I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"Without further ado, let's go."

As she spoke, she started pedaling.

"Um..."

As I said this, I followed.

"Ah, right."

As if she'd remembered something, she turned back to look at me, her eyes aglow with joy. However, the car suddenly stopped, and I hurriedly slammed on the brake... I was still a little angry.

"Why did you stop suddenly?"

I questioned angrily.

"According to the law you just mentioned...if you worry about something happening, then it's more likely to happen. So please don't think I'm unreliable, or I won't be responsible if it comes true."

...What? Has she heard it?

"Okay, I know."

I reassured her, suppressing a yawn that was about to burst.

Just flowing quietly

Wherever you look

Work at sunrise, and rest at sunset.

Everyone around me, including me, is doing this without exception. This is a production habit that has been passed down for thousands of years.

Even if it's called a "town," what good is it? Resources are still quite meager. Aside from a slightly larger market and a shabby bus station, the small buildings are surrounded by vast fields. As the sun sets, even if the teacher is still committed to teaching, the fading light in the classroom makes it difficult for us to study peacefully. Furthermore, besides being students, we are also quite ordinary people.

"Have you ever thought about a life other than this?"

After much deliberation, I proposed my idea to my longtime playmate. We'd been playing together since childhood, and since we lived nearby, we visited frequently. He'd probably understand my perspective.

"Besides this? What? What kind of life are you talking about?"

However, his reaction seemed as if he didn't understand what I said.

I paused mowing the lawn.

Yes, he and I were in the same learning environment, but when it comes to family dynamics... we were probably quite different. The reason for this lies in what we needed to do after school.

Cutting grass and feeding livestock are just a tiny part of my parents' labor. Even if I want to do more, they will use the excuse of studying hard to keep me from doing too much physical work... Well, that's the case now, but if I don't have a good future or if something unexpected happens at home, they won't be like this anymore.

To be honest, I want to get away from this kind of life.

"We live our lives depending on the weather. This land is very special. It's on the brink of development. Even though some people still use the land to grow food, in the future... it probably won't be farmland anymore."

But the man beside me didn't seem to have any work assigned to him by his family. He came with me without any farm tools. He just sat leisurely on the dirt road and looked at me, without any intention of helping. However, since this was not his family's business, it was a bit unreasonable to ask him to help.

"If it's not the ground... then what else could it be?"

It was obvious that he doubted what I said. No wonder, even if I told everyone around me my thoughts, no one would understand.

"Of course it's land, but it's not just for growing crops," I said, continuing with my movements. "Perhaps you wouldn't believe me if I explained it to you... but I firmly believe that this place will change, just like people, and will eventually become something different from before."

"I know you have good grades, but it's too boring if you act sober here." He sighed helplessly, "I thought you had something interesting in mind... If it's just this boring talk, then I might as well go back."

He stood up as he spoke.

"Interesting..." After he said this, the chaotic and unorganized things in his mind suddenly came together, and a concrete idea suddenly emerged. "It seems... there is."

If conditions permit.

"Well, what do you mean?"

"During the two days of school break, after I finish my current work, can you accompany me to walk around?"

"Isn't it just strolling around...you call this fun?" He obviously couldn't accept this answer.

"You don't have anything to do anyway, so you might as well just sit around and do nothing." Knowing his habits well, I persuaded him. If that could even be considered persuasion.

"Well...it's not impossible." He thought about it and agreed, "Then come to my house when the time comes."

"Okay."

After a simple agreement, I began to refine what I wanted to do in my mind.

Chapter 0 Wherever the Eyes Go

If you keep your eyes fixed on one thing, you will notice less of other things. And when you turn your eyes to something else, you will be surprised to find that the thing you once focused on has become something unfamiliar.

In fact, the world is always changing, but there are only a handful of people who can notice the changes. Those who can predict and utilize those changes will be remembered by ordinary people.

But people only have one pair of eyes, each one a pair of eyes. So, it's inevitable that we might overlook less important things because of something we're interested in. So, to retain someone's attention, the only thing we need to do is to increase our importance in their eyes... However, everyone's understanding of importance is different. So, instead of trying too hard to get someone's attention, it's better to withdraw your gaze and carefully examine where you can improve.

