Just now, if he had tried trading the fried chicken with Yamada Ryo…
Would she have ended up eating grass?
Thinking about it, Bai Qiu felt he'd made a misstep.
No, no, that won't do.
Shaking his head, Bai Qiu considered Yamada Ryo's trashy tendencies.
If he came on so strong right away, wouldn't she be able to manipulate him too easily in the future?
[Repeatedly stimulated Takamatsu Akari's memories of the band, Notes +500.]
A system reward?
Bai Qiu paused, a bit taken aback.
Was he the type of person who derived happiness from others' suffering?!
......
"小 Sose, are you getting used to living here?"
On the sofa, a woman sprawled with no regard for decorum, her legs playfully kicked up behind her, hands covering her face as she peered toward the kitchen.
"Mom, stop calling me 'little Sose.'"
"I'm grown up now."
Nagasaki Sose looked back, puffing out her chest as she spoke with a hint of charm, holding a soup ladle in her hand — clearly in the middle of cooking.
"And I really like the new house too, thank you, Mom."
"Sorry for always leaving you alone."
Her mother's voice carried genuine apology.
"It's okay, Mom, you work hard enough already."
"Besides, even alone, I won't be bored — I have lots of friends at school."
"Is that so? Good."
The woman smiled with relief, clearly at ease. Having such a sensible daughter must feel wonderful.
Speaking of school, she naturally asked, "Are you adjusting to high school life? Keeping up with your studies?"
"I'm fine!"
Nagasaki Sose smiled sweetly.
Her mother's face lit up too, about to praise her further, when the phone suddenly rang.
Her brow furrowed.
The soup ladle in Sose's hand trembled slightly. A sense of foreboding rose in her chest.
Sitting up, she answered the phone.
Instantly, her mother's gentle expression vanished.
Her whole demeanor shifted to one of seriousness, as she spoke firmly on the other end.
The call was short, but Sose remained restless.
A moment later…
"Sorry, Sose… Mom's got a sudden assignment and can't have dinner with you tonight."
Saying this, her mother stood, put on a coat, and came to Sose's side.
"I-it's fine, Mom. There's nothing you can do about it."
Sose forced a smile to reassure her.
"Okay. Remember to contact me if anything happens."
Her mother nodded, hugging her reluctantly.
"Okay."
After seeing her mother out and closing the door…
Sose's smile vanished entirely. Her face even looked a little pale.
Sitting down behind the door, she pressed her lips together, drained of color.
At that moment, the spacious, brand-new house felt as cold to her as the iron gate behind her.
......
"Ding!"
Not the sound of leveling up, but the elevator arriving at her floor.
Bai Qiu exited first.
At the same time, a shadowy figure entered the elevator.
She faced Bai Qiu politely, smiling and nodding in greeting.
Bai Qiu returned a courteous smile, though he was slightly surprised.
After all, there were only two apartments per floor — rarely would a stranger appear.
But the way she was dressed…
Bai Qiu felt she was undoubtedly a workplace professional.
A tailored, wrinkle-free black suit, neatly cropped shoulder-length hair.
A perfectly measured smile — polite, warm, and pleasant.
She looked nothing like a typical floor salesperson.
Well, never mind.
Bai Qiu took out his keys, opened the gate with a "click."
At that moment, the door next door suddenly opened.
Nagasaki Sose excitedly poked her head out.
"You're back, Mom…"
But upon seeing the person outside…
Her face fell visibly, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"…Mom…"
Bai Qiu jumped, turning in surprise.
"Huh??"
...
Inside the Nagasaki Sose household
Bai Qiu and Sose sat facing each other.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
Looking at Sose — friendly, gentle, kind, yet with a hint of shyness and restraint — Bai Qiu couldn't help feeling something was off.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Earlier, being called "Mom" out of nowhere…
And somehow, Sose had invited him inside.
Sose herself appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was equally shy and embarrassed.
Out of Bai Qiu's sight, she fidgeted with her fingers.
Earlier, hearing noises outside, she had assumed her mother had returned from work early — something that had happened before.
She opened the door with joy… only to see Bai Qiu.
Her disappointment was palpable.
And Bai Qiu had seen her slightly flustered state.
For some reason, she had then invited him in to share dinner.
Maybe she didn't want the food to go to waste,
Or perhaps she simply wanted to thank Bai Qiu for his previous help,
Or maybe she just didn't want to eat alone.
At this point, Sose spoke softly, "Bai Qiu-kun, wait for me. I'll serve the rice."
Bai Qiu nodded, not offering to help.
He felt he needed a little time and space to calm down.
