Chapter 9 Tokyo

  He turned the knob hesitantly and gradually turned up the volume.

  "Ah, when can I return to my hometown?

  Ah, spring in the north..."

  A clear and mellow singing voice came from the radio, making Ota's eyes light up.

  "Awesome." Ota grinned while fiddling with the radio and looked at Yuichi Nakamura in admiration.

  As for the "little friend" he often addressed him with he no longer use it.

  Yuichi Nakamura didn't care. Originally, he was indeed still underage. What's wrong with calling me kids twice? i am still young.

  "The voice coil of the speaker is a little loose, but I have used glue to re-glue it, so you don't have to worry about it in the short term."

  He knew what was wrong with the radio. Not only had he dismantled various electrical appliances in previous lives, but he even lost count of the number of times he had disassembled and reassembled the transistor radio in his hometown in Akita.

  This is a small problem, easy to deal with.

  "It's interesting." Ota handed the radio to the younger brother behind him and looked at Yuichi Nakamura with interest.

  "I don't know what to call my little brother?"

  "Yuichi Nakamura."

  "Yuichi Nakamura kun." Ota slapped Yuichi Nakamura on the shoulder, forcing the latter to resist grinning. This slap was really heavy.

  "It must be your first time to go to Tokyo. What do you think? Are you interested in joining me?"

  From Yuichi Nakamura's skillful movements just now, Ohta vaguely thought of some jobs, maybe some tricks. maybe.

  Yuichi Nakamura quietly moved his shoulders to get himself out of the opponent's clutches.

  "Thanks to Ota san, but I have other important things to do in Tokyo, please forgive me."

  "Oh ~ Is that so?"

  "Of course." Torataro took a step forward and stood with Yuichi Nakamura. "Yuichi Nakamura kun is a Meiji University student, he is going to register right away. Meiji University, Meiji University have you heard about it."

  Hearing that Yuichi Nakamura was a student of Meiji University, not only Ota, but also other people in the carriage couldn't help but look at Yuichi Nakamura again.

  The reputation of college students is still very useful these days, especially those who come from famous schools are more respected.

  "It turns out that Yuichi Nakamura kun is a student of Meiji University. No wonder he is so skillful. I was rude, This is my business card. Please take good care of me in the future."

  Ah~, do even Yakuza have business cards this days? Yuichi Nakamura speechlessly took the business card.

  When he saw the words in the xx group above, he felt that this was indeed a magical country japan was really full of strange things. 

  Five o'clock in the evening at Tokyo Ueno Station.

"Amazing, this is Tokyo," Torataro exclaimed.

  As soon as they stepped out of the car, Torataro spread his arms and turned around, his eyes filled with curiosity as he took in everything around him.

  Even for Yuichi Nakamura, it was his first time in Tokyo, and he couldn't help but be amazed by the modern facilities of the station.

  Bright lights, bustling floors teeming with people, various vending machines, and ticket machines... All of these were commonplace in the U.S during the millennium.

  But it was only 1978, very few cities in the U.S can compare to Tokyo now.

  Compared to his hometown in Akita, Northeast Japan, this place was the epitome of civilization. It felt like there was a century's difference between the two.

  "It's truly amazing," Yuichi Nakamura sighed sincerely. No wonder so many people from the Northeast were willing to leave their homes and embrace the big city.

  The people who had disembarked from the bus with them were mostly from the northeast of Honshu Island. Some, like them, were experiencing Tokyo for the first time, and in the face of modern civilization, they appeared somewhat bewildered and awestruck.

  Others were clearly more seasoned travelers. As soon as they alighted from the bus, they skillfully greeted their companions and followed them.

  Ueno Station was almost a mandatory stop for those coming to Tokyo, especially from Tohoku. They carried their grand dreams, endured hard work, and shuttled between Ueno Station and their hometowns countless times.

  For some, seeing the round clock on the Ueno Station platform was akin to seeing their mother's face.

  The thin young man who had been saved by Torataro during their journey gazed at the round clock, listened to the local accents around him, and tears welled up in his eyes with excitement as he walked.

  Seeing Yuichi Nakamura in the distance, he quickly wiped his tears and then nodded respectfully to Yuichi Nakamura.

  Yuichi Nakamura returned the nod with a smile and politely averted his gaze.

  "Yuichi Nakamura, remember to reach out if you have any questions. There's nothing too big for me, Ota... Well, there's nothing that can't be resolved by me, Yamada," Ota said with a grin.

  "Thank you, Ota san, for looking after us," Yuichi Nakamura replied before Ota departed with his younger brothers, bidding farewell to Yuichi Nakamura and the others.

  Observing the travelers gradually dispersing, Yuichi Nakamura and Torataro also left the platform through the passageway.

...

  The lanterns of Tokyo illuminated the evening, offering a vastly different perspective from the daytime.

  The streets were ablaze with neon lights, bustling with people. The spirited girls and the dazzling, dancing billboards fascinated the country boys who had just arrived.

  However, no matter how captivating it was, after an hour, it began to lose its allure.

  "Alright, do you think Uncle Kashiwagi forgot to pick us up?" Torataro asked, looking bored as they squatted on the street.

  "Maybe he's tied up with work," Yuichi Nakamura replied, unsure if their fellow countryman, whom they hadn't seen in almost a year, had forgotten about their pickup arrangement.

  Entrusted by Yuichi Nakamura's father, Nakamura Hayato, someone was supposed to pick them up from the station. Yet, they had been waiting there for over an hour, and no one had paid them any attention.