Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

3 PM.

The phone suddenly rang.

Not here with Yuma Kamiya.

It's Shiori Shirakawa's side.

Shiori Shirakawa took half a day off this afternoon and is currently tidying up at home.

Hearing the phone ring, she quickly went over to answer it.

"Feed?"

"I'm looking for Yuma Kamiya."

A familiar voice came through the receiver.

"Onodera-senpai."

Shiori Shirakawa quickly said.

"Kamiya-kun isn't here with me; he's at his own home today."

  

"Oh, it's Shiori-san."

Ryota Onodera's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"Could you please make a trip and bring him here?"

"What is it?"

"The bonus has arrived."

Shiori Shirakawa was taken aback.

"So fast?"

"Editor-in-Chief Tanaka personally instructed the finance department to expedite the process. The two million yen was transferred to his account this morning."

"I'll go find him right away."

"Oh, and tell him to submit the first chapter's manuscript early next Monday. We need to start typesetting now."

"understood."

After hanging up the phone, Shiori Shirakawa stood there for two seconds.

Then she turned around, changed into a coat, and hurriedly went out.

She didn't actually know where Yuma Kamiya's house was.

But he had previously mentioned that he lived in Adachi Ward.

She hailed a taxi.

The driver seemed a little surprised when he heard the address.

"What's that area in Adachi Ward...?"

"Um."

"Miss, are you sure you want to go there? That place isn't very good."

My friend lives there.

"oh."

The driver stopped talking.

The car drove for almost an hour.

Heading north from Setagaya Ward.

The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from a sophisticated commercial district to a dilapidated residential area.

Shiori Shirakawa looked out the window.

Now I finally understand why Yuma Kamiya was so hungry.

There isn't even a decent convenience store in this place.

The car was parked in front of an old apartment building.

Shiori Shirakawa paid the fare, got out of the car, and looked at the building in front of her.

The exterior walls have been blackened by the rain.

The iron staircase was badly rusted, creaking with every step.

She found the third floor according to the room number that Yuma Kamiya had given her.

303.

She reached out and knocked on the door.

There was no response.

She knocked again, this time with a little more force.

"They're here!"

The voice of Yuma Kamiya came from inside the door.

Accompanied by the sound of slippers hitting the floor.

The door was pulled open.

Yuma Kamiya stood inside the door.

His hair was a mess, his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his fingertips were stained with ink.

He was stunned the moment he saw Shirakawa Shiori.

"Shiori? What brings you here?"

"Onodera-senpai called."

Shiori Shirakawa walked straight in without waiting for him to move aside.

Then she froze.

A room with less than six tatami mats.

A folding table was placed in the corner, with a stack of half-finished original drawings scattered on it.

Waste paper was scattered on the ground.

There was a crack in the window glass, which was taped back together.

The refrigerator is as small as a storage cabinet.

That bed.

The bed looked smaller than her coffee table.

"You live here?"

Shiori Shirakawa's voice was very soft.

Yuma Kamiya scratched his head.

"Um."

"..."

"What did Onodera-senpai say?"

Yuma Kamiya changed the subject.

"The bonus has arrived."

Shiori Shirakawa steered the conversation back on track.

"Two million, it's already in your account this morning."

Kamiya Yuma was taken aback.

Then he laughed.

"So fast?"

"Editor-in-Chief Tanaka personally oversaw it."

"That's fast indeed."

Yuma Kamiya stretched his neck.

"I'll go to the bank to confirm later."

Shiori Shirakawa remained silent.

She stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

Winter is here.

There's no heating in this room, not even any curtains to keep it warm.

"Kamiya-kun."

"Um?"

You must move.

Shiori Shirakawa's tone was very firm.

"must."

That's what I'm planning to do too.

Yuma Kamiya smiled.

"We're going to look at houses tomorrow, will you come with me?"

"Why do you want me to come along?"

"Two people choosing a house is more reliable than one person choosing one. And..."

Kamiya Yuma paused.

"I'm not very familiar with houses in Tokyo."

The second half of the sentence is actually an excuse.

In the year or so since his rebirth, he has already gotten a pretty good grasp of Tokyo's land prices and locations.

But he wanted Shiori Shirakawa to go with him.

Why exactly?

He himself couldn't quite explain it.

Shiori Shirakawa tilted her head and glanced at him.

Without asking anything, I nodded.

"Then I'll take tomorrow off and go with you."

Early the next morning.

Kamiya Yuma waited for Shirakawa Shiori at the subway station.

She wore a gray wool coat today, with a light-colored sweater underneath, and khaki trousers.

It looks simple, but it's very clean.

Yuma Kamiya also changed his clothes.

The shirt was the newest one I found at the bottom of the closet, and it wasn't wrinkled at all.

The coat is a wool coat I bought last winter, and it already has a few small pills.

The two of them standing together look like an ordinary young couple.

"Where should we go to see it?"

Baihe Shizhi asked.

"Let's check out some real estate agencies in the Shitagaya Ward area first."

Yuma Kamiya said.

"Near my house?"

"Um."

Shiori Shirakawa didn't ask why.

But the base of her ears was a little red.

There weren't many people on the subway.

The two found a corner to sit down.

Shiori Shirakawa took a newspaper out of her pocket.

It's from this morning's Yomiuri Shimbun.

"I bought it on my way out just now."

She opened the newspaper.

"Tokyo's housing prices have gone up again; look at this report."

Kamiya Yuma leaned over and took a look.

The headline reads: Average land prices in Tokyo's 23 wards have risen by 83 percent year-on-year.

The report below states that land prices in Setagaya Ward, Meguro Ward, and Minato Ward have exceeded those in Manhattan, New York.

"I saw it."

"What kind of house can you buy with two million yen?"

Shiori Shirakawa was somewhat worried.

Yuma Kamiya did not answer.

He knows Tokyo's housing prices better than anyone else.

A typical two-bedroom apartment in Setagaya Ward costs around 150,000 yen per month in rent.

If you were to buy it, it would cost at least 50 million.

His two million isn't even enough for a down payment.

"Rent it first."

Yuma Kamiya said.

"Once I've secured a stable subscription for the comic series, I'll save up enough money to buy it."

"That makes sense."

Shiori Shirakawa closed the newspaper.

"There are a few real estate agencies near my house. I'll take you to see them later."

I got off the subway.

Walk along the path lined with ginkgo trees.

The streets of Setagaya Ward are quiet.

After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at a real estate agency.

The sign is green with white lettering and reads "Mitsui Fudosan Setagaya Branch".

The glass door is covered with various house rental and sale signs.

Two-bedroom apartment. Three-bedroom apartment. Detached house. Apartment.

The prices were neatly marked.

The cheapest option is 80,000 yuan per month, while the most expensive is 250,000 yuan.

Kamiya Yuma glanced at it, then pushed open the door and went inside.

Shiori Shirakawa followed behind him.

There were five or six real estate agents sitting in the shop, all wearing matching gray suits.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring, a woman in her thirties at the front desk looked up.

He glanced at the two people.

Shiori Shirakawa noticed it.

That was a look of judgment.

Determine whether these two people can bring business to the store.

"Are you two looking at houses?"