Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

Natsume Akane has been feeling very down lately.

She stood on a street in Bunkyo Ward, the sun making the asphalt scorch, and the rumble of trams passing by in the distance.

She walked slowly along Kasuga-dori shopping street, her eyes scanning every passerby, trying to find that familiar figure.

She knew it was stupid.

In a city with a population of tens of millions, how could you possibly find someone using such a needle-in-a-haystack method?

But she just wanted to give it a try.

After subtly inquiring about the matter over this period, she learned from Ayane Takeda that Eri Aragaki had moved to an apartment in Bunkyo Ward, but she couldn't pinpoint the exact location...

Ayane Takeda was also unaware of this.

After all, she hadn't seen Eri Aragaki since that day; she had only seen her once in a news report on television.

But Natsume Akane was not satisfied, so she would come to Bunkyo Ward every day.

What I'm thinking about is...

What if?

What if she actually bumps into Eri Aragaki, whom she hasn't seen in a long time?

Although this seems a bit silly...

But if she comes to Bunkyo Ward more often, the probability will be higher.

That's what she thought.

But reality is not a game of probability.

The reality is that every time she comes, it's the same result.

There was no chance encounter, no coincidence, nothing at all.

Natsume Akane stopped and glanced at the time on her phone.

4:30 PM.

She sighed and turned to walk towards the station.

Another wasted trip today.

On the tram back to Nerima Ward, she leaned against the window, staring blankly at the street scenes rushing past outside.

The tram swayed and rattled for more than twenty minutes before arriving at Nerima Station.

She got off the train and walked out of the station. The heat outside hit her face, just as stifling as Bunkyo Ward.

She originally intended to go straight home, but changed her mind halfway there.

Oh right... let's go to the convenience store and buy something.

The convenience store door was open, and cold air was blowing out from inside.

Natsume Akane walked in, and the automatic door closed behind her.

Welcome!

Ayane Takeda's voice came from the cashier's counter.

Natsume Akane looked towards the checkout counter, where Takeda Ayane was tidying up the shelves next to it.

The new employee who replaced Eri Aragaki was also there; what was her name again? I think it was Hideki Miyazaki.

He was squatting in front of the beverage cabinet restocking when he heard the door open and looked up.

Natsume Akane smiled at them, then walked to the beverage counter and took a bottle of barley tea.

I walked over to the bento shelf and looked at the types of bento available today.

She didn't actually have much of an appetite, but she still needed to eat something.

She grabbed a Makunouchi bento box and a bag of potato chips, then walked to the cashier.

Ayane Takeda had already returned behind the cashier. Seeing Akane Natsume walking over, she smiled and said, "Natsume-senpai, you're here to buy something today too?"

Natsume Akane placed the items on the counter and replied with a smile, "Yes, I just got back and bought some things on the way."

Ayane Takeda picked up the bento box and scanned the QR code.

At this moment, Hideki Miyazaki also stood up, dusted off his hands, nodded to Akane Natsume, and greeted her warmly, "Good afternoon, Natsume-san."

Natsume Akane nodded, but responded somewhat coldly with little interest, "Good afternoon, Miyazaki-san."

But just then...

The convenience store door opened, and the automatic door made a slight sliding sound.

"Ayane, it's been a long time."

A familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Natsume Akane stopped in her tracks.

She turned her head to look at the doorway.

Eri Aragaki stood there, her hair a little longer than it had been a month ago, and a bright smile on her face.

Ayane Takeda called out, "Senpai, it's been a long time!"

She ran out from behind the cashier, walked up to Eri Aragaki, and excitedly hugged her.

"Senior, why did you suddenly come? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

She said with a grin.

Eri Aragaki was surprised that Ayane Takeda would give her such a grand greeting upon their reunion, which she found quite strange.

But... this is, after all, etiquette between girls.

She suppressed her unease and said, "I just happened to be passing by and thought you should be here at this time, and I was right."

Natsume Akane stood there, still holding the plastic bag in her hand.

Her heart was beating so fast that she felt the people next to her could probably hear it.

But she couldn't show it.

She took a deep breath, then walked to the counter with her things, a perfectly timed smile on her face, a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"Hi, Aragaki-san, what brings you back all of a sudden?"

She asked casually.

When Eri Aragaki saw her, she paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ah, Natsume-san, you're here too. I just came back to visit and buy some things."

Eri Aragaki is in a really good mood today.

She had just gone to Shueisha and personally handed over the official manuscript of five chapters of "Attack on Titan" to Masaya Sakurai.

Her current apartment is very close to Shueisha, only a ten-minute train ride away, so there's no need to mail manuscripts like before; she can just deliver them directly.

The manuscript was of course fine. After reading the contents, Sakurai Masaya appeared calm on the surface, but it was clear that he was very satisfied.

The drawing skills are good, and the storyboarding is also fine, which is enough.

The plot is also quite outstanding. The key point is that Eri Aragaki was only asked to submit 3 to 5 chapters of manuscript, but she actually submitted 5 chapters of manuscript all at once, and Masaya Sakurai accepted the manuscript.

Then Eri Aragaki completely relaxed. After all, she had submitted the manuscript, and even submitted five chapters at once, so she was really relaxed from then on.

So she thought she'd take advantage of the time to visit an old friend at the convenience store. She vaguely remembered that this time of day should be the time when she and Ayane Takeda used to be on duty.

Sure enough, when I arrived here, I saw Ayane Takeda.

After hearing these words, Natsume Akane nodded, and then calmly continued to ask, "By the way, Aragaki-san, are you looking for a new job?"

Eri Aragaki thought for a moment, "I guess so, but this job might be a bit special."

"That's great, it must be a good job, it even made you move house."

Natsume Akane smiled. "Ayane said before... you moved to Bunkyo Ward? It must be expensive there, right?"

Eri Aragaki said, "Yeah, it's close to my workplace, and because the manager recommended it, it's not cheap, but it's not expensive either."

Natsume Akane blinked, a curious expression on her face. "Where exactly is this wonderful place?"

Eri Aragaki glanced at her, feeling slightly strange.

But since Natsume Akane is a girl, she wasn't that wary.

She then told her the location of the apartment: "It's about a five-minute walk south from Kasuga Station, and the transportation is very convenient."

Natsume Akane subtly memorized the address, then smiled and said, "That's really convenient. By the way, I have to go now."

"Goodbye, Natsume-san."

Eri Aragaki politely waved her hand and said.

See you next time.

Natsume Akane left satisfied, smiling as she spoke.

Near Kasuga Station in Bunkyo Ward... about a five-minute walk...

This information is more or less sufficient.

She believed that... her next "chance encounter" with Eri Aragaki would be just around the corner.

Natsume Akane smiled and left the convenience store.