Future Pet Shop

"Totoro? What’s that?" Sun Qian was still a little confused. The two large trees and the surrounding scenery did look a bit familiar, and "Totoro" also sounded familiar, but what exactly was it?

"It’s Totoro! This is the place Hayao Miyazaki used as inspiration for *My Neighbor Totoro*!" Sakai Kaori explained, turning back to them. "Even though they’re animated films, Hayao Miyazaki always bases his settings on real locations. For example, *Valley of the Wind* was inspired by a valley in Pakistan. The prototype for the abandoned flying city in *Sky City* is Beng Mealea, located in Cambodia’s Angkor conservation area. It’s surrounded by forest and has collapsed buildings, looking exactly like the environment in *Sky City*. And this forest right in front of us is where the adorable Totoro from the movie lived. That big tree is where Totoro and the heroine first met. This place has now been renamed the Totoro Forest."

"Oh, no wonder it looked so familiar, but I couldn’t for the life of me place it! I was wracking my brain trying to remember which Japanese drama or movie it was from, but I completely forgot about animated films." It dawned on Shen Yibin. ’Japanese anime and manga creators really love to do this kind of thing.’ The most famous example was Inoue Takehiko, who used many real locations as models for scenes when he drew *Slam Dunk*. For example, Xiangbei High School was based on the Tokyo Metropolitan Musashino North High School, and Fukasawa University of Physical Education was Japan Sports University. The intersection from the opening sequence, where Haruko and Hanamichi Sakuragi wave to each other, is located just a short distance from the Enoshima Electric Railway Kamakura High School stop. And Kamakura High School itself was the model for Lingnan High School. The area had already become a famous local tourist attraction.

"Let’s get out and take a look! These two are the Totoro trees!" While he was lost in thought, the car had already arrived in front of the two large trees that were pruned to look like Totoro. Mr. Liu Sheng stepped on the brake, and Sakai Kaori led them out of the car.

"Hm?" Hah’Er got out of the car and stared at the two large trees from a distance. After a moment, it lowered its head, pulled Maphario out of its pocket, and held the hamster up to inspect him. It seemed to think Maphario and the two big trees looked very similar.

This was quite normal. The character design for Totoro was based on the South American Squirrel, while Maphario was a hamster. Both belonged to the rodent family, so it was natural for them to share some resemblance. This was especially true since Maphario ate and slept well at Shen Yibin’s place, and its body had gradually grown round and plump. Its big belly made it look even more like the Totoro from the movie.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario was also stunned by the sight of the two Totoro trees. It quickly scurried up Hah’Er’s arm to its head and stared at the trees for a long time. Just looking from one spot wasn’t satisfying enough, so it urged Hah’Er to circle the trees several times, as if trying to commit every detail to memory.

’Huh, maybe I can try something like this when we get back? At the manor on the Yunshui Riverfront, the saplings Maphario planted are growing strong. When they get bigger, why not prune them into the shapes of various animals? The very thought of it is exciting!’ Shen Yibin grew excited too. ’Maphario probably has the same idea, right? Otherwise, it wouldn’t be studying them so carefully.’ He couldn’t help but start daydreaming about what the saplings would look like when they were all grown up. ’By then, my garden will be breathtakingly beautiful!’

"This place really is nice!" Sun Qian happily ran under the big trees and took a few photos. ’Sigh, artsy girls really love this kind of vibe. Seeing how happy she is, she’s probably already got inspiration for a new song!’

"The forest on the hill is also very nice! Let’s go up and have a look together!" After they finished looking at the Totoro trees, Sakai Kaori suggested they head up the mountain.

"Let’s go! This place is way more interesting than the places we saw yesterday!" Shen Yibin readily agreed. Today’s tour had certainly not disappointed him. The group left the car and started up the hill on foot. They were all young and didn’t feel tired. Although Mr. Liu Sheng was an older man, he was a Swordsmanship Master, after all. And even though he had been soundly beaten by both Shen Yibin and Xiaoliu, his stamina was still quite good. The group entered the forest with ease.

"Look, a Totoro sign!" At the entrance to the mountain path, there was a wooden sign. It had a picture of Totoro on it, with a line of Japanese text above. Shen Yibin could vaguely make out the characters for "Narrow Mountain Ridge" and "Forest."

"This sign explains about the Totoro Forest. Hayao Miyazaki used to live near here, and this forest has been preserved in its original state thanks to his donations..." Sakai Kaori stepped forward and explained the sign’s contents to Shen Yibin and the others.

After expressing their admiration, the group continued along the small path deeper into the forest. They frequently spotted familiar scenes from the anime on either side of the road. Each time, Sun Qian would snap a few photos, humming a fragmented rhythm under her breath. Shen Yibin listened for a moment. He didn’t seem to have ever heard these rhythms before. Perhaps she was already starting to compose a new piece.

Although it was just a fragmented rhythm and not a complete song yet, Shen Yibin could already tell that the quality of this piece was excellent, nearly on par with the song Sun Qian had written for Hah’Er. ’Looks like one of the goals for this trip is already halfway accomplished,’ he thought. ’Next up is finding the location of that orange dot of light.’

Even though it was winter and the weather was a bit cold, everyone was full of energy. Combined with the exertion from the hike, it wasn’t long before they all started to break a sweat.

When they reached the top of the hill and looked down, the entire Totoro Forest spread out before them. While the view wasn’t as breathtaking as the one Shen Yibin had seen deep in the Qinling Mountain Range when he was searching for Marc, it had its own unique charm and seemed exceptionally exquisite.

"Let’s sit and rest for a bit! Then we can go down the other side of the hill!" Sakai Kaori took a large bag off Mr. Liu Sheng’s back and pulled out a moisture-proof mat and other outdoor gear, as well as some snacks and drinks. The group sat down comfortably under a tree and began to enjoy them. Only Maphario, holding a snack in its paws, didn’t take a bite. Instead, it stood on Hah’Er’s shoulder, gazing into the distance at the Totoro trees. The little guy was still pondering the matter.

’I bet this little guy will get to work as soon as we get back.’ After finishing his snack, Shen Yibin pulled out his phone. He had seen on the Pet Radar earlier that the orange dot of light was within Sakai City, but he didn’t know how far away it was now.

The moment he opened the radar, Shen Yibin was stunned. ’So close! Less than fifty meters away!’ He immediately grew excited. ’I’m about to see it! I wonder what kind of animal it is? It couldn’t be a real Totoro, could it?’