Walking side by side on the ancient steps of a mountain flanked by withered reed-like plants, the roar of construction machinery can still be heard from afar, and the once peaceful village has long been replaced by the hustle and bustle of modernity.

The old monk said as he walked: "Obik was called Young Master Ayan by the people in the past, and he lived in the darkness of this area a long, long time ago, but the comfortable and peaceful village was slowly replaced by the city, and it was full of lights everywhere, which was no longer suitable for Young Master Ayan's survival. ”

"Why didn't he leave?" This is Chiba Makoto's biggest doubt, according to Ida Iryu, Obik may be an earthbound spirit, but Chiba Makoto doesn't think that Obik has any unfulfilled wishes, but he doesn't want to leave here like himself.

"Who knows," said the old monk, shaking his head and sighing, "he himself knows that this place is not suitable for his life, but he is unwilling to leave, from there, to there, and then to there, and finally to the mountains, and after the construction of the health paradise begins, he does not know that he will move there again." ”

The monk said, pointing to the town below, 'marking' the road map of Obik's move, and the pace of development of Hikono Town was carried out in parallel, but one was moving forward, the other was retreating, and now he had retreated to the mountain, but he still had to continue to retreat, and he didn't know where to retreat to stop.

Chiba Makoto looked at the town shrouded in the sunset light in the distance, silently, the expansion of human cities will not stop, because more and more people are moving into the city, pursuing a happier and better life, in order to meet the life and entertainment needs of these people, more buildings must be built.

People lament that the forests have been replaced by reinforced concrete, but at the same time, they rush to the cities, and they just need to stop entering the cities, and all go back to the villages in the countryside, and the cities will naturally stop expanding, but how many people will do this?

After a long time, Chiba Seicai said: "If Obik doesn't want to leave here, he can also integrate into human society like you, why bother setting up a stall at night to scare people, it will only attract TPC, there are many people there who will not tolerate aliens mixed in humans." ”

The old monk was startled by Chiba Makoto's words, and then thought that when he was next to the ancient well, the eyes that seemed to devour people's souls seemed to have seen through him.

Now that he said it, the old tanuki relaxed and said, "I have persuaded him many times, but he is very stubborn, and he is not willing to leave, nor does he want to integrate into human society. But this world is dominated by humans, and if you want to survive, you have to follow the rules of human beings. Alas! ”

In the end, the old tanuki couldn't help but sigh, very sad, thinking that his so-called integration into human society was just an outsider, and he was still separated from humans by a certain distance.

In addition, the metropolitan security system developed by TPC records all the data of human beings from birth to death, and when there is a person in the system who has lived for more than 100 years or even 200 years, no longer has a brain, it will also feel that there is a problem.

In an intelligent city, there is no privacy at all, where did you go, what did you buy, where did you buy... All the information is recorded, and perhaps this is the reason why the old tanuki lives on the edge of the town and is an outsider.

As they spoke, the two of them had reached the top of this small hill, which was not very high, and there was a small wooden temple that was very old, and it was obvious where he lived.

Chiba Cheng looked up at this small temple, and then looked at the construction machinery that was rumbling in the distance, and said, "What are you going to do in the future?" ”

The old tanuki didn't see any sorrow on his face, and said with a smile: "They will keep this temple and prepare to develop this area into a sightseeing spot, saying that they will buy this temple at a high price and then hire me as the host." ”

"And what about after that?" He is probably a sixty-year-old man, and he will live in peace for twenty or thirty years at most, and this area has been developed into a health paradise, where people come and go, and it will definitely not be as quiet as before, and if he accidentally shows his tail, it will be very troublesome.

The smile on the old tanuki's face disappeared, and he looked at the small temple he had built with his own hands and lived in for a long time, and then said helplessly: "Let's talk about it then." ”

Chiba Makoto doesn't know what to say, as he just said, this is a world dominated by humans, and you have to follow the rules of human beings to survive, because of human activities, and those who have lost their homes, not only Obik, but even many animals and plants, are extinct or endangered, and how many people have paid attention to those endangered animals and plants?

So is it pleasant for humans to live in cities built by engulfing forests and villages? The fast pace of the city and the increasing pressure of life have made the people in the reinforced concrete almost out of breath, Obik is not easy, the old raccoon cat is not easy, but who is easy to live?

