Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK

Chapter 43 Heavy rain is coming
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the drizzle in Tokyo turned into heavy rain.

Bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky. The cold wind and rain drove away the high temperature of the previous few days. The thick rain curtain seemed to wrap the whole city.

Amidst a series of intensive clattering sounds, small puddles formed on the road at the entrance to the residential area.

Raindrops fell into the water, causing ripples that never stopped. The ripples blurred the dark sky reflected in the water, and also blurred the huge light billboard playing advertisements in the distance.

"Here are the items you purchased, totaling 6700 yen. Would you like to pay by cash or card?"

Inside a chain convenience store near Bunkyo Ward.

Ryoko Hamabe, wearing a cashier uniform, looked at the middle-aged woman in front of her with heavy makeup and forced out a slightly stiff smile.

The series of events that happened in the past few days made it impossible for her to show her usual business smile.

"Why are you smiling so reluctantly?"

The middle-aged woman frowned, and her tone became more sarcastic. "If you don't want to laugh, don't laugh. The prostitutes on the street laugh more sincerely than you."

"you……"

Ryoko Hamabe's chest heaved violently several times and she clenched her back teeth.

But in the end, she endured it.

She needs money now.

We can't lose this only source of income.

"Excuse me, sir, would you like to pay by cash or card?"

She lowered her eyebrows, quickly adjusted her mood, and forced a smile.

"cash."

The middle-aged woman's brows furrowed even more.

She looked at Hamabe Ryoko with disgust, and threw out a piece of Yukichi as if giving alms.

The banknotes flew through the air, passed over the cash register, and landed on the floor next to the cash register.

"Excuse me, could you please pick it up?"

The middle-aged woman said she was sorry, but there was no trace of apology on her face, and her narrow eyes were full of smugness.

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe closed her eyes and her chest heaved violently several times.

calm! calm!
I can't lose this job!
Grandma is still waiting for me!

After taking a deep breath, she loosened her clenched fists.

All the emotions that were about to explode turned into a light sentence.

"Okay, wait a minute."

She turned around, squatted down, picked up the note, and completed the checkout with a stern face.

"Here is your change of 3300 yen. Please keep it."

"Remember to smile more sincerely next time."

After putting away the change, the middle-aged woman twisted up the plastic bag, opened her umbrella, and walked into the rain with a proud look on her face, as if she had won a great victory.

Hamabe Ryoko said nothing and lowered her head silently.

She hasn't encountered such a situation for a long time.

You can't do anything about someone who deliberately finds fault with you and makes things difficult for you.

Rumble, rumble of thunder.

The sky became increasingly darker as it was raining heavily.

Time slowly passed until four o'clock in the afternoon.

The sky was so dark that it seemed like it was only half a step away from plunging into the night.

There are not many customers in the convenience store at this moment.

"Hamabe, come here for a moment."

A sturdy man in his early forties raised his hand and greeted Hamabe Ryoko.

He is the manager of this convenience store.

"Hai (hai)"

Hamabe Ryoko forced herself to cheer up, responded, and walked up to the store manager.

"I just received a complaint call. A customer said that your smile was very forced when you were cashing."

The store manager considered his words carefully but decided not to say the harsher words that came from the other end of the line.

——The original words of the sharp female voice were that if she was unwilling to serve with a smile, she might as well go to the street to engage in prostitution.

"But don't worry too much. I've dealt with it." The store manager paused and tried to negotiate in a gentler tone. "Of course, if we have the energy to spare, we should try to pay attention to facial expression management, okay?"

He knew about the changes in Hamabe Ryoko's family, and he felt sorry for this little girl who depended on her grandmother and was extremely nimble, but he was the manager of this convenience store chain, and he had to follow the necessary procedures.

The only thing he could do to take care of her was to increase her hourly wage slightly on the grounds of "excellent work".

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe was silent for a moment, and the heavily made-up face appeared in her mind again.

Don’t be angry, it’s not worth it. Don’t punish yourself with other people’s emotions!

After comforting herself with a few words, she suppressed her turbulent emotions.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. I will pay more attention to my smile in the future."

She lowered her head, bit her lip, and said this sincerely.

She had no explanation.

In this case, explanations are of no use.

Besides, she also knew that from the perspective of the store manager, he had done enough.

"Don't think too much. Let's stop here for today. Next, you take a rest and I will take your place."

