A Young Woman's Heart

The girl didn't come over; she just glared at him and angrily yelled at him.

"What are you going to do... hentai...?" Wang Jiale tilted her head, as if she didn't quite understand.

"What are you doing, you shameless, lewd pervert who peeks under other people's skirts?" Mr. Xue provided the correct translation.

Sakai Ginkawa's neck turned red, as if he had said a lot of swear words in one breath. Wang Jiale stammered for a long time, too embarrassed to say it.

Mr. Xue swallowed the food in his mouth, took a leisurely sip of sake, and then translated: "He said he had no interest in her whatsoever. Don't flatter yourself. She was the one who approached him. Even if she stood naked in front of him, he wouldn't get hard."

"..." Although everyone knew that those weren't Mr. Xue's words, but just a translation, the fact that such vulgar language came out of Mr. Xue's mouth still made the people eating choke for a moment.

"His last sentence was... uh... even if he likes cross-dressing boys, he doesn't like self-righteous women like her." Wang Jiale finally found a sentence that could be translated.

Mo Xueyao covered her forehead helplessly: "What kind of bickering couple is this?"

"It's like a scene from an anime..." Yu Shu stared blankly at them, muttering softly.

As if to soothe his emotions, the owner smiled and placed a piece of radish and some deep-fried oden tofu on a small plate in front of him.

He sighed, finally saying nothing more, only looking gratefully at the boss and nodding slightly.

"Mr. Sakai, what do you do?" Hua Yinyin asked curiously.

"Come on, let's have a drink!" He raised his glass and waved it at Hua Yinyin, even extending a toast to the others around her, "Everyone, cheers!"

Mr. Xue was the first to raise his glass, swirling it in the distance, which was considered a toast.

The others joined in the fun, but Yu Shu didn't raise her glass because she wasn't drinking alcohol—in fact, she was a little afraid of this unshaven, homeless man.

"I am a writer who creates literary works! What I write will definitely go down in history!"

"How many copies have been published so far?" Hua Yinyin asked a pointed question.

"Cough cough!" He coughed twice. "The books written by someone like me are difficult for the world to understand. My books will become famous after I die, so I don't care about money while I'm alive. Literature and art, those who truly walk this path are bound to be lonely."

He started sighing again, and then began drinking, as if life was full of misfortunes.

However, he always liked to talk to himself, so the atmosphere in the izakaya was still lively.

Other customers seemed to like him too—or perhaps they saw him as a clown to amuse everyone, but in any case, these regulars would pat him on the shoulder and say goodbye as they left, appearing very familiar with him.

"Burp—" Sakai Ginkawa had finished the whole bottle of wine. He burped, poured some vinegar into his bowl, took a big gulp, and then sat up straight to pay the bill.

The boss smiled and shook his head, but the latter insisted and eventually took out the money and placed it on the table one by one.

By the time he finished drinking, Mo Xueyao and the others had almost finished eating.

Although each serving is small, it's enough to fill you up, but the price is definitely not cheap.

When Mo Xueyao lifted the curtain and went out, Sakai Ginkawa hadn't gone far. He was sitting on a step next to her, staring blankly into the distance.

A stray dog ​​darted past and urinated behind him, but he didn't even notice.

"Mr. Sakai? Aren't you going back?"

"Hmm... I'm observing this bustling world, searching for... inspiration," Sakai Ginkawa replied in Chinese, forcing a smile. "Have fun here. Oh, if you like, you can go ride the Ferris wheel... it's in Kasai Rinkai Park..."

"Oh, alright."

“You can see a different view of this city from there, hiccup…” He tilted his head, looking like he was about to burst out of his seat. “You guys are, high school students?”

"I've already graduated."

"Oh—a graduation trip, how wonderful!"

"You seem to be having a hard time?"

"Haha—maybe I'm just too persistent about things that are meaningless sometimes."

Does this mean writing actual literary works?

"Yeah, thinking about it carefully, I don't have that ability, so why bother working against myself? Wouldn't it be better to write some popular novels..."

"Then why do you still insist?"

“Ha… Ghost… He knows.” Sakai Ginkawa narrowed his eyes. “Probably just pointless pride at play! Bah! What pride? I actually… know very well, I’m just an average guy, barely able to write anything, stubbornly persisting! I… am a piece of trash… of this era, money… I… am alive… a dog…”

His speech became increasingly incoherent, and he eventually started speaking in broken Japanese, which even Mr. Yuki could barely understand.

Wang Jiale told the boss about the drunkard who had passed out at the door, and the boss said he would take care of it, so everyone left with peace of mind.

For him, it was part of a painful life, but for the members of the Snow Music Band, it was a fun and memorable experience during their trip.

People's joys and sorrows are never shared.