Thinking about it, Chiba Makoto couldn't help but sigh deeply, but the old raccoon cat quickly regained his optimism and said: "The world will not wait for anyone, nor will it change because of one person, life must go on, the past can be missed, but more should be looked at the future." ”

"If you see Obik, persuade him to stop being so stubborn, go to other places to find a pure land, and continue to live." The old tanuki said, his hands folded and he bowed slightly to Chiba Cheng, who hurriedly followed, and then saw the old monk walking back to his wooden house, waiting for an unknown fate to come.

Chiba Makoto didn't rush to leave, but took out his camera and took a picture of this small temple, this wilderness, the construction machinery working on the edge of the town, and the ancient well that has long been deserted.

The process of urbanization cannot be reversed, and the only thing that can be done is to record these surviving landscapes with photographs, and when the concrete occupies the place, there will be these photos to prove that it was once a barren mountain, with verdant trees, beautiful wildflowers, insects, ants, birds and beasts living in it.

When I returned to the bottom of the mountain, night fell on the land, and I rode my motorcycle away from this wilderness waiting to be developed, and returned to the brightly lit town, looking at the map, road by road, looking for the soba noodle stall.

In human towns, there are very few dark places, and it didn't take long for Chiba Makoto to see a cart noodle stall on a secluded road on the edge of the town, and the surrounding area had only been built for a short time, and there were not too many people living there, so this area was still slightly dark compared to other places.

Makoto Chiba parked his motorcycle in front of the soba stall and shouted to Obike, who was fiddling with the seasoning with his head down, "Hello, I want a bowl of ramen." ”

"Okay, guest, please wait." Obic raised his head as he spoke, looked at it, his face was familiar, and then he thought of the only case of frightening failure, his face suddenly changed, and with a wave of his right hand, he conjured a magic wand, and asked, "Why are you again?" ”

"Repeat customers, aren't you welcome?" Makoto Chiba said and sat down on the stool, put his hands on the table, and said, "A bowl of ramen, thank you!" ”

Obik hesitated for a few seconds, but still began to make his best soba noodles, and asked as he worked, "Are you really not afraid of me?" ”

Chiba Makoto didn't answer, but talked about his experience in the afternoon, and said, "I met a master on the mountain this afternoon, and he told me your story, Young Master Ayan, why don't you want to leave?" ”

Obic's hand trembled, and he paused for a full two or three seconds before continuing, "Why should I leave?" I've lived here for a long, long time, and this is my home. ”

"But home is no longer suitable for life, isn't it good to change places?" Chiba Makoto said and took out a stack of photos from his backpack, placed them on the table one by one, and said: "These are the countryside far away from the big city, where the young people have not come back after leaving, and there are only some old people left in many villages or even no one living there, it is very quiet, and it is dark at night, which is very suitable..."

Obic threw the ramen noodles into the pot and interrupted Makoto Chiba's introduction in a loud voice, saying, "But this is not home." ”

Makoto Chiba stopped with his hand placing the photo, looked up at Obic, and said, "But I can live." ”

"I still like to stay here, and if I go away, I'll never come back." Obic quickly stirred the noodles, let them spin in the boiling pot, then scooped them up and put them in the bowl, skillfully put the ingredients and sauces, and finally picked up the steaming bowl, put it in front of Chiba Makoto, and said with a smile: "Guest, your noodles are ready, please use them slowly." ”

Chiba Makoto sighed slightly, picked up his chopsticks and began to enjoy his dinner, Obik with a smile on his face, looking at the large bones of the guests with great satisfaction.

On a cold night, eating a bowl of hot noodle soup is simply a fairy-like enjoyment, Chiba Makoto finally picked up the bowl and drank the soup as well, only to breathe a long sigh of satisfaction and put the bowl back on the table, Obic took back the bowl and put it under the trolley.

Makoto Chiba took out a banknote and put it in the money box on his right, and said, "You have attracted attention, I have seen stories about Obik on the radio and in the newspapers, and if you continue like this, you will really attract people from TPC, and by that time..."

"By that time, everyone will remember me," Obic said with a nostalgic look on his face, "It's been a long time since anyone called me Young Master Ayan, and not many people even remember me, and even the village has become stranger, what is the difference between going to other places and here?" ”

"At least stay alive!"

"I've lived long enough, so long that I have forgotten when I started living in this village, watching it grow bigger and bigger day by day, and the population is increasing day by day, until now, day by day, it is strange," Obick's eyes were a little red: "This is my hometown, how can I leave, even if I die, I will die here." ”