"Phew, we're home~"
The fiery red setting sun hung in the sky, and the warm orange light illuminated Nangong Yu and Seele, who had already returned to their residential area.
Upon hearing that the three of them were coming to the Far East for school, Cocolia immediately set about finding them several adjacent single-family homes. Each house was about two hundred square meters, a two-story building with a small yard for parking. The first floor had a living room, bathroom, kitchen, and utility storage room. The second floor had a master bedroom, a secondary bedroom, a flexible empty room, a bathroom and shower, and on the side, a well-lit small terrace for sunbathing and relaxing.
In Nangong Yu's house, the empty room was converted into his studio. Currently, he had no money and no staff, so everything related to game development had to be done by himself. Fortunately, he had clear memories, which was enough for him to snowball little by little according to his plan.
Walking through the neatly tidied small courtyard, the small pebbles protruding from the flagstone path stimulated a tingling itch on his soles, followed by waves of warmth.
Click, he unlocked the door with a key. Nangong Yu and Seele, tired from a day of shopping, felt relieved as they entered the house one after another.
They hadn't bought too many things. He placed the simple small bag he was carrying on the shelf nearby. Seele, who followed behind, also skillfully took out her blue slippers from the shoe cabinet by the door, and thoughtfully bent down to place Nangong Yu's pair by his feet.
Nangong Yu and Bronya lived quite close, separated only by a not-so-wide road. Opening the window, one could see the window opposite, and it was only a few steps away. Therefore, Seele was naturally a frequent visitor here.
"Seele, the room upstairs is ready. Go check if anything is missing right away. After dinner, we'll go to the convenience store together."
Stretching, Nangong Yu leisurely walked around the house. The fatigue from a day of shopping seemed to vanish completely at this moment.
"Mhm, I know, Brother~"
Seele picked up the small bag placed nearby. It contained some handmade items. The end of March was still a bit chilly, and the wind had been quite strong recently. Seele wanted to take advantage of these few days off to knit a thin scarf for her brother.
The secondary bedroom upstairs was already filled with Seele's belongings. From half a month ago, when Bronya's work flopped, Nangong Yu had planned this out, then secretly contacted Seele to turn her into a little traitor. Within a few days, she secretly moved her belongings to her brother's house. Bronya was completely unaware of this.
Today, everything finally settled.
Passing by the kitchen, the door wasn't fully closed. Through the wide gap, a takeout bag on the floor appeared in Nangong Yu's line of sight.
Instantly, his heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively blocked the space between Seele and the kitchen door.
Such an abnormality was almost immediately noticed by Seele, who had grown up with her brother. Her eyes instantly became suspicious, and ignoring her brother's somewhat embarrassed attempts to block her, her small head directly squeezed through her brother's armpit. Although being squeezed by his arm was a bit uncomfortable, Seele successfully saw the scene inside the kitchen as she wished.
Immediately, her cute brows furrowed. Pulling her small head out from his arm, Seele put her hands on her hips, her eyes filled with a hint of dissatisfaction as she looked at her brother.
"Brother, didn't we agree not to eat takeout anymore?!"
"That's not what I ate."
Recalling the time he was scolded by Seele for getting diarrhea from eating takeout, Nangong Yu forced himself to calm down and responded nonchalantly.
Seele didn't answer, she just looked at him directly with her sky-blue eyes. Her pure gaze made Nangong Yu feel a pang of guilt, as if she was saying, "It's in brother's house, if it's not you who ate it, then who could it be?"
"It was Sugisaki Ken. He came over to play yesterday, and he insisted on ordering takeout. I couldn't stop him."
"Really?"
Seele knew Sugisaki Ken. He was her brother's classmate and good friend. She had heard her brother mention him a few times before, but she had never met him.
"Really, Seele, you know me."
Taking a step forward, Nangong Yu held Seele's small hand, his eyes filled with sincerity.
The sudden attack made Seele freeze for a moment, and her voice became stammering.
"Uhm, I, I know, Seele believes brother, alright?"
Seele turned her head away, not daring to look into her brother's eyes anymore. Being so close in this enclosed private environment made her little heart pound wildly.
However, she did not choose to break free; instead, with a flushed face, she silently leaned a little closer to her brother.
Phew~
Nangong Yu breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the somewhat shy Selee, which perfectly matched his expectations.
Having grown up with Selee, how could he not know this little girl's weakness?
After holding it for a while longer, feeling Selee's soft little hand, Nangong Yu reluctantly let her go and turned to walk towards the stairs.
"Brother, this time it's fine, but next time, don't eat takeout, okay?"
"Got it, got it..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Nangong Yu's body stiffened, and he suddenly turned around. At this moment, there was no trace of shyness on Selee's face. Her cute brows furrowed again, and she looked at him angrily: "Sure enough, that takeout was eaten by you, wasn't it!"
"..."
Oh no, his Selee had learned to play tricks. Damn it, who taught her!
Recalling various things from the past, Nangong Yu paused.
Ah, it was me, then it's fine.
After being successfully lectured by Selee and promising to either order from familiar restaurants or eat his own cooking in the future, Nangong Yu nodded repeatedly, indicating that everything Selee said was right.
What a joke, now that Selee was here, would he still eat outside food? Wouldn't food made by Selee herself be more delicious?
After throwing the trash out the door, Selee skillfully took down the apron hanging on the wall and quickly put it on with ease. Only then did she grumble a few words to her brother, who was standing in punishment, and then shooed him out of the kitchen with an expression like he had been granted a great pardon.
Not long after, the rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables echoed through the air.
Looking at Selee's reflection in the kitchen glass, Nangong Yu's exaggerated expression from earlier quickly disappeared. He stood in place, his eyes softening, smiling, and quietly watching this scene.
Indeed, only like this could it be considered a home. Being alone was certainly peaceful, but he still preferred the feeling of important people being by his side.
Gathering his spirits, he turned and went upstairs. Next, it was time to defeat Bronya and bring her back!
Bronya was indeed hardworking, but how could he lose with his cheat?