"President, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo are about to bloom," HR-chan reminded him.
The cherry blossom season in Tokyo usually arrives in late March, and the blooming period is short, lasting about one to two weeks.
During this season, people in Neon often tend to go out to admire the cherry blossoms, walking together under the cherry trees, or sitting on the ground in parks where cherry blossoms are in full bloom, sharing lunch.
While enjoying the beautiful scenery and sipping some wine, life couldn't be more enjoyable.
"Hmm? So?" Aoki Haruhi looked up, blinking his eyes with a hint of confusion.
"So, would you like to go admire the cherry blossoms with me then? The cherry blossoms on Meguro River are really beautiful," Ayase Akane smiled, her eyes sparkling when she mentioned Meguro River.
Tokyo has many famous spots for cherry blossom viewing.
The most prominent, of course, is Meguro River.
From the character "river" (river), you can tell that this place has water.
There is a long river in Meguro River.
Cherry trees line both banks, and when cherry petals fall from both sides, fluttering like snowflakes into the water, the beauty truly fills your eyes and heart.
It makes one feel involuntarily refreshed and delighted.
The famous Meguro River has always been Tokyo's most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing, with approximately 800 cherry trees densely planted along the 4km long banks of the Meguro River.
The blooming cherry blossoms envelop the Meguro River, forming a pink watery tunnel, like a classic scene from a Japanese drama, incredibly beautiful.
And at night, colorful lights illuminate both sides, making the cherry blossom scenery even more magnificent and enchanting.
At the same time, there are also song and dance performances at night, truly a beautiful sight on earth.
If one could admire the cherry blossoms on Meguro River with their beloved, then there would probably be nothing more romantic than that.
Besides Meguro River, Rikugien Garden, Ueno Park in Taito Ward, Tokyo, Yaesu Cherry Blossom Avenue… are all excellent places for cherry blossom viewing.
Hearing Ayase Akane say this, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
However, he wasn't thinking of going with Ayase Akane, but with Nao Tsuda.
"I'm sorry, I've already made plans with someone else," Aoki Haruhi refused.
"Huh?!" Ayase Akane's eyes widened, unable to believe the truth before her.
"Made plans with someone else, is it a lover?" Ayase Akane asked in confusion.
"Yes," Aoki Haruhi smiled and nodded, "Sorry about that, you should find someone else. Or, you could organize something to see which company employees want to go together?"
"No way," Ayase Akane said with a hint of disdain.
The guys in the company, each one is stranger than the last, I don't want to go admire cherry blossoms with them.
"President, you're always engrossed in work, when did you even start dating?"
"None of your business."
…
"Ah… the President actually has a girlfriend," Ayase Akane felt incredibly disappointed, muttering to herself at her desk.
"Huh?!"
Ishino Mika, who was passing by, dropped her notebook on the floor.
"What did you say? The President has a girlfriend?!"
She was completely flustered, an expression of disbelief on her face, and at the same time, when Ayase Akane looked up, she could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking.
"Yeah." Ayase Akane probably felt the same, silently nodding and saying dejectedly, "We don't know when he started dating, the President is really a master of time management."
He's right under our noses, the President comes earliest and leaves latest every day, and after he goes back, besides sleeping, what else could he possibly do?
Where exactly was he invaded by a bad woman?
And how the President managed to fall in love in the gaps of time, they had no idea.
"No way? Ishino Mika actually likes the President?!"
Upon seeing the expression on Ishino's face and hearing that she harbored affection for the President, Shinji Mikami's heart completely shattered.
Clutching his chest, he felt a sharp pain.
The world spun.
"No way? Shinji, you actually…" Chikawa Hirokazu looked at Shinji Mikami, then at Ishino Mika, who was talking to HR not far away, and felt incredibly shocked.
Shinji's thoughts were too deep; he hadn't noticed this until now.
Haha, Chikawa Hirokazu thought to himself, sure enough, love is a food chain. Shinji, though pitiful, is also quite amusing.
