Tokyo Three Generations

Perhaps it was only a moment, or perhaps half a century.

Her words finally received a response.

Wakaba Mutsu's lips curled up slightly as she greeted Mori Minami with a cute smile.

"I'm fine now. I felt a little unwell just now, but I feel much better now."

Although the smile is very healing, in this context it only appears eerie, even carrying a subtle sense of dread.

To be honest, even if she were to make a huge scene or faint, it would be much more normal than this reaction of "it's like nothing happened at all".

"Ah!" Mori Minami could no longer hold back. She let out a shrill scream, opened the door to the room, and ran out of it without a care in the world.

Watching her mother's hurried departure, Ruo Yemu's eyes flashed with a sense of relief, but at the same time, there was an indescribable sense of loss.

In her most painful moment, she chose to run away. She could have asked herself some questions... or even just given herself a gentle hug.

Ruo Yemu couldn't remember exactly when her mother started to be so cold and distant, refusing to communicate and isolating herself from her world.

Fortunately, this disappointment did not deal her a heavier blow, after all, she had gotten used to it.

Then, she struggled to her last bit of strength and shakily stood up from her half-squatting position.

Regardless, at least today, she has overcome that unknown force, retained control of her body, and preserved the existence of the symbol "Wakaba Mutsumi" in this world.

Will there be a next time? Will we be able to win next time? She didn't know, and her extremely tired body didn't even have the time to think about that question.

At this moment, her whole body was soaked in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the river.

However, she was still shaken and was still panting.

Unconsciously, she walked out of the room like a ghost and into the hallway.

Then, she stood behind the railing and looked at the moon hanging high in the sky.

Compared to the ever-shining lights of Tokyo, this hot spring inn in Akita boasts exceptionally clear nighttime skies. Not only is the bright moon clearly visible, but countless stars are scattered across the sky like chess pieces, shimmering with a mesmerizing glow.

The hotel is a Japanese-style building, so it has a U-shaped corridor with artificial hills, trees and bonsai in the middle.

The stone, symbolizing the fairy mountain at sea, stands tall in the center of the courtyard, appearing so bright and clear under the moonlight.

Ruoye Mu first looked at the Penglai Stone in the center of the artificial hill, then raised her head and gazed at the moon and stars, momentarily lost in thought.

The gentle moonlight, like a soft whisper, soothed her heart, which was on the verge of exploding.

She is now lost and confused, like a lost soul wandering under the moonlight.

She felt nauseous, but nothing came out. Only then did she realize that she hadn't eaten anything since boarding the plane that morning.

Moreover, I didn't feel hungry at all.

Her mother's departure left her feeling abandoned in the empty courtyard, and a sense of loneliness, as if the world had forsaken her, gripped her heart tightly.

She began to miss Tokyo terribly, her familiar friends, and the few happy things she had.

"Xiangzi..."

She unconsciously called out a name.

In this moment of utter loneliness, she missed her childhood friend, who was still far away in Tokyo.

Because she has only had this one friend and one confidant so far, in a sense, "Xiangzi" is no longer just her best friend in real life, but has become a "totem" on which she places her last bit of beautiful fantasy, and a manifestation of her last bit of attachment to the world.

In a high-pressure environment, a person needs some kind of spiritual support, otherwise they will either go insane or commit suicide, and Toyokawa Shoko is such a person. For Wakaba Mutsumi, who desperately craves affection, what kind of person she is is no longer important; what matters is that her existence means that "reality" still has meaning for Wakaba Mutsumi.

She wanted to call Xiangzi for help, but then she stopped herself because she didn't want to cause him unnecessary worry.

Besides, what would she ask for help with? To speak ill of her own mother? She couldn't bring herself to do it.

Even if you say it out loud, what difference will it make? It will only cause trouble for everyone for no reason.

If you are bullied by classmates, you can go to your teacher or parents. But if you are bullied by your parents emotionally, you have nowhere to turn for help. This is the cold reality.

Xiangzi already has enough troubles; we can't add to her worries with something like this...

So, Ruoye Mu put aside the idea of ​​searching for Xiangzi and looked up at the starry sky again.

Some things can only be experienced, endured, and adapted to by oneself. No matter how close one is, no one else can help with the pain and confusion.

