I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 40 I am your follower (Seeking monthly votes~)

This is an ordinary little path that seems to have no end.

Everything was ordinary, old-fashioned furnishings.

The mottled wall, the climbing ivy, and the crooked tree that looks like it's about to fall.

The rays of the setting sun stubbornly penetrate the gaps in the leaves and fall on her clean and delicate face, as if trying to dye her pupils amber.

The more I walked, the more familiar I became.

Kiyono Mizuki slightly raised her head. She listened to the sound of the wheelchair, but it seemed she couldn't hear any footsteps.

“I used to dislike walking this road.”

"why?"

The boy behind me asked.

Kiyono Mizuki gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Because the buses don't stop around here, it always feels like it takes forever to walk in. Back then, I always complained to my parents, why did we have to move to this place? I also wanted to live in a bustling neighborhood, and I also wanted to be like many of my classmates back then, able to travel everywhere during holidays, and even go abroad without any burden."

She thought of the past.

His voice became much more gentle and soothing.

That was a tone of voice I would never use when I locked myself in that small room.

“My mother told me that everything would be alright, and that my father was working hard. My father told me that the three of us would have a good life, and that after he succeeded in his business, I would live like a princess. Actually, I rarely fantasize about whether that day will ever come. I just feel that the road ahead is really long.”

"I'll twist my ankle on this road."

"I'm afraid that a stray dog ​​might rush out and bite me."

"I worry that if I get back late, there might be bad people on the way."

“I’m afraid that one day all the walls along this road will collapse.”

She spoke softly, the wheelchair making a steady sound, and Tsukino Gen pushing her at a seemingly unchanged speed.

It wasn't too slow, nor too fast, and you couldn't hear him breathing heavily.

Even at this moment, he was able to respond in his usual calm tone.

"You're afraid of a lot of things, aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid of you?"

Kiyono Mizuki asked, somewhat amused.

Gen Tsukino thought for a moment, "Back then, I was an orphan living next door to you, and you weren't afraid at all. Instead, you came to bring me fruit."

Kiyono Mizuki frowned in dissatisfaction, tilting her head slightly as if to look at the other person from that angle.

But you can't see the whole picture; you can only see the beautiful jawline and delicate skin.

"Because you're good-looking. I was immature back then, so of course I thought good-looking people weren't bad people."

"Wow, you're quite honest."

"Of course, hmph."

Gen Tsukino looked at the distinct upturn of the other's lips, and saw emerald green leaves falling down.

"So, how do you feel when you see this road now?"

Kiyono Mizuki saw the end of the road, where the traffic was gradually becoming bustling, and she could smell the aroma of roadside stalls.

She shook her head.

"I don't feel anything. I wish my parents were still here."

She said it very calmly.

It looks like it has gone through many hardships.

But how many days and nights of helpless weeping, longing in dreams, and a sense of loss upon waking up are needed to earn these words that I can say so frankly today?

"Since you're not afraid anymore, you can go downstairs more often and get some sunshine, which is good."

Tsukino Gen said this.

The girl smiled and said, "You don't always have time to push me down."

"You won't go out without me?"

"Of course." The words almost slipped out, then he immediately stopped himself.

The girl's cheeks were tinged with the colors of the setting sun; dusk was visibly approaching, and the sky grew darker with each passing second.

The light has already become dim, but the streetlights are not yet fully lit.

In such light, it seems like a fog, a chaos from which no one can escape.

"You"

The sounds were all a bit quieter.

Then I heard the boy's laughter behind me.

"Don't worry. Whenever you want to go downstairs, I'll have time to push you down. You don't have to be afraid of this road anymore. Even if the wall collapses, I'll hold it up for you."

Kiyono Mizuki couldn't help but look up.

It was very difficult for her; she almost had to turn her whole body to see him clearly.

To avoid tiring her out, Tsukino Gen let go of her hand; it was a flat area.

There is a 24-hour convenience store right next door.

The light was on, illuminating the small square area in the doorway. He placed the girl in the light, approached her, and bent down.

Watching her from outside the light.

"what you want to say?"

Kiyono Mizuki's eyes were somewhat hazy, as if she herself did not know the meaning behind her gaze.

She looked at that unreal, dreamlike, beautiful face and said...

“I feel like I’m a follower of some kind of cult.”

"why?"

"Because my trust in you now is like a fervent faith."

Gen Tsukino blinked.

In the dim light, I looked at her aloof face.

"You're quite good at sweet talk, aren't you? I suggest you use this in your novel."

The girl blushed.

She glared at Tsukino Gen.

"go to hell."

Why are you scolding me again?

"You know it yourself."

"I really don't know."

