Chapter 407: The third day Naoki-san is away, I miss him~

Although he was on the picturesque Champs-Élysées, although the surroundings were full of French romantic style, and although there was a beautiful and cute top idol in front of him, Yoshiaki Tanaka's mood was still not very beautiful...

Because there was another person who followed his group with a thick skin...

"I am a loser, I hardly pay attention to whether the sun is shining or not, because I have

"My parents couldn't provide me with any support, my education wasn't high, and I was all alone in the city, searching for a future.

"I looked for many jobs, but I couldn't get hired. Perhaps no one likes someone who isn't good at speaking, doesn't like to communicate, and hasn't shown enough ability.

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"I went three whole days eating only two pieces of bread. Hunger kept me from sleeping at night. Fortunately, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could continue living in that dark basement without having to go outside and endure the abnormally cold winter wind.

"Finally, I found a job: working the night shift at a hospital, guarding the morgue.

"The nights at the hospital were colder than I imagined. The wall lamps in the hallway weren't lit, and it was dim everywhere; I could only rely on the little bit of light seeping out from the rooms to see my feet.

"The smell there was terrible. From time to time, the dead were brought in stuffed into body bags, and we would work together to help move them into the morgue.

"It wasn't a very good job, but at least it allowed me to afford bread, and I could use the free time at night to study. After all, no one wants to come to the morgue unless there are bodies that need to be delivered or taken away for cremation. Of course, I didn't have enough money to buy books yet, and for now, I don't see any hope of saving money.

"I have to thank my former colleague; if he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not have even been able to get a job like this.

"I dream of being able to rotate to the day shift. Right now, I always sleep when the sun comes out and wake up after night falls, which has made my body a bit weak, and my head occasionally throbs with pain.

"One day, the porters brought in a new body.

"I heard from others that it was my former colleague who had suddenly quit.

"I was a bit curious about him. After everyone left, I pulled out the cabinet and quietly opened the body bag.

"He was an old man, his face blue and white, covered in wrinkles, looking quite terrifying in the very dim light.

"He didn't have much hair, most of it was white, and all his clothes had been stripped off; not even a scrap of fabric was left for him.

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, blue-black in color. I can't describe exactly what it looked like; the light at the time was just too dim.

"I reached out and touched the mark, but there was nothing special about it.

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered, if I keep going like this, when I get old, will I end up like him...

"I told him that tomorrow I would accompany him to the crematorium and personally take his ashes to the nearest free cemetery, so that those in charge of these things wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them in some random river or wasteland.

"This would cost me a morning of sleep, but fortunately, it's almost Sunday, so I can make it up.

"After saying that, I fixed the body bag and pushed it back into the cabinet.

"The light in the room seemed to get even dimmer...

"Since that day, every time I sleep, I always dream of a thick fog.

"I have a premonition that something will happen soon, a premonition that sooner or later, things that I don't know if I can call human will come looking for me. But no one wants to believe me; they think that in such an environment and such a job, my mind has become unstable and I need to see a doctor..."

A male guest sitting at the bar looked at the storyteller who had suddenly stopped:

"And then?"

This male guest was in his thirties, wearing a brown tweed jacket and light yellow trousers, his hair pressed very flat, with a simple dark bowler hat at his side.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, neither good-looking nor ugly, lacking any obvious features.

And the storyteller in his eyes was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with a tall, straight figure and slender limbs, also with short black hair and light blue eyes, but with deep-set features that could make one's eyes light up.

The young man looked at the empty wine glass in front of him and sighed:

"And then?

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"Then I quit and went back to the countryside to come here and brag to you."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, a smile with a hint of mischief.

The male guest was stunned for a moment:

"The things you just told were bragging?"

"Haha." A burst of laughter erupted around the bar.

As the laughter subsided a little, a thin, middle-aged man looked at the slightly embarrassed guest and said:

"Outsider, you actually believed Lu Mian's story? He tells a different one every day! Yesterday he was a poor wretch whose fiancée broke off their engagement, and today he's become a morgue guard!"

"Right, talking about thirty years on the east side of the Sailunzuohe River, thirty years on the right side of the Sailunzuohe River—he only knows how to ramble!" another tavern regular added.

They were all farmers from this large village of Kordu, wearing short jackets that were black, gray, or brown.

The black-haired young man called Lu Mian braced his hands on the bar, stood up slowly, and said with a smile:

"You know, this isn't a story I made up; it was all written by my sister. She loves writing stories the most, and she's even a columnist for some 'Novel Weekly'."

