vncnus Page 150
Page 150
The girl nodded gently.
It took the two seven or eight minutes to enter the city hall and take the elevator straight to the fourteenth floor. Most Japanese city halls have their top floors designed as observation decks and are open to the public free of charge.
"Luckily, the city hall is still open at night." Yami Maki smiled with relief, and Matsueda Jun nodded.
Upon entering the fourteenth floor, the first thing the two saw was a colorful picture of Kumamoto Castle hanging indoors, composed of origami cranes of various colors, with a texture that resembled stained glass in a church from a distance.
The elevator exit leads directly to the outer observation deck. Yamami Maki gently opened the wooden door, and the noise from outside rushed towards her. After a brief moment of disorientation, the retro-style building with white bricks and black tiles appeared opposite her.
"That's the castle tower..." the girl murmured to herself. It was sunset, and the setting sun generously painted the surface of the ancient building, making it look like a blazing fire from afar.
“Now I can understand the origin of the Land of Fire.” Yami Maki looked at the boy next to her.
“You can only appreciate this view from the outside.” Jun Matsueda rested his hands on the railing and looked at the castle on the opposite bank. “After the Kumamoto earthquake, Kumamoto Castle was basically just this castle tower left. It was even restored later. Once you go inside, you can only see reinforced concrete. It’s no different from an ordinary museum.”
"Is Matsueda trying to comfort me?" Yami Maki smiled. "I don't feel anything anymore, after all, I've already visited Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle."
"Then why did you look so down at dinner?" Jun Matsueda rolled his eyes at her. He had just urgently looked up the information about the city hall and Kumamoto Castle to comfort the girl.
"Because I was thinking that if I couldn't see Kumamoto Castle, I would have to go back to the hotel early to prepare for the competition, right?" The girl's smile was childish and mischievous, like a primary school student who didn't want to do her homework.
“…Let’s go back to the hotel.” Jun Matsueda walked towards the elevator.
"No, please! Let's walk around a bit more, okay? Just consider it a post-dinner stroll!" Yamami Maki quickly walked up to him and took out a matcha milk candy. "Here, have another candy, please~"
The rich flavor of matcha milk melts in your mouth as Jun Matsueda and Maki Yamami walk around the moat outside Kumamoto Castle, with swaying cherry blossom trees overhead.
He felt a vibration in his pocket, took out his phone, and saw a message from the event organizers: meet at 8:00 AM tomorrow in the auditorium of Kumamoto University.
"Did you see the message, senior?" A tram passed by the two of them. The old-fashioned trams in Kumamoto have a history of over a hundred years. The area between the tracks in front of the platform has been turned into grass, adding a touch of youth to the aging mechanical creations.
"No need to remind me~" The girl put her phone in her pocket. "Kokoro-chan also messaged me saying she's arrived in Kumamoto."
"Should we go see her?" Jun Matsue imagined stuffing Kokoro Kuroba into a Kumamon suit.
"I won't see her!" Yamagami Maki shook her head. "Let's talk about it when we run into each other."
The two walked into the intersection on the right, leaving Kumamoto Castle behind, and stopped at the traffic light.
The wind rustled, and a flock of crows flew past them in the sky. A lone crow perched on a telephone pole and cawed sharply twice.
The boy and girl turned around in unison, then became engrossed in the rare and beautiful scenery before them.
A century-old tram stood forlornly on the platform, next to a crowded stream of cars waiting at the intersection. Behind the traffic flowed the lush trees outside Kumamoto Castle, interspersed with scattered pink cherry blossoms that swayed in the wind. The castle tower, its splendor faded, stood atop the sea of trees, facing off against crows perched on the power lines. The lingering warmth of the setting sun painted the night sky with a transparent gold hue.
The creations of human civilization from at least three eras, past and present, converge at this crossroads. The only constant is the boundless sky that once bestowed upon the city the name "Land of Fire."
"Kirei..." Yami Maki's absent-minded praise vanished into thin air. She subconsciously patted the shoulder of the person next to her, "Matsueda-kun, quickly take a picture!"
