My daily life in love is too contrary to my character.

"Mimi, I'm giving you a tough task. This girl, your mother, you know? Keep an eye on her. Tell me if anything happens. Can you do this?"

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission. I'll find out everything about my mother!"

Mimi naturally couldn't speak; this was Shiraishi Zexiu answering himself in a high-pitched voice.

"Meow~"

This is Mimi's original answer.

Seeing that Takanashi Yuuko hadn't changed much, Shiraishi Sawa Hide licked his lips.

No matter how boring my work was, Yuko Takanashi was always the most supportive.

"I'm done eating."

Takanashi Yuuko finished her meager meal and stood up, saying...

Shiraishi Sawa gently tossed Mimi, watching it land smoothly, then snatched the bowl and chopsticks from Takanashi Yuuko's hand and got up to walk towards the kitchen:

"I'll wash the dishes, you go and rest."

"Thank you, Shiraishi."

The girl's gentle voice came from behind and entered Shiraishi Sawa's ears.

Shiraishi Sawa waved his hand, indicating that it was a small matter.

What will not be conveyed is the girl's inner voice.

Goodbye, Shiraishi.

--

After washing the dishes, Shiraishi Sawa came out and found the living room empty.

Mimi was in the corner, scratching and biting her little toys.

Takanashi Yuuko's door was tightly closed, and there wasn't a sound coming from inside, just like during the day.

Only by peering through a sliver of light from the crack in the door below can one confirm that someone is inside.

The living room was a bit boring with only one person there, so after thinking about it, Shiraishi Zexiu decided not to stay in the living room to watch variety shows and went back to his room.

Even a minor cold couldn't stop Shiraishi Sawa's desire to exercise. He started hitting the punching bag hanging in the corner.

Today I hammered with extra force, as if venting my anger.

I was simply angry that I had suddenly caught a cold.

It's definitely not because Takanashi Yuuko encountered a problem but didn't ask me for help this time.

--

When I opened my eyes the next day, it was already nine o'clock in the morning.

With his nose a bit stuffy, Shiraishizawa Hide first made himself a cup of cold medicine, then replied to messages on his phone—mainly greetings from Ichiyo and Soga Kirei.

"Alive".

"well."

According to Yuko Takanashi's message, Hideaki Shiraishi found today's breakfast in the rice cooker—three pieces of bread that were cold because he forgot to press the heating button when he left.

The kind that makes a crisp sound when you flick it with your finger.

Fine, considering that Takanashi Yuuko has been in a bad mood lately, I'll let it go.

No one came to visit me today, and I've already had a good night's sleep.

After finishing breakfast, Shiraishi Sawa Hide began reading his textbook.

Most of the knowledge inside was already learned in his previous life, and with his extremely high intelligence now, Shiraishi Sawa Hide had finished reading all the science subjects' class content for the next week without spending much time.

Shiraishi Sawa didn't look at the humanities exam materials; he planned to save them all up and use the "Super Memory" technique to memorize them all at once before the exam.

Although we've already accumulated a lot of time, there's no need to waste it.

"Takanashi, are you coming back for dinner tonight?" Shiraishi Sawa Hide sent a message to Takanashi Yuko after finishing reading the textbook.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will be no customers today.

So if Yuko Takanashi doesn't come home for dinner, Hideaki Shiraishi plans to order takeout for both lunch and dinner.

If I'm going to eat, I'll cook something myself for dinner.

Takanashi Yuuko didn't reply, and Shiraishi Sawa Hide didn't care. He opened the food delivery app to see if there was any takeout he wanted.

Because when Yuko Takanashi is at school, even during breaks, she will never take out her phone. The earliest you can expect her to reply to a message is during lunch break.

"I'm having dinner with my classmates."

Shiraishi Sawa received this message after he had already finished lunch.

"receive."

Hideaki Shiraishi started researching TikTok and YouTube to see which faceless videos were currently trending—it was time to consider earning some extra money.

--

At 4:30, the apartment door was opened.

Takanashi Yuuko came in and started taking off her shoes.

Shiraishi Sawahide frowned, walked over, and asked:

"Takayuki, have you had dinner yet?"

Because school ends at 4 p.m., and the subway journey from school takes about half an hour, I have to rush home as soon as get out of class is over to get home by this time.

