This page is used to test the functions of some plugins.

No need to pay attention to it.

Chapter 1: Coming-of-Age Present

Half an hour ago.

At 5 o’clock, the gloom had reached the city. The last flames of the sunset bathed the window in a golden hue. Darkness crept from the remote buildings, which seemed like forests of concrete and steel.

Looking out of the window, neon colors mixed with red and green flowed over the glass wall on a dozen-storey department store two blocks away.

Time flies fast, it’s almost dark.
　　
Ryo Tanboku put down the laptop on his knees, casting his eyes outside.

He found that only at festivals (generally during legal holidays in Japan), would the dynamic architectural display be shown on the glass wall there.

However, he neither cared nor had much interest about the festivals of his country.

So, what day is it today?

He was nestled alone in his house, feeling isolated from the outside world.

He couldn’t go outside, after all, it was Spring Break. Even though the snow had melted, the winter had not yet gone. His legs went numb in cold and wet weather as if he was in a frozen lake.

It’s time to buy a new kotatsu table…Oh wait, no! For the table, it’d be a piece of cake to kill my determination.
　　
He wrapped his body more tightly within the sheets.

Then, if I could only get through these day…

From the corner of his eyes, across a small desk with four or five coffee cans knocked over and most of a pizza eaten, he glanced at the date on the desktop of Windows system.

January 15th.

Is it the Coming-of-Age Day…today?

Oh, so my neighbor probably has gone to celebrate the festival and isn’t back yet.

Only two people lived here in the house called Ameyasu.

The apartment used to belong to Ryo Tanboku’s distant uncle, who had been living in Japan for over a decade with no wife and children. After he died, Ryo Tanboku inherited this house.

The house was relatively remote and not very clean since Ryo Tanboku was lazy. Perhaps that was the reason that few renters choose to live here. In any case, he didn’t collect enough rent to relieve his money problems, even though he had posted ads and contacted agencies.

Recently, the renters who found new houses had almost all left. Only Miss Miyagi next door still stayed in Ameyasu.

She was a beauty, dressed with style, who had moved here three months ago. People couldn’t help but wonder why she had stayed, since her character was so out of place here.

Miss Miyagi was about 20 years old, fair-skinned, tall, and slender, exactly like a model in a magazine or on TV.

Fashionable and well-dressed women usually gave the impression of being arrogant or unapproachable, yet Miss Miyagi’s attitude towards Ryo Tanboku was quite gentle and polite. She was a woman who could win favors easily.

She always paid rent on time, brought back food and daily necessities, and cleaned the corridor. Nobody asked her to do so, yet she did it entirely out of kindness.

People would be moved to tears by Miss Miyagi’s goodness and warmth. By comparison, the real owner of Ameyasu Apartment was nothing but an absolute slob.

The times that she left and returned hinted that she might be a college girl. It was two hours past her usual return time. Just at that moment, Ryo Tanboku heard someone turning the lock downstairs.

She’s back.

That thought came to Ryo Tanboku’s mind and soon passed.

He mentally calculated a deadline with how much he could write every day, his eyes widened and bloodshot. It turned out that the daily quota was still extremely tough.

He had been writing from last night till now, but the workload was still there. He had even dozed off earlier this afternoon, but was luckily woken up by the noises outside.

If it goes on like this, will I become bald?