Chapter 3

A few hours later, the sky brightened.

Aoyama got up, put on a brand new school uniform, and simply fried two eggs. He took a few slices of bread from the refrigerator for breakfast.

After eating, he picked up his single-shoulder school bag and casually slung it over his shoulder, then walked out of the room to go to school.

"Aoyama-kun, good morning." In the small courtyard outside the apartment, a young woman who was sweeping the yard greeted Aoyama.

"Kazuko, good morning." Aoyama greeted her naturally.

"Aoyama-kun, what's with you today? You look completely different from yesterday!" North River Kazuko, the apartment manager, said in surprise.

"Is that so? I don't feel much different!" Aoyama smiled and said.

"You look much more confident! It's as if you've matured overnight. Yesterday, you wouldn't even call me by my first name when I asked you to." North River Kazuko said with a smile.

"Yesterday was our first meeting, and calling you by your first name right away would have been a bit impolite! But from today, we can consider ourselves friends, so it's different." Aoyama explained with a faint smile.

In fact, if North River Kazuko had known Aoyama for a long time, her confusion would have been even greater.

Even though North River Kazuko had only met Aoyama when he moved in yesterday, she could see the change in him, which showed how significant the change was.

However, since North River Kazuko had only met Aoyama yesterday, she was now just a bit puzzled and accepted Aoyama's explanation, thinking she just didn't know this new resident well enough yet.

After a few pleasantries with North River Kazuko, Aoyama bid farewell and continued on to school.

A ten-minute walk from Aoyama's apartment was a train station. A ten-minute train ride, followed by a five-minute walk, brought him to the private Seikawa High School.

Unlike in China, the new school year in Japan starts in April, and it was now the season when cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Aoyama walked into the school with a large number of first-year students wearing the same school uniform.

First, there was the usual welcome ceremony, followed by speeches from senior student representatives, new student representatives, and the board chairman, among others.

In terms of form, it wasn't much different from the start of a new school year in China, or perhaps the world over.

After the welcome ceremony, Aoyama followed the crowd to his future classroom, Class 1-5.

On the podium, a young woman who didn't look much older than the high school students was writing her name, "Mizuki Yuka," on the blackboard. She was the homeroom teacher for Class 1-5.

From her appearance, Mizuki Yuka didn't look much older than the students below, and in fact, she wasn't much older.

Having graduated not long ago, she had only recently left her student identity behind, and she still had a lot in common with the high school students.

So it didn't take long for her to blend in with the students in the class. Not only did the male students like her, but the female students also gathered around her to discuss makeup and other topics.

Because it was the first day of school, the schedule was light. Perhaps this was a characteristic of Seikawa High School, where the first day was more about getting teachers and students to know each other. So after a few classes, the school dismissed for the day at noon.

Aoyama, with his single-shoulder school bag, which he had mostly emptied of books, left the campus alone. Instead of taking the train back to the apartment, he decided to walk back, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Although most of the route was filled with dull high-rise buildings, a small, charming shop in a corner, a cherry tree with petals fluttering at a turn, or a swallow's nest on a rooftop would bring Aoyama a pleasant surprise.

The vehicles stopped by traffic police, the children laughing as they rode by, the sound of a couple arguing from a passing house, and the couples walking arm in arm, all exuded a vibrant sense of life.

These mundane and often boring daily scenes, which Aoyama had never paid attention to before his memories from his previous life awakened, now had a completely different flavor in his eyes.

Walking slowly and enjoying the scenery along the way, watching the myriad facets of life, was a supreme pleasure for Aoyama now.

After walking for about half an hour, Aoyama arrived at a bustling commercial street between the school and the apartment.

Suddenly, a guitar-accompanied song reached his ears, not a heavenly voice, but fresh and unpretentious.

Aoyama followed the sound and climbed a pedestrian overpass, where he saw a girl playing and singing with a guitar.

She was about the same age as Aoyama, with a natural, unadorned face and a smooth, single ponytail, exuding a lively and very cute vibe.

At that moment, the girl was singing with her eyes slightly closed, immersed in her own voice.

In front of the girl, some loose change was scattered in her guitar case, clearly indicating that she was busking.

Occasionally, people passing by would stop and drop a few coins or small bills into the girl's guitar case.

People came and went in a hurry. Although some would drop money into the girl's case, few would stop to listen quietly.

At most, they would stand and listen for a few seconds before hurrying away.

The fast-paced city had made people forget how to be captivated by the beauty around them.

Only Aoyama stood there quietly, listening to the girl's song.

Soon, one song ended, and the girl started another.

Aoyama, who had been standing, now sat down to listen.

Leaning against the railing of the overpass, sitting not far from the girl, Aoyama watched as people occasionally dropped coins or small bills into the girl's guitar case. Suddenly, he had an idea and took out a large piece of paper from his bag, writing with a marker.

Inspired by the girl's busking, Aoyama decided to do something similar, though not busking.

He quickly wrote what he wanted on the paper. In large, bold letters, it read, "Iron Mouth, Predict the Future! One divination for one million yen."

Yes, Aoyama was going to tell fortunes.

Since his memories from his previous life had awakened, half a day had passed. His spirit, which had been sluggish due to a long sleep, had finally fully awakened and could now use some simple abilities, such as fortune-telling.

So he decided to use his abilities to earn some money. Living alone with no income, Aoyama needed money.

Thus, Aoyama sat cross-legged on the ground, with the large piece of paper, which served as his sign, placed in front of him, held down by a few small stones, looking quite simple.

Listening to the girl's song, waiting for customers, looking up at the clouds in the sky, and looking down at the endless stream of cars on the bridge, he felt free and at ease.