I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 30 Orphanage

It seems that Chinatsu Morita's side is very efficient. On Sunday, news came that they had detained the man named Takashi Yamamoto on suspicion of intentional homicide.

The news was broadcast even faster, appearing on television on Saturday night.

However, Sakura Kazama and Gen Tsukino's personal information was still removed, and they did not give any interviews, so naturally they were not on camera.

Kazama Sakura doesn't accept interviews because she's worried about her family recognizing her and causing unnecessary trouble. Tsukino Gen, on the other hand, simply doesn't like being on camera. Becoming a household name and leaving an impression on the public would have some impact on him.

This is why, despite having such a handsome face and a slender, well-proportioned figure, he doesn't become a model or an internet celebrity.

Sunday was a bit overcast, which seemed to be evidenced by the lack of starlight last night.

However, Tsukino Gen's route remained unchanged: morning run, then to that rainbow-like bridge, where he jumped off from a blind spot in the camera's view.

Like a fish returning to the sea, it crawls up wetly on the shore and then evaporates all the moisture with its own internal energy.

This time it wasn't an illusion. After meditating cross-legged last night, the spiritual energy he absorbed seemed to have become more concentrated again, much like the situation after Yamazaki Jihei's accident last time.

Tsukino Gen doesn't know exactly why, but his senses are never wrong. If there's anything in common between the two times when the spiritual energy he absorbed became abundant, it's that some 'accidents' happened on that day.

In real life, this might seem abstract and vague, but if applied to a game, it can be considered a plot event.

Whether it's a major event or a minor event, will it cause the spiritual energy you need to become abundant?
In other words, someone who dislikes trouble actually has to encounter trouble and solve it?
This point doesn't seem to be fully confirmed yet, but in any case, it's definitely better to be as close to the third level as possible.

This technique is excellent in every way, except that the progress of cultivation is extremely slow. However, the results of perfect cultivation are exceptionally tempting, an allure that seems irresistible to anyone.

Having greed doesn't seem like a good thing.
"What are you doing."

When Gen Tsukino knocked on the door next door, Mizuki Kiyono seemed a little flustered.

The cool and pretty girl shook her head. "It's nothing, I was just busy."

"busy?"

Gen Tsukino, carrying lunch, glanced at the table; the laptop was still open, emitting light.

He didn't rush to peek, but instead smiled and said, "Were you writing something just now?"

Knowing that her guess had been guessed, the young girl simply stopped trying to hide anything and raised her head openly.

"Ah."

"What did you write?"

"I won't show it to you."

Kiyono Mizuki finally closed her laptop at this moment, and Tsukino Gen thought for a moment.

"It's because it doesn't matter if people online read what I write, since they don't know me in real life and won't have any contact with me. But if people around me read it, they know what I'm like, so they might feel ashamed?"

Kiyono Mizuki looked at the handsome young man with some surprise, "How did you know?"

"I can tell from your expression, and this isn't a rare emotion. It's perfectly normal."

"Really? You sound very experienced. You've written things before?"

"I did think about it, but in the end I didn't write it."

Gen Tsukino took the food box to the makeshift kitchen, then took out a bowl, washed it, and put the food inside.

Kiyono Mizuki watched the boy's busy figure. Although the weather was gloomy and it looked like it could rain at any moment, no matter what the light was, it seemed to filter something meaningful onto him.

It has a cinematic quality that is visible to the naked eye.

Why wasn't it written?

"Maybe I lack the patience, or maybe I feel that my writing isn't good enough, or that I don't have the talent. The biggest reason is that I like to work on things sporadically and can't persevere."

Kiyono Mizuki frowned. "Why are you talking about yourself like that? You're not that kind of person."

"Wow, he always likes to make fun of me, but now he's comforting me."

"Who comforted you? I'm just honest and don't like to lie."

My cheeks felt a little hot, but with my threshold already raised, I wasn't so easily embarrassed anymore.

Kiyono Mizuki hummed softly.

Gen Tsukino placed the prepared food on the table, then sat down and looked at the girl opposite him.

"You're not lying, but I might not be lying either. Is it possible that you don't know me as well as you think you do?"

Kiyono Mizuki looked into his eyes, which were gentle, but at that moment they seemed so repulsive.

It was mainly because of that sentence that she was a little unhappy.

His eyes lowered, and his words were dismissive.

"Who cares about understanding you?"

"Then I'm really pitiful. I've lived for more than ten years and no one understands me. Sigh."

"Stop pretending to be pitiful."

Kiyono Mizuki wasn't going to fall for that.

