I'll post an extra chapter every 300 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 32/300
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Miu then sent Kyo a message. As soon as he received it, he turned off the stove and rushed out of his house as fast as he could. The moment he stepped through the front door and saw Miu standing there with her bag still slung over her shoulder, he smiled.
'She really came...', he thought.
He walked over to her and said, "I'm glad you came. Come on in."
"Ah, excuse me." Miu was visibly nervous.
She walked through the garden toward the front door while her heart raced. Kyo's house was incredible—nothing like anything she had ever seen in person before. She felt as though she didn't belong there.
She thought that simply stepping inside would stain the floor. The thought made her even more nervous.
But the main reason her heart was beating so fast was Kyo's presence.
It had been a long time since the two of them had seen each other in person. Seeing Kyo's face again after so long made her heart feel like it was about to burst. She watched videos and looked at pictures of him almost every day, and they texted or talked over voice chat nearly every day as well, but this was different.
"Don't be so nervous. Everything's okay."
Kyo opened the front door, and Miu's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"Come on in. You can leave your shoes here. Here, give me your bag. I'll put it away for you."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Kyo took Miu's bag while she removed her shoes and placed it on the living room sofa. After taking off her shoes, Miu carefully stepped onto the surprisingly warm floor and walked through the living room.
She looked around in amazement.
The high ceiling, the enormous TV that looked like a movie theater screen, the large sofa that looked incredibly comfortable... It all felt like something from another world.
'He really is a millionaire.'
"What is it?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just amazed by everything. Your house is so big... I've also never seen a television this large in my entire life."
"You're exaggerating," Kyo said, trying to sound modest. "Come with me. I just finished preparing the food."
"Food? You cooked?"
"Yeah, I cook. I made pasta with cheese sauce. I also made some fresh orange juice."
"I didn't know you could cook. That's amazing," Miu said as she followed Kyo into the kitchen.
"Don't you cook, Miu?"
"I can only make basic things like noodles, rice, grilled meat, fried chicken, fried tofu, and things like that."
"You know enough to live on your own without any problems," Kyo said with a laugh.
Then they arrived in the kitchen.
Miu looked at the enormous kitchen with its huge island counter, an eight-burner stove, a massive double-door refrigerator, a gigantic microwave, and a large oven, and she couldn't help comparing it to the kitchen in her own home.
'It feels like another planet...'
"It smells great, doesn't it?"
Miu had been so captivated by everything around her that she hadn't even noticed the rich, delicious aroma of the cheese sauce. The smell was strong but incredibly pleasant.
'He probably used more than one kind of cheese. It must taste amazing.'
Then...
Grrr~~
Miu's stomach growled.
"You're hungry, aren't you? It's okay. You can go to the dining room while I serve the food. Just head into the living room and turn left. The dining room isn't as big as the rest of the house."
Before leaving, Miu asked, "Is your mother not home? I wanted to congratulate her on her pregnancy." She also wanted to ask Kyo's mother to call her own mother, just as she had promised.
"She is. She's in her room. She'll eat with us, so don't worry. I'll call her in a little while."
"Alright. Thank you."
Silently, Miu walked to the dining room while taking in every detail of Kyo's house. Once again, she thought, 'I don't belong in a place like this...'
She smiled bitterly and sat down at the table to wait for Kyo and his mother.
She was in Kyo's house, and now she would finally have the chance to have a long conversation with the mother of the boy she was in love with.
Miu's nervousness grew with every passing minute.
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POV: Miu
As I sat waiting at the table, my hands began to sweat, and I felt as though my heart was about to explode.
'What am I doing here...?' I thought.
All the excitement I had felt earlier vanished.
I realized that we lived in completely different worlds.
I should have realized it sooner...
We don't belong in the same universe.
It's impossible for someone like me to stand beside someone like Kyo. Even if I became a successful author too—which I honestly think is unlikely—I would never reach his level.
I have no confidence in myself.
'Actually... how did I become such a close friend of Kyo's? How did that even happen? It all happened so naturally that I can't even remember.'
And falling in love with him happened just as naturally...
'I feel guilty for falling in love with him so easily. Kyo would definitely think I'm an idiot if I told him how I feel, wouldn't he? He knows we can never be anything more than friends.'
I shouldn't tell him how I feel.
It would be foolish.
'I'll just eat and then go home.'
I let out a sigh, and then Kyo appeared.
With his beautiful smile (as always), he was carrying the pot of pasta.
"Sorry for the wait."
"It's okay."
"I already mixed all the sauce into the pasta. I'll go get the plates and silverware."
"Okay..."
"What's wrong? You seem upset about something."
"It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Alright. I'll be right back."
Kyo then brought the plates and silverware, and shortly afterward, his mother came in as well. When she saw me, she had a warm smile on her face. I stood up and said,
"Congratulations on your pregnancy."
"So Kyo told you. Thank you, Miu."
Kyo's mother suddenly hugged me, which surprised me a lot.
After we exchanged a few more words, she sat down beside me and cheerfully began serving the food.
As she served our meal, I continued thinking about all kinds of unnecessary things.
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