Tokyo people don't talk about Wude

Chapter 350 347. Shadow of the Christmas Tree (2)

"Thank you so much, Mr. Kyushu!"

In the early morning, the sky was gray and snowflakes were falling gently. This year was a "White Christmas".

In front of the coffee shop covered with light snow, the female manager wearing a brown apron patted Kyushu Makoto's shoulder gratefully.

"My employees said no one wanted to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and you are the only one willing to help!"

"Everyone should have their own lives. After all, this is a festival worth celebrating together." Jiuzhou Cheng responded with a smile: "Don't worry, I will handle it well."

The coffee shop where he often works recently has a branch in the downtown area. It’s not far from the foot of Tokyo Tower, so the number of customers will be very large in the next two days.

Because it is profitable, the store manager would rather pay three times the salary to hire someone than temporarily close the business.

"Manager, good morning!" Another young man hurried to the store door: "I am Hanai Uosuke who contacted you after seeing the job posting the day before yesterday."

"Manager, this is..." Jiuzhou Cheng turned around and suddenly found an acquaintance: "Mr. Hanai, what a coincidence!"

"Oh! You're the one I met in the nursing home before. Your name is Kyushu Makoto, right? What a coincidence!" Hanai Yusuke was also very surprised, his mouth opened wide:

"Come to think of it, I don't know what happened to the nursing home, it suddenly closed down. I don't know where Brother Kiryu went later!"

He must be talking about the pseudonym that Xi Shenjian used when he sneaked into the nursing home. Jiuzhou thought sincerely.

"So you two know each other~" The female store manager clasped her hands together and explained happily: "I almost forgot~ Today, in addition to Mr. Kyushu, Mr. Hanai will also be helping out as a temporary worker. Please give me your guidance, and do your best today!"

"Please give us your guidance!" the two employees responded in a very professional manner.

The coffee shop is not small, with a total of twenty-six tables, not including the seats in the bar area.

The coffee shop's decoration style is Western-style, with soothing jazz music playing. In order to cater to the Christmas atmosphere, the store is specially decorated with festive decorations and an indoor Christmas tree.

According to Jiuzhou Cheng, the main customers of this kind of coffee shop are young people and couples who have a petty-bourgeois taste and want to experience light luxury and romance.

After nine o'clock in the morning, the streets became lively and people came out one after another on the light snow.

Soon, a customer walked into the coffee shop:

"A hot Americano, please."

"Please wait a moment!" Kyushu Makoto poured the coffee beans into the coffee machine skillfully and instructed Hanai Uosuke:
"Mr. Hanai, get me a cup!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!" Hanai Uosuke had obviously worked in a coffee shop before and seemed to be very comfortable with it.

As time approached noon, more and more customers came into the store and the atmosphere became more lively.

In addition to providing drinks such as coffee and milk tea, this store also sells cheap simple meals such as desserts and sandwiches. Fortunately, these foods are pre-prepared dishes, and Kyushu Makoto and Hanai Uosuke are only responsible for taking them out and packing them, and reheating them if necessary.

"Wow! Look, there's Santa Claus on the street!" While waiting for the coffee machine to work, Hanai Uosuke pointed out the window.

"Haha, this is really interesting~" Jiuzhou Cheng also looked out the window and saw several Santa Clauses in red robes giving candies to children in a friendly manner on the street.

"Those are from the Golden Ghost Group." The female manager said casually while wiping the glass.

"The Kinki Group is a gangster?" Hanai Yusuke was quite surprised: "Gangsters actually dress up as Santa Claus and hand out candy?"

"These days, the mafia often organizes charity events~" the female store manager explained, "Or, it should be called [whitewashing activities]~"

"But no matter how much you whitewash it, the underworld is still the underworld." Jiuzhou Cheng was shaking the milk tea vigorously to stir it evenly.

"Please spare me, please don't say such things in my store." The female store manager sighed and said, "Although the underworld is much more peaceful these days than before, I don't want to provoke them."

"Oh, sorry." Jiuzhou Cheng closed his mouth and didn't talk about this topic anymore.

