Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 3

"...Hello, Nagasaki-kun."

He opened the door and greeted the girl standing there with a lukewarm greeting. Despite the somber atmosphere around her, she was trying her best to keep smiling.

...Oh, I see. You came seeking comfort.

This is really... Instead of venting her emotions to her parents, she came to find a stranger she only met once today? Is she really that concerned about the moment I helped her catch her, or is there something else going on?

"Yuan, classmate Yuan."

She had mustered up the courage to apologize to him, but the moment she saw Yuan Xudou, her resolve vanished, and even her voice trembled.

"Just now at the door..."

"Please come in."

"……well?"

Yuan Xudou gave up his seat and invited her to come in and sit down.

Nagasaki Motoyo paused for a moment, hesitated for a moment, looked at his face that made one instinctively unwilling to refuse, and finally chose to trust her intuition.

"……excuse me."

Nagasaki Motoyo was led into the living room by Genji Koto and sat down at the table. Seeing that he had only left the door slightly ajar, she felt a little relieved.

"Tea or coffee? Juice and milk are also available."

"No, no need..." she instinctively declined, but then realized it would be impolite to refuse the host's kindness, so she quickly changed her mind, "Do you have any black tea?"

"Have."

Gen Xudou turned and walked into the kitchen. Nagasaki Motoyo stared blankly at the direction where his figure disappeared for a while before she came to her senses and began to secretly observe the surrounding situation.

The furniture inside showed no signs of having been used, indicating that Yuan Xudou was indeed a new resident. The door to that room wasn't closed; it seemed to be his bedroom.

The furniture was indeed arranged based on the assumption that one person would live there... There wasn't much furniture in the room, and the large living room seemed rather empty.

However... it doesn't feel as empty as being at home.

The sound of water bubbling and boiling came from the kitchen, punctuated by the slow footsteps of footsteps. Occasionally, a casual glance over the counter revealed Yuan Xudoujun's focused profile in the semi-open kitchen.

Just feeling this atmosphere, it was as if I was being influenced by his calm temperament, and my originally anxious heart gradually became peaceful.

This is the life she wants... Even without much communication, just knowing that there is someone by her side is enough to fill the emptiness in her heart.

Enjoying the tranquility that felt like being gently embraced by the ocean, Nagasaki Motoyo reluctantly left the atmosphere only after Genjiro Toru gently placed the black tea in front of her.

"What do you want from me?"

It was still the same; the tone of voice was quite gentle, but the intonation was flat, making people feel both tolerant and indifferent... However, she was starting to like the voice a little.

"Yes... I want to apologize to you."

“Just now at the door, I brought up that kind of topic, which made you think of those bad things... I'm sorry.”

She simply said something wrong to a neighbor she didn't know well, and then chased after them to their house to apologize. Most people would find that strange. But Nagasaki Motoyo couldn't convince herself to dismiss her words as an "unintentional slip."

Because... having also experienced the grief of losing family members, she couldn't bear the thought of one day hurting others with such pain, even unintentionally.

The thought that if Genjiro's words brought back memories of his past misfortunes, plunging someone who had helped him into sorrowful recollections, was something Nagasaki Motoyo couldn't accept—she couldn't accept being indifferent to such a possibility.

"Ah."

Yuan Xudou nodded calmly.

"After so much time, I no longer care."

“You only mentioned it casually, there’s no need to feel guilty. I forgive you, let’s just let this go.”

"……Thank you."

Although the process was quite simple, all the heavy thoughts she had been having at home before disappeared without a trace after Yuan Xudou's response.

But—a new problem arose.

Is there any way to make her stay here more reasonably?

Anyway, Mom might not be able to come home tonight. Going back now would just mean practicing the piano alone in the empty house, just like usual. Compared to that, Nagasaki Motoyo would rather stay here.

Nagasaki Motoyo pretended to be focused on drinking her tea while secretly glancing around.

Reasons... is there any suitable reason...?

Have you had dinner?

The surprise came so suddenly that before she could even think of an excuse, Yuan Xudou had already started a conversation with her.

"Has Yuan not had dinner yet either?"

Nagasaki Motoyo put down her teacup, crossed her hands on the table, and looked quite interested.

Do you usually eat out?

"No, I usually cook for myself at home."

really.

A smile appeared on Nagasaki Motoyo's face.

From the very beginning, she sensed in Yuan Xudou the aura of someone who was "good at taking care of himself," so there was a high probability that he, like her, would cook at home, and now the fact was exactly as she expected.

"I usually cook for myself at home... Ah, in that case, as an apology, how about I cook a meal..."

If she is allowed to stay for dinner, she can then have a legitimate reason to do so.

And if you are rejected—

"No need, I can prepare dinner myself."

Unsurprisingly, Motoyo Nagasaki's smile remained perfectly intact.

"Then, let me help out? It's getting late, and two people working together will be more efficient, right?"

—That would also perfectly achieve her goal.

"...Do you usually eat alone?"

You could hear the subtle question in his voice – "Is there no one in your family who needs you to cook?"

"Ah... my mom is working overtime today, so..."

When this topic was brought up, Nagasaki Motoyo's expression couldn't help but dim slightly. She avoided talking about her father and only spoke about her mother, believing that Genjiro would understand her unspoken meaning.

“…Then that’s it.”

As she had expected, Yuan Xudou did not press the matter further and calmly accepted her explanation.

...He probably already figured it out. But instead of confronting everyone and making things awkward, he subtly avoided the topic...

