An infinite journey starting from paradise

"Why would I regret it? Didn't I already promise you?" Lin Shangren said, "Come to think of it, Dongzi should be going to see the Central Plains Art Museum, right?"

Lin Shangren originally wanted to talk to Dongzi about the art gallery, but seeing the sleepy look of the little girl, he shook his head gently.

"Go to sleep."

"Eh."

Dongzi felt a warm sleepiness rising into his head, and then he leaned on Lin Shangren's arms and fell into a deep sleep.

"Did she sleep poorly because of her excitement and anticipation? It seems that Dongzi really wants to see that art museum. She's like a child."

Lin Shangren gently stroked Dongzi's sleeping face and looked at the scenery flowing outside the train.

It was already afternoon when the train arrived at the station.

The sun sets.

"It's about fifteen minutes' walk, we have to hurry." Dongzi looked up at the clock at the station, grabbed Lin Shangren's hand and started running.

"Don't let go of my hand. If I lose you, I won't come back to find you."

As she said this, Dongzi smiled happily. Because she had been weak and sickly since childhood, she rarely ran freely and always looked like a sickly lady in front of others.

But now, far away from Tokyo and her family who made her feel suffocated, Dongzi just wanted to run, run far away, and go to the place of her dreams with the people she cared about.

Dongzi finally stopped in front of a building that looked like a Greek temple.

"Ah, great, it seems to be still open."

"Is this the Central Plains Art Museum?" Lin Shangren asked.

"Yes, the museum's collection of Western paintings is second to none in the country." Dongzi said excitedly.

Hayashi Naoto said, “It is said that during World War II, Kurashiki was spared from bombing by the US military because of this museum.”

"If the paintings here were destroyed, it would be a loss to the whole world."

Dongzi said this seriously, she took Lin Shangren's hand and walked into the Central Plains Art Museum.

As soon as they entered the art museum, Dongzi, who had been so active just moments before, suddenly became as quiet as a virgin. Since it was almost closing time, the museum was relatively empty. Lin Shangren followed Dongzi's steps, browsing the collection.

Gauguin, Monet, Renoir, and many other famous paintings. Lin Shangren's vast knowledge was enough to support his critique of these masterpieces. But now he just wanted to silently look at the paintings, or rather, watch Dongzi looking at the paintings.

"That's amazing, Shangren-kun. It seems the paintings we saw in Tokyo were also created here."

"Yes, this is where Mamiya's paintings are collected."

Hayashi Naoto did not tell her that Mamiya Kokoro was the murderer of Touko's mother, and of course, he did not tell her that her biological mother, Nakahara Misa, was made into an evil "work of art" like the Shell Girl.

"A deranged lunatic who sold his soul to the devil for his talent and murdered his rival's daughter for fame and fortune. In the end, he himself perished two years later."

Staring at the painting of Mamiya's heart, Hayashi Shangren shook his head.

It was not until closing time that Dongzi and Lin Shangren walked outside, and she breathed a deep breath.

"Are you satisfied?" Lin Shangren asked.

"Of course I am satisfied! I have always wanted to see the famous paintings here with my own eyes!"

"That's good."

"...Aren't you angry?" Dongzi asked in a low voice, "Didn't it cause you any trouble to suddenly drag you all the way here?"

"How could that be? Besides, I was going to Okayama Prefecture anyway," Lin Shangren said. "The important thing is, this isn't an unreasonable request. I can accompany you wherever you want to go."

Dongzi's face turned slightly red.

At this moment, her stomach suddenly made a "gurgling" sound.

"hungry?"

"kind of."

Looking at Dongzi's pretending to be calm, Lin Shangren couldn't help but smile: "What do you want to eat? I'll treat you."

"Anything is okay?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about the money, it's enough."

"Yeah, after all, you're a talented young man who can afford a Packard." Dongzi said mischievously, "I'll eat your rich man today."

"Then what would Miss Dongzi like to eat?"

"Meat!" Dongzi said, "Beef, chicken and pork. And mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots... well... and..."

"Then let's go eat Sukiyaki hotpot." Lin Shangren suggested.

"Then let's eat all-meat Sukiyaki!" Dongzi agreed.

……

Lin Shangren and Dongzi found a sukiyaki restaurant on a commercial street near the Art Museum.

As Dongzi wished, Lin Shangren ordered a large variety of meats and some seasonal vegetables. The two of them chose a seat by the window.

The fat from the beef sizzled at the bottom of the pot, and the aroma rose. Dongzi kept putting the cooked beef into her bowl, chewing and swallowing it without any ladylike airs. It was obvious that she was enjoying the meal very much.

"This is a good thing. Eating meat is much better than being malnourished."

Lin Shangren took a sip of beer, listened to the sound of the sukiyaki boiling, and looked at the sky outside the window. The sun had already set, and Lin Shangren vaguely felt that the sun would peek out from there again - his mood at this moment was so warm and peaceful.

"That's great." Lin Shangren said softly.

……

“I’m so full.”

