In the anime series, Goto Ichiri is actually my childhood sweetheart?

Taking the pawn from Goto Ichiri, Takahashi Kaede placed it on the chessboard.

"It's the one rushing in front, but of course it's also the dumbest one. It can only move forward and has to cross the river before it can move sideways."

"River?" She could understand moving straight or sideways on the chessboard, but she really didn't understand this river.

“It’s the place where there’s no line in the middle.”

"oh oh."

Chapter 26 Power Outage

After teaching all the rules, Goto Ichiri was eager to play a game with Takahashi Kaede, and Takahashi Kaede naturally agreed.

Isn't it just eating all the opponent's pieces? That's easy.

Thinking of this, Goto Ichiri chose the fastest route of attack and advanced to the center!

She just lifted the Chinese character and put it forward, then looked at Gao Qiaofeng with full confidence, as if she was sure of victory.

"I've said it before, Chinese chess is very difficult. If you can see the trick at a glance, then it's definitely not a trick."

Takahashi Kaede gave a friendly reminder.

Goto Ichiri nodded confidently, and it seemed that he would not turn back until he hit the wall.

But as Takahashi Kaede moved, Goto Ichiri, who wanted to charge forward, realized something was wrong. It felt like all the places he could move were blocked, and all the pieces he could eat seemed to be heavily guarded. If he rushed forward, he would definitely be killed.

Goto Ichiri gritted his teeth and drove his car directly to eat Takahashi Kaede's horse.

"Pfft~" Takahashi Feng almost burst out laughing.

Teasing children is really a bad taste, but unfortunately, Takahashi Kaede has this bad taste.

He used the rook to capture the rook, and then successfully pushed the rook and cannon forward, at least to the side where the rook came out. Goto Ichiri had no ability to fight back.

Just like when two armies are fighting, the general of one side directly sends his most elite troops to the local base camp and exchanges them with the opposing line-of-defense troops. This is a pure loss-making behavior.

"Hey, all my pieces were eaten, why?" Goto Ichiri then realized that his battle line had collapsed and his generals were in danger.

Looking at Takahashi Kaede who was trying to hold back his laughter, Goto Ichiri became a little anxious, and his little brain was working at high speed, trying to find a way to crack the problem.

Unfortunately, she was already at a great disadvantage, and no matter how she tried to capture Takahashi Kaede's chariot and cannon, he would dodge them and capture two of his pieces in the process. The situation on the chessboard was simply one-sided.

Goto Ichiri was no longer confident because Takahashi Kaede's horse also came up, with the cannon pressing the bottom edge, the rook blocking the position, and the horse jumping up to make a checkmate. Goto Ichiri finally surrendered.

If he wanted to let the game go, he could play at a disadvantage first and then gain an advantage, and catch up with the momentum lost by making steady moves. However, Takahashi Kaede was not very good at chess, and could only play against novice computers in the chess software. Anyone who was a little stronger would be crushed, so he did not dare to let the game go easily.

"Xiao Feng, you are so awesome. Do you and Ryoko play against each other normally?" Goto Ichiri was not too depressed after losing to Takahashi Kaede. This was normal for her.

"Occasionally, if Ryoko has time, I'll play a few games with her."

At the beginning, when Takahashi Feng challenged Ryoko to play chess, he was able to beat her a few times thanks to his experience, but later on he couldn't win at all. Ryoko almost left Takahashi Feng with a psychological trauma.

The clouds outside the window were growing thicker and thicker. It was only afternoon, but it felt as dark as night outside. The whistling wind was like an evil spirit, constantly hitting the windows, making bursts of noise.

"Why is the rain getting heavier? Isn't this a shower?" Gao Qiaofeng looked out the window in confusion.

"That sound is scary."

The whistling sound outside the window gradually became louder in Goto Ichiri's ears. He was so focused on playing chess that he didn't pay attention to it. Now that he relaxed a little, he realized that the rain outside didn't decrease at all, but instead showed signs of getting heavier.

The humidity in the room was very high, and Takahashi Kaede felt a little uncomfortable in her nose, so she turned on the air conditioner to dehumidify.

"The dough in the refrigerator should have set. I'll go get it."

Carrying a large piece of dough and a mold, Takahashi Feng placed them on the table in the living room and handed Goto Ichiri a pair of disposable gloves.

"Wear this and pinch it into the shape you want. Let me see, you just liked..." She found a small slime model from the pile of models, "Is this right?"

A small round magical creature. For some reason its eyes look depressed, and there are some aho-hair elements on its head that don't match that of a slime.

"Which manufacturer came up with this socially anxious slime..." Takahashi Feng complained speechlessly.

But Goto Ichiri liked it very much. She started making it when Takahashi Kaede handed her the slime mold. She has made several now and placed them neatly on the baking tray.

