Twenty minutes later, Watanabe Yu knocked on the Neighbor's door, holding a food container filled with fried rice with eggs.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Coming!"
After one light and two heavy knocks, a somewhat androgynous, cold and aloof female voice that Watanabe Yu had only heard yesterday came from behind the door.
Snip.
As the door pushed open outwards, the owner of that cold and aloof voice appeared in Watanabe Yu's line of sight.
The girl looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.
She had shoulder-length short hair, a tall figure, fair skin, and her clear eyes held a trace of distance visible to the naked eye.
In terms of looks and temperament, she could be considered an equal match for the Saintess Young Miss.
Her upper body was clad in a short-sleeved shirt washed until faded, and below that, a pair of simple body-shaping jeans.
The blue pants curved slightly downward along her pert hips, outlining those beautiful leg curves.
"Is something the matter?"
The girl looked at Watanabe Yu thoughtfully.
This was her first time meeting this neighbor, but she was quite familiar with his voice.
After all, over the past month, her grandmother had often gone over to deliver food and chat with him, and he would occasionally knock to return gifts and then chat briefly at the door.
After going back and forth like that, it would be strange if she wasn't familiar with him.
【A person's past is their experience 】
【Experience shapes a person's character and also becomes the mask they wear on their face in various forms 】
【She is fire hidden in ice, resilient and stubborn, cold on the outside and warm on the inside 】
【Such a person won't easily fall in love, but once they do, it will certainly be like a moth to a flame, reckless and devoted 】
【So, dropping a heavy hint and leaving a profound impression is not a bad idea 】
【Romance option updated 】
【Should I ask her, 'Would you like to come live at my place?' 】
Are you out of your mind? System Bro!
"I'm Watanabe Yu from next door, here to return the food container."
Watanabe Yu ignored System Bro's sudden fit and got straight to the point.
"Oh!"
Hearing this, the girl nodded, her line of sight falling upon the food container in his hand.
She had tasted the few return gifts he had given a couple of times, and the flavor suited her palate well.
"Ryoko Hamabe." The girl gave a brief self-introduction, stepped toward the entrance hall, and then lowered her voice to remind Watanabe Yu, "Please be quiet, Grandma is resting."
Watanabe Yu nodded, handed the food container to Ryoko Hamabe, and lowered his voice, "Then I'll trouble Miss Hamabe to pass it along for me. There's fried rice with eggs I made inside; if you don't mind, you can try some."
"I will." Ryoko Hamabe took the food container, lowered her eyebrows, and politely said thanks, "Thank you."
"Then I'll head back now."
Watanabe Yu stepped back, turned around, and returned to his own home.
【Romance option paused, awaiting next trigger 】
As expected, the moment he closed his door, the system's prompt sound arrived as scheduled.
Tsk, that's not guiding a romance, that's making a buddy suffer social death.
Watanabe Yu grumbled inwardly, walked to the small square table, sat on the zabuton, picked up his portion of fried rice with eggs, and while eating, pondered the remaining 'tasks' for the day.
Since he already had the laptop, he definitely needed to speed things up. While he might not be making the keyboard smoke, he should at least be able to achieve something resembling phantom key dancing.
During the break while frying the fried rice with eggs, he had already tried it once. Without being fully accustomed to the laptop keyboard, he could type one hundred and ten words per minute.
Calculating at this rate, if he worked hard tonight, he could push the progress on 《Norwegian Wood》 to one-sixth.
Then, by working overtime tomorrow and the day after tomorrow with the same drive he had for Touhou Eiyashou back in school, 《Norwegian Wood》 should be finished before next Tuesday.
Withdrawing his line of sight, Watanabe Yu's thoughts refocused on the fried rice with eggs in front of him.
Great, decision made: eat first, then work!
*
"Ryoko, did you go open the door?"
Before Ryoko Hamabe could quietly close the door, a hoarse, aged voice came from inside the room.
"Yes."
Ryoko Hamabe turned around, replied toward the room, and then quickly closed the door, hurrying back to the living room.
She had thought that by moving softly she wouldn't wake Grandma, but she had still woken the latter, who had just fallen asleep.
After placing the food container on the square table, Ryoko Hamabe sat down next to Rie Hamabe and helped her up as she tried to rise.
"...Oh, it's Yu."
Rie Hamabe had initially intended to ask who was knocking, but upon seeing the food container her granddaughter had casually placed on the small square table, she immediately understood.
It was Yu coming to return the food container.
"Yes, he came to return the food container," Ryoko Hamabe nodded. "He also brought over a portion of fried rice with eggs. Are you hungry, Grandma? Would you like some?"
"I am a little hungry. Go get a bowl, we'll eat this tonight."
Rie Hamabe nodded, got up, and sat on the zabuton next to the square table, opening the food container as she did so.
She wasn't actually hungry, but she wanted her granddaughter to eat soon.
"Okay."
Ryoko Hamabe responded, quickly got up, went to the kitchen to fetch two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and placed them on the small square table.
"Grandma can't eat much." Rie Hamabe picked up the food container, casually moved two chopsticks-worth of fried rice with eggs into her own bowl, then put the container down and pushed it toward Ryoko Hamabe. "You eat more."
"..."
Ryoko Hamabe didn't join the conversation, merely silently took the food container, picked up her chopsticks, and started moving fried rice with eggs into her own bowl.
"Grandma's health is declining day by day. When I went for a follow-up check yesterday morning, the doctor also explained the specific situation to Grandma." Rie Hamabe paused, and her withered, yellowed face, full of wrinkles, showed a hint of negotiation in her expression. "Grandma doesn't want surgery.
"Surgery hurts a lot, and Grandma is most afraid of pain.
"So Grandma thinks, maybe we shouldn't have that surgery?"
Regardless of whether the surgery succeeded or failed, their family could not afford the cost.
"No!"
Ryoko Hamabe's movements stopped. She looked up and interrupted Rie Hamabe's speech with a firm tone.
"Ryoko, don't rush. Listen to Grandma." Rie Hamabe looked at her granddaughter, her gaze growing softer. "We have to consider reality; poor people can't afford to be sick.
"First, the success rate of that surgery isn't high.
"Second, surgery is a huge expense. Ryoko, you still have to go to university, you have to live—money is needed everywhere. Betting that money on a probability that isn't high is worse than not betting. Do you remember what Grandma told you before?"
"Not betting is winning."
Ryoko Hamabe bit her lip and uttered those four words in a low voice.
These were the words Grandma had repeatedly warned her with when she brought her back to the countryside from the city after her Father's gambling ruined their family.
"But this phrase isn't meant for this situation! You are my only family left."
She looked at Rie Hamabe, a trace of stubbornness and fear appearing in her eyes.
"...Sigh."
After a long silence, Rie Hamabe sighed, the guilt in her eyes growing stronger. "I'm sorry, Grandma has become your burden."
"You raised me all by yourself, and you never said I was your burden."
Ryoko Hamabe shook her head, disagreeing with that statement.
"That's different, Ryoko."
Raising her was her due responsibility.
"That is also my answer to what you just said."
Sigh.
Rie Hamabe sighed wordlessly and picked up her bowl and chopsticks.
"...Let's eat first."
Silence fell in the room.
1/2
Sorry, Red Donut, yesterday's sudden diarrhea directly affected today's update speed.
I'll try my best to catch up with this afternoon's chapter! Please vote for me~~~~~~~~~