As a senior hardcore otaku, Shun would often feel that a place on the streets of Tokyo was strangely familiar while walking.
"Ana, let's form a band together for life!" Just like that, upon arriving on the streets of Ikebukuro, Shun somehow seemed to suddenly trigger some keyword. He grabbed Ana's hand and said affectionately.
"Ixuni?" Ana extended her hand and showed Shun the wedding ring on it.
"My Shun, if it's not for life, are you trying to divorce me?" Ana looked at Shun with a half-smile.
Feeling the pressure, Shun immediately returned to normal and surrendered on the spot. "Shun was wrong. Shun shouldn't have casually talked nonsense."
On the way, perhaps because they noticed that Shun and Ana were speaking in Chinese, people on the roadside occasionally greeted them in Chinese.
After all, it was Ikebukuro. There were quite a few signs on the street written in Chinese. Speaking of which, Shun's initial impression of Ikebukuro should have been from Durarara!!, but this place also appeared more and more easily in later ACG works.
"I'm a bit hungry. Let's go eat something," Ana suggested. Because the morning flight was quite early, although breakfast was provided on the plane, they hadn't eaten much.
Shun nodded. His gaze casually fell on a Sichuan restaurant by the roadside. Ever since coming to the Honkai world, Shun's eating habits had also become much lighter along with the people around him.
He missed those fiery, spicy flavors. That was a long-lost memory of Sichuan cuisine. He turned to Ana, a trace of anticipation in his eyes. "Ana, can you eat spicy food?"
Ana smiled slightly. Her tolerance for spiciness wasn't high, but facing Shun's suggestion, she didn't want to dampen the mood. She gently nodded and said confidently, "Although I don't eat much, it should be fine."
She paused, then added, "Valkyries have very high pain tolerance. The sensation of spiciness is, at most, just pain. So I guess I can be considered someone who can eat spicy food pretty well."
"That's true. Spicy… never mind. Let's go eat sweet pepper curry!" Shun suddenly thought of something and said.
"Spicy sweet pepper curry? How can sweet pepper curry have any spiciness?" Even Ana was surprised by Shun's leap in thinking. She had thought that no matter how strange Shun acted, she wouldn't react much anymore.
But today it seemed she had still underestimated Shun. As everyone knew, Ana's development of Shun was less than one percent complete.
Indeed, curry was almost everywhere in the Far East. It wasn't just a common delicacy on the streets and alleys, but also a regular guest on every household's dining table. This foreign cuisine, after years of localized improvement, had deeply integrated into the Far East's food culture and become a national-level delicacy.
After a long while, Shun and Ana came out of the curry shop. Although it was a roadside restaurant, perhaps because it was a century-old shop, the curry was very authentic.
Tokyo was really good. Unlike Hiroshima and Nagasaki, you couldn't find a single century-old shop. However, in this world, Hiroshima and Nagasaki hadn't been visited by Little Boy and Fat Man. When he had nothing to do one day, he could go take a look.
"As expected, sweet pepper curry really has no spiciness at all." After leaving the restaurant, Shun was still thinking about the sweet pepper curry he had just ordered.
Meanwhile, Ana saw an ice cream truck selling ice cream by the roadside and immediately pulled Shun over.
"Eating ice cream in the middle of winter?" Shun had a trace of doubt, but still reached out and took the strawberry-flavored ice cream Ana handed him.
Ana looked at Shun, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. She explained, "You don't understand. Ice cream has its own kind of fun when eaten in winter. Because in this season, it doesn't melt easily, so you can enjoy it slowly. Besides, ice cream in summer is cold, and ice cream in winter is also cold. Since both freeze your mouth, what's the difference?"
Shun was speechless and said, "Then you really are a genius."
"Hmm hmm, thank you for the compliment. Give it to me." After finishing paying, Ana turned around with a playful smile and extended her hand toward Shun behind her, waiting expectantly.
"? Where's the ice cream?" Shun asked in confusion. His gaze searched Ana's empty hand, but the expected ice cream didn't appear.
"I thought this one was bought for me…" Ana turned her head and only then noticed the pink ice cream residue at the corner of Shun's mouth and the ice cream cone in his hand that was already missing a corner. A look of sudden realization flashed in her eyes, immediately replaced by a playful smile.
"Who was the one who just said there was a problem with eating ice cream in winter?"
"It was me, it was me." Shun smiled helplessly. He shook his head, handed the ice cream in his hand to Ana, and at the same time took out a tissue from his pocket and gently wiped the ice cream residue from the corner of his mouth.
Ana took the ice cream that Shun had already bitten into without any disgust and took a big bite.
The two looked at each other and smiled. This small misunderstanding actually added a bit of fun, making this winter afternoon even warmer and more pleasant.
After finishing lunch and the after-meal dessert, Shun suggested going to Ueno Park to take a look.
Ueno Park — a place that had only existed in books and stories in Shun's heart — was finally seen with his own eyes. Although it was the cold winter season and the cherry blossoms that bloomed brilliantly in spring had not yet awakened, making Ueno Park, famous for its cherry blossoms, appear especially quiet and sparsely populated.
But for Shun and Ana, this became an unexpected joy for their couple's world. Without the bustling tourists, everything in the park seemed especially quiet and peaceful.
The winter sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and fell on them, bringing a trace of warmth. Shun and Ana strolled along the empty paths, enjoying this rare tranquility.
"Although we missed the cherry blossom season, this kind of Ueno Park has its own unique flavor," Shun said softly. His voice carried a trace of satisfaction and comfort.
Ana smiled and nodded. Her gaze wandered over the surrounding scenery, as if searching for the unique beauty of winter.
"It's a pity the last snowfall was during Christmas. We can't see the snow scenery, but this kind of quiet feeling isn't bad either."
They found a bench and sat down. Surrounding them were bare cherry blossom trees. Although they lacked the prosperity of spring, those branches outlined simple yet powerful lines against the winter blue sky, making one look forward to the arrival of spring. Shun and Ana leaned against each other, sharing each other's warmth while also sharing their longing for the future.
In this winter Ueno Park, although there was no romance of cherry blossoms, there was their warm time together as a couple.
There was a saying that went like this: Some roads, when walked with a certain person, become ridiculously long. When walked with other people, they become so short that one is reluctant to take a step.
Shun couldn't help but think of a certain singer who chose to be buried together with the Previous Era.
"May time stay forever in this moment. May this world be as brilliant as gold."