Takahashi Feng also put on gloves, took the bear mold and pressed it on the dough. A row of bear heads appeared neatly on it, looking at Takahashi Feng with a smile.

"Feng, why do you like little bears so much?" Goto Ichiri asked curiously. Takahashi Feng is almost entirely made up of little bear elements, and even the cookies he made this time are no exception.

"Because - it makes me feel safe. After all, bears are so big and majestic, and they are also furry. If they can be pets, they are definitely superior to dogs."

Takahashi Feng feels very happy when he imagines himself throwing himself into the bear's arms and feeling its fur and warmth when he is feeling lost.

"Is Feng unexpectedly timid?"

"Everyone is timid and cowardly. You can't see it because others hide it, but hiding it doesn't mean it disappears." Takahashi Feng did not deny his timidity.

You must not show any signs of weakness, and you must appear strong and brave to others. This is the discipline that society gives to adults.

But how is it possible for people to not have negative emotions? They just digest them silently behind the scenes.

"Boom!"

First there was a flash that brightened the room a little, and a few seconds later there was a rumbling sound like a car running over a metal plate.

A loud thunder suddenly struck from the sky, like a punishment from the god of thunder. A beam of light as thick as a bucket struck directly on the electric pole next to Gaoqiao Feng's apartment, and a large amount of sparks exploded instantly.

The power system couldn't handle such a large current and tripped instantly.

With the crisp sound of the air conditioner cutting off the power, the room suddenly became dark. Although it was afternoon, the dark clouds blocked the sun, so that not much light could come into the house. There was only a faint light by the window.

"Hey, what's wrong, Feng, why is it so dark all of a sudden!"

The sudden change made Goto Ichiri panic, and almost subconsciously, she called Takahashi Kaede's name.

"It's okay, don't be afraid. The thunder was too strong and damaged the circuit. It's just a power outage."

Seeing that Goto Ichiri was afraid of the dark, Takahashi Kaede opened the door leading to the corridor, and the room became a little brighter.

Seeing that Goto Ichiri was still afraid, Takahashi Kaede walked up to her, took her hand, and sat on the sofa with her.

This was the heaviest rain Goto Ichiri had ever seen. The roaring sound from autumn was like a piercing scream that constantly disturbed her mind. She clenched her hands, and a hint of warmth from her palms slightly calmed her spirit.

"You're not the only one in the room. Don't be afraid. I'm with you."

I don’t know when the power grid will be repaired. Now there is no electricity and I can’t bake cookies or cook. I can only hope that Ryoko can come back soon.

Chapter 27: Fear of the Dark

There was a storm outside, with rolling thunderclouds and occasional thunder.

Goto Ichiri was still a little scared, so Takahashi Kaede took her to find Mrs. Togashi downstairs.

Mrs. Togashi was on the phone with a distressed look on her face. There was a power outage and it was raining heavily outside. She didn't know what to do for dinner. If all else failed, she could only eat the spare rice balls as an emergency measure.

Seeing that she was busy, Gao Qiaofeng stopped and waited until she hung up the phone before saying:

"Aunt Togashi, there's a power outage. When can the meter repairman come?"

"It's Xiao Feng. I just called and asked. They said that the master will come only when the rain is lighter. Hey? Is this the classmate who came to your house a few days ago?"

Goto Ichiri hid timidly behind Takahashi Kaede. Mrs. Togashi greeted her warmly, but she still hid behind Takahashi Kaede and did not speak.

Gao Qiaofeng tightened her hand, hoping she could relax a little.

"Is this child shy?"

"A little bit. She's a little scared at school, but she's a good kid at heart." Takahashi Kaede explained for Goto Ichiri.

"There was a power outage just now, and the house was completely dark. She was a little scared, so I took her out for a walk and to visit some friends."

"I see - come in first. There are candles in the room, so it shouldn't be too dark." Mrs. Togashi led the two of them into the house.

Because it was too bright outside, my eyes were a little uncomfortable after entering the house, and it seemed dark inside. But slowly, the faint candlelight came out, and the house seemed to be covered by a layer of orange-red gauze, appearing welcoming and warm.

Yuta sat on the sofa and comforted the frightened Zhangye, gently singing the nursery rhymes he learned in kindergarten. Mrs. Togashi went to the kitchen to pour water, preparing to entertain the two little guests. The counter in front of the kitchen was filled with candles. The strong wind outside blew into the house through the gaps in the window, causing the flames to shake.

The comfortable environment made Goto Ichiri no longer so afraid. He stretched out his hands, took the water handed to him by Mrs. Togashi, took a small sip, and it was sweet.

"Thank you." Goto Ichiri said softly.

Takahashi Feng rubbed her head, while the latter just held the water in his hands and watched Yang Tai play with Zhang Ye.

