Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

It was clearly a smile.

Chapter 53: Six Strikes in One Second

Chiba silently took her hand out of her bag and then hid comfortably behind Higashiyama Shin. The pepper spray, baton, and stun gun in her bag lost their chance to make a dazzling appearance.

"It seems that Ikeda and Koizumi's parents have some conflicts." Looking at the chaotic scene, Higashiyama Shin led Chiba back to the school for the time being.

Chiba seemed to be recalling something: "I heard a rumor, though I don't know if it's true or not: Ikeda-sensei is divorced, apparently due to domestic violence. So many teachers keep their distance from him."

"Domestic violence? He doesn't seem like someone who likes to use violence, but he is good at using his advantages."

Higashiyama Shinichi recalled the small act of Ikeda quietly helping the class next door to keep order on the day of the entrance ceremony.

“That’s also a disadvantage,” Chiba added. “Most people in the world judge a book by its cover. If that seemingly delicate woman was his ex-wife, with a few wounds on her body, accusing Ikeda of domestic violence, most people would subconsciously believe her.”

Dongshan remained noncommittal.

In fact, he also "judged people by their appearance".

However, he can now roughly judge whether a person's nature leans towards order or evil based on their appearance.

The chaos lasted for a while. Ikeda, the perpetrator, and the woman were taken away by two police officers. Some reporters followed them, and the scene returned to calm. Only then did the two leave the school gate and go home.

Not long after they left, Nobi Tomoyo also walked out of the school with a heavy heart.

Today he discussed the game strategy with his senior Asano again, and they both believed that the handwriting left by the workers should appear again later and continue to play a role.

"So I should pay more attention to whether there is any writing on the tunnel walls. Yesterday, I was too panicked after hearing the train and didn't have time to use the UV light to check the surroundings. Maybe they left some clues."

As he pondered, he reached the Yamate Line and smelled the familiar scent of Tsubaki and Cherry Blossom again, and subconsciously looked up.

It was the same woman with impeccable makeup. Just like before, she was holding a bunch of cherry blossoms and gazing absently out the window.

Nobi was worried about being discovered like last time, so he quickly lowered his head and continued thinking about his own things.

Cracking games is still more important right now.

He still didn't go home today. His father didn't call him, and probably didn't go to the school to look for him either. It's as if he's completely given up on him and left him to fend for himself.

But it's impossible for him to take the initiative to apologize, at least not for him now, unless his father can sincerely apologize and change his ways.

But how could that be possible, that self-righteous guy?

Moreover, even if the father apologizes, their relationship will at most improve.

He still had some money on him, and if all else failed, he could go to the nearby church to beg for food, where they would distribute some collected food nearing its expiration date every few days.

The school has drinking fountains, so he specially packed two extra bottles to bring back with him so he wouldn't have to buy water at night.

Moreover, because of club recruitment today, the wealthy club president, Kanai Chito, bought a lot of snacks and fruits specifically for club members and those who were attracted to the club and interested in learning about video games.

He ate quite a lot; he was almost full.

He carefully avoided convenience stores on the way, worried that Shimazu would see him and then try to force the things he had refused to accept yesterday onto him again.

Back at the secret base, they looked around the entrance and, seeing no signs of disturbance, went inside with peace of mind.

But as soon as he went inside, he was so frightened that his heart stopped.

The two Yakuza quietly watched their master return home from inside the secret base.

One was sitting, and the other was standing. The one who was sitting had a bandage wrapped around his head, and he was clearly the person he had hit yesterday.

run!

Nobita's first reaction was to run, and his body responded accordingly, turning around and running.

"Damn it, it must be you, you little bastard!" the injured man roared, and the two immediately gave chase.

Hearing what was said behind him, Nobita immediately regretted it.

They probably weren't entirely sure he was the one who did it yesterday, but when they came to search today, they found this place with signs of habitation, so they decided to test him.

His guilty conscience and subsequent escape immediately confirmed his guilt.

At least for these Yakuza members who weren't there to investigate a case, evidence was definitely unnecessary; they were absolutely certain he was the one.

Although Nobita has begun to have the courage to fight back these days, it takes mental preparation and convincing himself before he can be brave.

In the past, timidity still dominated most of my instincts; when faced with fear, my first reaction was to run away.

"caught you!!"

While running, his bag was grabbed because it contained water, which slowed him down.

Nobi hurriedly tried to drop his bag, but the man grabbed his hand first, then pulled him down and pinned him to the ground.

"Haha, Beidao, I caught him!!"

"You're dead meat, you little brat! I'm going to make sure your head has a symmetrical split!"

The injured Yakuza clutched his freshly stitched head wound and jogged after him, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.

The Yakuza, who was pinning Nobi down, delivered several elbow strikes to his back. Nobi curled up tightly, expertly protecting his head, especially his glasses, which he had borrowed and couldn't afford to break.

"I told you not to run!! I told you—"

Snapped!

"Ahhh! I f***ing—ahhh! You bastard, you are—ahhh, stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"

Suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere, wielding an iron rod and displaying an aggressive aura. It was as if he had activated a speed boost and increased his attack speed, and he immediately performed a combo of six strikes per second against the Yakuza.

Before he could finish his threatening words, he couldn't help but howl and cry for his parents. He didn't care that his friend was still there and hurriedly ran away, clutching his right arm, which he didn't know was broken.

