A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Sakurajima Mai watched as Uesugi Genshin went inside, and a few seconds later, he ran back the way he came and got out of the car, followed by a zombie.

"It wouldn't be good to get it dirty," Uesugi Genshin explained as he dealt with the zombies that had just gotten off the vehicle.

"..."

The car key was in the ignition, but the engine wasn't running. Besides the two zombies, there was nothing else in the car.

After the search, the remaining question was how to drive back.

I can only note the location for now and bring someone here to drive tomorrow.

The two discussed it and decided to go back first.

It's still more than an hour until evening, and it's already past four o'clock.

We returned along the same route, and the drive was just as smooth as the way we came.

"Miss Sakurajima, you're amazing, much better than my men," Uesugi Genshin praised on the way, except for the slightly embarrassing moment when he first drew his sword.

"My surname is very long, isn't it?"

That's true to some extent. Sakurajima is a combination of Sakura (cherry blossom) and Jima (island), five syllables in total, without any omissions, and it is indeed a bit of a tongue twister when pronounced together.

"..."

"Then, Mai?"

"......" At least add "Sang" to the name, why call him by his first name?

"You can call me Xuanxin, that's what Fengbin calls me."

“…I understand, Genshin.”

-----------------

After returning, it was time to prepare dinner. Uesugi Genshin was in charge of dinner as usual, with Sakurajima Mai assisting.

He would occasionally take a sip of whiskey he had dug out from the depths of the refrigerator. It was a bottle he used to drink, which had been left untouched after he finished it and had been pushed into a neglected corner by the food.

Like an uncle from Hong Kong, taking a sip of wine while tossing a wok, except it's a frying pan.

I stir-fried the leftover rice from lunch with some ham and other ingredients, then mixed it with scrambled eggs and minced, fried fish, creating an enticing aroma.

It's a pity it wasn't leftover rice, and it's a pity there wasn't much rice, only about a small bowl per person.

The remaining dishes were still typical Chinese dishes, which the Japanese and their friends were probably used to eating.

Stir-fried beef with scallions, garlic ribs, kimchi fish with the wrong level of spiciness and the wrong type of fish, shrimp and tofu casserole made with egg tofu...

"I'm gonna start now!"

Uesugi Genshin simply made a wai gesture, not even bothering to open his mouth.

"Gen Shin, are we leaving tomorrow morning?" Mai Sakurajima asked Gen Shin Uesugi at the dining table.

"Yeah, pretty much. As long as we bring the car back." Uesugi Genshin swallowed the rice in his mouth.

Feng Bin and Xiang Sha stared wide-eyed at their sister and Xuan Xin chatting.

"Ha, if I could drive."

"It's very simple. I'll teach you whenever you have time, Mai. Anyway, you don't need to worry about getting hit. It's just that it will wear out the car a bit."

"Bang!" The chopsticks fell onto the table.

"What's wrong?" "Wenxiang?"

The two looked at the flustered Toyohama Kaori across from them, who was frantically picking up her chopsticks.

"nothing."

Fortunately, everyone was enjoying their food and no one noticed her expression, otherwise they would definitely have burst out laughing.

After the meal, it was the two of them who washed the dishes.

"Then let's go take a shower first." Toyohama Kazuka glanced one last time at the two people washing dishes side by side in the kitchen, then pushed Hirokawa Uzuki's shoulder and trailed behind, looking back every few steps as they walked into the bathroom.

Rinse off the dish soap foam and take the next bowl from Mai Sakurajima.

"She's definitely suitable for marriage, her feminine charm is just too high," Mai Sakurajima remarked.

"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about men? How can washing dishes be considered a woman's strength?"

"Usually it's women who do the housework, but my mother just didn't want to do it, which is why she and my father started to have disagreements." She rarely talked about her family.

“After all, your father is very career-oriented.” Uesugi Genshin placed the washed dishes on the shelf next to him. “People who are tired after a long day will definitely hate doing housework when they get home at night.”

“Unless I work from home,” he added, which was originally his plan for this lifetime.

From the moment she started watching, Mai Sakurajima noticed the man occasionally brushing his sideburns aside with the back of his hand.

"Do you need me to cut your hair?" she suggested.

"Eh?"

"I remember an apartment building where the residents, who must have had children, had hairdressing tools."

For young children, there's no need to worry about their hairstyles being unattractive; they can even have their heads shaved completely with clippers, so there's absolutely no need to spend money or go through the hassle of going to a barbershop.

Mai Sakurajima understands this behavior very well and empathizes with it. Perhaps she will do the same when she has children in the future.

After rinsing the foam off his hands and running his fingers through his hair, Uesugi Genshin considered for a moment.

"Okay."

I was originally planning to cut it in the summer, but I happened to come across this place and got it done at the same time.

Even by summer, I might not be able to find a professional hairdresser, so I don't want to.

"Let's go next door. It's hard to clean up the hair falling out here." The next room was empty; no one lived there.

After washing the dishes, they went to the apartment next door.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get the tools."

When she returned, she was carrying a small bag with the handles of several scissors sticking out.

"Sit down." She pointed to the sofa over there, and then brought out a full-length mirror from somewhere.

Wrap a tablecloth around Uesugi Genshin's neck, look at him in the mirror, and Sakurajima Mai moves the scissors in her hand.

"Is there no problem?" At this moment, Uesugi Genshin felt a little regretful.