After finishing, he turned his body to the side, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brightly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding."

The man in the brown tweed jacket, who looked ordinary, wasn't angry; he stood up as well and responded with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"What should I call you?"

"Isn't it common sense to introduce yourself before asking others?" Lu Mian laughed.

The guest from out of town nodded:

"My name is Ryan Cos.

"These two are my companions, Valentine and Leah."

The latter part of the sentence referred to the man and woman sitting right next to him.

The man was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his yellow hair dusted with powder, his eyes—not particularly large—a color a bit deeper than lake blue. He wore a white waistcoat, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers; he had clearly been meticulously dressed before going out.

His expression was quite cold, and he didn't really look at the surrounding farmers and herdsmen.

The woman looked younger than the two men, her light gray hair tied into a complex bun, wrapped in a white veil that served as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and her gaze toward Lu Mian carried undisguised amusement; she seemed to find what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the light of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Leah revealed a pert nose and beautifully curved lips; in a countryside village like Kordu, she could definitely be called a beauty.

She wore a white, unpleated cashmere tight-fitting dress, paired with a beige little jacket and a pair of Ma Ma Xier boots. There were two small silver bells tied to her veil and boots respectively. When she walked into the tavern just now, she jingled all the way, very eye-catching, making many men stare blankly.

In their eyes, this must be the kind of fashionable attire found only in big cities like the provincial capital Bigoer or the capital Trier.

Lu Mian nodded to the three outsiders:

"My name is Lu Mian Lee. You can just call me Lu Mian."

"Lee?" Leah blurted out.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my surname?" Lu Mian asked curiously.

Ryan Cos helped Leah explain:

"This surname of yours is terrifying. I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

Seeing the surrounding farmers and herdsmen looking puzzled, he explained further:

"Those who have had contact with sailors and maritime merchants all know that there is a saying circulating on the Five Seas:

"Better to encounter those pirate generals or even kings than to run into a person named Frank Lee.

"That person's surname is also Lee."

"Is he very scary?" Lu Mian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I'm not sure, but since there's such a legend, it certainly won't be wrong."

He ended the topic and said to Lu Mian:

"Thanks for your story. It's worth a drink. What would you like?"

"A glass of 'Green Fairy'." Lu Mian didn't stand on ceremony and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to remind you: absinthe is harmful to the human body. This kind of alcohol can lead to mental confusion and cause you to have hallucinations."

"I didn't expect the fashion trends of Trier to have already spread here," Leah added with a smile.

Lu Mian said "Oh":

"So people in Trier also like to drink 'Green Fairy'...

"For us, life is already hard enough; there's no need to care about a little more harm. This kind of alcohol allows our minds to get greater relaxation."

"Alright." Ryan sat back in his seat and looked at the bartender, "A glass of 'Green Fairy', and add a glass of 'Spicy Heart' for me."

"Spicy Heart" was a famous fruit shochu.

"Why don't you get me a glass of 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I can even tell you the whole story about this kid!" the thin middle-aged man who had first exposed Lu Mian for telling stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction. "Outsider, I can tell that you still have doubts about whether that story is true!"

"Pierre, you really will do anything for a free drink!" Lu Mian responded loudly.

Without waiting for Ryan to make a decision, Lu Mian added:

"Why can't I tell it myself? That way I can drink another glass of 'Green Fairy'!"

"Because they don't know whether to believe the situation you're talking about," the middle-aged man called Pierre laughed triumphantly. "The story your sister loves to tell children the most is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'. People who always lie will inevitably lose their credibility."

"Fine." Lu Mian shrugged his shoulders and watched the bartender push a glass of pale green liquid toward him.

Ryan looked at him and asked:

"Is that okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet is enough to pay for these drinks." Lu Mian didn't care at all.

"Then another glass of 'Green Fairy'." Ryan nodded.

Pierre was suddenly all smiles:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the biggest prankster in the village. You must stay away from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister Aurore and hasn't left since. Think about it: before that, he was only thirteen. How could he possibly go to a hospital to be a morgue guard? Hmm, the nearest hospital to us is in Daliezh at the foot of the mountain, which takes a whole afternoon to walk to."

"Brought back to the village?" Leah asked keenly.

She tilted her head slightly, producing a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he took Aurore's surname 'Lee', and even the name 'Lu Mian' was chosen by Aurore."

"I've forgotten what I was originally called," Lu Mian said with a grin as he took a sip of absinthe.

It seemed he wasn't the least bit inferior or ashamed about his past being exposed like this.