Chapter 49: Fantasy Home

"Oh, Senju, you're finally awake?" Yuuri saw Senju sitting up and said hello quickly.

Chito also said hello to him.

Senju looked around and found that he was now on a narrow path beside the building.

There are many pipes on the building next to it, and there is also a pipe on the road behind that is covered with a metal plate and protrudes from the road below.

"Where is this place? Why am I here?" Senju was a little confused. Did something happen to him?

"This should be a residential building. Senju was too tired last night and couldn't wake up, so Yuu and I put you in the car first."

"Yeah, it seems I slept too late last night." After Senju woke up, he remembered the wooden planks left there, but he didn't know how to get back now, so forget it, it was just a few wooden planks anyway...

"Senju slept really badly. Chii-chan and I couldn't wake him up even after calling him several times. Moreover, there was no water in the morning, otherwise we would have used water to wake up Senju," Yuuri said naturally on the side. What a friendly word.

"Ah, that's great. I put away the water last night." Senju was somewhat thankful and looked at the light blocked by the surrounding buildings. "Yuuri, what time is it now?"

"Well, it's probably in the afternoon. We had lunch just now," Yuuri thought for a while and then replied, "Chii-chan and I have already searched several buildings today."

"What's the gain?"

"Nothing, but the lights in the surrounding houses can be turned on, and water is flowing from the water pipes," Yuuri said with some sadness, "It's still very bright at night, but no one uses it except us, right? I hate this feeling."

"Really?" Senju also looked at the surrounding buildings.

He could still see a few empty doorways in the alley passing by, and it was pitch black inside. "There shouldn't be many houses like this here."

Chito turned the car and turned to a side road, then stopped, "But there are quite a few rooms here, at least more than a thousand rooms in size."

As Chito said this, she walked up the stairs on one side. Senju and Yuuri also followed.

Yuuri appeared somewhat perplexed. "So, every small house here serves as a home, right?"

Chito countered, "Having a house alone isn't sufficient. Without someone to maintain it, it's unfit for living."

Observing the doorless rooms on both sides, Senju noted their bare and vacant state.

These empty chambers bore a striking resemblance to the houses he used to construct, albeit fashioned from iron-colored walls.

"Then we don't actually have a home, right?" Yuuri was a little confused, and Chito replied nonchalantly, "Who knows."

The trio stepped into a room and peered out of the window. Yuuri seemed to have something on her mind. "Chii-chan, I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Does the car that constantly transports us qualify as our home?"

"Give us a clear 'yes' or 'no' answer, please."

"No"

"Turns out it's not home. That's disappointing," Yuuri mumbled, her spirits deflated.

"But even so, we still had a family back then, although we don't have one now." Chito said as she walked out of the house.

"Any place can become a home as long as there are people around," Senju realized, even as they continued their travels.

"I think the door to this room is still intact," Yuuri suddenly exclaimed. Chito and Senju turned their attention to the tightly shut iron door.

"It seems you're right," Chito said as she pushed the door, revealing the contents within.

The three of them stepped inside for a closer inspection.

"The furniture's still here. It's a rare discovery, finding such a well-maintained and beautiful room," Chito observed.

Senju also took a look. There was a pair of single sofas next to the window, with a small coffee table in the middle, and a row of iron furniture next to it.

There were water pipes on it, which should be used for cooking.

While Senju and Chito were checking the water pipes, Yuuri sat on the sofa next to the window, "Ah~ this is a nice chair."

"Ha~ the scenery here is pretty good," Yuuri looked at the scenery outside.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the surroundings bloomed with vibrant hues. "The day has flown by, and it's already sunset. Perhaps we should consider staying here," Yuuri suggested.

"Agreed. It feels like a place I could settle down in without realizing it," Chito added, settling onto the sofa. "Yuu, Senju, why don't we make this our home?"

"Okay." Although it was dusk, Senju, who had just woken up, was not tired at all.

He started to look for something in the cabinets around him, but when he saw the two of them sitting there, he also took out a wooden board as a stool.

Yuuri was a little surprised by Chito's proposal, "Is it really okay?"

"I really want to live in a place like this." Chito closed her eyes and fell into fantasy. "Look, there is a ceiling above your head to protect you from the wind and rain, and you feel safe surrounded by walls."

"But when I imagine living here, I start craving more, just like Senju usually does," Yuuri mused, drifting into reverie. "Maybe a bed, among other things."

"A bed? I've seen bunk beds for two, but three people won't cut it. A larger one would be perfect, like this," Chito chimed in, her thoughts aligning with Yuuri's seamlessly.

"Oh, that's good. The bed has been placed at one end of the room. It's just right over there." Yuuri looked at a corner of the room.

"I'll take the top bunk, and Senju and Chii-chan can have the bottom. You both are afraid of heights, right?" Yuuri proposed, breaking the silence.

"That's true. And I dream of having a bookshelf filled with countless books," Chito added, blushing slightly at the thought of sleeping next to Senju.

"Also, I want a food shelf filled with all kinds of food that can be eaten at any time."

"Then, heating is definitely indispensable."

"The bathroom is also a must."

"I heard that people in the past used plants as decorations, so I wanted to give it a try."

"Stone statues can also be used as decoration."

"Stone statue? It sounds great."

"So good."

Seeing the two of them falling into fantasy and looking happy, Senju couldn't help but feel a little sad.

These sounded like ordinary things, but it was difficult to reproduce them now.

"That sounds like a plan," Senju replied as the room brightened with the flicker of lights, rousing the two from their daydreams. "We should avoid overstaying, or we might run out of food."

"Let's spend the night here, though. It just happens I can build something," Senju suggested.

Acting on his idea, he positioned two layers of wooden planks on the nearby wall, one on the floor and another one meter above.

Pointing to the elevated structure, he declared, "This will be the bed."

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Starting tomorrow 50 stones = 5 Chapters!

So I wouldn't get overwhelmed...