The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"I understand. I will definitely do that next time! Also, Uncle Le Yi, don't forget to say hello to Mrs. Le Yi and my little sister for me."

"I understand. I'll definitely bring your thoughts (gifts) and words. By the way, are you really not staying at our house for two days? Ever since you left last time, my wife and daughter have mentioned you from time to time."

"Not this time. After all, I'm here to take advantage of the school's 'Autumn Outing'... By the way, how's the situation here lately? Has it improved?"

"Well... it's strange to say, but for some reason the number of tourists has increased gradually, and this place has become more lively, with some new faces appearing in the store--" Uncle Le scratched his head. Although he didn't understand what was going on, it was a good thing after all.

"Is that so... That's great - I'm leaving now." Ping Xin waved.

"Well, have a good trip... Don't forget to make the fresh Hokki clams I gave you for Neloo and her friends. Remember to eat them fresh, and it's best to eat them as soon as you get home!" The shop door was closed, but Ping Xin who was standing outside could still hear the strong and powerful voice clearly.

Well, I will definitely do it.

But... aren't you giving too much?

Looking at the huge box of letters sent to the north, I felt a bit of a headache. But fortunately, there were enough of them, easily enough, absolutely enough.

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"Hey, Ping Xin, you're finally back?"

Asuna, who was sitting in the back seat of a business car, saw Hiranobu and stuck her head out the window. With one hand, she held up a large box of Hokki shellfish and ice, while he used the other to help her smooth out her hair.

Coming to the already cold Hokkaido when winter is approaching may not be a good choice. Fortunately, they will not get frostbite because of Hirashin's personal willfulness, and they are still soft, warm and cute.

"call--"

The heat of the human body and the cold air formed a stark contrast. Pingxin opened his mouth and exhaled a ring of water vapor that resembled a white smoke ring. Although the temperature was lower now, the city's vitality, or rather, its "popularity," was much stronger than it had been a few months ago. Seeing his plan paying off, he smiled with satisfaction.

"By the way, Pingxin, are you feeling cold now?" Asuna suddenly asked for some reason.

"As for the cold... I don't feel it that strongly, but I can definitely feel the coolness." Not knowing what she meant, Ping Xin answered truthfully.

"That's great!"

Is this a good thing? No, could it be that I still have the ability to feel as a human being, or some other higher-level metaphor? Ping Xin was troubled, but soon he felt something covering his neck, a long, soft piece of fabric?

After turning his neck left and right and gently stroking it with his palm, Ping Xin finally figured out what was hanging around his neck. It looked like a scarf, but it seemed a little too... trendy for a scarf.

The fresh and lively aqua blue, the violet that hides deep love, the warm and close-fitting beige, the vibrant light madder, and the pale gold that seems to be woven with gold threads. The five sections are all different in fabric and craftsmanship but are firmly connected together to form this "wonder" in the weaving world.

In addition to the difference in color, each section also has different embroidered patterns, including a cute Q-version head with a smile, steaming coffee and a guitar surrounded by musical notes, a maid headband with colors as bright as fireworks, a cursive version of Neru, and... a rabbit wearing powerful armor?

Haha, everyone really has distinct personalities...

"So this is...?" he asked knowingly.

"Hehe... This is a surprise that everyone prepared together! Surprise!" Asuna opened the car door and jumped out.

Hmm, so that's how it is... No wonder everyone always has these secret get-togethers to avoid me. I thought it was just a normal women chatting about family matters. But five colors... Hours, thank you.

Touching and feeling the piece of cloth in his hand, which he couldn't tell if it was a scarf or a colorful flag, Ping Xin's eyes became moist. Although he had received "gifts" from various people over the years, none of them were like this gift in his hand. Even without using any power, he could feel it -

You can feel the warmth, emotion, and...love inside, a magical power that transcends weather, temperature, and human perception and reaches deep into your heart.

"Delta, let's go—"

Without further ado, Hiranobu returned to the backseat of the car with Asuna. While he was eloquent, he was more interested in action than words. Perhaps he still couldn't figure out their connection, but at least at this moment, they were absolutely, 100% in love.

"But then again, where are we going?" asked Meganelle, with a single ahoge sticking out from the back row. Judging from the route, it wasn't the ramen restaurant they'd been to before, nor was it the ranch where they'd seen the Beigang volcano before. So where was Pingxin going to take them this time?

