I have to blame my mother too. If she had come back earlier, I probably wouldn't have had this weird idea of "wanting someone to be waiting for me at home for dinner", right?
And it’s a person of the opposite sex of the same age whom I just met yesterday.
If he finds out about this, he'll jump off the balcony tonight...
'Is it true that if a person stays at home for a long time, his mental health will be affected?'
She clenched the food box with her fingers hidden behind her back, and her heart was in a mess where he couldn't see.
But in order not to arouse his suspicion, Nagasaki Suyo quickly adjusted her mood. Regardless of her slightly accelerated heartbeat, she returned her calm gaze to his face, tilted her head slightly, smiled softly and sweetly, and said:
"Mr. Ming Hai, did you like the taste of yesterday's potato stew?"
"Hmm? It's delicious. By the way, I'll return the lunch box to you."
Ming Hai suddenly thought of something, turned around and walked back into the house.
Although for a moment, he felt that the girl's gaze seemed to want to eat him...but considering the difference in strength and experience between the two, he really didn't know why he should be wary or afraid, so he didn't care what she was thinking.
If it were Toyokawa Shoko, he might have to think seriously about whether to agree to the other party or refuse outright.
While Ming Hai went to the kitchen to get something, Nagasaki Suyo followed him in very naturally, but she did not step into the entrance hall.
Her eyes lingered on the furnishings and various details in the house, including the packages on the floor, the clothes hanging on the sofa, and the slightly open bathroom door. Her mood inexplicably gradually relaxed, and she inadvertently guessed what he was doing just now, why he came home at this time, and so on.
When Ming Hai appeared with an empty lunch box, the girl took out the new lunch box and spoke sincerely:
"This is the vegetable soup I just made. Can you please help me taste it?"
"Uh...are you planning on feeding me every day?"
Although he was a little speechless, it was free food after all, so Ming Hai had no reason to refuse. He simply exchanged food boxes with her and said casually: "The rice is almost cooked, why don't you take a bowl of white rice back? This "World's Best Rice" tastes pretty good."
"No, thank you for your kindness. I cooked at home and I'm afraid I won't be able to finish it."
Nagasaki Suyo shook her head. After a moment of silence, she spoke nervously, "Um...is there anything else you want to eat, or any preferred flavors?"
"To be honest, I've been very interested in cooking recently, but my mother is often not at home, so I can't find anyone to evaluate whether it's good or bad. I don't know anyone else in this apartment building... So in the end, it seems that I can only ask Ming Hai for help."
Grandpa Yamada, I'm sorry.
She gave a slightly lonely wry smile and apologized in her heart to the old administrator who provided her with the information.
Then she raised her little face slightly, blinked her watery eyes, and looked tentatively into his eyes.
"The portion is the size of a lunch box, so it won't be too much... is that not okay?"
"I do not mind."
As she expected, he answered as straightforwardly as he did yesterday.
"That's good……"
Nagasaki Suyo patted her well-developed chest and breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time she felt powerless as if all her strength was wasted on cotton.
...Even if I don't have to pretend to be a good boy, he will agree to me, right?
Volume 24: Chapter Chapter As long as it's something that can be repaired, even if it's a Gundam, I will repair it for you to see!
The food exchange is complete and it's time to see the guests off.
However, as if seeing through his thoughts and not wanting to leave so early, Nagasaki Suyo suddenly let out a soft "ah" and looked towards the bathroom very naturally.
"Speaking of which... Narumi-kun, is your bathroom okay?"
"No." Ming Hai asked doubtfully, "Why, is there something wrong with your bathroom?"
"That's not the case. It's just that when I was cleaning the bathroom, I found that the water pipes seemed to be a bit old and leaking. I was wondering if I should ask the administrator to call someone to fix it."
She placed her hand gently on her cheek and sighed in some distress.
"The water pipes are aging..." Ming Hai fell into deep thought.
He first asked Nagasaki Suyo to wait where she was, then he walked into his bathroom and squatted down to check the condition of the water pipes in various places.
Yesterday, I was so excited to fill the bathtub with water that I was only focused on enjoying the pleasure brought by the luxury bath that I didn't notice...