"Damn it! Wait for me!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, the injured Yakuza also tried to run away, but was grabbed by the back of his collar.

"Uh—" Yakuza covered his throat and rolled his eyes.

The man sneered, completely unfazed by his attempt to kill him, and slammed a stick down on the side of his head that had just been stitched up.

"Ouch! I just sewed those stitches!"

"Symmetrical, huh?! You like wearing it so much, I'll make you a symmetrical one right now!" After finishing one side, I'll work on the other side.

"Baka yarou! I am Arakawa Ryuzume—"

Yakuza's body twitched; he had begun to feel fear towards the madman whose strength was terrifying.

"I don't care about dragon claws or phoenix claws, when I was out in the game, you were still swimming in your dad's high-level games!" After saying that, he struck again with the stick.

"Ahhh—I was wrong! Please forgive me! Please forgive me!"

Yakuza begged for mercy.

"Get out!" The man shoved him forcefully to the ground.

Yakuza, covered in blood, collapsed in a sorry state, but didn't dare stop for a moment, fleeing in panic.

The man stared intently at Yakuza's disappearing figure, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He turned to look at Nobi Tomohiro, who was getting up from the ground, covered in filth.

Nobita stood up, carefully checked that his glasses were not damaged, and then breathed a sigh of relief, pursing his lips as he looked at the man in front of him.

".dad."

Nobi's father looked at him with a complicated expression for a few seconds before saying in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I want to take you somewhere."

After saying that, he slowly walked ahead.

Nobita hesitated for a moment, dusted himself off, and silently followed behind.

Chapter 54: The Bones Return

After walking for ten minutes, the two returned home.

"Change your clothes and take a shower. I'll take you there." Nobita's father said this while looking down, and then went back to his room.

Nobita wanted to ask what was going on, but seeing that the door had already been closed, he held back, went back to his room to get some clothes, and went into the bathroom.

A short while later, he came out of the shower and had changed into a set of casual clothes.

At that moment, the father stood in the entryway, holding a bone pot in his hands.

Nobita was filled with doubt and looked at his father with a frown.

"Let's go, it's getting dark. I'll explain to you when we get there."

Nobita's father carefully placed the bone pot into a sturdy bag, picked up a bunch of white chrysanthemums, nodded to Nobita, and walked towards the door.

Nobita hesitated, then silently continued to follow.

He sensed that his father had changed a lot, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what those changes were.

When they arrived at the door, Nobita's father had just hailed a ride-hailing car.

"Please go to Honmyoji Temple."

Upon hearing the place name, Nobita, who was following behind and getting into the car, felt a sudden urge.

He knew that his grandfather was buried in this place.

He remained puzzled about this matter for quite some time after he became aware of it.

Because their family wasn't wealthy, but the cemetery plots at Benmiao Temple were all private plots, which were said to be very valuable and required one to have a "connection with Buddha".

Why was Grandpa buried in that place?

He glanced at the bag his father had placed in his arms, his mind wandering.

We arrived at Honmyoji Temple in silence.

"Wait for me at the door." Nobi's father took out a few loose bills from his wallet and jogged to a bakery across the street.

Nobi didn't respond. He turned to look at the temple in front of him, a place whose memory was somewhat hazy. It had been two years since he last came here.

Nobita's father returned with the cake when a monk came out of the house.

"It's been a long time, Nobita."

“It’s all very sudden. I apologize for disturbing your temple so late, Venerable Richeng.”

"No need to be so polite. I understand the reason. Please come in."

The monk, whose Buddhist name was Richeng, clasped his hands together, while Asano Hiru smiled gently and led the way for the two.

"Please wash your hands first, esteemed benefactors."

Ri Cheng led them to the entrance of the cemetery and pointed to the handwashing pool at the entrance.

The two put down their things and used bamboo ladles to fetch water to wash their hands and rinse their mouths.

After washing their hands, they entered the cemetery. Ri Cheng led them to Nobi Tomokazu's tombstone, lit an incense stick, placed it horizontally, and then struck a bronze chime while chanting.

"Namo Myoho Renge Sūtra".

After repeating this seven times, he bowed to the two men with his palms together.

"You two benefactors have a cloud of worry between your brows, but please remember that the spirit of the deceased still protects you in this world,"

"Thank you, Venerable Richeng."

Ri Cheng smiled and nodded, then quietly left after putting his palms together, leaving the two of them alone.

Silence descended, the evening breeze rustling through the old trees, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of monks striking wooden fish and chanting in the distance, bringing a sense of peace.

“I know you have many questions, and I will answer them one by one.”

Nobi's father finally spoke, taking the initiative to explain why they had come to pay their respects today.

"Actually, I know where you've been hiding these past two days, and your secret base isn't a secret at all; I knew about it a long time ago."

“I also went to the school yesterday and learned a little about you from your former teacher.”

“I know how much you hate me, because back then, I hated your grandfather just as much.”

"I was planning to come to you this morning to apologize and have a proper talk."

Nobi's father seemed unable to look Nobi in the eye. He picked up a broom and swept away the fallen leaves and dust from the stone platform in front of Nobi Tomokazu's tombstone.

Nobi Tomoyo gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening with hatred and grievance.

He hated his father, not because he didn't let him play games or because he had too high expectations of him.