You call this a love game?

"It's okay if you don't understand now, you will understand later. Trust me, you will like this flavor."

Bai Yu casually ruffled the girl's soft, creamy-colored hair. Seeing that the girl didn't resist, he deliberately slowed down to match the girl's short-legged gait.

"Um..." Bai Jiangzhu's steps slowed down, until she was almost dragging her feet. Her fingers, gripping her schoolbag, turned white, and the plastic stick of her lollipop trembled slightly between her lips.

She suddenly stopped, the toes of her shoes grinding against dandelions sprouting from cracks in the sidewalk, and whispered, "Mom's probably asleep now, and... the hospital room is really crowded..."

She wasn't ready for Bai Yu to meet her mother right now, especially since she had just been angry yesterday and her emotions were very unstable, like a broken television set, rattling and clattering.

She hadn't even planned to visit her mother today; it was just that some of Bai Yu's words that morning had given her some unrealistic expectations, and she wanted to ask her mother if it was feasible.

"Is Xiaozhu going to the hospital again today?"

"I'm not going."

"Do you want to go home?"

"Ah."

Bai Jiangzhu nodded and immediately turned around and walked in another direction.

Although the home environment was terrible, she could blame it all on herself. She said that Nagisa was a bad child and that Nagisa was unclean, and that the house was so messy because of Nagisa.

Bai Jiangzhu's home is located in the suburbs. Normally, you need to walk to the tram stop, take a 10-minute tram ride, and then walk for almost half an hour to get to her home. Because some time was wasted on the way to the hospital, by the time Bai Yu safely escorted Bai Jiangzhu home, the sun was almost sinking below the horizon.

Winter is approaching, and the time when the sun shines on this land will become shorter.

"Thank you, Brother Baiyu, for taking me home. It's getting late, Brother Baiyu, you should go home soon so your family won't worry."

Bai Jiangzhu opened the door and blocked the entrance, not going in directly, but turning around to watch Bai Yu leave.

But Bai Yu had no intention of leaving. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a while? You did take Xiao Zhu home, so it's not too much to ask that you let me in for a drink of water, is it?"

"Hmm... alright." Seeing that Bai Yu had already gone this far, Bai Jiangzhu had no choice but to agree and step aside. "Xiaozhu will make some green tea, but you have to go home quickly after you finish drinking it, so that your family won't worry."

Her mother taught her how to brew green tea, and her father bought the tea leaves, which were several years old. She could only hope that the tea hadn't expired, since there was nothing else in the house to entertain guests.

Bai Yu waved his phone. "Don't worry, I've already told my family I'll be home later."

"I understand, please come in."

"Then excuse me."

Bai Yu didn't refuse and followed the girl into the dimly lit room.

Upon entering, one is immediately struck by an indescribable odor, strikingly similar to the smell outside Homura Akemi's residence during the last simulation. The dimly lit living room is illuminated only by a single incandescent bulb emitting a faint glow, offering virtually no illumination whatsoever, relying entirely on the light of the setting sun outside the window.

"Sorry, Brother Baiyu, you can wear my slippers if you don't mind."

As she spoke, Bai Jiangzhu took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet in the entryway that were clearly not her size, but judging from their condition, they were obviously used frequently.

He gently placed the slippers at his feet, and then Bai Jiangzhu took out another pair of slippers that looked a bit tattered. The edges of the slippers were cracked, and they could only be dragged on the ground when walking. But even though they were cracked like that, the surface of the slippers was still clean, and it was clear that they had been washed many times.

"Brother Baiyu, please have a seat. I'll make you some tea."

After saying that, Bai Jiangzhu left Bai Yu alone in the living room and went to the kitchen to boil water. She found an aluminum can in the dusty cabinet at the top.

By the dim light, Hyakue Nagisa squinted as she checked the expiration date written on the bottom of the jar.

Hmm... it seems there's still a month left. Luckily it hasn't expired yet, otherwise Brother Baiyu would only be able to drink plain water.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Two Lives, Two Worlds

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Bai Yu didn't stop, constantly observing the dimly lit little room.

The corner of the living room was piled with garbage that hadn't been disposed of yet, probably because the daily garbage sorting and disposal time had been missed, so it just piled up at home.

