Chapter 14 scene seven

After people finished the Obon Festival, it was almost time for them to get ready for work. An annual grand event was held in a hotel in a certain city.Wearing an outdated white-collar outfit that I don't usually wear, I entered the hotel with Yanase and Koyamauchi. "It's a waste of money and time to hold such an exaggerated banquet." Riding the escalator leading to the venue, Yanase whispered, the suit he was wearing looked awkward. "Well, that's what I said, but it's also one of the company's benefits." Koyamauchi said with a wry smile. "That is to say, don't you think this welfare is used in the wrong place? If it is of a consoling nature, it would be much better to send some cash to various research groups, or the food that everyone likes to eat."

"Really, I think this kind of consolation is pretty good. Don't you still miss the refreshing hot spring trip in the past, the kind of comfort meeting where you can sing karaoke while wearing a bathrobe?" "I didn't say that, but don't you think this method is not suitable for the Japanese?" "I said, just make do with it. Every time I attend this kind of party, I feel like 'ah, we are the top Japanese'. Hey, don't you think so, Tsuruga-kun?" After being asked, a smile appeared on the corner of my mouth and I nodded. Like the usual comfort meetings and gatherings in general companies, MAC will gather all its staff and researchers to hold such a party every August.This is the second time I have attended since last year, but I feel that this gathering is not so much a comfort meeting as it is a form in which Vitec's top leaders use drinking to motivate researchers in the training.

The party was of course in the form of standing meals. After listening to the boring and lengthy self-introductions of the staff, everyone finally raised their glasses and started toasting, and then they could take food from the table. Just as I finished serving the tenderloin and beef, I saw Mayuko, and I looked up and met her eyes on the other side of the table.She was wearing a light blue suit and a pair of gold earrings glittered on her ears. I quickly looked around and found an empty table to put my plate on. When I was about to look at Mayuko again, she had already come to me, holding a plate with food in her hand.

I spoke first, "It's been a really long time this time, are you okay?" "Well, it's pretty good," Mayuko replied, "How about you, Tsuruga?" "It's alive and kicking," I said, and took a sip of sake. When was the last time we had a conversation, I can't remember the exact time, it should be the first Monday after her birthday, but after thinking about it, it's wrong, I should have greeted her or something.But all in all, I hardly had a serious chat with her in this month. "Is Zhiyan here too?" I looked around and asked her, and at the same time admitted that I did have a thought in my heart that it would be good if he didn't come.

"He's here too, he should be chatting with the instructor now." "Really?" I didn't want to hide my disappointed expression at all, "Are you all doing well? You and that guy, after that" In the next moment, her expression seemed to tell me something, but she dismissed the idea.With a stiff face, he forced a smile, "Well, we're still dating," nodded and said. Mayuko didn't come to ask me any questions about why I avoided the two of them this month.She should know the answer without asking, I don't want to see the two of them as lovers, and I don't want to appear in front of Zhiyan pretending to be good friends.

But the reason I was really estranged from both of them wasn't just that I avoided them and that they didn't come to ask me to lunch as they used to.I think it's possible that Tomohiko felt something and didn't want me to get close to Mayuko.The scene of Mayuko coming to my room drunk on his birthday reverberated in my mind.He said with a livid face, 'I don't want to lose her, and I don't want her to be taken away by anyone'. Isn't this a declaration to me? Thinking of this, Mayuko asked me, "Where did you go for the Obon Festival?" “I went to Hokkaido”

"Are you alone?" "Nobody's going with me," I said, and then I regretted it, it's really not up to par. "You went out to play too?" "Oh, yes" "Where did you go?" When I asked this question, Mayuko peeped at me again as before, with the expression that she had something to say.But in the end she still didn't say anything, she shifted her gaze behind me, and said with a calm expression: "He seems to have found us and is walking towards here." "Then I'd better leave." Holding the wine glass, I was about to step out when Mayuko frowned immediately.

"Why, don't go anywhere, it's like running away, how strange" "I just want to escape, I don't want to act in front of you" "It's okay to act, just stay here, please" Her tone seemed to be pleading, and I hesitated whether to refuse her.Suddenly, his right arm was lightly patted. "Hey" I said to Chihiko as if I had just noticed, "Why didn't I see you just now?" "I was held back by the people from the Central Research Institute. If they asked me about the things I reported before in this kind of place, I would be finished." Chihiko said, looking at me and Mayuko alternately.Then he picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then turned to look at the dining table, "You haven't eaten much, if you don't eat, you will be gone."

"Let me go get you some food," Mayuko said. "Okay, I heard that gratin is delicious." "Then I'll get it" "Okay, let her go." Zhiyan stretched out his hand to stop me, and then winked at her.After he left, Tomohiko looked at me again. "It's been a long time" "I was telling her that just now." "Yeah." Zhiyan nodded, his eyes fell on the wine glass in his hand, but he raised his head without drinking, "I'm really sorry last time." "Last time?" "It was the time when I broke into your room by talking to myself, it really caused you a lot of trouble."

