The short ten-plus-day spring break ended, and it was time for school again.
The past ten-plus days had been relatively peaceful, with no major twists and turns. Bronya had made up her mind to seclude herself completely; sometimes, Seele couldn't even knock on her door.
If Nangong Yu hadn't learned through AI that Bronya was doing well, he might have directly broken in.
As for the other side, Nangong Yu's life was much more comfortable.
Every day, he ate three meals carefully prepared by Seele, worked in the morning, spent time with Seele in the afternoon, and in the evening, Seele and work each took up half. His life was truly enjoyable, much better than when he was alone before.
The school term here in the Far East was a bit special; they had a three-term system. After a short spring break, it meant they were advancing to their second year of high school.
"Brother, why isn't your collar tidied up again?"
In the early morning, Seele and Nangong Yu, having finished breakfast, stood at the doorway with their school bags, ready to leave.
Looking at her brother's loose tie, Seele said with a hint of helplessness, then took a step forward, leaned close to her brother, and gently helped him fix it with her small hands.
The sweet scent of a young girl wafted over, causing Nangong Yu to smile involuntarily.
This was, of course, intentional. Ever since the last time he tidied it himself and saw a hint of disappointment in Seele's eyes, he had never tidied it himself again.
Seele naturally understood this, but both of them tacitly agreed not to expose it.
After the meticulous tidying was complete, Seele only reluctantly withdrew her hands after confirming it was perfectly fine. Then, she picked up the silver-gray scarf she had knitted for her brother and put it around his neck.
"The wind is a bit strong today, Brother, remember to keep warm~"
Speaking of this scarf, a few days ago, after Seele personally gave it to him, Nangong Yu couldn't resist planting a kiss on Seele's cheek. As a result, Seele was so shy that she barely spoke to him for the rest of the day.
"You too, Seele."
Nangong Yu, in turn, picked up another sky-blue scarf and helped Seele put it on. This was a gift he had given Seele last Christmas.
"Hehe, then Seele will go find Sister Bronya first, Brother, remember to bring your bento."
Tapping her small leather shoes by standing on her tiptoes, Seele opened the door. The slightly cold air rushed in, causing her to exhale softly. The sun had already risen halfway, and its soft light spilled onto Seele, illuminating the school uniform she was wearing.
A red collar, cuffs, and skirt, topped with a black jacket, a bright yellow tie full of youthful energy, and underneath, a pair of waist-high warm black stockings, reflecting an alluring glow in the sunlight.
This was the uniform of Sakuranomiya Girls' High School.
That's right, a girls' high school.
After having a disagreement with Bronya a year ago, she gave up on Fengzhiji Academy, which everyone had chosen together, and instead took Seele to Sakuranomiya Girls' High School, which was not far away.
When Nangong Yu heard this news, his eyes immediately went black.
But a year had passed, and Nangong Yu felt that this seemed quite good. If Seele were to interact with those idiots in his class and get corrupted, it wouldn't be good.
Standing at the doorway, the cold wind made him shiver. Fortunately, Seele's knitted scarf was there, blocking those bad guys trying to sneak into his neck.
His eye caught the small heart Seele had embroidered on the edge of the scarf. Well, now he felt even warmer.
He didn't wait too long before the door opposite opened.
Seele led out a clearly still drowsy Bronya. There were obvious dark circles under her eyes, and her steps were a bit unsteady. Her school uniform was relatively neat, probably with Seele's help, and her hastily styled hair was simply tied back with a rubber band, making Nangong Yu secretly frown.
Such beautiful silver hair would be a pity if it were ruined by staying up late.
Noticing Nangong Yu across the street, Bronya instinctively jolted, forcing herself to perk up. Her tired eyes stubbornly looked at him, as if she didn't want to show a vulnerable side in front of him.
Seele pulled Bronya over, and Nangong Yu silently followed beside them.
Along the way, the two were somewhat silent. Only Seele was chattering, trying to start some topics. Either Nangong Yu would respond and Bronya would be silent, or Bronya would respond and Nangong Yu would be silent.