I used to not understand the meaning of maturity, and even thought the word shouldn't exist. Now I think, perhaps that's a sign of immaturity... What's missing is often what's often mentioned. Constantly trying to show others so-called maturity often just advertises my own childishness and ignorance.

I always thought that I could accomplish a lot of things, and I kept my eyes fixed on this place. After accidentally changing my perspective, I discovered something that I had never understood before.

"Is this really appropriate?"

When I had nothing to do, I leaned on the soft sofa with my eyes closed and rested, and suddenly I realized an unspeakable emptiness in my heart.

How does what I can do now differ from what I had planned before? Is what I consider to be "maturity" just such a meaningless act?

I'm glad I can think like him.

As he asked and answered his own questions, the thoughts in his mind, which had been as confused as a tangled thread, finally became a little clearer.

What exactly is it that I want to do? Perhaps after a while of searching, I'll find the answer. Well, the prerequisite is that I need someone to accompany me and witness it together.

. . . . . . . . .

The gentle sunshine shines on my face, and a breeze mixed with the unique atmosphere of the city blows towards me... Familiar yet unfamiliar, the land I am in now has undergone nearly twenty years of changes.

It was like my daughter, who had been in someone else's home for twenty years, suddenly reappearing before me. The transformation was so immense, it was truly surprising, but not so profound... I had already envisioned the changes this land would undergo back in high school. Although limited by my own knowledge and experience, the current changes were far more profound than I had imagined... This also proved that my records back then were not completely useless, but rather confirmed that my ideas were indeed forward-looking.

"Let's go for a walk today."

Thinking of this, my gaze turned to my right. A slightly childish figure was observing everything around with curiosity. For her, having lived there for a while, this place was still unfamiliar... like a stranger.

As someone who grew up here, coming here is like returning home, and taking this little visitor to see the surrounding things...is also the right thing to do.

"Would you like to walk around with me?"

She was looking at me with those clear eyes, as if wondering what I was saying, perhaps sensing a difference in my words... But then, how could something like a local accent change so easily? The world, the people, the city, the land all change, but there are also many things that don't... How should I put it? I used to feel like I needed to get rid of something, but when I'd let go of enough, I felt like I wasn't quite there anymore. So, humans are truly strange creatures.

"Okay, let me see where we're going..."

When you truly want to preserve something meaningful, you'll find that no matter how long it takes, you can still preserve it. And when you occasionally take it out to look through it, the things it holds will all come flooding back to your mind.

These places... these routes... if I were to walk them again, what new feelings would I have...

“Aaaaaa…Aaaaaa.”

The little hands curiously tried to grab the paper that had become very fragile.

"Don't mess with this..." I said, quickly putting it away. She was still too young to understand the significance of this piece of paper. Yet, she still stubbornly tried to take it... perhaps it was just a child's instinctive possessiveness.

"Not yet. You don't understand how to read this."

Regardless of whether she understood or not, I, not knowing how to comfort a child, could only treat her like an adult, talking to her like I was. Although her expression was beginning to show signs of tears, this would likely be something that meant something to me and her in the future. So, as much as I didn't want her to shed tears because of her unhappiness, this time... I really couldn't satisfy her willfulness.

I will keep it safe for you.

If you're so interested, come back here when you grow up to explore the meaning of this image. I'll leave this with you, along with the notes I've kept over the years. What you do next, how you interpret it, and with whom you explore it is up to you.

Thinking of this, I gave up the idea of ​​revisiting the old place, put the map, which now looked very crude, into my pocket, then picked up her who had started sobbing, and started walking towards the place we were going.

For me, seeing the changed scenery is nothing more than sighing at the passage of time. But for her, I can't easily predict what she will think.

To me, she is now full of unknown possibilities.

She was looking forward to it. How long would it take before she could explore the contents of the map with a slightly mature mind?

Words from fellow travelers

The gap will always exist.