It was soon evening - or rather, there was no evening at all in winter, as it became dark all of a sudden.

The pointer continued to rotate, customers came in batches, and the business volume also increased.

"Hey, Kyushu-san!" After a long time, the wind chimes at the door rang, and Takasawa Takasawa and Takatsuki Genji walked into the coffee shop together.

"Good evening, would you like anything to drink?" Jiuzhou Cheng leaned on the counter with a smile.

"Hey~ I want a large cup of coffee bubble milk tea, full of sugar and no ice." Tang Zeguishang said, looking at the menu.

"Have a cup of American coffee." Genji Takatsuki put his hands in his pockets and tucked his neck into the collar of his ski suit.

"Okay, I'll be right there." Jiuzhou Cheng got busy quickly: "Mr. Hanai, please prepare some milk tea."

"You did a really good job~" praised Takashi Karasawa.

While preparing drinks for the two, Jiuzhou Cheng looked at the time and it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

The streets were decorated with red and green colored lights, and warm crowds of people were surging on the snow-covered streets.

The store is filled with warm lights and is playing the Christmas classic Jingle Bells, but in a jazz version. How many times has it been played? Four times? Five times? It will probably keep playing all night.

"Brother Cheng, I'm here!" Xiao Jing, wearing a cotton jacket, walked into the store and greeted Jiuzhou Cheng in Chinese. Then he ordered a drink and sat at the bar. He was very close to Jiuzhou Cheng's workstation and would occasionally talk to him during breaks.

"Xiao Jingni is here too!" Tang Zeguijiang raised his hand to greet him: "Are you here to accompany Jiuzhou classmate as well?"

"Of course, you too?" Xiao Jing asked with a smile.

"Of course, after all, it would be too tragic to let Kyushu-san work alone on Christmas Eve until the early morning." Tang Zegui took a sip of milk tea and shrugged: "Besides, this place is quite suitable as a place to celebrate Christmas."

"Thank you for your support." Jiuzhou Cheng smiled at them.

The next moment, Tang Zeguijiang came forward and asked in a low voice: "By the way, can you give us free refills later?"

"Hey, this customer~" The female store manager in the distance didn't know if she heard what he said, she crossed her arms and said helplessly:

"You're not going to take advantage of your acquaintance with my clerk and ask him to help you get some [free refill] service, are you? Really, Kyushu Makoto, why do you have so many friends coming to support you? Are you going to have a party at my place?"

"Oh, sorry, haha~" Jiuzhou Cheng patted Tang Ze's head and apologized immediately.

"Well~ Don't worry about it. Tonight is Christmas Eve after all, just relax~" Hanai Uosuke naturally joined in and laughed.

"It's up to you. Just know the limits and don't push your luck." The female store manager was kind-hearted and gave Jiuzhou Cheng some convenience.

"Thank you, manager!" Jiuzhou Cheng nodded slightly in greeting.

After a while, Mizuhashi Eiji and Kamogawa Sakifumi came to the store one after another.

The two of them were wearing winter clothes and dressed up beautifully tonight, wearing delicate light makeup.

"Good evening, senior!" "Good evening, Jiuzhou-kun!"

The two of them greeted Jiuzhou Cheng enthusiastically and sat at the bar closer to Jiuzhou Cheng's workstation.

"Hey, there are so many cute girls around, so stop it~" The female manager patted Jiuzhou Cheng on the shoulder jokingly, but Jiuzhou Cheng did not understand the hint.

At eleven o'clock, Fujii and Koizumi, who were in the same class as Kyushu Makoto, also came to the store one after another. However, they just chatted for a few minutes, said some holiday greetings, and left.

At half past eleven, Suzuki Yuhito pushed the door and walked into the store, accompanied by three girls from the light music club.

Even Kyushu Makoto could see that the atmosphere between the four of them was very subtle. Sawahara Hanami and Suzuki Yujin were closer than before, while the other two girls kept a proper distance.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm a little late~" Suzuki Yujin looked very happy, probably because he had encountered something good: "Merry Christmas Eve everyone!"

