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

Well, forget it. In that case, I'll just give up on the question I had in mind... Who made this the question I wanted to ask the most at this moment?

"So, do you want to have a good dream?"

It’s just a short sentence, and not difficult to understand at all.

But she'd been frozen in place for a long time since she took my phone. It was as if I was asking a question in a language rarely seen in the world, and her interpretation was incredibly slow...

"...How..."

"Ok?"

"How should I put it...? It's been so long now, I thought I'd become indifferent... Dreams and such, as long as I keep my sleep to a minimum, those meaningless things... what's the big deal if I can't do them..."

"..."

It seems that there is an answer.

"But that's not going to work... Hey, before I answer your question, can I ask the one I should ask first?"

"...Um."

of course.

At this point, it's up to her to ask whatever she wants.

"Thank you..." She took a moment to catch her breath, calming down what seemed to her to be a rather baffling feeling. But in my opinion, this reaction wasn't that hard to understand.

"So..."

After the accidental collision

Even though I had made up my mind long ago to stop answering requests for help, I had finally, without realizing it, forgotten how I felt before. And I had helped so many people before...was that considered going back on my word, even though I hadn't done anything wrong?

It's not that I don't care about the unfair treatment I received, nor that I've chosen to forgive their ungrateful behavior... Well, I rarely encounter people like that anymore. And if someone truly needs my help, how could I possibly ignore them as ungrateful?

There's no real reason, it's simply because I don't want to be like this. Everyone has their own difficulties. It's not that I want someone to help me when I'm in trouble, but... I don't want others to feel as helpless as I do when I'm in trouble.

"Do you want to have a good dream?"

When she curiously asked me about my dreams, I felt a complicated feeling. If I were to put myself in her shoes now, I'd probably be asking what it felt like to be able to talk properly.

Although I have raised this question, I don't know what to do specifically...but if I do nothing, it will not work. Instead of doing nothing, I might as well give it a try.

So, make your request.

She and I have only just met for a few days and are not familiar with each other yet. However, if she asks me for help, it will be different.

"Well...actually, I don't just want to have a good dream. If possible, I want to be able to enjoy the feeling of dreaming like everyone else."

Her voice trembling, she added to her request. This wasn't anything excessive. If it were just a dream, she'd want to have a second and third go... People aren't easily satisfied. Besides, it was something anyone could do; it was her right.

"..."

So, it’s not an exaggeration at all.

"In that case, can you help me achieve it?"

How could I possibly know something like this? After all, we were just two people who didn't know each other well, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to simply describe our relationship as one of client and client.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll try.”

But as the name suggests, even if I don't know how far I can go, I can still try my best for her.

"...Thanks."

"Ah."

"So, what should we do first?" She looked at me excitedly. "Sheji, if you take a look, what do you think is going on? Could it be some serious illness..."

“…”

This person's ability to act is really amazing... At this point, it's useless no matter how anxious you are.

"We can find the cause slowly, so don't worry about it, okay?"

"Hmm...ah, I think I was a little too anxious. Sorry, maybe I finally saw hope...so I got a little carried away."

"Yeah." There's nothing I can do about it. This is a very normal mentality.

"For a moment, I actually thought I could sleep peacefully today... But now it seems that's impossible."

"Uh..." This is indeed a bit anxious...

"It's unlikely to happen that fast, but I think it should be fine, so just trust me for now."

"...Um."

Chapter 24 After the Accidental Collision

"By the way, there seemed to be a message popping up on the screen just now." She finally started eating, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and her fork movements slowed down. "I'm not very familiar with phones, but that must have been a text message or something."

"Uh?"

Because I had Notepad open and on silent mode, I didn't notice the notification icon above... but if I looked closely, it was there. It looked like a text message, and based on past experience, if it wasn't a warning about my phone bill being overdrawn, it was probably spam. Still, my obsessive-compulsive self clicked on the details.

"..."

Unexpectedly, it was sent by Ye Hui.

"I went to your house looking for you, but you weren't there. Where are you now? I know you can't talk even if I call you, so please reply to me as soon as you see this message."

Wow. What's with that sweet text?! It makes me have to reply, doesn't it?

"...Is it an important text message?"

Yao Qiong on the opposite side seemed to see my reaction and asked me curiously.

"Uh-huh."

However, I had no obligation to explain to her, so I just responded briefly and then started editing the text message to reply to Ye Hui.