You really don't know?
I've already said something like that, and you expect me to put a line like that in a novel? That's absolutely outrageous!

Fortunately.

The road was long to come and long to go, and he needed to push himself a little longer.

In the last two weeks, she wanted to go out more often and walk this road more often.

Because she is no longer afraid.

He escorted Kiyono Mizuki back to her room.

"Alright, I'm going back now. You should get some rest too."

Kiyono Mizuki seemed hesitant, and after a moment of silence, she looked at the other person.

"You really shouldn't contact those people. They seem polite to me, but they're definitely not good people. And don't act impulsively, okay?"

Tsukino Gen didn't react much to these almost pleading words.

He simply nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. Besides, what can a high school student like me do against them?"

"Okay, that's good."

She didn't say what she would do.

She just hoped that Tsukino Gen was really smart, and a little selfish, that would be perfect.

What's wrong with being selfish? At least selfish people won't let themselves get hurt easily.

After closing the other person's door, Tsukino Gen returned home and immediately turned on his phone.

Then he easily dialed a number he'd seen on the threatening letter. It has to be said, these days triads still have some rules. How can they know if anyone is willing to help repay their debts without giving out a number?
"Hello? Who is it?"

A very impolite voice came from the other end.

The voice sounded a bit like the shrewish man I saw at the apartment entrance when I came back today.

"A kind person."

Tsukino Gen replied.

"A kind person? What kind of kind person? Hey! Are you kidding me? Do you know who I am?"

Do you know Kiyono Mizuki?

Tsukino Gendo asked.

The other party was silent for a moment.

"Are you her friend?"

"I suppose so. I heard her father owes a debt here."

Gen Tsukino leaned back in his chair, gazing wistfully at the deepening night outside the window. Starlight twinkled in the dark clouds, and the moon pierced sharply through the edge of the clouds.

"That's right, she owes a huge debt. So what? You're going to pay it off for her? Do you even know how much she owes?"

"More than 30 million, I guess."

"You're quite arrogant. Do you think over thirty million is a small amount? You sound very young, can you really pay it back?"

"These are not things you should worry about. Just remember to meet me in two weeks from now at the entrance of Kiyono Mizuki's apartment. I'll be waiting for you there."

There was another moment of silence on the other end.

soon.

"Fine, I'll be waiting for you. If you dare to play me, I'll make you regret ever being born."

"beep."

Gen Tsukino hung up the phone immediately.

He frowned after hanging up the phone.

“Something’s not right. It seems like he doesn’t care about whether he can pay back the money, but rather who will pay it back.”

Things suddenly seemed to get complicated.

He didn't call Chinatsu Morita at that moment because, sensing something was wrong, he gave up on asking her which organization she belonged to.

Something felt off, but it wasn't too difficult. Tsukino Gen returned to his room and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

Sure enough, the spiritual energy seemed to be less abundant these past few days, and I wasn't absorbing much.

So, it really is necessary to take the initiative to do something to trigger changes in spiritual energy?
In the unlit room, darkness gradually engulfed him.

At the same time, the troublesome man, whose call had been hung up on, started cursing into the phone.

"What kind of lunatic is so arrogant? Damn it, I hope I don't catch him. Never mind, I'll make a call first."

He immediately dialed another number.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered.

The troublemaker immediately changed his expression, becoming obsequious and cautious.

"Hello. I'm Da Shi, the debt collector."

"I know what it is."

The other person's voice was cold, and the surroundings were very quiet.

Oishi carefully considered his words before cautiously saying, "It's like this. I just received a phone call. Someone said he's a kind person who wants to help Kiyono Mizuki pay off her debts."

".who is it?"

"I don't know who it is, but it seems to be her friend. He said he could pay back more than 30 million, but he sounded quite young to me."

"Nonsense?"

"But he then asked me to meet him at the Kiyono Mizuki apartment building in two weeks. It sounds like he's serious. What should I do?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Then he said in a cold voice.

"Just do what you're supposed to do as usual, and meet him in two weeks. Bring more people with you. If he doesn't have any money with him, you know what to do."

"Don't worry, I definitely understand. But what if he really does have that much money?"

"I'll let you know in advance. Remember, everything is as usual for now. Don't make any decisions on your own. And don't meet with him before that day comes, understand?"

"understand."

"Also, delete this number immediately. Don't contact me again. I'll contact you later."

"understood."

When the other party hangs up the phone.

The rebellious man stared at his phone, lost in thought.

"It's just a loan shark, why is it being handled so strangely?"

……

This is the last period before the new book is released, please read it and vote for it~ I will update more frequently after it is officially released, muah.

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(End of this chapter)