Upon arriving in Soul Society, all that greeted him were low thatched huts, and everyone was dressed in the style of ancient Edo, leading Shiraishi to believe that he had forgotten his memories from his previous life.
Seeing skyscrapers again, those familiar reinforced concrete structures, evokes memories hidden deep within my heart.
Aside from the fact that his parents died early, he had no friends, no girlfriend, and no great power, his life wasn't too bad.
Born in a country under the red flag, you can play plenty of games even if you're just lying around. Occasionally, you can even treat yourself to something lucrative, like spending a day's wages on a barbecue that costs over a hundred yuan, paired with an ice-cold beer – it's truly awesome!
Overwhelmed by memories of the past, Shiraishi stood there blankly.
Seeing his distraction, Suifeng said in Soi Fon, "You are dead. That's an unchangeable fact."
"Yeah, that's right." Shiraishi answered softly, shaking off his sadness and smiling again. "Let's go get some breakfast and a Coke. I haven't had Coke in ages."
Soi Fon asked doubtfully, "Can you drink it if you don't have money?"
"..." Shiraishi's smile froze, and he turned his head to say, "Didn't you bring any cash?"
Soi Fon replied matter-of-factly, "How could the Soul Society possibly have money from the World of the Living? According to the rules, we cannot have any contact with humans."
"Never mind, I have a way. Give me your hand."
Shiraishi extends his left hand.
Soi Fon obediently extended his right hand and grasped it, asking, "Is there any point in holding hands like this?"
"Of course! Can you even call it a date if you don't hold hands?"
Shiraishi held her hand; it was very soft, as if boneless, and very small, like the palm of a sixth-grade girl.
"Alright." Soi Fon didn't say anything more.
The two left the alley hand in hand and reached the street outside. There weren't many cars on the road, and the crowds on the street weren't very dense, so it didn't seem to be a big city.
Shiraishi looked around and asked, "Where is this?"
Soi Fon answered truthfully, " Karakura Town, Tsubakidai."
"Is that so?" He seemed thoughtful, looking at Karakura Town now, it must have been in the 1980s or 90s.
Has Ichigo's mother been born yet?
As Shiraishi strolled through the streets, he realized he hadn't found any breakfast shops. He thought to himself, "This isn't China."
I probably won't be able to get steamed buns and fried dough sticks.
He felt a little regretful, but then he caught a faint scent of vanilla and his eyes were drawn to the aroma, leading him to a coffee shop on the street.
The shop's name is a string of incomprehensible English, but the wooden coffee cup-shaped signboard hangs high above the entrance, swaying in the wind, making it clear to those who don't understand English that this is a coffee shop.
The shop's overall decor is dominated by natural wood tones, and a stone path is specially laid in front of the door with a wooden bench placed on it.
Green plants line both sides of the storefront, creating a natural and refreshing atmosphere, and the faint aroma of coffee wafts out from the window.
Shiraishi stepped forward.
The shop assistant inside greeted us with a smile, "Good morning, what would you two like to order?"
Two cups of coffee, and two Chiffon cakes, please.
"Okay, please wait a moment." The barista began preparing the coffee.
Shiraishi reached out and took out two packaged Chiffon cakes, handing one to Soi Fon.
She didn't take it, saying expressionlessly, "You can eat it."
"Are you sure you don't want to try it?" Shiraishi asked rhetorically.
Soi Fon said irritably, "None of us have the money to buy it."
The air suddenly became quiet.
The shop assistant paused, and if he hadn't misheard, the beautiful, doll-like lady said that the two of them had no money.
That's impossible. A situation where someone doesn't even have money for a meal only happens to dirty homeless people.
The two people in front of me look nothing alike.
Especially petite women, with their looks and demeanor, no one would doubt that they were rich heiresses.
"Don't speak such blunt truths." Shiraishi smacked her on the head with a cake, realizing he wouldn't get his coffee, and quickly ran away.
"Hey, you, you guys stop right there!" The shop assistant realized what was happening and rushed out the door to chase after them.
Shiraishi and Soi Fon ran very fast, and just as they were about to disappear around the corner, a man and a woman also ran out from around the corner.
"Grass!"
Unable to stop.
Shiraishi spun around to avoid it, and the boy instinctively tried to dodge as well, but he wasn't agile enough and twisted his ankle, falling straight onto the road.
"Beep!"
A piercing car horn blared, and a heavy truck hurtled towards the boy, leaving him dazed.
In the nick of time, Shiraishi leaped forward and tackled the boy, knocking him off the front of the car, and they rolled together onto the opposite sidewalk.
A heavy truck sped past without stopping, and a faint, indistinct voice drifted in the wind, probably someone cursing.
Thump, thump, my heart is pounding.
For the first time in his life, the boy felt that he was still alive.
"Hey, are you alright?" Shiraishi patted his face, hoping he hadn't fallen and made a fool of himself.
"Amazing!"
The boy spoke, his eyes practically sparkling, "You're so brave! You actually risked your life to save me."
" Kaoru, are you an idiot? It's because this guy was running around that you fell!"
The girl yelled and ran over.
She wore a brown hat with goggles on top. She was pretty and had a well-developed figure, at least three times the size of a Soi Fon, and was the size that could be easily held in one hand.
" Ikumi, that was an accident."
The black-haired boy refuted his childhood friend's words, standing up and saying, "Hello, my name is Unagiya Kaoru, a second-year student at Karakura High School."
"Stop right there, you thief!" The shop assistant chased after him, panting.
Soi Fon said, "Give the Chiffon cake back to him."
"You're a thief?" Miyamoto Ikumi clenched her Riot Games. She was bad at studying, but very good at fighting, and was a well-known delinquent in Karakura Town.
I'm having some financial difficulties lately.
Shiraishi wasn't embarrassed at all and asked frankly, " Unagiya Kid, do you have any money?"
"Yes." Unagiya Kaoru nodded and stepped forward to pay the bill.
The shop assistant looked at the 600 yen in her hand, her eyes filled with tears. This money was hard-earned; this run was equivalent to three or four days of exercise.
Seriously, it's not like it's his shop, why is he going to such lengths?
The shop assistant only realized this problem at that moment and vowed to herself that she would never chase after someone like that again; it was too tiring.
" Kaoru, why did you pay for his bill?" Miyamoto Ikumi, clearly displeased.
Unagiya Kaoru didn't care about anything else and moved closer to Shiraishi, saying, "Big brother, do you need a job?"
"No need. I run an Odd Jobs Shop, specializing in helping people solve their problems. It's just that people have been living too comfortably lately, so I haven't had much business."
Shiraishi made up a lie on the spot.
"A Yorozuya? That sounds so cool! I want to open an Unagiya like you someday."
Unagiya Kaoru's face was full of excitement. He had been feeling lost about what to do in the future. Studying and growing up according to his parents' expectations had really given him no motivation.
The Yorozuya (Odd Jobs Shop) deals with all sorts of things and meets all sorts of people; it sounds interesting.
" Kaoru, 'Unagiya' is easily mistaken for 'eel restaurant,' right? I'm not going to work in such a weird place."
"But I want to spend my whole life with Ikumi, running Unagiya together."
"Idiot, you idiot, I never said I wanted to be with you."
Miyamoto Ikumi blushed and roared, crossing her arms over her chest.
Unagiya Kaoru said with a disappointed look, "So you really do like Ishida."
"Who would like that expressionless guy?" Miyamoto Ikumi rolled her eyes, not finding the campus heartthrob of Karakura High School handsome at all.
Listening to their conversation, Shiraishi wore a sweet, affectionate smile, radiating youthful energy.
Soi Fon's gaze was drawn to a black cat.