Crossover anime/manga, can you be my immortal companion for life?

Kazuma seemed to vaguely hear Kerry whisper something, but he couldn't make it out. He only caught a few keywords, such as "infinitely stronger," "vegetable market," and "beheading." So he turned to ask Kerry.

What did you just say?

"It's nothing, isn't that Saitama up ahead?"

...one hour later.

Kerry and Zhen stopped the car and stood at an intersection, looking worried.

Good news. Even though the two had no experience in tailing, the other party was still extremely fierce and definitely on guard. Otherwise, there would be no need for so many people to come to the yakuza. The two went all the way to Matsukushika without being discovered.

The bad news was that the two were stopped on an uphill section of a mountain road before entering Songfu. By the time they reached the top, they had completely lost sight of their target. Moreover, because there was a fork in the road ahead, the two found themselves in a dilemma.

It was clear that the other party's destination was not Songfu City, because the vehicles in front split up right at the start. One sedan was heading in the direction that was obviously the city center, while the truck and the other sedan were heading this way.

Another reason why Kerry was certain this wasn't the city center was because two small hills were clearly visible to the naked eye in front of him.

We've already passed the route to the city center; it seems they're heading towards some remote area.

"Turn this around for me, and we'll go wherever it leads."

Kerry, disguised as Tokyo Thief Zero, picked up a stone that was clearly sharper on one side and made Kazuma spin it on the ground.

"I say, isn't this a bit too random? What's the difference between this and us coming directly to Songfu?"

Kazuma complained, but still picked up the stone and started spinning it around casually.

As the speed decreased, the stone slowly came to a stop, facing directly towards one of the roads.

Without saying a word, Kerry got on his bike.

"Chase!"

"You're being way too unreliable!"

The two started cycling again, but this section of the mountain road was particularly difficult to navigate. The Japanese government would not spend money to repair such roads, and because the number of passengers would definitely be very small, even non-public bus companies did not provide bus service here.

Twenty minutes later, a village appeared before them.

Kazuma stared in disbelief at the black sedan parked in front of a small shop at the village entrance.

There was a truck outside a few houses nearby, but unfortunately, a glance at the model revealed it wasn't the one the two were chasing.

I checked the last two digits of the license plate, damn it! This car is really something!

Kazuma looked down at his hands and began to wonder if he had some kind of superpower other than immortality.

To prevent the other party from seeing the bicycle and remembering that they seemed to have seen it in the rearview mirror before, Kazuma and Kerry found a place to park and took off their hoods before walking into the village.

Upon reaching the village entrance, one sees a stone with the place name "New Village" written on it.

Kerry looked around. The village was located at the intersection of two small hills, and to the northwest, he could see farmland that often appeared in anime. The ground was filled with rice paddies, and the narrow passageway for people to walk was quite large.

As Kerry and his companion surveyed their surroundings, a black car in the distance started moving after restocking its cigarettes at the convenience store.

The boss even waved to them.

"Remember to take good care of my brat. After studying away from home for a few years, he even dares to disobey Master Jingxin's words. I wish he could become someone important like you guys."

The shop owner, who clearly owns a store, spoke to the yakuza, who should have been relatively poor in this year's economic climate.

...

P.S.: The main storyline is a bit slow in these chapters to create the feeling of embarking on a journey.

But it doesn't matter, once we get there, things will unfold like a raging storm.

PS2: Please vote for me, thank you! 3

Chapter Sixteen: A New Countryside with Simple and Honest Folk Customs

Kerry and Kazuma followed Yakuza's car into the new village.

At first glance, the village is neither too big nor too small, with an estimated actual population of around 500.

It has all the characteristics of a normal Japanese village.

In Japan, there are temples that are as numerous as convenience stores, ordinary alleyways, kids playing with cards by the roadside, and groups of elderly men and women.

Looking around, Kazuma Sato sighed regretfully.

"It was all a lie after all."

"What lie?" Kerry replied casually, seemingly aware that the convenience store owner at the village entrance had been watching him.

"There's no newlywed wife from Russia here, no pretty high school girl needing a tutor, no childhood friend waiting for you at an empty train station, no older sister with tanned skin, no cute little girl who loves ramune, and no fox spirit that appears when you throw 500 yen into a shrine. 10"

Only a large group of elderly people living alone and children left behind by their families, whose young parents have gone out to work.

Kerry glanced at Kazuma Sato.

"It's good enough that there are no ancient god offspring here that you see as human but others don't, no perverted custom of capturing all women to become Starfury, and no tradition of regularly sacrificing outsiders to the mountain."

"What games do you usually play?" Kazuma asked, half annoyed.

"A game where you play a farmer's son who can stop time, fish, catch insects, and fight, and flirt with girls all over the village."

"Summer Rhapsody? I like driving big trucks too." Kazuma's eyes lit up.

