Compared to inconspicuous small cities like Kanbushi City and Fuyuki City, Japan's capital Tokyo is a completely different world.
It has 23 special districts, 27 cities, 5 towns, 8 villages, as well as the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands, with a total area of 2,155 square kilometers and a population of about 10 million (1998). It is one of the most populous cities in the world, the largest city in Asia, and the second largest city in the world.
Here you can experience the hustle and bustle that is the exact opposite of tranquility and peace. Here you can experience what a crowd is, what a flow of people is, and what a truly fast-paced life is.
"There are so many people." Ryougi Shiki, wearing a loose kimono, looked at the people coming and going around her and said softly, "Ah, like ants."
"Yes." Ganye smiled gently. To him, no matter how many people there were, they were just background. The girl in front of him was the only existence. "Although I think the word ant is not very good."
"How about using a bug to describe it?" Shinji took out a few coins, threw them into the vending machine, and randomly selected a few cans of drinks.
"Shinji, this is also--" Kan'ya was about to retort when he saw Shinji throwing two cans of drinks over. He subconsciously said "thank you" and handed one of the cans to Ryougi Shiki.
"I think what Shinji said is right." Orange, who was standing in front of the subway station sign and struggling to choose a route, continued, "There are too many people, just like a swarm of locusts. That's why I don't like big cities. It's so troublesome to find a way. There are always traffic jams, and I can't even drive a car."
"Have something to calm down." Shinji said, putting a can of iced coffee against Orange's face. "I'll help you look for it too - this densely packed route map makes me dizzy after looking at it for a long time. Ah, when will there be Google Maps? Kanye, why don't you start an Internet company and call it Google?"
"I don't know why, but I always feel that there is something wrong with this name." Gan Ye inexplicably felt a sense of malice.
"I agree. Are you teasing Kanye, Matou?" It must be said that Ryougi Shiki's intuition is very accurate.
"Sister Shiki is so majestic. I admire you." Shinji bowed exaggeratedly.
"Forget about that way of addressing me." Shiki waved his hand in annoyance.
"No, this is the only way to express my admiration, like the surging river, continuous—"
"You can yell all you want, but please shut up now."
Seeing that Shinji was about to start talking and couldn't stop, Shiki hurried to stop him. She was worst at dealing with people who were very familiar with others and talked a lot. It annoyed her just to see them.
Interestingly, this troublesome emotion proves Shiki's recognition of Shinji. Ryougi Shiki's view of love is close to that of animals. It has nothing to do with likes and dislikes. First, she divides people into those she can be with and those she doesn't want to be with. For those she can be with, she will accompany them to the end even if she hates them. To her, Touko is annoying, Shinji is troublesome, Sakura is liked, and Fujino and Kirie give her a feeling of being the same kind. As for Mikiya, she said "I don't know", but she values him very much, to which Shinji said hehe.
Shinji, who had successfully gained the upper hand, was in a good mood. He gave a thumbs up to his opponent and continued to devote himself to finding a transfer route amid the latter's helpless smile.
Soon, with the efforts of Shinji and Orange, the two found the right flight in the dazzling route map.
"That's it. Hurry up. If you delay until after school, you'll have to wait until the next day. I don't know the exact location of his house."
After hurrying along like this, the group finally arrived at the gate of a middle school in a relatively remote town belonging to Tokyo.
There is nothing special about the middle school itself, with a standard gate, an orthodox teaching building, and similar iron gates. It looks so ordinary, just like the life of an ordinary person.
Shinji checked the name of the school and nodded, "This is it. It's 3:22 now. Normally, middle school students finish school at 3:30. If there's an HR (class meeting), it might be delayed a bit. Let's wait here for a while."
"Hey, Matou, it's time for you to tell me who you're going to meet." Shiki crossed his arms and looked at Shinji with squinted eyes.
"Sorry, that's still not possible." Shinji shook his head, "It would be meaningless if you didn't find it yourself."
"I'm talking to you—" Shi's eyelids twitched, once again confirming the fact that this little brat was troublesome.
"Shiki, calm down. I believe Shinji has his reasons for doing this." Kanye patted Shiki's shoulder gently to calm her down.
"As expected of you." Shinji chuckled, "How about this, you two compete to see who can find the person we are looking for first."
"Who do you mean?" Gan Ye asked.
"Of course it's you and Shiki-san. Touko-san and I already know the target's characteristics."
"From what you said, you don't intend to tell us the characteristics. How are we supposed to find it?" Gan couldn't help but frowned.
"I don't need to tell you the characteristics. You will know it once you see it."
Shinji's confident tone aroused the curiosity of Shiki and Mikiya.
"interesting."
"Let me ask you in advance, do I know this person?"
"I don't know you, but I have a deep connection with you."
"Is that so? Then let's have a competition, Shiki."
"Oh, Mikiya."
"Well, let the game begin." Orange watched the interaction between the two employees with interest and snapped his fingers lazily.
A few minutes later, the bell rang on time, which meant that the cultural courses for middle school students had come to an end, and then there would be various club activities. Unlike in China, Japanese students have a wide range of extracurricular activities, and most high school students would not go home immediately after class.
However, the person Shinji is looking for is an exception. Due to physical reasons, he never participates in club activities and is a firm member of the Return Home Club, so Shinji chose this time to look for him.
Under the gazes of four people and eight people, the school security guard opened the iron gate, and students walked out of the school one by one.
Among them was an inconspicuous boy, who was alone, with his head down and carrying a schoolbag.
His short black hair was unkempt and looked a little messy. His large old-fashioned black-framed glasses covered half of his face, also covering his features that were somewhere between delicate and handsome.
It was this seemingly inconspicuous boy who attracted the attention of both Shiki and Mikiya.
"Miye, you really only have one sister, Hana, and no brother, right?"
"No, he should—"
Just when Gan Ye was about to ask if this was the person they were looking for, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Shiki's eyes wide open. His black, slightly scattered pupils narrowed and focused, releasing a mysterious color that he had never seen before.
"Shiki, what's wrong?"
Ryougi Shiki snorted, the corners of her mouth curled up into a chilling smile.
"This person is my kind."