Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

Early Monday morning, on the way to school from Toyosaki Station.

Kato Yusuke told Kei, whom he met by chance, what happened yesterday, and the other party suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"...Hey, Nasu Plateau?"

"Well, Yinglili's family has a villa there. We mentioned this topic when we were at Baihua Lake."

"Hmm~ Yusuke, you did mention it...but that's not what I want to ask."

Hui tilted her head slightly, "You mean, when did Yinglili say she was going to retreat there?"

"Yesterday afternoon. She set off this morning. According to time, she should be almost at her destination now."

"...So, how long will Yinglili stay in seclusion?"

"Probably until next weekend."

"next weekend……"

The two continued to move forward.

After calculating the days for a while, Hui asked in surprise: "Isn't it time for spring break?"

Kato Yusuke nodded and said, "She said so herself."

"But, what about the school's courses? Also, I remember that Yinglili had taken leave several times before to participate in activities. Is her attendance really okay?"

"About these issues..."

Kato Yusuke showed a somewhat speechless expression, moved his lips and said, "Actually, her family seems to have donated money to our school just in case, just in case."

"...Uh~~Well, I don't know how to evaluate it, but it is indeed the Eiriri family."

Hui spoke unspeakably, skipping this somewhat realistic topic, and asked instead:

"Speaking of which, why did Yinglili do that?

Even if you don’t want to draw in the studio, it’s still the same if you stay at home, right?

Her parents are so open-minded that they shouldn't stop her from working at home. "

"Although this is just my personal thought——"

Kato Yusuke looked at the students walking around, nodded to those who greeted him, and gave answers at the same time.

"But in Eiri's eyes, the studio and home are probably both comfort zones. She made that choice because she wanted to break through."

"That's it..."

Hui said softly, looking at him sideways, with a hint of concern on his face, "Then... why didn't Yusuke tell me about this as soon as possible yesterday?"

"Hmm...?" Kato Yusuke was stunned, "Sorry, I thought she had told you, didn't she?"

"No~ Yinglili didn't say anything to me, at least I don't have that kind of memory. But...she probably didn't want others to see her bad side, so it's okay."

Hui was actually a little concerned about a close friend making an important decision without telling her, but she quickly adjusted herself and showed a good-tempered side.

She thought for a moment and then asked: "Compared with this, is it really okay for Yinglili to live alone in the mountains far away from people?"

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but smile.

"Tochigi Prefecture is not that remote, and the Eiri family's villa seems to be quite high-end, and there is a convenience store nearby, so I don't think there is anything to worry about."

"But, it's quite far there, right? If something happens, we can't rush there right away, right?"

"She has promised me that she will keep in touch every day, and if I feel anything is wrong, I will notify her family in time."

"Is...is that so?" Hui added, "To be honest, I still can't imagine Yinglili living alone."

"If you are worried, you can try sending her a LINE message. She will probably read it when she is not busy."

"Hmm~~That's not possible, right? After all, Yinglili is so determined to retreat. It would be too rude to disturb others under such circumstances. I won't do that kind of thing."

Kato Yusuke nodded slightly and agreed with this.

In fact, not only Hui, but also him.

In order not to be disturbed by the outside world, Yinglili made a one-way communication agreement with him before leaving. He can only wait for the other party to contact him unless necessary and cannot take the initiative to interrupt.

Although this request was somewhat unreasonable, he still accepted it because it was a serious decision made by the other party.

Kato Yusuke was thinking about this as he followed the crowd into the campus.

The morning classes passed quickly.

During the lunch break, he came to the rooftop and told Shiyu about the incident.

Compared to Hui, Shiyu's performance is much more open-minded.

While eating the bread he bought, the girl expressed her opinion with great sarcasm.

"What a shame, Yuu-chan, how dare you let out an author who is so procrastinating? As a representative of the club, you made a fatal mistake, didn't you?"

"Is it that serious……?"

"Of course, Sawamura will never come back. She will definitely run away."

"Yinglili won't do that kind of thing. She said that no matter what the result is, she will come back before the graduation ceremony."

"You are so naive, Yuu-chan. You must know that the most untrustworthy race of people in the world are creators, right?"

"...You seem to have attacked yourself, Xiaoshi."

"Otherwise, has Sawamura contacted you?"

Kato Yusuke answered truthfully: "Not yet, but she just arrived there today, and she probably has a lot of things to clean up. She will probably call later."

"Listen, Yuu-chan, I heard something like this from an editor. She said that writers who procrastinate have a set pattern, so you'd better pay attention."

