Until a month later at dusk, he showed up in my shop again.
Of course, this time he came to pick up medicine.
I knew he would come back, so I had the medicine prepared in advance.
"How have you been lately?" I finished tidying up the books on the table and shifted my gaze to him.
He still didn't speak much, just nodded quietly. I noticed that his complexion was still a bit pale, but it seemed to have improved compared to his last visit, probably because he hadn't been caught in the rain this time.
"Take good care of yourself... Here, the medicine you need." I actually wanted to chat with him a bit more, but I hesitated because he might not have any intention of talking. In the end, I decided not to push it.
I just provided him with the necessary medicine for his illness and received the payment in return. My relationship with him was no different from my other customers. That was enough.
"Thank you, Mr. Yoshida."
He politely thanked me again.
I responded with a nod, thinking he might be ready to leave, so I didn't say much more.
Suddenly, Itachi paused, looked at the medicine in his hand, and asked, "Mr. Yoshida, have you ever had suspicions about your customers?"
I hadn't really considered Itachi's question before. Occasionally I wondered about strange customers but only for a few seconds. I didn't possess anything that would make others jealous or plunder, so I didn't have much to worry about.
"Mr. Itachi, I'm just an ordinary pharmacist, nothing special. I can only provide the right medicine to patients. I don't have anything worth worrying about."
I blurted out this response without much thought. I was speaking the truth.
"Then you've never doubted someone like me?"
Itachi's question made me realize that he wanted to know why I had allowed him to stay overnight that one night, and why I had prepared medicine for him without asking too many questions. Indeed, compared to the other people I had encountered, Itachi was quite peculiar. Moreover, I didn't know anything about his background or experiences. All I knew was his name was Itachi; I didn't even know his last name.
The memories of that rainy night flooded back to me—the pale, young face, the sharp and cold gaze, and the absurd prescription.
"If I encountered a violent criminal, it would be a misfortune. However, my luck has never been that bad. If a robber came for my money, I wouldn't be worth much."
I joked, but at that time, I hadn't really thought too deeply about it. Everything had been driven by sympathy and compassion for a somewhat destitute young man.
Itachi raised an eyebrow slightly but remained composed.
"Besides, a troublesome guy who keeps thanking and apologizing isn't likely to be a bad egg."
It was just a childish jest, but I didn't expect Itachi to react with a fleeting hint of emotion in his eyes.
Looking back years later, I realized that my offhand remark had touched something in Itachi, something that had been frozen and numb for many years.
"Mr. Yoshida, you're truly an innocent person," he said with his eyes closed and a slight shake of his head.
"Sometimes, life isn't that complicated. To be a person, you need to be a bit dull." Looking back now, I realized my words were arrogant. If I had known about his dark past, I probably would have kept my mouth shut.
"But when it comes to handling matters, one should be sensitive, shouldn't they?" Itachi's tone was calm but unyielding.
I was momentarily at a loss for words by his question, and I didn't respond further. My gaze fell on the list of medicines I had prepared earlier that morning.
Perhaps he was right.
Life itself wasn't simple.
Just like me now, working day and night to make a living.
Just like the young man in front of me, drifting in a foreign land day by day.
I sighed and smiled wryly. The young man in front of me was surprisingly mature in his thoughts. He didn't seem like kids in his age at all.
He just looked at me faintly, and in that gaze, there was a loneliness that I couldn't fully understand. "Mr. Yoshida, I will come back."
With that, he nodded slightly and left my shop, disappearing behind the door.
I stared at the dim light and shadows left by the setting sun outside the door, and as the last light of dusk faded into night, I couldn't help but feel that Itachi had left a mark on my life, even if it had felt like a dream.