Chapter 96 A pilgrimage to the holy land of Shinjuku Gyoen (fourth update)

After some precise bargaining by Asai Mao, the salesperson gave me a lot of gifts.

IKEA makes money no matter what, but if you don’t give the gifts to the young couple today, you can save them for the next buyer who wants to buy but is hesitant tomorrow.

Gifts and words are the last straw for salespeople to overwhelm buyers.

Asai's idea is very simple. Gifts are always given to others anyway, so why can't it be us?

"I didn't expect you to get so many gifts," Natsume Naoki looked at the four or five extra small items on the invoice and marveled, "If it were me, I would just pay as much as they say.

"

"Don't you like how I look like this?" Asai put his hands behind his back and followed him out of the store: "You think I'm a philistine?"

Natsume Naoki shook his head: "No, on the contrary, I think you are very brave."

"Brave?" Asai frowned, not knowing where to start with this sentence.

"Say no bravely and protect your own interests." Natsume Naoki smiled slightly and explained: "Not all your peers are like you. Most of today's students are very introverted and are not willing to bargain.

I know how to bargain... Even when I bought an extremely expensive ice cream in a convenience store, I was too embarrassed to return it and had to pay the price."

Asai Mao thought for a while, "So that's it."

She looked at the pillow in her hand, tested the softness, and felt that she should be able to sleep well tonight.

The pillow was one of the gifts. She took it in the store without feeling any inconvenience, so she took it out the door.

As for the remaining items, IKEA said they would find a car to deliver them there.

Natsume Naoki made an appointment with them at six-thirty in the evening, and it's only early three o'clock now.

It only takes half an hour to drive from IKEA to the two-story villa on the Kanda River. Logically speaking, the two of them can start cleaning up at home at four o'clock, but Natsume Naoki doesn't want to go home in a hurry.

After finally going out with Asai, we should walk side by side, not in a hurry, we only know that the common goal is to go back to their homes, and as for how to go back, which way to take... it doesn't matter where we go.

People tend to follow the herd. There is a park between the shopping mall and Tsurumaki Town called Shinjuku Gyoen. It is a tourist park open to the public and there are many people on weekends.

While it was still early, Natsume Naoki and Asai planned to walk through the park without going around.

"Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden", Asai Mao looked at the wooden sign at the entrance of the park and read a line of small characters next to it, "Senjo Valley Gate."

"It's a pilgrimage to the Holy Land only if you enter through the Sendagaya Gate." Naoki Natsume smiled and went to buy a ticket.

Adult tickets are 500 yen, discounts are available with student ID cards.

The conductor was an elderly man. He looked at the student ID cards of the two of them and said, "Students from Waseda, a great university! Here you guys, two tickets. Just swipe the QR code on the back of the ticket on the turnstile.

If you can get in, take one shot per person, don't miss the shot or rush into the post."

After saying that, he raised his head and squinted at the scorching sun in the sky, as if chatting with Natsume, or talking to himself: "It just rained last night, so don't go lying on the grass. The scenery of the Imperial Garden is very beautiful after it just rained."

Great, as long as we don’t have any more rainy days.”

Natsume Naoki took the ticket, "The weather forecast says there will be no rain."

"That's right," the uncle nodded: "Unless you are very unlucky, the weather forecast will not be wrong."

"Are you having bad luck..."

Natsume Naoki saw transparent umbrellas for sale in the ticket hall, and thought for a moment it would be safer to ask: "Can you get me another umbrella? How much does it cost?"

"What kind? The transparent one?" The uncle took another umbrella from behind and handed it to him: "600 yen."

Natsume Naoki took the umbrella, bought the tickets with Asai and entered the gate of the garden.

Probably because of the weekend, many people come to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden for a walk. Walking a short distance north from the gate, you can see a pool of water on the roadside. The maple leaves beside the pond are still green in summer, and the branches and leaves are stretched out and suspended on the water. At this moment

Suddenly the wind picked up, and the branches and leaves were blown by the wind, causing a few ripples in the water.

Seeing this scene, Natsume Naoki stopped and admired it.

Asai looked at his profile and saw a trace of tranquility in his eyes.

"Have you been here before?" Asai asked.

"It's right to say I've been here, and it's right to say I've never been here." Natsume Naoki withdrew his gaze, looked for direction, and looked into the distance: "When I was a child, I followed Shinkai Makoto when I was living at home in Hokkaido due to poor health.

We've passed here... This is the filming location of "The Garden of Words", and today is the first time I've come to see it with my own eyes."

He pointed to the scene where the maple leaves were gently brushing the water, "This scene is in the animation."

"The Garden of Words"... go back and take a look tonight.

Asai Mao silently wrote down the name he said. She had only heard of Shinkai Makoto's works, but she didn't actually like these romances.

But if it is based on understanding the employer, then this is necessary.

She wanted to know Natsume Naoki better, maybe she could know exactly what was different about him over the years.

"You have been in Tokyo for more than a year, haven't you been here before?"

"No, it would be more meaningful to visit the Holy Land with someone you care about."

"Then you should bring Izumi Mio."

"No one stipulates that there can only be one person you care about."

After Natsume Naoki said this, he suddenly felt that what he said was a bit ambiguous and different from what he wanted to express, so he scratched his cheek and quickly changed the topic before Asai could speak.

"Go and have a look over there. The landscaped courtyard and the large grassy area look great in the animation."

Walking through the N4 intersection and looking west, you can see towering steel buildings in the distance, layers of woods below, and then tourists sitting on the grass with picnic blankets. The air is fresh and the scenery is picturesque the day after it rained.

At the junction of grass and gravel, there are many individual artists performing. They are either musicians who come to the park to practice on weekends, or wandering underground singers.

The street singers are performing shows to make ends meet, and the students are practicing their courage to play in public for the upcoming college league... They all have a bright future.

Parks and subway stations are buskers' favorite places, but unfortunately it's not night, so there are very few people in the subway station, and there will be urban management officers coming to check.

The park has become the best place for them to make money during the day, but they also have to try their luck. If they can't earn back their tickets due to weather conditions, they will have to go to the subway station early at night to sing.

Natsume Naoki and Asai Mao walked in the small square made of gravel, enjoying the passionate or lyrical performances of the singers, occasionally stopping to listen and enjoying a moment of tranquility in the fast-paced life.

It turns out that you don’t have to work from morning to night on weekends. It’s so comfortable to relax occasionally.

Natsume Naoki realized that he had not studied for two days over the weekend, but at this moment he felt peaceful as never before.

A street singer with a cat caught their attention, and there were the fewest tourists around here.
Chapter completed!