This is evident from the relatively smooth floor, indicating that the room has at least been cleaned properly.

However, there were still some miscellaneous items piled up everywhere, some of which had even gathered dust, yet there was still no sign of them being touched.

The traces of life seem to exist only in a few places. The table is used frequently, but the kitchen seems to be rarely visited. After all, he is only eight years old and has to go to school, so it is normal that he does not have time to learn to cook.

A faded blanket was draped over the sofa armrest. The loose threads at the edges had been carefully trimmed, but it was still clear that it was originally an expensive cashmere shawl with a wonderful feel.

A family photo of the three of them hangs on the wall. The woman has long cream-colored hair like Hyakue Nagisa, is beautiful and dressed in gorgeous clothes, and is holding a baby in her arms. The man is wearing a smart suit and stands upright.

But the man's face had several obvious holes, as if he had been stabbed twice with scissors.

The light bulb above my head suddenly started flickering, as if the voltage was so low that it couldn't even provide a stable, faint light.

As the last rays of the setting sun shone, he noticed a fairy tale book on a chair by the window. The book was open and upside down on the chair, presumably having been read just yesterday.

He walked over and picked up the fairy tale book that he had often read. The edges of the pages were frayed, and the first thing he noticed was the few lines of text on the open page.

Poor woman

And that's how it turned into stone.

How is the stone now?

There wasn't even a person in the know.

Finish.

He realized he was reading a fairy tale, and just as he was about to look at more of the book, he heard a light clinking of porcelain cups coming from the kitchen. He quickly put the book back in its place.

Bai Jiangzhu came out carrying a tray. At that moment, the light bulb suddenly made a soft 'buzzing' sound, and then went out completely with a slight 'pop'.

The last rays of the setting sun barely pierced through the curtains, illuminating a corner of the chair by the window, but they could not provide her with any light to guide her forward.

"I'm so sorry!"

She hurriedly put down the tray and walked with practiced ease through the cluttered living room, tiptoeing to reach the candles on the cabinet.

As the match was gently struck, a spark flew, and a tiny flame barely dispelled the darkness in the room.

Watching the flame flicker in the little girl's pupils, Bai Yu walked over and gently extinguished the still-burning match, then picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

"Xiaozhu's cooking skills are really good, the taste is quite nice."

Actually, the tea was a bit weak; I don't know if it had been sitting for too long or if it hadn't been steeped long enough.

Upon hearing this, Bai Jiangzhu's shoulders relaxed a bit. She knelt down in front of the coffee table, clumsily but earnestly pouring tea, the hot water creating tiny swirls in the cup.

"My mom taught me all of that; she's really good at making tea."

What does Xiaozhu's mother do?

"Hmm... Mom used to be really amazing, she even appeared on TV!"

When talking about her mother, Bai Jiangzhu became excited and talked non-stop about what awards her mother had won, what programs she had performed on TV, and how many people liked her, even though she had only heard about most of those things. She listened to her mother lying in the hospital bed telling her stories of the past.

"And now? What's Nagisa's mother doing?"

"Now...now Mom is sick, so she needs to be hospitalized."

"What about Dad?"

Bai Yu noticed that she seemed never to have mentioned her father, the man in the suit.

“Dad… he’s too busy with work and doesn’t have time to come back. He’ll definitely come back as soon as he finishes his work!” Bai Jiangzhu explained with her head down, but her lack of confidence was obvious.

"alright, I got it."

Without needing much explanation, he already had a pretty good understanding of Bai Jiangzhu's current family situation.

The father abandoned his wife and children, and the mother was hospitalized, but it was probably not a serious illness that would prevent her from moving, otherwise she wouldn't have had the strength to abuse her own daughter.

Bai Jiangzhu has practically become a left-behind child, living alone, which is quite difficult for an eight-year-old girl.

Household chores, meals, going to school, and visiting her hospitalized mother after school are all borne by an eight-year-old girl on her own. She has no social life, nowhere to vent her sadness, and her favorite books are dark fairy tales.

"It's getting late, I have to go back."

Bai Yu took out his phone and checked the time. He realized it was almost seven o'clock, and the last rays of the setting sun had completely sunk below the horizon.

Mami Tomoe is still waiting for him at home.

"Oh, okay, then I'll take you there."

