21st Century Necromancer

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Dinner Party

"Chen-san!" Just when Chen Yu was hanging his head in utter dejection, he heard someone calling his name.

Chen Yu looked up and saw a man wearing glasses, a plaid shirt and a backpack, all typical of a university student, greeting him as he approached with his bicycle.

The man had hair that covered his eyebrows and, although he was smiling and greeting Chen Yu, he had a somewhat gloomy expression, which suggested he was not of a particularly positive and sunny disposition.

Watching the man walk towards him, Chen Yu put the black tome he was holding to one side and raised his hand to return the greeting, "Yo, Rokuro!"

This man with the gloomy expression, whose smile hardly radiated vitality, was Chen Yu's friend, named Kube Rokuro. He was the youngest son of a professor at the University of Tokyo and had two older brothers.

Despite having a father who was a professor at the University of Tokyo Medical School, Kube Rokuro wasn't very outstanding in medicine. Owing to family tradition, he naturally chose to study medicine, but after repeating a year, he barely managed to get into a third-tier medical college. This was clearly incomparable to Chen Yu, who could attend the University of Tokyo Medical School as a doctoral student, let alone measure up to his own brothers.

For this reason, Kube Rokuro faced quite a bit of pressure at home, which made his gloomy expression rather understandable.

Chen Yu, as a student of Professor Kube, Rokuro's father, had visited his teacher's house a few times and naturally got to know Kube Rokuro. As time went by, the two, being of similar age, became good friends.

"Chen-san, why did we arrange to meet in the park today?" Kube Rokuro parked his bicycle and sat down on a bench. His sharp eyes also noticed the black tome beside Chen Yu and he teased him half-jokingly, "What is that book anyway? It seems like every time I see you, you have it with you. Are you inseparable from your book?"

"To invite you to the park is, of course, to bask in the sun. Spending all day in the lab dealing with germs, I am practically growing mold. Sunbathing and killing some germs with UV light is good for your health. As for this book you mentioned..." Chen Yu picked up the black tome again, caressing the scale-patterned leather cover, his face showing a complicated expression, "It's a very important book to me, but, Mr. Kube, all you need to know is that it's very important to me. As for you, what do you plan to do after graduation? Seriously planning to get out from your family? Professor Kube must be very angry, right?"

Hearing Chen Yu mention his father, Kube Rokuro's face instantly turned bitter, and he despondently lowered his head, "Dad said if I want to move out, I should never return to that home."

"That really is Professor Kube's consistent style!" As for the professor known for his rigor and firmness, Chen Yu could only helplessly shake his head and patted Kube Rokuro's shoulder by way of consolation, "What are you planning to do then, Mr. Kube? Are you really going to move out and not go back?"

"Yeah, I've already rented a place. Though it's in Musashino City, it's still quite a nice spot." Kube Rokuro nodded. Although feeling helpless about moving out, the thought of finally living free from his father's shadow and leading the life he wanted, lightened Kube Rokuro's originally dismal mood involuntarily.

It seemed that Chen Yu could read Rokuro Kube's mind, and couldn't help but smile. He congratulated him, "Well, congratulations! You're finally free from the cage and can live the life you've wanted. But don't take it too hard; after all, you're Professor Kube's son. Give it some time, when the professor cools down, just go back and apologize properly. He can't possibly disown you, can he?"

When it came to the possibility of his father disowning him, Rokuro Kube naturally had a completely different opinion from Chen Yu. But faced with his friend's care and comfort, he wouldn't bring up such a mood-killing thought. He just managed a strained smile and then nodded his head.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Chen Yu patted Rokuro Kube's shoulder, stood up, and said with a smile, "To celebrate your independence from home, I can't be stingy as your senior—tonight, I'm treating you to barbecue!"

"Haha, we should really celebrate!" Rokuro Kube also seemed to be infected by Chen Yu's smile, standing up from the bench, "Ever since you graduated last year, we haven't had a meal together in ages! Tonight, I'm going to stagger in and out of there!"

"Hahaha, you little brat, thinking of fleecing me, huh? You've turned twenty already, right? Tonight, watch me get you so drunk, you little brat!" Chen Yu put the black book into his backpack, teasing him, and the two left the park together.

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The night in Tokyo was less noisy than the day, but it was equally lively. The street-side eateries gathered a large number of people who had just finished work and wanted to have their dinner, providing them with delicious meals to fill their already growling stomachs.

Living alone in the steel forest of Tokyo, the busy lives of office workers were urgent and lonely—coming back to their rented apartments in the evening, they faced nothing but cold walls. If not for these countless little eateries on the streets, many of them might feel even lonelier, right? Because after a busy day, they would still have to cook for themselves...

"...Such a life is far too lonely!" Chen Yu placed slices of pork belly on the grill, watching the aroma waft up from the meat as it sizzled over the charcoal fire, and then continued to speak to Rokuro Kube, "Now that you've moved out on your own, you should find a girlfriend soon! Being alone can be very lonely."

As soon as girlfriends were mentioned, a hint of shyness appeared on Rokuro Kube's face. Perhaps because of the alcohol, his cheeks were reddish. He put down his chopsticks and retorted to Chen Yu, "Chen-san, don't just talk about me! Haven't you been a graduate for a year too? How come you haven't found a girlfriend?"

"I'm concerned about you, and you turn the tables on me!" Chen Yu gave a wry smile and shook his head. His own family affairs were known to himself: although being a doctor was a high-status and well-paid profession in Japan, because his real identity was that of a Necromancer, he didn't want to bring another person into his life, "Never mind, I'm not one to talk. But what about you, Mr. Kube? Have you found a good job? Now that you've moved out, you need to have a job to make ends meet."

"Don't worry, Chen-san, I found an internship at UDI," Rokuro Kube said, nodding vigorously to show he had secured employment.

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