Jun Matsue took out his camera from his bag and captured this fleeting beauty forever. The girl leaned close to him and said, "It's a perfect picture."
After taking the photos, the two lingered to admire them for a while before returning to the hotel without any regrets as night fell completely.
"So why are you studying in my room?" Jun Matsue looked at the girl sitting obediently on the sofa. Maki Yami was carefully examining his room, even though there weren't many things inside.
"Because Kokoro knocked on my door just now, and I don't want to be bothered by her." Yami Maki spread out the books on the coffee table, preparing to start reviewing. "Besides, we should always prepare together, right? My room isn't very convenient, there are a lot of girls' things there."
"Alright then." Jun Matsue didn't press for details about what was inconvenient for the girl. He poured two cups of barley tea, using the tea bags the receptionist had given him.
"That sounds reasonable, so let's start reviewing."
He opened the book "Principles and Methods of Biochemical Experiments" in his hand and looked at the key points and precautions he had noted down before, but not long after, his phone, which was on the coffee table, vibrated.
The girl, engrossed in her book, glanced over silently. Jun Matsue pretended not to notice and picked up his phone.
It was a message from Yosuke Kita; it seems she just finished a performance.
"Osaka is so interesting! It's a shame you didn't come with me, Matsue!" Kirakira sent a sullen message along with a picture of Osaka Castle's golden roof.
“Our Kumamoto is just as good!” Jun Matsue sent her a photo of Kumamoto Castle that he had just taken, uploaded to his phone.
"...I had authentic okonomiyaki and takoyaki for dinner, it was super delicious!" The girl sent another picture of steaming hot okonomiyaki and takoyaki.
"Tonight I ate the torpedo-flavored spicy dipping noodles, which is said to be the best choice if you can only eat noodles once in Kumamoto. Don't you love spicy food? It would be a shame if you didn't try it."
Jun Matsueda sent Yosei Kurusu another photo of noodles with a rich, dark sauce. The chat box showed "typing," indicating that the girl was not going to admit defeat, but he could no longer know the outcome of this contest.
Because Yamami Maki had already sat down and reached out to press on his phone screen, the girl had a feigned anger on her face, as if she didn't want to spoil Matsueda Jun's pleasant mood.
"Matsueda! No playing on your phone or getting distracted during review time!"
"……Yes."
Chapter 253 Puffs, Volcanoes, and Helicopters
Sunday, the first day of the finals.
Jun Matsueda walked out of the computer building at Kumamoto University, stretched, and said, "Is today's exam over already?"
According to the competition organizers' arrangements, the first day was a theoretical exam on computers, and the second day was the practical exam.
"It seems so." Yami Maki walked out of the building. She checked her phone; it was 10:40, and there was still some time before lunch.
"Why not schedule all the competitions together?" Jun Matsue's Chinese genes from his past life started to kick in. "If we finish all the exams on the first day, wouldn't everything else be easier?"
"Because adults always solve problems in the most troublesome way." Kuroba Shin appeared behind Yamami Maki and said indistinctly, with a candy in her mouth that she had asked Yamami Maki for.
"The more formalities they engage in—opening and closing ceremonies, company visits, and exchange programs—the more funding they get," the girl said disdainfully. "If we finish the exam in one day, where will they get the funding for the remaining two days?"
Jun Matsueda nodded in agreement; this was the first time he had acknowledged Kokoro Kuroba's perspective. Maki Yami, standing nearby, smiled. "Let's have lunch first; we're going to visit the flu vaccine factory this afternoon."
"Are you really going?" Kuroba Shin asked with an incredulous expression. "What's so interesting about visiting serum separation and preparation? Are you planning to study medicine in the future?"
Jun Matsue looked at the upperclassman beside her, and the girl blinked, "Is it okay if I don't participate?"
“You can choose not to go as long as you say you’re not feeling well or have something to do.” The petite girl crossed her arms. “Or you can just say you don’t want to go. Anyone who can participate in the finals is basically a genius—geniuses have privileges, and being a little unconventional is acceptable to everyone.”