Philosophers advocate for equality of thought and personality, but these ideas rarely lead to any substantial changes in society or reality. Even in ancient Greece, where philosophy first emerged, slavery and discrimination against women persisted. Therefore, no matter how society and thought progress, people will always have to climb the social ladder... unless they are born into the upper class.

I wasn't in hell, but the people around me felt like they were there, desperately searching for the thread that would lead them out. Perhaps in their eyes, grasping at that thread of hope would lead them to a better world... I hated to admit it, but that was the truth.

No matter what this place will look like in the future, at least this land is quite unattractive in the eyes of most people now.

But I don't think so.

There are things I try to tell many people, but I know that they won't work for people much older than me, so I try to tell them to people my own age.

"It seems like a fool's dream. It's already a big favor that those people didn't call you a fool."

However, he was the only one who reacted to this, and he was one of my few playmates. If we were talking about family, we should be very far apart, but the reality was not the case.

"I'm not really interested, but I'd like to hear... what you're thinking."

Maybe it was just a momentary curiosity, or just an excuse to cover up curiosity... In short, I thought I would do it alone, but unexpectedly I had a companion.

"I'll try my best..."

Not just for me.

Chapter 1: Words from Traveling Companions

Time always passes quietly.

When I accidentally notice something disappearing, I can't help but wonder... what would best describe such an abstract thing? If I were to search for something similar based on these characteristics, perhaps wind would be the most appropriate.

The gentle breeze that flows quietly over everything, normally unnoticed by anyone, can wear away the edges of a hill and blow leaves off a tree. In this way, time, like the natural world, seems to be a dangerous thing.

"yawn..."

The faint morning light had left the vaguely visible horizon at some point, and the slightly scorching sunlight had gradually climbed up the sky along with the glowing celestial body.

When I regained consciousness, I realized I'd been following Lingcan's car for quite some time, and the scenery around me had gradually transformed from familiar streets into unfamiliar ones. Looking ahead through sleepy eyes, I saw the streets stretched on, devoid of pedestrians and vehicles... It seemed there was still a long way to go. And where exactly was my destination... it seemed I had no idea for a while.

"Um... could this be a treasure map?"

Actually, I didn’t think so. I just felt that it was a bit boring without any conversation during this journey, so I opened the topic a little awkwardly.

"...Of course not. Are you a child?"

Lingcan turned his head to look at me with disdain and slowed down. Then we were running side by side.

"..."

"Treasure maps are drawn on parchment and always have an X-shaped mark. This one doesn't look like one no matter how you look at it." She looked at me with a look of "Do you understand?" "You should watch TV or movies occasionally. It will greatly improve your imagination. You should quickly abandon this kind of unfounded, childish behavior. I have so many copies of Monthly Shonen Down at home, how come you haven't seen it?"

"..."

Isn't it just to cooperate with you... Well, actually, it can't be said that way... After all, I didn't really take the conversation seriously.

"So what do you think this could be... Have you found any clues? Like fragments of notes, manuals, or something..." I ignored her and asked further, "Look carefully. Is there anything else in your other collections... Hmm."

What's with that look of idiot-looking? Is there something wrong with what I said? I didn't quite understand, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Alas... I really didn't want to say it, but I didn't expect you to be such an idiot."

"..."

"I've never heard of a map coming with an instruction manual... Well, putting that aside, isn't the fun of this kind of thing the process of making the unknown known? If everything is explained from the start, where's the fun in that?"

"...That's true..."

But I didn't seem to have any interest in it. This mentality was similar to not wanting to read the original novel, so I just asked someone for spoilers... The reason that drove me to accompany her here, besides the agreed summer homework, was simply curiosity about the origin of the map.

"Oh, I get it, I get it. It's that feeling of catching up on a show or being impatient for the finale." She expressed my thoughts quite easily. I don't know how she understood. "But before that, it seems you misunderstood my thoughts. Although I'm somewhat interested in this map, what I really want to understand are the markings on it."

"...If that's all," I thought as I was pedaling. "Why not just look for the corresponding location directly on my phone? Even if I want to see what's going on there, I can find photos there. This would definitely be much more convenient."

"...Do you really want to hear me call you an idiot? Is it because my voice is too charming or are you just a masochist?"