Chapter 11: Cai Cai Zi's Coffee Shop (2)

  December 20th, Youth IC Headquarters.

  After handing over the manga script of "Strong Armor" to a excited Nakajou Hiyori and being forcibly kissed on the cheek while being held in her arms, Jerry sat boredly in Menma's office, doodling.

  "Jerry, what are you thinking?"

  Nothing in particular, just feeling bored and stuffy.

  "Feeling suffocated... anxious? Why is that? Jerry..."

  Jerry didn't respond, he swung his legs back and forth, his body starting to slide down in the chair. Zhì Wèi's and Fū's words undoubtedly reminded him! The current Shao Nian IC is too sharp, if it weren't for the Japanese Communist Party backing him up, Shao Nian IC would have been found by Yamaguchi-gumi and Mitsui long ago!

  No, Mitsui has already come to the door, and the Yamaguchi-gumi will not be as gentle as Mitsui. If Japan's largest yakuza organization comes knocking on the door, things might get very bad! Once under the microscope, it's only a matter of time before one's identity is exposed. Maybe, just like Shigeki said, something is needed to cover up one's sharp edges! Maybe... Sigh, take it one step at a time, and do what needs to be done!

  "Na Na Zi ~"

  "Huh? Something wrong, Jerry?" After noticing Jerry's abnormal behavior, Tanaka Nana became distracted even while reading a book. When she heard Jerry call her, she hastily put the book away!

  "Do you like coffee?"

  "Coffee? I don't really like it! It's so bitter, and the places where you drink coffee are always filled with smoke, not only crowded but also noisy like a busy street."

  "Huh? Has Nana gone to a coffee shop?"

  "Hey! Before this, I went to Rodolun with friends during IC SHOW!"

  "Rostov's Coffee Shop?"

  Nanako nodded.

  Before 1980, coffee was still a luxury item in Japan until Toraya Hideo founded the first self-service chain cafe in Tokyo in 1980, and coffee became popularized.

  Jerry bit his thumb and thought for a moment, "Cai Cai Zi, what do you think about opening a coffee shop?"

  "Huh?"

  "Yes, open a coffee shop!"

  "But why? Why did Jerry suddenly want to open a coffee shop? It's really too sudden!"

  "What do you think of this reason for letting you drink a different kind of coffee?"

  "Ah?" Nana looked at Jerry with a bright face, her face suddenly turned red, does he like me? Hmm, yes, he must like me!

  The perpetrator had no sense of guilt at all and continued to scribble with his head down.

  In 1987, Rodoren coffee had already spread all over Japan. Tanaka Nana seemed to have heard of this and was excited for a while before opening her mouth to say, "But, Jerry..."

  "Xiaocai, are you wondering if our coffee shop can make a profit with Luo Duoren here?"

  "Hi!"

  "Don't worry, Cai Cai Zi, there's no problem! You should know that our coffee shop is different from Luo Duo Lun's. They sell coffee, but we don't!"

  "Our coffee shop doesn't sell coffee?"

  "Yes, we don't sell coffee! Our cafe only sells two things: one is atmosphere and the other is culture!"

  ……

  Japan, Hokkaido, Sapporo Kita High!

  "Ryūsaki-kun, wait for me! Hey, you're going so fast, don't you know how to slow down a bit?!" Hasegawa Mari panted as she ran up behind him, her backpack bouncing with each step, until she slapped Ryūsaki on the shoulder, finally getting his attention.

  "What's wrong, Mo Li?"

  "Ryūsaki-kun, you've been spaced out for the past few days. What's on your mind? You didn't even show up to support Nenekiri-sama's campaign event. What happened?"

  "Nothing's wrong! It's just that there are some things at home that I need to help with these days, so I don't have time!"

  "Hey, you're the president of Cai Cai Zi's fan club, how can you just dump everything on me like this?! This is simply too irresponsible!"

  "I'm really sorry!"

  "You're something else!"

  Two people walked side by side in silence, neither of them speaking a word until they reached the crossroads where they would part ways.

  "Hey! Ryūsaki-kun!"

  "Huh?"

  "Have you thought about which school to take the exam for?"

  Ryūsaki took a low profile and didn't say anything!

  "Hey, Ryūsaki-kun, I'm talking to you!"

  "Jasmine, after graduating from high school, I'm going to work!"

  Nagatani Mari was taken aback, work, for her, was still a very distant thing.

  "Work? Why work?"

  "There's no why, Mo Li Jun, I just wanted to say it to you!"

  "Are you afraid that your own college entrance exam didn't go well?"

  Ryūsaki Kō looked at Hasegawa Mari, not answering her question, and quietly turned around. "This is the last time I'll be going home with you! Mari-chan, take care of yourself from now on!"

  When Ryūsaki Tsukasa said this, Hasegawa Mari's brain apparently short-circuited!

  "Ryūsaki-kun, Ryūsaki-kun, you bastard! Have you forgotten about your dream to pass the university entrance exams that you told me about? Have you forgotten about your dream to become a great person like Neneko-sama? Stop right there!"

  Ryūsaki Tsuyoshi, however, seemed not to have heard Hasegawa Mari's sobbing cry and ran desperately towards home with his head hung low. He was afraid that if he stopped running, he would regret the heartless words he had just spoken!

  The sky is floating with a slight drizzle!

  The door creaked open and Ryuzaki burst in, drenched from head to toe, panting heavily!

