I was sitting next to the left window of the plane. The weather was fine, and in the distance outside the window there were patches of flocculent white clouds, and below the white clouds was the blue sea. According to the flight time, in about an hour and a half, the plane will land at Kansai International Airport in Osaka.

On this flight, there were 12 other people traveling with me, but I didn't know anyone except Aunt Chen, the team leader. My group is going to Kochi City under the name of "Sister City Exchange Tour Group", and we are expected to stay for two weeks, and all the members of the group are from the cultural and educational system of Wuhu City, and I am the only student among them. The head of the tour group is Aunt Chen, who has been appointed deputy director of the municipal education department and has known my mother for more than ten years. And my quota was originally my mother's, and then my mother said to Aunt Chen and gave me the quota, so I became the only student representative in the tour group.

Thinking of my mother, I sighed inwardly. My family situation is a bit complicated, my father is a well-known entrepreneur in Wuhu City, and has the title of a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and my mother is the director of the Department of Business and Language at the Municipal Vocational and Technical College, and is my teacher. But the problem is that we are in the same family. Strictly speaking, I was an illegitimate child, and my mother was once an innocent third party. I also have a half-brother Jiang Haiqing and a half-sister Zhang Hanlu...... Because the family has small assets, which involves the inheritance of property in the future, although I have good food and clothing in my father's family, I am inevitably excluded by the nominal mother and brother openly and secretly. However, my sister and I have a good relationship, and the two of us often play together outside. The quota for this trip, I didn't want it originally, but Zhang Hanlu persuaded me that my mother wanted to be with her during the summer vacation, so I didn't want to go alone, and my brother didn't have a friend in Kochi, so I could take this opportunity to get together.

For the former reason, I know that there is an ingredient that reassures me, but for the latter reason, it makes my heart move.

Anyway, there is no arrangement for the summer vacation, and I don't even want to go back to my father's home, so it's good to go for a walk. With this in mind, I accepted the kindness of my mother and sister.

My friend's name is Hiroshi Kira, and he is a student at Kochi City College of Commerce. Kochi Business College and Wuhu Vocational and Technical College are partner schools, and the last time the two schools exchanged, Kira Hiroshi came to Wuhu as one of the student representatives to audit in our class

, my mother arranged for me to take care of Kira Hiroshi. At that time, the two got along very well, and there have been email exchanges since then. The night before I got on the plane, I emailed Hiroshi Kira and received a reply early the next morning. In his reply, Kira said that he was glad that I could go to Yumoto and invited me to stay at his house. However, the accommodation of the tour group has already been arranged, and since it is an exchange and cooperation between sister cities with an official background, it is also necessary to participate in some officially arranged activities with the group. In addition, I don't want to trouble my friends too much, so I can only live up to my friends' hospitality.

The flight broadcast had entered the sky over the island, and the two flight attendants began to pack up the books, newspapers and magazines distributed to the passengers to read, and prepared to seal the warehouse. I closed my eyes and lay down on the back of my chair. After a while, the radio announced that the plane was about to land, and passengers were asked to fasten their seat belts and be sure to turn off their communication tools. The plane then landed at Kansai International Airport on an artificial island. I and the rest of the tour group got off the plane and walked out of the airport with the flow of people. At the exit, I saw a wooden sign with the Chinese character "Wuhu" written on it, and holding the wooden sign was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a white skirt, presumably a staff member in charge of reception in Kochi City. I followed the tour group to her, and was surprised to find that Kira Hiroshi was right next to the staff member.

"Hongjun, why are you here?"

"I'm a volunteer registered with the city hall!" Kira Hiroshi smiled, "Welcome to this book with your companions!" ”

The staff who picked up the airport smiled and nodded to Hiroshi Kira and me, and then shook hands with the members of the tour group one by one. Her Chinese is good, and after a few discussions with Deputy Director Chen, she led everyone back to the airport waiting hall. She explained that there is no direct railway between Osaka and Kochi, and if you take the Shinkansen, you have to go back to Okayama and then transfer, so it will take a long time, and considering the hard work of the guests, we will arrange a direct flight. And Kira Hiroshi has always been by my side. In the envious eyes of the other people in the group, I whispered to Kira Hiroshi: "As a receptionist, will it bother your work if you only care about me alone?" ”

"It doesn't matter. In fact, only Miss Iwasaki was assigned to the reception, and I came to receive friends, and the expenses were also borne by myself. Kira Hiroshi said. He deliberately raised his voice to let everyone understand the matter.

