On the floating island called Utopia, a carnival that is built on the fear and joy of countless guests and belongs to one person alone is being held.
But at this moment, almost all the guests were teleported back to where they should go, and the huge floating island had become empty.
The trip to Haiyin Temple did not cause the island to disappear immediately, although after all the rituals were completed, it seemed that there was no need to preserve the island other than for its beauty.
However, on the contrary, perhaps he sensed something familiar, so he did not handle it in this way, but stopped in front of a house.
The house was the abandoned glass workshop that Dazai Osamu had seen earlier.
The huge stove inside was still running and burning, with red-orange light streaming out from the gaps in the stove door, making the entire workshop not only enveloped in sunlight but also dyed with a layer of warm red light, much like the bonfire of the only family camping trip in the memory of the Haiyin Temple.
He didn't understand why he thought of this, but since he set foot on the island, he seemed to be able to easily recall those clear or vague memories of the past. Some were always clear as if it were yesterday, while others had long been blurred, like flowers in the water, the moon, and the mirror.
But on this island, as he wandered aimlessly, those memories that were once covered in the dust of time became clearer than ever before, like crystals that had been wiped clean of dust and sparkled in the sun.
This is a very novel experience. It has been a long time since I felt this in a place other than a dream. This island built with faith and dreams seems to be very suitable for this purpose, like a bridge connecting the memories of the past and the future.
A faint spark burst out from the stove, tumbled twice on the ground, and then suddenly went out.
Like fireworks, this idea suddenly popped up in my mind while I was traveling along the Haiyin Temple.
The beautiful fireworks in my memory appeared in my mind as if naturally, as if they were clearly visible before my eyes, unable to be stopped by time. The beauty bound by the past was constantly washed away by everything here.
Traveling back to Haiyin Temple, he felt that his ears and eyes were clear, and he immersed himself in the past with an inexplicable confidence that he was refreshed. Perhaps he did not have the ability to predict, but at this moment, he suddenly had a strong premonition that he would recall something special.
He walked slowly in the glass workshop, and every step he took seemed to bring back a precious fragment of memory, about food, about travel, birthday candles, grand fireworks and smoky kitchens.
I can still vividly remember the toasts in the sunshine, the days when my family and friends celebrated my admission to higher education, the blooming jasmine flowers on the balcony that my mother loved the most, my father's encouraging eyes, my mother's vague calls, and the taste of the box of chocolates given by Mr. Tateda suddenly exploded on my tongue...
He saw the summer in Yahara, where there were grass, blue sky and cicadas, as well as Takashi Natsume, Aunt Toko and Uncle Tsutomu, and the cat that always disliked him and was too greedy.
He tasted the sweetness of the water from the Yahara Spring, the aroma of the roasted fish he caught himself, the sweetness of the steamed bread snatched from the mouth of the vampire, and saw the monsters that were either friendly or always wanted to eat him, as well as the familiar country roads. He once jumped lightly on the stones in the water to cross the river, and once climbed up the treetops to pick the fruits that were about to fall from the branches.
Everything is so chaotic and disordered, yet precious, making people happy and crying, familiar and yet strange, so contradictory and so warm.
He obviously did not drink the ugly brand's hated and loved drink. The delicious taste of rainbow soda eroded his mind, but at this moment he was captured by the countless ups and downs of memory, as if he was living again and wandering through his entire past life.
Another cluster of sparks went out silently on the ground. The crackling sound in the stove inexplicably sounded like the sound of fireworks blooming in the sky during a fireworks display, which was unforgettable and nostalgic.
Since his mother died in the line of duty, Haiyin Temple has almost no memories of family events like the fireworks display. His father became busier after his promotion, and he always stayed at home alone.
The house used to be like a prison to him, where he could only wait for his father to come home. But after growing up, the house full of memories became the only place where he felt at ease, except that there was no one for him to wait for anymore.