Mika Miyako and Fujii Miri said "Merry Christmas Eve" to everyone in a calm manner, while Sawahara Hanami looked shy when she spoke and leaned awkwardly on Suzuki Yuhito.

"Hey, Suzuki Yujin, tell the truth!" His best friend, Karasawa Takashi, was the first to notice something was wrong and asked:
"What happened between you and Sawahara-san? You two..."

"They confessed their love~" Fujii Miri pushed up the frame of her glasses and said first, "After watching the concert, they confessed their love to each other under the Tokyo Tower. The sour smell was unbearable."

"By the way, it was Hanami who spoke first. The bad boy is such a coward, hehehe~" Sanhua Mianzi sneered with a wicked smile.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. We clearly said it at the same time!" Suzuki Yujin quickly retorted: "It's just that I seemed to speak about it a fraction of a second later than her!"

"Well~ we spoke at the same time~" Sawahara Hanami rubbed her blushing cheeks: "But as a boy, Hisahito-kun should speak first next time, and don't be so inarticulate~"

"I'm sorry, Hananami-chan, I will be more careful next time!" Suzuki Yuhito also blushed.

"Damn it, what a disgusting in-laws. One of them is my best friend. I'm so unlucky." Tang Zeguijiang held his fat cheeks and sighed.

After everyone in the light music club sat down, the chat became more lively.

"After we released the new song video for the Christmas special yesterday, the light music club's YouTube account already has 30,000 followers!" Fujii Misaki took out her cell phone to show everyone.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Xiao Jing came over and couldn't help but sigh: "I've thought about making a video before, but I gave up because I was afraid of being embarrassed."

"Everything is difficult at the beginning. With such achievements at the beginning, you will definitely become more and more popular in the future." Jiuzhou Cheng served milkshakes to the students in the light music club and gave Xiao Jing another portion: "Xiao Jing, just do whatever you want to do. Don't be afraid of embarrassment."

"Speaking of which, Suzuki, is it really okay for you to fall in love with the eldest daughter of the Sawahara family?" Tang Zegui pointed two fingers at the two of them: "Reality is not a light novel like "The Young Lady and My Love Brain War". There is a huge gap between you!"

"You're so boring. You're asking me to consider such realistic issues right after I confessed my love to you." Suzuki Yuhito buried his mouth in the coffee cup and blew bubbles quietly.

"So, I will be very strict with Hisahito in the future. At least I will train him to a level where his family can't find fault with him~" Sawahara Hanami leaned on Suzuki naturally, her eyes blurred and dangerous: "You must be prepared and never back down, Hisahito~"

"Okay, okay! As you wish!" Suzuki Yuhito couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling.

"Wow~ The store is so lively~" Two more people walked into the store and greeted Jiuzhou Cheng, but this time they were two adults wearing windbreakers.

Xi Shenjian walked to the counter and held up two fingers: "Two cups of coffee, thank you~"

"Happy Christmas Eve, my dear Kyushu." Officer Takagi took off his hat and pressed it against his chest, smiling.

"Why are you here too?" Jiuzhou Cheng was surprised.

"I happened to meet him when I was doing some work at Tokyo Tower, so I invited him to have a drink with me." Xi Shenjian sat at the bar and snapped his fingers at Officer Takagi: "I heard that you work here, so we came to take a look~"

"My family came to visit me today from my hometown in Ishikawa Prefecture, and I took them to play in Tokyo for a whole day." Officer Takagi explained, "Tokyo Tower is the last stop today, so I asked them to go back first, and I stayed to have a couple of drinks with Mr. Xi Shen."

"You're really interested~" Jiuzhou Cheng served coffee to the two of them: "But since we're going to drink, is it really okay to drink coffee?"

"[Drinking] was just a casual remark. It was mainly to enjoy the atmosphere of [two men drinking and chatting outside late at night]. There's actually no difference between wine and coffee~" Xi Shenjian explained in a tired tone unique to adults.

