The doorbell hadn’t been pressed for quite some time, and the switch was stiff. With a forceful finger, Minami Yuuki finally pressed it.
*Ding*
The sound behind the door broke the silence in the room, dispersing both the interior silence and Minami Yuuki’s unease. Once he started acting, he wouldn’t easily waver.
[The door hasn’t been opened for a long time, did Asano Nao not hear it? You know that’s not true, because you just heard footsteps behind the door.]
[Asano Nao is behind the door, observing you through the peephole.]
[You feign a puzzled expression and press the doorbell again. Still no response.]
Standing in front of Asano’s door, Minami Yuuki’s face remained calm, though inwardly he was seething.
I’ve come all this way to ring the doorbell, and you still dare not to open the door, pretending not to be home, huh!
He pressed the doorbell a third time, feeling the friction as the switch depressed.
Yet, the door remained closed.Suppressing the urge to barge in, he sighed and turned away from Asano’s home.
[You retreat to advance, hiding next door to Asano’s house. Sure enough, three minutes later, the door to Asano’s house opens.]
Behind the door, a head wearing a knit cap peeked out, looking around cautiously. Behind the thick lenses of her glasses, a pair of startled rabbit-like eyes flickered.
Her neck suddenly stiffened as she spotted Minami Yuuki standing on the other side of the door.
Asano Nao hurriedly tried to close the door, forgetting to retract her head, and the door caught her head as it closed.
“Ouch,” she exclaimed, holding her head and crouching down.
Wait, now isn’t the time to worry about the pain!
She hastily raised her head, reaching out to close the door again, but it was too late.
Minami Yuuki stood in front of her.
The familiar face of the young man loomed over Asano Nao, his hand—long, fair, and with distinct knuckles—firmly gripping the doorknob, holding her fate, making it impossible for her to escape.
The weather was clear, the dazzling sun hung behind the young man’s head, but his face was more glaring than the scorching sun, his gaze hotter than sunlight.
The young man, subjected to her long-standing offense of not opening the door, showed no displeasure. He smiled slightly, warmly.
But warmth to a cold-blooded creature in a damp place is poison. Asano Nao lowered her head, unable to meet Minami Yuuki’s gaze or speak.
“So, you were home after all,” Minami Yuuki said.
“I’m really sorry!” Asano Nao immediately apologized, it was the only thing she could say smoothly.
“Hey, Sister, why didn’t you open the door? Do you dislike me?” Minami Yuuki looked at Asano Nao, who was curled up on the ground.
Asano Nao wore a brown knitted hat, a khaki sportswear, and thick black-framed glasses on her nose. Minami Yuuki couldn’t see her face at all.
However, judging from the arc squeezed between Asano Nao’s chest and knees, she had a good figure.
“Sister?” Asano Nao repeated softly. Her heart pounded violently, her cheeks burning, even her ears felt hot.
She felt that there were no regrets in this life, and she could attain enlightenment immediately by dying now, without becoming a wandering spirit due to attachment.
“Sister, are you listening to me?”
“Yes.” Asano Nao wanted to answer Minami Yuuki loudly, but her overheated brain and long-unused vocal cords could only produce faint sounds.
“So, Sister didn’t open the door because she hates me?” Minami Yuuki pressed on.
Of course not!
Asano Nao shouted in her heart. The boy’s question was like a knife, piercing her heart. How could she possibly dislike him? What a June snowfall of injustice this was!
She wanted to defend herself, but just maintaining her composure in front of the boy consumed all of her brainpower, leaving her unable to speak.
She grew anxious, and the more anxious she became, the less able she was to open her mouth normally.
Oh no!
She realized she had been silent for a long time. Lowering her head, from her angle, she could only see the boy’s feet.
Those feet, clad in black sneakers, tapped on the ground, two dull thuds that echoed in Asano Nao’s heart. Had the boy taken her silence as consent?
