Chapter 24: Innocent and Lively
Feeling the uncomfortable gazes all the way, this sensation only disappeared after returning to Black Street.
Hoo, I finally shook them off.
Hehehe, as expected, the person trailing me also couldn’t find Black Street, just like I couldn’t last night.
A place that even I, someone who’s lived here for nearly twenty years, couldn’t find, others definitely wouldn’t be able to, heh heh~
The pedestrians on the street were sparse. If it weren’t for the title “Extras,” it would look like ordinary people rushing home.
Putting aside whether they were acting or actual passersby, they weren’t focused on me anyway.
Because I couldn’t feel ‘gazes’ from this group of people.
If someone were monitoring me, I would definitely perceive it. My sensitivity to gazes lately isn’t just a little bit higher; it’s reached a point of being borderline neurotic. Perhaps this is a subtle change brought about by the strengthening of my Spiritual Power.
However, this leaves me confused about their reason for playing bystanders.
Could this be the cultivation of an actor? Forgetting their original purpose after fully immersing themselves in the role?
What’s the point of that… These “Extras” are really mysterious.
Returning to Xueqing’s home again, I unloaded a large pile of things and let out a long sigh of relief.
I’m exhausted…
Taking out two pairs of slippers from the large bag and putting them on for Xueqing and myself, I suddenly remembered something.
“Right, I still need to mop the floor. I forgot to buy a mop…”
Last night, I walked right in with my shoes on, and I must have left a mess of footprints on the floor.
“Huh?”
The floor looks so clean? Even if my shoe soles were clean, it’s impossible to not leave a single footprint, right?
Xueqing, on the other hand, looked nonchalant. She put on the bunny slippers I bought for her, a faint smile playing on her lips.
And after entering the living room, I discovered something even more surprising.
“Huh?! There’s a light on?!”
What the heck! I even specially bought a table lamp for lighting! And now the lighting equipment is suddenly complete?
This bizarre thing happening again, what on earth is going on?
No, I can’t stand it anymore. I have to get a clear answer.
“Xueqing, there are definitely other people living in your house! What’s with this light? Who installed it?”
Xueqing thought for a moment and replied.
“Probably… the Uncles.”
“The Uncles?!”
“Yeah, it’s convenient.”
Xueqing nodded, offering a casual assessment.
“Convenient?!”
C-convenient in what way?
Imagining a loli-like Xueqing and a bunch of uncles being convenient together… Ugh, ugh, ugh?! Although uncles and lolis are a common pairing, it feels very uncomfortable! It’s too perverse! It’s not human at all!
… Isn’t that describing me?
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Why am I getting so agitated? I’ve gone off on a tangent again.
It’s not even dark yet, and I’m already overthinking things. It must be because the room is too dark…
I rubbed my temples, sighed, and pressed the newly appeared switch. The recently installed living room light flickered on. This is what a modern house should look like; using candles is indeed too strange.
“But this light appeared at such a timely moment… It feels like it just appeared perfectly, as if to fulfill our needs.”
“Mhm, just like that.”
“Huh? Just like that? What do you mean?”
Xueqing tilted her head, picked up a sticky note from the low coffee table, and casually wrote, “Want ice cream.”
“Like this, make a request.”
I seemed to understand what she was trying to convey.
“And then these uncles you mentioned will fulfill it for you?”
“Mhm, when you’re not around, they come over.”
“Ohh… I see now…”
Are they some kind of butlers?
Then preparing hot water, draining the bath, cleaning the house, and even installing the table lamp while we were out shopping – that must have been done by the Uncles Xueqing mentioned, right?
They must be adults hired specifically to take care of Xueqing, as she lacks common sense and doesn’t seem capable of taking care of herself.
“In that case, we didn’t even need to go shopping. We could have just made a list of items!”
“…”
Xueqing remained silent, merely lowering her head and sitting on the sofa somewhat timidly.
I suddenly understood. If not for that, what else could be the reason? She just wanted to go out with me.
Really, I didn’t even notice something so simple. My emotional intelligence is quite low…
I scratched my head and, to dispel the awkward atmosphere, feigned cheerfulness and loudly asked,
“So, Xueqing, is there anything you’d like to eat? I bought quite a lot of ingredients, and I can make many kinds of dishes.”
“Anything Juncheng makes is fine.”
“Aha, so it’s up to me? Even if I make something particularly unpalatable, you have to eat it all up?”
“Mhm.”
