I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

I handed the doll to her. The price of getting it was nearly twenty times the effort, which, if converted, would be enough to buy one. Excluding the wasted time, it didn't seem like a big loss. (Master Ma's direct disciple)

"Thank...thank you." She seemed a little excited as she held him in her arms. By the way, in terms of both her height and physical development, she did have the air of a high school girl. "Yeah, after trying it myself, I found it really hard to catch~"

"Uh-huh."

Now that you know how hard I've worked, it's good... I definitely won't touch this kind of thing again. No, not even if Wang Jingze's Theorem existed. That theorem doesn't apply to me.

"That's great... I'm saved." She did look relieved, but the person she was looking at wasn't me, who had been working hard.

"...?"

What is this guy mumbling to the puppet?

"By the way, let's split the money for the game coins equally." She said as she was about to take out her wallet.

"Mmmm--" I quickly stopped her.

To be honest, it was really difficult to stop her and type at the same time.

"I asked you out, so let me take responsibility for everything."

Of course. This responsibility refers to the responsibility for playing and eating.

"Eh... Is this okay? Is this a normal thing?"

I'd almost forgotten she didn't seem to have many friends. But if she'd always assumed I didn't have any friends either, why did she ask me to confirm whether this was normal or not? Was she just asking subconsciously?

“I think it’s quite normal.”

However, this kind of thing still depends on personal preference. After all, everyone's financial situation is different, and some people want to treat others and some don't.

"Is that so..."

Hmm... But judging by her expression, she might take my words as a rule or something. So, I'd better add a little more to be safe.

“But it depends on the individual.”

"Eh... I don't quite understand." She thought for a moment, "So, some people still accept the AA system, right?"

"That's generally the case."

"But you didn't accept it."

"Uh..." I just think it's a bit inappropriate for me to haggle over money with a girl. It would make me look too stingy... Besides, I'm not really short of money right now.

"You really are weird."

"Please stop calling me weird."

I admit that my life seems a little weird compared to others, but now what I show to others is that I am just an ordinary high school student.

"I'm sorry, did I say something to irritate you?"

Her tone suddenly became cautious... She seemed to be afraid of angering others. However, she didn't seem to realize her gaffe... Well, while admitting one's mistakes is good, and apologies often work... it's still best to avoid offending others.

"It's not that serious that I'm angry."

"...Hmm."

Judging from her expression, she doesn't quite understand.

"Hmm..." It seems like I can't explain it clearly, so let's skip this topic.

"Anyway, are there any other games you're interested in? If not, you might consider looking elsewhere."

"Ah, are you leaving?"

"Yeah." Actually, I didn't say I had to leave. Didn't I even ask her if she wanted to play another game...

"Actually, I was thinking that if Sheji was really good, he would have rescued all those puppets."

"..."

It's too difficult for me to pull out all of them... I'm really sorry that I can't do it because of my lack of skills. Besides, even if I can do it, how on earth will I arrange so many of them... No, there are too many loopholes.

"But...how should I put it? If it's this way, I'm already very satisfied."

"....." What exactly is going on? Please explain it clearly once for all.

When I looked at her helplessly, she raised the puppet in her hand in front of me... This can really be called a mysterious operation.

"Yoyo, thank you so much."

She added, her voice deliberately changing. "How should I put it? It's still... pretty cute, even though I hate to admit it."

"Ah, this is not what I said, but what the child thought." She moved the doll away and smiled at me.

..........

My face feels hot. Is it because the heater in the store is too hot?

I definitely felt that way when I pushed the door open.

"Well..."

It certainly seems so. The chilly wind that greeted me upon exiting the store made me realize how lightly I was wearing. Furthermore, the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors was so great that now, on the street, swept by the wind, I felt even colder than before. It seemed I should have gone upstairs to get some clothes before leaving the store hours ago.

"Um, I've been meaning to ask this before... Is it really okay for you to be wearing so little, Sheji?"

She who was following behind me suddenly came over and asked.

"..."

"Will you feel cold?"

At this point, even if I used my shaking hands to force myself to type something like "I'm not cold," something no fool would believe, it wouldn't seem to have any practical effect. Besides, doing so wouldn't do me any good at all.

"Yeah." I nodded readily in agreement. I hoped she would consider my coldness and walk a little faster.

"Well... in this situation, you should wear something thicker."

"Uh... yeah."

Why ask such an obvious question? And doesn't this conversation sound rather awkward?

"Are you giving up warm but unattractive clothes just to look less bulky?"

"..."

Being able to come up with this reason is quite impressive in a sense. Having said that, I'm not the type to overly focus on appearance, and besides, most clothes these days are designed to avoid looking ugly.

Of course, I have to shake my head in this situation.