She was utterly despondent. In this despair, a sense of peace arose. If she was misunderstood and disliked by Minami Yuuki, she wouldn’t have to be anxious or worried anymore. This was the secret to her life.
She closed her lips, giving up on speaking.
At that moment, Minami Yuuki’s voice came, “Since Sister isn’t saying anything, it means you don’t dislike me, right?”
How did you come to that conclusion!
Normally, isn’t silence taken as agreement?
Wait a minute, has the meaning of silence changed during the years I’ve been hiding in my own home? Is silence now interpreted as a positive, affirmative response in society?
So, I’m not disliked yet?
The peace she had gained from despair was replaced by nervousness because of hope.
“Um, do you have something you need?” Asano Nao struggled to ask.
She suddenly realized her current appearance—sitting on the ground and talking to Minami Yuuki!
No, she had to stand up, she had to assume a normal posture!
“I heard that Sister is a NEET.”
The boy’s words pierced Asano Nao’s already fragile heart. Her ambitions to stand up evaporated instantly. She couldn’t muster the strength to maintain her balance and sat back down on the ground.
He knows that I’m a NEET. This time, I must be disliked, right?
She closed her eyes, contemplating where her body should be buried.
“Since you’re a NEET, you must have a lot of manga or games, right? Can you lend me some? Here’s my student ID, I live in the apartment behind.” Minami Yuuki squatted down, offering his ID to her.
Why must NEETs have a lot of manga and games? You are too prejudiced against NEETs! The so-called NEETs are people who live off their parents. As people who live off their parents, how can they have a lot of money to buy manga and games!
But, she did have a lot of manga and games, filling up an entire room.
“How about it, lend me a few manga or game cards? I have a handheld console, though no main console. If Sister could lend me a main console and monitor, that would be even better.”
Minami Yuuki pretended to be a cheerful boy and asked for things from Asano Nao without any sense of distance.
This is his offensive strategy. He is not only professional as a prey, but also as a hunter!
Thinking back to the past, when he was on Earth… Forget it, let’s not talk about the past.
This was his strategy: posing as a cheerful boy interested in ACGN, and, being short on funds, borrowing mental sustenance from his neighbor, the NEET big sister. After a few visits, they develop a relationship!
[T/N: “ACGN” stands for Animation, Comics, Games, and Novels.]
Actually, it wasn’t entirely pretending. He did have an interest in ACGN and in Asano Nao. Asano Nao was a high-quality woman as deemed by the simulator. Just how high-quality was she?
Asano Nao regained some composure, finding Minami Yuuki’s casual attitude strangely comforting.
Supporting herself against the wall, she stood up.
“Please wait a moment,” she said, her voice trembling, then disappeared into the house.
Minami Yuuki watched the open door, hesitating for a moment before deciding not to follow. This progress was significant enough; there was no need to risk startling Asano Nao further.
[You borrow manga and games from Asano Nao. Your attitude and demeanor put her at ease, and she returns to her house, wrestling with indecision before bringing down a whole box of manga and game discs.]
[You only take three manga and one game card. After thanking Asano Nao, you head to school.]
[Your homeroom teacher takes you to the office to inquire about your tardiness—two whole class periods late. You claim you overslept, and the teacher doesn’t press further.]
[Back in the classroom, you choose…]
[1. Read manga to cultivate your character; 2. Sneak a peek at female classmates to satisfy your hunger; 3. Nap on the desk to conserve energy; 4. Free simulation]
Not rushing to make a choice, Minami Yuuki lay on his bed, massaging his temples.
In the memory he just experienced, he seemed to have sensed Asano Nao’s inner thoughts.
Does the simulator really have this feature?
Well, if one could sense the other’s inner thoughts, it would facilitate better understanding and evaluation of the relationship.
But, only he, using the simulator in reality, could sense Asano Nao’s inner thoughts; the simulated version of him couldn’t.
The NEET big sister with social anxiety, huh? Minami Yuuki chuckled; she seemed interesting.
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