People in Tokyo, the world is clear

"I brought it for a friend."

The young man's tone was calm, and one could sense a sense of ease from it.

Facing those black eyes like a calm lake, Sasagawa Rimei put down the prepared form and put the cap on the pen.

Move the chair to the right position and sit up straight.

"Do you have many friends? I rarely hear you talk."

"Not many, but they're all good. Most of them are people I just met after arriving in Tokyo."

"It seems like they have a good relationship."

"Yes. We were originally just poor buddies who met by chance. Recently, we've been down and out together, so we organized some team-building activities."

"so."

"Why are you asking about this suddenly?"

At this moment, the female editor hesitated for a rare moment.

But the next second, he still chose to speak:

"So the prototype of the heroine in Itsuki-sensei's book... is in it?"

"I said."

This question made Sasagawa Rimei see the young man's somewhat inappropriate and surprised expression for the first time.

"Awesome. Pretty accurate guess."

"Since I started reviewing the new manuscript, the style of Mr. Itsuki's work has changed to a certain extent. The image of the heroine has changed a lot. Maybe it's the book "We Run Towards the Night?"

"Insight and insight."

The young man who was pointed out nodded and said, "I don't have a rich imagination. So, when it comes to writing stories, I can only use some references."

"."

In this case, will our marriage of convenience have any impact?

Sasagawa Rio originally wanted to ask this.

But before she could, she saw the other person in the room frowning and looking for an explanation.

"But the details are a bit complicated," he sighed. "To sum it up, that child and I are just friends. I wrote a book about her simply because I liked her image and I had nothing else to write."

"."

"Her, how should I put it? If Editor Sasakawa had the chance to get to know her better, he'd definitely feel that she's a very lovely person."

"."

"I do admire her a little bit. But it's just that feeling that I think she's someone I can get along with very well."

I feel like this person talks surprisingly much when talking about the girl in the story.

Take the initiative to explain without being asked.

Sasagawa Rio had rarely seen this happen to this person before.

"So, more than friends but less than lovers?"

"No, no, no," the young man waved his hands. "It's not that sticky, mushy kind. Let me explain it this way. She probably has similar traumas to mine. Ours is a mutually encouraging, conjugate relationship, refreshing and pure. There's an old Chinese saying about materialism... oh no, a gentleman's friendship is as pure as water, something like that."

"Ah."

Sasagawa Rio pinched her chin and narrowed her eyes.

"Seeing is believing. Trying to cover up the truth will only make things worse."

"Indeed. I'll introduce you all to each other when I get a chance."

"How are you going to introduce me? This is Rimei Kobayashi, and our relationship is... I'm going to give her half of my earnings?"

"Wow, stop doing that."

Maybe this situation is just too interesting.

When Sasagawa Rimei finally reacted, she realized that the corners of her mouth had curled up slightly without her noticing.

He was stunned and then woke up in shock and calmed himself down.

Take a deep breath.

The room was empty. The person who should have been there had already returned to the next room, rushing to resume the writing process that had been abandoned in recent days.

There were a few bags of snacks left on the table, which were handed out from the bulging bag.

"Am I one of your friends too?"

Tear open the bag, grab a few and put them in your mouth, biting them and making a crackling sound.

Gather and organize the messy papers on the flat wooden table.

"how to say."

In the lonely and quiet environment, the literary young woman couldn't help but let her thoughts run wild.

"If it's true as she said, two wounded souls, two broken hearts, two bodies trapped in this world. The mutual comfort, unity, and common progress of the two is indeed a wonderful sight."

"But, at the same time, it's the beginning of a story that could go in a variety of ways."

"Um..."

Suddenly, I felt a curiosity and yearning from the bottom of my heart.

She knew one of the protagonists of this wonderful story. He was a very interesting person. Perhaps not outstanding or dazzling, but that was not to be feared. He was funny, lively, a good writer, and often had a clever joke. He had a unique charm.

So, what about the other protagonist of the story?

and also.

What role will she play in this story now?

"Really."

His fingers moved down to his ankles. The familiar feeling of confinement was gone. The mechanical device that would have sounded an alarm if it lost control had long since been rendered useless.

Like a bird in a cage, I've been imprisoned for the first half of my life. Now, perhaps the trumpet of a new life is sounding, but what I see is a foggy future that is unclear and difficult to confirm.

Of course, it's good news, but, how should I put it?

The life in the future will probably be much more difficult to deal with than the original one.

This is certain.

Chapter 30: Will the coming summer be different?

Tokyo, afternoon at Ryuukoya.

Time for miscellaneous tasks before opening.

Aoyama Natsushi stretched out his trembling hand, and after Kawahara Taiga reached out to take the thing handed to him, he suddenly stepped back and bowed deeply.

