Ch.3 Arrival in Sendai City

A week later, Hijikata Shichirou had managed the crematorium in an orderly fashion, and Hijikata Izumi had been peacefully laid to rest.

Hayashi's schooling was something Hijikata Shichirou took seriously, and he had already arranged everything. In half a month, Hayashi would officially start school.

Today was also the day Hayashi would say goodbye to Hijikata Shichirou and the other colleagues from the crematorium.

"Hayashi, remember to come back and visit me often!" Hijikata Shichirou waved reluctantly at the bus by the side of the country road. Hayashi, sitting in the last row by the window, rested one hand on the window, watching the handful of four or five people behind him as he spoke.

"If I have time, I'll come back. By the way, Shichirou, if you run into any trouble, let me know. After all, I've got guts!" Before Hayashi had finished speaking, the bus engine roared, and it quickly drove forward.

"I will!" Hijikata Shichirou wanted to say more, but by then, the bus had already gone far, and he could only lower his hand.

In truth, he still liked calling Hayashi "Hayashi-chan"—it felt more affectionate. But with people around, he held back. Now that he was the boss here, he had to maintain some authority.

"Cough, cough. Alright, the farewell ceremony is over, everyone get back to work." Hijikata Shichirou said seriously, showing none of the earlier reluctance.

"Shichirou… no, I mean boss, look, the sun is already setting, what work are we doing?" A balding man raised his hand, pointing to the sun setting on the horizon, indicating it was time to clock out.

"Oh, oh, well then, you all can head home. Just remember not to be late tomorrow morning." Hijikata Shichirou smiled awkwardly, quickly turning to head back to his room.

Since the workday was over, he needed to catch up on the newest anime that had just come out.

"Looks like another sleepless night," Hijikata Shichirou chuckled to himself. He had saved up several episodes and was ready to binge-watch tonight.

Four middle-aged men stood at the bottom of the hill, watching Hijikata Shichirou's shaking shoulders with concern.

"What do you think? Can Shichirou really manage Old Man Izumi's crematorium?"

"Hard to say. The kid puts on a show in front of us, but once, I caught him watching something…"

"Watching what?"

"Eh, you know…"

"What is it? Spit it out!"

"Alright, alright, let's stop gossiping. Shichirou may seem carefree, but he's been handling things efficiently lately. I think he'll do just fine."

Cough cough, "Besides, let's not pry into other people's personal hobbies, alright?"

"Haha, true, true."

"Come on, let's head home. We're off the clock!"

Hayashi leaned his head against the window, his gaze tilted toward the sunset, lost in thought.

There were very few people on this bus—besides the driver and Hayashi, there were only two other passengers, so it was very spacious.

The fields by the roadside were a vivid green, passing by in a blur.

Hayashi glanced down at the slightly heavy envelope in his hand, which contained his wages for the month and a letter of introduction.

Normally, his wages wouldn't feel this substantial, but Hijikata Shichirou had given him double the amount before he left, to cover rent and living expenses. Since Hayashi was all alone, Shichirou had insisted on giving him extra money to make sure he was taken care of.

Hayashi wasn't the type to refuse a kind gesture. Since Shichirou was so generous, Hayashi gladly accepted—after all, he'd have to manage everything himself once he got there.

Suddenly, Hayashi felt a sense of freshness. In such an interesting world, and with his own skills, he could live an exciting life and make the most of his days.

As for his current strength, Hayashi didn't feel too much urgency. He didn't need to actively hunt down Cursed Spirits to gain points. Of course, if a Cursed Spirit were foolish enough to come to him, he'd gladly accept the challenge.

With these pleasant thoughts, Hayashi fell asleep, deeply and sweetly.

The people sitting in the front seats didn't pay any attention to the boy sitting alone in the back. The bus quietly continued on its way.

"Passengers, we've arrived."

The middle-aged driver habitually called out, waking Hayashi. He looked outside—darkness had already fallen. Looking around, the silhouettes of various buildings came into view.

"Looks like this is Sendai City." Hayashi stretched, thanked the driver, and grabbed his cloth bag and backpack before stepping off the bus.

From here on out, everything would be up to him. Hijikata Shichirou had done everything he could to help.

"Well, the first thing I need to take care of is… getting a good meal!" Hayashi licked his lips. Back at the crematorium, he was famous for his large appetite—his food intake alone could rival that of three workers.

For a fourteen-year-old, it was indeed impressive.

But it was the truth, and Hayashi didn't hide it. The staff at the crematorium all knew it well.

"Sanshun Noodle Shop, you're up!" Hayashi slung his bag over his shoulder and headed toward the distant Sanshun Noodle Shop.

Upon entering, he immediately spoke up: "Boss, three bowls of noodles!"

"Alright, find a seat inside. They'll be ready soon." The boss was a trendy old man, despite his white hair—Hayashi had the feeling he had dyed it himself. Even his clothes had a youthful flair.

But the boss noticed that Hayashi was sitting alone, and after waiting for a while without seeing anyone else come in, he grew a little curious.

"Is this kid going to eat three bowls by himself? No, no, his companions are probably coming later," the boss thought to himself, though he didn't slow down. Soon, three bowls of Sanshun's basic noodles were served.

It wasn't until Hayashi had finished all three bowls by himself that the boss looked at him in astonishment. He had really eaten all three bowls alone?

This appetite…

The boss couldn't help but think of Hayashi as a bit of a monster. To be honest, one bowl of Sanshun noodles was enough to fill a construction worker, let alone a teenage boy.

Hayashi laughed as he paid for the three bowls, leaving the shop while letting out a satisfied burp.

Urghh urghhh urghhh~

"This kid!" The boss chuckled when he heard Hayashi's burp. He stopped guessing and instead watched Hayashi walk away with a slight tinge of pity in his eyes—those big bags, he must have a tough life.

Hayashi truly felt full. The portions were generous, and the flavor was good. Next, he planned to spend the night at an internet café, and the following day he'd rent a place and buy some daily necessities.

In Japan, internet cafés were more like inns—equipped with everything you could need, no different from a hotel. In fact, the conditions were even better than some hotels.

Private rooms, large screens, clean bathrooms, complete with toiletries, microwaves, washing machines, refrigerators—everything you could want.

If Hayashi weren't so low on money, he might have been tempted to stay there for a while. The service was excellent, and they even had people who cleaned up regularly.

However, renting a place in Sendai City was far more cost-effective than staying at an internet café, so Hayashi figured he'd just experience the internet café for the night and handle everything else tomorrow!