Among the dishes prepared by Tsukino Gen was a roast chicken. No one knew where she bought it, but after thinking for a moment, she picked off the chicken leg first and then put it into Tsukino Gen's bowl.

The boy looked at her actions strangely.

"What is this for?"

Kiyono Mizuki proudly raised her head, like a disabled but determined swan.

"You definitely prefer chicken legs to chicken meat, right?"

Gen Tsukino couldn't help but laugh and said, "Is this what you call understanding me?" "What law says this doesn't count?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Stop laughing, eat up."

Kiyono Mizuki lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

After finishing my meal at Kiyono Mizuki's house, I took the trash with me as usual.

It was a leisurely afternoon. Instead of playing mahjong to earn some extra money, Gen Tsukino packed an envelope at home and took the subway to a small town that was somewhat remote from Akira.

The gloomy sky, with its somber clouds, seemed to rumble with the sound of thunder, as if warning the world that there are gods watching over us.

It looked like a downpour was about to break out at any moment. The handsome young man, dressed simply in a short-sleeved shirt and jeans, didn't even think about buying an umbrella as he walked across the uneven path, which seemed to be under repair.

Finally, at the end, we saw a building.

It's quite old, the walls are mottled, but there are many childish graffiti.

He was painting the sun, flowers, and all sorts of portraits. Some scenes were familiar, but now there was scaffolding nearby. It looked like some kind of renovation work was underway, but there were no workers on site at this time.

Looking at that familiar sign, the words "Cradle Orphanage" have been removed.

Gen Tsukino frowned, thought for a moment, walked to the door, and knocked.

The gatekeeper was still the same old man who was over sixty years old.

He still had his usual squinty eyes, which always seemed to be smiling.

His thick white beard made him look quite energetic.

He glanced at Tsukino Gen, then looked surprised. "Hey, isn't this Tsukino? Kid, what brings you back?"

Gen Tsukino smiled and looked at the other person, "You still remember me."

The old man guarding the gate opened it while smiling and saying, "Of course I remember you. You're the best-looking and most sensible child, it's hard not to remember you. Come in, how are you doing these days?"

"It's alright, I'm in high school. I don't have much to do usually, so I thought I'd come and visit since it's the weekend. How are you doing?"

"That's good, that's good. As long as you kids are doing well, that's all that matters. Look at you, you've grown so tall and handsome. You must have lots of girls chasing after you, right?"

"No way, I only care about my studies. Besides, who would want to date me with my looks?"

Gen Tsukino laughed self-deprecatingly.

The old man shook his head seriously. "How can you say that? What's wrong with your circumstances? It's not your fault that you grew up in an orphanage. It's just that your biological parents didn't know what was good for them. You children are no worse than anyone else."

"Hahaha, thank you so much. By the way, is the dean here? I need to talk to her."

"Yes, yes, it's on the second floor. They shouldn't be on lunch break right now, you can just go and find it."

"Thank you."

Gen Tsukino thanked her repeatedly.

Despite being a transmigrator with considerable life experience, Tsukino Gen didn't think saying thank you a few more times was shameful. On the contrary, arrogance was nothing to be proud of.

Respect is something that should be given to those who deserve it, and those who don't deserve it naturally don't deserve it.

This old man deserves respect. At least in Tsukino Gen's memory, there was a time when a drunk homeless man tried to break into the orphanage. It was this old man who stood at the door with a broom and confronted the man for more than half an hour without backing down an inch.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, at least he protected this small piece of land.

The sky, which I remember as a square shape, still feels small now.

As Tsukino Gen walked through the orphanage's courtyard, he saw some children who had already gotten up and were looking at him curiously.

A boy and a girl were laughing and swinging on the swing in the yard.

In a cleared-out patch of sand, a familiar-looking little fortress was built.

Some children were throwing beanbags, while others were chasing and playing, radiating their boundless energy.

Gen Tsukino walked through them with a smile, entered the stairwell, and went upstairs.

"Dong dong dong."

He knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

An aged voice came from inside, but it still sounded gentle and kind.

Gen Tsukino pushed open the door.

Then I saw an old woman working on some documents at her desk.

Wearing reading glasses and a simple floral shirt, she doesn't look like an orphanage director at all; she looks more like an old lady buying vegetables at the market.

But that's just how this woman is—eating and living with the children at the orphanage, as if she has no other world besides this orphanage.

Only after hearing Tsukino Gen's footsteps did the other person slowly raise their head.

She froze for a moment.

Seemingly unsure, she took off her glasses after a while, stood up briskly, and quickly walked to Tsukino Gen.

Before Tsukino Gen could say a word, she gently hugged him.

"Are you having any difficulties? If you're feeling down, tell me about it."

……

(End of this chapter)