"Please! Thank you very much."

"What words."

The eldest brother of the Kawahara family turned around and handed the blue banner to his younger brother behind him. Then he turned back and adjusted his newly changed chef's hat.

"It's so rare to have such a great event, and it's the dream of the kids I've worked with for so many years. I couldn't be happier."

During the conversation, the burly and taciturn Kawahara-ni climbed up the iron ladder against the wall and slowly unfurled the banner, hanging it on the ceiling above the ordering counter:

[Blue Coconut's second volunteer concert will be held at our restaurant on May 12th.]

"It just feels a little less refined. Shouldn't the wording at a celebrity concert be more formal?"

"Hmm...it was Kobayashi-san's idea to write it this way. He said he wanted it to be down-to-earth."

"Ah, that kid's idea, that's not surprising."

So the honest and simple-minded Uncle Tiger burst out laughing, "I've seen that for a long time. He's a stuffy guy. On the surface, he seems honest and lazy, but in fact, he always says something very strange and funny."

"That's it."

The girl, who was always good at reading the mood, laughed from the bottom of her heart and chatted with the boss about some trivial family matters. She sat down patiently and listened to the anecdotes of visiting relatives and friends, such as the embarrassing story of a child in a certain family who always loved to cry and throw tantrums on the ground in distress, and also talked about the losses suffered by some families who rushed to the crowded Disneyland and got nothing done because of the huge crowds.

She always manages to keep up the conversation - this is probably the only superpower this girl, who has been struggling in Tokyo for many years, has acquired.

But the subsequent development of the topic was somewhat unexpected.

"So, I heard Qingshan that you might be going back to your hometown after this summer?"

"what."

It's a question that can make people choke suddenly.

Qingshan Xiazhi could feel an uncontrollable expression of pain, confusion and regret welling up on his face, but in the end it gradually turned into determination.

"Yeah, that's right. I've been in Tokyo for years, and I've always been in this state. If this doesn't work out, it's time to make peace with myself."

"Ugh."

The uncle couldn't help but sigh and slammed his thigh.

"Really... I actually really hope Qingshan stays. I've been watching him for so many years, and I can't bear to let him go."

That being said.

But everyone present knew what was going on.

It's impossible for a girl from Hyogo Kita to stay in Tokyo all her life, working odd jobs that can't even save enough to survive.

It is impossible for the family to give endless support and wait for a lifetime. Even if they can, as time goes by, guilt and regret may become a lifelong torture to the girl's kind and simple soul.

The girl who rushed towards the neon city with a backpack and a train ticket will eventually grow up.

When the miracle she had been waiting for but could not wait for finally comes to an end, she will make up her mind to return to the wilderness land with the faint fragrance of grass and the scent of flowers and birds.

She may gradually forget this not-so-brilliant memory, and will no longer remember the nights she spent practicing instruments and analyzing music in the hope of her talent fermenting, and will become a truly ordinary farm girl.

Or maybe it will still be during the busy farming season, on a summer night when the old woman in the family is cutting watermelon for everyone with a trembling smile, she will use a rag to wipe the dust off the old guitar hidden in the cabinet, and then sit on the creaky floor supported by wooden brackets, reminiscing alone about her favorite folk songs that she once composed and sang.

Qingshan Xiazhi is probably still full of anticipation, anticipating something prosperous, brilliant, and incredible this summer.

But she had already despaired, because she had always been like this, holding on to her almost rotten dream, enduring one hot season after another.

But, from another perspective, this is more like the life of an ordinary person.

Everyone has the right to have great ambitions, whether it's crossing mountains and rivers or encountering huge crowds of people. But the reality is that talent and wealth are like a starry night.

Will she, Qingshan Xiazhi, be the blooming fireworks?

She didn't know. She only knew that something was flowing passionately from her eyes, which frightened the two big men in the room who were usually rough and sturdy.

So the strong girl immediately wiped away her tears bit by bit with the back of her hand.

"Excuse me."

“Ah….”

Kawahara Taiga subconsciously wanted to take off the rag hanging around his waist, but quickly realized that this was not a good tool to deal with his tears.

What should have been a chaotic scene became harmonious because of the sudden appearance of a handkerchief.

The girl looked up blankly and saw a figure blocking the sunlight outside the house.

And that calm voice as always.

"I haven't used it. Also, paper is expensive in Tokyo, so it's a good habit to carry a handkerchief with you."

"Kobayashi-san..."

Timely rain.

The girl quickly dealt with her loss of composure, recovered, and became the embodiment of sunshine again.

Qianxun 6○⒈2⒍樲7○

"What a trouble."

"Oh, no. It's true that I was suddenly startled. After all, it's really unexpected that such an optimistic child like Qingshan would burst into tears all of a sudden."