<h4>Chapter 32: Catching Up ? ? ?</h4>


    "Xin?"


    Xin was surprised to hear a familiar voice calling out his name.


    Turning around, he saw a woman with shoulder length violet hair. She had a gentle aura surrounding her. Her warm, purple eyes were a little nted, and her fairplexion and petite figure gave her a soft and charming appearance. She had a sweet smile that could brighten anyone''s day.


    "Yuzuro?" Xin was surprised to find her here. What was she doing in a ce like this?


    Dressed in a kimono for staff, Xin almost didn''t recognize her.


    "It really is you." Yuzuro''s face brightened. "You finally woke up?"


    Xin nodded, didn''t know how to face her.


    Yuzuro must have sensed that it wasn''t the right ce to chat, so she said, "Uhm . . . It''s actually the end of my shift after thirty minutes. Can we talk after that?"


    When she spoke, her words were filled with empathy, making people feelfortable in her presence.


    Xin nodded. "Okay."


    Xin stood in the pool, silently observing Yuzuro''s figure as she walked away. He couldn''t help but feel puzzled by her unexpected appearance in this unfamiliar ce, so far away from their usual Area.


    Yuzuro had been one of his ssmates back in high school, and he couldn''t help but wonder what had led her to end up in this distant location.


    With Yuzuro''s sudden appearance, Xin''s state of rxation was disrupted. Realizing he needed to prepare for their uing meeting, he made the decision to get up and ready himself.


    Mixed emotions flooded Xin''s mind as he contemted the encounter. On the one hand, he felt a sense of dness at finding a familiar face from the past, someone he could potentially reconnect with.


    On the other hand, he couldn''t help but feel a twinge of embarrassment for seemingly being left behind while others moved forward with their lives.


    Despite not being particrly close, Xin found sce in the fact that it was Yuzuro who had reentered his life. Her kind and honest nature had always made her a likable presence, someone who could effortlessly put others at ease.


    After getting dressed, Xin waited patiently in the lobby, and soon enough, Yuzuro emerged wearing a hoodie and shorts, with a casual sling bag hanging over her shoulders. Her appearance, wrapped in loose clothing, gave her a cute and petite charm.


    "Xin!" Yuzuro''s face lit up with a warm smile as she waved at him. "Sorry, did you wait long?"


    "No, not at all. I just got here," Xin replied, wanted to return her smile, but his face was stuck.


    "Great! Shall we go then?" Yuzuro suggested. "I know a nearby café where we can catch up."


    The café Yuzuro mentioned was just a short five-minute walk from the bathhouse. It was a simple coffee and snack shop situated by the side of the road.


    Once they settled in and ced their orders, Yuzuro began asking Xin about his life.


    "When did you wake up? The whole ss was so shocked and surprised when we heard the news about you being in aa," Yuzuro inquired gently.


    "Just a few weeks ago," Xin replied, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Waking up four yearster was quite a shock."


    "I can only imagine. I''m sorry to hear that, Xin. It must have been really difficult for you," Yuzuro expressed with sincerity.


    Xin remained silent, feeling a lump in his throat. Hearing someone express sympathy, apart from his family, gave him a sense offort he couldn''t exin. Yet, he disliked the feeling of being pitied.


    "Don''t worry about it," Xin said, trying to sound strong. "I''m slowly putting my life back together. But let''s not talk about me anymore. There''s nothing significant that happened with me in the past four years since I was mostly asleep," he joked with a lethargic face. "What are you doing here?"


    Yuzuro''s smile faded, and a sense of awkward tension settled between them.


    "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to," Xin offered.


    "It''s okay. It''s just . . . a long story," Yuzuro replied, taking a deep breath and trying to force a smile. "But to keep it short, my father''spany went bankrupt, and . . . my father. . . he . . . he took his life, and my mother just . . . disappeared." Her voice choked with emotion.


    Yuzuro forced a smile as she continued, "You know that it''s hard to find jobs in Area 40 and below without a college degree, right? So I moved here and started working in the bathhouse. There are also those debt collectors that chased after us, so we don''t have a choice but to move here." Herughter sounded strained, not reaching her eyes.


    Xin was taken aback by her words, and even his paralyzed face showed signs of difficulty in finding the right response. He had thought he had it rough, but hearing Yuzuro''s struggles put things into perspective. He was still lucky to be alive and have his family with him.


    "I''m sorry, Yuzuro. I didn''t know," Xin replied, sincerely concerned.


    Yuzuro shook her head, maintaining her smile. "It''s hard, but I have to be strong for my little brother. I''m the only one he has right now."


    "Don''t you have rtives?" Xin inquired.


    Yuzuro''s smile turned sad as she twirled the straw in her juice. "No one would take us in because they''re afraid to be implicated with my father''s debt."


    ". . ."


    When Xin didn''t reply, Yuzuro nced at him and noticed the seriousness on his face. It was unusual for him to show emotions, so she blushed andughed nervously.


    "But don''t worry about me," Yuzuro said, trying to change the subject. "I''ve got the hang of my new life here, so I''m getting by. My brother is also studying in a high school in this area. Slowly but surely, we''re getting our life back. It''s not like before, but we''re getting by."


    "I see," Xin replied, still unsure of what to say. He wasn''t good with words andforting others.


    "By the way, what are you doing in this area?" Yuzuro asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from her own troubles.


    "You could say that we are in debt right now because of me, so we don''t have a choice but to move here," Xin said straightforwardly.


    "Oh." Yuzuro looked worried, but then she shook her head and beamed. "I think it''s enough of talking about depressive things."


    Her face lit up suddenly. "You still know Rever, right?"


    Rever? The image of a red-haired guy who always seemed ready for a fight, with numerous piercings in his ears, came to Xin''s mind.


    "He''s also here," Yuzuro said. "Wait, let me call him."


    Before Xin could say that it wasn''t necessary since Rever and he weren''t that close, Yuzuro was already on her phone, and within minutes, Rever appeared, rushing and panting.


    "Whoa! It really is Xin!"


    ======


    A/N


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