And so, the girl leaned against the railing, gazing blankly at the night sky, silently enduring the loneliness that is inherent in humankind.

============================

"This feels so good!"

As the evening breeze, still carrying a chill, Takasaki Jun let out a comfortable yawn.

Just now, Jun Takasaki and Kenji Sakura enjoyed a two-hour soak in a hot spring, and all the fatigue from the day was gone.

Now it's time to go back and rest.

Kenji Sakura had already arranged a room for him, so Jun Takasaki followed him, intending to go back to his room and get a good night's sleep.

The two walked along the corridor to the depths of the courtyard, arriving at the middle of the corridor. From here, all they had to do was go upstairs to reach his room.

Although he was supposed to be leading the way, Kenji Sakura's steps were unsteady, and Jun Takasaki had to occasionally reach out to support him to prevent him from falling to the ground.

While taking a bath, Kenji Sakura got carried away with alcohol and kept drinking one glass after another until he was drunk. If Jun Takasaki hadn't been there, he might have drowned.

Jun Takasaki, who doesn't like drinking by nature, only had a drink or two to try it out of curiosity, so his mental state is currently fine.

It must be said that luxury hotels are indeed luxurious. After arriving in the courtyard, the two of them were captivated by the beautiful scenery under the moon and couldn't help but stop to admire this rare view.

The moonlight, hazy yet clear, spilled across the bamboo leaves, the flowing water, and the rocks. The bamboo shadows, broken by the wind, swept sparsely and obliquely across the mossy stone surface. The moonlight dripping from the tips of the leaves rustled softly, and the water flowed silently over the stones, its gentle murmur particularly clear in the still night. And the Penglai Stone in the very center, bathed in the moonlight, seemed to be coated with a layer of ethereal light, like a proud and independent nobleman.

The entire scene is simple yet profound, embodying the "wabi-sabi" beauty that Japanese aesthetics strives for.

"How beautiful!" Kenji Sakura opened his sleepy, drunken eyes and exclaimed, "Young master, this is like a scene straight out of The Tale of Genji."

Jun Takasaki shared the same sentiment, and thus, unusually, refrained from making any comments.

Seeing that the young master did not refute, Sakura Kenji became even more excited. He couldn't help but raise his hand and wave it comically.

"You are that radiant young master, and I am his trusted follower, Fujiwara no Koremitsu. Let's steal moments together under the cover of night, making the most of this beautiful time~"

Jun Takasaki couldn't help but laugh.

"So, who are we going to meet tonight? Rokujo no Miyasudokoro, Yugao, or Oborozuki no Yome-no-go?" he couldn't help but ask.

"How could those ordinary beauties be worthy of you... The moon is so enchanting tonight, how about we meet a fairy today?" Fueled by alcohol, Kenji Sakura laughed heartily, it was hard to tell if he was joking or serious.

“Then find me a fairy.” Jun Takasaki chimed in, playing the straight man.

“Well… isn’t there a fairy?” Fujiwara no Kenji raised his hand and pointed to the direction diagonally above.

Jun Takasaki finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He initially thought Kenji Sakura was pointing at the moon, so he looked over.

Unexpectedly, following the direction Kenji Sakura pointed, he actually saw a fairy.

No, that's not a fairy.

Kenji Sakura was drunk, but he wasn't.

Although it was a bit far away, everything looked so clear in the bright moonlight.

That was clearly not some fairy under the moon, but Wakaba Mutsu.

However, under the moonlight, she appeared even more otherworldly than before, even possessing a truly "inhuman" quality, as if she were about to drift away from the mortal world on the moonlight, just like the legendary Princess Kaguya.

what?

Shocked, Jun Takasaki suddenly remembered that Kenji Sakura had mentioned that he had arranged for him to be in the room next to Minami Mori and Mutsumi Wakaba.

So, it's quite normal for him to run into Wakaba Mutsu here.

At this moment, Wakaba Mutsumi was gazing intently at the night sky, as if she had isolated herself from the world. Unbeknownst to her, to the two young people not far away, she too had become part of the beautiful moonlit scene.

This was supposed to be a very enjoyable scene, but why does it look a little sad? Jun Takasaki wondered.