These water pipes that look shiny silver are actually quite old, so it is normal for them to leak or fall off one day.
"My goodness, even luxury apartments are cutting corners."
Ming Hai couldn't help but complain.
However, compared to denouncing the evil capitalists, the knowledge that flooded into his mind at this moment was what he needed to focus on.
——When you touch the problematic section of the water pipe, the [Repair] skill will automatically activate.
It was like becoming a professional plumber in an instant, with decades of experience turning into instinct without any sense of incongruity.
Now, Ming Hai only needs to take a look at the water pipes, and the crux of the problem and the solution will naturally appear in his mind. He can even understand all the related things such as what type of water pipe is better, which material is most suitable, which waterproof tape is most cost-effective, etc.
As long as he has the tools and materials, he can completely renovate the plumbing system of an entire bathroom by himself.
"As long as it's something that can be repaired, even if it's a Gundam, I'll repair it for you."
When he walked out of the bathroom, Ming Hai looked at his hands with a complicated expression, and thousands of words in his heart turned into one sentence.
——The system is great.
If [Candy Factory] is a bug ability that transcends the laws of physics, then [Maintenance] is a cheating program that tramples on common sense at the knowledge and spiritual levels.
In terms of the degree of cheating, it is no less than this limited skill that can only be obtained once in each world line.
After all, one touch can give you an epiphany of decades of craftsmanship. If the old masters knew about this, they would probably pick up their tools and fight you, right?
To make the most of this skill, the method is very simple - go to the second-hand market.
Even if the system immediately cuts off his living expenses, as long as he has this skill, he can always embark on the path of [Becoming the strongest by relying on maintenance skills ~The strongest maintenance worker in another world~].
"But why should I make money with my own hands when I can rely on the system to support myself?"
Ming Hai shook his head with amusement, and quickly broke away from the mindset of a worker, continuing to eat the free food from the system daddy with peace of mind.
For him now, the only use of this skill is to allow him to gain relevant knowledge by touching second-hand musical instruments, and then contribute to Teacher Xiaoxiang's dream of forming an orchestra.
Return to the entrance.
"How is it? Is it leaking?"
Nagasaki Suyo asked with concern, even though she didn't care about such trivial matters at all, she just wanted to chat with him more.
"No, but it will be soon. Fortunately, we found it early." Ming Hai shrugged, "There is nothing on hand to repair it. Let the administrator find someone later."
"I thought so too, but..." Nagasaki Suyo keenly noticed the key point and asked, "Could it be that Ming Hai classmate, you can repair water pipes?"
"I just happen to know a little." Ming Hai did not deny it.
"In that case, do you want to come to my house to get the tools?" Her eyes lit up slightly, she put her hands together, and suggested in a light tone, "After moving into the new house, my mother wanted to do everything herself, so she bought a set of plumbing tools, but she ended up breaking a faucet that was only leaking, so she had to ask someone to fix it... The set of tools is now in the warehouse, gathering dust for a long time."
"If you want it, I'll give it to you, right?"
As soon as the words fell, the girl vaguely realized that something was wrong, and her heartbeat couldn't help but speed up a little.
Now she is the only one at home. If she invites him to her home, wouldn't that be the same as...
Letting a wolf into the house?!
"No, from Ming Hai's perspective, I was the one who took the initiative to invite him to my house to be alone, and my attitude was so positive... Ugh, I will definitely be misunderstood as an indecent girl, right? ! "
Nagasaki Suyo now wanted to cover her face and run away, or immediately turn back time and swallow those words that were said without thinking.
Rather than being attacked, she was more worried that her image in his heart would plummet and he would avoid her from then on.
After all, from last night until now, Ming Hai has never once shown her a greedy or covetous look.
Nagasaki Suyo is still somewhat conscious of her precocious figure. She usually dresses so conservatively that she will be glanced at by men several times when she walks on the street, not to mention that she is now wearing pajamas.
No matter how simple it is, it can still clearly outline the curves and attract the attention of the opposite sex.
However, the young man in front of him was different from the others. He had no intention of taking a second look at him.
