A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

“It would be abnormal to leave you all alone, you’re all just kids.” With her hands on her hips, Miss Hirokawa pointed out with a cool and mature demeanor.

“Yes.” Sakuta Azusagawa did not refute, although he and Kunimi were no longer children strictly speaking. What child in this world has blood on their hands?

Miss Hirokawa was now looking directly at Uesugi Genshin. "So, Uesugi? What brings you and Azusagawa to me?"

Because I wasn't sure if the other person's name was pronounced correctly, the name was mentioned by my daughter on the phone.

"I came here to check on the Self-Defense Forces' movements. Ms. Hirokawa, do you know what their recent plans are?"

"The plan..." Miss Hirokawa lowered her head and thought for a while, then looked up and said, "To be honest, I don't know much about this. What exactly do you want to know?"

"Specifically, it's about whether they plan to counterattack Tokyo, or whether they might relocate to another place." Uesugi Genshin held up his hand, listing the speculations he and Hino had made before.

"Well, before... two or three weeks ago, there were cargo ships passing by here, and before that, planes frequently took off from the airport, but recently none of that has happened." Ms. Hirokawa was talking about some unusual activities of the Self-Defense Forces.

"Why is that?" Uesugi Genshin asked in detail.

“I don’t know.” Miss Hirokawa shook her head. “If, if you really want to know, I know someone who might know more.”

"Then I'll trouble you." Uesugi Genshin leaned slightly forward, making the request.

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Miss Hirokawa put her fist to her chest, but then immediately said with a wry smile, "Although that's what I said, he's in Terminal 3, so it's not very convenient for me to go there."

As she spoke, she looked at Sakuta Azusagawa, "Let Azusagawa take you there."

"Me?" Sakuta Azusagawa pointed to himself. He was fine with leading the way, but he didn't know anyone. Usually, these kinds of things were handled by someone else.

The adults went to meet with the Self-Defense Force personnel and retrieved the meager amount of food they had.

Then they were responsible for distributing this food, which was definitely not enough, and ensuring that the people below would not cause trouble due to hunger.

Ms. Hirokawa would often argue with them to make sure she got her share of the already meager food allowance.

Those who appear weak end up getting nothing, or only a little bit.

-----------------

"Uesugi-senpai, have you found anything?"

When the appointed time arrived, the two leaned against a pillar, looking at the wet ground outside. The rain had stopped, but the sky did not clear up.

In response to Amasawa's question, Uesugi Genshin said, "I ran into an acquaintance and found a way to get more detailed information. What about you?"

"As for me," Tianze Yixia smiled, making a circle with her fingers, "well, I've found out a little bit."

For example, the highest-ranking officer here was General Mori no Kami, who had previously served in the Ground Staff Office. The main force consisted of remnants and guerrillas from various parts of the Kanto region. It is said that he also formed a direct subordinate force that only obeyed his orders, mostly composed of Self-Defense Force members from the 1st Airborne Brigade.

For example, there are also some Self-Defense Force personnel in the Izu Peninsula, mainly the local units of the Maritime Self-Defense Force headquartered in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

However, it seems that the two sides are not getting along well due to the power struggle, but the specific reasons and what happened are unclear.

Besides Self-Defense Force personnel, there are also some government officials and wealthy elites here with the Self-Defense Force personnel. However, it is undoubtedly in a military-government-like state, meaning that only senior Self-Defense Force officers hold power here.

"You're really amazing, Tenze." Uesugi Genshin leaned against a pillar, tilting his head to praise the girl beside him.

"It's nothing," Tianze Yixia said with a grin.

"How did you find out this information?" Uesugi Genshin asked with some interest.

"Of course it's because I'm a cute girl!" Tianze Yixia said, making a mischievous expression.

This prompted Uesugi Genshin to look her up and down. "Are you alright?"

"Uesugi-senpai, you've misunderstood." Amaze Ichika poked his waist with her finger with a mischievous smile. "I found out about it from some prostitutes. As soon as they saw my delicate body, they immediately trusted me, and after a few words, they told me everything."

"I see." Uesugi Genshin withdrew his gaze from Amaze. Amaze's appearance was indeed very deceptive; people who didn't know her would really think she was a girl who couldn't even kill a chicken.

but......