"See that? There really are fairies there." At this moment, Sakura Kenji, still drunk, proudly boasted to the young master.

“That’s right.” Takasaki Jun nodded in sincere admiration. “Yoimitsu, thank you so much for your arrangement. If I really become the Grand Minister of State in the future, I will make you a member of the Imperial Household, no… at least a Grand Councilor!”

Kenji Sakura was amused by his young master's joke and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Then I'll remember that. It wasn't for nothing that I've been so attentive to you..."

The two were joking around while gazing at the moonlight, but perhaps out of an instinctive premonition, Jun Takasaki's expression suddenly changed.

and many more.

Something seems wrong.

Then, driven by instinct, he suddenly pushed away the still-talking Kenji Sakura, and then rushed towards Mutsumi Wakaba with all his might.

38, A narrow escape

The bright, flawless moonlight may not bring warmth like the sun, but it is enough to cleanse the wounds in people's hearts at certain moments.

While admiring the night view under the moon, Mutsumi Wakaba finally found the courage to continue living amidst this overwhelming loneliness.

Maybe my mother doesn't love me, maybe my life is a mess, maybe I'll continue to experience this countless times in the future, but even so, I have to keep living, because if I don't live, nothing will change.

She has a long life ahead of her and the opportunity to take a completely different path, so she must keep going and never give in to the demons lurking in her heart.

Just as the girl was silently reciting these words in her heart, an untimely and urgent call forced her to return to this wretched reality.

"Mu!"

The mother's call echoed from the depths of the corridor, her voice anxious and shrill.

Then came a series of hurried footsteps, and it wasn't just the mother alone.

Ruoye Mutsu turned around to look in the direction the sound came from, and then found that it was her mother returning with her assistant.

Ruoye Mu's strange behavior had clearly frightened her, so after running out of the room, she hurriedly asked her assistant for help. The assistant did not dare to delay and quickly came over to check the situation.

When Wakaba Mutsu was in the most pain, she did not receive help from those around her; but after she managed to "save herself" through her will to live, the help she never expected came unbidden. Life is always so ironic.

At this moment, Ruoye Mu didn't want to see her mother and the people around her at all; she instinctively wanted to get away from them.

"Don't come any closer!"

She called out softly.

Perhaps her voice was too low, or perhaps the crowd was too anxious; in any case, her rebuke had no effect, and the people continued to approach her.

The familiar oppressive feeling and sense of annoyance surged up again, and the emotions that had just been calmed down were once again in turmoil.

If Ye Mu realized that the dark impulse that she had finally managed to suppress was churning in her mind again, tearing at her brain.

She covered her forehead, trying to ease the pain, and then instinctively stepped back.

At that moment, the pain in her shoulder made her realize that she was facing away from the railing.

In her shock, she tried to steady herself, but she was already weak, had not eaten for almost a day, and had suffered a severe mental shock. At this moment, her control over her body had dropped to the minimum.

So, without any hesitation or struggle, she simply flipped headfirst over the railing.

Time seemed to slow down all of a sudden, and Ruoye Mutsu's senses seemed to be accelerated, allowing him to clearly feel every subtle movement of his body and the faintest sound under the night sky—this must be the instinctive adrenaline rush that the human brain uses when it judges that it is facing a desperate situation.

Is this really how it's going to end? Wakaba Mutsu found it hard to believe, but strangely, she didn't feel much fear.

"Mu! No!"

Almost at the same time, Wakaba Mutsu heard a heart-wrenching scream coming from beside him.

So, in the end, you couldn't bear to let me die...

At the last moment, the mother, who had been distant from him, showed a belated reluctance to part.

That's all I'm reluctant to part with.

With a sense of relief, Ruo Yemu let go of her fear and instead closed her eyes, waiting for the end of her story.

That's for the best... I hope that from now on I will be in eternal sleep and never have to face any more pain.

My body relaxed, and then I fell from mid-air like a leaf.

However, they did not encounter the shock and pain they had imagined.

No, it can't be said that there was no pain at all, because she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder—but it was quite different from the pain she had expected.

It didn't feel like falling to the ground, but more like... being pulled into someone's arms.

Ruoye Muku slightly opened her eyes, then realized that she was looking up at the night sky.