Vacation

July 13.

6:30 a.m.

The alarm clock rang.

Yi Chen slowly got up and stretched.

He got up and pulled open the curtains,

and the morning sunlight instantly streamed in, filling the entire room.

Yi Chen washed up quickly and took a shower.

He changed into a black T-shirt and brown trousers.

He put on white sneakers.

He slung a white shoulder bag over his back.

Everything was ready.

Angel appeared slowly,

and a smartphone materialized in front of Yi Chen.

Angel said,

"Here's your phone. I've set everything up."

Yi Chen took a look. All the apps on the phone were already logged in.

Even the phone number had been set up.

Curious, Yi Chen picked up the phone. It even unlocked by scanning his face.

As soon as he turned it on,

his location information popped up automatically. He took a closer look.

"Your address has been updated."

The map showed an address in Shinjuku, Japan.

Yi Chen took out his school phone and asked,

"Angel, why didn't you send the location to this phone?"

Angel picked his nose.

"That's the phone your school gave you. It has a special S System."

"For easier management, the school collected your original phones right from the start."

"Everyone has to use an S System phone."

Yi Chen nodded at that.

"Then, Angel, do I have any money? Now that we're on vacation, I'm sure I can't use the school's money."

Angel picked at his foot and said impatiently,

"Just check for yourself. You still don't know how to use a phone?"

With that, Angel disappeared.

Yi Chen was at a loss.

He took a quick look and discovered that he had three million yen.

Yi Chen, who had been about to complain about Angel,

burst into grateful tears.

He felt deeply thankful.

"What does three million yen mean? It's equivalent to more than 140,000 yuan."

"How long is this vacation? And they gave me this much."

"I'd even be willing to live in an outhouse!"

Yi Chen thought it over. For 140,000 yuan, living in an outhouse would still be a bit much to bear.

Then he figured out how to pay with the phone and learned its other basic functions.

After that, he went out.

Yi Chen thanked Angel again for being so thoughtful.

At 6:50, Yi Chen met up with Ichinose.

Ichinose wore a short pink T-shirt and a white skirt,

paired with short black socks and black leather shoes.

Yi Chen was captivated all over again.

Even though he'd seen her many times before.

The two of them headed toward the station together.

After they left the school gates, the school collected the phones it had issued.

On the way, Ichinose turned her head and asked, her eyes full of anticipation,

"Yi Chen, where's your home?"

Yi Chen smiled and replied,

"It's in Shinjuku."

Ichinose's face immediately lit up with a radiant smile. She said excitedly,

"That's great! We can go back together!"

All along the way, the two chatted about this and that, and the atmosphere was especially warm.

First, they took a bus, then transferred to the Shinkansen.

Yi Chen sat by the window, his attention held by the beautiful scenery of Japan outside.

As the Shinkansen sped along, the scenery unfurled beyond the window like a dreamlike painting.

Yi Chen couldn't help thinking,

"No wonder so many anime have that kind of scenery and don't even need dialogue."

"This view is incredible."

When they arrived at Shinjuku Station, the crowds surged like a tide.

Yi Chen and Ichinose squeezed out of the platform with the crowd. Outside, everything was bustling and noisy.

Yi Chen carried Ichinose's luggage, while she leaned against his other shoulder.

The stations in Japan were incredibly lively.

Or, more accurately, Tokyo had too many people.

There was even a homeless busker performing with gusto at the station, playing upbeat music.

They made their way outside the station.

The giant electronic screens flashed with all sorts of things, dazzling the eye.

The two were about to part ways, since their homes were in different directions.

Before leaving, Ichinose and Yi Chen exchanged phone numbers and added each other on Line.

At that point, Ichinose suggested they have a meal together before saying goodbye.

Then Ichinose hailed a taxi by the roadside.

Yi Chen helped load the luggage.

The two took a cab to the city center, then casually stepped into a ramen shop.

The shop had a very Japanese, unassuming decor.

Inside, Yi Chen felt as if he'd stepped into an anime scene. He was thrilled.

Ever since school let out, the smile on Yi Chen's face hadn't faded. Now, he was even more excited.

Before long, steaming-hot ramen was served,

its rich aroma instantly filling the entire shop.

They sat facing each other and savored the delicious noodles at their leisure.

