Fantasy Library.

Chapter 518 Encounter at the Slope

Afterwards, Genjuro Kurama told Aize about the characteristics and name of the person he was going to pick up.

"Her name is Lena Lichtnawa, she's from Northern Europe, and she's the same age as you. If she transfers here, she should be in the same class as you. Although she's a foreigner, she's been learning to speak Japanese, so you shouldn't have any communication problems."

Kurama Genjuro gave a concise introduction, which surprised Aize.

"Not only is she a high school student my age, but she's also a girl?"

You should know that working in a hotel is by no means easy.

Aize had worked for Shinato-sou before with Kurama Miyako, and all I can say is that if he hadn't been consistently training, he definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Not only is entertaining guests troublesome, as they are all from foreign countries and there are communication barriers, but misunderstandings can also cause trouble and conflict. Even the logistical work is incredibly troublesome; it's absolutely impossible not to be exhausted by the end of the day.

Although it was thanks to this that Aize was able to develop good foreign language skills, and that he would eventually get used to it and even use it as part of his physical training, it was still a hassle. Even now, Aize still finds working at the hotel troublesome.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhina Village was his maternal grandfather's property, and his mother had invested in it and held shares, meaning he would eventually receive a share of the profits, Aize wouldn't have wanted to come and help during his holidays.

It's understandable that he was surprised that a girl his age was willing to do such a troublesome job.

"Could it be that they were tricked by an unscrupulous agent?"

Even Aize had such suspicions.

"Stop slandering me. The person who introduced me is an acquaintance of mine, and they also have connections with the applicant's family. Otherwise, they wouldn't feel comfortable letting a young girl come abroad to work, or even transfer to another school here."

Kurama Genjuro immediately clarified, and also told Aize that the reason the other party was willing to do this job was that he seemed to really like the culture here.

Although Aize still had some doubts, his grandfather wasn't the kind of unscrupulous boss who would cheat people, so he accepted the task with some skepticism.

The other party will arrive in Suizhi in the afternoon, and it's around seven in the morning now, so there's plenty of time and no need to rush.

Right then, Aize leisurely ran back home.

Along the way, Aize also bought some groceries to prepare breakfast for himself and Chaowu Anqing.

But when Aize returned to the Asahi family, he was somewhat surprised to find that Hitachi Mako had actually returned.

"Ah, Lord Aize."

Hitachi Mako, who was wiping the table, immediately stood up when she saw Aizawa enter.

"Good morning, Master Aize."

She was all smiles, full of energy and vitality, clearly unaffected by yesterday's events, and looked like she had had a good night's sleep at home.

"You've arrived, Hitachi," Aize said with some surprise. "Good morning. Since you're here, it means Miss Asahi is back too, right?"

As he spoke, Aize subconsciously looked to the other side of the corridor, hoping to see if he could spot that sleepy-eyed figure.

pity……

“No, Lady Yoshino hasn’t returned yet.” Hitachi Mako shook her head and said, “She went to bed a little late last night, so she probably won’t be able to get up this morning. I didn’t want to disturb her, so I came here by myself first.”

At this point, Hitachi Mako couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

She brought Asagi Yoshino home for two reasons: first, to help her change her mood, and second, to give her some pointers.

Her mistress seemed mature and composed, but was actually incredibly naive, like a child in many ways, and somewhat oblivious to matters of the heart. If possible, Hitachi Mako hoped that she would become more perceptive and not panic in the events to come.

However, Hitachi Mako herself has never been in a relationship or dated anyone, so even if she wanted to give Asatake Yoshino some guidance, she wouldn't know where to start.

So she simply took out all the shoujo manga she had collected at home and let Yoshino Asatake read them herself.

Her understanding of love also came from shoujo manga.

In that case, Lady Yoshino should also be able to gain some inspiration from this.

With this in mind, Hitachi Mako shared her collection, which sparked a frenzy among Asatake Yoshino.