Shiyu raised an index finger seriously.

"The first is Level 1. The other person's tone will gradually become rude."

"She's the same as usual."

"Then it's Level 2, and the other person starts to blame themselves."

"She had a little bit of that before."

"The next step is Level 3. The other party's response to messages is getting slower and slower."

“It’s not a bad thing to spend more time thinking.”

"Further down is Level 4. The other person will ignore the gazes around him and mutter self-pitying words such as 'I really want to die' or 'I can't do it anymore.'"

"Oh, so to speak, this kind of thing happened a lot when I helped her publish books before. I kind of miss it."

"...The last one is Level 5. The other party will lose contact completely from a certain day."

"If that were the case, Aunt Sayuri would probably pretend to accidentally reveal her whereabouts to me."

"...By the way, it is said that there is a Level 6 above.

Even if the missing female creator can be successfully found by then, she will find that she has already changed her pen name to a man and gone to other jobs. This is what Ms. Machida summed up. "

"How is this possible? Yinglili is not even of legal age for marriage - hiss!"

Before Kato Yusuke finished speaking, the other party pinched the back of his hand with his nails, causing him to gasp.

"...What are you doing?"

Shiyu said in a deep voice without any emotion:

"I kindly remind you, what do you mean when you keep choking me with these words? Are you deliberately making me angry?"

"Nothing like that."

Kato Yusuke withdrew his right hand and shook his head in denial with a wry smile.

"I didn't mean to make you angry on purpose, I just thought Yinglili wouldn't do those things."

"It's obviously her first time as the main writer of a commercial work, so you trust her so much?"

"Well... I do trust her, just like I trust you, Xiaoshi."

"I am also a business author recognized by the market. Don't you think it is biased to compare Sawamura and me together?"

"Don't think too much. I trust you and Yinglili because I have seen all sides of you and made a judgment based on this. It has nothing to do with anything else."

"Every aspect...can you say...?"

"I'm talking about creative ability and moral character. Don't talk about porn here, okay?"

Kato Yusuke said and flicked Shiyu's forehead, and successfully received an annoyed eye roll.

He smiled disapprovingly and continued: "Besides, although Yinglili is a bit willful in character, she is not willing to do that kind of behavior of leaving without saying goodbye."

"Really? You know what happens in a blink of an eye when an author becomes unable to write? And there is no guarantee of when he will be able to return to his original state, right?"

"Then, I will wait patiently until the last moment."

"..."

Shiyu was a little silent at first, then reached out and grabbed his ear, pulling it towards her.

"Little poem??"

"Seriously... Yu-chan, won't you pamper her too much? This makes me a little angry."

"It hurts! If the situation were reversed, I would do the same to Xiao Shi, right??"

Ignoring his half-serious whining, Shiyu snorted with her nose.

"Listen up, Yuu-chan. No matter what happens between you and Sawamura in the future, I am also your main palace, and you must put me in front of her. Do you understand?"

"ah?"

Kato Yusuke was slightly dumbfounded, then frowned and asked:

"No...why do you say this as if I would do something to Yinglili? We don't have that kind of relationship."

Shiyu glanced at him with contempt and said lightly:

"I'm just reminding you. If you don't have it, it's best. If you have it, then remember my words carefully. Otherwise, don't blame me for not warning you."

Before Yusuke Kato could speak, the girl continued:

"Anyway, if Sawamura-san uses the same tactics as before when communicating with you, you'd better pay attention."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shiyu stood up and left gracefully.

The boy sat on the bench deep in thought.

…

When I got home in the evening, Kato Yusuke received another letter from Asami.

Needless to say, the sender was Sayu who was far away in Hokkaido.

The letter mainly talks about two things.

On the one hand, it was to show that he had paid the promised money to the association, and on the other hand, it was to express his love for "Tuanzi Family".

Because of the delay, the video had not yet spread online when the other party sent the last letter, so there was this strange time difference.

Kato Yusuke put down the letter, and the next second he received a video invitation from Eri Riri.

He pressed answer decisively, and a luxurious living room appeared on the screen. Yinglili, wearing a cute home clothes, sat on the sofa and looked at her mobile phone.

"Yusuke?"

"Well, good evening, I was wondering if you wouldn't contact me today."

Kato Yusuke said, his expression relaxed slightly.

Seeing his reaction, Yinglili's expression became a little apologetic.

