Collapse? No, this is just everyday life.

The past ten days or so have been relatively peaceful, without any major incidents. Bronya made up her mind to go into complete seclusion, and sometimes even Seele couldn't get her to open the door.

If it weren't for the fact that Bronya's condition was known through artificial intelligence, Nangong Yu might have barged in directly.

As for the other side, Nangong Yu's life is much more comfortable.

Eating the three meals carefully prepared by Seele every day, working in the morning, spending the afternoon with Seele, and dividing the evenings equally between Seele and work, life is quite enjoyable and much better than when I was alone.

The semester in the Far East is a bit special; they have a three-semester system. After a short spring break, it means they are moving up to the second year of high school.

"Brother, why isn't your collar straight again?"

Early in the morning, after having breakfast, Xi'er and Nangong Yu stood at the door with their schoolbags, ready to leave.

Looking at her brother's loose bow tie, Seele said something helplessly, then took a step forward, leaned close to her brother's body, and gently helped him fix it with her small hand.

A sweet, youthful scent wafted over, causing Nangong Yu to smile.

This was intentional, of course. Ever since he saw Seele's disappointed look after he had tidied up the results himself last time, he had never tidied up the results himself again.

Seele naturally understood this as well, but both of them tacitly refrained from pointing it out.

After meticulously tidying up, Seele reluctantly withdrew her hand only after confirming that everything was alright. Then, she picked up the silver-gray scarf she had knitted for her brother and put it around his neck.

"It's a bit windy today, brother, remember to keep warm!"

Speaking of this scarf, after Xi'er gave it to him a few days ago, Nangong Yu couldn't resist giving Xi'er a kiss on the cheek. As a result, Xi'er was so embarrassed that she barely paid any attention to him that day.

"So does Xi'er."

Nangong Yu then picked up another sky-blue scarf and put it on Xier, a gift he had given her last Christmas.

"Hehe, Seele will go find Bronya now, brother, remember to bring your lunch."

She tiptoed and tapped her little leather shoes, then opened the door. A slightly chilly breeze wafted in, making her exhale softly. The sun was already high in the sky, its gentle light falling on her and illuminating her school uniform.

The red collar, cuffs, and skirt were paired with a black coat and a bright yellow bow tie, exuding youthful energy. Below, she wore a pair of warm black stockings that reached her waist, reflecting an alluring light in the sunlight.

This is the school uniform of Sakuranomiya Girls' High School.

That's right, it's an all-girls high school.

After having a conflict with Bronya a year ago, she gave up on Toyosaki Academy, which everyone had chosen together, and instead took Seele to Sakuranomiya Girls' High School, which was not far away.

Upon hearing this news, Nangong Yu felt a wave of dizziness.

But a year has passed, and Nangong Yu feels that this is actually quite good. If Xier were to associate with those silly people in his class, it would be bad if Xier were corrupted.

Standing at the doorway, the cold wind made him shiver. Luckily, he had the scarf that Seele had knitted, which blocked those bad guys that wanted to get into his neck.

I caught a glimpse of the tiny heart embroidered by Seele on the edge of the scarf. Well, that makes it even warmer.

Not long after, the door across the hall opened.

Seele pulled Bronya, who was clearly still a little tired, out of the room. Bronya had obvious dark circles under her eyes and her steps were a little unsteady. Her school uniform was still relatively neat, probably because Seele had helped her. Her hastily styled hair was simply tied back with a hair tie, which made Nangong Yu frown secretly.

It would be a shame if such a beautiful head of silver hair were ruined by staying up late.

Noticing Nangong Yu across the street, Bronya instinctively sprang to her senses, forcing herself to look at him with a stubborn, tired gaze, as if she didn't want to show any weakness in front of him.

Seele pulled Bronya over, and Nangong Yu silently followed beside them.

The two remained somewhat silent throughout the journey, with only Seele chattering away, trying to start a conversation. Either Nangong Yu would speak and Bronya would shut up, or Bronya would speak and Nangong Yu would shut up.

Soon, we arrived at the intersection where we were supposed to separate.

This was the only interaction between Nangong Yu and Bronya that day. In the past, the two could still talk to each other, until Bronya's work flopped, and then they fell silent.

He paused for a moment, not looking at Bronya, and simply said, "It's better to stay up less late in the future."

Upon hearing this, Bronya stopped in her tracks, bit her lip, opened and closed her teeth slightly, and finally replied softly, "...It's none of your business."

"But I don't want to see you get hurt."

Staying up late is bad for your health, and this isn't just a saying. She seemed fine before with Xi'er around, but now that she's all alone and has a lot of pent-up anger, she'll probably push herself to the limit.

Of course, giving Seele back is impossible.

Shaking her head, Nangong Yu finally looked in Bronya's direction, but she still didn't turn around. In fact, she quickened her pace, leaving Seele behind.

".......Um."

A calm response carried on the breeze from the quiet road, finally bringing a smile to Nangong Yu's face. He waved to Xi'er, and the little girl smiled and waved back. Then he walked toward another road.