"Really~" Kyushu Makoto shrugged, and suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Tang Zeguishou: "Mr. Xi Shen, I have a classmate who aspires to be a lawyer in the future. Are you interested in giving him some advice?"

"Who is this?" Following Jiuzhou Cheng's gaze, Xi Shenjian saw the fat boy sitting in the crowd: "Is this him?"

"Yes, it's me!" Tang Zeguijiang was stunned for a moment, then stood up stiffly and bowed to Xi Shenjian:
"Jiuzhou said you're a very good lawyer, so please give me some advice if you can!"

"I can't call myself a great lawyer, I should call myself a 'former lawyer'~" Xi Shenjian scratched his head and smiled modestly: "Tell me, why do you want to be a lawyer?"

"Because... because I think being a lawyer is cool!" Tang Zeguijiang answered with a stern face.

"He watched a TV series called 'Legal Heroes' and developed a fascination with lawyers." Suzuki Yujin helped him recall, "Right?"

"I remember the protagonist who played the lawyer in that drama was Takuya Kimura?" Officer Takagi had obviously also watched this TV series.

"Hehe, then you've found the right person!" Xi Shenjian suddenly became proud: "When I was a lawyer, I was also a handsome guy. My colleagues said that I was the Kimura Takuya of the legal world!" "Really? I don't believe it." Officer Gao Mu scratched his head and took out his mobile phone to search for something: "Let me see if I can find any old photos of you."

"Hey, stop, stop it! Don't be so serious, I'm just kidding!" Xi Shenjian was so scared that he quickly stopped him.

After a while of noise, Xi Shenjian handed the office's business card to Tang Zeguishou:

"I haven't been a lawyer for many years, but if you need advice on this, you're welcome to come visit me."

"Thank you, Mr. Xi Shen!" Tang Zeguijiang respectfully accepted the business card.

"Let me make it clear in advance, being a real lawyer is very hard work, and you can never be like Kimura Takuya." Xi Shenjian patted the fat boy on the back and warned him earnestly: "Be prepared before you step in!"

"Yes, I will remember it!" Tang Zeguijiang nodded vigorously, and the fat on his face swayed.

[Ding dong——! 】

Suddenly, rippling bells rang outside the coffee shop.

Everyone looked out the window at the same time and saw several fireworks flying into the sky, blooming into a sky full of stars in the night sky.

"Ah, it's twelve o'clock!" Suzuki Yuhito shouted, pointing at the clock in the store.

The customers stranded in the store became agitated; some stood up and cheered, while others walked onto the street to admire the fireworks.

"Hey! Let's go out too!" Suzuki Yuhito shouted.

Jiuzhou Cheng looked back at the store manager, who shook his ponytail and said with relief: "Today's operation time ends at 12 o'clock in the morning, so you can go home. But don't forget to come back and clean up the store later. You have worked hard today."

"Thank you, manager!" Jiuzhou Cheng and his friends walked out of the store together.

The cold winter wind bit my face, but I felt warm walking among the crowd.

The red and green fireworks in the sky illuminate the earth and everyone's face.

The nearby clock tower was ringing slowly, and the electronic billboard on the nearby building was playing a rock version of "Jingle Bell" by the Samurai band, which mixed with the noise of people and the sound of fireworks, making people dizzy and in a dream.

Being in the crowd, Kyushu Makoto found that Mizuhashi Eiji, Yagawa Sakifumi, and Xiao Jing were all gathered around him, with the blurry firelight reflected in their eyes, and their mouths opening and closing as if they were saying something, but it was all covered by the noise.

"Senior, I will definitely catch up with you. I will."

"The man I like is someone I've hurt before. I like him but I don't have the right to say it out loud. And I have to compete with my cute junior high school girl for the same man. It's such a sad triple suffering. This is probably my karma~ But I won't give in. I can't admit defeat so easily!"

"Brother Cheng, I owe everything to you. I will keep you in mind in the future and move forward bravely. So, please take care of me next year! You will definitely watch over me!"

Others also whispered their wishes and blessings in this Christmas symphony.

"Let's take this as our goal for Koshien. We will make it next year."

