People in Tokyo, the world is clear

This sincere word, spoken with his chin supported, almost broke Ito Nishika's defense.

The girl stared at him, as if she had just discovered the existence of evil in the world:

"Senior, you also feel it's bitter, why are you forcing me to eat it?"

"Isn't that what all parents want? Even if they don't like to eat nutritious vegetables, they still hope their baby won't be picky about food."

"But I'm not your child, Senior!"

"almost."

“How can it be almost the same!!!”

When people become close to each other, they always tend to play pranks on each other.

But in the end we still have to face the reality.

No one drank the bowl of pear soup that was still steaming.

"What a pity."

I couldn't help but sigh.

"Pears are rich in vitamins and are effective for a range of ailments, including enteritis, goiter, constipation, anorexia, indigestion, anemia, and gout. The pear core is even more valuable, not only improving heart function and preventing heart disease, but also preventing and fighting cancer. It's such a shame to waste it like this."

"In that case, please lubricate your intestines and relieve constipation yourself."

Rolling her eyes, the short-haired girl stood up with an expression that said she'd had enough. "I'm going back first."

"it is good."

Nodding, Lin Sen, who was also feeling bored, watched the girl's light figure disappear at the door.

Then it reappeared.

There was a smile on his face that had become somewhat gentle without knowing when.

"Anyway, thank you for the pear soup, senior."

"fine."

"Good night. And, do your best tomorrow too."

"must."

She finally left a routine instruction.

After all, it was an agreement between the two of them, and they both still remember it.

Suddenly, there was a leisurely warmth lingering around me.

Lin Sen did not rush to get up and close the door, but stared at the open door for a while, enjoying the warmth that had not yet turned cold.

Then, three seconds passed.

The familiar little head popped out again.

His smart eyes turned quietly and blinked twice.

"That, senior."

"Ok?"

"You just said that pears are good for anemia?"

This kid actually listened to what I said.

"Yes."

Ito Nishika hummed softly, as if he was transforming his impromptu thoughts into carefully considered words.

Then the girl's gaze refocused on Lin Sen's face, and she glanced to the other side.

It's a silent gesture.

"Last night when I got off work, I saw the tenant who lives next door to you leaving the house," she said softly. "It looked like a girl. Has your husband seen her?"

It is normal for tenants in an apartment to not know each other even though they live on the same floor.

First, they don't pay much attention to appearance. Second, most of the time, everyone's time of coming and going doesn't match. Only the occasional coincidence can create the opportunity to meet.

But her blonde hair and blue eyes are so conspicuous that the residents on this floor may not remember each other at all, but they will definitely recognize this otaku girl.

Therefore, when faced with this question from Ito Nishigo, Lin Sen’s response must be affirmative.

"Know this person."

This answer did not surprise Ito Nishigo. A ghostly look appeared in the girl's eyes.

She used a suggestion tone:

"I think her face is a little frighteningly pale. It seems she often stays up late and has some anemia symptoms. If you don't want to waste the pear soup, you can ask her to try."

She really made me cry to death.

It was her delicate and kind heart that guided her to find this solution.

As I sighed, the girl at the door had disappeared.

When she walked out of the door with the still warm pear soup, she had already returned home and closed the door.

The coughing that had been causing me so much distress stopped. It seemed the pear had faithfully fulfilled its purpose.

A knowing smile.

Then he turned around and knocked on another extremely difficult door with his fingers.

This time it was supplemented by a verbal offensive.

"There's something good here, open the door."

There was still no response at first.

This time Lin Sen did not rush to leave, but stood there and waited.

About a minute.

Just as he raised his hand and was about to knock again, a slightly harsh creaking sound suddenly came from the edge of the closed iron door.

A small gap opened.

The flickering moonlight was reflected in his pupils, which showed timidity and vigilance.

Miss Stray Dog's gaze swept across the face of the person in front of her, finally stopping on the steaming white bowl.

Then Lin Sen pushed the hand holding the bowl forward.