"Sorry, I thought about reporting to you as soon as possible, but there are a lot of things to prepare here, and the time has come before I know it."

"No need to apologize, how are you now?"

"Well, it's good. I've bought all the necessary supplies, and the driver also asked him to go back. Now I'm the only one left."

Kato Yusuke asked: "I checked the weather. The temperature there seems to be much lower than in Tokyo. Do you feel cold?"

"Well, although it's true that it's like that outside, I turned on the heating in all the rooms, so it's not cold at all."

"Where's the food?"

"Hmm~ That doesn't matter."

Ying Lili affirmed: "I bought a whole box of peyoung and it should be enough to last for a while."

"peyoung...?" Kato Yusuke read the word and suddenly realized, "Wait, isn't that instant fried noodles? Are you planning to eat that all the time??"

"Because it's very convenient."

"This is not a matter of convenience, but a matter of paying attention to your health...Does Aunt Sayuri know you are doing this?"

"Don't worry. I also bought other items such as toast, ready-to-eat cooking kits, and instant rice. It's no problem at all."

"Don't always eat those. You should be able to order takeout over there, right? Or you can go to a convenience store and buy some bento."

"It's long-winded, wouldn't that lose the meaning of seclusion? But okay...I will do as you say occasionally."

"Remember to pay attention to safety when you are living alone. Doors and windows must be locked, including the bedroom door. Don't open the door to strangers."

"..."

"Eiriri?"

"ah……"

"Did you hear what I just said?"

Slowly, Yinglili straightened her face, showing an impatient expression.

"I know, I know. Mom has told me these things a long time ago. Do you regard me as a primary school student?"

She said it bluntly, but her strength was soft. It didn't look like he was angry at all, but rather a bit coy and embarrassed.

Kato Yusuke didn't think too much and warned seriously.

"Anyway, it doesn't hurt to be careful. If you have any questions, just contact me. I've been sleeping late lately, so you can call me anyway."

"...Yusuke."

Yinglili tilted her head and looked at him, and couldn't help but ask: "You keep talking about these boring things and don't ask me about my work?"

"Huh? Today is just the first day, so there's nothing to ask, right?"

"Even though that's the case, I feel like you're still too leisurely. You actually let the original animator go out when the work is behind schedule. Are you a fool?"

"Hey, are you the one who made this request?" Kato Yusuke said angrily.

For some reason, Yinglili showed a satisfied expression, smiled and nodded, "Well, I was right, thank you."

"Eiriri...?"

"I will contact you on time every day, so you have to wait."

"Waiting? Do you mean waiting for your call at this time?"

Kato Yusuke felt a little puzzled, and then saw Erili shaking her head slightly.

"It's not just that..."

The girl said with a voice like a silver bell: "I mean I will definitely return to the city where you are, so you have to wait for me?"

The moment the words fell, Kato Yusuke's eyes appeared dazed for a moment, inexplicably thinking of the day he said goodbye to Sayu.

"..."

His eyes dimmed slightly, and then he put on a faint smile, "I know, I'll wait."

Yinglili's eyes flickered slightly, and her clear and bright pupils reflected his face. She lowered her gaze shyly and giggled.

"Huh? Did I say something funny...?"

"No, it's nothing, but..."

"but?"

"I always feel that just listening to our conversation, it feels like we are in a long-distance relationship."

"ah?"

Kato Yusuke was stunned.

"Huhu~ahhahahaha!"

Yinglili covered her mouth with her slightly open hands and snickered. Her golden hair swayed with every chuckle, like a fluffy mistletoe with a fairy from a fairy tale perched on it. It was so cute that it was impeccable.

"Haha, what's going on? That look on your face."

She said with a mischievous face: "You are just like a playboy who was caught by your girlfriend at the scene of an affair. She is clearly not here, Kasumigaoka Shiyu, are you too timid? Hahahaha."

"Hey, are you smiling too exaggeratedly?"

Kato Yusuke lowered his face and said deliberately to match the atmosphere: "Besides, if you suddenly say something like that, how do you want people to respond?"

"How to answer~?"

Eirili blinked slyly, blushed slightly and looked away, muttering: "Just...just talk normally, anyway, Kasumigaoka Shiyu and I..."

"Huh? What happened to you and Xiaoshi?"

"Nothing~ nothing."

"Isn't this too baffling?"

"Ah~ I feel a little tired. I'm going to rest. Let's stop talking today. Good night~"

Eiriri said and immediately hung up the video, leaving Kato Yusuke in a daze facing the black screen.

…