Carrying his military sword, He Rui walked along both sides of the street just like ordinary pedestrians. Compared with last year, the streets of Tokyo were much livelier. Most people wore kimonos; although western suits were not many, they were no longer rare clothes that could only be seen occasionally. Student uniforms, which were between kimonos and western suits, could be seen everywhere. Those young boys and youths wearing student uniforms were full of vitality, carrying schoolbags and passing by He Rui hurriedly.

Looking out over the tops of the wooden houses on the roadside, the huge brick chimneys in the distance were constantly spewing smoke of various colors. The coal dust on the street had long been crushed into the ground by countless passing shoes and wheels, appearing somewhat dirty.

The vehicles constantly coming and going on the road were piled with large and small bags, all raw materials being transported into factories or goods being transported out of factories.

He Rui went straight to the department store, stepping over the neat and hard concrete steps. As soon as he entered the door, he asked, "Is there any candy left?"

The clerk bowed. "Hello, customer. It's out of stock."

He Rui looked at the empty glass jars for candy on the shelf, but he didn't want to give up and asked, "Is there none at all?" The clerk explained a few more sentences, found that he couldn't explain clearly, and simply asked the shopkeeper to come out.

The shopkeeper had seen a lot of the world. After listening to He Rui's request, he asked, "If the shape is not good, can the customer accept it?"

"...As long as there is some," He Rui replied.

Shortly after returning to the back, the shopkeeper took out a few pieces of candy that had shattered out of shape. "Sorry, customer, only this bit is left. There is absolutely nothing else."

After speaking, he explained that there was a shortage of sugar shipped from overseas, and factories could not produce candy. Factories in the city had hired a large number of workers, so there were many more people buying candy. Now the store was completely out of stock. The storekeeper was also trying desperately to purchase stock but still couldn't find a source.

"Production and sales are really booming," He Rui sighed, having to buy these broken pieces. Even so, He Rui didn't give up and went to two other stores. Sure enough, as the shopkeeper said, candy was completely out of stock.

Helpless, He Rui returned to the rented house in Chiyoda. Pushing open the door, He Rui shouted, "I'm back."

"Is that Big Brother back?" With the response, a round-faced girl wearing a girls' high school uniform walked quickly to the porch. It was Morita Mitsuko, the daughter of the landlady Morita Sachiko.

At this time, Japanese high schools were already on break, but the little girl was actually wearing a school uniform. He Rui handed the small paper bag containing the broken candy pieces to Mitsuko and asked apologetically, "A little candy, and it's all broken."

Mitsuko showed a sweet smile. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Seeing that Mitsuko didn't mind, He Rui asked casually, "Mitsuko, are you going out?"

"Big Brother, I'm not going out. It is Nagumo-kun and Yamaguchi-kun who have come to visit. I am entertaining them."

As soon as the voice fell, Navy Lieutenant Nagumo Chūichi and Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Yamaguchi Tamon had already walked out. Yamaguchi Tamon shouted, "He-kun, we were worried that you were anxious to return to your country and had already left. So we took the liberty to come and wait for you here."

He Rui sat under the porch taking off his shoes and teased, "Thank you both for your trouble. It seems that this tactic of waiting for a rabbit by a tree is very effective."

"Hehe, ambushing a returning fleet outside the port is a common naval tactic. How can it be called waiting for a rabbit by a tree?" Yamaguchi Tamon laughed.

He Rui didn't take up the conversation and greeted Lieutenant Nagumo Chūichi. Nagumo Chūichi was short and usually reticent; he just bowed in return and didn't say anything.

The three entered He Rui's room. The landlady, Morita Sachiko, followed to the door, bowed to the two naval officers first, and then asked He Rui, "He-kun, the meal is ready. Shall I bring it up now?"

He Rui nodded. "Thank you. Please bring it up."

Yamaguchi Tamon had been to He Rui's place many times and sat down carelessly at this time. Hearing that the meal was about to be served, Yamaguchi picked up two bottles of sake beside him. "We already have wine."

Soon, a table of carefully prepared food was brought up. White rice, shrimp tempura, a pan-fried sea fish, four pieces of seaweed sushi, various pickles, and miso soup filled the small table.

He Rui knew that the landlady, Aunt Morita, was frugal. No matter what kind of food she made for He Rui, she and Mitsuko ate brown rice and pickled radishes. This rather sumptuous meal was originally intended to invite the two of them to eat together to thank them for their care during this period.

Now that Nagumo and Yamaguchi Tamon had run over, Aunt Morita naturally thought this was prepared for the guests. This matter couldn't be explained either, so He Rui shouted, "Mitsuko, bring an empty plate over."

Footsteps sounded, and Morita Mitsuko arrived in the room. The little girl was usually very relaxed when facing He Rui, but now she strictly observed etiquette. In Japan, men were superior to women, and the visitors were naval officers, whose social status was far higher than that of ordinary commoners.

Taking the empty plate brought by Mitsuko, He Rui put half of the deep-sea fish and tempura into the empty plate. "We can't eat that much. This is for Aunt Morita and you."

Mitsuko was about to decline. He Rui ordered, "We still have things to discuss."

Seeing the two high-status naval officers staring at her, Mitsuko took the plate, backed out of the door, and closed the door behind her.

"He-kun is really kind," Yamaguchi Tamon said, having already uncorked the bottle. "This wine was sent by Yamamoto, saying it is a farewell gift for He-kun. But he himself simply wouldn't come."

He Rui didn't think there was anything wrong. He had only met Yamamoto Isoroku twice in an izakaya. The two sides corresponded frequently afterward and agreed with some of each other's views. But they just never thought of meeting again.

"He-kun is about to return to his country. It will not be easy to talk freely about major events in the future. We must drink a few more cups today," Yamaguchi Tamon said. His character was both cheerful and rough, and he often spoke without restraint. "After the Siemens Incident last year caused Admiral Yamamoto Gonnohyōe to resign, our relationship with the Army became very bad, so we didn't go to the Army War College to attend your medal ceremony. Please forgive us, He-kun."

The struggle between the Japanese Army and Navy had lasted for a long time, so He Rui didn't mind. "No harm. The Navy and Army are always like this, which is ultimately detrimental to Japan. Both of you are men of ideals; you should try to resolve this."

Yamaguchi Tamon shook his head. "The struggle between the Army and Navy originated from the Chōshū Domain and the Satsuma Domain. It has been entangled from the overthrow of the Shogunate until now, and has become a chronic illness of the Empire. The Emperor and the Genrō have tried several times but failed to resolve it. What can we do?"

At this time, the wine had been poured. Yamaguchi Tamon raised his glass. "I wish He-kun a smooth journey back to your country."

"Many thanks."

The three raised their glasses and drank. When Yamaguchi Tamon poured wine again, he suddenly laughed out loud. "Yamamoto-kun is probably drinking with geishas right now."

He Rui also chuckled. Yamamoto Isoroku's character... was forthright; he liked gambling and visiting prostitutes. At this time, the wine shops and casinos had already started business, and Yamaguchi Tamon's guess was likely correct.

"It's better not to mention that kind of person," Nagumo said unhappily.

Nagumo Chūichi did not socialize much with his colleagues but was very studious, paying particular attention to international military affairs and politics. Although a soldier, he was more like a scholar. After He Rui became famous last year, Nagumo Chūichi took the initiative to come and ask for advice, talking freely about state affairs with He Rui. Apart from this, he surprisingly didn't involve himself in anything else at all. It could be imagined what attitude Nagumo with such a character would have towards a person like Yamamoto Isoroku. They were completely incompatible.