"Did you know that Tomakomai Aquarium is an aquarium located in Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, Japan? It's 430 meters long and is Japan's largest indoor aquarium open year-round. Tomakomai Aquarium is divided into two sections, north and south. The north section is for cold-zone marine animals, while the south section is for temperate-zone marine animals. Hundreds of aquatic species are on display, including whales, sea turtles, squid, octopus, conch, jellyfish, and so on—"

“…Haaaa——”

Are you so bored you're yawning? No wonder. Compared to a professional tour guide, I can only memorize encyclopedia entries, but...

"There's actually an interesting seal show there. Don't you want to go and see it for yourself?"

"Wuhu~Take off!"

"Ah ha ha......"

I feel like... the touching atmosphere just now has completely disappeared. However, I am not suitable for such tear-jerking scenes, so as long as it is like this, as long as there is such ordinary happiness -

Chapter 67 Tarumaesan Shrine

On the first day in Tomakomai, we spent several hours on the Shinkansen (because someone is afraid of heights), so the group only went to an aquarium in the afternoon and did some indoor sports. They are already preparing for next season (crossed out)...tomorrow's schedule!

So they got ready early the next morning, enjoyed breakfast, and drove by Delta to the famous local attraction in Tomakomai, Tarumaeyama Shrine, as soon as the park opened at 9 o'clock.

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..

There were actually two reasons why he wanted to go here. First, although Hirayukobu had cosplayed as a shrine maiden before, he had never been to any shrines. Since he had someone to go to at the beginning of the year with him, he definitely wanted to get a feel for it before making a fool of himself. Second, there weren't many places to go in Tomakomai (looking up at the sky).

Following the black path, which stood out against the white, Hirashin and his companions soon reached the red torii gate, the entrance. A black "signboard" with the shrine's name adorned the red torii, perhaps five meters high. It looked quite old, and a thick shimenawa rope hung from it.

As for why he knew so much about these things, despite never having much interest in them, besides some prior research, there was another reason... he was also a cyber Vietcong! After mentally recalling the image of a certain middle-aged woman, Ping Xin became suspicious and looked around. Fortunately, this was another world, and they definitely couldn't defeat him.

Next to the torii gate stood a giant...signpost? It was just a long, thick wooden column with traces of modern craftsmanship, with the words "Tarumeyama Jinja" engraved in large black characters. It wasn't very interesting or technically demanding, so after taking some photos, we continued on inside.

In fact, Tarumaeyama Shrine is also quite lively during the regular festival, but that is a limited event that only takes place from July 7th to 14th. There are also some other events but they don’t match the time. In addition, we arrived early, so we didn’t see anyone else along the way except them.

Through the official website, Ping Xin learned that there are three gods enshrined here, namely Oyamatsumi-gami, Kukunochi-gami and Kanohi-gami. The three are respectively Sanling (the god in charge of mountains), Kokuling (the god in charge of trees), and Kusano-gami (the god in charge of fields). But as for the value of these gods...it's better not to tell you.

In addition to their local gods, other gods are also enshrined here. Small shrines (kan, pronounced as "kan") enshrine gods from other shrines, just like a red witch's territory also has the green witch's family gods enshrined... should be the same, right?

Hiranobu wasn't sure. But if there was one place that interested him, it would have to be Shotoku Shrine. Speaking of which, what was the gender of Prince Shotoku?

The group, brooding over random thoughts, moved noisily forward, adding a touch of life to the cold and silent shrine. Arriving at the plaza in front of the main hall, two square stone pillars stood at the entrance, also tied with ropes. While it looked quite impressive, the thought that these were later constructions made it seem a bit less appealing. It's true that natural beauty and genuine cultural heritage are more meaningful when visiting.

The temple was new and beautiful. Even the red machine on the left side of the square had become much shinier. It looked like a completely industrial product, Ping Xin thought to himself. The machine on the left showed a map of the area, but he was just there for a formality, basically checking in, so it didn't mean much.

On the stone platform with the word "Yuan Yuan Lei" written on it, there's also a red stone ball engraved with the word "Fu." Even an amateur can easily tell that this is extremely pure rock! ...No way, it's just a deceptive industrial product. Honestly, I've tasted enough of these in my past life!

