Great Mangaka

In spring, flowers are in full bloom, and when it comes to flowers, what Takumi yearns for are cherry blossoms.

It's not his favorite flower, but it's worth admiring. The cherry blossom season is very short, and it happened to be the ideal time. Takumi believed the trip to Japan would be pleasant.

After several hours of flying, he helped Aika, who was a little dizzy, land in Tokyo.

The airport broadcast used three languages to guide passengers. In addition to Japanese and English, the local language, similar to the Japanese of his previous life, was also spoken, and Takumi was not surprised by this phenomenon.

He made up for some historical knowledge on the plane. Before the modern era, communication between Japan and the Japanese mainland was limited by the constraints of navigation technology, which led to a unique local culture.

This phenomenon was also observed in the Japanese mainland. There are cultural differences in different places, and local languages are even more diverse. Japan simply has greater relevance. However, regardless of culture and language, it develops from traditional Japanese culture and remains unchanged.

Takumi also wondered why Japan had been linked to the Japanese mainland for thousands of years and had not separated from it. He reviewed more information and came to the speechless conclusion: because Japan was too weak.

This place was a wild land in ancient times, with few people and poverty. Even if they wanted to leave the Japanese mainland, they couldn't. The central plains of Japan are too vast. Whenever there are civil disturbances in Japan, they can send troops to the vicinity to solve the problem in minutes.

In the modern era, Japan has become more powerful. The three-line monarchy it established has brought the country to its peak. With the rapid development of navigation and aviation, the distance between the world has rapidly shortened, and Japan has become closer to the rest of Japan than ever before.

After reading these materials, Takumi's vision has changed. He can no longer treat Japan from a typical Japanese perspective. There is no grudge between Japan and its regions here. Communication between the two places is also very close.

At Tokyo airport, Takumi and Aika were met by a woman in her 30s. She wasn't beautiful, but she exuded a very gentle temperament, which inspired confidence.

"I am Yoshida Keiko, welcome to Tokyo." The woman greeted them in standard Japanese. She was a tour guide that Alice had found for Takumi and commanded a high price. However, she had a good reputation.

"Hello." Takumi nodded and then looked at Aika: "My mother is a little dizzy, could you take us to rest first?"

"No problem, please come this way... I've booked a room for the two of you."

Yoshida Keiko stepped forward to help Aika and escorted them out of the airport. As soon as they exited, the taxi stopped by the roadside, and the driver got out and opened the door.

Takumi knew from the details that Yoshida Keiko was a professional tour guide. The car was obviously prepared in advance, and she held Aika's arm the entire time. There was no impatience at all.

Although it was a bit expensive, this tour guide was very good.

The taxi entered the city. Takumi looked outside with curiosity. His first impression of Tokyo was cleanliness. There wasn't a single stain on the streets, and he didn't even see a piece of used paper along the way. Although Osaka's streets were clean, they were still a little worse than here.

The second impression was novelty. The flowers, plants, and trees on both sides of the street were different from those in Osaka. Occasionally, cherry blossoms could be seen. Although they were just passing by, they were impressive.

"Uh... Excuse me..."

Just as Takumi was observing the exterior with great interest, Yoshida Keiko, who had been calming Aika's attention, looked at him and asked in a low voice:

"Takumi-kun, are you... Takumi-sensei?"

Yoshida Keiko's question surprised Takumi. Alice shouldn't have told anyone about his identity. How could this tour guide know who he was? Takumi nodded in doubt.

"It's you!" Yoshida Keiko's eyes lit up: "When I saw the photo, I wondered if it was you. I didn't expect you to come to Tokyo. It was truly unexpected."

"Do you know me?" Takumi asked, even more surprised.

"Of course I know you! I've read your 'Five Centimeters Per Second'!"

