In fact, during these times, living in Tokyo is not an easy thing to do.
Just take a look at the only suicide case that Senichi previously investigated, and you'll know that the deceased, Yukihiro Otsuka, gradually slipped into the abyss.
One could say that he was completely killed by society.
Living alone in this world is truly a difficult thing.
Although Seiji Asoh's biological father was a renowned pianist, with the family estate naturally not surviving the fire, there wasn't much inheritance left for him. At that time, Senichi helped Seiji Asoh solve the issue of an apartment, which required a substantial expense.
And now, Kimie Shimabukuro is also enjoying the same treatment.
Of course, both of them deserve Senichi's investment. Whether it's the trust in their character or the help they've provided to Senichi.
After Kimie Shimabukuro decided on her plans for the future, everyone decided to stay on the island for an extra day.
After all, Kimie Shimabukuro is going to live in Tokyo, so she needs some time to handle matters on the island.
Things like arranging the shrine and dealing with the renting of her house after it becomes vacant.
So, They stayed an extra day on Mermaid Island, temporarily residing in Kimie Shimabukuro's home.
On one hand, they helped Kimie Shimabukuro with these miscellaneous matters, and on the other hand, they took the opportunity to enjoy the leisurely life on the small island.
After all, since arriving on the island, the group had been busy searching for people and hadn't had a chance to properly explore the place.
And even though it was said that the festival wouldn't be held again, the current festival had already begun and was coming to an end, so they continued it in order to have a perfect conclusion.
And this would also be the last mermaid festival on this island.
So, they cherished this opportunity and experienced the final moments of the festival.
As time passed, after Kimie Shimabukuro finished dealing with her matters on the island, she resolutely boarded the ship back to Tokyo with the others.
In the following days, guided by Ayako's introduction, Kimie Shimabukuro moved into her apartment.
Thus, her life in Tokyo officially began.
And after she settled down initially, Senichi invited her to have a grand meal outside as a way to celebrate her housewarming.
The restaurant they were in was located in Ginza and was called "Engetsu."
Of course, the renowned Engetsu dining group didn't just have this one establishment.
In this world, although the Engetsu group wasn't as massive as it was in his previous life, the continuous influx of talent and tradition had given rise to a distinctive operational model for its restaurants.
That is, while there were Engetsu restaurants all around the world, each restaurant's menu was customized by the head chef due to their individual expertise and culinary direction.
This made every Engetsu restaurant unique.
Food connoisseurs from all over the world would give each Engetsu restaurant a nickname based on the head chef's characteristics, in order to distinguish them.
Of course, this nickname might not just be based on the chef's culinary specialties, but also on the overall ambiance of the restaurant. Some nicknames even reflected the personal charisma of the head chef.
Later, this tradition even evolved into a secondary name for the restaurant. Guests would come up with several names, and the restaurant manager would decide on one that would become an official part of the restaurant's signage.
For example, Sōma Yukihira and Erina Nakiri's Engetsu restaurant was named "Engetsu Sui'en," which roughly translates to "Engetsu · Leave It to Fate."
Genuinely leaving it to fate.
Perhaps due to the influence of Jōichirō Yukihira's travels, the two of them were quite capricious after opening the restaurant. They didn't care about whether the business was good or bad, often going on trips together to taste and study different cuisines.
But even with such a carefree attitude, the customers here seemed to have no pride whatsoever. Every time the restaurant opened, they flocked in like moths to a flame, filling up the place.
It was precisely because of this that the customers jokingly referred to it as the "Judging by Appearance Restaurant" or the "Leave It to Fate Restaurant."
Of course, Senichi and his acquaintances had made reservations in advance, so they naturally didn't face these issues.
The interior of the Leave It to Fate Restaurant was designed in a traditional Japanese style, exuding a serene atmosphere. With a cup of tea in hand, one couldn't help but want to quietly savor the food.
And within one of the private rooms here,
Senichi, Kimie Shimabukuro, and Seiji Asoh were taking their seats.
Because Ayako helped Kimie Shimabukuro arrange an apartment in the building where Seiji Asoh lived. So today, Senichi had specifically invited both of them to introduce their new neighbors to each other.
Of course, due to the special circumstances of the two individuals, Ayako, who knew some details, voluntarily declined to join in the celebration. Even if Ayako had come, it wouldn't have mattered, but being considerate, she didn't want to make either of them uncomfortable, even in the slightest.