"Well, I did expect that." He sighed slightly.

After such a long time, it's not surprising that prostitutes have appeared.

Moreover, even before the apocalypse, some poor women in Tokyo would work in the sex industry, and there were also quite a few high school students who lacked pocket money and engaged in compensated dating.

Those who buy sex are mostly middle-aged men, successful in their careers and starting to have wandering hearts.

"They mostly go to people from the Self-Defense Forces," Amaze Ichika casually explained, noting the difference between now and before.

"Eh~" Uesugi Genshin sighed. He didn't want to comment on it. Sometimes people are willing to do anything to survive.

The fact that there is no cannibalism yet is thanks to the efforts of Miss Hirokawa and her team.

But then again, this is "cannibalism".

He got up from the pillar and took half a step forward. "Tianze, you can go back now. I'll get things sorted out here and go back too."

"Is it alright if it's just Uesugi-senpai alone?" Amasawa Ichika turned to look at him and asked.

"no problem."

Tianze has found out enough to get this far; he'll handle the rest.

"Tianze, if the Self-Defense Forces see you now, you'll be in trouble."

"Hehe, Uesugi-senpai, is that a compliment on my cuteness?" Amaze Ichika laughed happily.

"Yes. Amaze is such a cute girl." Uesugi Genshin didn't mind making her even happier. I don't think any girl would be unhappy if she was praised for being cute, except in cases that are considered lewd.

"Please say it again." Tianze Yixia raised her left hand, tugged at his clothes, and said it in a cute tone. Her words carried her true thoughts to some extent.

With a look of utter exasperation, Uesugi Genshin turned to face her, bent down, and looked directly into her eyes at the same level.

"Tianze, you are very cute."

"Okay, I've recorded it." Tianze Yixia took out her phone from her pocket and shook it, a mischievous expression on her face.

"Then please don't set it as your alarm ringtone, okay?" Uesugi Genshin raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Using his body as cover, he discreetly slipped the revolver into his pocket and prepared to leave.

She hopped a few steps forward, turned around and smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. "Then it depends on how you perform, Uesugi-senpai."

Watching Tianze's departing figure, Uesugi Genshin shrugged and walked back the way he came.

It almost traverses most of Haneda Airport, finally arriving at the westernmost Terminal 3.

This terminal is completely different from the previous two; it's now completely fenced off.

Every few meters there stood a member of the Self-Defense Force, holding a gun, as if he would shoot anyone who dared to approach.

That is indeed the case, except that it happens after a warning has gone unheeded, or under very suspicious circumstances.

However, he uses the main entrance, so generally no one dares to approach. Those who do approach usually have something on their mind, and the other party will let them in to talk, depending on the situation.

Not to mention, when Sakuta Azusagawa, who was standing at the door, saw him, he was explaining something to the Self-Defense Force members beside him.

The other party looked in Uesugi Genshin's direction, but ultimately made no move.

Meanwhile, Uesugi Genshin noticed another man standing next to Azusagawa. It wasn't the Self-Defense Force member, but a foreign blond man.

Although Hayama is also blond, it is easy to tell that he is Asian, while the person in front of him is obviously from a Western country.

He was dressed in a well-tailored suit, exuding a gentle and refined air. His neatly styled hair and top hat gave him a gentlemanly appearance.

"This is Mr. Spencer," Sakuta Azusagawa introduced.

"Hello." The other person took off their hat and placed it in front of their chest, greeting them politely.

“…Oh.” Uesugi Genshin was slightly taken aback, but after realizing what was happening, he grasped the other’s hand.

"Is there anything strange about me?" the other person asked in a friendly manner.

Uesugi Genshin pursed his lips and tentatively asked in English, "You...you don't have a child attending Toyonosaki Academy, do you?"

This time, it was the other person who was stunned. Although he still had a polite smile on his face, he couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.

"You..." He hesitated, his mouth slightly agape, then asked cryptically in English, "Have you been to my house?"

“Yes,” Uesugi Genshin replied in German.

"You wouldn't happen to be the one who saved my daughter, would you?" Spencer asked in German.

