Ameko was a very competent tour guide, especially after eating Zhang Heng's fish yaki. She burned her own little universe, dragging Zhang Heng around until 9 pm before reluctantly sending him back to school. After that, she took the tram back to her apartment.
Due to the high price of land in Tokyo, universities rarely provided dormitories, so most students had to rent somewhere else. Ameko, for example, lived locally, but because it was far from the university, she chose to share a room with her classmates nearby.
However, the university was quite nice to exchange students. There was an international exchange hall that provided dormitories for students from all over the world, and it was a single room at that.
Zhang Heng searched for his room number on his phone and opened the door with his key.
It was not a big room, about 15 square meters.
There was a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, an air conditioner, and a full bathroom.
Zhang Heng went to take a shower first. He found some clean clothes in the closet, a half-pack of biscuits, a bank card, a notebook, and some photocopies on the table. It was as if he really was an exchange student who had just moved in today.
Zhang Heng picked up the notebook and saw the expense records. His handwriting was exactly the same as his. There was also a class schedule on the second page, and there was only one subject on it — Japanese.
Under normal circumstances, the school would not arrange language classes for exchange students.
When recruiting exchange students, the school would specify the corresponding Japanese requirement. Of course, there were those who did not require it, but the latter were mostly taught in English.
This was probably a hidden benefit given to players, a way to survive for those who did not speak Japanese.
But it was still an impossible task to learn Japanese in just 60 days. From the looks of it, if he wanted to communicate with others, he would have to rely on Ameko, the human translator.
Just as he was thinking about it, he received a text from her. "Zhang-san, I'm home safe and sound! Peach took advantage of my absence to drink from the toilet again and left footprints all over the place!"
Ameko had talked to Zhang Heng about Peach before. It was a Japanese garden cat that she kept. "How about stewing it?" Zhang Heng replied casually.
Ameko sent a surprised emoji.
"Just kidding. Oh, right, Ameko, do you know where the nearest postal savings bank is?" He flipped the notebook to the third page, where there were a few things to do. One of them was to apply for a bank card, and the monthly accommodation fees would be deducted directly from the card.
"Of course! I'll bring you there tomorrow. Also, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. I'm familiar with the area." Ameko was as enthusiastic as ever.
"I'll have to trouble you then."
Zhang Heng and the girl said good night to each other. After that, he surfed the internet for a while, turned off the lights, and went to bed. Just like that, he spent his first night in a foreign country.
…
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Zhang Heng went to language class first. Japanese was relatively easy for beginners. It was just learning the Fifty-Tone Picture, and it mainly tested one's memory. In the afternoon, he and Ameko applied for a bank card. It would take about a week for the card to be received. As they exited the bank, Zhang Heng asked the girl, "If I want to work, are there any places I can recommend?"
The 30,000 yen he had on him wasn't going to last long. His previous estimate of two months was too optimistic. Just the accommodation fees at the International Hall cost 20,000 yen a month. Luckily, he had already paid for the first month. But considering that he would be staying here for another 14 months, he had to find a way to earn some money first.
Zhang Heng didn't know how other players solved their financial problems. Compared to some high-risk solutions, he was more inclined to work. Although the money wouldn't come as quickly, it would make it easier for him to get familiar with the city.
"Well, most people work in restaurants, supermarkets, or convenience stores, but those places have a strict requirement for Japanese."
Ameko thought for a moment. "Or do you have any special skills?"
"Special skills?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows. "Do archery and piano count?"
"Eh? Archery and piano? That's amazing! If that's the case, you can work at an archery dojo or a western restaurant. Hmm, but Japanese archery is different from pure archery. It places more emphasis on spiritual training. Also, in the archery dojo, you can't avoid interacting with people. I think it's better for you to play piano in a western restaurant. "
Ameko carefully analyzed the pros and cons of each option for Zhang Heng, and the girl was very efficient. After that, she dragged Zhang Heng to an Italian restaurant to apply for a job. Unfortunately, there was already a pianist there. After that, the two went to a Spanish restaurant and a French restaurant. In the end, a western restaurant opened by a Tokyo local was willing to give Zhang Heng a chance after hearing his performance. However, the owner was still worried that Zhang Heng couldn't speak Japanese.
Ameko pointed at the recruitment sign outside the shop. "You're still looking for waitresses, right? I used to work at Ooh Ooh Ohno. How about this? I'll work here too. If there's a language problem, I can translate for him."
"Then there's no problem." The owner nodded. "The hourly salary is 1,200 yen. That's the limit. Three days a week, four to five hours, day and night. You can choose the days when you don't have class. I'll try to arrange for you to work together."
"Thank you," Ameko said with a bow.
Zhang Heng only realized what the two had been talking about when he stepped out of the door. Seeing that he was about to speak, Ameko spoke first. "We had a great time shopping last night. Everyone is usually busy with their own things. Very few people are willing to stop and listen to other people's thoughts. Zhang-san … you really are a very gentle person. And it's not all because of you. I just quit my last job and was planning to look for another one soon. The environment and the hourly salary here are pretty good. Besides, it's safer with you around, isn't it?"
Ameko flashed her little canine teeth again.
Was this the benefit of having a good impression of him? Zhang Heng did not say anything else. Seeing that it was already evening, he invited Ameko to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The two then talked about school for a while.
Just then, a Subaru BRZ covered in spray paint and a green Volkswagen Golf R stopped in front of the restaurant. A few boys and girls with dyed hair of all colors got out of the cars. One of them, with a headscarf tied around his head, shouted for the owner to bring out beer the moment he entered the restaurant.
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