I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"Pineapple-flavored ramen~ The refreshing taste will definitely wake you up."

"...Ah, ha..."

I think I am sober enough now.

Intentional or unintentional temptation

I believe everyone has the experience of imitating someone they admire.

Those in their naive or middle school years naturally tend to imitate characters who look cool to them. For boys, based on my own experience... I often imagine myself possessing some powerful, mysterious power, capable of transforming at critical moments.

However, this was all a thing of the past, and I certainly wouldn't do it again. It was impossible, no matter how I looked at it. Relatively speaking, I preferred realistic stories over the fantasy-filled ones I'd previously enjoyed. After gaining a deeper understanding of my own strength, I began to consider what I could truly achieve.

It depends on your own hobbies.

Now, it seems like trying to recreate dishes from certain works is a perfectly normal idea. After all, if you love cooking and have some experience in it, you'll inevitably want to try it. However... it's just a matter of trying it, and not giving it to others to eat.

"Although I might not be able to recreate it completely, I think the taste should be good...right?"

At least you should have some confidence in yourself. If even you are so shaken, how can I trust you... It's useless even if you smile like this.

"...well..."

But now that things have come to this, I can only blame myself for not stopping her from the beginning. And...

"Well?"

When she noticed that I was looking at her, she responded with a cute smile.

"...Well."

And she also said that it would taste good... There is no doubt about that... Probably... So, of course, you should have more trust in the people around you.

"Then I'll start eating..."

As someone who enjoys distinct flavors of salty, sweet, bitter, and spicy, I wondered if this bowl of pineapple ramen would be delicious. With a hint of suspense, I picked up my chopsticks with trembling hands.

The moment I took a bite of the ramen, a sentence once said by Arthas, the most filial son of Lordaeron, suddenly appeared in my mind.

There is only darkness before my eyes.

“So sour…”

Because of the intense stimulation, I couldn't help but close my eyes. I guess my expression must be extremely distorted.

"Hmm? Does it taste weird?"

Perhaps noticing my expression, she quickly walked to the kitchen and served herself a bowl.

"No...wait..."

I wanted to stop her, but it seemed a little too late.

"Slurp..." Ye Hui had already eaten the noodles, "Hmm..."

"..."

"Is there anything strange?"

"...No, there isn't."

.............

In line with the principle of not wasting food, I ate the meal Ye Hui made for me. Judging from her expression, she didn't seem to think the taste was wrong. Perhaps in her mind, this kind of noodles should taste sour. Although I haven't actually tasted it, I always feel that she has a misunderstanding about the taste.

"Huh... feels pretty good." His face was filled with satisfaction.

It actually feels good...

"So, what should we do next time?" Then he seemed to be thinking about something.

There's actually a next time... Then please make some normal dishes.

"Ahem... Well, let's focus on the comics..." I tried to divert my attention. "We can't waste any more time now. After all, there's not much time left until the settlement. We need to work harder."

Although most of the time was delayed because of me.

"Is it finally about to begin... Well, since the country seems so full of energy, there's nothing to worry about."

What do you mean by "it's always like this"... Am I really that unreliable?

"Anyway, let's get started."

The group I know has been together for a long time now... I'm kind of looking forward to what kind of story Kurimasa will come up with.

Chapter 12: Intentional or Unintentional Testing

"How does it feel? I deliberately thickened the lines and ignored some details to highlight the sense of dynamics." Jiumuting excitedly handed the newly completed drawing to Li Moya beside her. However, Li Moya was not busy thinking about the plot at this time, but was casually flipping through the novel.

"It's definitely much better than before... Well, let's stick with this style for the battle." Li Moya nodded slightly. "How long do you estimate it will take to complete the rest?"

"It should be finished in about three days. The two people we hired to help are quite reliable."

"I see... That's great..."

Kurimasa, who had already completed and revised the plot, finally smiled with relief.

"It's time to go back and have a good rest. My body clock has been messed up these past few days..." Although staying up late is common for Jiumuting, this is the first time she has experienced a situation where her rest schedule is completely reversed. "Although I don't mind it, from a health perspective, it's not worth promoting."

"Yeah... I feel like I've become much more haggard..."

"It was you who insisted on changing the plot, and it wasn't even the first time."

"I just think it's better to change it that way." Li Moya didn't react much to her complaint.

In fact, I just wanted to make corresponding improvements after watching animations and novels with similar themes... If it was just a spur of the moment, Jiumuting would probably get angry.

"Then please keep trying... I can't help you any more." Li Moya said as she put the book aside and stretched out in the swivel chair. Because she stretched too hard, the chair tilted slightly.

"Be careful..."

Before Jiumuting finished her words, Li Moya had already fallen to the ground.

“Ahhh, it hurts...it hurts so much..."

