Chapter 72: Fujimatsuri

“The timing is about right, and it’s not a long trip anyway, so there’s no need to overthink it.”

He planned to take a train or bus to Aishū Village first, but when he arrived at the place, he realized he was terribly mistaken.

There were trains from the city to the remote area of Aishū Village, but after transferring, there were only two direct buses per day—one in the morning and one in the evening.

“It’s four thirty now.”

And by that time, the bus was long gone.

“How could there be such an absurd place?”

Fang Jing stood on the road for a long while before stopping a small truck. The driver was a middle-aged man wearing a sun hat.

Fang Jing briefly explained his situation, saying that he was invited by a friend to go to the station in Aishū Village.

The driver, who was likely a local farmer, listened to him and very readily agreed to his request, offering him a ride.

However, it was only when they reached the station that the truck driver remembered to ask where he was actually headed.

“Kagome Hall in Aishū Village, sir. Have you heard of it?”

In an instant, the driver’s expression completely changed. For a moment, he looked startled, then his face turned unusually gloomy.

“You mean Kagome Hall… Young man, why would you go to a place like that? Never mind…”

The middle-aged man’s face stiffened. He seemed to hold back his words, and it took a long time before he let out a heavy sigh. He shook his head and gave Fang Jing a strange look, as if thinking, “I shouldn’t have given you a ride in the first place.”

“Thump!”

The door was slammed shut by his sturdy hand, and the engine roared loudly.

“You’d better be careful. That mansion is not a place to approach lightly.”

Leaving Fang Jing with a bewildered expression, the small truck stepped on the accelerator and sped off in a cloud of dust.

(It seems the locals don’t think highly of this so-called “Aishū Village” or “Kagome Hall”…)

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About forty minutes later, a jeep pulled up by the roadside.

The driver was a good-looking young man with a fair, slender face. His clothing had a distinctive style—not the kind that followed trends, but rather fashionable and tasteful, without giving off a frivolous vibe.

“Hello… Are you perhaps Nishizuka-kun?”

The young man stopped the car. He hesitated for a moment before quietly asking him.

“That’s right. And you are…”

“Haha, I’m Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi. Mr. Shun is my uncle. I heard Nishizuka-kun was coming… Sorry, I thought you’d be older. I really didn’t expect you to be so young.”

Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi looked at him with slight surprise. After all, Hirakawa Shun was an adult, while the Nishizuka Tsukasa that Fang Jing was impersonating appeared to be just an ordinary high school student.

This was strange. Why would his uncle, Hirakawa Shun, be friends with such a young person?

Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi was quite familiar with his uncle Hirakawa Shun’s social circle. Hirakawa Shun was a fairly well-known collector, and most of his friends were related to the collector’s circle. In such circles, his friends were usually wealthy merchants or upper-class individuals—definitely not an ordinary high school student.

Nishizuka Tsukasa’s appearance was decent. He had regular features, but there was a subtle softness in his looks. However, lately, through physical training and skill enhancement, his physique had gradually become stronger.

He wore the Wu Long school uniform, and beneath it, his increasingly muscular frame was tightly constrained. Though ordinary people couldn’t see his build through his clothes, the change within him was still perceptible, like a heavy pressure emanating from his body.

Most directly, his eyes shone with a bright, intense light. Anyone who met his gaze would find it exceptionally sharp.

At the very least, Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi, who was now looking directly at him, felt that this high school student was somehow extraordinary.

“I’m really sorry for being a bit late.”

Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi forced a bitter smile. “The butler, old man Saeki, was the one who received the call. I happened to be out making deliveries and only got the message on my way back.”

“It’s no problem. I’m the one causing trouble for you and Saeki.”

The butler Saeki was likely the old man he had spoken with earlier. He was also the long-time butler of the Hirakawa family.

Nishizuka got into the jeep driven by Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi, and the two began chatting.

Fang Jing learned quite a bit from Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi. Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi was Hirakawa Shun’s nephew and currently a university student at Imperial Capital University.

For the past few years, he had spent his summer vacations at the Hirakawa family’s mansion, known as “Kagome Hall,” helping out as a form of summer work.

With no classes at school during this time, he had heard that his uncle Hirakawa Shun needed assistance and had come specifically to help.

…His mother was Hirakawa Shun’s older sister, but according to him, his family’s relationship with the Hirakawa family was quite distant. At one point, they had even cut off contact entirely.

“My mother was the second daughter of the Hirakawa family. She didn’t like the marriage arranged by her father and ended up having a huge falling-out with the family.”

When she was young, his mother ran off with a man from another region, defying her family’s objections.

The head of the Hirakawa family was furious and declared that he was disowning his second daughter.

“That’s how things stayed for a long time. Later, just before my grandfather passed away, he began to miss my mother. It was then, with Mr. Shun’s help, that he managed to find her and bring her back…”

After the head of the Hirakawa family died, Fujimatsuri Shigeyoshi and his mother finally began to interact with their relatives again.

“My mother passed away a few years ago. For a while, Mr. Shun took care of me.”

After his mother’s death, his uncle Hirakawa Shun looked after him. Now, as a student at Imperial Capital University, his living expenses were covered by Hirakawa Shun.

It was clear from his tone that he had a very good relationship with his uncle Hirakawa Shun. From their conversation, Fang Jing also learned that his grandfather had three children. Fujimatsuri’s mother was the second daughter, Hirakawa Shun was the youngest, and above them was an older brother.

The Hirakawa family’s main business was building materials, and their operations were fairly large-scale. Hirakawa Shun was usually very busy, often traveling for work.

“Mr. Tsurutada, my eldest uncle, has always been in poor health. He spends most of the year recuperating at Kagome Hall. This mansion was where my grandfather lived before he passed away, and it’s usually where Mr. Tsurutada stays for his recovery. But now, Mr. Shun manages all the family affairs. This time, he probably chose this location because it’s quiet and perfect for a gathering of friends…”

Hirakawa Shun used the old family mansion as a storage place for his collections. Only his older brother lived in the spacious old mansion, which even had a dedicated warehouse for storing items.

This time, it seemed he had some free time from work and decided to invite a few friends to the mansion for a small gathering.

“So, have all the guests arrived?”