"This rain has been going on for a really long time. It wasn't that heavy in the morning, but it got heavier in the afternoon. Is autumn also so unpredictable?"

Sitting down and drinking some water, Takahashi Feng began to complain about the weather.

"Yeah, this is the first time I've seen such heavy rain. I had saved a lot of clothes to wash today, but... it's really troublesome."

Mrs. Togashi pointed to the large basin near the bathroom, which was full of washed clothes.

"I don't know what to do for dinner. I really hope the rain will stop soon."

"Ah~" Takahashi Kaede and Mrs. Togashi sighed at the same time.

The rain was still falling from the sky in buckets. Unlike the fine spring rain, it seemed as if it had a grudge against the earth, and as it fell on the ground it seemed to want to make a hole in the ground.

"Goto-san, I may not be able to teach you how to make omelette rice this time. Let's try again next time."

Gao Qiaofeng felt a little regretful when he thought that the teaching plan could no longer be carried out. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen when he invited friends to his home for the first time.

But he didn't know that Goto Ichiri came here simply to play with him. Learning to cook was not important at all, it was just an excuse. What was important was to do something with him.

Thinking that he could use this excuse next time, Goto Ichiri nodded, saying that it was a pity that he couldn't study.

"Come to think of it, Ryoko said that you were the one who cooked at night, Xiaofeng. That's really amazing."

After Mrs. Togashi finished speaking, she looked at Youta and shook her head. Youta was still teasing Zhangye. He felt that his mother was looking at him, so he looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"It's better not to force this kind of thing."

Gao Qiaofeng laughed dryly twice, took a sip of tea, and drank until it was getting dark.

First there was the sound of hurried high heels stepping on the ground, then the sound of a door opening. Takahashi Feng knew that it was probably Ryoko who had rushed back.

"Aunt Togashi, thank you for your hospitality. Ryoko should be back soon. We won't disturb her. We'll leave now."

Seeing Takahashi Kaede leaving, Goto Ichiri also stood up, bowed slightly, and then followed him out of the Togashi family.

"Ryoko! Don't close the door!"

Takahashi Feng ran upstairs and just happened to see Ryoko about to close the door, so he quickly stopped her.

"Eh? How did you get up from downstairs?" She was surprised by Takahashi Kaede who suddenly ran over and Goto Ichiri who followed closely behind.

"We just went to Togashi's house and sat for a while. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go in and wipe the water off for you first."

It was obvious that Ryoko had rushed back; her trouser legs and shoes were wet, and there were water stains on her body.

She became a little worried when the rain got heavier in the afternoon, and the rumbling thunder gave her a bad feeling. As soon as she got off work, she hurried to catch the subway to get back quickly.

Mrs. Togashi had sent her a message to tell her that the power was out, so she bought a few lunch boxes at the convenience store and brought a handful of candles.

"Wow, it's so dark in the room!" Ryoko came in from outside and suddenly felt that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face in the room.

"Here, Ms. Ryoko, toilet paper."

While she was still taking off her shoes, a stack of papers was suddenly handed to her. Ryoko looked up and saw that it was Goto Ichiri.

"Thank you, Xiao Yili. I'm so sorry about that today. There was a sudden power outage. Were you scared when it thundered in the afternoon? Did you ask Xiaofeng to protect you?" Ryoko took the tissue with a smile, wiped the mud off the edge of her trouser legs, and then teased Goto Yili.

Goto Ichiri was a little shy and didn't say anything.

"It was because she was afraid of me that I took her to Mrs. Togashi's house. Mrs. Togashi is quite considerate. She always has candles in the house, so there is still light during power outages. We should also prepare some in the future to prevent any accidents."

"I bought a lot of candles." Ryoko brought the bag to the table. Inside was a lunch box and a separate small bag filled with white candles.

"That's great. I'll go light them up. If it gets any darker, we won't be able to see anything."

When Takahashi Feng and the others left the house in the afternoon, the lights in the room were still dim, but now one can only see the outlines of things and the blue sky outside the window.

Take out the candles and find the lighter from the cabinet under the TV.

With two clicks, the methane passed through the internal high-voltage generator and ignited, successfully emerging from the lighter, forming a small orange-red flame.

Goto Ichiri also leaned over, the firelight shone on her face, making her fair skin look slightly yellow.

"What do you think we look like now?" asked Gao Qiaofeng.

"Primitive people hiding in caves and warming themselves by the fire on rainy days." Goto Ichiri answered immediately, thinking of a storybook.

"really."

Light the cotton wick on the candle, then turn the candle upside down like pouring water. The melted paraffin drips down, and due to the surface tension of the liquid, it does not disperse, forming a small arc. Gao Qiaofeng sees the opportunity and quickly presses the bottom of the candle on it. When the base solidifies, Gao Qiaofeng lets go. Although the candle is slightly tilted, it still stands there firmly.