"It's really unpredictable. A little rascal like me can actually make it this far. Whether it's music, my future, or my Hanami-chan, I will hold them all firmly in my hands and will never give up on myself again."

"Being a lawyer shouldn't be as hard as Mr. Xi Shen said. Suzuki and Takatsuki seem to have found their goals in life. I can't be confused anymore!"

"You have to work harder to run the detective agency well next year, Takagi!"

"I know without you telling me that there is still a long way to go!"

Jiuzhou Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, enjoying this rare moment.

"Since I was reborn as 'Jiuzhou Cheng', I have encountered a lot of things~" Jiuzhou Cheng sighed to himself:
"Whether it's happy, sad, indignant, or confusing, every day is a memory worth cherishing for me."

【Jingle Bell--! 】

Jiuzhou Cheng's cell phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Miyamoto Aki.

[Hey, Merry Christmas, Cheng! I'm on winter vacation right now, so I don't have any work arrangements. Want to meet up?] This is Miyamoto Aki's voice.

[Merry Christmas, Lord Kyushu! ] This is Nan Hehui's voice.

"Merry Christmas." Jiuzhou Cheng smiled and said, "Then I'll make an appointment. I look forward to fighting you again!"

After hanging up the phone, another call came, this time it was from Suzumiya Kaoru.

[Merry Christmas, Xiaochunchuan~] The voice on the other end was bright and charming, like the sweet dew of roses mixed with the fragrance of maple leaves:
[Well~ Although I will congratulate you again during the Spring Festival~ How are you doing there? 】

"I'm fine. Where's Sister Kabuki?" asked Kyushu Makoto.

[Listen to me, I have learned a lot recently! The boss of the flower shop just promoted me to chief employee a few days ago. Maybe I can open my own flower shop in the future! ]

"Congratulations! When you open a flower shop, I will definitely visit you!" Jiuzhou Cheng said happily.

After hanging up the phone, Jiuzhou Cheng received several text messages in succession.

Etori Jokiko: [Merry Christmas, Kyushu-san. Please pay close attention to me, your teacher, next semester~]

Ushiwakamaru: [I usually have the habit of greeting important friends during festivals. You are the student, but an old man like me has been taken care of by you this year. Merry Christmas, Kyushu-san~]

Yachuan Maiko: [Merry Christmas, brother Jiuzhou~ Please come to our Yaze House more often in the future! By the way, my husband told you to be careful and not to touch Wenwen casually. After all, it is a holiday with that kind of atmosphere. You might do it carelessly. Haha, my husband is just talking nonsense, please don't take it to heart~]

Kendo Club students: [Merry Christmas, Kyushu! In a few days, during the Spring Festival, would you like to join our Kendo Club's team-building activities? ]

Students from the Art Department: [Merry Christmas, Jiuzhou! Thank you for your care this year! ]

Manager Saito: [I saw your name while flipping through the address book, so I'll send you a text message. Anyway, Merry Christmas, and I hope everything goes well for you. ]

Okuki Maki: [Merry Christmas, Kyushu brother. The public security in Yokohama has been almost restored, and I have also resumed my work. Come visit us when you have time!]

There were some other text messages later, such as from the landlord, neighbors I chatted with, and people I met while working or going out for activities. Everyone sent holiday greetings, but they were just perfunctory group greetings.

Jiuzhou Cheng was about to reply one by one, but was interrupted by another phone call.

The contact person this time is Officer Qing Gong.

"Merry Christmas, Officer Qing Gong!" Jiuzhou Cheng took the initiative to greet after answering the phone: "Are you going to work on Christmas too?"

【.】The other party was silent for a moment, and then replied in a steady tone: [Yes, I have work to do these two days. 】

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Jiuzhou Cheng asked kindly.

[No need, I just want to say Merry Christmas to you, that's all.] Qing Gong Eliza thought about it and deliberately emphasized:
[Just a holiday greeting between the police and civilian helpers, don't get me wrong. ]

"Don't worry, I'm not thinking nonsense." Jiuzhou Cheng was open-minded and had no distracting thoughts: "I am very grateful that Officer Qinggong attaches so much importance to me."

