People in Tokyo, the world is clear

Sweet and delicious.

A good mood blooms and bears fruit in the soil of kindness.

He sighed deeply and turned his gaze to a golden retriever who was tiptoeing to the side and secretly opening the door lock under the cover of shadows.

Her furtive peeking was caught again.

I was so panicked that I quickly turned my head away.

The hair draped over his back was disheveled, like a stray dog ​​without an owner to take care of it.

"Good morning, nice to see you again."

"...morning."

Chapter 17 Ordinary Joy

The scene of saying good morning to each other happened again a few hours later.

When Lin Sen went out, he turned his head deliberately and found the short-haired girl who was eager to stand at the main door.

She changed into a white long skirt that reached her ankles today. Her hands were crossed in front of her, and she was holding the brown-gray cloth bag she always used.

I used a pure white hair accessory to hold back the strands of hair that had grown a little longer in the past few days and were sliding in front of my right cheek, obstructing my vision.

As we got to know each other better, I felt that she was becoming more and more like a girl next door.

"Morning, Ito."

After hearing these words, the cute expression on the girl's face was finally melted by the sunlight outside the rooftop corridor.

"morning."

She curled the corners of her mouth, took another half step behind Lin Sen, and prepared to walk the rest of the way together.

"I was in such a hurry to leave yesterday. I'm really sorry."

"Ah."

Like a child who becomes satisfied and happy again when given candy by his parents who broke their promise.

"Senior seemed to have come back very late yesterday."

"Yes, overtime."

"You got up so early today, you should take care of yourself."

"it is good."

Asking each other questions seems to have gradually become a part of life.

Lin Sen couldn't help but think of a word:

Join the group to stay warm.

I always feel that the cold and wet girl that night seems to be gradually fading away.

“It’s all good.”

"What are you talking about?"

"No, just talking to myself."

The girl who looked over showed some innocent curiosity on her face, but she didn't ask any further questions.

He just turned his head away, as if smiling secretly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"No, it's just a smile to myself."

He is quick to imitate others.

I couldn't help but smile, but subconsciously slowed down my pace.

A demolition and reconstruction project started next to the apartment today.

People wearing various safety helmets and with numb expressions were walking back and forth on the construction site.

They said nothing, only lowered their heads and clenched their tools, as if ready to turn into oxen and horses. Thus, in the early morning, the only sound in the ruins, where everything was in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt, was the roar of machinery.

The cold and piercing buzzing sound continued, restlessly injecting new steel and stone bones into this hot city on the bay shore.

Dust and smoke rose up and drifted to the small path that one had to pass through. It came suddenly and prickly, making people cover their noses and eyes.

"cough cough..."

Lin Sen raised his arm and covered his face with his sleeve, and with his other hand he took out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and handed it to the girl who was coughing next to him.

"It was newly opened yesterday, so I'll make do with it for now."

"what."

Ito Nishika reached out and took the pure white handkerchief.

Covering your mouth and nose, you can block out the choking air, but it will be replaced by another smell.

It was the scent of ordinary laundry detergent, but there seemed to be something else besides it.

To clarify, she subconsciously took a deep breath.

"..."

Somehow, the girl's cheeks suddenly felt hot.

Maybe I got up too hastily this morning and haven't recovered yet.

The buppa in his hand was taken to the tram station and put into a plain gray bag.

No intention of returning it.

Obviously, it was forgotten and no one remembered it.

So they prepared to part as usual.

The girl rushed to the station entrance, turned around, and waved the monthly ticket in her hand to complete the final ceremony.

Her face still had a healthy flush from running, somewhat like the color the sunset dyes the sky with.

Ordinary joy is like a sudden gift given by the difficult life.

“A day with hope always gives people motivation.”

I understood and recognized this sentence again.

Lin Sen put his hands in his pockets and smoothed the curve at the corners of his mouth.

Then, that leisurely state of mind suddenly collapsed.

"Moving bricks, moving bricks!"

At present, there is no escape from the jobs that are needed for survival.

The daily-paying job I found today was to replace a convenience store employee who had taken leave due to diarrhea.

A bit bland, nothing noteworthy.

Instead, I learned some strange industry insider information from a temporary colleague who had nothing better to do and had to brag about other people's business.

In fact, the current rise of convenience stores in Tokyo is largely due to the many working people who rent.

Prices in big cities always present a strange characteristic: items that meet the most basic needs, such as food to fill the stomach, are often not expensive.

But once the consumption level moves up a bit, to slightly more luxurious goods, the prices will start to rise exponentially.

The workers in Huaimeng were confined to the lowest level circle and dared not step beyond the line.

If you are slightly tempted or greedy, you will be drained dry by this bottomless city.

After suddenly falling from a high-consumption environment, people are no longer willing to cook by themselves, and even less willing to endure the noise in those cheap and simple restaurants and noodle shops. Therefore, convenience stores, which are not the cheapest but not expensive and have a bit of class, have become the last bit of decency.

This phenomenon was also significantly verified during today's business operations.

There are little kids talking and laughing, but no old women hanging around.

Young customers make up the vast majority.

This obviously confirms what the colleague who had a one-day love affair said.

"In short, useless knowledge has increased again."

When Lin Sen got off work and went out, he only felt a vague reminder of sociology points +1 popping up in his head.

Then I turned around and threw them into the depths of my memory.

Because there is something important today.

His current editor-in-chief, Ms. Rimei Sasagawa, once wrote him a bad check for a loan, and today is the day to claim the lottery prize.

When I came to the publishing house for the third time, I didn’t feel anything special.

Lin Sen, moving among the crowd, still looked like a nobody.

Although the contract has been signed and I have the title of teacher, unfortunately, this title is so humble that only one person recognizes it.

"Here I am, Editor Sasakawa."

Today, the lady with connections is still free.

Dusk was not a good time to read a newspaper, so she held a novel with a colorful cover in her hands.

The cover blatantly bears the kind of magic spell that makes a work sell well:

[The latest masterpiece from the bestselling queen, winner of the 94th Naoki Prize!]

But this spell doesn't seem to work on someone.

The woman frowned slightly, her face showing a forced expression as if she was pinching her nose.

She is really strict.

Lin Sen's arrival seemed to have broken the string that she could not hold on to.

Throwing the book in her hand onto the table like throwing something into a trash can, Sasagawa Rie looked up and focused her gaze on Lin Sen's face.

"Itsuki-sensei came at a bad time."

"Is it too early or too late?"

"It's early. I'm just finishing the last bit."

"Then Editor Sasakawa, please finish reading it. I'm a free man, so it's no big deal for me to wait."

When it comes to the matter of borrowing money, which is a matter of life and death, Lin Sen still takes it very seriously.

The only thing missing is to comb her hair like an adult and hold a white towel as a waiter in a members-only restaurant.

Perhaps because she was impressed by the upright standing posture, Sasagawa Rio sighed, stood up and began to pack her personal belongings.

"Forget it. I can't bear to watch it anyway. The ending doesn't matter."

"Come with me. I'll find a place to talk to you in detail."

Chapter 18: Update 1

Lin Sen originally thought that "finding a place" meant going to a cafe or some high-end restaurant, but the subsequent itinerary was unexpected.

After about a thirty-minute walk, Sasagawa Rio brought him to a nicely decorated single-family house.

"This is..."

"my home."

"What?"

I have never seen two bodyguards in black suits standing upright at the entrance of anyone's house.

One of them is missing a little finger.

You are cosplaying as a stone lion, right?

As expected, just as I was about to enter, someone reached out and stopped me.

"The boss said you can't bring back the opposite sex."