  This is his home in Hokkaido!

  "Xiao Gang, you're back?"

  "Yes, mom, you don't have to get up, I'll make dinner!"

  "Brother, you're back!" The one running over to help him with his shoes was Ryūsaki Kō's sister, Ryūsaki Aoi!

  "Brother, I'm hungry!" The one pouting and standing next to Ryūsaki Aoi was Ryūsaki Kōichi's younger brother, Ryūsaki Ken'ichi.

  "Alright Jianyi, brother will cook for you right away!"

  The father who had been supporting the whole family went out to sea last week and has not been heard from since, and his mother suddenly fell ill, her body getting worse day by day, all of which made Long Qiang feel extremely distressed!

  This has been a dark week, starting from the day Father went out to sea and disappeared. Everything has gone wrong! Everyone who knows Ryūsaki Tsuyoshi looks at him with sympathetic eyes; they all know that Ryūsaki San'no is actually dead! Ryūsaki Tsuyoshi's heart also understands this, but in order to let his seriously ill mother hold onto a glimmer of hope, he always comforts her by saying, "Soon, soon, Father will be back!" Mother, you just need to take care of your body; before Father returns, everything else is on me!

  On the day he parted with Nagatani Momoka, he secretly processed his withdrawal from Sapporo Kita High School without telling his mother. To support his family, he had three jobs: one was delivering newspapers for Asahi Shimbun, another was a waiter at Rodo Run Cafe, and the third was a dishwasher at Sakana no Aji restaurant!

  He never knew life was so hard!

  Those tedious and exhausting things had drained all his energy!

  Every day after going home, Ryūsaki only wants to sleep! However, he has no choice but to help his mother take care of his young sister and brother.

  If only Dad hadn't gone out to sea, this is what Ryūsaki has been thinking about the most since this week!

  The New Year has arrived on schedule, and the sky in Hokkaido is floating with thick snowflakes!

  "Ryūsaki-kun~ Ryūsaki-kun~"

  The boss who called him the taste of fish, Asami Kōji! Asami Kōji is a good person. After he knew about Ryūsaki's situation, he took the initiative to find Ryūsaki and gave him a job washing dishes. Although the work was tough, the pay was still pretty good!

  "Hey, boss, what can I do for you?"

  "Ryūsaki-kun, come out for a moment! There's a beautiful young lady looking for you outside!"

  "Beautiful miss?" Ryūsaki had just wiped his hands and came out from behind the kitchen.

  Appearing before him was Nagatani Mariri, whom he hadn't seen in over half a month.

  The girl is wearing a woolen hat and scarf.

  Ryūsaki Tsuyoshi was shocked, how did she find this place!

  "Hello, Mo Li Jun!"

  Upon hearing Ryūsaki's voice, the girl's eyes lit up!

  "Hey, Ryūsaki-kun, it's only been half a month since we last met and you're already being this polite? You're really something!"

  Nagatani Mari swung her fist and gave Ryūzaki Tsuyoshi a punch, "Do you think you can just walk away silently and be irresponsible?"

  Nagatani Mari punched him again, "Do you think you can just ignore a girl's cry for help and run away with your tail between your legs?"

  Nagatani Mari seemed to vent her frustration and punched Ryūzaki a few more times.

  Ryūsaki Tsuyoshi seemed to be born stupid, standing still without moving, until Hasegawa Matsuri let out a cry of "Ah!" and rubbed her fist, "You damn guy, even your bones are so hard!"

  After saying this, Hasegawa Mari threw a magazine over.

  The entire page is almost taken up by one sentence!

  We need you!

  This is a recruitment ad for a coffee shop posted by Jerry on Shonen Top, and the entire ad except for contact information and job title is just this one sentence!

  "Ryūsaki-kun, although I don't know why you've stopped going to school, if you really want to work, then go to Tokyo! Menusaki-sama is opening a coffee shop! This is an opportunity where you can work and not give up on your dreams!"

  Tokyo is really too far away for Ryūsaki Tsutomu!

  "Don't give up, no matter what!"

  Don't give up on what? Life? Ideals? In the face of cruel reality, all of this becomes so unreachable! Tokyo doesn't belong to me! Ryūsaki Tsukasa's eyes have dimmed as if the light of life has been extinguished!

  "For your own sake and for mine! Ryūsaki-kun, don't give up no matter what! Please!"

  For myself? I am no longer my own, from now on Ryūsaki Tsukasa will only belong to the Ryūsaki family. He needs to work, he needs to earn money, he needs to take care of his mother and also take care of his younger siblings! As for you, Bara-chan, you have your own path to follow, our worlds will be like two intersecting lines that will only move further apart...

  Nagatani Mariri left with a dull sadness.

  From start to finish, Ryūsaki Tsukasa never cracked a smile.

  "She's a good girl, Ryūsaki-kun. I can tell that much, even if I don't know what happened between you two. But I think you shouldn't make her sad!" Asami Kōji watched the girl leave and came over to pat Ryūsaki's shoulder. "Let's head home! Take this with you as a New Year's gift. Hope you'll like it!"

  "No, Mr. Store Manager, how can this be?"

  "Just take it, it's just a piece of sushi, as long as Michiko doesn't know, it's fine! Now, hurry back home! Mrs. Hayashi must be waiting for you at home!"

  "Thank you so much!"