In her own words, she hoped that the three individuals brought together by coincidences could have a better and more relaxed environment, where they could discuss topics they were hesitant to bring up in a more open manner.
Thus, Senichi chose this place and ordered a table full of dishes. In this tranquil atmosphere, enjoying good food could help dilute the dark emotions brought by unpleasant memories.
"Isn't this a bit too lavish?" With the guidance of the server, Kimie Shimabukuro entered the room and, seeing the spread of dishes on the table, hesitated a bit.
Indeed, this meal was quite extravagant: fried pork cutlet, Burgundy wine-braised beef, curry omelette rice, mini soufflé omelette, fried chicken with violets, and a series of other distinctive dishes were all placed on the table.
And this was just the beginning. After Kimie Shimabukuro had sat down, a rainbow-hued French jelly was brought to the table.
"Hehe, just had a craving for it." Senichi naturally couldn't say that it was because he wanted to introduce the two to each other, as that might lead to awkwardness.
So, with a smile, Senichi motioned for Seiji Asoh, who had just arrived, to sit on his left side and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Anyway, let me introduce you."
Senichi smiled and turned to Seiji Asoh, introducing, "This is Kimie Shimabukuro, she's from Mermaid Island. She'll be living in the same apartment building as you, and I arranged for you to be neighbors."
After introducing Kimie Shimabukuro, Senichi turned to her and continued, "And this is Seiji Asoh, he's from Moonshadow Island. He's currently studying at the Medical University, and you'll also be neighbors in the future. Please take care of each other."
"Hello, nice to meet you." Kimie Shimabukuro bowed slightly as a gesture of greeting.
"Nice to meet you," Seiji Asoh similarly bowed in return.
"By the way, just to clarify, Seiji is a guy." Senichi smirked. "Don't mistake him for a girl."
Although Seiji Asoh had cut his hair short now, in his clean-cut face, the semi-long hair characteristic of Japanese males could still give off a somewhat androgynous appearance.
"Ah? A man... a man, but..." As expected, Kimie Shimabukuro's mouth slightly dropped open, showing a bit of bewilderment. She seemed taken aback to discover that someone with such a delicate face was actually a male.
"There are some special reasons," Seiji Asoh didn't mind her reaction and smiled as he explained.
"I-I'm sorry... I was really rude." Kimie Shimabukuro quickly apologized.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. I don't mind," Seiji Asoh waved his hand with a smile.
"To be honest, you can tell her," Senichi chuckled. "Shimabukuro-san actually has quite a few similarities with you, which is why I introduced you both and arranged for you to be neighbors."
Seiji Asoh's expression shifted when he heard this, and he looked at Senichi as if he understood something. He hesitated a bit and said, "Are you saying Shimabukuro-san also..."
"Yes, I also stopped her," Senichi grinned mischievously, appearing rather proud.
Of course, Senichi did indeed have reason to be proud. After all, he had changed the destinies of these two people before his eyes. And now they were about to become friends, a subtle sensation that an ordinary person couldn't quite comprehend.
"What are you two talking about?" Kimie Shimabukuro looked at them, puzzled by their cryptic conversation.
"Oh, well, you see~" Senichi motioned for her to be quiet. "Let's have Seiji Asoh introduce himself first. It's also the reason why I introduced you both."
"Listen carefully, Shimabukuro-san. This will surprise you."
So, Seiji Asoh began to slowly narrate his past.
From the great fire ten years ago that led to the loss of his family, to him cross-dressing as a woman to investigate his family's deaths on the island.
He then talked about uncovering the truth that Hideo Kawashima, Tatsuji Kuroiwa, and Isamu Kameyama attempted to smuggle drugs with Keiji Asoh but failed, and in retaliation, they killed Seiji Asoh's entire family.
He continued to describe how he eventually developed a vengeful intent, planning to kill those responsible for his family's death, only to be seen through by Senichi, who stopped his plan and helped him capture and bring those responsible to justice.
"At that time, I never expected someone to suddenly come..."
Seiji Asoh couldn't help but sigh as he said, "Senichi-kun had been on the island for only a short half-day, yet he managed to understand everything and see through my revenge plan."
"I know how you feel..." Hearing this, Kimie Shimabukuro understood Senichi's intention. She agreed and spoke in a relaxed tone about what had happened to her a few days ago.