……

(two)

"Beep." Wang Jiale swiped his room card to open the door, and Mo Zhuyou was the first to rush in, her shoes scattered at the doorway.

"Whew, I'm finally back!"

"Even though I've only just arrived, it already feels so interesting."

"I didn't expect an izakaya to be such a place. It seems pretty good."

"Oh, it's just that I can't drink..." Yu Shu seemed a little regretful.

"Taking a bath! Taking a bath!" Hua Yinyin shouted as she pushed open the bathroom door. "Ugh, it's so small. Hey, that's strange, why is there only a bathtub in the bathroom?"

"The sink and toilet are across the street," Wang Jiale said, opening the door to the opposite room.

The cramped space, about the size of a mop storage room, contained a toilet and a sink, and was kept very clean.

"Such a cramped space..."

"I think it's quite convenient. This way, we can separate the toilets and avoid fighting over them."

In addition to a shower room, the bathroom also has a bathtub for taking a bath.

The bathtub was pitifully small; once you lay down in it, you couldn't stretch your legs out at all. Taller people, like Mr. Xue, would probably have to hug their knees while taking a bath.

Perhaps to compensate for this, it's made quite deep, feeling like a combination of a bathtub and a soaking tub...

The small bathroom could only accommodate two people at most. Originally, Hua Yinyin wanted to pull Mo Xueyao in, but she had eaten some undercooked local specialties and was now suffering from diarrhea. She would spend half an hour in the toilet, so she had no choice but to pull Yu Shu in with her, and the two of them took a shower together.

It's not just about taking advantage of others; it's mainly because it's more efficient this way.

……

(three)

"Hoo..." Mo Xueyao finally finished her shower. Pale-faced, she walked into the room and let out a long sigh. "I'll never eat sashimi again..."

"Pfft, Xiaoyao said it was delicious back then."

"Well... actually, the taste is quite unique, and it's alright to eat, but my stomach can't handle it." Mo Xueyao stared at the air mattress that was already inflated, turned around and lay down on it.

The air mattress is very soft, and its texture is somewhat like a blanket.

The room had central air conditioning, and it even felt a bit cold.

Are you asleep?

"Of course, we're going out to play tomorrow. Go to sleep early so you don't miss out on the fun." Mo Xueyao nodded, pulled the blanket to her chest, and turned over. "Go to sleep, Yu Shu."

"Um--"

At night, you can occasionally hear noises from the streets, but more often you can hear the sound of waves gently lapping against the beach.

Mo Xueyao was suddenly awakened from her sleep. She glanced at Yu Shu, who was sleeping soundly with her hands clasped beside her, gently lifted the blanket, tiptoed off the air mattress, opened the door, and went out.

The light in the Japanese-style room was still on. She opened the door and staggered inside.

Everyone except her and Yu Shu was here.

"Oh, Yao Yao is here?"

"Fell asleep?"

"I almost fell asleep... Luckily I remembered this..." She covered her mouth and yawned widely, then swayed and sat down on the tatami mat.

Mr. Xue, who hadn't finished his dinner, was slurping down a bowl of instant noodles, while Mo Zhuyou was studying a lyric book carefully: "Hmm... how about we play it first? Otherwise, we're completely clueless."

“That makes sense, but… your and Haruka’s instruments…”

"Shu'er's electronic synthesizer is here. Why don't you try it out, Xiao Yao Yao?"

"Um……"

……

Chapter 6. Ferris Wheel

(One)

The morning sea breeze woke Yu Shu, who was lying on the air mattress. She opened her eyes groggily, but the space next to her was empty.

"Hmm...?" When she rubbed her eyes and walked out of the room, she saw the half-open door of the Japanese-style room and the light that was still on.

When I opened the door, everyone inside was lying haphazardly, as if they had all fallen asleep from staying up too late.

Mo Xueyao rested her feet on Mr. Xue's body, and the bells on her ankles jingled softly in the wind.

Hua Yinyin and Wang Jiale were pressed close together, almost overlapping, while Mo Zhuyou rolled alone in the corner, curled up like a kitten.

"...Huh?"

"Uh..." Mo Xueyao stepped on Mr. Xue's chest and unconsciously stretched her body. The latter was kicked open by her and sat up wearily, but still had a smile on his face.

"Good morning." He waved his hand.

Why is everyone sleeping here...?

"Uh, last night... we chatted for too long."

"Huh? What, why didn't you tell me..."

"Yu Shu, you're not feeling well, so I wanted you to rest properly." Mo Xueyao coughed and sat up abruptly, but perhaps because she exerted too much force, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she swayed and fell onto Mr. Xue.

"Are you okay?"

"Cough, it's nothing. Ah, Yu Shu, go wash up. We're leaving soon. Even though we can have several days of fun, we can't waste any time!"