The morning after the rain, faint sunlight seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting a gentle glow in Alister's room.
Alister's room was ordinary, with a computer, a large desk, a bookshelf filled with famous literature and manga, and posters stuck on the walls...
Alister opened his eyes and looked at the familiar surroundings of his home. Everything was quiet.
Before getting out of bed, Alister would usually spend some time playing with his phone.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table, skillfully unlocked it with his fingerprint, and saw some news notifications with high popularity.
"A series of anomalies explained by experts in A City last night..."
"Mourning for the accident in the undeveloped area of A City, where several pedestrians were involved in a runaway dump truck..."
"Official statement on the foreign..."
"Sequence game, conflicts between players, the Seventeenth Bureau..."
Previously, these news articles didn't evoke much of a reaction in him, but now Alister felt that the world was full of turbulence, and the memories of last night were still fresh in his mind.
"Headache... sigh..."
Alister sat up, took a deep breath, and changed into a white shirt and a black jacket. He put on his sports pants and leisurely went to freshen up.
Splash, splash... the porcelain cup filled with clear water.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Alister combed his slightly messy black hair and examined himself again.
Even though his hair was a bit unruly, his face was flawless and handsome. At this moment, he was a tired and handsome young man.
"Shadow, puh—"
Alister skillfully spat out the mouthwash and then let the shadows tidily arrange his hair, like octopus tentacles.
He washed his face, rinsed the towel, and turned off the tap.
Alister glanced at the living room, where the sunlight streamed in through the large glass windows, illuminating the bustling city outside.
Then, he entered the kitchen and prepared a simple bowl of plain noodles, sprinkling some green onions on top, and fried an egg on the side.
A simple breakfast filled the air with a delightful aroma.
"You promised to be here at 9 o'clock, and no lateness allowed (warning from a beautiful girl)."
While eating the noodles, Yumikou sent an unread message, and a red dot lit up on the screen. Alister opened the chat interface.
"Absolutely arriving half an hour early."
"Waiting for you."
By the way, the chat avatars of Alister and Yumikou were a pair, both created by a professional artist in a similar anime style based on their real-life photos.
Of course, it was Yumikou's request, and she paid for it as a small fortune.
Perhaps they were a couple, but Alister always felt that it was just a purely good relationship.
After finishing breakfast, Alister cleaned the dishes and, with plenty of time left, quickly tidied up the living room.
He took one last look at his familiar home and then left.
...
...
Although he was a player in the sequence game last night, today Alister was still an ordinary resident of A City.
"Linggu Station, this is Linggu Station."
As the gentle announcement sounded inside the bus, Alister bid farewell to the girl who had struck up a conversation with him and got off the bus with the crowd.
The air outside was fresh, and on the left was a fried chicken fast-food restaurant called "Kun Kun," crowded with customers. The parking lot in front was filled with electric scooters.
Alister followed the street to the right, walking through the towering modern skyscrapers, and after waiting for a red light for about ten seconds, he passed through an intersection.
"This should be it," Alister followed the navigation on his phone.
He arrived at the open view of the East District.
On the lively square adorned with cartoon balloons, among the children playing around, Yumikou sat upright on a public seat, already waiting for Alister.
She was dressed casually today, with a white jacket and black leggings, looking like a serene beauty.
Or more accurately, Yumikou's beautiful figure and slender legs made her more like the older sister-next-door type.
When she noticed Alister approaching, a gleam appeared in Yumikou's watery eyes. Carrying her canvas bag, she approached with a smile.
"I've been waiting for you." Her voice was cold.
Alister glanced at the time on his phone, confirming that he wasn't late, and looked back at her.
"You didn't come two hours early, did you?"
Alister arrived half an hour early, around 8:30.
Yumikou shook her head in response and raised two fingers, saying coldly, "I came two hours early."
Alister sighed helplessly and showed a wry smile. He smoothed the hair on her forehead and asked, "Why did you come so early?"
"Just in case, I can't be late," Yumikou replied, her clear eyes reflecting Alister. "The Linggu Station is usually crowded."
"You fool," Alister sighed.
Yumikou tilted her head slightly, puffed up her cheeks a bit, and playfully scolded, "You're the fool."
"A big fool."
Alister scratched her fair chin, then held her hand, and they walked towards the shopping center together.
Yumikou, being led by Alister, felt her ears getting warm as she leaned on his shoulder, stealing glances at him.
You're the fool for not knowing how dangerous it was last night.
"What do you want to buy? It's my treat."
"It was me who invited you out, so it's my treat."
I'm a fool who likes you.
...
...
Entering the shopping center, a vast and modern atmosphere greeted them, with shop windows displaying a wide range of fashionable goods.
"Do you have any preferences? Just relax."
"Rest assured, I've got it."
Yumikou's gaze shifted between the plush dolls and Alister as they stood in front of a claw machine, while Alister inserted a coin to help her catch the cat plush toy in the center.
Buzz, buzz, buzz... The mechanical arm of the claw machine started to move.
Yumikou leaned against her chin, observing the process. One, she wanted to see how Alister operated it, and two, she liked seeing his profile up close.
The two stood side by side, feeling each other's warmth and breath.
Alister operated the joystick slowly, confirming the angle before the mechanical arm started to move.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
The cat plush toy, as if disturbed from sleep, was slowly grabbed from the pile of dolls by the mechanical arm, swaying imperceptibly.
"I feel like it might fall," Yumikou said, resting her chin on her hand.
Alister covered his face and sighed lightly. "Your feeling is correct."
And as expected, the cat plush toy fell down, returning to the embrace of its plush doll companions.
Yumikou stared at the fallen plush toy for a while, then inserted a coin herself, ready to operate the machine.
Alister watched Yumikou's focused expression intently without making a sound. He quietly took out his phone and started recording.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
As the mechanical arm moved, Yumikou's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her demeanor became even more serious.
Left, right, a little higher... She adjusted the angle carefully.
The claw machine's mechanical arm began to grab again.
Unconsciously, Yumikou held her breath, her watery eyes fixed on the cat plush toy being slowly grabbed and moved towards the exit.
Snap... The cat plush toy fell into the exit.
"I got it," Yumikou said, subconsciously tucking her hair behind her ear, her smile as warm as the morning sun. She looked at Alister beside her.
"Yes, you got it." Alister had been recording the whole time.
Yumikou noticed that Alister was recording and momentarily lost her focus. "Hmm..."
Alister shifted his gaze, stopped recording, and showed her the edited video, saying appreciatively, "It's quite cute, don't you think?"
Yumikou crossed her arms, turned her head away slightly, and coquettishly complained, "It makes me look like a child... delete it."
"As an exchange, you should also delete the secretly recorded video of me."
"...I didn't secretly record you." Yumikou averted her gaze.
Then the two continued walking in the mall's atrium.
After Yumikou admired the cat plush toy, she put it in her canvas bag. She surreptitiously unlocked her phone.
On the clean phone screen, the video of Alister catching the plush toy was in the latest records.
Alister looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Yumikou reluctantly put away her phone, linked her arm with Alister's, and they continued their stroll.
...