Ichinose spoke softly, firing off one question after another.

"Yi Chen, how long have you lived in Shinjuku?"

"Yi Chen, where did you go to junior high?"

"Yi Chen, what's your favorite place in Shinjuku?"

The barrage of questions caught Yi Chen off guard.

Luckily, he usually watched anime and knew a little about schools in Japan.

So he decided to take a gamble and answered at random.

Ichinose listened attentively, then enthusiastically shared things about herself.

Before long, they finished their ramen.

When they checked the time, it was only one in the afternoon. There was still plenty of time.

After getting to know each other a little, they waved goodbye.

Yi Chen hailed a cab and went straight to the destination Angel had given him.

After a long ride, Yi Chen spent another fifty minutes in the car.

He arrived at the gates of Spring Under Heaven.

The entrance looked magnificent.

Yi Chen stood before the gates of Spring Under Heaven,

and looked up at the golden characters on the plaque and the ornate carvings.

He couldn't help exclaiming,

"This place feels incredible."

Yi Chen went to the security booth. To his surprise, the guard was one of Angel's people too.

The guard gave Yi Chen a pass and a key.

He could come and go as he pleased from now on.

Inside, there were rows of small villas that all looked pretty similar.

Many homes had parking spaces out front, with luxury cars parked in them.

Yi Chen continued looking for his home using the location on his phone.

Along the way, he also saw even taller, grander mansions, as well as a small river.

Yi Chen couldn't help feeling envious.

Soon, he arrived in front of an ordinary three-story mansion.

Yi Chen gave it a casual look. It was pretty ordinary.

A standard mansion.

Yi Chen slowly took out the key and opened the front door. The house had about 250 square meters of space.

It was huge to Yi Chen.

It came fully furnished and equipped.

Yi Chen took a quick look around the house, going upstairs and down.

He settled into a sunny room on the second floor.

Yi Chen set down his bag, tidied up a little, then lay down on the bed to relax.

Yi Chen opened his bag and took out a slip of paper with the Kendo Club members' phone numbers.

He wrote them all down and called them one by one.

Then he slept until evening.

Yi Chen got up and replied to Ichinose's messages.

He also replied to a few people from the Kendo Club.

Because of the cruise trip, their plans for the trip had changed.

They planned to start exploring Tokyo on the 19th and continue through the 29th.

Yi Chen got up and opened the fridge at home.

Although it was packed full, it was all vegetables and drinks.

There were also some popsicles in the bottom.

But how could any of that count as dinner?

He could cook for himself, but Yi Chen was lazy.

Yi Chen decided to go out and explore the neighborhood.

He walked uphill and turned a corner.

He hadn't gone far when he spotted a little house.

As he got closer, he saw it was an izakaya.

A warm yellow lantern hanging outside swayed gently in the breeze.

Yi Chen lifted the noren and went inside.

There were seven or eight people dressed formally, men and women alike.

They were quiet—or, more accurately, the whole place was quiet.

Yi Chen found a seat in the corner and looked at the menu.

To his surprise, they had barbecue skewers, and the prices weren't high.

So Yi Chen ordered some skewers and a soda, watching the chef skillfully turn the ingredients over the charcoal fire.

The two of them chatted about everyday things from time to time.

Everything felt ordinary.

Yi Chen also occasionally observed how the other customers spoke and carried themselves.

They all had an air of refined elegance that made people feel at ease.

Before long, the chef brought the barbecue over to Yi Chen's table.

Yi Chen thought everything about it was wonderful.

When the urge to share hit, he took a picture and sent it to Ichinose.

Ichinose sent him a picture of her dinner in response.

Yi Chen savored the lively atmosphere of this foreign land.

After finishing his meal and paying, Yi Chen strolled back to where he was staying.

On the way, his phone suddenly rang.

It was a message from Ichinose.

He opened it.

Ichinose was holding her phone, and in the frame, a little girl was playing with a cat.

"My pet cat is so cute, just like you, Yi Chen."

She added,

"Yi Chen, do you like her?"

Yi Chen's lips curled into a smile, and he replied:

"I really like her."

"Ichinose."

When he got back, Yi Chen lay down on the bed.

He gazed at the moonlight spilling in through the window, thinking back on everything that had happened.

"This is just a world I haven't cleared yet, right?"