Tokyo Sound

"Mr. Lyon is a Harvard graduate student, a genuine British gentleman and a kind uncle. His London accent is very charming, and he also masters Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Thai and other languages. His rich experience makes his lectures full of fun. He not only tutors foreign languages, but also explains the customs and practices of the corresponding languages, helping students broaden their horizons, master grammar while chatting, and enrich their vocabulary. But the only pity is that he will have to resign soon." The old man said with regret.

"Wasn't it just established? Why is he leaving?" The parents felt that the teacher's beard was very Tolstoy-like.

"Because he loves traveling, he can't stay in the same place. He plans to travel around the world in five years, and all the travel expenses will be earned by working during the tourism industry. He used to be a translator in Latin America, but he encountered a resistance movement and his buttocks were burned. So he came here to feel the peace of modern society." The old man shrugged.

"It's an extraordinary experience," said the parent.

"Teacher Onitsukajima is a little special. He is also good at teaching awkward and paranoid students, but the method he uses is more physical. Of course, it is not corporal punishment, but waterfall training, which uses actions to inspire the spirit. Teacher Onitsuka was a biker gang in his early years, and later dropped out of school to work. He learned about the difficulties of society, and finally turned over a new leaf, changed his ways, and was admitted to a top national university. He can be said to set an example by himself. And because of this experience, he has a lot of experience in how to correct poor students who have fallen into depravity."

"His muscles are indeed well-developed. His bald head and sunglasses are very imposing."

Afterwards, the old man showed the parents the rest area, classrooms, and advanced teaching equipment. From all aspects, it can be seen that this cram school has a considerable investment and is very ambitious.

"What do you think?" the old man asked after explaining everything.

"To be honest, your cram school is the most diverse I've ever seen... They are top-notch in every aspect." Sakura Eiji was silent for a moment, "But for some reason, I can't help but feel worried when I come here to take classes."

Before coming here, my father had a special call with the old man. His extraordinary conversation and broad knowledge were highly appreciated, but after driving to the site for an on-site inspection, he felt that he had been cheated.

Maybe with these resources, the boss could set up a teahouse or salon.

"That's exactly what happened." After receiving the reply, the old man did not feel depressed. He shook his head and said, "I also think they are taking too big a step. Even if it is a new education, we still have to take one step at a time."

"them?"

"Well, this was done by my friend, and I just came here to help with some work. I am the principal of Metropolitan No. 3 Middle School, and I really cannot be a teacher in a private school." Yamayanagi Nobuobu explained.

"Old man, you have misled me." Sakura Eiji sighed.

"Not necessarily." Shan Liushengxin said hesitantly, "Some children are particularly undisciplined. It is difficult to guide them in the right direction with ordinary methods, but coming here may bring them surprises."

Sakura Eiji didn't comment on this. He took out his cell phone, opened the memo, and crossed out one item on the "remedial class list".

Next, there is another one two streets over.

"Ayane, you don't have to come with me. Just have lunch here first, and I'll go take a look." Sakura Eiji said loudly in one direction.

"Oh, okay." Sakura Ayane, who was browsing the teacher profile wall and also felt a sense of authority, responded.

The middle-aged man lost no time and left in a hurry.

"It's time for lunch so soon. There are vending machines here with a wide variety of goods, and there are also many good restaurants downstairs. This cram school, regardless of other things, is really well located." Shan Liushengxin gave advice to the young students who were still admiring the teachers' extraordinary resumes.

"Okay, I got it. Thank you, grandpa." Sakura Ayane said crisply.

"Oh, what a polite and lovely girl. Come to think of it, my granddaughter is about your age."

The old man didn't help his friend negotiate a deal today, but he didn't feel any burden at all. He leisurely put the lunch box he prepared in advance into the microwave to heat it up. Then he sat down, took out his tablet, put on the stylish and expensive headphones, and started watching - animation?!

Sakura Ayane's expression suddenly became strange.

If I remember correctly, this old man with a scholarly air seemed to claim to be the principal of the Metropolitan Middle School here? However, it was strange to see him watching The Powerpuff Girls here.

"You can drink as much beverages and coffee as you want here." The old man suddenly remembered something, looked up, and said in a friendly tone, then poured himself a small half cup of Coke.

"Uh-huh."

Sakura Ayane spent the day in her father's car, driving around the city, doing very little exercise, and wasn't very hungry. She simply didn't go downstairs to eat at the store, and bought some food from the vending machine to make do.