"Can I be considered a genius...?" Yami Maki's focus seemed to be on something else entirely.
At 11 o'clock, the three of them walked into "Kumamoto Oil University" outside the university. It was a restaurant recommended to them by students from Kumamoto University.
The two girls shared a "20-piece seafood sushi" set meal, while Jun Matsueda ordered a yakitori set meal with rice.
The sushi set was served quickly. Yamami Maki and Kuroha Kokoro picked up their chopsticks and picked up the sushi one by one in a smooth and flowing rhythm. Perhaps this is the unique tacit understanding between childhood friends.
After a while, Jun Matsueda's yakitori set meal was served. He picked up a piece of crispy and tender grilled chicken neck and asked, "So, senpai, are we going to do a tour this afternoon?"
Yamami Maki was still eating sushi. She paused for a moment, then chewed faster, swallowed the sushi, and took a sip of water.
"...How about we skip it like Kokoro-chan and go out to play this afternoon?" The girl looked at him hopefully.
"I definitely have no objection." Jun Matsue nodded slightly. The yakitori and rice at this restaurant were very good, definitely worth coming back to next time.
"Where are you guys going to play? I want to go too!" Kuroba Shin quickly finished her ten pieces of sushi and took out her Switch to play games.
Actually, the girl wasn't very interested in going out to play; it was just that she was in an unfamiliar place and wanted to stay with people she knew.
Yamami Maki's eyes darted around, and she said with a smile, "We're going to take a helicopter to see Mount Aso, okay, Kokoro-chan?"
"I'd better go back to the hotel and play games." Hei Yuxin jumped off her seat without hesitation. Her fear of heights was quite severe; she even had to hold onto the wall when taking the hotel elevator.
"..." Jun Matsue watched the girl disappear at the intersection with her game console. He looked away, and the girl in front of the sushi gave him a peace sign.
"Get rid of that annoying guy!"
"So, we're going to see Mount Aso this afternoon?"
"Let's go see the volcano!" The senior student nodded excitedly, like a little girl in kindergarten.
So, a little after 1 p.m., Jun Matsueda and Maki Yamami, with their cameras in hand, appeared in front of the One Piece statue outside Aso Station.
"What's the next step?" Jun Matsue asked the girl beside him.
“Take the shuttle bus!” Maki Yami pointed to the white bus by the roadside.
Holding the "Aso-Guzzer Line One-Day Pass" they had bought, the two boarded the bus. Yamami Maki sat by the window and took out a large cream puff from the paper bag she was holding.
"Would you like some, Songzhi?" She bought these from an old cream puff shop on the street, which is said to have a history of 150 years.
Jun Matsueda shook his head. "I just had lunch and don't have much of an appetite."
The bus drove smoothly, and the city buildings outside the window gradually decreased as they entered the forest. The sunlight was filtered through the dense foliage, falling in dappled patterns onto the girl's hair.
Jun Matsue turned his head to look at Maki Yamami sitting by the car window. He wasn't admiring the unparalleled beauty of the forest girl, but rather observing how she ate two custard cream puffs that were as big as his outstretched hand.
"It's really delicious~" Yamami Maki took out a tissue to wipe the custard off her lips, her eyes squinting with happiness, before she realized the boy's gaze.
"What are you looking at, Matsueda-kun?"
"Girls' stomachs are really amazing." He shook his head. "She could only eat ten pieces of sushi for lunch, but now she can eat two cream puffs as big as my hand."
He opened his right hand and placed it in front of the girl; it looked about the same size as her face, which was framed by black hair.
"Um, um..." Yami Maki blushed, "That's how girls' stomachs are!"
Half an hour later, the shuttle bus stopped at the penultimate stop, and the young men and women got off the bus. All around them was an endless expanse of lush green meadow.
"Kusa Senri truly lives up to his name!" Yamami Maki spun around in place, her excitement barely concealed as she could see the volcano crater emitting white smoke in the distance.
“It’s the perfect time~” Jun Matsue recited his own haiku again, “After the helicopter ride, we can go for a stroll in the grasslands, or hike to the crater.”