It's not that he couldn't go to the fireworks show with his friends, but he couldn't hide his clairvoyance very well when he was a child. He was already called a freak by the kids in the neighborhood. He subconsciously kept a distance from other people, so he naturally became a lone ranger.
Transferring to Mikado was an accident. In less than a year, he was surprised that he could make friends. However, due to time constraints, he did not have the opportunity to go to the fireworks festival with his friends.
The last time I had memories of fireworks seemed like a long time ago.
But the happiness of that time does not seem to have faded away, and even the word "fireworks" has been given a different emotional color, so that when people talk about this word after visiting Haiyin Temple today, they can still feel the faint happiness of that time.
The glass workshop was warm, but Haiyinsi Suyou did not stay there for too long. He quickly walked out of the workshop and headed towards the back of the glass workshop with a clear goal. The inexplicable sense of familiarity from before was calling him to hurry over, and the breath that did not belong to this place also stayed there quietly.
When he came to the grass behind the glass workshop, he was immediately attracted.
It was a display cabinet with eighteen layers, with an entire wall filled with glassware, the most numerous of which were glass fish tanks. There was at least one fish tank on each layer, and in each fish tank there was one or a group of beautiful goldfish.
Unlike when Dazai Osamu came here, the water level in the fish tank is just right, and every colorful goldfish is full of vitality.
As I was swimming upstream from Haiyin Temple, I couldn't help but go up to observe the fish tanks placed lower. The goldfishes in them all had beautiful tails or colorful scales, like the incarnation of countless rainbows falling into the water, or like magical creations.
Under the sunlight and the refraction of the water surface, each fish tank seems to be filled with small light balls that can emit different colors, emitting a strange glow.
Haiyinsi Suyou felt that these goldfish were familiar yet strange, just like his memories, close at hand yet difficult to recognize. He knew of the existence of these goldfish, but he always doubted whether such beautiful creatures really existed in the world.
Goldfish are such beautiful creatures, and there is also one such elf in Haiyin Temple.
He also got the goldfish named Sun Princess on a night when the sky was filled with fireworks. On the night of fireworks festivals, countless vendors would set up their stalls on the streets to attract customers.
It was the first time for him, who was still young at the time, to attend such a celebration.
He just held his mother's hand tightly, as if he could only feel safe in this way.
Clairvoyance is enough to make a child live in fear for most of his childhood, and crowded places are often where ghosts and gods like to appear. Fireworks festivals are no exception. The ghosts and gods that can be seen almost everywhere make the tour of Haiyin Temple immediately become silent, and the joy of being able to go out with parents disappears by half in an instant.
Haiyin Temple Suyou's parents soon discovered the inappropriateness of this decision. They were frustrated to find that the intensive gathering of ghosts and gods did not make Haiyin Temple Suyou relax, but instead increased their son's fear.
"It's Mom and Dad's fault for not thinking it through. Xiaoyou definitely doesn't want to see this." A gentle female voice sounded above Suyou's head in Haiyin Temple. He felt a familiar body temperature against his forehead, which finally made him shiver less violently.
"Let's go home and turn on the TV. There should be a live broadcast of fireworks on TV. Dad has just bought a juicer and some gifts for Xiaoyou. We can drink juice while watching you open the gifts." This is the voice of the father.
During the tour of Haiyin Temple, he could feel that his parents were trying to make him happy and to divert his attention so that he would not be overly scared or sad because he could not continue to play.
But despite being forced to face these strange monsters, Haiyin Temple Suyou still feels happy. He has always been loved. Maybe he has more clairvoyance than many other people.
Capable people are too lucky.
After all, his parents never gave up on letting him integrate into normal life. Ghosts and gods are just obstacles in his life, and fear should never be everything in his life.
When looking back at those easily overlooked memories of the past, Haiyin Temple Suyou once again realized that he was brought up with love. At least at the age when he needed family affection the most, he never lacked love and care. In his life, he had met or witnessed many people who were willing to protect himself and people like him.
