The Yellow Raincoat (2)
A gentle drizzle falls today, like any other day.
Here I am, walking to the convenience store yet again. The only real problem, I suppose, is that it's raining?
Not that it matters much — I did grab an umbrella on my way out. Still, there's something inherently unpleasant about rainy days.
Ugh. Maybe I should've just ordered something delivered.
I hadn't come out for no reason, but even if I regretted it now, there was no undoing a trip already taken.
So I decided to grab what I needed and head straight home.
"Gotta hurry up, buy this stuff, and get back to work."
No, I'm not unemployed — I'm a freelancer, working as a programmer. I make my living on programming contracts, and the pay's decent enough that I've been at it for years now.
Of course, that's the nature of freelance work: you never know when the jobs might dry up. But I've got savings put away, and the commissions keep rolling in, so I don't worry too much.
"Oh, wait — I left a bug unfixed, didn't I?"
The thought of my work-in-progress popped into my head unbidden, and with it, my mood soured instantly.
Why?
Because the program runs perfectly. The output comes out exactly the way I want it to.
But it still throws an error. Something about "incorrect logic." Which makes me furious.
"Seriously? You tell me something's wrong, and then you work just fine? WHERE?"
I cursed at the sky in my sudden burst of rage, but it didn't help one bit. Instead, I found myself whipping my head around, checking whether anyone had overheard me.
"Whew. Thank god, nobody's around."
Only after confirming the street was empty did I let out a sigh of relief. If anyone had heard that, I'd have been too embarrassed to even go to the convenience store — I'd have marched straight home instead.
"...Now that I think about it, why is it so empty out here?"
What day is it today?
Rain or not, I'd never seen the streets this deserted. Seriously, did something happen?
I'd been holed up programming, completely cut off from the world. My phone was right there in my hand — might as well check the news.
Just as I was about to collect some information, something yellow caught my eye. At first I mistook it for an umbrella or a trash bag, but looking closer, it appeared to be a small child.
"A kid... in a yellow raincoat?"
A child wearing a yellow raincoat, standing alone in this weather? And judging by their height, they couldn't have been more than nine or ten.
From the moment I first saw the kid, I couldn't tear my eyes away. Normally I'd have walked past without a second glance, but for some reason, today a surge of righteousness welled up inside me.
Head bowed low, shoulders trembling now and then — the kid seemed to be crying.
Before I knew it, my feet had carried me toward the child. For a split second I startled even myself, but then the sound of sobbing cut through the drumming rain, and any hesitation I had melted away.
"Hhic..."
"Hey... little one? Are you okay?"
I spoke carefully, putting as much warmth into my voice as I could manage. The kid stopped crying, lifted their head, and looked up at me.
The kid had a fa— @%$!#@.
One look at the kid's face was enough to tell they'd been crying for a long, long time. My heart ached all the more for it.
"Hey, little one. Why are you out here all by yourself?"
"I, I was..."
The kid's words, punctuated by hiccups, were a little hard to make out — but not impossible, and I understood everything.
According to the child, they'd been walking down the street with their mom when, in the blink of an eye, they'd lost sight of her.
Anger flared up in me the moment I heard it. What kind of parent can't even keep an eye on their own kid? I cursed them silently.
But I kept it off my face. Yes, the parent was at fault, but badmouthing someone's mother in front of them was no way to help.
"That must have been so scary."
"Y-yes..."
Sad at the thought of their mother, the kid's head drooped again. Seeing that made my heart ache even more, and in the end, I decided to help.
When I told the kid I'd help, they blinked up at me in astonishment and asked if I really meant it.
"So then — where's your house?"
"Ah, this way."
Taking the kid's hand, I started walking. I angled the umbrella over the child's side and set off at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.
But two quiet people walking side by side makes for awkward company, so I began asking the kid little questions here and there — partly, of course, to put them at ease.
At first the kid answered stiffly, or not at all, seeming uncomfortable with the attention. But as time passed, they gradually opened up, and by now they were answering me readily.
And along the way, I made an important discovery: apparently, I talk a lot more than I thought!
And I mean that in the best way. I mean, someone like me — who hardly ever interacts with people — was chattering away at this kid like a rushing stream. How could that not be surprising?
Truthfully, I was the one most surprised of all. But soon enough, I'd decided this was one of my hidden talents. In other words, I had a gift beyond programming.
So as I chatted with the kid, part of my brain was busy scheming about how I might put this talent to use.
No, hold on. I had some kind of ta— @$%#!@.
Talking away like this, we eventually turned into an alley that looked even more deserted than before.
Looking down that alley, I figured the kid had wandered much farther from home than I'd imagined. But that thought soon vanished.
Because the kid stopped and said we'd arrived, thanking me. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. This child had uncovered my hidden talent — my benefactor, really — and I hated to just say goodbye.
So I told the kid that I was grateful for helping me discover this talent of mine, and asked how I could ever repay the favor.
At that, the kid waved their small hands in front of them, denying everything.
"N-no, you don't have to. I didn't really do anything."
"But still—"
"Really. You walked me all the way home. That's more than enough."
Still, it felt wrong somehow...
But the kid insisted they were truly fine, that this was plenty. Well, all right. When the other person says it's enough, pressing further would just be a nuisance.
So I nodded, waved goodbye, and sent them off. The kid waved back, then turned and headed down the alley.
I watched the kid go, then turned my back as well. And somehow, today felt like it was going to be the best day of my life!
Finally! The tteokbokki I'd been waiting for had arrived.
The moment I laid eyes on it, my eyes sparkled and my tail began to swish of its own accord. My mouth was already watering.
"H-here you are. Enjoy your meal. Haha..."
The man who'd brought it fled into the kitchen like he was running for his life. But right now, the only thing in the world that existed for me was the tteokbokki!