Because I had difficulty making decisions, it took me more than ten minutes to return to the rest area with a few bags of snacks.

At this time, the scholarly old man had already switched the video and was watching... "The Dream Tapir Girl"? !

The Powerpuff Girls and Rick and Morty are understandable.

But it is really confusing to follow a local quarterly anime like "Dream Tapir Girl" which has already ended, with such concentration and relish.

"Hmm?" Shan Liushengxin noticed the concerned and tangled gaze, thinking that the other party was a little restrained, "Little girl, you can sit anywhere you want, and you can watch TV anywhere you want. The remote control is under the table."

"Uh, okay, okay." Sakura Ayane sat down, tore open the bag, and started eating the biscuits. At the same time, she found the remote control and turned on the TV.

The screen lit up, and the channel playing was the one that was on before it was shut down - Rainbow Anime Theater.

"..."

Sakura Ayane was stunned for a few seconds when she saw the special effects drama that popped up. She pressed the button a few times out of habit, only to find that it didn't work.

"Oh, the battery seems to be broken. I just turned it off because I couldn't turn the volume up loud enough... Look at my memory. Wait a minute, I'll go look for batteries at the counter. There should be some." Shan Liu Shengxin noticed the situation and took off his headphones.

"No, no, no need to bother. It's okay if I don't watch it." Sakura Ayane waved her hands quickly, and then finally couldn't help it and asked tentatively, "Do you like animation and comics, old man?"

"Yeah, I like it. I usually play games. I have a lot of consoles at home. I'm almost dominating all platforms." Shan Liushengxin said naturally and kindly, "Games use your brain and hands, and can prevent dementia, haha. But my wife always asks me to play less and persuades me to go out and play bridge with others... Others don't want their husbands to play cards, but she wants me to go. Alas, I have no choice."

"...That's really rare." said Sakura Ayane.

"No, there are still many older players," said Shan Liushengxin.

"But can you watch the popular cartoons nowadays? Don't you think they are childish?" the girl asked curiously.

"Well, actually I don't follow anime. If I do watch it, it's old dramas with a sense of age, such as "Cowboy Bebop" or animated movies like "Perfect Blue". I've been following the updates recently purely because one of my useless students has become a voice actor and has acted in quite a few roles, so I pay a lot of attention to it." Yamayagiri Nobuo chuckled, "And out of the idea of ​​supporting his career, I even bought a few BDs."

"That's really supportive. What did you buy?" Sakura Ayane didn't expect there was such a hidden secret and asked excitedly.

"'Dream Tapir Girl' and 'Admiral of Yunyan Mansion', but I personally think that the most cost-effective and collectible one should be 'Firefly Forest'."

The air was silent.

The girl was a little dumbfounded.

“…Well, that was played by me.”

"Huh? What?" The old man hasn't reacted yet.

"I, I participated." Sakura Ayane raised her hand weakly.

"Huh? So the little girl is also a voice actor? Which movie did you act in?" Shan Liu Shengxin was surprised.

"The Firefly Forest."

"Is that so? Which character? No, no, no, that animation is almost entirely about the male and female protagonists acting against each other from beginning to end."

Shan Liu Shengxin recalled for a few seconds, and the hand holding the spoon stopped in mid-air. The old man asked in surprise and doubt.

"Are you the voice actor of Takeuchi Hotaru...?"

"Yes." Sakura Ayane nodded slowly, "Well, so who is your student?"

"I think you should already know it." The dean held his forehead with his hand.

Chapter 32 I don't know

The Rainbow Anime Theater is currently playing magical girl-type animations. The pink and dreamy transformation sound effects and the cute and heroic battle chants echo in this sacred place for improving scientific knowledge.

"Ah, life is like a speeding train. Opportunities and fate allow many passengers who should have passed by each other to meet during the journey." Yamayanagi Nobuo nodded calmly and sighed, "I didn't expect to meet the voice actor who played the girl who got lost in the forest and encountered the monster boy here. When I first saw you, I felt that you must be an excellent child, and in the end it turned out to be true."

"No, I'm far from being excellent." After exchanging information with each other, Sakura Ayane couldn't help but look much more reserved after confirming that this person was someone's teacher.

"Hahaha, don't be so modest. Your performance and voice may have been heard by audiences overseas." Shan Liushengxin smiled. "Come to think of it, when Firefly Forest was broadcast, that was also the time when my naive student just started working. How was it? Didn't it cause any trouble to you and the production team?"