What a unlucky guy.
Thinking this, Chikawa walked over to the water dispenser to get some water.
Just as he passed the front desk.
"What?! The person Shinji-san likes is Ishino?!"
The front desk girl, Ozawa Rie, was shocked, her heart shattering into pieces.
Tears of frustration streamed from the corners of her eyes.
"No way? Why would Shinji, such a gentle person, be attracted to Ishino?"
"No way? Ozawa, do you like Shinji?" Hardware engineer Chikawa Hirokazu's face was full of disbelief.
He was just passing by, but he didn't expect to hear such an explosive statement.
Every day, he would bring a small snack to the cute and charming little front desk girl, either a small cake, or a small bread or cookie, but he never expected that the person she liked in her heart was actually Shinji Mikami?
Shinji…
Where did I lose to him?
Chikawa Hirokazu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, burnt beyond recognition.
"Huh? So, the person Chikawa-kun likes is Ozawa?" Asano Risa, the copywriter for the Pokémon project team, clutched her chest, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
"What? Asano likes Chikawa? She's only been at the company for a few months, how could Asano have decided her feelings so quickly?"
"What?!"
…
Indeed, love is a food chain; you never know who your natural enemy loves.
This day was the day all the single employees of Pokeni collectively experienced heartbreak.
Except for Gen Urobuchi.
He was typing away furiously, only thinking of roping in Shinji Mikami to write a new project proposal that would amaze the President.
"Don't you have someone you like?" Shinji Mikami asked painfully from beside him.
"Like?" Gen Urobuchi thought seriously for two seconds, then nodded vigorously, "I'm not a soulless log, of course I like people too."
"It's just that I haven't met them yet."
He said it lightly, then continued typing away furiously, "Compared to falling in love, there should be more important things, right, Shinji-san?"
Gen Urobuchi, 19 years old this year, stated that he didn't need love.
Shinji Mikami, 26 years old, twitched his mouth twice, not knowing why, but he really wanted to strangle this bastard.
…
…
The cherry blossoms in March will bloom from late March until April.
March 21, 1992.
It was a Saturday.
Aoki Haruhi and Nao Tsuda arrived early at Meguro Park with a picnic blanket and a bento box.
Meguro River itself is a small canal, originating from Meguro Park and ending at Tokyo Bay. It is probably named because it is entirely within Meguro Ward, and its main fame comes from cherry blossom viewing. To visit, one can alight at Meguro Station or Naka-Meguro Station.
The shape of Meguro River itself is somewhat rustic, and with the cherry trees planted on both sides, the blooming period allows one to feel the beauty emanating from this place after enduring historical vicissitudes.
Even though they arrived at the park at 7 AM, it was already a scene of bustling crowds.
There was hardly any space to stand.
Elderly men and women were taking photos around the cherry trees, dancing and gesticulating, full of joy.
After finally finding a relatively clean spot, Aoki Haruhi and Nao Tsuda spread out their picnic blanket, then sat down and took out the bento box, arranging it layer by layer.
After doing all this, the two looked at each other and smiled.
It was as if they had been busy all day and finally found some free time. In such a pleasant holiday, they looked up to see cherry blossoms everywhere, and their mood was inexplicably comfortable.
Pouring two cups of oolong tea, Aoki Haruhi and Nao Tsuda held them in their hands and took a small sip.
"Ah~ This is so nice," Aoki Haruhi sighed.
Such a scene probably only appeared in dreams.
In his previous life, he had dreamed countless times of having a picnic with his beloved girl under flower-filled trees in a park, but it had never been this real.
No, what was before his eyes was real.
He turned his head to look at Nao Tsuda, feeling that she, dressed in a pure white kimono today, was incredibly cute.
Seeing this, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but recall a scene described by the famous Chinese writer Li Xiuwen in his work "Teardrop Mole."