"I made pear soup today and accidentally made too much. It would be a waste if no one drinks it."

Do you want it?

After expressing his intention, he found that the sloppy neighbor in front of him did not immediately reach out to receive it.

Just focus on your own face and observe carefully.

She was not in a hurry, and Lin Sen was not in a hurry either. They just stood there and waited.

Facts have proved that when people can no longer hold back, they generally can’t hold back.

Lin Sen won the battle of confrontation.

A pale, slightly thin little hand reached out and snatched the bowl of pear soup away in a hurry.

Then she slammed the door shut as if she was hiding.

But the stuttered and extremely unskilled reply still leaked out from the gap that could not be closed even if:

"Thank you, thank you."

It is still very pleasing to have your kindness recognized.

My good mood lasted until the next morning, when I was taken to a beautiful single-family house without permission.

This caused a little dissatisfaction in another person.

"What is Mr. Broken Chapter Dog doing secretly enjoying himself?"

"I remember happy things."

On her day off, Ms. Flamingo didn't pay much attention to her hairstyle. Her medium-length, shoulder-length hair was left loose, resting on the hood of her casually draped red jacket. The black fabric on the inside of the hood blended seamlessly with the ends of her hair.

She held the teacup in both hands and sipped it slowly, staring at Lin Sen who was slacking off and gazing at the scenery in the backyard after finishing half of his writing.

"I always feel like Silly Dan-kun would be happy all alone for a long time for all sorts of weird and childish reasons."

"Boys who love to laugh will have good luck."

"So you lost the bet because you didn't smile enough?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Sasagawa Rio noticed that the young man in front of her suddenly turned his head and looked at her.

I thought there would be some kind of rebuttal and counterattack, but Lin Sen's next sentence had an almost shocking effect.

He was still smiling, relaxed and calm:

"Yes. It's because I didn't smile enough that I lost everything."

"Including her."

"If a person is too weak to even laugh at life, then he has no right to be happy. No one understands this better than me."

Chapter 25: Two People Go Together

The way to deal with so-called argumentative or sarcastic behavior is to preemptively mock them just before they launch a fierce attack. When they're at their wit's end and have run out of sarcasm to offer, you've already secured your victory.

[Sincerity is the ultimate weapon.]

[——I don’t know who said this, so I’ll just fill in someone randomly as a token of my appreciation.]

Lin Sen deeply agrees with this famous saying.

And often, applying what you learn isn't difficult. At least for now, after some self-deprecation, the venomous editor seemed to be left speechless.

Her expression became complicated and difficult to understand, and her eyes became flickering.

But no matter what, Lin Sen achieved his goal.

clean!

This is enough.

I continued to immerse myself in my creation happily, no longer paying attention to the situation of the person sitting opposite me.

Ms. Flamingo remained silent until the time came for the manuscript to be submitted.

He even kept a cold expression when taking away today's manuscript.

Finally, he managed to say a few words before leaving.

"So, now you who love to laugh have become lucky?"

Lin Sen, with one hand in his pocket, turned around and made a gesture of invitation to the manuscript in the woman's hand.

"As you can see."

Sasagawa Rimei lowered her head as instructed.

Familiar words came into view. His focused eyes darted left and right, quickly locking onto a single sentence.

[As a fellow girl, the last expression she gave him was a faint smile. Under the night sky, she gently waved, the starry sky behind her like a beautiful curtain.]

[“Take one back,” he told himself.]

[But he had long forgotten how long it had been since he had such an expression. He no longer even knew how to put on a smile.]

[But he finally did it. It might have been a little funny and ugly, but that's fine. As long as it worked.]

[......]

"Starting tomorrow, I'll learn how to laugh again." He told himself before going to sleep.

He didn't know if this faded life would become better because of this. But perhaps, the paint made from smiles was far more dazzling than other paints.

"More dazzling?"

Muttering to herself, Sasagawa Rio raised her head in the empty room and looked in the direction the young man left.