When we walked out of the Sukiyaki restaurant, the moon was already high in the sky.

"Looks like I won't be able to catch the last bus."

Dongzi said softly,

"Then we'll have to make do with the monks for one night. Yeah, I'll go with you to that nunnery tomorrow. Anyway, even if we take the early bus back, we won't be able to catch school. So, let's skip a few days of classes."

"It doesn't count as skipping class, after all, you have me as your teacher." Lin Shangren said half-jokingly.

"So where are we staying tonight? We can't sleep on the streets, right? That would be too miserable. If we do, Shang Ren can be my mattress."

"You want to sleep on top of me?"

"H."

The two of them were joking around while looking for a place to stay for the night. They soon found a hot spring hotel near Kurashiki Station. Although there were no other guests in the hotel, they tacitly agreed to take a double room.

"Do we look like a newlywed couple?"

In the quaint Japanese-style room, Fuyuko had already changed into the clean yukata provided by the hotel.

"They do look alike," Lin Shangren replied. "A newlywed couple on their honeymoon. Dongzi looks more mature than her peers, and I also look younger than my 'peers.'"

"Is that so~...Hey, there is mixed bathing for men and women here. I'm tired after a day of traveling, and I really want to take a bath quickly." Dongzi said deliberately.

"That's great. Dongzi, do you want to go take a shower?"

"Shang Renjun, don't you want to join us?" Dongzi asked provocatively.

"Then let's go together."

Lin Shangren used shadow control to take off his clothes directly.

"H! Pervert!"

Having said that, Dongzi and Lin Shangren still walked into the open-air bathroom next to the room.

"Ah~ I feel like my whole body is loosened up."

Lin Shangren spread his arms and leaned against the edge of the tub. A full moon hung in the night sky above him. Dongzi, wrapped in a bath towel, snuggled up to him.

"Hey, you're not thinking about anything dirty, are you?" Dongzi suddenly asked.

"I was just looking at the moon." Lin Shangren replied.

Dongzi asked again: "Then why don't you look at me?"

Lin Shangren replied: "Because I'm afraid I might think about obscene things."

Dongzi snuggled up to Lin Shangren and looked up at the sky.

"The moonlight is so beautiful tonight." Dongzi said suddenly.

"Yes."

Lin Shangren gently put his arm around Dongzi's shoulders.

"The moonlight is so beautiful."

Chapter 120: In the Water, on the Bed, and in the Dream

Dongzi looked up bewilderedly and gathered her hair. Her cheeks flushed slightly, her wet hair stuck to her face, and her eyes were a little blurry.

Seeing Dongzi's somewhat lazy expression, Lin Shangren's heart was shocked. Her profile did look much more mature than her actual age. Her hands and feet, not covered by the bath towel, looked very slender, and her skin was white with a hint of cherry pink.

"I feel a little dizzy." Dongzi said.

"What? Are you dizzy?"

"Maybe."

Dongzi leaned lazily on Lin Shangren's shoulder.

Smooth skin, soft to the touch.

"If it snowed, it would definitely be romantic, but right now there's only the moon in the sky. The moon in Okayama is a little different from the one in Tokyo," Fuyuko said suddenly without context. "The one in Tokyo is too hazy and looks dirty. Maybe it's because of industrial pollution?"

"perhaps."

"Hey, Shangren, your face is so red too." Dongzi said.

"Maybe I'm a little dizzy from soaking it."

The two of them just stared at each other, their faces getting closer and closer. Lin Shangren's fingers hooked around Dongzi's bath towel.

"Wouldn't it be bad to be here?"

"Because we're newlyweds, we're always hanging out with other idiotic couples regardless of the occasion."

"Humph."

Dongzi hummed softly, nodded slightly, and untied the bath towel on her body.

The steam from the hot spring envelops the slightly red skin.

"Stop staring at me."

Dongzi wanted to cover her chest with her hands. She looked at Lin Shangren's erect lower body and asked, "...Are you excited?"

"It can't be helped."

"Yeah, there's nothing I can do about it."

Dongzi smiled slightly and put her hand under the water, while Lin Shangren hugged her tightly.

"It...it hit my leg?!"

"It's holding it up."

Lin Shangren leaned between Dongzi's thighs and kissed her neck.

"Huh...huh..."

Panting lightly, Dongzi used her fingers to play with Lin Shangren's wet hair. Lin Shangren then took advantage of the situation and extended his hand to Dongzi's slippery belly, his fingertips touching the wet hair and the already protruding clitoris.

"Wow...bad...evil-minded guy."

Lin Shangren teased Dongzi's ear with his tongue and asked softly, "Dongzi is also excited, right?"

"There's nothing I can do... Ugh..." Dongzi's voice trembled, "Shangren, I already..."

"want to?"

Dongzi nodded with a red face. She opened her thighs slightly and swallowed the whole thing with her own weight.

"Yeah...ah...come in."

"pain?"

Lin Shangren put one hand around Dongzi's waist to steady her body.