As she finished, Kimie Shimabukuro couldn't help but exclaim, "Honestly, from a certain perspective, Senichi-kun is quite frightening."
"Yeah, I feel the same way." Seiji Asoh nodded in agreement. "From a certain perspective."
As they exchanged a glance, they both saw smiles in each other's eyes.
"Hey hey, you're really talking about me like that?"
Senichi didn't expect that after the two of them got familiar so quickly, they would form such a unified front and start teasing him. He couldn't help but find it a bit funny and exasperating at the same time.
"Well, you scared us so much back then." Kimie Shimabukuro laughed. "Though it was our fault, the way you saw through us as if you could predict the future was definitely a frightening thing."
"Exactly, I feel the same way. That feeling of being completely seen through," Seiji Asoh agreed, nodding.
"This is the punishment for you wanting to make mistakes," Senichi said with a straight face.
It was clear that after they shared their experiences with each other, the initial unfamiliarity between them had faded away.
Gradually, the need for Senichi to act as an intermediary at the dining table vanished. The atmosphere shifted to mostly Kimie Shimabukuro and Seiji Asoh chatting, while Senichi mostly listened, occasionally interjecting.
Perhaps due to the shared experiences of losing loved ones and being pushed to the brink of a path of no return, Kimie Shimabukuro and Seiji Asoh could understand each other's feelings better than Senichi could.
The depth of that pain, the struggle between revenge and rationality, was something Senichi couldn't fully comprehend.
And this was the reason why Senichi introduced them to each other and arranged for them to be neighbors.
These two individuals who deeply understood loneliness should be able to support each other and move forward in this city.
In the private room, the two of them were engrossed in conversation, and Senichi, who initially introduced them, had become more of a bystander.
Feeling like more of a third wheel, Senichi took a hearty bite of the fried pork cutlet, savoring the texture of the meat and the hint of mild black pepper flavor.
With one bite following another, Senichi was devouring the delicacies on the dining table. He moved from the red wine-braised beef to a bite of the fried chicken roll, thoroughly enjoying the food.
Although Senichi was sitting between the two, they had effectively excluded him from their conversation, engrossed in their own chat.
Senichi felt like he was just a spectator, happily eating without minding at all. After all, this was the purpose of introducing them to each other, and now that they were getting along well, he saw no need to interrupt.
While they were engrossed in their conversation, their hands and mouths didn't stop due to the delicious food in front of them. The conversation flowed smoothly without interrupting their meal.
Listening closely, Senichi realized that Seiji Asoh really had a never-ending stream of topics when it came to interacting with women.
Of course, this had started when they switched topics from their own experiences. When Seiji Asoh found himself with fewer topics to discuss, he delved into subjects that are interesting to women.
As they continued, they gradually moved into casual chatting, creating a feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.
Observing the harmonious atmosphere and laughter between the two, Senichi suddenly realized that these two were more similar than he had initially thought.
Firstly, both lived on an island, and secondly, they were both without parents. Moreover, they had both lost close family members to murder, which drove them to seek revenge and were subsequently stopped by Senichi.
Looking at their backgrounds, Seiji Asoh was the son of a well-known pianist, and Kimie Shimabukuro was a shrine maiden from a revered shrine that even had festivals dedicated to her.
Their backgrounds were actually quite impressive, both belonging to a relatively well-off level on the island.
Although Seiji Asoh's family house had been burned down, that piece of land was still definitely his.
As for Kimie Shimabukuro, she owned the shrine – that was her family's possession, surely it came with land on the island.
Could these two actually end up together?
Suddenly, a bold thought crossed Senichi's mind.
Upon closer consideration, Senichi realized that this might not be an unlikely possibility! They seemed to be really well-matched...
While these unfortunate events led to similarities, giving a somewhat uneasy feeling, they oddly fit together when looking at it objectively. There was a resonating understanding between them.
In light of this, where did Senichi fit in? He suddenly felt that his role had somewhat changed.
As Senichi pondered, he realized that, as the intermediary who introduced them, he seemed to have suddenly taken on the role of a matchmaker??
Sharing the same destiny, experiencing such similar circumstances, and not minding each other's past desire for revenge as they both had a deep understanding of those emotions.
There was no need to worry about this matter being revealed someday and damaging the relationship between the two.
Considering all this, it seemed surprisingly fitting, didn't it?
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