(Caption) A Local Girl from Afar

He crawled ashore from the icy seawater, collapsing onto the sand, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath. The sea breeze was salty, and in the distance, unfamiliar mountains loomed. A few locals approached, speaking in a language he couldn't understand. He opened his mouth, but no words came out—he had no idea what to say. His mind was blank, his past memories vague and indistinct. He couldn't even recall who he was.

The wind swept across the shore, and a red umbrella caught his attention. It stood there quietly, its ribs adorned with a few blue ribbons that swayed in the breeze. Unable to resist, he crawled toward it and reached out to grasp its handle.

In an instant, an eerie force surged through his body. He trembled violently, sharp pain stabbing through him. The pain faded just as quickly, replaced by an unfamiliar chill. He looked down at his hands—they had grown smaller, the skin smoother, the bones more delicate. His entire body had changed: his shoulders had narrowed, his waist had become slender, and his clothes had vanished, replaced by an elegant Japanese outfit—a white apron over an embroidered kimono, along with ornaments whose names eluded him.

He fell to the ground in shock, noticing that the dagger he once carried for self-defense was still strapped to his leg, but his feet were no longer clad in his old shoes—they now wore a pair of brown boots. Stunned, his mind was suddenly flooded with a stream of new memories—local language, customs, ways of life… everything became crystal clear, yet his past remained a complete void.

She rose to her feet, gazing at the red umbrella, then at the world around her—both familiar and foreign. A sense of calm gradually settled over her. She was no longer who she had been moments ago. She belonged here now.

Later, she opened a restaurant by the sea, serving food to passing travelers and offering help to those who, like her, had once drifted upon the waves. Everyone knew she had come from elsewhere, yet they all regarded her as nothing less than a true local girl.