The male protagonist and the female protagonist Lan Kouzi were admiring cherry blossoms together in a park and met an old man. The old man held a gradually fading cup in his hand, danced towards the cherry tree, and then tilted his head back to drink the wine from the cup.
That scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
To this day, recalling it still has a strong infectious power.
At this moment, as a gust of wind blew, cherry blossoms on the trees danced in the air, fluttering like a pink blizzard blanketing the sky.
This scene was truly moving.
This was probably what they called "Sakura Fubuki," or cherry blossom blizzard.
Seeing countless petals fall on Nao, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but smile.
It had to be said, Nao was truly a beauty today.
For cherry blossom viewing, she had specially changed into a pure white kimono, her long, fair neck exposed from the collar, and a faint red cinnabar mole on her neck.
And at the corner of her eye, there happened to be a "tear mole" as described by Li Xiuwen.
Of course, this thing was not a good omen; in Li Xiuwen's book, it was described as:
Tear mole: A life of flowing water, half a life of wandering, a so-called lonely star entering one's fate.
A tear mole often symbolized a lonely old age.
Thinking of this, Aoki Haruhi quickly shook his head, dispelling the unrealistic thoughts in his mind; this wasn't writing a novel, and Nao wasn't that fragile.
If possible, Aoki Haruhi wanted to grow old with her.
Upon closer inspection, Nao, because of the tear mole at the corner of her eye, actually gained a touch of charm.
Just then, Tsuda, holding oolong tea in her hands, looked up at the cherry blossoms fluttering in the sky and recited with a sigh—
"The world is bustling,
Cherry blossoms silently vanish in an instant,
Only a fleeting moment together."
This was a very famous haiku, used to describe both the beauty and the transience of cherry blossoms.
Nao turned her head and looked at Aoki Haruhi with a smile.
"Do you know, the cherry blossom season is very short; the beauty of cherry blossoms lies precisely in this."
"Hmm?" Aoki Haruhi's expression conveyed a "please enlighten me."
"Neon is a small country; what we face are the threats of the sea and earthquakes, and we might sink at any time."
"This is similar to cherry blossoms, and human life is short, the time we can bloom is even shorter, this is also similar to cherry blossoms."
Nao lowered her head and said with a melancholic expression, "We like cherry blossoms not only because they are beautiful, but more importantly, to remind ourselves that life is short and we must seize the time."
"Hmm." Aoki Haruhi nodded, "Cherry blossoms are beautiful."
"But, none of them compare to you."
"Hmm?" Nao blinked her eyes, a girlish shyness appearing on her cheeks.
Immediately after, Aoki Haruhi cupped her face.
"Didn't you say it? Because it's fleeting, we must grasp it well. Don't let beautiful things slip away," Aoki Haruhi said, gazing into her eyes.
"Hmm." Nao nodded shyly.
The reflections of the two gently rippled in the water.
Then they overlapped.
...
On March 7, 1992, a very classic animated work was broadcast on TV Asahi.
The name of this animation was "sailor moon."
Immediately after its broadcast, it triggered a strong reaction, with soaring viewership ratings, directly surpassing "first cherry blossom battle chronicle" produced by Sunrise Animation to claim the top spot.
Countless elementary and middle school students were brainwashed by it, especially girls, who would imitate the protagonists of the animation during school breaks, crossing their hands, spreading their feet, and shouting—
"Moon Prism Power!"
"Transform!"
It could be said to be extremely chuunibyou.
It was just a pity that the anime "Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions" hadn't been released yet.
This made Aoki Haruhi sigh, the young people of Neon were more or less a bit chuunibyou.
But on second thought, it seemed he wasn't much better when he was a child.
At that time, he would either shout "Mashin Hero Wataru!" or "Shura King, Suwaka!"
So, everyone had a bit of a "sickness" when they were young.
They loved fantasy, loved adventure, and were easily influenced by new things.
But precisely because of this, they were cute.
When they grew up, even if they fantasized, they wouldn't easily show it anymore.
So, we should cherish the chuunibyou children.
...
