Prologue

Summer this year was unusually hot. Day after day, the temperature exceeded thirty-five degrees Celsius, and the heat from the blazing sun was so extreme that the exaggerated term “scorching hell” felt like an apt description. The temperature dipping slightly below thirty-five was enough to make people say, “Oh, it’s not that hot today.”

The thought of becoming accustomed to this heat was terrifying, but at the same time, I was impressed by humanity’s ability to adapt. July’s stifling heat had made me fearful of August, the true height of summer. But when August came, the blaze began to subside. Temperatures were still over thirty degrees, but from time to time, a cool and pleasant breeze would blow through, making me feel that summer was already coming to an end.

“What a nice breeze,” I said, looking up and smiling as I wiped down one of the store’s front windows. “Okay, let’s finish this.” I diligently scrubbed the window with a washcloth.

I’d recently noticed that the display window had gotten a little dirty, but because of the heat, I’d turned a blind eye. Now that the weather had finally become bearable, I’d decided that today would be the day I dealt with it.

I polished all of the windows, including the display one.Is it clean now? I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a step back. I could see my reflection clearly in the display window.

“Okay, that’s good.”

I rel