Heh…
It seems I’m starting to understand how to get along with Xueqing. It’s not that difficult…
Flexing my shoulders, I walked into the kitchen and began preparing the meal.
Around 5:30 PM, I finished making two plates of seafood fried rice and brought them to the dining table.
Xueqing scooped a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth. Before swallowing, she took another bite. Her pace wasn’t fast, but she ate continuously, taking small bites. While chewing, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s, which was very cute.
This must be a reaction indicating she finds it delicious… Hehe, it’s quite rewarding.
Speaking of which, the sense of accomplishment I felt when I first met Xueqing and successfully lent her my cushion was similar to this.
We ate dinner in silence.
This kind of quiet dinner time is truly a rarity. I remember before my Mom came to live with us, Xinran and Dad and I used to eat dinner like this, without speaking a word to each other.
Back then, Dad was the one who cooked dinner. Hehe, speaking of which, Dad’s cooking skills were really quite poor. He could perform delicate surgical operations with perfect precision, but he was not good at cooking, which lacks fixed quantities.
After all, many cookbooks say “appropriate amount” and “add to your taste.” Dad couldn’t grasp these unquantifiable things, and the result was either too salty or too bland. But Xinran and Dad still ate it all silently.
And after dinner, they would always say, “I’ll succeed next time,” setting a FLAG for future failure, hehehe…
Unconsciously… so much time has passed…
I’m still the same as back then, haven’t improved at all.
Hmm… no, if anything, maybe I have improved a little?
At least I’ve made a friend, haven’t I?
I’m just a bit curious, when did Xueqing start to trust me?
Did such a small thing as me lending her a cushion make her consider me a friend?
What exactly is the definition of a friend…
I don’t quite understand…
When do people start to define someone as a friend?
Is it enough to just speak to them to be friends? Are people who frequently greet each other friends? Are those who exchange contact information considered friends? Or are people who take photos together friends?
Even if I consider someone a friend, how do I know if they consider me a friend?
If I hadn’t suddenly gained the ability to discern people’s emotions by color, I wouldn’t have known that Xueqing had good intentions towards me.
And then perhaps we wouldn’t have become friends…
“In the end, what kind of existence are so-called friends?”
Uh… Am I a loner for contemplating the definition of friends here…
“No need for… definition.”
“Hm?”
“Juncheng, is a friend.”
“I know. I’m just curious why you consider me a friend…”
She didn’t answer my question. She just swallowed the food in her mouth, stood up, came over to me, and sat down on my lap. Leaning into my embrace, she looked up and asked me.
“Juncheng, aren’t you eating?”
“Ah, actually, I’m not that hungry.”
“Then, ah~”
Xueqing opened her mouth, looking at me expectantly like a hungry infant.
Heh, she wants to eat my portion too?
Opening her mouth and waiting for me to feed her, hasn’t she completely become a pet…
“I can’t help it.”
Although, this isn’t bad either.
After finishing dinner and resting for a while, I felt the urge to leave.
Spending the first day of my Qingming holiday at a female friend’s house was truly an unprecedented experience for me.
“Then I should be going now.”
“Tonight… you’re not staying…?”
Hearing me say I was leaving, Xueqing turned around, now straddling my lap facing me. She clutched my shirt and asked with a dejected expression.
I recognize that expression. It was the same subtle reluctance she showed when she first told me that “all the birds flew away” at school.
This time, however, I can confirm it completely. Her lips are slightly pursed, and her brows are slightly furrowed. It’s clearly visible that she’s reluctant and attached.
Hmm, I’m so smitten… Xueqing, who always has a poker face, suddenly making such a petulant, childish expression. The contrast itself is incredibly potent!
Seeing that expression, how could I bear to leave?
But if I stay here any longer, I’m afraid I might not be able to resist doing something questionable again.
“I was just saying that. Don’t mind it. Actually, it’s best if you stay like this.”
A legal loli, isn’t that extremely rare?
Well, Ghoul Kaoru Tsukiyose, who has lived for who knows how long, is an exception.
Well, Teacher Xiaozhen, who is suspected of undergoing genetic modification, is also an exception.
“In short, I’ll come again next time if there’s a chance.”
Saying this, I picked up Xueqing and put her down. Then I stood up, bent down to her eye level, and smiled as I asked her.
“You’re saying I can come to your house to play again?”
Xueqing blinked, her facial expression softening. She answered with pure and straightforward simplicity, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Consider this… your home.”
Her innocent and lively nature has already made me feel like family.
