A Bright New Morning
(We finally made it to the first day of R1ze’s tour!)
(Since Renga-kun advertised it for us, there are so many people here! HAMA hasn’t been like this in a while!)
This app’s really cool! It’s so easy to plan out where to go.
It even automatically arranges rides for you and collects stamps when you visit each ward!
You get to become an honorary citizen when you collect all of them, right? Which ward should I pick? Should I go with Ward 3 for Renga? I can’t decide!
(Thanks to the app and the Honorary Citizen Program, even wards that are usually unpopular are seeing guests!)
(But there are some people who aren’t used to using the app… We should be around to help them out.)
(Hmm… A decent showing for the first day.)
(But simply having a large number of guests does not lead to success! Kafka, you must show me how much you’ve improved the quality of your hospitality and prove to me that you can leave your visitors satisfied!)
(I, Shigematsu Hakkei—also known as the Master of Disguise, Matsushige Hassaku—will be the judge of that…!!)
Nobody will be able to tell that this little old man is actually Shigematsu Hakkei…
Hahaha… Let me see… Deary me, wherever should I start?
(Hmph. Let’s see how you’ll react to seeing an elderly guest struggle to use your app!)
Can I help you with anything, sir? Ah, I see you already have our app installed!
(Hm, he’s the chief at Kafka’s company. I see he noticed me quite quickly.)
My, thank you for the help, young man… I just have no idea how to use this thing.
Let me help. I see your name is Matsushige Hassaku, and you came here alone. You can look at the recommended routes from here, and if you tap on any of these selections…
How complex…
(I actually find it quite simple. There are three recommended routes to choose from, and selecting one will automatically prepare transportation, among other accommodations. It’s a very impressive app, assuming guests can use it without issue.)
The first route makes sure to avoid crowded areas, so it should give you the best experience. Would you like to choose this one?
Yes, I’ll go with what you recommend.
Oh, I’m actually on observation duty along this same route! If you’d like, I can give you a personal tour.
(What? How troublesome. I can’t afford to let him see through my disguise… But this does give me the opportunity to assess the company employees…)
You can decide that you want to continue on your own at any point!
Hmmm, as long as I’m not getting in the way of your work, that would be wonderful.
Don’t worry about it! I’d love to help.
(What an innocent smile… He has no idea that I’m Shigematsu Hakkei, Tokyo’s Ward 8 mayor. Haha, I’m glad that I decided to play a feeble old man for today.)
(Let me see what this tour can bring to the table!)
This is one of the sightseeing spots? How peculiar.
(Why are we at a hospital…?)
Yes. This small area consists only of Daikoku Pier. It’s usually closed to the public when we’re not holding tours.
Welcome! I see you’re visiting for the first time. Good work, Chief.
Please feel free to take a fishing set and enjoy your time fishing here.
Welcome to HAMA, mister! We can teach you how to fish!
The doctors told us we can go out to help the guests today!
We were all really excited for today! Come on, mister!
O-Oh… Yes, of course.
The kids are really doing their best.
Yeah. There are a lot of kids who’ve been inpatients in this hospital for a long time, just like I was… I wanted them to have some fun doing something different today.
Guests tend to enjoy receiving help from the local children. The children themselves also seem very happy with their fishing instructor badges.
(The app made sure that everyone can enjoy a peaceful fishing experience with no crowds. Everybody looks like they’re having fun. What about Matsushige-san?)
I caught one! I caught a fish!! How do you like tha—
Hah, ahem! My, this is so wonderful. Thank you for the help, dears.
You’re so good at fishing!
Hm… He kind of looks familiar.
Yes, Mr. President. I agree.
Kafka, Kafka! My fishing line got tangled! Can you help?
Ah, my bucket fell into the water! Kafka…!
I’ll be there soon! Could you lend me a hand, Chief?
Of course! Hospitality’s my middle name!
(Alright! Everyone’s having a great time.)
They’re really enjoying themselves! I remember when I used to fish here too. I can’t believe that the place turned into a tourist attraction!
Yeah, I really wanted to make it happen. I wanted the kids in the hospital to experience things I couldn’t do when I was younger.
(Kafka’s always wanted to provide good hospitality to HAMA’s guests.)
Mister Hassaku, this fish is too small, so you gotta put it back. It’s called “catch and release”!
Oh, I see. You’re very knowledgeable.
HAMA always has the best fish! So you can take the ones you caught and go to Ward 1 to have them cook it for you!
Hm, I see you’ve already put everything in a cooler for me. H-How kind of you.
Kafka taught us how to do it! This one’s small, so even we can carry it.
You all did a super good job.
Heheh! Kafka said we did good!
(The kids really like Kafka. I know that he always goes to see them when he has time, even after starting our company…)
Haha.
What’s wrong?
Nothing. I was just thinking about how you’ve grown so much.
I wonder if you’ll treat your own kids the same way when you have them someday. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
…!
Then, I mean… Um… We…
Hm?
…Never mind. That’s not what you meant. Whatever, I get it.
(W-What? Why’d he get mad at me?)
Ahem, excuse me, dear. I think we’re heading to Ward 1 next…
Ah, you’re right, your app’s giving you a notification. Let’s go!
We’d love to see you again, sir. HAMA NICE TRIP!
O-Oh, my… I’m not sure if I understand that newfangled slang, but thank you, young man.
(Why is he looking at me like that? Has he figured me out? No, he couldn’t have. Anyone can tell that I’m just your average kind, old man!)
See you again, mister!
Ah, Chief.
I’m the most concerned about Ward 1 right now, so let me know if anything happens.
Got it. I’ll see you later!