On the exquisite round dining table, food emitted a tantalizing aroma.
Four dishes and one soup.
Stir-fried shredded potato with green peppers, tomato scrambled eggs, braised eggplant, sizzling tofu cubes.
Finally, a pot of bright green vegetable pasta soup, eye-catching on the table.
Bai Qiu looked over, his expression slightly mixed.
Abundant?
Definitely abundant!
But… was something missing?
Something?
Meat!
Considering his relationship with Mrs. Nagasaki wasn't close enough to joke casually…
And that he'd be mooching a meal here.
Otherwise, Bai Qiu would inevitably ask:
"Nagasaki-san, are you really a vegetarian like your name says?"
Luckily, with the fried chicken Bai Qiu brought, there was some meat after all.
So now it was truly five dishes and one soup.
Thinking this, Bai Qiu smiled lightly.
At this moment, he was immensely glad he hadn't handed the fried chicken to Yamada Ryo.
Otherwise, he would've arrived empty-handed.
That would've been awkward!
Definitely not because he didn't have meat to eat.
Suddenly, a smirk formed on his lips as he thought of something amusing.
Bai Qiu pulled out his phone.
By accident, the band-aid gifted by Takamatsu Akari also slipped out.
He picked it up, gently setting it aside.
Then he used his phone to take a photo of the sumptuous dinner.
He shared it in the band's group chat.
The chat record dated a few days ago.
Ichi Chiji Niji discussed how she and Ryo would soon prepare for monthly tests.
Shimokitazawa High was a school that emphasized entrance exams.
Hence, recent band practice after school had been paused.
The other three replied, acknowledging receipt.
Bai Qiu watched the chat expectantly, waiting for a response.
The first reply came from Ichi Chiji Niji:
Ichi Chiji Niji: "Aki-kun, eat more meat!"
Then came Yamada Ryo, sending a photo.
It was of the grass she had just dug that afternoon — fresh and still covered in dew, with the caption:
"This is my dinner, Niji. Can I come to your house to eat?"
Ichi Chiji Niji: "Sorry, Ryo. Tonight, my sister said she's too hungry. We're already full, and the bowls are washed."
Niji added a cute "sorry" sticker.
Yamada Ryo crying.jpg!
At Gotou Ichiri's home:
From the first message Bai Qiu sent, Ichiri had been staring at her phone intently.
The internet was her only safe space.
Yet, aside from spam, her phone rarely had notifications.
Her online interactions were limited to her "Guitar Hero" account and fan interactions.
So any notification made her extremely alert.
A faint, eerie "hehe…" came from the closet.
Joining a band wasn't a dream after all!
Besides the class chat, this was the first time Ichiri joined another group chat.
No, now wasn't the time for daydreaming.
She had to say something quickly!
Everyone else had spoken — if she stayed silent, she'd seem out of place.
"Bai Qiu-san's food looks delicious."
"Ryo-senpai seems to have no food?"
But didn't she live in a villa? She should be rich.
Should she invite Ryo-senpai over to her place?
No, no, no…!
Ichiri shook her head vigorously, like a rattle.
Inviting someone over for a meal was way above her current level.
So she hesitated over the two photos.
Her fingers instinctively typed "Delicious!", then sent it.
Looking at the screen, she panicked.
Oh no!
Her life might be over.
Saying "delicious" at a time like this could make Ryo-senpai think she was mocking her!
The group chat fell silent at that moment.
Ichiri grew anxious, fingers pounding the keyboard, racking her brain for apologies.
Luckily, Niji rescued her.
Ichi Chiji Niji: "Ichiri, you mean Aki-kun's food, right? Grass isn't tasty."
Ichiri wanted to cry. Niji — her hero! No, her angel!
Yamada Ryo: "@Bai Qiu, liar!"
Niji, puzzled, asked…
Ichi Chiji Niji: "What happened? Why is Ryo eating grass again? And buying a new bass?"
Bai Qiu: "Nothing, just eating fried chicken in front of Ryo."
Yamada Ryo: "Didn't buy it yet, planning to."
Ichi Chiji Niji: "Then why…?"
Yamada Ryo: "To be honest, light novels and merchandise are kinda expensive."
Niji, far away at home, sighed and replied — suffering the consequences.
Bai Qiu: "Ryo, take care of yourself."
Bai Qiu looked satisfied — clearly Ryo had contributed plenty to his light novels and merchandise.
But now, she might be keeping him in mind.
Bai Qiu put away his phone, pressing it onto the band-aid.
He was about to have dinner with Nagasaki Sose.
-------------------------
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