【Hang up.】 Qingmiya Elisa hung up the phone. Just before she hung up, Jiuzhou Cheng vaguely heard her whisper "idiot".

The fireworks faded and everyone said goodbye. Someone suggested that we get together again at the end of the year during the Spring Festival, and everyone agreed.

"Hey~ I'm done cleaning~"

Makoto Kyushu and Uosuke Hanai were left behind by the store manager to clean the store, which was their last job of the day.

The two of them were very efficient and cleaned the store and the kitchen in just half an hour.

“Thank you for your hard work!” The store manager clapped his hands together with a tired smile on his face: “Go home and rest quickly, and report to the store at 8 o’clock in the morning. Remember not to be late~”

"Hey~ It's already one o'clock in the morning~" Hanai Uosuke lay on the table, in pain.

"Why do you think I'm giving you three times the salary?" The female store manager encouraged the two men, "Okay, we'll just have one more day to work on Christmas, and then you can have a good rest! Keep working hard!"

"Okay, see you in the morning." Jiuzhou Cheng rubbed his sore eyes to keep himself alert.

The three of them said goodbye at the door of the coffee shop and went their separate ways.

"Oh, I'm so tired~" Jiuzhou Cheng did not leave immediately, but stood alone under the awning at the door of the store, searching for the navigation route home on his mobile phone:
"There is no last bus at this time. How many hours of sleep can I get when I go back?"

After the Christmas Eve revelry, the streets in the early morning were left with only footprints and silence, so much so that -

A black car stopped in front of the coffee shop, and two men in suits and sunglasses got out of the car, making a rustling sound.

Even the sound of this car was so eye-catching on this street. Jiuzhou Cheng couldn't help but raise his head and look at them.

Two men in suits suddenly stopped in front of the coffee shop and stared at Jiuzhou Cheng.

"You two, the coffee shop is closed." Jiuzhou Cheng was alert, but he still said kindly: "It's getting late, come back tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the men in suits suddenly pulled out a black silenced pistol from his arms and pointed it at Jiuzhou Cheng.

"!!!" Jiuzhou Cheng was startled and quickly twisted his body to avoid the gun. At the same time, he quickly thought about how to quickly grab the gun and then find a chance to escape and ask for help.

He didn't know who these people were or why they threatened him, but the moment he saw the gun he knew he had to react.

However, just as Jiuzhou Cheng was about to make a move, his brain suddenly felt a sharp pain as if it had been electrocuted, as if something inside his brain was about to explode.

“Ah—Ahhh!” He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even move. He could only hold his head and curl up on the ground.

"Your 'hero playing house'. No, 'human playing game' is over." The man in black's voice was heavy and teasing, and he pointed the gun at the boy's forehead;

"Thank you for our charity and for letting you have such a long and sweet dream, P01."

"Bang!" The next moment, fireworks burst out from the silencer barrel.

Jiuzhou Cheng's eyes went dark, and the last thing he saw was the bloody floor and two pairs of leather shoes facing him.

Just like the scene Chen Jiuzhou saw in Akihabara before his death half a year ago.

"."

"."

"P01 has been successfully recovered, and the completion rate has reached 100%." ​​The man in black on the left took out a strange device and scanned Jiuzhou Cheng who was lying on the ground, then whispered into the headset: "It has been confirmed that there are no surveillance cameras nearby, and there are no witnesses."

"He has the little toy of the Investigator's daughter in his hand." The man in black on the right reminded: "Remember to neutralize it to avoid trouble."

"Understood." The man in black on the left, number one, listened to the command in the headset and nodded, "Next, take P01 back to the laboratory."

"Okay, I'll move it to the car, and you clean up the scene~"

"Let's do it this way. Be quick."

"Everything is for the realization of KJ's dream and for the immortal master."

"Everything is for KJ's dream, for the immortal master~"

On Christmas Eve, snowflakes fell softly to the ground. The silver snow turned to ash, and nothing was left.

(End of this chapter)