The next day, Xia Xi was sent out on an errand by his Senior Brother, Igarashi.
He said he wanted Xia Xi to help buy some specially prepared medicinal ingredients from the pharmacy.
Yukishiro Seiko went with him.
Xia Xi did not think much of it. He simply assumed his Senior Brother had seen how absorbed he was in training and deliberately arranged for him to get some fresh air and readjust.
After all, back when he had still been an ordinary Corps member, training under Igarashi in Yokohama.
Senior Brother Igarashi had often taken him into Yokohama to experience city life between training sessions.
Although the "streets" the Mist Pillar had spoken of back then had not been very "street" at all.
Instead, they had all been refined, bourgeois, upscale establishments.
But the purpose had actually been the same.
Pouring all his energy and attention into intensive training could sometimes mean more haste, less speed.
A little relaxation and rest.
Often produced unexpectedly good results.
This time, Xia Xi thought his Senior Brother probably had the same idea.
Although it was already deep winter.
The streets of Yokohama were still especially lively.
Much more prosperous than his Sendai.
Western-style buildings, horse-drawn carriages, men and women in Western clothing.
They were all rare sights in the Northern Borderlands.
Rickshaw pullers stood by the roadside, calling out for customers.
Along with vendors selling all kinds of novel toys, candy, and pastries.
From the distance came occasional low hisses of steam trains pulling into the station, along with the clack-clack of the rails.
"It really is lively."
For once, Xia Xi did not let his mind wander to his skill panel or training plans.
Instead, he indulged himself in enjoying this exotic atmosphere, with its sense of different eras colliding.
He