That night, Yilin had a dream about her childhood.
It was the Chinese New Year, the day when all her relatives gathered. Her father had sent her a dress, a gorgeous piece in red and gold with a flared skirt. It was her first time receiving Western-style clothing from him, and she donned it with joy.
As she was getting into the car, her nanny held out a bag containing a change of clothes and said, “Please bring this with you, just in case you get your dress dirty.”
“Oh, Juhua. I’m in elementary school now, you know. I’m not going to make a mess.” Yilin laughed but took the bag nonetheless, unable to refuse her nanny’s kindness.
Yilin was enrolled in one of Shanghai’s most renowned elementary schools, and she ranked at the top of her class. She’d heard her father was pleased by this. Surely the dress was a reward from him.
Looking back, before she’d reached school age, Yilin had been the type of child who would stare blankly out the window. It wasn’t until she became an elementary schooler and learned about society for the first time that she rapidly developed her sense of self. Despite visiting her father’s residence every Chinese New Year, she never noticed how unwelcome she was until that day—or perhaps this time was different because the dress acted as a catalyst.
The moment she stepped into the mansion, she felt the chilling stares of the people around her and froze in place. However, everyone quickly broke into beaming smiles and fawned over her.
“Yilin, you’ve grown into quite the young lady,” said one relative.
“Oh, I hear you’re doing wonderfully in school,” said another.
“Thank you,” Yilin replied with a proud grin. “I’m having a lot of fun at school.”
Suddenly, Aunt Liming dumped her Shaoxing wine on Yilin’s dress. “Don’t get cocky. You shouldn’t even be allowed to come here.”
Yilin was shocked.
“She’s still a child, Liming,” said Aunt Zhulan. “Come, Yilin, let’s get you changed.” She took Yilin’s hand and whispered, “Forgive Liming, okay? She just hasn’t come to terms with everything yet.”
“What do you mean?” Yilin asked.
Aunt Liming, who must have overheard their conversation, declared, “Here, I’ll tell you: Your mother was horrible.”
Yilin awoke with a start. Her eyes opened to the sight of an apartment ceiling that she was still unaccustomed to.
I haven’t had that dream in a long time. She sat up and pressed her hand to her forehead. Her entire body was drenched in sweat.
She also recalled what had happened next.
After changing into the plain dress her nanny had prepared for her, Yilin went to see her father.
“You aren’t wearing the dress I sent you,” he said coldly.
Before she could defend herself, Aunt Liming said, “Zhifei, girls are picky. You shouldn’t bother giving her clothes.”
Her father never sent her clothes again.
“Juhua, what time is it right now? What’s my schedule for today?”
The AI assistant instantly responded, “It is currently 10:55 a.m. Today, you have a shift at Kura from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., it’s time for your regular report to your father.”
Yilin already had her schedule memorized, but speaking Japanese right after waking up helped her brain switch gears. She tried to use Japanese as much as possible while she was here.
“Thank you,” she said, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom. It was a terrible start to the day, but the thought of going to work brightened her mood.
I get to see Aoi today, she thought in the shower, grinning as she imagined the girl’s smiling face. “Oh, but it’s a long weekend, so Kiyotaka will probably be there too.”
She suddenly realized she felt disappointed. How strange. Until recently, her heart would’ve raced at the thought of being able to work with Kiyotaka, whom she admired. But now, she was more eager to see Aoi. She even felt like she’d be more comfortable if it was just the two of them.
After finishing her shower, she opened the closet door. “Now then, what to wear?”
She decided to mimic Kiyotaka’s outfit: a white shirt, black pants, and a vest.
“I did buy those armbands, right?”
She took the sleeve garters out of a drawer, cheerfully put them on over her dazzlingly white shirt, and giggled to herself.
“Hello,” Yilin said upon arriving at the antique store at 12:50 p.m.
Aoi, who’d been diligently wiping the bottom of the display window, turned around. “Wow, you look so cool, Yilin! The armbands really do suit you.”
“Thanks,” Yilin said shyly. She scanned the store with her eyes. “Where’s Kiyotaka?”
“He’s at Komatsu’s office. They’re launching a full-scale investigation into your mother’s case.”
Yilin had requested the investigation after hearing Ailee’s shocking testimony, and Kiyotaka had stated his intent to assist.
“They move fast, huh?” Yilin said, feeling a bit guilty.
Aoi patted her on the back. “Believe it or not, Komatsu is really good at his job. Let’s leave it to them and focus on our work here.”
“Okay.” Yilin smiled and nodded. “What were you doing over there, Aoi?” It seemed like she was putting away the items in the display window.
“Since autumn’s finally in full swing, I was clearing out the display to change it up. Can you help me, Yilin?”
“Of course. What kind of display are you making?”
“The theme is National Treasure Tea Bowls and Kura’s Showpieces. We obviously can’t display the real things, so I prepared these photos,” Aoi replied, shifting her gaze to the box at her feet.
The box was filled with framed photographs of medium-large size. The name of the display, National Treasure Tea Bowls and Kura’s Showpieces, had also been printed on thick paper and cut out letter by letter. According to Aoi, the plan was to display the photos on a bamboo lattice screen and hang the words from the ceiling.
“Did you prepare all of this by yourself?” Yilin asked.
“I asked Holmes to help with the photos and Rikyu, who just got back from New York, to design the words.”
“Oh, I see. I assumed you did everything on your own.” Yilin felt somewhat disappointed. She thought it would’ve been incredible if Aoi had prepared the entire display by herself.
“I used to try to do it myself, but it lowered the quality. If you want a project to succeed, it’s important to assign tasks to the people who are best at them. That way, you make good use of both skills and finances, and you end up with the best result. There’s not a lot I can accomplish by myself,” Aoi admitted. “I learned to think this way thanks to Holmes’s influence. The old me would’ve struggled on my own, produced something of average quality, and been satisfied with that.”