This allows him to grow upright instead of going astray easily, and not to expand blindly after gaining power, but to invest his power in saving more people.
And it was probably because of this reason that he gave that answer when he was a child.
"But I don't want to go home." The young child replied in a low voice.
"But, Xiaoyou," the mother wanted to say something, but she said nothing. She quickly concealed her worried expression, leaving only a happy smile for her child. "Then let's get ready to go in. Mommy wants to take Xiaoyou to my favorite stall when I was a child!"
"I want to see with my own eyes how beautiful the fireworks my parents talked about are, and I also want to catch some goldfish!"
Haiyin Temple Suyou said loudly that these hopes that were as clear as glass but not as fragile as soap bubbles made him seem to forget even his fear. In the past, he always stayed in his home which was decorated with a barrier. Although it was clean and safe, it was as closed and boring as a glass sterile box.
"Don't force yourself, kid. Don't get scared and faint." The man said half-jokingly as he looked at the boy holding his mother's hand from behind, but his words were still mixed with genuine worry. The last time they went out, only the first half of the experience could be called a good one.
"No way, I'm definitely not the coward I used to be!"
Perhaps surprised by the boy's domineering tone, the man was stunned for a moment, then quickly revealed a relieved smile.
"Suddenly you feel a little better. Why don't you sit on dad's shoulders? This is a VIP seat. You can see the fireworks more clearly and be further away from the dirty things on the ground."
On the way up to Haiyin Temple, the boy was forcibly lifted onto his father's shoulders. He struggled a few times out of habit, but was soon conquered by this special perspective. He seldom sat on his father's shoulders outside, and this really broadened his field of vision. Even his mother seemed to be a head shorter. He could even see the small lights lit in the stalls far away.
The ghosts and gods on the streets are definitely not comparable to those in the communities and schools. Strange-looking creatures appear casually on the streets. Haiyin Temple Suyou once felt that every commercial street was like a night parade of a hundred ghosts. This is probably why he doesn't like to go out.
But at this moment, sitting on his father's shoulders, next to his mother's brown hair, listening to his parents' conversation, he felt extremely at ease. Holding his father's black hair while his father complained with a smile, he felt like he was holding a rope that represented safety.
The child who was chewing on the candy apple under his father's arrow soon found his new target.
It was a goldfish catching stall, and it was also my mother's favorite place when she was a child.
"Xiaoyou, do you want to compete with mommy in catching goldfish?" The young woman waved the paper net in her hand towards her child, looking more eager to try than the child herself.
"Yes!" The young child agreed very quickly, and his eyes had already set their sights on his target.
The red goldfish with a beautiful tail swam freely in the water. Everything seemed destined. From the moment it saw the Sun Princess, the gears of destiny might have started to turn.
They used up all their paper nets and ended up catching only red goldfish, but this extremely beautiful catch was enough to make them happy.
Purchasing a fish tank at the goldfish stall was a strong requirement for the Haiyin Temple upstream tour, but the Haiyin Temple couple had no plans to buy a fish tank on the spot.
But the young Haiyinsi Suyou suddenly felt that the glass fish tank placed there was so suitable for his little fish. The small round fish tank was always held in the boy's arms. The young couple just sighed at their son's persistence and let him go.
But letting children handle breakable things always seems to cause problems.
tragedy.
As expected, the sky was soon filled with fireworks, like clusters of flowers blooming in the night sky. The magnificent scene made everyone stop and be completely immersed in it, and the boy was no exception.
However, an accident occurred during this obsession, and the glass fish tank slipped from the boy's hands.
"It's just missing a piece. You can take it home and use it!"
The young couple looked with amusement at their son who was crying breathlessly while holding the injured fish tank. If they were not afraid of hurting the child's self-esteem, they might have laughed out loud instead of holding back their laughter painfully.
