Although the Tokyo metropolitan area was very large, Shun and Ana weren't planning to go see every single place. After visiting places like Shinagawa Aquarium, Fuji-Q Highland, Tokyo Tower, Musashino, Ochanomizu… Shun no longer had anywhere else he particularly wanted to go.
In the blink of an eye, their Tokyo trip was about to come to an end. However, the joyful times of the past few days were unforgettable. Aside from the initial period in Manila, Philippines, Shun and Ana rarely had the chance to be alone together like this.
"Then, accompany me to one last place today. After that, we'll go wherever you want to go." Shun felt that this Far East trip no longer had any regrets. Not only had he fulfilled his long-held dream, but he had also created many beautiful memories together with Ana.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Ana nodded with a smile. Although Shun had chosen the itinerary these past few days, he hadn't only considered his own interests. He had always been mindful of her feelings.
"To be honest, going to that place might take a very long time, and it might not be as interesting as expected. So be mentally prepared in advance," Shun reminded her softly.
"Boredom or not doesn't depend on what we do, but on who we do it with. You should understand such a simple truth, right? Darling." Ana spoke with a smile, her eyes sparkling with affection.
Half an hour later, a Porsche 911 rented from a car rental agency was speeding through Tokyo's busy streets like a bolt of lightning cutting through the night sky. Despite the dense traffic, the driver, with superb skill, was able to precisely complete overtaking and lane changes in every tense and exciting moment, making people break into a cold sweat while also having to admire the driving technique.
Soon, the vehicle left Tokyo and began heading toward Umetsu-ji Station in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku. If they had taken a plane from Narita Airport to Matsuyama Airport, it might not have even taken half an hour, but what Shun enjoyed was precisely this process.
That small town located at the southernmost tip of Shikoku was more than 400 kilometers away from Tokyo in a straight line. Even driving, it would take Shun over four hours to arrive.
Because Ehime Prefecture operated on a cash-based system and basically only used cash everywhere, the back seat of the Porsche was currently almost completely filled with neatly stacked cash.
After a journey of high-speed driving, Shun and Ana arrived at this quiet rural town before dusk, just as described in the book. They parked the Porsche 911 in an open-air parking lot. As soon as the car door was pushed open, Ana heard the sound of waves hitting the shore.
"It's the sea…" she said softly. Since it was already winter, they hadn't arranged any seaside trips during their Tokyo itinerary. Now, this small regret had finally been made up for.
Just like in the book, on the track by the sea, a yellow slow train rumbled past the empty little station. White railings surrounded the station, with signs hanging that read "Umetsu-ji Station" and "[Tokyo Love Story] Filming Location." This indicated that the ending of Tokyo Love Story was filmed at this small station.
However, Shun's destination on this trip wasn't for that. The local sea bream rice and mackerel were quite famous, but there weren't many shops in this small town. They finally found a Japanese-style restaurant that provided dining services in a ryokan and had dinner in advance.
They walked along the streets for a long time before encountering a person or a car. Because it was the holidays, there were no elementary school students in the schools either. It was really very empty.
After walking for some time, they arrived at the mountain where they watched the sunset — Daimaru Mountain. Although it had already been closed to the public, it wasn't a problem for Shun.
There were a lot of insects here. Shun used the Abyss Flower to release insect-repelling gas to prevent those unromantic insects from disturbing him and Ana.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think — if there were mosquitoes on this mountain that bit Erii and left a bump, would they turn into dragon blood mosquitoes?
Although Daimaru Mountain was closed to the public, the sightseeing train could still be used. So Shun saw the tunnel made of leaves and flowers that was described in the book. Of course, because it was currently winter, the place looked much more desolate.
Only dense bare branches surrounded the tracks, like a piece of postmodern art. The season they came was still not quite right, but there was nothing they could do about it.
As the mountain train slowly stopped in front of the stone Jizo statue at the mountaintop, Shun didn't linger. He took Ana's hand and walked toward the depths of the forest. They passed through the dense forest paths until the view suddenly opened up. An astonishing scene appeared before the two of them.
The setting sun was like fire, surging like a raging sea tide and rushing into their eyes. That enormous sun disk had now gently touched the sea surface. Tens of millions of tons of deep blue seawater rippled gently beneath it. Wave after wave of tide crashed against the dark cliffs below, turning into countless snow-white splashes. The sea breeze swept across tens of thousands of hectares of vast, boundless forest. From afar, the evening forest looked just like a surging crimson sea. Countless treetops danced in the wind, intertwining into layer upon layer of endless waves.
The sun slowly, inch by inch, sank beneath the sea surface. The remaining afterglow quietly sprinkled across the sea. That half of the setting sun and its reflection in the water complemented each other, perfectly forming a flawless circle. It was like a beautiful painting drawn between the vast heavens and earth, adding a touch of tranquil yet magnificent color to this boundless world.
"It's really beautiful…" Even Ana, who had been to many places and seen countless beautiful sights, couldn't help but exclaim at this moment.
"How did you know about this place? Haven't you never been to the Far East before?" she asked Shun.
"I saw it in a book," Shun answered honestly. However, Dragon Raja didn't exist at this point in time. When he was bored, Shun had searched online. At that time, he had even thought about calling Jiang Nan over to have tea with him and have him write an IF side story for Dragon 3. Unfortunately, he couldn't find that person.
"Eh, I see." Ana nodded and gazed at the sunset in front of her. "That's nice. If this is our last stop in the Far East, it's also a pretty good ending."
"Is that so? I think the character in the book thought the same way too." Shun nodded, agreeing with Ana's words.
In this quiet moment, a sudden phone ringtone rang out, breaking the harmonious atmosphere between the two.
Shun answered the call with some irritation. Theresa's anxious voice came from the phone. She sounded truly very panicked at this moment.
"Shun, this is bad! Kiana suddenly fainted!"
"What?!" Shun slowly put down the phone, shocked by this news.
"What's wrong?" Ana noticed that Shun's expression looked a bit off. A trace of unease rose in her heart, so she asked with concern.
"Kiana suddenly fainted." There was a trace of worry in Shun's voice. He said softly, "I'm sorry, Ana. I'm afraid our honeymoon trip needs to be temporarily put on hold."