When I walked out of the tram stop, it was less than half an hour before 12 a.m.

Uesugi Kiyoshi looked up at the sky, and could hear the dull thunder in the distance—was the rain finally pouring after several days of brewing?

At midnight on a cloudy and rainy day in early spring, the cold wind continues.

Arakawa District is not a bustling city center, and at this time, the lights are all out, pedestrians are sparse, and everywhere you can see is a depression.

Uesugi tightened his shirt and hurried home.

The only advantage of his small broken apartment is probably that it is very close to the tram stop, and it took him and Kyoko Nohara to walk home in less than five minutes.

I went up to the first floor, opened and closed the door, turned on the somewhat dim fluorescent lamp, and looked at the familiar picture of home, Uesugi-kun let out a long breath of turbidity, and a feeling of exhaustion surged up from the bottom of my heart.

He was really tired.

He had a very hard time today, and the "heart slash" he cut out when he fought Yokodano had exhausted his spirit, and later he had to deal with Akutagawa Ryunosuke, trying not to lose momentum, and not letting him see the flaws, which was a very draining thing.

Now that he has returned home, the accumulated fatigue has poured out, and even though his will is much tougher than ordinary people, he can't help but feel a little tired and weak.

He still cheered up, and first took care of the Nohara Kyoko behind him.

He turned his head and saw that Kyoko Nohara had taken off her shoes and stood behind him with her schoolbag, her small and delicate toes in her knee-length socks curled up crampedly, which seemed to indicate that her mood was not calm, she lowered her head and secretly looked at the environment of Uesugi Kiyoshi's apartment with her spare eyes, her cold eyes and Uesugi Kiyoshi's turned gaze met, and she immediately lowered her head in panic and said in a low voice: "... Uesugi-kun, excuse me! ”

Uesugi Kiyoshi smiled helplessly, he felt that Kyoko Nohara was like a little hamster who had moved to a new house.

"Apricot, don't be nervous."

"The humble house is shabby, which makes you smile."

Kiyoshi Uesugi tossed his bag and wooden knife onto his desk, and blucked himself up to open the closet on the wall—it was his closet.

After rummaging through it a few times, he found his spare mattress and put it next to the tatami - only the space against the wall in his room was made into a traditional Japanese-style tatami mat, one piece higher than the floor elsewhere, a little cramped and simple, it is estimated that the previous residents also used it as a bed, and the rest of the place was an ordinary wooden floor.

Naturally, Uesugi Kiyoshi couldn't let the guests sleep on the floor, so he patted the bed on the tatami and said with a smile: "If Kyoko doesn't mind, just sleep in my bed, and I'll go to the other side to make another futon." ”

Kyoko Nohara followed Kiyoshi Uesugi to put her schoolbag on her desk, just about to say that she didn't mind the shabby crampedness of the apartment - for her, it didn't matter where she lived, it only mattered who she lived with.

What's more, this place is much stronger than the nest she converted into in her uncle's utility room before.

As a result, when she heard Uesugi Kiyoshi's words, she was suddenly startled and hurriedly shook her head.

"No! Uesugi-kun, how could I do such a rude thing! ”

Nohara Kyoko's little head shook like a rattle, and she didn't agree to sleep on Uesugi Kiyoshi's bed, Uesugi Kiyoshi saw her resolute attitude, thought about it, and didn't insist - the few tatami he slept on were actually of very poor quality, and now it was a rainy day, damp and wet, and it might not be very comfortable to sleep, it wasn't necessarily comparable to the floor, he was strong and strong, and Nohara Kyoko's small body was enough to stand it.

Uesugi Kiyoshi made a bed for Nohara Kyoko on the opposite side of the tatami against the wall, stood up and looked at it, satisfied with the results of his labor, and then looked at Nohara Kyoko with a smile.

"Apricot, do you want to take a shower?"

"There should be hot water, but only bathing, and the conditions are relatively simple."

"A change of clothes can be worn first with mine--um... Don't change your underwear yet, I'll take you back to Yokota's house tomorrow to get what belongs to you, it's too late today, and it's okay. ”

He was a little embarrassed to say this, and he was always a little suspicious of playing hooligan when he said anything to a girl, but he had a clear conscience, but his face was not obvious, but Nohara Kyoko lowered his head a little shyly.

"That's... I'm sorry for your trouble, Uesugi-kun. ”

Nohara Apricot didn't refuse this time, the Japanese prefer to take a bath, and the bath is even more diligent, and Nohara Apricot suddenly changed and cried several times, and now a small face is like a little flower cat, gray and red, and she herself feels very uncomfortable on her face and body.

Even if the underwear can't be changed, it's better to wash it than to be so dirty, no matter what, in front of Uesugi Kiyoshi, Nohara Kyoko still wants to keep the best side of her image.

Uesugi Kiyoshi turned around and pulled out a set of summer sportswear from the closet - shorts and short sleeves, plus a clean towel, he didn't want to give Nohara Kyoko long sleeves to wear, but with her height, Uesugi Kiyoshi's clothes are estimated to be able to wrap Nohara Kyoko twice, which is not suitable.

"It's nothing troublesome, use this for towels, use mine for shower gel and shampoo, there should be a lot of hot water, don't worry, just call me if you need anything."

Uesugi Kiyoshi handed the clothes and towel to Nohara Kyoko in a soft tone, smiled slightly, signaled her to be relieved, and then watched Nohara Kyoko take a small step into the bathroom, and sat down on her tatami with relief, leaning against the wall, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

I'm so tired...

But now there is no rest.

Uesugi shook his head and slapped his head, cheering up his spirits, his mind returning to one, and his mind sinking.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the town of Hyakki.

He didn't rush to the mirage building, but stood where he was, closed his eyes, and felt the wind and grass around him.

He stood under the torii, in front of the beach, with the sea breeze whispering in his ears and a faint salty smell of the sea in his nose.

That's not what he wants.

He wants to find out if Hyakki-no-cho is his dream mirror world.

Is he considered an extraordinary person now, and is he connected to the will of the world?

Over here... Could it be the "room in an apartment building" that Ryunosuke Akutagawa said?

If so, then Kiyoshi Uesugi can be sure that he is different from others, at least... In the dream mirror of the rest of the transcendents, there should not be this mirage building.

"Since it's my sea of consciousness, then my thoughts should be able to drive changes in the world here..."

"In the past, although I tried to go to the sea, I really didn't have a strong desire to go outside and see..."

"Give it a try... If I succeed, it means that I am right, and if I fail, I have nothing to lose. ”

Uesugi Kiyoshi concentrated, and meditated silently in his heart.

"I'm going to see... The world outside Hyakki-no-cho! ”

In a flash, driven by his strong belief, the wind and clouds surged, and the sea breeze became cold.

Uesugi Kiyoshi opened his eyes and found that on the isolated island where Hyakki-no-cho was located, the gray mist that had surrounded the area had been blown away by a gust of wind.

The fog cleared, and it was clear.

In front of Kiyoshi Uesugi is the calm sea that is sparkling and rippling.

Looking at it again, he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He guessed right.

A few kilometres from this isolated island is the rugged coastline and the silhouette of a silent city.

That's Tokyo Bay.

Here it is... Tokyo in the world of Dream Mirrors.