Chapter 11

From the latter half of this chapter to the first half of the next, there’s an explanation of the history and worldbuilding.

The Hirose family lives in Saiō City, Saitama Prefecture. In Yusuke’s original world as an older man, no such city existed. It seems to be a relatively new city formed through a large-scale municipal merger, akin to the “Heisei Great Merger,” combining the former Higashi-Matsuhama City with three surrounding towns. Located near the center of Saitama Prefecture, it boasts the second-largest area among the prefecture’s municipalities. Unlike in Heisei Japan, a city like Saitama City doesn’t yet exist here. Much of Saiō City is hilly, rich in natural scenery.

The former Higashi-Matsuhama City already had a private railway station, and Saiō Station was newly built post-merger. With plans announced for another private railway to extend from the south of the prefecture to connect to Saiō Station, the area around the station is undergoing a construction boom, developing rapidly. The Hirose family’s apartment is in the new city area, a five-minute walk from Saiō Station. Incidentally, Saiō General Hospital, where Yusuke was admitted, is on a hill away from the new city center. This info came from Martina. Compared to the apartment Yusuke lived in back in southern Saitama in his old world, the hospital’s view felt closer to nature, with mountains nearby.