"Ah...that was a long time ago, don't take it to heart" "Ah That's good" "How is the work, is it going well?" "Well, forget it, there are still advances and retreats, what about Chongshi?" "Still the same, keep going" "No way?" Zhiyan glanced at the big table full of food, then looked at me again, with an inexplicable smile on his face, "What did you say to her?" "Nothing, just chatting" "You look serious" "Us? Are you overthinking? What serious topic can there be between me and her?"

"I also think there shouldn't be any, so I'm a little curious, as long as there is no one." "It's nothing." I replied, feeling a little unhappy in my heart. What's the point of continuing this superficial friendship? Mayuko came back, holding plates in both hands, both containing the same food. "Here, this is for you" she said, she handed me the plate in her right hand, I said thank you and took it, Chihiko let Mayuko take a few mouthfuls of milk with a look of course Baked dishes. "Looks like there's sushi too," Chihiko stopped holding the fork and said. "Yes, do you want me to get some for you?" "No need, the sushi in this kind of place is definitely not good." Saying that, Chihiko smiled at Mayuko, "The sushi in the restaurant I went to a few days ago was delicious. I really want to go there again." "Oh..." Mayuko glanced at me for some reason, then nodded, "Yes" "Have you developed any delicious shops?" I asked him. "No, we went to the 'Fumei Sushi' restaurant, and that restaurant has not changed at all." "Fumei Sushi?" I was taken aback, "The one next to a certain middle school?" "Yeah." Chihiko nodded, his expression as if he had just reacted, "By the way, Chongshi, you don't know yet, I went back to my hometown during the day off a few days ago, and I took Mayuko with me." "Is your hometown...?" I couldn't help but look at Mayuko, who lowered her head silently. "It's rare for me to go back to my hometown, so I can only introduce Mayuko to them at this time." "Have you introduced it to your parents?" "Yeah." Chihiko's expression seemed to be saying, of course. "Well, that's really, that's really" I moistened my throat with wine, feeling like a needle prick, but I continued, "That's really great, your parents must be very happy, right?" "They were too emotional, which made it difficult for me. They also talked to themselves and cooked a lot of dishes. I originally planned to have a meal outside." "Oh? But didn't you go to the sushi bar?" "It was on the second day, and my mother cooked the dishes and entertained me on the first day," Chihiko said bluntly. So you left her overnight?I wanted to ask this question, but after thinking about it, it's weird to be obsessed with this kind of thing, at least in front of Zhiyan. I've been to Tomohiko's house a few times, and I was trying to remember if there was a room for Mayuko to sleep alone, but I immediately realized that it was completely unnecessary, so I stopped.Anyway, Chihiko's parents couldn't allow their son to sleep in the same room as his fiancée. After recovering, I found Yanase from our group and Shinozaki, Tomohiko's assistant, walking over, talking and laughing loudly, as if they were discussing where to go for the next party. I wanted to ask Mayuko how she went to Tomohiko's house in what mood, and how Tomohiko introduced her to her parents, but that's not possible under the current circumstances. And so what if I asked, I asked myself. "Like I said, that store is too small. Go to the one I know, it's okay, the price is negotiable." Shinozaki said energetically, maybe because of the loud voice, Chihiko also turned his head to look. with him. "Then I'll leave it to you, but Shinozaki, you will know that kind of shop or you really didn't expect it," Yanase said admiringly. "It's really a surprise that outsiders know this place so well." A man named Yamashita from another group said in a teasing tone, "Because you have read a lot of travel guides right after you came to Tokyo, right?" "Ah, I said, no wonder" Yanase also responded. Shinozaki immediately said, "What, who are you talking about?" "Who are you talking about? It's you." Yamashita smiled and pointed at Shinozaki. "Me?" Shinozaki said suspiciously, "I'm not a foreigner." "What are you talking about, aren't you from the countryside?" "Okay, okay." Yanase smiled to smooth things over, "Shinozaki doesn't want others to treat Hiroshima as a country, right?" "Hiroshima? Oh, what are you talking about?" Shinozaki finally understood, "Well, it's true that going to university is a bit of a feeling of being away from home. You can't treat people like foreigners just because of this? Before that, I had always Oh here" Yanase almost choked out the beer he just drank, and at the same time, I noticed that Tomohiko, who was watching them chatting, also looked embarrassed. "Where do you mean 'here'?" Yamashita asked suspiciously. “Tokyo of course” "Ah? Are you from Tokyo? I really don't know, where is Tokyo?" Yamashita obviously had a joking tone, but in contrast to this, he couldn't feel this at all from Shinozaki's words. "Asagaya," he replied calmly. Yamashita couldn't help laughing, "Is that so? You used to live in that dilapidated apartment since you were young? But isn't it a bit crowded for a family of