Qiyuan Inn

Although there are only six months left until the arrival of the 22nd century, the speed of the Shinkansen has not increased with the changes in society over the past few decades.

While the speed could be increased, in Japan, where a trip around the country can be completed in less than a day, the speed of the Shinkansen is already sufficient to meet the general needs of the public. Researching ways to make it even faster would not match actual needs and would result in a waste of resources.

Other countries share this view, believing that faster travel methods are unnecessary to study, and are now more inclined to look for new research targets in the different Quirk of humans. However, it is said that the United States is privately having some scientists on "iisnd" Island search for the essence of the powers of people with teleportation Quirk, but the sample size is too small, and this research has not made much progress.

More than five hours later, Jilan arrived in Tottori Prefecture.

Tottori Prefecture has a relatively developed agricultural sector. Apart from the bustling Tottori City, the rest of the area is what Japan people often refer to as the countryside, where people's incomes are consistently among the lowest in the country, making it extremely poor. After Jilan got off the Shinkansen, apart from a few women at the station who recognized him, most people ignored him as an ordinary tourist.

Because Jilan needed to go to Oumagadoki City, he had to transfer to a long-distance bus within the prefecture, which took another two hours to Oumagadoki City.

As mentioned earlier, this place is extremely poor. Even if there are criminals, they are mostly fugitives who have fled from big cities to Mirko. Therefore, crime is very rare here. Aside from banks, there are practically no robberies. Even the Pro Hero agencies that are ubiquitous in Tokyo are few and far between here.

Jilan's destination, the Oumagadoki Agency, wasn't in the city center, but on a nearby mountain. According to information Jilan gathered from passersby, it would take about two hours by bus to get up the mountain. However, Jilan had already spent seven or eight hours traveling from Tokyo, and it was getting dark. Jilan decided to stay at a hotel in Oumagadoki City tonight and go up the mountain tomorrow.

Although it's called a hotel, it's actually more like a guesthouse. Because Tottori Prefecture has the only coastal desert in the island nation, the "Tottori Sand Dunes," the number of tourists is always increasing, adding a lot of vitality to the city. Many residents have turned their homes into guesthouses, earning a considerable income each year.

Perhaps because few people usually come here, the owner of this guesthouse was very welcoming when Jilan walked in. After learning that he wanted to stay for one night, the owner diligently prepared a Japanese-style room for him, which was not much different from the room Jilan stayed in at home.

The inn where Jilan stayed was called "Qiyuan," which was the surname of the owner. During her conversation with the owner, she learned that the male owner had passed away, and only the young Mrs. Qiyuan and her youngest daughter were managing the inn.

Taking the Mirko, Jilan inquired about the Pro Hero "Mad Rabbit," but surprisingly, Mrs. Qiyuan shook her head, indicating she knew nothing of such a Pro Hero.

She said that there was a hero agency next to the post office two kilometers away, but it was opened in his hometown by a middle-aged Pro Hero was seriously injured in Tokyo and was recuperating. The agency's usual work was just rescuing cats from trees for the elderly.

"Big brother, are you talking about rabbits?" Mrs. Qiyuan's daughter, who was writing her homework on the counter, suddenly asked when she heard Jilan's question.

"A rabbit? Ah, that's right." Jilan Jiyu was stunned for a moment. He hadn't gotten a picture of the Mad Rabbit from Principal Nezu, but judging from the name, the Mad Rabbit should have some connection with rabbits.

Just like Mirko, the rabbit hero who consistently ranks high on the hero leaderboard, her Quirk is characterized by rabbit-like abilities. Perhaps the Mad Rabbit is too?

"There's a rabbit zookeeper in the zoo behind the mountain!"

"Little sister, can you tell me what that rabbit zookeeper looks like?" Jilan asked.

"It looks just like a rabbit!"

Although Mrs. Qiyuan was somewhat confused, Jilan understood. The rabbit zookeeper must be an animal that had undergone mutation and developed Quirk, like Principal Nezu or the Gang Orca. After Jilan learned the name of the zoo from Mrs. Qiyuan, Jilan was even more certain that the rabbit zookeeper must be "Mad Rabbit".

Mrs. Qiyuan glanced at the wall clock, startled, and immediately stood up to ask Jilan, "Guest, it's getting late. Would you like to eat at our inn or at a restaurant outside?"

Jilan thought for a moment, then, wanting to relax and unwind, said, "No need to trouble you, I'll just eat out. By the way, could you recommend a well-known restaurant nearby?"

"Ah, of course." Mrs. Qiyuan nodded and said to the little girl, "Xiaoyou, take this big brother to Uncle Fujiwara's restaurant."

Jilan smiled and said, "Your Xiaoyou? What a cute name."

Jilan had only intended to be polite, but she didn't expect Mrs. Qiyuan to suddenly change. "What do you mean by this? Are you interested in my Xiaoyou and want to make a move?"

"Outsider, you're not welcome here! Get out of here!" Mrs. Qiyuan suddenly picked up a feather duster from the side, shielded Xiaoyou behind her, and started yelling at Jilan, "No wonder you asked about Pro Hero, you're trying to take advantage of the situation to commit a crime, aren't you? Don't think you can bully us, mother and daughter!"

She lowered her head and said to Xiaoyou, "Xiaoyou, quickly use Mommy's phone to call your Uncle Fujiwara and tell him to drive to 'Steel Gate Rikishi.' We have a pervert here!"

Jilan watched her series of changes speechlessly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Mrs. Qiyuan, I was just being polite; I really didn't mean anything by it."

"Pah! Who would believe you, you hypocrite? You're all smiles, who knows what wicked schemes you're plotting!" Mrs. Qiyuan still didn't believe Jilan. "Xiaoyou, don't hesitate, call her now! Although Mom has misunderstood many people, this time she definitely won't!"

"Sigh." Xiaoyou sighed helplessly, "Big brother, although I don't think you have those kinds of thoughts, since my mother said so, I have no choice but to ask for help. So please go to the police to prove your innocence. If there's been a misunderstanding, I'll have my mother apologize."

This little guy is really mature, but why won't this lady listen to the explanation...?

"Should I not have chosen this hotel?" Jilan sat down on a chair, raising her hands, and said helplessly, "I won't move, so please don't worry. If you can, could you please hurry? I'm very hungry now."

What kind of nonsense is this? Although Jilan could ignore them and leave with her things, Jilan didn't want to be labeled a pedophile. It's better to be cautious in an unfamiliar city...

Time passed in the strange standoff between the three. Three minutes later, the roar of a car approached the hotel, and a somewhat dilapidated Toyota pulled up in a cool drift in front of the store.

"It's all alright now. Why? Because I, the Steel Gate Rikishi, have arrived!"