"Wait, with your amazing thought process, it's not Stardew Valley, is it?"

"No, it's Lakeview Valley Chronicles."2

As the two were admiring the village scenery and searching for the car, a middle-aged man blocked their way.

"Excuse me, are you here in the village for tourism?"

The middle-aged man spoke in a gentle tone, but his words carried a hint of interrogation.

Kerry had spotted the man long ago; he was heading straight for them from a distance.

Kazuma was taken aback by the sudden question.

Kerry, however, gave a calm and composed reply.

"Yes, we heard that there are some fun things to do in Xinxiang, so we came all the way from Tokyo."

"Oh! I see."

Upon hearing that he was from Tokyo, and that his accent did indeed sound like Tokyo's, the middle-aged man seemed somewhat disappointed.

However, in the blink of an eye, they began to introduce Xinxiang with great enthusiasm.

"Oh my, you don't know, there are so many things to do in this place! I'm Tian Gongyi Xiong, the head of the Xinxiang Agricultural Cooperative. You're university students from Tokyo, right? If you enjoy yourselves, please help us spread the word!"

Our village not only has hot spring hotels, but the mountains next to it are also rich in various mountain products. Many restaurants use wild green onions picked from those two mountains. They say Kyoto wild green onions, but they are actually from cities like ours. There are no such things as wild green onions in Kyoto.

And there are many other industries as well.

As he spoke, the man started making faces.

"As you know, many foreigners come to Japan specifically for the sex industry, but Tokyo is very strict about it, and it's impossible to actually provide 'real sex' services to customers. So, often, we need someone to guide them to places where this industry exists, like ours."

However, it's the off-season for tourism now, so there's no need to worry about encountering foreigners. If you two are interested, you can take a walk down that street over there.

Hearing the other party's suggestive words, Kerry smiled and spoke up.

"Really? We really have to thank Mr. Tian. It's so kind of you to come and be our guide, even though you're so busy with official duties."

"It's nothing. Our Xinxiang isn't very big anyway. Besides connecting with people around me, I also help my fellow villagers greet guests. After all, the loss of rural population in Japan is getting more and more serious these days."

"After you graduate, if you have to pay your hometown tax, listing Songfu as your hometown is a good option. Songfu's return gifts are made in our village, and they're just as good as those from Hokkaido! By the way, it's the start of the school year now, right? How come you two can still travel?"

“Well, we’re juniors now. We’ve finished our theses and really don’t want to stay at school or go to a mahjong parlor with the upperclassmen, so we’re just out for a stroll,” Kerry replied.

"Oh! I see. Well then, have fun, you two." After saying that, the man waved and left.

"This guy keeps talking about everything, but he keeps asking about our situation."

After the farmhands had gone some distance, Kazuma Sato leaned close to Kerry's ear and spoke. Kazuma was still quite clever.

Kerry nodded.

"And don't you feel it? It seems like different people have been watching us ever since we came in. This place is a bit strange."

And it wasn't just a matter of visibility; from the moment Kerry entered the village, he felt like something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After walking for a while, the two saw the black sedan that had been following them. Since it was a rural area and there weren't many parking spaces, the car was parked casually on one side of the shop.

Kerry and his companion entered and found that it seemed to be an inn. The main entrance had a sign that read "Yasuda-ya" and a small sign that read "Local cuisine, egg rice..."

It appears to be a restaurant that normally operates from the main hall, while the upstairs houses guesthouses.

"Go in and have a look."

Kerry touched his stomach, which felt empty, and walked inside with a somewhat tired Kazuma.

Upon entering, there is a reception area and a small hall with a few dining tables.

It's probably because it's the off-season for tourism, as there weren't many people eating at this time.

The table was filled with a family of pink-haired people, and Tian Gong, whom I had met before, was also there; otherwise, it was empty.

"Oh! Michiko is entertaining guests! These two are distinguished guests from Tokyo!"

When Tian Gong saw Ke Li and the other man, he stood up and greeted them warmly.

"I'm coming."

Soon, a middle-aged woman came out of the kitchen.

Seeing that she was just an ordinary middle-aged woman, not at all the stereotypical, elderly, yet outrageously dressed proprietress from a rural anime, Kazuma shook his head in regret.

"Damn it, isn't this supposed to be an anime world?" Kerry complained regretfully.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't this reality?" Kazuma looked at Kerry with a puzzled expression.

"There aren't pink-haired people everywhere in reality!" Kerry wanted to say, but he held back.

"Are you two looking for a meal or lodging?" The woman, presumably the owner of the shop, approached.

“Let’s eat,” Kerry replied.

I glanced at the menu of so-called local cuisine, and the prices were anything but local.

"Raw egg with rice, and a glass of ginger ale." Kazuma decided quickly.