You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"Uncle, what's wrong with your brain?"

"Shouldn't this scene be heading towards a confession?"

"Has Uncle really played visual novels? Does choosing certain options in a game lead to a Good Ending?"

"No, no, no, a game is a game, reality is first and foremost, how can they be the same?"

Fujimiya: "..."

"...I know how you feel, but I really can't keep up with my uncle's thinking, so please stop making such a scary face."

Jingwen took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and it took him a while to calm down: "Uncle, do you know the meaning of wearing a ring?"

"Of course, isn't that common sense?"

"But you gave someone a ring before..."

"That's for selling for money."

Yosuke stroked his chin, puzzled, and said, "I'm wondering the same thing. Why does Miss Farrell keep wearing it? Iori just readily took it and sold it for money... Hmm, she's a girl after all, she must really like gemstones!"

"..."

Fujimiya remained silent, only continuing to scoop out the beef.

"uncle?"

"Hmm? Miss Fujimiya?"

"Don't ask anything, but—there's no crab for you."

"Ugh?!"

Chapter 1: The Otherworldly Uncle - Side Story: Battle! Battle! Battle! Insult him!

Farrell sat in a corner of the tavern, a half-empty glass of ale in her hand, her eyes somewhat unfocused. The appraiser was in a deep slump; yet another failed confession left her feeling utterly dejected.

She couldn't understand why Yosuke Shimazaki always ignored her feelings... No, that's not it. Strictly speaking, he was completely oblivious to topics of romance and always managed to skillfully dodge her direct questions.

Once or twice is one thing, but after so many times, she even started to suspect that Yosuke Shimazaki was doing it on purpose.

Generally speaking, even if you don't realize you're confessing your feelings, with so many opportunities to be alone with a girl, you're bound to have some thoughts, right? Do you really have absolutely no feelings for her?

He was just too oblivious and didn't realize her feelings at all—that reason is far-fetched, it's not some third-rate romance novel!

"Ugh!"

She sighed, poured herself another glass of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

The mild alcohol made her relax a little, but the sense of loss in her heart did not lessen at all. She looked up at the noisy crowd in the bar, but felt incredibly lonely.

Meanwhile, on the second-floor balcony of the tavern, Iori and Saito sat at a small table with several bottles of sake and some side dishes on it. Saito held a glass of sake in his hand, swirling it gently, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Iori, are you really not going to help that half-orc... Shimazaki Yosuke travel back in time?"

Saito asked, his tone tinged with confusion.

"Aren't you free to travel between different worlds?"

"There are certain limitations. I haven't been to Yosuke's hometown yet... However, theoretically it should be 'not far' from here. Even if we use brute force to open the door, we should be able to find it."

Crossing the Void Team is not a problem for Iori now. At most, he might go to the wrong door because he doesn't know the coordinates. With a few more attempts, he will definitely be able to send Yosuke back home.

"then you?"

"Is this really good?"

Iori smiled slightly, picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and gazed at the distant night sky: "It's not that I don't want to help him, it's just... I feel that it's not time for him to go back yet."

Saito raised an eyebrow: "You mean he still has something unfinished?"

Iori nodded, a deep meaning in her eyes: "Although Yosuke seems a bit slow-witted, he actually has a strong obsession and has been searching for a way home."

But I think what he really needs isn't necessarily to return to his old world, but rather to find a sense of belonging within himself.

Saito frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Iori's explanation: "Isn't that a bit too far-fetched? He doesn't seem like someone with such a delicate heart, so why are you bringing up things like 'where does one's heart belong'?"

Iori smiled and gently pinched Saito's cheek. The captain was being treated so lightly that Saito opened his mouth to bite, but Iori easily dodged it.

“You’re right, I did bluff a bit. To be honest, I just felt there was still a chance between Yang Jie and Farrell, and I didn’t want to give up so easily.”

"Chance?"

Saito raised an eyebrow. "You mean... you want to be a matchmaker?"

"Since my debut, there's nothing I haven't been able to accomplish, and very few people have been able to disrupt my plans time and time again... I guess it's because I've been motivated to win."

Iori nodded, a helpless smile on her face: "I've failed many times already, I'm determined to succeed this time."

"Helping this older man find a wife?"

Saito couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You have this kind of hobby? I never would have guessed!"

Iori shrugged, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice: "Well, what can I do? I'm the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business. Besides, it's a real shame to see those two who clearly have feelings for each other but always miss out."

Pharrell goes without saying, and Yosuke seems carefree; he could stay home forever as long as there are games… He just hasn't awakened yet.”

"Awakening?"

"This guy is a typical otaku, and a serious gaming addict at that!"

It's not that they don't crave love and warmth, it's just that the 'love' they can get from anime and games is enough for them to survive, so they have little motivation to interact with humans.

Yosuke is even more pure; his inner space has been occupied by Sega, and he doesn't feel that he needs anything else—but in fact, love and hobbies are not in conflict; they can nourish a person's spirit on different levels.

He just hasn't realized this yet; his eyes are only on Sega. If he had a broader perspective, he would realize that he could pursue many more wonderful things without giving up on Sega.