There are also different stone carvings on other stone platforms. In addition to this Yuanman Lei, there is also a wish-hanging ox. There is a small bowl in front of the ox's head where you can put coins. It feels like a common wishing well or wishing statue. Compared with these, there are stone carvings that are more interesting to ordinary people, such as -

A pair of Komainu.

When I first started playing a certain series of games, Hiranobu also thought that Komainu (こまいぬ) was actually a dog. It turns out that it refers to the stone lion statues standing on both sides of the shrine entrance or the worship hall. Here, they are not animals in the real world but "messengers" who serve as guardian gods, probably like the hellhound Cerberus in Greek mythology, the Egyptian Sphinx with a human face and a lion's body, and the lion statues in India (Buddhism).

At the entrance or in front of the main hall of a shrine or temple, two Komainu statues are usually placed on either side. They are placed facing each other, usually with the Komainu on the right side open and the Komainu on the left closed. The one with the open mouth is called "A-gata," the initial sound in Siddham grammar, while the one with the closed mouth is called "Hum-gata," the closed sound that marks the end of all sounds.

Yes, that's probably where the character's name comes from.

The image and action design of the Komainu are also very free. In addition to their diverse appearances, there are even stone statues that can do handstands and other actions. Perhaps this can also be considered a product of early secondary creation?

While the word "犬" (dog) is in its name, Komainu doesn't strictly refer to a dog; it's a general term for any animal. Furthermore, depending on the deity enshrined or its origin, the animal representing the guardian deity at a shrine can vary. Many shrines use other animals as guardian deities, for example, Inari-god is patronized by a fox, Bishamonten by a tiger, and Benzaiten by a snake.

Some even place stone statues of rabbits, monkeys, or wolves.

Then, Asuna and the others even tried their hand at drawing lots. It was a cheap 200 yen a pop, and surprisingly, there were separate male and female lottery draws. It wasn't like the Yan Kingdom fortune-telling where you just swung a stick out of a holder; you just reached in and took it. Honestly, these shiny, mass-produced paper lotion sticks were a bit lacking in flair. Even the woman in the shrine maiden costume wasn't a beautiful girl, but a woman in her 30s.

Although it has lost its ancient charm after reconstruction, the exotic culture displayed inside is still quite interesting. However, such a remote shrine is so dazzling. Are places like Ise Jingu Shrine and Fushimi Inari Taisha covered with gold leaf?

Gold foil and chicken, whoosh whoosh—

He was just telling tasteless, dirty jokes to kill time, not caring if it would offend any gods that might exist. He was a materialist after all. Compared to his overthinking, Asuna and the others were having much more fun.

So Pingxin will be happy too, that's all.

Chapter 68: Yudu Neihu (Second Week)

"Ping Xin, when are we going to go see Beigang Volcano and that guy?"

Besides Hirayama, another person also showed little interest in the Tarumaeyama Shrine visit. That person was Meganiru. She felt that instead of doing all this, she would be better off going back to pay respects to her father, who had attained enlightenment. Compared to these mysterious things, Tomakomai's animal friends were far more interesting.

"Ah... well, let's go see the Beigang Volcano later."

"Wait, but isn't it going to participate in the Tokyo Grand Prix, its last competition before retirement, at the end of December? If we go now..."

Pingxin was a little surprised. He originally thought that Nilu said she liked Beigang Volcano just because she thought it was novel and interesting. He didn't expect that she actually checked it out in private. Could this also be a kind of separation?

"Well, what you said makes sense... Then... let's go to Yudu Inner Lake and take a look. There should be a lot of animals in the wetlands during this period." Ping Xin didn't say too much, nor did he have the heart to break her expectations, because this season is a bit special -

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It started snowing in Hokkaido in early November, so when I went to Tarumaeyama Shrine, I said the ground was covered in white. However, there was not much snow accumulated yet. If you want to enjoy the snow, the best time is December when it snows more frequently. After that, you will be freezing as soon as you go out.

Earlier in October, flocks of whooper swans begin their annual winter migration from Siberia across the sea, arriving in Hokkaido's freshwater lakes to overwinter, feeding on the leaves, stems, and roots of aquatic plants. Due to geological activity, Hokkaido is home to numerous volcanoes, and the constant flow of hot springs from underground keeps many of the lakes from freezing even in winter. If you touch the surface, you can even feel a warmth slightly above body temperature.

