Chapter 2 Chapter 1 The World Outside the Apartment

The first time he heard the story of "King of Scary Kids", Xiao Jian thought, this fellow Yuno started to make up stories again. Yuno often makes up stories, and most of them are weird stories that Xiaojian has never heard of.He lowered his head and didn't look at people when he was talking, muttering in his mouth, his voice was slurred, and he was definitely not a master storyteller.But because the stories he tells are rather bizarre, people are fascinated after listening to them. Of course, the content of the story is all false, and Xiaojian never believed it.Yuno is so good at making up stories, it probably has something to do with his old servant studying at home.Xiaojian doesn't know how to read those books, the school textbooks alone are enough to annoy him.Like Yuno, he wouldn't use his pocket money to buy books—he didn't have much pocket money in the first place, and he had to save it for other things.

What Xiaojian likes to listen to most is the story "The World Outside the Maple Leaf Apartment", which has been told by Yuye four or five times. "The world we live in actually only has this apartment, and there is nothing outside." Want evidence?Look at the map at the entrance of the apartment, there is nothing written about the outside, right? "Impossible!" Jian pouted every time and retorted, "We go to the elementary school outside the apartment to go to school every day." After saying this, Yuno lowered his head even more, and Jian hurriedly added, "You Ye Ye, maybe you think so because you don’t go to school every day. I did go to school yesterday, and the school gave us bananas to eat!”

"The school only exists when you go to school. If you don't believe me, go to the end of the apartment in the middle of the night and you will understand." You Ye replied, with a wicked smile on Madoka's face. Although he knew he was teasing himself, Xiao Jian was still a little scared, so he tried his best to pretend to be nonchalant and asked, "What happened outside the apartment in the middle of the night?" If there is nothing outside the apartment, even if the elementary school, tile-roofed houses or buildings, supermarkets and convenience stores disappear, the ground will not be empty, right?Was the apartment outside always an open space, or was it an endless desert?Or is it the blue sea?That's all Xiaojian's imagination can do.

"There is no open space, no desert, and there is no sea. Only our apartment is floating on it. In fact, this is nonsense. In short, there is nothing." Xiaojian couldn't imagine what it would be like to say "nothing" as Yoshino said. He racked his brains desperately to imagine: in the darkness, all the way to the opposite side of the horizon was covered with a vast white mist... However, Yoshino would definitely say again: "There is no darkness, no white mist, let alone a horizon." So Xiaojian had no choice but to say nothing, once Xiaojian did not say anything, this topic would be over.

"Ms. Hirota who lives in Building 4 is a witch..." This story is not a horror story, and you don't have to worry about being teased by Yoshino, so you can listen to it with confidence. "But that Ms. Hirota always smiles and greets me every morning. Why do you say she is a witch?" Xiaojian was a little puzzled. Because she lives in the "good witch in the west", and there is Daocun who lives in Building 7, which is the "bad witch in the east". It is true that Ms. Hirota lives on the west side of the apartment, and Ms. Inamura lives on the east side, but how can you use the east-west direction to determine whether a person is good or bad?Xiaojian really doesn't understand, maybe this is what Yuno read from some books.

If Daocun is a witch, Xiaojian can still understand—the old woman who picks up garbage is as thin as a stick, and when it comes to collecting garbage, she runs to the garbage dump early in the morning, looking through the garbage with bright eyes—this is the same as The image of a witch holding a magic broom that Xiaojian secretly imagined fits perfectly. Don't old women always hold a broom?Xiaojian thought that look was funny, and couldn't help but chuckled—well, this story is interesting. However, what Yuno wants to tell today is neither the story outside the apartment, nor the story of the two witches in the apartment, but a "Kid King" thing.

Youye sat leaning against the mottled concrete wall with his chubby body, still not looking into Xiaojian's eyes, his eyes fell on the floor, maybe he was staring at the shadow of the setting sun slanting in from the window. "What does this king do? Govern the children's country?" Xiaojian sat cross-legged on the cushion, listening while eating snacks—if he ate too much, he would not be able to eat dinner. In that case, Saori (Xiaojian) mother) will definitely be angry.However, the snacks are delicious and crunchy, "Let's eat the last one." Xiao Jian thought to himself, and put his hand into the snack bag again.