But how should I respond? I'm not entirely sure why she contacted me, and since she's still with that guy... I guess I shouldn't let her know. Well, even if she did, it probably wouldn't matter.

"I have some things to take care of downtown. What can I do for you?"

This reply is probably okay... I guess. Anyway, I sent the edited text message. Now that I think about it, even though I was thrilled to get Ye Hui's number, I've only called her a handful of times... Is it because I'm shy? Or maybe I simply forgot...

I was just about to put down my phone when I received the response unexpectedly.

"It seems you really forgot about the country, even though you were the one who mentioned it. You really are forgetful."

"...Um?"

What's with this remarkable typing speed? No, that doesn't seem to be the point... Judging from the text messages, I seem to have made an agreement with her at some point, but now I've completely forgotten it.

"Is it from my family?"

As if she saw that I had ignored her for a long time, Yao Qiong took the initiative to talk to me with some curiosity.

"..." Of course I have to shake my head.

...It would be great if he really is my family member, but that's probably not very likely.

"Could it be that you're really a friend? What a surprise! I thought you were just trying to be brave when you said you had friends."

"..."

Why did you define me as someone who can't make friends from the beginning? This is pure prejudice... But strictly speaking, I don't think I have too many friends.

"I'm sorry, I've been through so much lately that I probably forgot to tell you what it was."

...Now that things have come to this, I'm actually asking Ye Hui to explain the agreement I mentioned... I feel like I've become a pretty bad guy. But it can't be helped. After experiencing this dream-like incident, it feels like a long time has passed... but in reality, it's only been a few days.

"Then you must remember the time when we created together, and the short comic we completed together."

"what..."

Now that you mention it, I do remember it.

Although the first thing that came to my mind was the dish that Ye Hui had made on a whim, I immediately realized what I had said at that time.

"Is the competition result about to be announced?"

That's when I realized what a lousy guy I was.

It's been almost two months since that time, so why am I only just now remembering it? Was that just a casual suggestion made to suit the mood? Or perhaps I simply didn't take it seriously...

"So you remember it so well."

...I actually just remembered it. Ye Hui probably replied to me this way because he didn't want me to blame myself too much.

"Well, can you come with me to see the results now? I'm going to the bookstore in the city too."

Before I could even think of how to continue the conversation, Ye Hui had already proposed a further idea. It made sense, after all, we had agreed to go together to confirm it... Now, no matter what excuse I made, I couldn't refuse. But...

I couldn't help but look at Yao Qiong who was concentrating on eating across from me. She also noticed my gaze very keenly and smiled at me out of habit.

"Ahaha, what's wrong? You look so sad... Did you have a fight with your friends?"

"..."

However, this situation is even more difficult to deal with than a quarrel.

"Oh, could it be that the situation is still serious?"

"Um..."

I'm not sure whether to nod or shake my head here. But if I don't make a decision...

"...Hmm... Why don't you just talk... No, typing will be fine too. Even if you look at me like this... How would I know what's going on?"

"..."

I was just hesitating about how to explain it to you, which is why I was stunned. It's really giving me a headache.

"Well, let me guess...is it your friend who wants to see you?"

She actually guessed it right. Was it a sixth sense or something?

"Ah."

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded in response.

"Is that so... That's true... Um, is it really necessary to see him?"

She looked a little shaken. But she kept a smile on her face... Why did she have to be like this? I'd feel better if she was angry. No... People like her probably don't know how to handle anger. Besides, after saying that, she probably wouldn't be angry with me for that reason.

I feel like I'm very cunning. I did something excessive, but I didn't even get a single complaint.

"Um..."

But no matter what, I still have to go see her.

"Well, in that case... I really must see you..."

"It won't be long, so can you wait for me somewhere?"

This is the best way I can think of. Having said that, leaving her alone, and with some naive guys all alone... I still feel a little uneasy.

"If I want to wait for you... I can do it here."

"Eh?"

"Don't look at me in surprise. Well, there's still a lot to eat... I'm actually quite interested." She said, picking up the menu beside her. "I'll just order a few more desserts and wait for you here... And you always wanted to pay for me in the beginning, but now I'm giving you a chance, so we're even now."

"..."

Is this all right? Her smile seemed forced. But this was the only way I could do now. The only thing I could do better was to go as fast as possible while I was on my way.

"Ah."

"It won't be long, I'll be back soon."

"I see. Go ahead. Typing at this hour... really." She said, waving at me. "Don't be so anxious. I eat very slowly."

"..."

Then I'll just believe her for now.

Things that can be confirmed