23: The One Rule

Tom couldn’t hide his surprise when Rena suddenly appeared in front of him.
He found himself at a loss for words.
At the same time, he noticed that his body and clothes had returned to normal.
He held out both hands and began opening and closing his fists, testing them.

“Pfft, what are you doing? Guess I caught you dodging the question again.”

Rena stood up with a giggle and turned toward the swings, walking away.

“Rena! I’m sorry about the other day!
The first thing I wanted to do when I saw you was apologize!”

Tom jumped to his feet, mesmerized for a moment by the way her beautiful hair swayed behind her—
when suddenly, something at his feet made him shout.

“Wait—I’m barefoot!? Where did my shoes go!?”

Rena stopped and turned back to him.

“Aren’t you always barefoot in the sandbox? You said your shoes would get dirty.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s… I’m not a kid anymore.”

“So you do want shoes?”

“Of course I do. Where did they even go?”

Tom looked down at his sandy feet as he answered.

“Tom, I think you’re really confused right now…
Actually, I think you’re trying too hard to hold in your feelings. So please, listen carefully.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“There’s just one rule. Only one.
I know your personality, so I’ll explain it in a way that won’t make you panic.”

Her tone was more serious than usual, and it made Tom tense up a little.

“W-What is it? Is this gonna be something bad?”

“Whatever you see from now on—don’t doubt it. Just believe.
Even the tiniest bit of doubt will ruin everything. That’s how this world works.”

Tom stared at her, stunned, watching as she gently closed her eyes… and opened them again.
Then, without warning, Rena pointed to his feet.

“Those shoes okay? Sorry, they’re not your usual sneakers.”

“Ah!! These are… sandals!?”

Tom blurted out, startled by the odd tickling feeling on his toes.
At some point, he’d ended up wearing a pair of green sandals.
When he looked down at them, Rena burst out laughing, covering her mouth with both hands.

“Sorry… I just couldn’t help it. I imagined what you might come up with, Tom…
And I thought, yeah, this is exactly the kind of weird thing you would do… Ahaha!”

“These are…bumpy sandals, aren’t they? The kind with the little bumpy things on the soles.
Wait, more importantly—what is this—?”

“Nope! Just accept it! That’s how it is, so no doubting, okay!?”

Tom, a devoted fan of the foot massage mat in his home bathroom,
was instantly charmed by the sandals’ oddly satisfying feel.
The tension in his body melted away, and he finally felt relaxed again.

“For now, how about we sit on the swings? You always talk about ‘priorities,’ right?
We need to sort some stuff out and have a proper talk.”

Feeling like he could finally calm down and think straight,
Tom followed Rena without protest, walking quietly behind her toward the swings.