"I don't quite understand... Anyway, what is Sega?"

"They are the tears of a bygone era."

Iori shook her head.

"And Sony, he mentioned it during our previous conversation."

"Sony?"

Iori's tone immediately turned cold, "Sony is guilty of heinous crimes!"

"?"

"You're not a gamer, you wouldn't understand."

"...If Sony can make you so angry, it seems they are not an easy opponent."

Saito shook his head, picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "So what do you plan to do? That guy doesn't seem to get it, we can't just keep dragging this on, can we?"

Iori smiled, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes: "My intuition tells me that we're just one step away from success, but it's not the right time yet. We have to wait a little longer."

Saito glanced at him and sighed helplessly: "You're always like this, full of energy in strange and unusual places—wouldn't it be better to put more effort into managing the Three Realms?"

"We need to balance work and rest!"

Iori smiled and didn't say anything more. She simply took Saito's hand gently, and the purple-haired female Shinigami didn't refuse, showing a rare tenderness. The two quietly enjoyed this moment of peace.

……

On the first floor of the tavern, after entering and looking around, Yosuke finally found Farrell drinking alone in silence.

He walked over to the appraiser, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly: "Fara, are you alright?"

Farrell looked up and saw Yosuke; a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

To be honest, she even had murderous intent during the day... but after calming down and thinking about it, being slow to react wasn't a capital offense. From Yosuke's perspective, he certainly didn't think he had done anything wrong.

Ugh! It's so exhausting to communicate with this idiot!

She forced a smile: "I'm fine, just a little tired."

Yosuke sat down, looked at the empty wine bottle on the table, and frowned: "You've had quite a bit to drink."

"Sometimes I want to indulge myself, otherwise how can I get through the days... If I don't numb myself, I'll definitely get neurasthenia."

"That won't do either. It's too risky for a girl to drink alone like this. Let me take you home."

Yang Jie was very worried, and even a little angry. "You need to take good care of your body. This is a very important time."

"Is this an important period... about 'blind dates'?"

An unnamed fire rose within her, burning her heart and making her tremble: "Are you really that afraid I won't be able to get married?!"

"Yes."

"you--"

"Because Miss Farrell is a very, very good person."

Yosuke remained calm and unmoved by the appraiser's anger. Instead, he said sincerely, "Gentle, kind, and well-mannered, she never treated someone like me, whose origins are unknown, differently. After I came to this Granbahamar, Miss Farel was the first person from another world to treat me as a human and be willing to talk to me."

You deserve happiness, and I'd do anything to ensure Miss Farrell can always smile!

"..."

With her cheeks flushed, Farrell stared intently at Yosuke. The mist obscured her vision, and all the emotions in her heart eventually turned into a helpless yet sweet and gentle sigh.

"Idiot... I'm happy right now."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I'm with some idiot..."

Farrell smiled sweetly and added the second half of the sentence, "You laughed~"

"I'm not joking!"

Yosuke picked up the bottle and took a big gulp of liquor.

"I know, I know~"

Farrell was all smiles; her worries had vanished.

She remained silent for a while, looking down at the wine glass in her hand. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "Yo-suke, I have something to say to you."

After putting down the bottle, Yosuke stood there stunned for a long time for some reason before nodding and saying in a vacant tone, "Go ahead and say it, I'm listening."

Now that things have come to this, there's no need for any schemes anymore. Just say it openly and honestly. Why complicate something so simple?

Farrell took a deep breath, mustered her courage, raised her head, and looked directly into Yosuke's eyes: "Yosuke, I...I've always..."

Bang!

However, before Farrell could finish speaking, Yosuke suddenly slumped to the side and fell onto the table, emitting a soft snore.

Farrell was stunned, her face turning bright red. She looked around and thankfully no one noticed. It took her a long time to calm down.

The appraiser gave a wry smile and shook her head: "As expected... it still won't work?"

She looked at Yosuke, who had already passed out drunk, feeling both helpless and speechless.

Is it just bad luck for her, or is there some divine will or something preventing Yosuke from hearing the confession?

"Let's just say good things come to those who wait."

She muttered to herself, then reached out and gently patted Yosuke's shoulder, whispering, "Oh well, maybe this is fate."

Just then, on the second-floor balcony of the tavern, Iori and Saito also noticed the commotion downstairs. Saito peeked out and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "That guy's alcohol tolerance is so low. He looks like a disheveled old man, but his alcohol tolerance is worse than that of a twenty-year-old."

"He just turned twenty this year."

"……What?"

Saito blinked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Only twenty? This face?!"

Iori shrugged, a helpless smile on his face: "He's just naturally beautiful, there's nothing we can do about it."

"...He's just a kid."

Saito glanced at him: "By the way, how long are you going to wait? If their relationship doesn't progress, are you just going to keep waiting?"

Iori smiled and gently put her arm around Saito's shoulder: "Patience is a virtue, isn't it? Besides, watching the two of them like this is quite amusing, isn't it?"

"Wait a minute, what is she planning to do?"

Saito noticed Farrell's movements below and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Could this be...?"