The store manager stood up, greeted her, motioned for her to sit down, and then walked towards the cashier counter.

Just by listening to the phone call, he could imagine how mean the woman on the other end of the line was on a daily basis.

He could see that Hamabe was very tired and needed time to adjust.

"Excuse me."

Ryoko Hamabe nodded slightly and did not reject the manager's kindness.

After watching the store manager disappear among the shelves, she slumped down in the chair as if all the strength in her body had been drained.

The white light from overhead poured down and cast a shadow on her face.

White halos were reflected in her eyes.

The soft lights of the past suddenly became inexplicably dazzling at this moment.

call.

She let out a breath and raised her hands to cover her face, her mood becoming increasingly worse and worse.

The howling wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the store manager at the cash register had no choice but to close the glass door that opened outwards.

Boom!

The sound of rumbling thunder rang out again.

A few seconds later, a bolt of lightning as thick as a giant snake pierced through the thick clouds and lit up the entire sky.

As if it was foreshadowing something.

Buzz. Buzz.

Suddenly, the cell phone in Hamabe Ryoko's shirt pocket vibrated.

Oh, can't you let me take a break?

Sighing deeply in her heart, Hamabe Ryoko weakly picked up the phone and glanced at the caller.

The words on the screen were reflected in those tired eyes.

【Dr. Morikawa】

This is the hospital's phone number.

call.

Ryoko Hamabe immediately sat up, patted her cheek lightly with her free hand, rubbed her face vigorously, adjusted her mood, forced a smile, and answered the phone.

"Hello, Dr. Morikawa, what's going on?"

A tired female voice came from the other end of the phone.

The doctor named Morikawa didn't exchange pleasantries or small talk, but went straight to the point, "Hamabe, we have double-checked your grandmother's condition.

"The results of the second preoperative examination showed that Hamabe Rie's actual condition was much more serious than the initial examination.

“The specifics of her gastrointestinal tumor were much more complicated than we initially thought, and the surgical plan needed to be changed.

“That is to say, the cost of surgery and subsequent recovery costs are much higher than the figure I told you before.

“Through your grandmother, I also got a general idea of ​​your family’s financial situation.

"Honestly speaking, from a personal standpoint, I would recommend that you transfer to a larger hospital to complete the surgery.

“The success rate will be much higher, and the probability of complications will be much lower, but the cost may be higher, but this is indeed the treatment option with the highest success rate and the cheapest in the long run.

"Of course, if you insist on completing the surgery here, that's fine too.

"But as for the success rate, I can only say I will try my best."

After saying that, Yuri Morikawa sighed silently and took off his mask.

She talked a lot with Hamabe Ryoko's grandmother, Hamabe Rie.

I know clearly how difficult it is for this pair of grandparents and grandchildren who depend on each other for survival. I also know how much of a blow it would be to Hamabe Ryoko if I said these words.

But that's why she had to tell it.

There is only one disease in the world, and that is poverty.

There was nothing she could do.

"..."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time.

It took a full half minute for Hamabe Ryoko to respond.

"Dr. Morikawa, can I ask you how much the surgery would cost if we went to a better hospital? Just, roughly?"

There was a hint of caution and obvious uneasiness in Hamabe Ryoko's tone.

"Including the cost of recovery after surgery, it will probably be close to three million yen."

Yuri Morikawa gave a truthful answer.

"What about you guys?"

"About two million four hundred thousand yen."

"Okay, I understand the situation. Thank you for informing me. I have something else to do here, so I'll hang up now."

"Ok."

After hanging up the phone, Hamabe Ryoko closed her eyes, and the feeling of powerlessness and suffocation enveloped her like a tide.

The white light was slightly cold, and she felt inexplicably cold.

By five o'clock, the heavy rain was pouring down in torrents.

Ryoko Hamabe changed into casual clothes, opened an umbrella, and walked into the rain carrying two discounted lunch boxes that the store manager had stuffed in her hands.

All she had on her now was 1.8 million yen.

There is still a full 1.2 million yen short of 3 million yen.

Even if we take a step back, there is still a gap of 600,000 yen to 2.4 million yen.

She had no idea where to get the money.

pat pat pat.

The sound of rain was getting louder and louder, and the rain from the sky seemed to be pouring down completely. At this moment, the city seemed to be completely submerged in the heavy rain.

Wow.

Suddenly, a white car sped past her.