"Do you have any taboos?"

Although her expression didn't change much, her eyebrows and eyes softened a little, and Nagasaki Motoyo, who had been observing the other person, didn't miss this detail.

"Um……"

Based on her current understanding of Yuan Xu Doujun, this statement wasn't just polite talk; he was genuinely seeking her opinion. If she ended up eating with great difficulty, he would definitely notice, and their relationship would likely deteriorate.

In situations like these, it's more polite to make appropriate requests.

"I prefer light food and I'm not a big fan of offal..."

"it is good."

Yuan Xudou got up and went back to the kitchen.

"Could you please steam the rice first? I'll come get the vegetables I need to wash. The rice is next to the refrigerator over there."

"Approximately how much?"

Nagasaki Motoyo stood up as well.

"I usually only need one or two bowls, the rest is up to you."

Yuan Xudou opened the refrigerator, checked the food, and quickly came up with an idea.

"Let's stew some potatoes and then stir-fry some side dishes."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Nagasaki Suyo.

With practiced ease, he chopped and sorted the vegetables and meat on the cutting board, and slowly minced the scallions and garlic into small pieces, setting them aside for later use. While performing this familiar task that required no further concentration, Yuan Xudou silently pondered the name in his mind.

His first impression was correct. Although she came to him to apologize for her words and actions, she probably didn't even realize that, in reality, Nagasaki Motoyo had come to him seeking psychological comfort.

Judging from her attitude towards family topics and her current skill in helping him cook... does she have psychological trauma related to her family? Is it because her parents are divorced, or has one parent passed away? In any case, it should be a single-parent family dominated by her mother, and she may not have received enough maternal love.

So... she sees me as someone she can lick her wounds with?

Heat oil in a wok, add beef chunks cut into bite-sized pieces, stir-fry for a few seconds, add salt and spices, a little soy sauce, stir-fry for a while longer, and when the beef is almost cooked, pour in a few bowls of tap water, then add the chopped potatoes using a scoop, stir with a wooden spoon, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat.

After finishing these tasks, he looked up and glanced at Nagasaki Motoyo, who seemed to be diligently preparing vegetables, in the reflection of the window.

逡⒎児僘淋是久霓散是……未必如此。

Yuan Xudou could clearly sense that her gaze often lingered on him intentionally or unintentionally, her expression not appearing melancholy, but rather carrying a cheerful smile. Her gentle, light-colored eyes also seemed much brighter than when they first met, as if some accumulated worries had been washed away.

Yuan Xudou has encountered many people who, because of his family background, have taken the liberty of getting close to him and treating him as one of their own. Typically, they would complain to him about a bunch of misfortunes that have happened to them, and hope that he would do the same, as if doing so would make their misfortunes a little easier.

He would always refuse them, and then be arbitrarily disliked as an "outsider".

However, Nagasaki Motoyo doesn't seem to have the same needs as @n1$妻.⑹衣氵II 尔韭U亻尔.

Even knowing that he also had an unhappy family, she had absolutely no urge to confide in him...

"Yuan, the vegetables are washed."

"...Okay, give it to me."

What did she receive that made her so happy?

Chapter Three: Please Be My Friend

"I'm gonna start now."

"I'm starting."

The two people sitting opposite each other put their hands together and greeted each other.

Having done such a trivial thing, Nagasaki Motoyo felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

How long has it been since I've experienced sitting together like a family, having a meal together?

At home, because my mother is busy with work, even on rare occasions when she has time to come home for dinner, she can hardly guarantee that she will arrive home on time. Often, my mother will painstakingly prepare a table full of delicious food and wait expectantly for her to come home, only to find that everything has gone cold by the end...

Although her mother always says the food tastes great after eating, Nagasaki Motoyo still hopes that one day her mother will be waiting at the table from the moment she starts cooking, waiting for her to bring the steaming hot food to the table, and the two of them can eat a meal together like an ordinary mother and daughter, without thinking about the phone calls that may come from the company at any time or the never-ending work.

Now, this wish, which she thought was quite distant, has been fulfilled through Yuan Xu Doujun.

……really.

Today is a lucky day.

Although I almost tripped and fell while going down the stairs because I was distracted, I also got to know Yuan Xudou-kun because of it; although I accidentally said something I shouldn't have and almost made him dislike me, it also gave me the courage to visit him... Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, that's how it is.

And, to my surprise, he's a guy who's a better cook than me...

Pick up a plump, vibrant green vegetable leaf from the table with your chopsticks. It looks incredibly appetizing. Put it in your mouth and savor it slowly.

The perfect amount of saltiness brings out the natural sweetness of the greens, and the control of the heat ensures that the vegetables are juicy and flavorful to the right degree. They are neither overcooked and dry nor undercooked and fibrous... The taste is unbelievably good.

The same goes for stewed beef with potatoes. The potatoes are stewed until soft and tender, and the beef is stewed until tender and juicy. Even the thick broth is fragrant, perfectly blending the deliciousness of both.

Oh no, I didn't feel like eating much today, so I left myself a little less food...

I stumbled upon a hidden master chef neighbor whose culinary skills are as appetizing as a professional chef's; I tried my best but still couldn't get full.

...I regretted it.

Just as Nagasaki Motoyo was lightly biting her chopsticks, inwardly blaming herself for not thinking things through and wasting such good food and opportunities, Minamoto Heoto, who had been silently eating with his head down the whole time and didn't have as many thoughts in his mind as she did, also finished the rice in his bowl and put down his chopsticks.