It's okay, Ryuna-chan. Once you and Ryuna switch back and you turn back into human form, I'll help you try on every single item, okay?"
Lena nodded gently in his arms, her little head resting against his chest, making soft purring sounds, but her sullen mood did not dissipate at all.
Seeing her "good friend's" disappointed look, Xiao Nai felt a little sad too. Her eyes inadvertently lingered on an old sewing machine in the corner of the room. The sewing machine had a dark wooden body and looked quite old, but apart from a little dust, it was well preserved.
The layout of the room gradually became clear—various design drawings, spools of thread, and sewing tools were displayed on the shelves against the wall, and some scraps of fabric remained on the table. This was clearly Ms. Yaobei's former studio.