When the phone rang, Shinichi Iwahashi was sorting out the schedule. He distracted himself, took the earpiece, and said in a businesslike tone, "Hello, I'm Watanabe Making's Iwahashi." ”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and no words were spoken.

"Hello?" he asked again.

There was still silence on the other end of the line. Shin Iwahashi thought it was probably a prank call, and was about to hang up, but after thinking about it, he asked a third time, "Hello?"

The other side finally spoke, "Iwahashi-san, I'm ......"

The voice of a teenage girl who sounded like she was only in her teens, trembling a little.

"Yes, please. ”

After another pause, the person on the other end of the phone reported his name, "I'm Yukiko Okada." ”

"Huh?" Iwahashi was stunned.

Yukiko Okada called him? It's impossible to think about this kind of thing. He thought to himself that he had fallen victim to the legendary phone scam. But the voice on the phone is a little familiar, and the age seems to be right......

Although the ancestor of the phone scam is in RB, it is not coincidental enough to take the name of Yukiko Okada to deceive the people of the art studio, and he is still a person who has seen her and talked to her.

Thinking of this, Shinichi Iwahashi cooperated and said, "Yes, Okada-san." Excuse me?"

"......" was silent again on the other end of the phone.

The phone was connected, which made Yukiko Okada breathe a sigh of relief. However, the cold voice that came from the earpiece at first made her unable to open her mouth. It wasn't until Shinichi Iwahashi took the trouble to ask for a third time that she was sure that it was indeed the person who had encouraged her.

However, after reporting her name, Iwahashi Shin asked her what was wrong, and she couldn't say any more. She wanted to say "thank you" to Shinichi Iwahashi, but his gentle and kind treatment made her feel shaken again.

She wanted to say thank you to Shinichi Iwahashi one last time, but what about after saying that?

Shinichi Iwahashi waited patiently.

"I got your business card from Hayakawa-san. As soon as Yukiko Okada opened her mouth, she confirmed her identity.

She glanced outside the office, pulling down half of the blinds to block the view from outside, but she could still see the figures walking up and down the hallway, and she lowered her voice, "That day, Iwahashi-san's encouragement, I have always remembered it. ”

"So, I wanted to say thank you. On the other end of the phone, Yukiko Okada's voice was a little weak.

"Did you call because of this?" Iwahashi Shinichi was a little surprised, he didn't expect that his casual words would be remembered by her, a popular idol, for so long.

"If that's the case, I'd like to thank Okada-san. ”

"Huh?" Say thank you?

"Yes, thank you for calling. ”

There was silence on the phone again. Iwahashi Shinichi felt that the silence was more heavy on him than embarrassed. After such a long time, a sudden phone call is just to say thank you?

"That," he asked tentatively, "does Okada-san have anything to say?"

The other end of the line still didn't speak.

"If there is, I'll listen. Shinichi Iwahashi said this slowly, then closed his mouth and waited.

The object he was waiting for was not what others saw, the cheerful and smiling idol Yukiko Okada, but Yukiko Okada, who was confused as an ordinary person when he met by chance that day.

"Iwahashi-san......" Finally, Yukiko Okada spoke again.

When Iwahashi Shinichi said that he would listen to her, she suddenly realized that the moment before deciding to commit suicide again, she must call the true intention of the person who had given her a trace of sincere warmth and made her feel grateful.

It's not for the last thought, but for the expectation that he can reach out.

"What should I do, Iwahashi-san?" tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke.

This is the first tear she has shed since she was saved from suicide until now. On the other end of the phone, Shinichi Iwahashi patiently responded and waited, as if he was reaching out to her.

"I'm scared, I'm in trouble......" she gripped the warm palm tightly.

Iwahashi Shinichi listened on the phone, and the more he listened, the more solemn his face became. He couldn't have imagined that Yukiko Okada, who only had two faces, called him when he was in a suicide attempt and was panicked in the face of a mess.

"Okada-san. He said, "Whether or not it is inappropriate to say this now, but I still want to say to you first, you are still alive, and it is really good that I have received this call now." ”

"Great?"

"The thought that I almost couldn't hear this voice makes me feel the preciousness of your life. Iwahashi Shinichi saw a life standing on a trembling wire rope, and he cautiously persuaded him.

Oh, yes. Yukiko Okada recalls that she can't move, and she feels the powerlessness of her life as she passes, and the joy of being reborn when she is rescued, and she also feels the preciousness of being alive. But at the same time, there is the heaviness of being alive.

"I've had a big accident, and I don't know how to end the next thing. ...... My existence is not as precious as you say it is because I have to cause too much trouble to too many people. She said.

"So, is Okada-san going to escape? Leave the situation that you don't know how to end up with someone else?"

"It's not like that......" Yukiko Okada's retort was weak. She knew it was the way to escape. If the first suicide is the ultimate resistance, then the second will to die is the ultimate escape.

"It's okay if you want to run away. I thought that Iwahashi Shinichi was going to educate her, but he said so.

"Actually, I'm also a bit afraid of taking responsibility. He said, "When I was young, I accidentally broke the vase, and because I was afraid of being scolded, I framed the cat who did it." ”

"Lying, aren't you?" said Yukiko Okada, laughing.

"It's true. ”

"Does your family believe it?" Akiko Okada was intrigued.

"It's a bit unbelievable to say that it was the cat who broke the vase, right?" Iwahashi Shinichi smiled silently, "But that time, my mother really believed it and punished the cat." ”

"Huh?"

"Obviously, the cat is innocent, but because I shirked my responsibility, I ended up being a scapegoat cat. Because things have to be settled, but cats can't confront me. If the cat could know the ins and outs, it would have pounced on me and scratched me. ”

Yukiko Okada thought of the scene of the human-cat battle and couldn't help but laugh.

"It's too cunning now, isn't it?"

Yukiko Okada wants to say "yes", and then thinks of the current self who wants to avoid the unknown by dying. If he dies, he will definitely leave everyone with a situation that is a hundred times more difficult to end than it is now.

There are also family members who are far away in Nagoya...... Did Iwahashi-san's mother really believe his words and not favor her son? Yukiko Okada also remembered her family in Nagoya.

Guided by interesting stories, she didn't realize that Shinichi Iwahashi deliberately talked about topics related to her family, so as to quietly evoke her longing for her family.

If he directly said, "Think about your parents and family", it would be no different from directly shouting "Come on Youkiko!", and he was using pressure to force her.

"Actually, breaking a vase is not something that needs to be done by lying to avoid responsibility, but the scary thing is actually 'unknown'. Iwahashi said. "Isn't there such a game as putting your hand into the box and guessing things? Because my eyes are blindfolded, no matter what I touch, I subconsciously associate it with terrible things, and finally scream in fright. ”

What he said seemed to have nothing to do with enlightenment and persuasion, but every sentence was enlightening her. Just like when she was encouraged at the beginning, she said, "Please relax and move forward", gentle and friendly.

Yukiko Okada was completely relaxed in front of him.

"What else does Okada-san want to do besides being a star?" Shinichi Iwahashi suddenly asked.

Yukiko Okada thought for a moment, "If you don't want to be a star, I want to be an illustrator because I like to draw." I like English, and it would be nice if I could work overseas in the future. ”

"It's a great idea to work overseas. "Maybe there's a chance to travel the world." ”

The unknown is scary, but life is infinitely possible. A life with so many possibilities is just able to tolerate these "unknowns".

Yukiko Okada heard the truth from Shinichi Iwahashi's words.

"Iwahashi-san," she asked, "can I call you again after that?"

The palm she was holding on to was so warm. Yukiko Okada thought to herself, she didn't want to let go of this hand.