Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 49: Silent Starlight

The thirst in his mouth reminded him that he had originally intended to buy water.

He was already parched and incredibly thirsty from sweating so much, but the two Yakuza had distracted him, and now that he had run a short distance, his thirst had become even more intense.

After the tension subsided, all he wanted to do was drink a lot of ice water.

"They should be far away by now."

With that in mind, he cautiously peeked out from the secret base, made sure the two people were gone, and then sneaked out like a thief.

They walked cautiously, taking three steps ahead for every one they took, heading towards the convenience store, fearing that the two Yakuza might be lying in ambush.

Fortunately, the two people seemed to really be going to see a doctor, as traces of blood from the broken-headed Yakuza could still be faintly seen on the ground.

He was greatly relieved when he reached the vicinity of the convenience store and the two Yakuza did not appear.

"This boss is really careless, assigning a girl who looks not much older than me to the night shift."

Inside the convenience store, the girl stood on tiptoe at the checkout counter, glancing anxiously towards the door every now and then.

Only when he saw Nobi approaching, still muttering to himself, did he breathe a sigh of relief and reveal a heartwarming smile.

The girl had already cleaned up the stones and bloodstains on the ground. She jogged to the door and looked Nobi up and down, as if to check if he was injured.

Nobi was a little embarrassed. He thought he had been discreet enough, but he didn't expect that the other party had been watching all along.

"Uh, I'm fine, really fine, they didn't catch me. Those two didn't come back, right?" Nobita scratched his head, changing the subject.

The girl shook her head, made a gesture, and then turned and walked into the small warehouse.

Nobi opened his mouth; he had always thought the other person didn't like to talk, but he hadn't expected this.
He couldn't understand the meaning of sign language, but at least he could tell that it was sign language.

Soon, the girl came out carrying a plastic bag and handed it to Nobita with a smile.

"Ah, thank you, thank you, but I'll still pay!" Nobita was at a loss, not taking the money, but instead preparing to take out his own.

He glanced at the items and saw that there were quite a few, and he worried that his savings might not be enough.

He doesn't know how long this kind of life will continue, especially now.

The girl shook her head vigorously and shoved the item into Nobita's hands.

Their hands inevitably touched. Nobi pulled his hand back as if he had been electrocuted, his face turning bright red, and he stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

The girl was startled by his reaction, but then noticed the dirt on the hem of his clothes. She pursed her lips, smiled at him, took out her phone, and typed a message.

Your clothes are dirty. Would you like to take a shower and wash them while you're at it?

"I...I..." Nobita didn't know how to reply. He wondered if things were moving too fast.
Is she inviting me to her house to take a shower?!

But the other person's next words left him unsure whether to feel fortunate or regretful.

She continued writing.

Do you know the nearby Seon public bathhouse?

She turned her pocket inside out and took out a card.

You can use my card to take a shower there; they also offer laundry and drying services, it'll be quick.

Nobita wanted to refuse, but then he seemed to smell the strange, salty odor emanating from himself.

".Thanks!"

He accepted it anyway.

More than half an hour later.

"Ah~ I'm alive again!" Nobita had never taken such a refreshing bath before. After the bath, he felt like he had lost three pounds and was walking on air.

The main problem is that I've been living a really messy life these past two days.

He slept on a tattered mattress, and playing games was like strenuous exercise. He was constantly being squeezed dry like a sponge, his clothes getting soaked with sweat and then drying again and again until salt crystals formed on them.

Although his classmate sitting behind him at school didn't say anything, he could see the disdain and dissatisfaction in the other person's eyes.

He soaked in the bath for a long time, until his fingers were wrinkled, before he finally got out.

By then, my clothes were dry, so I could just change and go back – so convenient! It really makes sense that public bathhouses exist.

This public bathhouse isn't far from the convenience store; it's just across the street, so the prices shouldn't be too high.

He strolled back to the convenience store and saw the girl restocking the shelves.

"Um, thank you for the card, I'll pay you back later!" Nobi wasn't sure how to pay him back later. A meal? Yes, he could find an opportunity to treat him to a meal later.

The girl smiled, took the card, and waved.

"I...I don't even know your name yet. My surname is Nobi, and my name is Nobi Tomoyoshi." Nobi looked around and, seeing that no one was in the shop, he finally dared to ask.

The girl stopped what she was doing and showed Nobita the work card hanging around her neck.

"I understand, Shimazu-san. Shimazu Hoshikage."

Shimazu went to the cashier, intending to give him the food that had just been prepared for him.

In reality, convenience stores generate a lot of food nearing its expiration date, which is usually collected and disposed of. However, the owner allows employees to register the food and take it home themselves.

Since there are only a handful of employees, the boss knows them quite well, so he's not worried that anyone will use this as an excuse to claim there's a problem with the food and demand compensation. In fact, it can be considered an employee benefit.

What Shimadzu gave was a portion of what belonged to her that was cleared out this week.

However, Nobi was unaware of the situation and mistakenly thought that Shimazu had paid for it out of his own pocket. He was too embarrassed to accept it, so he quickly said goodbye and ran away.

Shimazu reached out his hand, but he couldn't stop him. He could only watch helplessly as Shimazu disappeared into the darkness across the street.

She could only shake her head, put the things back, and give them to him next time he came.

Nobita trotted back to the secret base, feeling his heart pounding like a puppy, and his face was strangely hot, definitely bright red.

This is what love is like—pfft, pfft, pfft!

What are you thinking about?!
You're just a cowardly, poor, and unattractive gamer!

No one will like you.

After this "self-comfort," the blush on my face quickly faded, and I felt cold all over, like I was dead.

"It's quite effective." Nobita chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He forgot to buy water again, but since the bathroom provided drinking water, he had already drunk his fill and wasn't thirsty anymore.

Nobita sat down on the tattered mat, took out his notebook, and, using the faint moonlight shining through the cracks, wrote down in detail the information he had gained from his evening's outing.

After he finished writing, he couldn't help but carefully touch his skin, which seemed to show no signs of aging.

So, is this reduction in lifespan not significant, or does it not manifest in the body, but rather leads to sudden death or being taken away by an accident when the time comes?

Anyway, no one would care if I died.

He stopped thinking about lifespan issues, took out his phone, compared his questions with those in his notes, and used AI software to search for the summarized information in a roundabout way.

(End of this chapter)