"Take little children and make them servants." "Huh? Servants? Force them to work?" "Well, if they are disobedient, they will be punished. These captured children are beaten and scolded every day, and their bodies are covered with injuries." "Won't they run away?" "They were hidden in a dark cave and there was no way out." Listening to this, Xiao Jian's body began to have goosebumps - this is even scarier than the previous stories.Maybe Yuno made up these horrible stories because he was bored at home every day. He really should go outside to play.

"Such a bad guy, someone will definitely teach him a lesson..." Xiao Jian wanted to change the subject, trying to speak as lightly as possible. But Yuno still leaned against the wall and hunched over, muttering as if talking to himself, and continued to talk about the atrocities of the child king: "He slapped them with his hands, knocked them to the ground, and then kicked them The head of the child; he pressed the cigarette he was smoking on the back of the child's hand, and seeing the miserable appearance of the children, the child king laughed so hard that his face turned red."

Damn it!I have never heard of such a bad guy. What does this king look like?Xiao Jian imagined the appearance of the king, and couldn't help but care about the development of the plot: "Is that guy also wearing a crown and a luxurious and spacious robe?" "No, he has long, brown hair, always wears a rumpled blazer and jeans, has a thin face, friendly eyes, and a bushy beard around his mouth." "Is the beard handsome?" "No no, it looks like a lazy man's beard, but if someone says that, he will definitely be angry, and say that it is a beard grown on purpose..."

"So, this man is neither a child nor a real king—how else would he be wearing a sports top and jeans, and he has a shaggy beard?" Xiaojian couldn't help but raise his voice. Yoshino finally raised his head, looked at Xiao Jian seriously and said, "Don't you think it's scary for a child with a beard?" Xiaojian felt sad and stopped asking any more questions. At this time, the sliding door was opened and Mother Yuye came in.She was dressed very formally today: glossy pink lipstick, big gold earrings, a bright red suit, and a big smile.Maybe it's time to go to work. "It's very different from my mother, she always wears shirts and jeans to work." Jian thought to himself. "Mom is going out, dinner is on the table, eat well." "Yeah, I got it!" Yoshino replied with a smile on his face.This is the rule of their family - when you talk to adults, you must smile. "Xiao Jian, why don't you have fun at our house." Yuye's mother said to Xiao Jian with that fixed smile. "It's time for me to go home. Saori will be back in a while." Xiaojian replied politely, looking at his watch, it was already half past five. "Okay then, say hello to your mother." After finishing speaking, Yuye's mother hurried out, the iron door slammed, and the sound of high-heeled shoes gradually disappeared on the stairs. Xiaojian picked up the small schoolbag on the ground and stood up. "Hey, Xiao Jian, why do you call your mother's name directly?" Yu Ye was a little surprised. "She asked me to call her that. She doesn't like me calling her mother, and she really hates being called auntie." Xiaojian put on her schoolbag and smiled wickedly, "So, when we quarrel with her, I called her Auntie on purpose, and she was so angry that she chased and beat me all over the room." "But anyway, it's a bit too much to call my mother's name." Yuno shook his head and said. "Then your family is..." Xiaojian just wanted to ask, but he felt that it was not very good, so he quickly shut up, Yu Ye was still waiting for Xiaojian to continue, "ah, it's nothing, I should go back." Xiaojian walked out Yoshino's room. Xiaojian walked into the small restaurant wearing slippers. On the dining table covered with plaid cloth, there was a plate of steaming curry brown rice, round radishes and potatoes, and small pieces of beef.It looks like canned. Although the canned food is not bad, Xiao Jian's stomach started to growl.Yoshino followed.Sitting at the door of the living room, Xiao Jian began to wear the sneakers that were thrown on the ground.Yuno watched silently. Xiaojian skillfully opened the big iron door of Yuno's house: "See you tomorrow, Bye-bye!" When he reached the stairs, Xiaojian waved goodbye to Yuno, and the door was locked heavily. Xiaojian stopped at the door, and saw the writing on the door of Yuno's house: Why are their surnames different?Xiao Jian is a little confused, so he must ask Yu Ye next time.