"Mmm!" The girl nodded and walked towards the helicopter ticket window.
The two filled out something resembling a waiver of life and death and a form, which required them to write information such as emergency contact, home address, age, and weight.
"It still feels a bit dangerous." Jun Matsueda thought for a while with his pen in hand, then wrote down Haruka Mochizuki's name and phone number in the emergency contact section.
For no other reason than that, if something were to happen to the two of them, Mochizuki Haruka would be the one who could get rescue forces to the scene the fastest.
“Because Mount Aso is an active volcano and there is still a risk of eruption, we still need to be prepared just in case.” The young woman inside the window spoke to Jun Matsueda solicitously. “But Mr. Matsueda is very lucky today; the weather conditions and the volcanic state are perfect for sightseeing!”
"Thank you," Jun Matsue replied politely, then looked at the girl beside him. "Is everything alright, senpai?"
Yamami Maki had come to Kumamoto with the intention of seeking thrills. Looking at the yellow helicopter slowly landing in the distance, she exclaimed, "I can do it!"
Once seated in the cabin and fastened my seatbelt, the helicopter began to sway as it ascended with the rotation of its wings.
"We've taken off!" Yami Maki patted Matsueda Jun's arm, her voice trembling with excitement.
The two chose a seven-minute loop route, flying over Kusasenri and Mt. Yonezuka, then circling the crater, gazing at the vast land below.
The grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see, and the mountains and plains were covered with forests and meadows, displaying an alluring matcha color. Wisps of clouds could be seen outside the cabin, flying across the sky like birds.
Jun Matsue watched as the girl beside him opened and closed her mouth, but the noise from the helicopter was too loud, so he could only guess from her excited expression that she was saying something.
They quickly approached the crater. The giant mouth, spewing heat and smoke, appeared somewhat calm, but it was still an extremely awe-inspiring sight. Jun Matsue took out his camera and filmed a video.
As the helicopter was about to leave the crater, the wind in the mountains suddenly picked up, and the fuselage shook violently. Yami Maki screamed and grabbed Matsueda Jun's arm.
The gust of wind quickly receded, and the girl soon let go of his hand. The two looked at each other, and then each looked into the distance.
The sound of the spinning wings continued, but in their world, only silence and each other remained.
Chapter 254 The world outside the shrine is also quietly changing.
The seven-minute flight ended quickly, and Jun Matsueda and Maki Yamami stepped off the helicopter.
Even after returning from the sky to the earth, they remain silent, which does not represent estrangement or awkwardness.
It was just because the girl's unintentional action was the closest the two had ever been since they met.
"The helicopter is so noisy." Yami Maki touched her burning earlobe, a blush spreading across the girl's cheeks. "My ears still feel so bad..."
“It was really noisy.” Jun Matsueda nodded, his expression unchanged, or rather, he hid it well. “I couldn’t hear a single word of the pilot’s explanation.”
When the girl gently hugged him on the plane, Jun Matsue didn't think much of it at first, since it was just a fleeting touch. However, the girl's subsequent shy silence made him feel strange.
It feels like... sitting by Lake Ashi in the afternoon sun, when the ripples on the shore are felt, the leaf that touched my heart has long since fallen.
The blush on Yamami Maki's cheeks faded a little. Behind them, the helicopter took off again, and she gathered her long hair that was being blown by the wind.
"I was a little flustered on the helicopter just now, sorry..."
She was too shy to mention what she had done at that time.
“It’s nothing.” Jun Matsueda shook his head. “I panicked a bit when the crosswind came, and I even had the urge to jump out of the plane.”
He deliberately exaggerated, and Yamami Maki chuckled softly. In fact, when the wind picked up, his only action was to make eye contact with the girl.
"Where to next? Should we hike to the crater or go to Kusanagi?" The boy started to change the subject as the two left the helipad.
"Let's go to the crater." The girl's thought was brief. "I feel like I haven't had enough."
“The time is still too short.” Jun Matsue walked up the road leading to the top of the mountain. “Seven minutes costs twelve thousand yen. I might as well become a pilot in the future.”