Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Rin Hoshino stared at the golden star for a long time, then whispered something.

"Then hang it higher."

As I walked out of the mall, I realized it was already getting dark.

Kamiya Yuma was carrying a Christmas tree and a bag of decorations that Shirakawa Shiori had bought.

Shiori Shirakawa was holding several boxes of discounted ingredients in her arms.

Rin Hoshino followed behind.

She was holding a bag of thick blankets in her arms, which were for winter.

This blanket was bought for her by Shiori Shirakawa.

The reason is that Shiori Shirakawa said her blanket was too thin.

When you reach that spot on the street corner.

A rich fragrance drifted over gently.

That's the smell of roasted sweet potato.

At a street corner.

There was a cart parked under the streetlight.

On the cart was an oven made from a metal drum, with white steam billowing from its opening.

An elderly person whose hair has turned gray.

She was wearing a faded cotton jacket.

There was a handwritten sign next to it that read: "One is priced at 200 yen, and three are priced at 500 yen."

"Wait a moment."

Shiori Shirakawa stopped in her tracks.

She placed the ingredients on the steps by the roadside and then walked toward the cart.

I exchanged a few words with that old man.

Then she turned around and waved to Hoshino Rin.

"come over."

  

Hoshino Rin walked over carrying a blanket.

The old man took out three sweet potatoes wrapped in newspaper from the iron bucket.

They were then delivered to Shiori Shirakawa.

Shiori Shirakawa made the payment.

She handed one of them to Yuma Kamiya.

Another one was handed to Hoshino Rin.

Hoshino Rin reached out with one hand to catch it.

The newspaper was so hot that she almost lost her grip on it.

"Be careful, it's hot."

Shiori Shirakawa said.

Hoshino Rin held the sweet potato in her hands.

She could feel the intense heat even through the newspaper.

She broke it in half, and steam rose from the golden potato flesh, its sweet aroma filling her nostrils.

She lowered her head and took a bite.

hot.

My tongue retracted slightly, but the taste was sweet.

"Is it tasty?"

Baihe Shizhi asked.

Hoshino Rin was trying to use her knowledge of anatomy to explain the smell.

But the words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back once again.

"It's so hot."

Shiori Shirakawa chuckled.

Rin Hoshino bit her again.

This time, he didn't retract his tongue.

She sat up and looked into the rising, billowing white steam.

Kamiya Yuma took a bite of the sweet potato, and then Shirakawa Shiori followed suit.

Then they glanced at each other again.

Kamiya Yuma's lips curled up slightly, and Shirakawa Shiori's ear tips showed a faint pink under the streetlights.

Hoshino Rin lowered her head and finished the last bite of sweet potato.

Then he folded the newspaper and threw it into the trash can.

Her hands were slightly hot from the warmth of the sweet potato.

My previously frozen fingers have finally regained feeling.

She reached her hand into the pocket of her down jacket.

Then he found the sketchbook in that pocket.

She always carries a sketchbook with her.

Holding the pencil that still retained the warmth of the sweet potato, I quickly sketched a few lines on the paper.

Two figures from behind.

The dark gray down jacket and the beige coat.

They stood together beside the streetlight.

The outline was extremely simple, just a few lines. You could see the head of the person on the left was tilted slightly to one side, and the feet of the person on the right were slightly raised.

There was a slight distance between their shoulders.

However, the two figures on the ground were intertwined.

She closed the sketchbook and put it back in her pocket.

"Hoshino, let's go."

Shiori Shirakawa called out to her from ahead.

"They're here."

She quickly followed behind the two.

After returning home, Shiori Shirakawa immediately began her busy routine.

We started working on setting up the Christmas tree.

Hoshino Rin took out the medium-sized cedar tree from the packaging bag.

She twisted the three sections of the tree trunk together according to the instructions.

Then she broke apart the branches one by one, arranging them so that they were naturally spread out.

She then wrapped the colored lights around the trees from bottom to top.

The intervals between each circle are the same.

Next up were the colored balls.

Gold and silver hung side by side.

Finally, she placed the golden star at the top of the tree and then took two steps back.

Let's take a look at the overall effect.

"It's hung up."

she says.

Shiori Shirakawa poked her head out from the direction of the kitchen.

I looked outside.

"Very standard."

"The standard is my professional ethics."

I was talking about the Christmas tree, not you.

Shiori Shirakawa took the casserole dish off the stove. "Let's eat first."

Dinner included pork miso soup and grilled rice balls.

In addition, there was a small dish of pickled radishes.

Rin Hoshino stood in front of the low table, took off her mask, and placed it on her knees.

Then he picked up his rice bowl and began to eat.

Halfway through her meal, she suddenly stopped eating and stared intently at the soup in the casserole dish.

"senior."

"Um?"

"Are the bonfires at the Winter Solstice Festival red?"

Why are you asking this?

"I'd like to confirm the color. Is it orange-red or true red? Does it have any blue parts?"

Shiori Shirakawa put down her chopsticks and looked at her.

"The campfire isn't just one color; it's a mixture of many. The outside is orange-red, the center is whitish, and the bottom is blue. The blue part is at the very bottom, right next to the firewood, where the temperature is lowest."

"Blue is at the very bottom."

Hoshino Rin repeated the sentence, then picked up the bowl again. "I understand."

After finishing the meal.

Hoshino Rin did not immediately start drawing the background.

She walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room and stood there.

Gazing at the view of the bridge outside that night.

There were hardly any people on the street at that moment, with only the streetlights shining alone.

In the distance, several windows can be seen emitting a warm yellow light.

Perhaps the people inside are having dinner.

She stood there for a long time.

Then she turned around and went to the small table in the corner.

Then he turned on the desk lamp and pulled out a brand new sheet of original paper.

After the dip pen has fully absorbed the ink, the tip touches the paper.

Thus, the first line was drawn.

This time, she did not draw many of the contents related to the Undead Legion.

I didn't draw any anatomical diagrams of demons or anything like that.

She painted the winter solstice festival of a human fortress.

In the very center of the square stood an enormous bonfire.

The base of the campfire's flames is blue.

The inhabitants of the fortress gathered around the campfire.

Every face has an expression.

At night, a string of colorful lights hangs under the eaves, emitting a warm yellow glow.

She painted all night long.