"Not at all. I'm the one with the shortcoming." Sakura Ayane answered questions in class and said politely, "At first, I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere on a professional film set. I was so nervous that I couldn't even speak my lines fluently. It's just that the TV series had a loose schedule. If it was a weekly series, this kind of performance would definitely be unforgivable. It was also thanks to him who took the initiative to contact me and talk to me and persuade me."

"There's no one around here, so you don't have to be so smooth." Shan Liu Shengxin joked, "If he did something wrong and it bothers you, just tell me."

I'm also looking for an excuse to roam around and attack the others, the old man hummed in his heart.

"I'm not being polite, it's the truth... If it weren't for his help, I would still be very depressed now." Sakura Ayane emphasized quickly, and her tone slowed down as she recalled those things again.

"Depressed?" Director Mediterranean is an educator after all. When he heard a student say this, he couldn't help but frown and asked, "I just heard that you and your father went to private school all day today. Is it because your parents have too much expectations? Is the pressure of studying too great? If so...even though I have little influence, I can try to communicate with your father."

"No, my family treats me very well, and they are even a little tolerant of me." Sakura Ayane shook her head, "It's mainly because I always had a bad relationship with my classmates before, and I didn't have many friends around me. I felt lonely and depressed every day at school, and I had no goals or direction at that time, so I was a little confused."

"Is that so? After all, it is the most delicate and sensitive period." Shan Liushengxin suddenly realized and chuckled, "But should we say it is really a creative performance industry? Your experiences are somewhat similar... But, uh, but he can already stand on the side of helpers and enlighten others? It's really, very gratifying."

"Similar, what do you mean?" Sakura Ayane wondered.

"Haven't you heard it from him? It's not something worth talking about. But he was bullied by the so-called 'group atmosphere'." Yamayaki Nobuo sighed, "Although there was no physical damage, it must have had an impact. When he looks back on his school life in the future, he will probably only remember a gray period."

“…Is that so? Has this kind of thing ever happened before?” Sakura Ayane was a little surprised.

Was the guy who was so outgoing that he dragged the sound director out for drinks and meat, and could chat with anyone, a marginal figure ostracized by the group in middle school?

"How did you get to know him, classmate? On the set?" Shan Liushengxin asked.

"It started out in the restaurant where he worked. My friend and I made an appointment to go out and play, but then they changed their plans at the last minute and in the end didn't come. When he saw me sitting there until almost closing time, he couldn't help but come over to talk to me. He must have guessed something and couldn't stand it." Sakura Ayane then remembered the evil steak in the employee meal.

"He's quite kind. Of course, the most important thing is his willingness to strike up a conversation." Shan Liushengxin smiled bitterly, "If he had this spirit at the beginning, I might have asked him to talk about premature love instead of asking the health teacher to check his mental health."

"Puppy love?"

"Do you know his family situation?"

"Your parents are divorced, and your father is dead, right...?"

"Yes. Later, his mother reorganized her family and gave birth to a younger sister. But no matter what, that family was a stranger to him, so he chose to live alone instead of living with his stepfather. He also made it clear financially that after graduating from high school, he would not ask for money from his stepfather regardless of whether he went to college or not. I guess his relationship with his mother was a bit bad, so he was so determined." Shan Liu Shengxin said, "The family relationship was severed very early, so he lived alone in middle school, probably because he wanted to owe less affection, and he was very frugal with his living expenses. I heard from his class teacher that he always tried to abstain from collective activities in the class that involved paying fees, and his clothes, stationery, shoes, etc. were all very old."

"In the semester after the New Year, classmates bought new school uniforms, wore expensive sneakers, downloaded popular apps on their fashionable mobile phones, and read the latest gossip news. He could only repeat yesterday, apply for off-campus work permits several times, and struggle with how to combine ingredients in the supermarket to get the most economical deal. While his classmates were following the trend to buy shape-changing pencil cases, he actually managed to use up an eraser properly." Shan Liushengxin said, "It's very easy to destroy a child's self-confidence - just eat pickled vegetable rice balls countless times in front of classmates who were eating exquisite lunch boxes prepared by their families."

"Of course, he missed club activities. Firstly, he had to do odd jobs, and secondly, sitting in the club activities classroom was no different from sitting in the class classroom. The homeroom teacher did mention that he wanted to join the art club for a while, but gave up after trying for a while. He said that he was ashamed and frustrated with his performance."

"But, but his painting skills are very good." Sakura Ayane said anxiously.