It was as if in his eyes, I was not a living woman, but a human-shaped stand on the roadside. No matter how beautiful she was, she could not arouse any interest in him.
This made her feel a little insecure and disappointed; but because of this, she could chat with him here without worry.
——And now, this has become a problem.
"Um, I mean...!"
Her pretty face flushed slightly, Nagasaki Suyo took a deep breath, stared straight at Ming Hai, and was about to make up for what she had said before.
"No need, let's leave it to the professionals."
Ming Hai waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "A house worth hundreds of millions shouldn't be out of warranty, right? There's no need to spend money and do it ourselves. Even if we replace all the water pipes in the bathroom, the administrator shouldn't charge us."
“Indeed, that’s right.” As if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her, she smiled awkwardly and looked away, “Ahaha, then I’ll do the same~”
Then, with mixed feelings, Ming Hai sent him out the door, and he took the elevator back upstairs carrying the lunch box.
"Why think so much? People don't care at all... And since when did I become such a person who loves to overthink?"
Sighing, Nagasaki Suyo opened the door, only to find a pair of women's leather shoes placed randomly at the entrance.
The house was brightly lit, and footsteps could be heard faintly moving back and forth.
Seeing this familiar scene, she thought she would be very happy, but in the end she just shook her head helplessly, bent down to put the pair of leather shoes neatly into the shoe cabinet, and walked towards the kitchen where the footsteps came from.
"Welcome back, Mom...what are you doing?"
"Sushi! You're just in time. When did you buy the wagyu beef? Is this what we're going to eat today?"
"No...well, I'll take care of it later, just leave it alone for now."
"That's great~ I can eat the food made by Sushi when I come back. I must be the happiest mother in the world~"
"Really? I'm tired of hearing that. I've already filled the bathtub for you. Do you want to take a bath first? Dinner will probably take about half an hour."
"Then I'll go take a shower first... Su Shi, you must be very lonely during this time when mom is not at home, right? Don't worry, the work has been dealt with, and mom will be able to stay at home with you for the next few days. We can also go to the amusement park on the weekend!"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I'm looking forward to it."
"Well, you're so happy to say it, but Sushi-chan is really not honest~"
"..."
Not honest, eh?
Leaving aside her mother who was humming a song as she walked towards the bathroom, Nagasaki Suyo returned to her room and sat quietly on her bed.
She pressed her palm lightly against her chest, closed her eyes, and silently felt the faint rhythm of her heartbeat and the heat that had not yet subsided.
The joy of loneliness being dispelled by family affection, the peace of mind of having emptiness filled by others...
Every time her mother came home from a business trip, she felt as if the gray world was filled with color and the dolls had regained life.
Today, this feeling remains the same, but it is suddenly no longer as important and hard to let go as before.
——It was like a frozen music box, which had a new spring installed and started to produce a different sound than before.
When her mother was not around, she always repeated boring actions.
Studying, doing homework, practicing a musical instrument, or just surfing the internet aimlessly...
I don’t know what I want to do, nor do I know what I can do; I can’t find anyone to express my feelings to, and even less can I find anyone to place my emotions on.
Many times, she asked herself - empty shell of a good child, how long can you hold on?
Until yesterday, until now.
Until she suddenly realized that besides waiting for her mother to come back in an empty house, she still had things to do and people to see.
Everything seems to be different.
"After school tomorrow, let's go to the bookstore and buy a cookbook. We also need to buy some more meat."
"Ah, next time I ask him about my homework, I guess I won't be kicked out so quickly, right? I also want to talk about how he learned to fix the plumbing, I wonder if he'll tell me~"
"Why don't we set a goal first? For example, stay at his house for ten minutes first?"
Thinking about this and that, thinking about various things related to him.
Nagasaki Suyo couldn't help laughing.
She lay down on the bed, letting her long brown hair be pressed down by her body, and reached out to take the candy jar on the bedside table and hugged it tightly in her arms.
The girl pressed her slightly hot cheek against the cold iron sheet, curled up her soft body, exhaled lightly with inexplicable satisfaction, and murmured softly:
