"It smells great!"
We spoke in unison.
Because we all loved cheese, we deliberately added a lot of cheese. At this moment, the sweet and sour tomato lasagna and the aroma of cheese were intertwined, which greatly increased the appetite.
"Elder Sister, it's really hard for three people to eat together like this."
Jasmine sighed suddenly.
"...Yes."
Ying seemed to think of something, and responded with a low tone.
"If you like, you can come here often. It happens that there is only one person in my house recently."
"Okay, okay! There is Meow Chan here, elder sister, I like this place!"
"Will it disturb Classmate Gaocheng?"
"Not at all, my parents have not been home in recent weeks."
We talked and laughed and finished the meal.
After the meal, I insisted on sending Ying back.
Because there were important plot triggers.
"In this case, I will trouble Gaocheng."
Ying did not refuse under my repeated insistence.
"Goodbye, Meow Chan~"
Jasmine petted Meow Chan's head and left the house.
I also wanted to touch the Meow Chan… But it dodged it again again.
It was the first time I saw Hanakura Town so late, the street lights were lit up for the first time, and the stars could almost be seen in the sky.
"Classmate Gaocheng, I can go home by myself from here."
"Wait a minute, I have something to tell you, Classmate Yuchuan."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Could you let Jasmine go into the house first?"
I whispered to her.
"En... Jasmine, you go first in and take a bath first, I'll be here later."
"Oh? Elder Sister is going to have some secret talk with Elder Brother Gaocheng?"
She blinked at Ying. Was this implying something...
"Not really, it's just... school affairs."
This pause... Ying was really bad at lying...
"Um, what does classmate Gaocheng want to say?"
"En... Recently, Classmate Yuchuan was a little lost, so I really want to know what happened."
I know it was very sudden to ask this, but the flow of the game was inherently very short. If I didn't ask now, probably I would get a Bad Ending.
"Classmate Gaocheng is thinking too much. There is nothing serious about it. Maybe it is because I am too tired from working?"
"... Classmate Yuchuan, don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you have any trouble, please tell me. I will try my best to help you."
"Huh? Why, why do you suddenly say that..."
She took a step back in a daze.
"I am serious, and I seriously want to help Classmate Yuchuan."
"Why... why do you care about me so much?"
She looked away, not daring to look me in the eyes.
"Because Classmate Yuchuan is... my friend."
No... I couldn't confess now.
It was too early to confess now, it would definitely be a GAME OVER.
"Oh... friend..."
"So, please tell me if you have any difficulties."
"My mother died in a car accident 6 years ago, when I was still in elementary school."
She sighed. Sure enough, her family was a single parent family...
"My father often worked overtime. Since then, I have been taking care of my little sister almost most of the time. Not only that, we also move home a lot."
"it is really tough."
"I don't think it's too hard. It's just that Jasmine is still young. I don't want her to grow up without care. Since my mother is gone, I want to take care of her for my mother. That's my plan."
"You can still be optimistic in this situation, I can't do it..."
"But yesterday my father suddenly told me that a single woman he knew at work liked him very much and wanted to form a family with him... He hopes that we will have dinner together at home on Friday."
"So what's Ying's opinion?"
"Compared with the hard work my father has always done, my hard work is nothing at all. It would be great if a lady who likes him can take care of him."
It was a pity that this was not the case. Subconsciously recalling the conversation I heard in the cafe that day, I thought.
But I couldn't tell Ying the truth.
"My father asked me to make a special dish to entertain guests, so I have to prepare well..."
Sometimes I really admired Ying's optimism and simplicity...
If there was such a girl in reality, someone would definitely be willing to go through hell to protect her simplicity.
——
[Eleventh Day]
Cafe.
Today, not knowing what was going on, Ying's face had been very red since noon.
"Ying, are you really okay? If you feel sick, you take a rest."
The store manager looked at Ying worriedly.
"I'm fine, sorry to make you worry."
She was fine? She clearly looked like she was about to collapse...
What was going on here?
Whenever I asked her in the school, she always said, "I'm fine," and she didn't want to go to the nurse's office.
But her state was really bad. She looked like she might collapse at any time.
Then the empty tray on her hand fell to the floor after she delivered the coffee.
"Classmate Yuchuan!"
I rushed over to help her staggering body.
So hot!
"Classmate Gaocheng——"
Her eyes were almost closed, and her face was red like never before.
"Classmate Ying, are you okay?" The store manager also ran over.
"Manager, Classmate Yuchuan may have a fever, I need to take her home."
"I'll drive her home with you."
He was a really considerate big sister...
"But the shop..."
"I will tell the customer that we close early today."
"Thank you, manager."
"Manager, I'm sorry..."
Ying had a very low voice during a high fever, and it was very difficult for us to hear her clearly.
"There is no need to say sorry. Is this the place?"
After that, we sent Ying back to her house together.
But… I remembered that Ying's father would bring a woman to the house for dinner tomorrow, right?
But Ying was sick, would she force herself to make food?
I was really worried...
——
[Twelfth Day]
Today, Ying did not come to school.
A campus without Ying was not interesting to me.