Lake Utsune (ウトナイ湖), a freshwater lake located east of Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, is a world-class protected wetland. Besides its own small animals, it also boasts a large number of migratory birds. Birdwatching is a popular attraction during the annual migration season. By now, it's easy to spot a problem:

The question is whether the little swan we encountered earlier is still here. With the ripples' blessing, it should be able to thrive. But even if it's still alive, how can we find the swan we saw a few months ago among the hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of birds flying around? It's also highly likely that it's not here, after all, Yudu Neihu isn't one of the largest swan habitats.

This isn't some Disney princess movie. Could it be based on a single glance at birth?

Pingxin didn't want to bring down others by expressing his habitual negative thoughts. All he could do, what he wanted to do, was to support Nilu at this moment. If the final result was not satisfactory, he and his other friends would not be too sad, but -

"...You still want a miracle after all."

Praying silently in their hearts, Pingxin and his companions set out on their journey.

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We drove to Yudu Neihu Lake, and the scenery was different again. A light layer of snow blanketed the ground, while the bare branches and trees made the place seem even more desolate, or perhaps even deserted? Compared to the lush greenery of last time, this time the scenery felt more desolate.

The only thing that remains unchanged is the lake water, still crystal clear. Swans, in pairs or alone, display their gracefully curved necks on the surface. Swans typically reach maturity in three months, so by then the "ugly duckling" should have become a white swan, though it would have been harder to find.

We parked the car and strolled along the lake. After choosing a spot, we all set up our picnic, enjoying the scenery and the food. Some animals that still remembered Ping Xin or felt close to him came over, and we offered them some bread and fruit. Thankfully, everyone was well prepared before their trip.

But there was still no sighting of the little swan that had been born under the care of Pingxin and Nilu. This wasn't surprising, though, as even humans, the most intelligent of all animals, gradually discard things from their past as they grow up, like nails, hair, teeth, and...memories. So why should it be so strange when this happens to an animal with a brain no bigger than a fist?

"Hahaha, how come this child is so round? He's just like a little white ball!"

Asuna laughed as she watched the plump white bird in her hand continue to baku baku. They looked like "princesses" now, but unfortunately, the miracle still didn't happen.

"...Nilu, what's wrong?" Ping Xin asked when he saw Meganilu meditating in front of the lake while eating.

"Pingxin, are you..." Nilu continued after another pause, "Did you already know it might not be here, so you didn't want me to come? You'd rather let me come to Beigang Volcano, which might be undergoing health management and professional training, than come here?"

"Maybe... maybe the encounter between humans and birds is like that between humans. They may never pass by each other once in their lifetime, and even if they do, there may not be any follow-up. Regrets always run through life, and all we can do is be grateful for the encounter and move on—"

As long as you think enough and are pessimistic enough, you will never be hurt. Because when you have a good expectation in your mind, when the result comes, you will just feel "ah, that's it." But the same is true for joy. As long as you have imagined a good ending, when it actually happens, you won't be as happy as you imagined.

Therefore, the long-sighted pessimist often appears to be neither happy nor sad. In life, there are only the sadness that has been anticipated and the faint joy when it exceeds expectations. People usually call this maturity, but perhaps it is just a psychological prevention mechanism belonging to "adults" -

Maybe we never really matured, we just became indifferent.

"...Is it doing well now?...No, it must be doing well now."

Megane Lu revealed a lonely yet relieved expression, but Ping Xin's heart ached, aching with her. Perhaps after this incident, she would become more mature and stable, no longer holding more expectations of others and the outside world, but this is really Ping Xin... is this really what we want to see?

Ping Xin clenched his fists unconsciously. He was unwilling to accept this and didn't understand why he would still...

power?

Oh, I still have this power. If I use it here—

But is it really worth it? For his girlfriend and a mere "beast", he would use this power that could have a profound impact on the world and humanity?

“…It’s worth it, of course it’s worth it!”

"...Ordinary letter?"

If I have power but don't use it for them, then what's the point of being so strong!

"Nel...Call for a miracle with me."

"Miracle?"

"Yes...wait and hope—"

Then, I will offer the miracle to you with both hands!