Soon, they reached the intersection where they had to part ways.
This was Nangong Yu and Bronya's only intersection during the day. In the past, the two could still talk, but after Bronya's work failed, they became silent with each other.
His steps paused. He didn't look at Bronya, but simply said flatly, "It's still better to stay up less often in the future."
Hearing this, Bronya also stopped her forward movement, bit her lip, and slightly opened and closed her teeth a few times before finally responding softly, "...You don't need to bother."
"But I don't want to see your body get hurt."
Staying up late is harmful to one's health, and this statement is not just talk. Before, it was fine with Seele watching over her, but now that she's alone and holding a grudge, she'll probably push her body to its limits.
Of course, sending Seele back or anything like that was impossible.
Shaking his head, Nangong Yu finally looked in Bronya's direction, but she still didn't turn back, even quickening her pace, leaving Seele behind.
"...Mm."
A calm response drifted through the quiet road with the gentle breeze, finally bringing a smile to Nangong Yu's face. He waved at Seele, and the little girl also smiled and waved back. Then, he walked towards another road.
Seeing her brother leave, Seele quickly caught up with Bronya, who was already waiting for her.
Affectionately hugging her arm, Seele's eyes widened in surprise as soon as she turned her head. Then, with a chuckle, her small hand pointed at Sister Bronya's face: "Sister Bronya, you're blushing~"
"I, I'm not..."
Bronya turned her head, not wanting Seele to see her slightly flushed cheeks at that moment.
"Hehe, don't be shy, let Seele see~"
"No way..."
"Let Seele see!"
...
Leaving aside the two sisters laughing and teasing, Nangong Yu soon met an acquaintance.
"Yo, Key, good morning."
"Oh, it's A Yu, good morning~"
Wearing a black suit-like school uniform, Sugisaki Ken, with his brown short hair fluttering in the wind, waved at him with a smile.
At first, he thought this was just a Collapse parallel world, but after seeing Fengzhiji, Soubu High, and a series of familiar names, he realized this was originally a hodgepodge.
Sugisaki Ken, the male lead of "Student Council's Discretion" which he had watched in his previous life, was similar to the plot he had seen in his previous life. He was upright and relatively benevolent. The two of them hit it off immediately and quickly became good buddies.
Besides that, Nangong Yu also had a good relationship with Beiyuan Yizhi.
Oh, even Kirito was here, but because he liked to stay at home and play games, although their relationship was good, they didn't spend much time playing together.
As for why all his close friends were boys, to be honest, with Seele and Bronya by his side, he really wasn't very interested in those so-called heroines from before.
He casually high-fived him, and the two walked side by side.
"Did you bring a bento today?"
Noticing a small tote bag in Nangong Yu's hand besides his school bag, Sugisaki Ken asked curiously.
"Mm."
"Eh~ Can I taste it at lunch? Speaking of which, I haven't tasted your cooking yet."
Rubbing his hands with some novelty, Sugisaki Ken asked curiously.
"This wasn't made by me."
Turning his head, Nangong Yu responded mysteriously.
"Not made by you... Wait, could it be..."
Sugisaki Ken's eyes gradually widened, his voice filled with disbelief.
"That's right, it's exactly what you're thinking."
"...What the heck, it's just a handmade bento given by a girl or something, I'm not envious at all."
Although he said that, Sugisaki Ken's eyes were already turning red.
"Indeed, indeed. Living with a girl you like and getting to eat her home-cooked meals every day, that should be a very simple thing, don't you agree, Key~"
"..."
Easily stepping forward to dodge Sugisaki Ken's hand reaching for his neck, Nangong Yu dodged left and right, making it impossible for him to even touch his own collar.
This was thanks to the training he received at the orphanage since childhood. Cocolia, after all, came from a military background, and when it came to educating children, she followed her own methods.
"Ahhhhh, you're despicable!!!!"
The law of conservation of smiles states that smiles neither increase nor decrease, they merely transfer from one person's face to another's. For example, right now, the smile has transferred from Sugisaki Ken's face to Nangong Yu's face.
Very reasonable, isn't it~