"That is unknown. But he probably got into painting because he felt comforted by various works. After all, fantasy adventures are not as boring and depressing as reality. Comics are something that praises people and things through satire, humor, and symbolism. They are both entertainment products and romantic art. They are the author's understanding and attitude towards the complicated world. The same is true for literature. He is always alone, so he must want to talk to someone."

Yamayanagi Nobuobu continued.

"His grades and sports skills were unremarkable, and he was a quiet man, so he was dispensable everywhere. But he also had his little secrets. For example, he fell in love with a girl in the same class. The opportunity was not important. Maybe he just said thank you, borrowed a pen refill, or quietly reminded her of the answer... and his life didn't change much after he had the secret. At most, he would secretly glance at the girl a few times."

"According to his personality at that time, he would have kept it a secret until graduation, and then written it down on a small piece of paper and put it in the other person's yearbook on the eve of separation. However, the cover-up failed, and the little secret was discovered by the secret crush's friends, and everyone knew about it."

The little old man shook his head.

"When we were students, these little things were the best way to get the group excited. They had more material to talk about, just like a comedian designing an extra show. As for the material itself, no one would care about the classmate who sat in the back row and had a weak presence. After all, they were not familiar with each other, and it was because of this unfamiliarity that it was fresh. In the end, even his personal hobbies became the subject of ridicule. The person who was secretly in love with him, of course, was very resistant to being joked about, so he completely eliminated this little secret and rejected it outright."

"His biggest worry was exposed, the person he liked looked at him with annoyance and disgust, and his hobbies were also ridiculed. He must have been in a lot of pain that day. He then hid back in his rented house until graduation. Except for seeing me and the principal, he never went to school or class again."

Sakura Ayane listened and remained silent.

She could understand the feeling of hiding in the bedroom, but she was injured because of a fall, not because of the wounds in her heart. The skin and flesh will heal naturally, but can the pain in her heart form a scab?

"You don't have to look so sad." Seeing this, Yamayanagi Nobuobu said immediately, "Before the end of high school, his homeroom teacher dragged him out of his home. After that, he showed amazing perseverance. With the support of me and the principal, he was admitted to a top university in just three months. He also became a voice actor and started a career. I've heard about his current popularity. At least he doesn't have to be so sad when he sees discounted products anymore, right?"

"…Is this good enough? No matter what, the damage suffered in the past exists and cannot be undone. According to what you said, he seems to have grown up overnight, but my father also said that growing up suddenly is not something to be happy about. There must be something sadder that happened to him that we don't know about." Sakura Ayane whispered, clenching her hands in anger, "And those people who are making a fuss and laughing, what reason do they have to mock an innocent person?"

"Those classmates may not really have evil intentions." Shan Liushengxin pondered, "Most of them are like this when they are young. They don't know right from wrong, and they don't know how to use sharp words. As long as it's fun, they will do a lot of ridiculous things unintentionally."

"I originally thought that a guy like him who is warm to others..." Sakura Ayane murmured.

The next words were not spoken.

The girl suddenly remembered that even though they were familiar with each other, it was only in their actions and words.

In fact, I don’t understand the past, and I haven’t shared the future.

The old man described it very clearly, an experience that was unremarkable, regrettable, and came to an abrupt end, which anyone would feel sorry for.

but.

That might be his youth.

The youth that others deserve to remember may be the tacit understanding between childhood sweethearts, the dinner after the club training, the melody of the school song that they are tired of listening to, the chatting and laughing at the dinner table under the warm light, the blackboard with chalk marks, and the bright and energetic classroom.

All he has is a lonely rented house, a hobby, a goal, a pair of hands wet with detergent, and a series of warm little fragments and stories from his childhood.

I am here and you are here too.

I am blessed to share your youth.

And these may not be all.

The hemp rope is cut at the delicate point, and bad luck only finds the poor.

In that lonely night, in that night of recovery, he must have experienced something else, something as cold and sad as ice crystals.

This is the girl's intuition, so firm.

"Thank you, teacher, for telling me this." Sakura Ayane bowed her head to express her gratitude.

"It's nothing, and the person involved has come out." Shan Liushengxin waved his hand, not wanting to continue to talk about the past, but changed the subject, "By the way, do you really want to consider taking tutoring here? The teachers here are really good."

"This, I still have room to refuse." Sakura Ayane gave an affirmative answer.

"Yeah, I really need to give my friend some advice." The old man nodded helplessly but seriously.

The girl lowered her head, took out her cell phone, clicked into the chat app, and looked at the user in her recent contact list.

Suddenly I wanted to talk to him about something.