Yoshida Keiko smiled and explained that Hinotori Publishing's influence in Tokyo is very small, but "Five Centimeters Per Second" is an exception. This manga, which features a large number of cherry blossoms, has many followers in Tokyo. In fact, readers in the region have contributed enormously to "Five Centimeters Per Second" sales exceeding 10 million.

There's even a Takumi fan group here.

"Cherry blossom season has recently arrived. Your fans have a very active fan group. They often form teams to draw cherry blossoms in the park." Yoshida Keiko smiled and said, "My daughter is one of them. If Takumi-sensei is free, he can meet our fans from Tokyo."

Takumi was a little surprised that he had fans in Tokyo. One of the reasons he chose Tokyo was because it was far away and he should be able to rest well there. Unexpectedly, the first person he met recognized him.

"I'll go when I have time...".

Takumi was embarrassed to refuse, so he could only give a perfunctory answer. He planned to play in Tokyo for three days and visit several cities. He didn't have time to meet the fans.

However, things don't usually go as one wishes. Shortly after Takumi settled into the hotel, it started to rain heavily.

It's normal for it to rain in spring, and Takumi didn't mind too much. He simply postponed the meeting, but he hadn't expected the rain to become heavier and heavier, turning into a downpour that didn't stop for another day...

Takumi's trip to Tokyo was ruined, and he was trapped in the hotel.

Aika recovered after resting for half a day. She looked at the heavy rain outside and felt helpless: "What do we do now? You finally go out to play, but you encounter this weather."

"Don't worry, madam, it will stop raining tomorrow." Yoshida Keiko comforted her: "You can stay in Tokyo for a few more days. Takumi-sensei has finally arrived and cannot return disappointed. I will not charge you the tour guide fee for these days."

She was very kind. If she couldn't fulfill her responsibilities as a tour guide because of the rain, she wouldn't charge him anything. But Takumi didn't care about the money. He was too bored and didn't know what to do if he stayed in the hotel.

"Is there a bookstore nearby? I'll go buy some books..."

When the rain subsided a little, Takumi decided to go for a walk. He asked for directions and found out that the bookstore was nearby. Yoshida Keiko wanted to accompany him, but she felt that Aika needed someone to accompany her more, so she stayed with the tour guide. Takumi bought some books at the bookstore with an umbrella and soon returned to the hotel. There was a cherry tree at the hotel entrance. He looked at it curiously under the tree.

The girl who got out of the taxi saw this scene and her heart pounded.

In her eyes, the boy standing under the cherry tree with an umbrella was very calm and handsome, which was precisely the image that moved her the most.

However, this could be the result of her self-beautification: the girl who saw this image was somewhat special.

When Takumi turned around and wanted to continue back to the hotel, he saw that the girl stopped dead in her tracks and opened her eyes wide.

"Shiori, what are you doing here?!"

The girl was Shiori. Her eyes were still red from staying up late. She was only carrying a shoulder bag, but she looked at Takumi with surprise and excitement... None of that was important. The point was:

"Alice, why did you send her here?!"

After sending Shiori to the hotel and reassuring her, Takumi took the opportunity to call her. He knew who the culprit was without thinking. Only Alice knew his whereabouts.

"Shiori wants to see you. I gave her the address. Is there a problem?" Alice replied very calmly.

"What's the problem? You don't know her...". Takumi's face darkened, and he recounted the story of himself and Shiori.

"Oh, I see...! A lot of interesting things happened between you two!" Alice smiled, but she coughed twice to compose herself and said, "Takumi, it's your fault. You directly rejected her when she confessed. As long as she's a girl, no matter how strong she seems, she'll feel uneasy."

"What do you mean?"

"It's very simple, don't be afraid of Shiori." Alice smiled and said, "If you tell her you love her, I guarantee she'll become as sweet as water."

"Really?"

Takumi didn't believe it, and he couldn't do it anyway.

"Then try another way: you can hug her. The girl is fragile now; in fact, if you show her your affection, she'll be as obedient as a cat."

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