December 24, Monday, Christmas Eve, noon.
In the Mysterious Country, traditional Western holidays were not observed; classes and work proceeded as usual. Although it was considered a holiday, it was really just an excuse for people to hang out—on ordinary days, asking someone out felt like an outright confession of "Yes, I really like you," whereas on holidays, it tended to carry a proud tone of "Hey, I just don't want to spend the holiday alone."
"...Hmm, okay, then you go get busy."
Ren Xingmei saw her older brother put down his phone and hang his head. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The last time I saw him this disheartened and devoid of passion for life was when I utterly thrashed him in King of Fighters, using a single character to defeat three of his with a perfect, full-health victory, making him scream, 'Change the game, change the game!'
Has Dong Chengling become so important in my brother's eyes? Has she become as significant, or even more fun, than video games?