With the popularity of "sailor moon," Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice actress for the female protagonist Usagi Tsukino, also became very popular.
After waiting for so many years and doing a lot of voice acting work, it wasn't until today, when sailor moon became a national classic animation, that Kotono Mitsuishi belatedly became famous.
"Congratulations, Kotono-chan."
Inside the company, the staff held a celebration party for Kotono Mitsuishi.
This also showed that she had indeed succeeded.
While cutting the cake and receiving gifts from her colleagues, Kotono Mitsuishi couldn't help but shed tears of happiness.
After striving for so many years, she finally got to play a female protagonist, and she finally became popular.
But in reality, even before "sailor moon," Kotono Mitsuishi was already a somewhat famous voice actress, but not in the animation industry, but in the galgame field.
Players knew that Kotono Mitsuishi was Pokeni's exclusive female protagonist CV, and her voice acting was truly excellent.
Especially in the latest "reverse degree person," in the final scene, the female protagonist's suppressed yet extremely sad emotions could actually be conveyed to the players through her voice, which could be said to be quite impressive.
And now, "sailor moon" simply made Kotono Mitsuishi popular beyond her existing circles.
With a good work, future acting offers would surely be endless.
Hayashibara Megumi was sincerely happy for her.
"That's great, Kotono-chan, you won't have to take Pokémon work anymore."
"Huh?" Kotono Mitsuishi was a bit surprised.
"Didn't you always get tormented to death every time?"
"Uh-huh~ No way, after all, it's work." Kotono Mitsuishi smiled charmingly, "Now that I think about it, to be where I am today, I owe a lot to Pokémon's refinement of me."
Ah, this...
Hayashibara Megumi looked at her with a surprised expression.
Could this guy have been brainwashed by Pokeni?
...
Pokeni's greatest contribution was not only saving the galgame genre but also elevating the plot requirements of games to a new height.
To say "saving" is truly no exaggeration, because in the 1990s, a very terrible malicious incident occurred, leading to extreme public aversion towards games.
Many people said that games were simply spiritual opium and drugs that would lead people into the abyss.
However, after the appearance of Pokémon's galgame, people realized that it wasn't the games themselves that were malicious; games were merely a medium, but if utilized well, they could still convey correct goodness and beauty, inspiring people to become better.
Galgame became synonymous with dating games; galgame became synonymous with story-driven games.
All of these contributions were made by Pokémon.
And the future anime adaptation of galgame was also a very important part.
It was precisely because galgame had incredibly strong storytelling and various character designs that players raved about that they became popular for anime adaptations.
In early April, the anime adaptation of "onmyoji" also entered its final stages, nearing its grand finale.
...
In the evening, Matsuura Ichiro rushed home after school and sat in front of the TV. After watching Sunrise's "first cherry blossom battle chronicle," he continued to wait for Kyoto Animation's "onmyoji."
Around 7:30 PM, the final episode finished airing.
Matsuura Ichiro remained stunned for a long time.
The ending just now was too shocking; the female protagonist sacrificed herself to save all living beings.
And when he saw the male protagonist walking down the road with a desolate expression, and the scene showed Kurai Rui waiting under the cherry blossom tree, holding a baby in her arms and smiling as she waited for him to return, he finally couldn't hold back.
Large tears streamed down his face.
"Damn it! Why is this the ending?"
Matsuura Ichiro's young heart suffered ten thousand points of damage; he couldn't believe that Kyoto Animation could produce such a heartbreaking and tear-jerking ending.
If he had known, he wouldn't have watched this anime.
...
The next day, everyone was discussing the finale of the onmyoji anime.
As old fans of Pokémon, they expressed complete satisfaction.
"Finished watching, cried terribly, even had the urge to kill the script Author."
"Kyoto Animation is truly amazing."
"No, no, it has nothing to do with Kyoto Animation. After all, this is an anime adapted from a game. If you have to say something, then it's definitely Old Thief Furuhara's fault!"
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