three to live in a dilapidated room?" "What are you talking about? I rented that room alone this year. It's not clear. My hometown is near the station." From Shinozaki's tone, I think what he said was not a joke or a lie, but the truth. This is because I don't know his birthplace at all.However, the two who were his friends seemed completely incomprehensible to his words. Yamashita and Yanase looked at each other, still smiling, and asked. "You guy, are you serious?" "Of course it's serious, you're just joking." "Your hometown is really Asagaya?" "Ok" "But it's Hiroshima now, right?" Yanase interjected, "Are your parents in Hiroshima now?" Shinozaki turned to Yanase, and after a flash of uneasiness, he immediately nodded his head. "We moved, so I went to university in Hiroshima" "So you went to high school in Tokyo? Which high school?" Yamashita asked. "High school is..." After saying these three words, Shinozaki fell silent, his expression froze. "High school is... Let me think about it, oh, yes, high school was also studied in Hiroshima, and the move was before that" "You mean you finished junior high school in Tokyo? What about the name of the junior high school?" Yamashita continued to ask. "The name of junior high school" Shinozaki wanted to answer, but did not say the name of the junior high school.He only opened his mouth slightly, his eyes stared blankly at the air, and kept blinking, "The junior high school is... the name of the junior high school is..." "Have you played enough!" Yamashita yelled in displeasure, and said to Yanase, "This guy, is he fooling us? I can't listen anymore, it's so boring!" "I'm not fooling you!" Shinozaki roared sharply, and then fell into deep thought again. Yanase sighed, "Shinozaki, you told us that you were born and raised in Hiroshima before, so it doesn't make sense for you to lie like this." "I said I wasn't lying" "Then tell me about the name of the junior high school, where did you go to elementary school?" Yamashita's tone was obviously impatient. "I was thinking, junior high school is..." Shinozaki's hands trembled uncontrollably, he pressed his forehead with a hand that was not holding a cup, his face twisted. "It's so strange, so strange!" He muttered in his mouth. The cup fell out of his other hand, fell straight to the ground, and shattered with a clatter.Thin sake and ice cubes that were about to melt were scattered all over the floor, Shinozaki held his head in his hands, his eyes wandered. The first one to rush to him was not Yanase in front of him, but Chihiko.He held onto Shinozaki, trying to support his body. "Go and call Sudou." Tomohiko instructed Mayuko, she nodded and walked away quickly, her face livid. Yanase and Yamashita were stunned by the sudden scene in front of them, they stood motionless, and the people around did not know what happened, they cast their gazes one after another. "Chihiko, what is this..." But he didn't let me finish. He spread his right hand in front of me to stop me from continuing, "It's nothing, maybe I drank too much." "but" "Stop rambling, leave it to me here." Chihiko's voice showed a sense of urgency, and his eyes in the glasses hung upwards slightly. Mayuko rushed back with instructor Sudo, and as soon as Sudo saw Shinozaki's appearance, he quickly came to our side, "Take him out quickly" whispered to Tomohiko. "Let me help," I said. However, the instructor stopped me just like Zhiyan just now, "No, no need, you don't have to worry." Then, in order to let everyone around you hear, he said in a joking tone, "Really, young people nowadays really don't know how to control themselves, it's really troublesome It's all because of a bad capacity for alcohol and still drinking, which made it like this" and smiled unnaturally. Yanase muttered next to me, "Shinozaki obviously didn't drink a lot." Supported by Chihiko and Sudou, Shinozaki left the banquet venue, and many people laughed and watched them leave.They don't seem to have any doubts about the 'young people drinking more' explanation. Mayuko was also about to chase after them at this time, I ran up to her and grabbed her wrist, she turned her head in surprise. "What's the matter, how did Shinozaki behave like this?" Mayuko shook her head helplessly, "I don't know either." "The flustered expressions of Sudou and Tomohiko are rare. Could it be that something happened?" "I have no comment, sorry, please let me go" She broke free from my hand and walked out of the venue. After Mayuko's figure disappeared, I returned to the original table.Yanase and Yamashita whispered solemnly, and I approached them. "I want to ask you something." I said, the two of them held their wine glasses, straightened their backs and looked at me for a moment, "Is Shinozaki's birthplace Tokyo or Hiroshima?" "It's Hiroshima," Yanase said categorically. "When MAC was in school, I was with him. That's what he said. He never left Hiroshima after he was born." "Are you sure you are right?" "It can't be wrong," Yanase said, and then looked puzzled, "Why did you say that suddenly again?" "It's too much to justify being vain, what's the point of lying to us?" Shanshita also showed a puzzled expression. I watched the door they were leaving, and an explanation came to my mind, but I didn't say it.