Chapter 209: 208: Good Morning, Doma-san

Words : 1339 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

It had rained the entire night, and by the time morning came, the sky after the rain looked even more beautiful than usual. The azure sky resembled a massive sapphire set at the boundary between water and sky—clear and radiant. Standing in front of the window of his rental apartment, Takashi looked out at the freshly washed blue sky, and his mood naturally lifted a little. After returning from the hospital last night, Takashi had fallen asleep wrapped in a winter blanket, the air conditioner set to 18°C, listening to the soft patter of the rain. He wasn't sure how others felt, but for him, the heavier the rain, the better he slept. He quite liked rainy days. Whenever it rained, he felt calm. When he was younger, he even used to run outside in the rain pretending he was cool, like in a TV drama. Thinking back on it now, he realized just how dumb he had been. Of course, rainy days weren't all positives. Living in the south, whenever it rained, clothes wouldn't dry easily. The floors would get damp, and sometimes there would be that horrible "returning moisture" phenomenon—he hated that. Takashi did a few sets of push-ups and crunches in the apartment, followed by some curls with his dumbbells. Then, he put on the clothes that had gotten soaked in the downpour the night before, which he had only lightly washed and hadn't been able to dry yet. The clothes were still damp all over when he slipped them on. "Not bad." Takashi nodded in satisfaction. Wearing the exact same outfit as last night, Takashi grabbed two empty plastic bottles from his room and filled them with tap water. He then picked up the shopping bag that Umaru had thrown at him the night before, locked the door, and jogged back to the place where they had parted ways. He took one of the water-filled bottles from his backpack and poured it directly over his head with a splash. After finishing the first bottle, Takashi emptied the second one over himself as well. Once his hair and clothes were thoroughly soaked, he messed up his hair, tossed the bottles into a nearby trash can, hugged the shopping bag, and sat down—ready to begin his performance. ... 6:30 a.m. Doma Taihei had already prepared breakfast. He adjusted his tie and tidied his hair in front of the mirror. "Umaru, breakfast is ready. I've left it on the table. Be sure to eat after you get up." "Mhm, got it." A muffled voice came from under the covers. Taihei looked at his sister, who was curled up entirely under the blanket, and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. He didn't understand what was wrong with her lately—she had seemed down for a while now. Was it because he'd been working overtime too much and hadn't spent time with her? 'I'll take the day off and come home early today. I'll make her favorite hamburger steak,' Taihei thought to himself, and reminded her again, "When the alarm rings, get up like a good girl. No sleeping in, okay?" From under the covers, Umaru covered her ears in annoyance. "I heard you, I heard you!" Taihei just assumed she had a bit of morning grumpiness and didn't think much of it. After a few more reminders, he grabbed his briefcase and headed for the subway. There had been a heavy rain the night before, so the morning air was cool and refreshing—not too hot, and particularly pleasant. As he walked along the street he took every day to work, carefully avoiding puddles on the roadside, Taihei suddenly noticed someone crouched under a utility pole at an intersection. A drunk? he thought. In Tokyo, it wasn't uncommon to see drunks who passed out on the street after drinking too much. But it was rare to see something like that in his own neighborhood. As Taihei got closer, he saw that it wasn't a drunk but a boy—young-looking and handsome, with a clean silver haircut that now looked a bit messy, as if he hadn't washed it all night. The silver-haired boy was hugging a bag of snacks and sleeping with his head turned to the side. Kicked out of the house? Poor kid, Taihei thought. The boy looked to be about the same age as his sister, and Taihei felt a bit sorry for him—but not enough to take a stranger home. He merely slowed his footsteps, trying not to wake him. "Almost time." Takashi glanced at Doma Taihei, then checked his watch. He figured Umaru would be coming out soon, so he continued pretending to sleep. In the small 40-square-meter apartment, Umaru tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, she gave up and grabbed her phone, lying on her stomach to play. Without realizing it, she tapped open Line. The familiar [Good Morning] message was nowhere to be seen. She had mentally prepared for it, but a faint sense of frustration and loss still crept into her chest. Killing time until she had to get up, Umaru finally climbed out of bed. After taking a few perfunctory bites of breakfast, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and tied her hair into low twin tails. Putting on her blouse and pleated skirt carefully, Umaru sat on the bed and pulled up her white thigh-high socks, adjusting them to a comfortable position. Her slim, long legs looked even more delicate and enticing under the white stockings. Grabbing her backpack, she walked to the entryway, slipped her feet into her loafers, flicked her heel with a finger, tapped her toes on the ground, and stepped outside. "Good morning, Umaru!" When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Ebina Nana was already there waiting for her. "Good morning, Ebina." With a brief exchange of greetings, the two began walking to school together. "Umaru, your eyes look really red. Did something happen?" "I didn't sleep well. Don't worry about it." "If something's wrong, you can talk to me. I may not be much help, but..." "Thanks, Ebina..." Just as she was speaking, Umaru's pupils suddenly contracted. Her words trailed off, and she fell into stunned silence, staring blankly at something ahead. In her line of sight, she saw Takashi curled up under the utility pole, hugging the bag of snacks she had thrown away yesterday. He looked like an abandoned puppy, trembling in the cold. He... couldn't have waited there all night, could he? With that thought, Umaru forgot that Ebina was beside her. She quickly walked over to Takashi and raised her hand, ready to slap him. Unaware of what dream he was having, Takashi clutched the snack bag even tighter, as if afraid someone would take it away. In his sleep, he muttered dreamily, "Umaru, let me explain... please, let me explain, it's not what you think... trust me..." His voice was so soft that Umaru had to lean in close to barely make out the words. Hearing that vague and half-conscious whisper, she stopped her raised hand midair and instead gave him a light push. As Umaru pushed him, Takashi kept mentally counting time. Feeling it was just about right, he slowly opened his eyes. The moment he saw Umaru, his face froze in a dazed expression. That was the typical first look people had when just waking up. Takashi stared at Umaru. Umaru stared right back. Their eyes locked. Time seemed to stop as they looked at each other. Neither said a word. After a long moment, Takashi snapped out of it. He smiled broadly, as if nothing had happened at all. "Good morning, Doma-san." ___ A scum indeed... ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___

Chapter 209: 208: Good Morning, Doma-san

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