"I need to visit Ying ."
Huh? What exactly was this strange feeling that I suddenly had?
Oh, probably, I had been playing this game for a very long time now. I hadn't had a meal or rest... I hoped it won't be too long before the ending, otherwise, the life monitoring system of the game may call the ambulance in real life.
The so-called life monitoring system was set up to prevent players from passing out after playing games for too long.
To be honest, I didn't know how long I had been playing the game this time... The old game didn't even show the time in the real world, which was too troublesome.
But it would just be a short visit to Ying's house.
Just to check Ying's situation… It should be fine, right?
I came to Ying's house, hesitated for a long time, and finally rang the doorbell.
"Who is it?"
It was Jasmine's voice.
"Elder Brother Gaocheng?"
Jasmine opened the door and looked at me in surprise.
"Elder Sister, it is Elder Brother Gaocheng who is looking for you!"
She turned around and shouted inside the house.
"... Classmate Gaochengl?"
After a while, I saw Ying appear at the end of the corridor.
"Classmate Yuchuan… Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm feeling… a lot better now."
She smiled and said to me.
"No, elder sister is lying. She has been lying in bed for a day, and her face is very red now!"
"Classmate Yuchuan, why do you want to force yourself like this?"
"...I must behave well this time, for the happiness of my father."
"..."
Ying's expression was extremely determined, and I knew it was impossible to persuade her.
"Then, please let me help you cook."
I made up my mind to say this sentence. I didn't know if this was the right choice, but even if it would lead to a gameover, I still wanted to help her.
I was prepared to be rejected... After all, I was just an ordinary classmate and friend to her. It made no sense for me to attend her family dinner at this important time.
"Elder Sister, let Elder Brother Gaocheng help!"
Good job! Jasmine.
"...Okay."
Eh? She actually agreed?
"Great! Jasmine should help too, so that elder sister can work less!"
Jasmine happily ran to her elder sister.
"Ah, let's get started."
For the first time, I entered Ying's house.
When the clock was pointing at 5:30, the sound of a key unlocking came from the door.
"Ying , Jasmine, I'm back!... Who are you?"
Standing in the hallway were Classmate Yuchuan's father, his date, and a 3-year-old boy.
But it seemed that Classmate Yuchuan's father didn't remember that I served them coffee before...
"Hello, I am a friend of Classmate Yuchuan, my name is Gaocheng Yuan."
"Dad, Elder Brother Gaocheng is here to help us cook."
Jasmine and I abide by the agreement we just made with Ying—not to tell her father about her illness.
Ying's father, Yuchuan Hongye, took the blind date, Ms. Shenye, and her son and sat at the dinner table.
After putting the curry on the table, I looked at the scene in front of me. This was what Ying was pursuing, a scene where the family enjoyed eating together?
Actually, why would they accept me so easily…. I was confused.
"..."
"Ying, what's the matter? Do you have no appetite?"
Yuchuan Hongye looked at Ying, who was unable to eat, a little worried. Although Ying only served a little rice for herself, there was still a lot left in the bowl.
"No, Dad, I... have eaten something earlier."
Oh no, Ying was about to collapse again!
I wanted to suggest that Classmate Yuchuan would need to go back to the room to rest early, but I couldn't find any excuses.
Ah! Screw it!
"Uh-my stomach hurts! I am afraid there is a problem with the seafood I ate ealier- Classmate Yuchuan, can I rest in your room for a moment?"
I pressed my stomach tightly, pretending that the pain was unbearable.
"Cla, Classmate Gaocheng, are you okay?"
Seeing me like this, Ying walked anxiously to support me.
"Student Gaocheng, I'll take you to the hospital—"
Ying's father and Ms. Shenye also looked at me with concern.
"No need! I just need a short rest in Classmate Yuchuan's room... I'm really sorry to make everyone worried."
I waved my hand and rejected the help of the two elders, and left the dining table with Ying's support.
Nice! Fortunately, the game was simple. This kind of lame excuse actually worked!
Ying's room furnishings were dominated by wooden furniture, with delicate storage boxes and a metal candlestick on the table.
It was a girl's room, and it was much warmer than a male dormitory.
"Classmate Yuchuan you need to rest."
After I entered the room, I immediately recovered to a healthy appearance.
"Classmate Gaocheng... did you pretend to be sick for me?"
"Classmate Yuchuan don't force yourself. I know you want to leave a good impression, so I can only do this."
"...wuwu"
"Eh? Don't cry..."
Classmate Yuchuan's appearance really made me feel at a loss for what to do. Except for my cousin at home, I have never faced a crying girl alone. I had to grab a tissue from the table and give it to her.
"Wuwu... why do you treat me this way..."
Unexpectedly, she had more tears, and the tissues were soaked by her tears.
"...Because Classmate Yuchuan is my friend."
The cool wind blew past the window.
"Really...really just friends...?"
She looked at me with teary eyes, this kind of Ying was so cute!
People would always not be able to think rationally in panic, and I was no exception at this time...
"...Because I like Ying ."
I made the second confession in my life, and this time it was in this virtual reality game.