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I want to go to the block that has been trending online

jyanshi: 
categoryStory: 

[player]Since I'm here, how can I not visit the famous block that has been trending online? There must be something special about it to become a scenic spot. [Hideki Akechi]The block that has been trending online? Got it. If being able to meet someone who can help you when you're lost is considered lucky, then I must be super lucky to have run into Hideki in this foreign old town. With him around, everything is arranged so well that I can just sit back and relax, letting him take care of deciding the route and pretty much everything else. Hideki doesn't disappoint me and quickly takes me away from this deserted street to a lively scenic spot. The old town described in the poem has a serene and tranquil temperament, but the neighborhood in front of me has a unique rural atmosphere and a certain vitality that can't be ignored. Unlike the urban commercial strips filled with high-rise buildings, the bustling crowds and shops here seem to be a thing of the last century. In the crowd, some people sing and drink as they walk, while others look around everywhere as they walk around in the summer breeze. [player]Hmm... Until seeing things here with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that white walls, black tiles, and colorful neon signboards could appear in the same scene so harmoniously. I think it's worth it to come here just to experience this unique scene. [Hideki Akechi]Haha, you're happy with just this? PLAYER, you're such a happy and easily satisfied person. [player]As they say, "life is short," so why shouldn't I try to enjoy it while it lasts? [Hideki Akechi]Yes, you make a good point. That must be why I always seem to relax when I'm with you. [Crowd]Amazing—! The sudden burst of applause in front of us interrupts our conversation. A booth over there is surrounded tightly by a crowd, and some performance seems to be going on. Even the children passing by are begging their fathers to hold them up so they can see. The continuous cheers manage to arouse my curiosity, making me stand on my tiptoes to try to see what's going on in the middle of the crowd. As I look around everywhere, a pair of strong hands grab my sleeves and helps me up the stone steps by the road. Like a loyal knight, the owner of these hands opens up a space that seems like paradise for me in the middle of the thick crowd. [Hideki Akechi]You should have a better view from here. The extra height expands my field of vision, allowing my vision to pierce the dark crowd and see a white curtain. [Hideki Akechi]Ah, it's a shadow puppet show. No wonder so many tourists have been attracted here. [player]Shadow puppet show? [Hideki Akechi]Yes, it's a traditional form of art that originated among the people. In a shadow puppet show, artists tell stories by manipulating silhouettes of cardboard characters behind the curtain and using percussion and string instruments. It's a very unique form of expression. [player]It sounds so fascinating. Why have I never seen any performances like that in One Han City? Wait a minute, why does the story being told right now sound so familiar... Accompanied by the performer's special singing voice, a member of the local gentry with burly arms and a thick waist appears on the curtain, instantly attracting my attention. [Shadow Puppeteer]She should be embroidering dragons and phoenixes in her boudoir since she's the young lady of her family. Instead, she set her sights on studying in Hangzhou. She's just too willful... [Shadow Puppeteer]I miss her too much to let her travel so far... Yet I'm afraid her illness will become worse if I don't let her. I can't make up my mind... The young lady dresses up as a man to go to school and falls in love with a poor man in her class. Soon after the two express their love for one another, she receives a letter from her father telling her he has arranged a marriage for her. The daughter returns home with her lover, who wins her father's approval with his talent. In the end, the two tie the knot, attracting thousands of butterflies to congratulate them on their wedding day. The performer's movements make the paper puppet move every so smoothly and naturally that it almost seems to be alive. Fascinated by the show, I feel like I had become a character in the play. It isn't until the performer turns off the lights and walks in front of the curtain that I come back to my senses. Clapping and cheering for the show are the best ways of showing appreciation, so I don't hesitate to give it my highest evaluation. [Hideki Akechi]It looks like the performer is in a good mood today. [player]The tipping basin in front of the curtain is overflowing with copper coins, so it's only natural that the performer is happy. [Hideki Akechi]Yeah... but that's not all. I watched his performance soon after this block was developed, and he also performed today's Butterfly Fairy Tale. [Hideki Akechi]But last time, the father forced his daughter to marry the rich playboy he chose for his daughter, going as far as to separate the lovers and forcing his daughter's lover to die. His daughter also chose to die instead of obeying him, committing suicide on her lover's tombstone on the way to the wedding ceremony. After that, they both turned into butterflies and flew away. [player]It's said that people usually prefer a tragic ending for the protagonists, but I prefer a happy ending for this show. [Hideki Akechi]Yeah, that's what I think too. Actually, I was a little worried at the beginning because I thought this might be another tragedy that hints at bad luck... Hideki's eyelids lower, and he looks a little uneasy. It seems that last time's accident put the young club president under a lot of pressure. I touch the top of his head where his light gold hair is warmed by the sun. Without realizing... [player]The club president is so cute when he expresses his true feelings to me. [Hideki Akechi]Huh? Oh no! I said what I was thinking out loud! [player]Hahahaha... Nothing. By the way, I think today's events are not an omen of bad luck but a joyful reunion, which is a good omen. [Hideki Akechi]Is that what you think? ...Hmm, I also think that today's show is a good omen. Hideki smiles as he reaches out to help me down the steps. It looks like his mood has improved. [Hideki Akechi]Where are we going next? [player]You want me to pick a place? [Hideki Akechi]Yeah. I've realized that my luck improves when I'm with you. You're like my "lucky star," so I want you to pick the next place.