Li Moya couldn't help but groan as she held her head after it hit the floor... That must have hurt. Jiu Muting thought to herself after seeing this scene, then realized that she shouldn't be watching like that, so she walked over to her.

"...Are you okay?" Jiumuting squatted down and asked with concern.

"How can it be okay... My head hurts so badly! Ugh..." Li Moya straightened up slightly and looked at Jiu Mu Ting in front of her, "But now is not the time to worry about me... Time cannot be wasted."

"...You're here again..."

"Leave me alone! Go away!"

"Such lines are not cool in this situation." Jiumuting sighed and said, "You should change this kind of middle school behavior."

"Xiaodie...I'm not happy with you saying that."

"If possible, please don't call me Xiaodie..."

This pen name was chosen when I was in my middle school years. Although it is not very offensive now, I still feel embarrassed when people mention it to my face.

"Don't worry about these things... Your mission isn't complete yet." Li Moya seemed to have recovered from the pain of her fall. "Hurry up and take care of your own affairs."

"...That's right, if you finish it sooner, you can be relieved sooner... But then again, what are you going to do?" Jiumuting suddenly realized this.

"...It's been a while since I last went out for a walk."

"Hey..."

. . . . . . . . . .

"Well, that's all I'll do today."

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a little worried about Tongyou’s physical condition, but Xun Yu’s mental state is not very good today. Instead of working with the possibility of messing up, it’s better to just relax.

So he said goodbye to Li Moya and Jiumuting.

"Oh? Of course you can, after all, we are the ones asking you for help...but did something happen?" Jiumuting looked a little worried.

"Well... I haven't had time to check on Tongyou these past few days, so I'm going to go see her. If I'm still unsure, I always feel like I'll mess things up."

But what exactly is in my mind...

"Is that so... Then there's nothing we can do. Say hello to Tongyou-san for me."

"Um..."

Having said that, it is definitely not okay to continue in this state. Maybe I will have some ideas after seeing her.

"Oh, in that case, I'll go too," Li Moya interrupted. "Anyway, the story has already been named Xiaodie...Xiaoting, and I'm free now, so why not go with you to visit her?"

That wasn't an expression of seeking opinions. Xun Yu felt that Li Yuya wasn't someone who would seek others' opinions. What she said was a decision, and it had to be done no matter what.

"..."

Although somewhat disgusted, there was no reason to stop her.

"Okay, I'm sure Tongyou will be very happy to see you coming to visit." After all, she is the kind of person who doesn't think about anything.

"Then I'll go change my clothes, wait for me."

After getting the answer, Li Moya quickly ran towards her bedroom.

"Remember not to cause trouble to others..." Jiumuting warned her from behind, then looked at Xun Yu who had changed his shoes and was standing at the door. "Well, Xiaoya is just like that, always acting on impulse... I'll trouble you then."

"It's ok."

As expected, Jiumuting is easier to get along with. If only their personalities could complement each other... No, it would be better if I could just share some of Jiumuting's gentle personality with Li Moya. Xun Yu couldn't help but think so.

"Well, I'll leave Xiaoya in your care for the time being... I have my own things to do, um..."

"Don't worry, I'll watch over her."

"That's good~" After getting the assurance, she walked towards the studio at the side with confidence.

"...I'm worried about all sorts of things."

Xun Yu was very clear about this feeling. If Tongyou went out with someone, he would definitely be worried... not because of her safety, but because of whether she would cause trouble for others.

..............

"OK, let's go!"

Li Moya, who had already changed into casual clothes, rushed to him quickly.

After that, I'll have to walk a distance with that guy... What will we talk about then? I don't know. What if I don't say anything? That would be too awkward.

In short, he had never thought of being alone with Li Moya. Looking at Li Moya in front of him, Xun Yu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Hmm? Xiaoting has already gone back to work? She's really dedicated." He sighed slightly and then changed into shoes. "Then, Xun Yu, I'll ask you to lead the way."

"okay."

"You don't seem to be in a good mood lately." Li Moya, who was tying her shoelaces with her head down, suddenly said.

"...Really? Maybe I'm just tired."

"Xiaoting has been very tired lately, but she still manages to smile." She suddenly raised her head and met Xun Yu's eyes. "So I can still tell the difference between being in a bad mood and being too tired."

"......"

Just ignore it.

Xun Yu thought so and opened the door.

A quiet conclusion

"Wow, so cold." Li Yuya didn't seem unhappy at all. She stuck out her tongue slightly and followed him, closing the door.

"That's because your judgment is wrong. I'm not unhappy about anything, so naturally I can't respond to you."

"You're wrong. I just said you were in a bad mood, not that you were unhappy." Li Moya then expanded the topic. "And you took the initiative to say that you're not unhappy, which means that the emotion you're trying to hide is... you are unhappy right now. In other words, you simply don't want to admit that you are unhappy."

"..."