"I ate." Takanashi Yuuko first looked up at Shiraishi Sawa, then immediately looked away, saying guiltily.

"Alright, I'll order an extra portion when I order takeout later. I'm planning to have some barbecue, so I'll order more according to your previous taste." Seeing this reaction, Shiraishi Zexiu naturally understood the real situation.

"Thank you." Seemingly aware of her poor acting skills, Takanashi Yuko didn't continue to force herself on.

"Shiraishi-kun, are you feeling any better from your cold?" Takanashi Yuko suddenly asked.

"A cold can't possibly get better in two days. I estimate tomorrow will be the worst day, and then it will start to heal slowly. Before, if I didn't take medicine, my cold would last about a week, but if I took medicine, it would last about four or five days."

Yuko Takanashi seemed relieved, then asked:

"So you're not going to school these next few days? How can you keep up with the pace if you don't attend classes for a week?"

"Yes, of course not. You're too narrow-minded when it comes to the pace. I can even surpass the school's pace. If I get sick a few more times, I can finish all the material for this semester ahead of schedule. However, I would be willing to accept private tutoring if you wanted to."

Yuuko Takanashi smiled, but the curve of her lips seemed forced, like a worn-out old bow being drawn to its fullest extent. She then replied:

"Do you need any private tutoring, Shiraishi-kun?"

"You were just questioning whether I could keep up with the pace, and now you think I don't need tutoring anymore. Takanashi, you've changed."

"I'm sorry." The voice was low and regretful.

Shiraishi Sawa slammed his hand heavily on his forehead to show his helplessness, and the loud noise attracted the girl's attention.

"I think you've got something wrong. I didn't really mean what you said." Seeing that Takanashi Yuuko was about to speak again, he made a 'pause' gesture with his hands. "Stop. I have a feeling you're going to say 'sorry' again. Please remember our promise, Takanashi."

"I'm just afraid I won't have the chance to say it again..." He murmured very softly, so softly that Shiraishi Sawa couldn't hear him at all.

"What did you say? Say it again. I didn't hear you clearly." Shiraishi Sawa bent down slightly and put his ear next to Takanashi Yuuko's mouth.

I could feel a little bit of warm breath coming out of my nose.

The girl looked at the ears in front of her. The hair around them stood up haphazardly because the owner hadn't washed or styled it that day, with a few strands sticking out in front of her nose.

It's itchy.

Should I speak up and take this opportunity to express my feelings before I run away from it?

But what's the use of it, for someone like me?

"nothing."

There's no need to dwell on bad memories anymore.

Shiraishi Zexiu frowned, but could only nod and straighten up.

Tonight, Takanashi Yuuko remained silent, only responding briefly when Shiraishi Sawa tried to lighten the mood or when asked questions.

After finishing the barbecue, Shiraishi Sawah first told Takanashi Yuko to take a bath—he usually bathed first, but today he considered that her condition was not suitable for her to wait.

Finish your shower quickly and go to bed early; this will help improve your mood.

The phone vibrated and the screen lit up.

Chiyo: "I discussed it with Soga-san and we decided not to grant Takanashi's request. We also don't believe she did these things. We're telling you this."

In the group chat of Chiyo, Soga Kirei, and Shiraishi Sawa, this message suddenly popped up.

.......

After reviewing what had happened at school during the two days he was away, Shiraishi Sawahide breathed a sigh of relief.

I turned off the phone screen and tossed it onto the sofa next to me.

"Fuck you."

Chapter 201 The Darkness Unlit by Anyone (5500)

September 9th, Thursday, 6:30 AM.

Yuko Takanashi pushed open the door to her room and came out; the living room was empty.

Looking at the tightly closed door next door, Takanashi Yuuko's eyes showed a hint of reluctance.

After figuring everything out, I suddenly felt much lighter.

I'm truly sorry that my attitude towards Shiraishi Zexiu hasn't been very good these past few days.

She was very glad that Shiraishi Zexiu was sick this time, because he wouldn't be able to go to school for a week, leaving her with several days to complete the procedures and leave.

If he had found out sooner, I wouldn't know how to face it.

Even if he is disappointed or angry, he won't be in front of me.

That would be best, like two autumn leaves falling, intertwining in the air for a moment, one drifting in the wind, the other falling into the soil to decay and be forgotten, the two never to meet again.