This shrine maiden, who had never befriended anyone, let alone dated anyone, was completely captivated by the world of shoujo manga, as if she had discovered a new continent...

Yes, Yoshino Asatake stayed up all night reading those shoujo manga.

On the other hand, Hitachi Mako had already fallen asleep and was sleeping soundly.

As a result, when she woke up, the first thing she saw was Yoshino Asabu, who had dark circles under her eyes but was still engrossed in reading shoujo manga with her eyes shining.

This terrified Hitachi Mako, who quickly stopped Asatake Yoshino and forcefully made her go to sleep.

Therefore, Yoshino Asagi hasn't gotten up yet, while Mako Hitachi, considering that there are still chores waiting for her here, came over first.

She wasn't worried that Yoshino Asagi would be unable to find anyone when she woke up, because Murasame was still there taking care of her.

When Asagi Yoshino wakes up, she will naturally learn about Hitachi Mako's whereabouts from Murasame and return with Murasame.

"Is that so?" Aize nodded with a rather subtle expression, whether disappointed or relieved. She then handed the vegetables in her hand to Hitachi Mako and said, "I just bought these. Now that you're here, you can take care of them."

"Okay." Hitachi Mako took it without saying a word, and said a little embarrassedly, "Thank you so much, even though this is my job."

"It was just a quick thing, don't worry about it," Aize said nonchalantly. "I'm going to take a shower first. You probably don't need to use the bathroom yet, right?"

"Yes, yes." Hitachi Mako said somewhat awkwardly and blushingly, "I'll take a shower last, so please feel free to use it, Lord Aize."

After Hitachi Mako said that, Aize suddenly remembered that this girl also had the habit of taking a shower in the morning.

The difference is that he took a cold shower after his morning exercise to wash off the sweat, while Hitachi Mako cleaned the bathroom last after finishing all the housework and took a shower at the same time.

Thanks to this, Aize was able to barge into the bathroom that day without knowing what had happened, and see her completely naked...

Clearly, Hitachi Mako had also remembered this incident, which is why she was embarrassed and blushed.

Aize also unconsciously looked at Hitachi Mako's body, then quickly looked away, looking unnatural.

"........."

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat unbearable.

"I'm going to prepare breakfast!"

Hitachi Mako was the first to lose her temper and ran away on the spot.

She was also incredibly agile; before she could even finish speaking, she had already vanished, almost leaving Aize unable to keep up.

"...As expected of a ninja."

Aize could only sigh and walk into the bathroom.

I have things to do this afternoon, so I'll finish my homework this morning.

…………

One p.m.

After finishing lunch without Asagi Yoshino, both Asagi Yasuharu and Hitachi Mako went about their own business.

Cong Yu did not return, and Aize returned to his solitary state.

However, it was time to do what Grandpa had entrusted to me. "He should have arrived by now, right?" Aize wasn't sure, muttering to himself, "I should have gotten his contact information."

Not only is there no contact information, but there isn't even a photo of the person. Expecting to pick them up under these circumstances is really asking too much.

Kurama Genjuro, on the other hand, didn't think it was a big deal.

"There are very few ways to get to Suizhi. Just wait at the station and you'll eventually find your destination."

This is Kurama Genjuro's version of events.

That makes sense, so Aize decided to go check out the station first.

He put on casual clothes, sheathed the Murakumaru sword he had been maintaining and wiping, placed it on the sword rack in the corner of the room, and then left the room.

Hitachi Mako was still washing dishes in the kitchen, while Asabu Yasuharu had gone to the shrine and could not be seen.

Because he had already told Hitachi Mako about picking her up, Aizawa didn't need to say hello to her. He simply walked out of the Asabu residence and went out onto the street.

At this time of day, the streets are no longer as quiet as they were when it was just getting light in the morning. Instead, they are bustling with people, presenting a lively scene.

Foreign tourists who were clearly not from the country kept brushing past Aize, and the local residents of Suizhi did not notice Aize, who was dressed in modern casual clothes and mixed in with the crowd. Otherwise, according to previous practice, once he was recognized, he would probably be the subject of much gossip.