The boy hiccupped loudly, and tears fell into the fish tank and the ground at his feet.
This time he was absolutely unwilling to let go and had to hold the fish tank tightly. Even though the couple was worried that the sharp edge of the fish tank would cut their son, they were unable to persuade him to let go, which was both funny and worrying.
But it was strange, they originally wanted to pick up the broken glass to avoid hurting other people, but perhaps the weeds on the beach were too dense, two adults and one child didn't notice the not-so-small crack in the glass for a long time.
"Maybe it was smashed or washed away by the river," the man guessed. There was almost no one on the beach, so it was useless to continue searching. "Let's go home quickly."
When being pulled away by his parents, Haiyin Temple Suyou couldn't help but look back, but he clearly saw something reflecting light. When he wanted to take another look, it disappeared again.
************
"Huh? Where did this glass come from?" The volunteers who cleaned the streets were nearby residents, and the old man was the volunteer who was cleaning this area.
The old man half-closed his eyes and pulled out a large piece of glass from the soil, and suddenly he had a good idea.
The lens of the very novel magnifying glass he bought on a street stall last month happened to be broken a few days ago, so he couldn't even read newspapers properly. The current piece of glass was just the right size, and he happened to have the tools on hand, enough to polish this thick glass well.
The lens was polished quickly, but the old man did not have the ability of clairvoyance, and the lens was just an ordinary tool for him to magnify the words on the newspaper.
Just after the old man had enthusiastically polished the magnifying glass, when he happily went to the newsstand to buy today's newspaper, he casually stuffed the magnifying glass into his pocket and picked up the newspaper happily, but he forgot that there was a big hole under his pocket, and as he walked, the magnifying glass fell to the ground and was kicked away by passers-by.
The old man later remembered to look for it, but the magnifying glass had disappeared.
This magnifying glass was later picked up by many people and passed on to countless people. Some people discovered some of its real uses. The former street vendor even had a very real legend about it. Later, it was acquired by a collector.
The collector comes from the famous Shibuzawa family in Japan. He is an important member of the family and a person with special abilities who is highly regarded by the government, Ryuhiko Shibuzawa.
Shibuzawa Ryuhiko saw many things with this magnifying glass, some real and some false. Ghosts, gods and human hearts seemed to be completely visible under this magnifying glass. It brought him many life experiences, and sometimes even made him unable to stop.
But the white-haired young man always felt that this was not the real purpose of the magnifying glass. He always believed that the magnifying glass still had some secrets, and such secrets made him never tired of it.
He would never forget the first time he used this magnifying glass. Before he observed the evil spirit, he had seen a fleeting flash of beautiful red, like the last arc of light before sunset, or the tail fin of a goldfish floating in the water. It was so red that it was breathtaking and haunting.
This was probably the reason why he decided to go without hesitation after receiving the invitation. He had a vague premonition that he could find an answer in this ugly banquet.
The result did not disappoint him. When he subconsciously took out the magnifying glass to observe the lake that gave him a sense of wonder, he discovered the real use of the magnifying glass as he wished.
He turned into a fish, a beautiful red goldfish.
He experienced the daily life of a fish, in that transparent world made of glass, immersed in the water, not caring about worldly affairs, not knowing what day it was, not knowing the changes in the universe, and the passage of time.
So freeing.
And so confined.
In this small space, there is nothing but a glass fish tank with a missing corner, and the gap in the fish tank seems to be the same size as the magnifying glass.
The goldfish's memory is so short. In the goldfish's fleeting and brilliant memory, he and the boy with red eyes passed by each other.
When consciousness returns, I still miss the joy of coexistence of freedom and confinement. Perhaps the world is just a fish tank.
Whether it was the young man named Shibuzawa Ryuhiko who turned into a red goldfish, or the red goldfish who turned into the young man named Shibuzawa Ryuhiko, it didn't seem to matter anymore.
Maybe everything is over again.