"Don't worry, I've cut my own hair before." Mai Sakurajima calmly looked into his eyes in the mirror, their gazes meeting through the reflection.

"There's absolutely no need to worry."

-----------------

"?" After showering and drying her hair, Toyohama Kazuka didn't see her older sister in the living room. "Where's my sister?"

So she started looking around, went to the hallway, looked left and right, and found that the lights were on in the apartment next door.

"So this is where it is." She walked over.

She opened the half-closed door, and under the living room light, her sister and Xuanxin stood there.

The light was a bit dazzling when it first came in, but after a second, my eyes adjusted and I opened them wide. I could see clearly, and then I stared even more intently.

"Ahhhh!!!!!!"

Then, she covered her head and let out a scream like a groundhog.

The sound traveled through the floors and lingered in the empty hallways for a long time.

Chapter 112: The Melancholy Beauty Mark

"It's so noisy, Toyohama." Uesugi Genshin scratched his itchy ear, where some stray hairs were stuck.

Mai Sakurajima spent half an hour cutting his hair, which was very slow; while their showers also took half an hour, which was very quick.

"But, but!" With her hair still wet, Toyohama Kazuka stepped forward, looking terrified and holding her hand in front of her as if she couldn't accept it.

That look was like the expression on a mother's face when her toy has been discovered by another child, and she's about to give it away—it was painful!

"Let's wash it a little," Mai Sakurajima suggested, pulling him into the bathroom and quickly rinsing his hair at the sink.

It will be more obvious after you wash it.

He was casually wiped clean, and treated like a child, with Mai Sakurajima using a hairdryer to dry his hair. Genshin Uesugi obediently lowered his head, letting her do as she pleased.

After drying his hair, he gripped the sink with both hands, pressed his face against the mirror, and squinted as he carefully examined his hair.

"..." Feng Bin and Xiang are feeling very complicated right now.

"What's wrong, Xiaohe?" It was Anong Yae's voice from the living room behind us.

"I heard your scream just now, and I thought something had happened," Hirokawa Uzuki chimed in.

“Yeah, you…” Nakago Ranko bumped into Hirokawa Uzuki, who had stopped. “What’s wrong? Uzuki, ah…, eh!!!”

"It's so noisy, Ranko." The words were spoken by Toyohama Kazuka, but the aloof expression on the person's face in the mirror seemed to say the same thing.

His clear, cold eyes were like the harsh winter in Toronto or the blizzard in Minneapolis—enough to freeze you solid.

"What's wrong?" When his gaze shifted from his own face in the mirror to others, he raised an eyebrow, instantly shattering the atmosphere he had created.

"..." Toyohama Kazuka remained silent.

"Ah..." Nakago Ranko covered her wide-open mouth.

“Ah…” Anon Yae exclaimed.

"Pfft..." Okazaki Hotaru burst out laughing.

“This is really…” Hirokawa Uzuki also covered her mouth and chuckled.

It's like the aloof and handsome wolf outside has turned into your own Pochi, the atmosphere has completely changed, the contrast is too strong, and the contrast is the perfect way to describe it.

“It’s definitely cooler to look more handsome.” Nakago Ranko put her hands on Uesugi Genshin’s shoulders. “But it doesn’t matter now.”

"Not bad." Uesugi Genshin turned to look at Sakurajima Mai, twirling his sideburns with two fingers.

"Hmm." Mai Sakurajima smiled slightly. "However, I didn't cut many notches for you. My skill level is pretty good, isn't it?"

The joke carried a hint of self-satisfaction; it was clearly the result of careful, step-by-step modifications, and it couldn't be described as skillful.

"It's so itchy, I want to take a shower." Uesugi Genshin tugged at his clothes, where there were stray hairs that were only visible upon close inspection.

"Yes, Kaori and the others have just finished washing up, so you can go ahead and wash up first," Mai Sakurajima said. "I washed your clothes, they should be dry by tomorrow."

This reminded Uesugi Genshin of unpleasant memories, so he asked, "Then what should I wear?"

"Huh?" Mai Sakurajima had no idea what was going on, but she still said, "I'll find you some clothes."

"Oh~" I won't ask for details. Since she said that, she should be reliable.

"Let's go, let's go back." Feng Bin and Xiang gestured with their lips, pushing their companions out. Everyone was crammed into the small restroom.

The first one to be pushed away was Nakago Ranko, who had just put her hand on Uesugi Genshin's shoulder and was examining his face in the mirror.

"Wait..." She hadn't seen enough yet.

"Let's go back, let's go back." Anong Yae stretched and walked out on her own initiative.

Everyone returned to the apartment with the Sakurajima sign and went about their own business.

Sakurajima Mai put the tools away, thinking they might come in handy later. Toyohama Kazuka sat on the sofa, dejectedly lying on Hirokawa Uzuki's lap as a pillow.

The others each found a spare moment to sit or lie down and read novels on their phones.

Uesugi Genshin removed his clothes and placed them in a basket filled with various kinds of underwear. Purple, red, white—just a glance was enough for the katakana characters for these colors to instantly appear in his mind.

This is the true self.

According to Japanese custom, one first washes their body in the shower before taking a bath and immersing themselves in the tub.

"Phew..." The hot water, insulated and with added bath salts, was exceptionally warm, and I wanted to stay immersed in it forever.

After a considerable amount of time, a "ding" sound came from the ceiling as water droplets fell onto the water's surface, waking him up.

I stood up, dried myself off, and went outside.