“If we’re talking about one person,” Uesugi Genshin nodded firmly.

Okay, confirmed. This is Eriri's father, a British diplomat stationed in Japan.

Honestly, I keep running into acquaintances here.

"I didn't expect you to speak such fluent German at such a young age," Eriri's father said in surprise.

“I am Mr. Spencer,” Uesugi Genshin said modestly, since the other party was a diplomat and being proficient in multiple languages ​​should be a basic skill.

"No, no, no." Eriri's father shook his head. "You know what? Yours is at the level of a dialect, and I can barely understand it."

He gestured with his hands, "You just put the stress on the second syllable, and you pronounced 'v' as 'f,' and there's a grammatical problem. Nobody uses the Konjunktiv form anymore. Hmm..."

“Your pronunciation sounds a bit like Austrian. No, it’s more like a dialect from southern Germany.” He lowered his head to think and offered his guess. “I think I’ve heard something similar in Bavaria before; it’s probably a branch of High German.”

"It is indeed the dialect from there." After all, Swabia is now part of Bavaria.

"Ha!" Eriri's father exclaimed in celebration, as if pleased that he had guessed correctly.

Because the entire conversation was in German, the Self-Defense Force officer standing nearby was a little confused, wondering what the two of them were talking about.

"However, your English accent is a bit different, I mean compared to the people here. It sounds very formal and rigid."

"Yes." Japanese English is certainly different from Chinese English, but either way, it wouldn't sound authentic to this native English speaker.

So, Genki Uesugi suggested, using his distinctive trilled "r" sound, "If you find it inconvenient to hear, we can use Russian."

He guarantees that this is absolutely authentic Russian, the pronunciation from the first hundred years, and that it has changed very little since then.

"...Um, may I ask you how old you are?" Eriri's father asked in Russian, his words filled with shock.

“About the same as your daughter,” Uesugi Genshin replied, leaning down.

"......" About the same age as Eriri?!

Are young people these days really that amazing?

Chapter 284: What I Want

"Um, Mr. Spencer, what are you talking about?" the self-defense officer standing to the side asked with a smile.

"This Self-Defense Force member doesn't understand what we're saying, does he?" Uesugi Gensuke asked Eriri Asahi's father in Russian.

German is an elective course at Japanese universities, but... I doubt many people will take it seriously.

Even English is something most people never use in their lives, let alone German, a subject that has no strict requirements.

"I don't know." After saying this calmly, Eriri's father replied to the Self-Defense Force officer, "We were talking about some things back home. This is the child of an acquaintance of mine. He came to my hometown to look for me and then found out that I was here."

He spoke half-truths, trying to fool the other person.

"Mr. Spencer, isn't he Japanese?" the Self-Defense Force officer asked, glancing at Uesugi Genshin. The two hadn't spoken in Japanese at all; instead, their accents sounded very foreign.

“I am Chinese,” Uesugi Genshin said in Chinese, but seeing that Eriri’s father did not understand, he repeated it in Russian.

It seems Eriri's father doesn't speak Chinese. Well, after all, it's one of the most difficult languages ​​in the world.

“He’s actually Chinese.” Upon hearing this, Eriri’s father explained to the Self-Defense Force officer with a light smile, “You know, I’m a diplomat. He’s from the Chinese Embassy; I’ve seen him often before.”

"I see." The Self-Defense Force officer nodded.

"We still have a lot to discuss, so we won't take up any more of Mr. Yamauchi's time," Eriri's father said tactfully, implying that he wanted the other party to leave.

“No, I have plenty of time.” As if he hadn’t caught the implication in the other’s words, the Self-Defense Officer nodded with a “haha”.

“Well, I’d like to take him for a walk outside.” Eriri’s father walked over, put his arm around Uesugi Genshin’s shoulder, patted him, and said to the Self-Defense Force officer.

Because both of them are very tall, the gesture of patting each other on the shoulder doesn't look very coordinated.

"I see..." The Self-Defense Force officer thought for a moment and then said, "But please don't do anything to make things difficult for me, okay?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Yamauchi," Eriri's father replied elegantly, patting his chest.

"Ah."

Eriri's father then pulled Uesugi Genshin away, with Azusagawa Sakuta following behind.