Miss Iwasaki smiled and nodded, explained a few words to everyone in Chinese, and affirmed Kirahiro's statement. Then he smiled and said to Kira Hong: "This Jiang Jun's writing is very good, the two are very close, and your surnames are also very similar." If it weren't for Team Leader Chen's introduction, I would have thought you two were the same. ”

As soon as she said this, I realized that in the Chinese language, Jiang and Kira's words of exegesis are indeed very similar. Obviously, Kira Hiroshi hadn't noticed it before, and the two looked at each other a few times and laughed in unison.

In that case, I don't have to worry about anything. Hiroshi Kira again offered to reply to the invitation in the email.

"There should be some activities arranged to be with everyone, so I have to thank Hongjun for his kindness." I say.

"Maybe there's a way." Kira Hiroshi was not willing to give up easily, "Anyway, let me be Haiyanjun's tour guide." I'm familiar with the whole of Kochi Prefecture. ”

"Is that okay? Freedom of schedule? I asked. I thought I was going to be with the group all the time.

"Absolutely. Last time I was in China, didn't we go to Huangshan together on the weekend? Kira Hiroshi said, "And I can act as a guarantor for Haiyan-kun, so in that case, I can almost move freely." ”

I turned my head to look at Deputy Director Chen. She nodded to me in permission.

"Then it's troublesome." I say. For official events, fixed lines, I don't have a lot of interest.

"Then I have a suggestion. We can go to my uncle's house in the country. It's very beautiful over there, it's very cool, right next to the Niyodo River. ”

"I know the Forty Ten River." I say.

Kira Hiroshi laughed: "Yes. The Shimanto River is the clearest river in this book, and many people know it. But the Niyodo River isn't bad either! ”

I spread out a map of Kochi Prefecture that Ms. Iwasaki had given to the tour group, and soon found the Niyodo River. Kira turned his head to the side and pointed me out where his uncle's house was.

"Hongjun." I suddenly discovered that there was an ancient castle called Kira Castle on the right bank of the lower reaches of the Niyodo River, and I was surprised to show it to Kira Hiroshi, "Does this ancient castle have anything to do with Hiroshi's family?" ”

"This one...... Anyway, maybe it has something to do with it. Kira Hiroshi thought for a while and asked me, "Do you know anything about the history of the Warring States Period?" ”

"This Warring States Period? Know some. I nodded, "Kochi Prefecture is called Tosa Province, and the guardian daimyo is the head ...... of Chosamune."

"I must have known it through the glorious game," said Hiroshi Kira, "and I usually play it." ”

I nodded in acknowledgement. I do love the games of Glorious Company.

"Actually, there are seven daimyo in Tosa country, or the big wealthy clans, and there is also an imperial palace. Changzong's family is just one of the smaller ones. As for the Motokin, he was the governor of the Chosamune family at the end of the Warring States period, but he did unify Tosa Province. ”

"The Kira family is also one of them?"

"Yes, the main castle is in Kira Castle, also called Kira Peak Castle or Hirooka Castle."

"So, they are the ancestors of Hongjun?" I asked. The fact that my good friend is actually a descendant of a certain daimyo in the Sengoku period makes me a little excited.

"How so...... The Kira family did not keep their family name during the Warring States period, and the genealogy after that is not clear. And my family's surname was given in the Meiji era, so it's not certain whether they are heirs. However, there are some things that have been passed down from generation to generation in my family, and that is why my family was named Kira in the Meiji era. ”

"That's right......" I nodded.

"If you want me to say, what does that matter? What happened in the past, who knows! Kira smiled, "Why don't we visit in a few days?" ”

The crowd took a short flight to Kochi City. Out of consideration for the guests, no activities were scheduled for the day, and the meeting ceremony was postponed to the next day. After that, Kira gave me a guarantee at the city hall, so I left the tour group and followed Kira to his house.

Kirahiro's parents are very kind. His mother repeatedly thanked me for taking care of Hiroshi Kira in China, and the level of enthusiasm made me feel a little embarrassed. After lunch, Kira Hiroshi told his parents that he wanted to go to his uncle's house in the countryside with me for a week.

"Oops! My aunt just called you to come over, and you were going to get ready for the ceremony. Kirahiro's mother clapped her hands.

"Yes. But...... Why don't you go tomorrow? Kirahiro looked at me.

"No problem. The journey is not tiring. I said.

"I'll drive you." Kira Hiroshi's father said.

