In the mid-1990s, the Japanese real estate bubble burst, and the entire Japanese economy fell into an unprecedented recession.
Due to the rapid economic development in the 1970s and 1980s, new buildings were built all over Japan like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. However, many of the "bamboo shoots" had not grown yet before the depression came. The companies that invested in the construction of the buildings were unable to bear the subsequent financial pressure, resulting in many buildings being left unfinished. In various cities in Japan, especially in emerging economic zones, various unfinished abandoned buildings can be seen everywhere.
Shinji, Sakura, and Fujino are currently standing in front of such a building.
Similar to many unfinished buildings, it has the appearance of a building, but there is no interior decoration at all, and the walls and floors are still bare cement.
It should be a six-story building after completion, but the fourth floor and above do not exist yet. Generally speaking, it is most efficient to build a high-rise building from the top, but this building should still be built according to the old method. Since it was abandoned halfway through, the five floors that have been built have become the roof.
Although the building is surrounded by a high concrete wall, it is not difficult to break in. It is a miracle that it has not been used as a secret base by the children in the neighborhood. In short, this is a building that exudes an unusual atmosphere.
"Is the person my brother is looking for here?" Ying opened her big purple eyes and looked around curiously.
Shinji took a final look at the note in his hand, then at the nameplate on the outer wall, and confirmed: "If Mr. Kenneth's information is correct, this should be the place. Let's go in."
When he stepped into the gate, Shinji felt an inexplicable sense of disharmony, and Sakura and Fujino who were following him also stopped.
Shinji pressed his brows and asked in a low voice: "Sakura, Fujino, do you feel anything?"
"It's a strange feeling, as if we are not welcome." Fujino thought for a moment and said.
"It's a barrier." Ying stretched out her right hand and was about to draw runes in the air.
"No." Shinji waved his hand at his sister. "Breaking the barrier without the master's permission is a unilateral declaration of war. When you get home, ask Mr. Kenneth for more common sense about the world of magic."
"Okay, brother." Ying nodded obediently, "But this barrier—"
"It's okay, it shouldn't be aggressive. If it is, my brother will protect you."
"Um."
Hearing her brother say this, Sakura immediately smiled happily. The intimacy between the siblings made Fujino reveal a hint of envy in her eyes.
"You two have such a good relationship."
Shinji patted his little sister's head, who was laughing, and said to Fujino, "You will become one of us in the future."
"real?"
"real."
Fujino also smiled. She seldom smiled after she lost her sense of pain, but after meeting this boy, she smiled more and more.
"Sakura, explain to Fujino-nee what a barrier is."
"Boundaries are used to isolate—"
As Sakura spoke in her childish voice, the group stepped into the building.
The word "barrier" originated from Buddhism. It is something that completely separates the outside world from the holy land. I don't know when it became a general term for magicians' self-defense techniques.
A low-level barrier is just a glass-like wall, while a high-level barrier will have various spiritual cues added to it, making people unaware of the existence of the barrier. The highest-level barrier can even obscure space.
The building's exterior is covered by a high-level suggestion barrier. People who have no purpose for coming here will not be aware of the suggestion here, and will not feel the abnormality of the abnormality. This barrier will be missed by anyone on the map. This is a barrier that only outstanding magicians can construct.
In the corridor on the fourth floor of the building, Shinji saw a magician setting up a barrier.
This is a young woman who looks to be in her mid-twenties. She wears a pair of glasses and has long red hair tied into a ponytail hanging behind her head. She is wearing a simple white shirt that outlines the hot curves rarely seen in oriental women and also gives her a bit of an urban white-collar vibe.
Except for the white shirt and glasses, the woman's clothes are all orange, including a large orange windbreaker, orange earrings, orange nail polish, an orange necklace, and even the cigarettes at hand are in orange packaging. It seems that orange has a crazy obsession - obviously this color itself is a silent irony to her.
Having said that, there is also the word "orange" in the female magician's name, so perhaps she has long stopped caring about it.
Her name is Aozaki Touko, and she is the most important target of Shinji's trip.
"Oh, there are guests? Three cute little guests." Orange spit out a circle of eyes, with a look of surprise on his face, "This is not an amusement park, how did you get in?"
The deliberately emphasized ending tone shows Orange's confidence in the strength of the barrier that wraps the building.
Shinji smiled and said, "I just walked in like that."
"Oh?" Orange narrowed his eyes, "It seems that he didn't come in by mistake. So he came here specifically to find me?"
"That's right, Miss Orange. I'm really sorry to come to your house without your permission. This is just a small gift, not a token of my respect." Shinji said, pulling out a rectangular red box from his handbag and throwing it over.
Orange took it casually and saw two eye-catching traditional Chinese characters on the surface of the box. The expression of surprise on his face became even more intense.
"It's 'Dragon Smoke'? I'm beginning to wonder who told you I was here."
"Longyan" is produced in Taiwan. Even in Taiwan, it is a very niche cigarette with a very unique taste. It is a type of cigarette that Orange prefers very much.
"Ms. Orange knows the rules of the industry." Shinji had a hard time saying it, so he could only act mysterious.
The person who told Shinji that Orange liked "Ryuko" was named "Nasu Kinoko", but he was not in this world and Orange did not know him.
The person who told Shinji that Orange was here was Kenneth. Orange knew this person because he was the puppeteer who helped Kenneth regenerate his body, but Kenneth has now "disappeared". Shinji will not reveal any information until Kenneth recovers.
Seeing that Shinji was unwilling to talk, Orange did not hesitate. He skillfully opened the box, took out a pack of cigarettes, unsealed it, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and then said: "If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. People who come to see me with this kind of 'dragon smoke' are definitely not my enemies. Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"Before that, won't you invite me to your workshop for a visit?" So far, Shinji has never visited other magicians' workshops, and he is extremely curious about the "Grand Master" magician (Clock Tower assessment) workshop, which only has ten people in the world.
"Unfortunately, I don't have a workshop built. This is just a temporary residence while I'm touring Japan."
Orange got up from the sofa and opened the door.
"If you don't mind, come in and sit down. It's really not appropriate to talk about business in the corridor."
PS: Monthly ticket, monthly ticket.