The accumulated water caused by the tires splashed and wet her shoes and trouser legs.

The cold rain soaked her skin almost instantly.

Ryoko Hamabe hesitated for a moment before taking a step, but soon she took another step.

It's okay, Ryoko.

As long as you persist, you will see hope.

As she thought this in her mind, she inexplicably felt a little numb, and the mental pressure was becoming more and more overwhelming, making it hard for her to breathe.

The convenience store where she works is 2.1KM away from Yaleju.

Before my grandmother was diagnosed with the disease, she always felt that the walk home was very short and she would arrive there before she knew it.

But today, she felt that the road was so long.

It's so long that there's no end in sight.

What she saw was an impenetrable rain curtain, and she was the only one on the road.

It’s raining and so cold.

Negative thoughts popped up in my mind one after another.

If I had been more obedient, would my mother not have left me?
If I had been more sensible, would my grandma not have gotten sick?

If I save a little more, will I be able to afford the surgery?

……

It seems that I have never been sensible enough and have never been able to meet their expectations.

Hamabe Ryoko bit her thin lips until blood oozed out.

The doctor's voice seemed to ring in her ears again. The astronomical surgery fee was like an invisible hammer, hitting her heart hard. The severe pain and suffocation made her dizzy for a while.

Bang!
Suddenly, her feet slipped.

The world was spinning around her and she lost control of her body.

By the time she came to her senses, the tingling pain in her knee had already spread across her cerebral cortex.

Ryoko, stay strong!

She pursed her lips, tilted her head, and glanced at the thing that tripped her.

——It was a slippery ground soaked by rain.

call.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the negative emotions surging in her heart, stood up, and looked for an umbrella and lunch box.

The umbrella was pressed under her body when she slipped and broke in half, and the discounted lunch box in her hand was thrown out.

Most of one box was spilled, and the other box was completely soaked by the muddy water from the drain.

The cold rain soaked her clothes and wet her cheeks.

She could no longer tell whether it was the rain or her tears that was cold.

Ryoko, stay strong!

She gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and stood up limping.

She stood in the rain, holding up the half-broken umbrella beneath her, then moved her feet, put the half-spilled discounted lunch box into a plastic bag, raised her eyebrows, and took a step forward stubbornly.

It’s okay, home is almost here!
She comforted herself in this way.

The distance of seven hundred meters seemed so long at this moment.

Fifteen minutes later, she returned to the gate of Yaleju.

Leaning on the familiar wooden handrail and stepping onto the stairs, Hamabe Ryoko's mood finally calmed down a little.

Tapping.

The wet shoes left clear footprints on the wooden stairs.

The not-so-sensitive light in the second-floor corridor came on, and she arrived at her door.

Unconsciously, her body began to tremble for no apparent reason.

"It's okay, Ryoko, we're home!"

She whispered to herself to comfort herself, reached out and touched her wet pocket.

There is only a cell phone in the bag on the left, and nothing in the bag on the right.

"I remember I put it in my right pocket..."

Her voice trembled unconsciously, and she touched her bag on the right side hard, and then touched the left and right pockets of her shirt.

The feeling of emptiness inside suddenly penetrated her.

She felt as if her heart was being pinched at this moment.

"I clearly remember that I put it in my right pocket..."

She repeated it in a low voice, her voice becoming slightly nasal.

She seemed to have lost her key to go home.

The lights in the corridor suddenly dimmed.

Click.

The string in her heart seemed to break as well.

"Ryoko, I want..."

The surging emotions burst out, preventing her from uttering the words to comfort herself.

She seemed to have lost her soul, her body swayed and she fell to the ground.

Boom!

The rain was pouring down, and the cold raindrops hit her soaked clothes.

As the chill spread, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She suddenly felt very cold.

Why does life treat me like this?

Ryoko Hamabe buried her head between her legs, her arms trembled slightly uncontrollably, and she began to sob softly.

mom.

She sobbed.

Ryoko, I miss you so much.

It’s so hard to be alone.

Two-in-one, please give me a ticket.

Thanks to Chao Dianzhi for the reward of Huahuo Qingyin, and thanks to Jiang Fenglian Yuhuo, Honglian Zhihuo, Nacmie, and Xiaoyao Mitang c3 for their monthly tickets. Your support is my motivation for writing.

Wow, please read it and vote for me
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(End of this chapter)