Hiroshi Kira's uncle lived in Nagahata in Niyodogawa Town, and not far to the right is the Nagahata Bridge on the Niyodo River. When the car drove on the bridge, I noticed that there were no guardrails on either side of the bridge. Kira explained that this is called the Shenxia Bridge, and there are no guardrails to prevent the bridge from being washed away by flash floods caused by typhoons. Many of the coastal river bridges in Benben are of this style.

"When I was a child," Hirohiro Kira said, glancing at his father and lowering his voice, "I used to jump from the middle of the bridge into the river, and it was amazing!" However, you have to carry the elders of the family behind your back......"

I was speechless.

Kirahiro's uncle doesn't talk much, he looks a little serious, and he seems to be more than ten years older than Kirahiro's father. The aunt was very enthusiastic, and she always had a smile on her face, and as soon as she spoke, the smile became more obvious. She arranged Kira and I in two adjacent rooms, while Kirahiro's father and uncle talked in the living room. By the time we got up from a nap, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and Kirahiro's father had already returned to Kochi City.

The aunt explained that Kirahiro's father said that the company was very busy, so he went back first. Uncle still didn't say much. However, when the two of them went out, he stopped Kira Hiroshi.

"Keijiro, you have to entertain the guests!"

……

"So your name is Keijiro!" The two of them walked out of the house, and I asked a little strangely. Since it was a private occasion, we spoke more casually than before, "You want to attend the ceremony, doesn't your father have to attend?" ”

"Father doesn't have to participate," Kira nodded.

"Why is this happening?"

"Because I'm the governor of the Kira family! Keijiro is the common name of the governor of our Kira family, and the uncle's young name is also Keijiro's. But my uncle's family only had two older sisters, so after I was born, my uncle adopted me as an adopted son, and I would inherit the Kira family in the future. Hiroshi Kira explained.

"Kira family...... The next generation of the governor? I opened my mouth.

"Of course, it's not so much of a concern now! My official name is Kira Nobuyi, but I usually call Kira Hiroshi. Kira Hiroshi looked indifferent, "Uncle is a very traditional person, so he attaches so much importance to rituals." ”

Unconsciously, the two of them had already walked to the edge of the Niyodo River, and in front of them was the Nagahata Shenxia Bridge.

"In the middle of the mountain is the place where the sacrifice will be held. It is said that our ancestors lived over there. Would you like to go over and have a look first? Kira said, pointing to a hill opposite.

"Then pass."

The two of us went up the hill along the narrow mountain road, and it wasn't long before we came across a pine hut. The cottage was very old, with signs of repair on the wooden walls and an iron lock hanging from the door.

"It's in this house." Kira Hiroshi pointed to the cabin, "After the Kira family perished, it was here that the ancestors took refuge. ”

"What's in it now? Idol? I asked, looking at the lock.

"No, just a katana. The name is Haiyue, and it is the family treasure of the Kira family. Kira Hiroshi's expression became a little more serious, "It is said that this knife was once lost at the bottom of the sea, and then the people on the sea saw the moonlight reflected by it, so it is called the sea moon ......."

"Wow! It's true? I shouted.

"Yes! Awesome, right? Kira Hiroshi looked to the left and right, "...... I once tried it in the Niyodo River. ”

"You threw your knife into the river! A sword that is a family treasure? I looked at him in amazement.

"It's okay, my surname is fine." Kira Hiroshi shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know which generation passed down the rule, but after the ceremony, there is a ritual to walk around for half an hour wearing a formal suit and holding a sword. This ceremony has been performed by me since I was 'Yuanfu'...... I have to say, sometimes this is very boring, so just have some fun! ”

"It's really ......," I didn't finish. You always have to save some face for your good friends, right?

"Alright, you won't be able to see the moon until you come back next time. Let's go now!"

"Where is this going?"

"Go around and around, it's a great view." Hiroshi Kira said.

"By the way, what about your friends?" It occurred to me that I had been here for most of the day, and I thought that there would be friends coming, but no one came to visit Kirahiro.

Kira Hiroshi shook his head: "People who are about the same age as me will rarely stay here. Even if you stay in the city, you don't have much. Everyone went to Osaka, Nagoya or Tokyo. ”

I nodded. There is a term called "over-thinning" in this book, which refers to this situation.

"So it's really rare to have Hai Yanjun come with you this time. Hehe! Kira smiled, "Of course, I believe it won't disappoint you." When you go out, you sometimes say things like "I miss my hometown of Niyodo River" on the phone......

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