Seeing her brother leave, Seele quickly caught up with Bronya, who was already waiting for her.

She affectionately hugged her arm, and as soon as Seele turned her head, her eyes widened in surprise. Then, she chuckled and pointed her little finger at Bronya's face: "Bronya, you're blushing~"

"I, I didn't..."

Bronya turned her head away, not wanting Seele to see her slightly flushed cheeks.

"Hehe, don't be shy, let Seele see!"

"No, please..."

"Let Seele see!"

......

Leaving aside the two sisters laughing and joking, Nangong Yu soon ran into an acquaintance.

"Hey, KEY, good morning."

"Oh, it's Yu! Good morning!"

Wearing a black, suit-like school uniform, Sugisaki Ken, with his short brown hair flowing in the wind, smiled and waved at him.

At first, he thought it was just a broken parallel world, but after seeing Toyosaki, Soubu High, and a series of familiar names, he realized that it was actually a hodgepodge.

Sugisaki Ken, the male protagonist of "Seitokai no Ichizon" that I read in my previous life, has a similar plot to the one I read in my previous life. He is an upright person and quite loving. The two hit it off immediately and quickly became best friends.

Besides, Kitahara Iori is also on good terms with Nangong Yu.

Oh right, even Grandpa Tong is here, but because he likes to stay home and play games, although everyone gets along well, they don't play together much.

As for why his close relationships are all with guys, to be honest, with Seele and Bronya by his side, he's really not that interested in those so-called female leads.

I casually gave him a high five, and the two walked side by side.

Did you bring lunch today?

Noticing the small handbag in Nangong Yu's hand besides her schoolbag, Sugisaki Ken said with some curiosity.

"Ah."

"Hey~ Can I try some at noon? Come to think of it, I've never tasted your cooking before."

With a touch of curiosity, Sugisaki Ken rubbed his hands together and said curiously.

"I didn't do this."

Turning his head to the side, Nangong Yu responded mysteriously.

"You didn't do it... wait, could it be...?"

Sugisaki Ken's eyes widened, his voice filled with disbelief.

"That's right, it's the one you're thinking of, the one that's difficult."

"...What? It's just a homemade bento box from a girl. I'm not envious at all."

Even so, Sugisaki Ken's eyes had already started to redden.

"Absolutely, absolutely. Living with a girl you like and eating her cooking every day should be a very simple thing, right, Key-kun?"

"..."

Easily stepping forward, Nangong Yu dodged Sugisaki Ken's hand that was reaching for his neck. He dodged left and right, making it impossible for Sugisaki Ken to even touch his own collar.

This is all thanks to the training she received at the orphanage from childhood. After all, Cocolia was a soldier, and her approach to educating children followed her own methods.

"Aaaaaah, you deserve to die!!!"

The law of conservation of smiles states that smiles neither increase nor decrease; they simply transfer from one person's face to another. For example, right now, the smile has transferred from Sugisaki Ken's face to Nangong Yu's face.

That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Chapter Five: This is Youth!

"Brothers, all eyes on me! Look at me, I have something to announce!"

After a morning of classes, lunchtime, which Nangong Yu was looking forward to, came next.

While Nangong Yu was heating up his lunchbox, Sugisaki Ken called out to the group of people at the convenience store.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Turning his head, he said with some doubt, "It's a good thing there's no Tiger in this world, otherwise Sugisaki Ken probably wouldn't have the face to say that."

Don't you guys feel like something's missing at lunchtime today?

Looking at the two still looking confused, Sugisaki Ken said with a hint of exasperation.

Sugisaki Ken, Kitahara Iori, Kiritani Kazuto, and Nangong Yu are nicknamed the "Convenience Store Quartet" by Sugisaki Ken because they go to the convenience store to buy bread every noon.

Kitahara and Kiri looked at each other, then looked at Sugisaki Ken with even more bewildered eyes, wondering what had gotten into him.

Seeing this, Sugisaki Ken's expression gradually turned ferocious. He said, word by word, "We're short-handed, we're short-handed! Don't you realize we're one person short?"

"You mean that guy, Ah Yu?" Grandpa Tong asked doubtfully.

"So what if you weren't planning on going to the convenience store? Isn't it normal to want to try the cafeteria occasionally?"

Kitahara looked completely indifferent, and even glanced at Sugisaki Ken with a mischievous look: "Key, why are you so concerned about Ame? You can't have given up your harem plan and gotten turned gay instead, can you?"

"I'll be gay for sure! You're the one who's gay! My sincere love for everyone in the student council is as clear as day!!!"

Seeing that Sugisaki Ken was about to say something again, Kitahara and Kiri shook their heads, turned around, and prepared to continue walking towards the convenience store.

If you go too late, you won't be able to get any fried noodles or bread.

"Wait, wait, wait! I really have something to say!!"

"Speak quickly, there will be more people soon, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

Clearly, Kitahara was getting a little impatient, and even Kirito's brows furrowed slightly.