"Then why are you wearing so little... You're obviously feeling so cold, yet you still insist on doing this."

“…”

Think about what this situation would be like for another girl. Yehui would probably give me a scarf or something, though I definitely wouldn't accept it. If it were Rinquanchuan, while she might not do anything heartwarming, she wouldn't keep spouting such meaningless words. Most importantly, there's no sense of "care" in her actions.

If I were a girl and Yao Qiong was a boy, I would definitely find a way to get rid of this guy with low emotional intelligence.

Well, that's fine though...but if you start caring about me like this, I'll have a headache.

"So, is this also normal?"

“…”

Normal or something... She seems to have mentioned it more than once, but if it's a habit, it doesn't seem to be a good idea. Anyway, it's still a bit concerning. But for now, let's address her doubts.

"I just didn't check the temperature today and forgot to change into thicker clothes. This isn't normal. After all, you still have to pay attention to your own physical condition. It's cold, so of course you have to keep warm."

"Oh, I see."

"..."

This is just common sense, and you don't need to be taught. Seriously, what kind of education could produce someone like this...

"Well...though it might not do anything."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but slow down my pace and wait for her. However, at this moment, a furry thing was stuffed into my arms.

If my senses weren't misleading, the doll should still retain a bit of that guy's body heat. No, it could also be the warmth from the heater inside. Anyway, hugging it felt pretty good... at least it kept the wind off my chest.

"But I feel like it would be better if I held it," she explained somewhat embarrassedly. "Although, although I really want to give you clothes or something... but I probably can't, and I only have one scarf... Well, that child has been in my arms for a while, so I think it should be able to keep you warm."

“…”

Well, I admit that I was a little touched at that moment. But after thinking about it carefully...I think I caught this myself.

Well, forget it. Just think of it as getting something for her.

The best operation is to not require any operation

"Where are we going next?"

There was a hint of expectation on his face, and his tone sounded like he was asking me a question, but his eyes didn't move towards me, so I didn't know whether I should respond.

"Um... no need to type a response. After all, in weather like this, the right thing to do is to keep your hands in your pockets."

"..." Even so, I only had one hand in my pocket, while the other was used to hold the stuffed animal. Well, rather than providing some protection from the cold, it was more of a burden.

"Although I was a little wary at first, it seems that Sheji is a good person now...I guess so."

"..." You should give a definite answer as to whether he is a good person or not... But generally speaking, even if he is on guard, he won't say it so directly.

...But, thinking about it this way, even if the people around me haven't explicitly expressed it, they all have it before we get to know each other. Call it wariness or caution. Distance is something that constantly draws people closer.

"So I still believe this shopping trip will be fun."

This sounds like she's putting everything on me. If you analyze the subtext a bit, it seems like she's saying she doesn't know what's interesting, so she wants me to introduce something interesting to her.

"..."

Well, if I had to say whether it was good or bad... I was actually quite happy about it. But judging by her nonchalant attitude in the arcade... if she wasn't even interested, what could I do?

"But in the end, I still don't understand the charm of games... Maybe I just can't understand it."

"..."

Is this my fault... probably not. But what's the reason why she doesn't find it interesting... The genre? Are there no games that suit her taste at all? But then again, how can I possibly know what her taste is...

His eyes inadvertently glanced in her direction.

"Huh? What's the problem?"

I have to say this look in his eyes... I have never seen such clear eyes.

"..."

See, I really should find an opportunity to ask about her family background. If she really is some young lady, it would be really rude to treat her like this.

As I thought about this, I could only shake my head in response to her.

But if I think about it, it's unlikely. After all, Nan didn't mention it specifically, and... her behavior didn't give me any obvious impression. Well, there are actually things like that. There's no real basis for a feeling, but it's just that... usually called intuition or something. However, intuition has become something of a female specialty... perhaps because the public believes men are generally more rational.

However, this conclusion has proven unreliable. It turns out that judging people is based on individuality, and gender is merely a guide.

No, no, no, now is not the time to think about these things.

"By the way, can we call ourselves friends now?"

"..."

At this time, it is necessary to take out the mobile phone to respond.

"If you think it is, then so be it." Well, just give her the initiative. Besides, admitting something like this would be sheer narcissism.

"...Oh, so this is what they call boyfriend and girlfriend...right?"

"..."

"Just say we're friends."

And I also care who they are referring to.

Chapter 21: No Operation is the Best Operation

I had already vaguely sensed it before. Now, in a sense, this guy has really revealed his true colors... Although he has been saying things that make people feel rude to her without caring, it is still a good distraction.

"I don't know why, but I only talk so much when I'm with you, Sheji. Well... maybe it's because you don't talk back like normal people."

Is that so? That's a shame, because not long ago I used to talk a lot more than the average person.