"Heh heh heh. So — what does it taste like?"
Visually, the tteokbokki looked pretty standard.
There seemed to be more rice cakes than I'd expected, plus the usual extras — fish cakes, seaweed rolls — making it a classic, full-bodied version.
There was plenty of sauce too, so no danger of it running dry. Well, shall I end my appreciation there?
I snatched up my fork and stabbed it deep into a rice cake. After swirling it around to coat it in the sauce, I popped it straight into my mouth.
Nom.
"Th-this flavor?!"
The instant the rice cake hit my tongue, a wave of sweetness followed by a gentle kick of heat washed over me. The sweet and the spicy wove together in perfect harmony, striking a flawless balance.
And layered between them, a medley of subtle flavors delighted my tongue at every bite.
It was as if the God of Tteokbokki himself were standing right before me, bowing in welcome.
Rising to the occasion, I chewed — and the chewy, springy texture delivered that perfect harmony all over again. I had been summoned by the God of Tteokbokki once more!
And then, in the blink of an eye, the rice cake was gone.
But plenty more waited before me, so I stabbed another. And — nom!
"Mmm...!"
My ears flapped, declaring how delicious it was, and my tail could no longer contain itself! Happiness streamed across my face — was this perhaps the land where immortals dwelled?
I am one happy fox!
My next target was the fish cake. It would've been delicious alongside the rice cakes, but first I tried it on its own.
"Mmm!"
The fish cake offered a flavor entirely distinct from the rice cakes!
Whatever fish they'd used, it carried a rich, savory umami. And that umami was anointed with that perfect harmony — how could it taste anything but divine?
I inhaled the fish cakes like a seagull swallowing a whole fish, then set my sights on the seaweed rolls — the ones I'd pre-soaked in the tteokbokki sauce.
I know some people would raise an eyebrow at that, but this is simply how I eat them. Anyway — fork into the seaweed roll, and into my mouth it went.
Nom.
"Mmm..."
But had I raised my expectations too high with everything that came before? Compared to the rest, the seaweed roll felt rather ordinary.
Not that it was bad. If anything, it beat what most places served. It was just that the rice cake and fish cake had been so overwhelmingly good.
So the seaweed roll left me a little deflated.
"Well, it's more of a side dish anyway."
Nothing to be done, I decided, and stabbed another rice cake. This time, though, I speared a fish cake along with it. I planned to eat them together.
Nom nom.
"Mmm..!"
A flavor that pulled a smile out of me whether I wanted one or not!
Absolutely heavenly!
If the lab hadn't been so far away, this was the kind of taste I'd want to eat every single day!
And so, in bliss, I demolished the tteokbokki.
"Today's outing was a resounding success."
After polishing off the tteokbokki and the bead-like ice cream that arrived for dessert, I was thoroughly satisfied with my little expedition.
As I mused that I'd probably come back again, I glanced out the front of the shop — and an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Ah. It's raining."
Indeed. The rain had started coming down.
I definitely checked today's forecast... no, wait. I didn't check it at all, did I?
I smacked my forehead at the mess my past self had created. If I'd actually looked at the weather report, I'd have brought an umbrella.
"Haah. Nothing for it, then. I suppose I'm stuck here until it lets up."
And so I resolved to camp out at the shop. The owner and staff grimaced at my declaration, but that was none of my concern.
"Heh heh~"
I stared blankly at the rain as it grew heavier and heavier. This was the art of doing nothing — or should I call it rain-gazing?
Anyway, after zoning out like that for a good while, something caught my eye.
A man appeared to be talking with an Anomaly — and then started walking off with it in tow.
The man wasn't even afraid of the thing; he was holding its hand. It was too far away to see clearly, but I was certain it had no face.
"Hmm. What should I do about this...?"
I crossed my arms and began to deliberate. Left alone like that, the man would clearly be in danger.
Plenty of Anomalies can charm and enthrall people, and that was probably exactly what this one was doing. The problem, of course, was the rain pouring down outside.
I hadn't brought an umbrella, and I had no desire to get soaked for a stranger's sake. But while I was still weighing my options, a certain human sprang to mind, and I called for him.
"Shopkeeper!"
"Y-yes! What can I do for you?"
The man came sprinting over the moment I called.
Still terrified of me, he was bowing and scraping to an almost pathetic degree. And I intended to squeeze a little something out of him.
"An umbrella... you say?"
"That's right. If you've got one, I'd like to borrow it."
"Ah... understood. One moment, please."
With that, the man hurried back to the counter and retrieved something from inside — an umbrella, as it turned out.
He carried it over and presented it to me with both hands, as if offering tribute to a king. The problem was me, the receiver — honestly, it was excruciatingly uncomfortable.
It had been bearable up to that point, but watching this display made me want to die of awkwardness. Flustered, I hesitated without taking the umbrella, letting out a low hum instead.
"Hmm..."
"I-is something the matter? D-do you... perhaps not like the umbrella?"
"N-no, it's fine."
Snapped out of it by the man's anxious question, I finally took the umbrella. Then, with a word of thanks, I pushed open the shop door.
"Tch. So humid."
Still, I had decided to follow that man, after all.
With that thought to steady my nerves, I popped open the umbrella. Slipping beneath it, I set off down the street.
And of course, I wrapped my tail around my waist to keep it from getting wet.
"Hmm. Lost them already, have I?"
Left with no other choice, I peered into the near future of this whole area. I located the man I'd seen and confirmed where he was headed, then picked up my pace again.
Praying the man would be all right.
I didn't bother looking any further into the future after that.
What if I glimpsed a future where he died? By observing it, wouldn't I have essentially fixed that outcome in place?
Back in the sewers, I'd had no choice. But right now, I did.
So I quickened my pace, chasing after the man and the Anomaly.