Of course, as time went on, Aize, who was walking so casually on the street, was eventually recognized by some people.

"Isn't that the priestess's...?"

"The one who drew the divine sword?"

"engagement……"

Aize vaguely heard such words or phrases, which made him frown.

Seeing that a disturbance was about to occur, Aize had no choice but to change course.

"Let's take the side road. If we continue on the main road, we'll probably be surrounded sooner or later."

To be honest, Aize never expected to become so prominent in his mother's family home.

I still remember the last time I attracted so much attention was when I participated in the National Kendo Championship as a "Kendo genius" and made it to the semi-finals.

He was just as eye-catching back then, and was even frequently filmed in the face, but if we're talking about feeling uncomfortable, this time was more uncomfortable.

There's no way around it; being famous on TV and being famous in your family are two different things. Aize is the type who feels embarrassed in front of acquaintances but can be at ease in front of strangers, ignoring everyone and everything around her.

Because those people are irrelevant to me, I can ignore their opinions no matter what I do.

Aize feels uncomfortable in front of people who are close to him.

All I can say is that caring and not caring are two different experiences.

"It's much better here."

As Aize walked into the alley, he noticed that the crowd around him was thinning out until he was all alone, and he immediately relaxed his shoulders.

Until he came to the bottom of a slope surrounded by cherry blossom trees.

"Step aside--!"

A gasp suddenly rang out from above the slope, causing Aize to stop in his tracks as he was about to take a step forward.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

As the exclamation turned into a wail, Aize saw a figure rushing down the slope at high speed, heading straight for him.

"...!"

Aize's eyes narrowed, and just as the other party was about to bump into him, he took a step without hesitation and suddenly moved to the side.

The man brushed past Aize before he could react or brake, passing where Aize had been standing, and was about to continue rushing forward.

Upon seeing this, Aize almost instinctively reached out and, with lightning speed, grabbed the other person's clothes from behind.

He wanted to save the other person.

Judging from the other person's appearance, it was clear that he couldn't stop in time and ran uncontrollably down the slope. His legs were indeed pedaling very fast, but not a single step was voluntary.

Azer, acting on instinct, naturally stepped in to help without hesitation.

However, he underestimated the force of the other party's downward thrust, as well as the resilience of the clothes he was holding onto.

"His!"

With a crisp tearing sound, the opponent continued to fly out, and Aize now held a piece of... no, two pieces of cloth in his hand.

"Oh!"

The figure, whose momentum had not diminished, crashed heavily to the ground, causing Aize to instinctively close his eyes.

"Ooh...it hurts so much...o(╥﹏╥)o"

A short while later, the other person stood up unsteadily, covering their reddened forehead, their eyes brimming with tears.

"Are you okay?"

As Aize opened his eyes, he prepared to approach.

But when he opened his eyes and saw the other person's condition, his eyes widened suddenly, and he froze, completely stunned.

"It hurts so much... It feels like I'm seeing my grandma..."

The other person seemed to have been hit quite hard, looking like they were seeing stars, and was walking unsteadily as they approached Aize.

However, not only was the other person walking unsteadily, but other parts of their body were also swaying back and forth. The exaggerated and unrealistic scene left Aize with a frozen face, unable to react for a long time. He felt that his mind and soul had suffered a severe shock.

While he was feeling extremely confused, the other person finally caught his breath, seemed to regain some clarity, and saw Aize standing in front of him with a stiff expression.

"Hmm?" The other person was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "You are...?"

Before the answer to this question could be given, the other party saw the two tattered pieces of cloth in Aize's hand.

"Huh?" The other person was taken aback again, and asked in confusion, "These clothes... why do they look so familiar?"

Just as this question arose, a gust of wind blew by.

The girl, feeling a chill on her skin, stared blankly down at the sight...

next second...

"Eaaaa-!!!"

Screams erupted.

The sound pierced the sky.

(End of this chapter)