Bai Jiangzhu, who was staring blankly at the candlelight, quickly got up to see off the last guest of the day, who was also the only guest in the past few years.

I carried a candle into the entryway, its glow casting swaying shadows on the wall.

Bai Yu noticed several shallow scratches on the inside of the door frame. The top scratch was crookedly written with "Mom's height" written on it, and the one below it was "Xiao Zhu's height this year." However, it was clear that the girl's current height had already exceeded the height marked on the wall for this year.

"That's enough." Bai Yu bent down to tie his shoelaces, turned around and chuckled, "See you at school tomorrow. I hope I won't see you in the security room again."

"No! Nagisa just overslept today!"

Actually, I got scolded by my mom yesterday, and I cried for a long time before I could fall asleep when I got home.

"Alright, then don't oversleep tomorrow." Bai Yu reached out and ruffled the girl's fluffy hair, magically producing two lollipops from his palm.

"Since you seem to like them, I'll give you the other two."

"No need to say anything, Xiaozhu has already eaten one."

"These are different flavors, have a taste. That's all for now, see you tomorrow."

He forcefully shoved two lollipops into Bai Jiangzhu's hand, and Bai Yu pushed open the door, the darkness outside flooding in like a tide.

“Brother Baiyu…” She suddenly grabbed Baiyu’s sleeve, but swallowed the words back and said instead, “Be careful on the road.”

"Yes, I will. You be careful too."

The moment the elevator doors closed, he saw Bai Jiangzhu still standing at the door. The candlelight cast a long, long shadow of her. The sound of the chains being reattached was very soft, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.

Bai Jiangzhu extinguished the candle, and the room fell into darkness again. She went to her familiar spot—the chair by the window.

She liked to sit there, using the moonlight streaming through the window, and read the stories in the book over and over again.

At times like these, recalling the sad ending of the story brings her some comfort.

But today she couldn't seem to focus on the story she had read countless times in the book. The two candies she was clutching in her palm felt like hot irons, burning her so much that she didn't even dare to taste them.

But after a moment, she endured the pain, unwrapped the candy, and put the pale blue candy into her mouth.

The familiar sour taste spread throughout her mouth, like an invisible current rapidly coursing between her tongue and gums, stimulating every taste bud. This feeling also made her feel relaxed, and her mood seemed to be more cheerful. It was as if the sour taste was gradually filling a gap in her heart.

----

The night wind carried the chill of early winter. Bai Yu took out his phone, the screen illuminating his thoughtful face. There were ten unread messages, the latest one from Mami Tomoe.

"It's almost dinnertime, aren't you coming back yet?"

"We'll be there soon."

After replying with that, Bai Yu put his phone back in his pocket.

The tram swayed and rattled towards the city center. Bai Yu gazed at the flowing lights outside the window, his knuckles unconsciously tapping his knees.

Bai Jiangzhu's situation was more complicated than he had imagined. It wasn't just simple domestic violence; the unhappiness in her family was also one of the sources of the problems that led to her current state.

Her father is undoubtedly a scumbag; there's nothing more to say about him just for abandoning his wife and daughter. As for her mother, that washed-up idol, we'll only know the details after meeting her in person.

However, this did not affect his decision to abduct Baijiang Zhu first, allowing her to escape that terrible environment.

Living in a dark environment for a long time will make a person dark as well.

Back home, the apartment where Mami Tomoe lived was brightly lit. As soon as Shiraha stepped inside, he smelled the sweet aroma of black tea mixed with scones.

"I'm back--"

"Welcome home~!"

Bayayo and Kenichi were chatting on the sofa, while Mami Tomoe poked her head out from the kitchen, her delicate face covered with a few specks of white flour.

"What are you doing? It smells so good."

Taking off her coat, Bai Yu walked straight to the kitchen, where she saw the girl taking a plate of freshly baked pastries out of the oven.

He reached out to grab it, but Mami gently tapped his guilty hand, saying, "Wash your hands!"

"Oh."

After obediently washing her hands, Mami Tomoe broke off half a biscuit and handed it to him.

"Ah~" Bai Yu opened his mouth wide, indicating that Mami Tomoe could just feed him directly.

The girl blushed slightly, gave him a reproachful look, and then stuffed half a piece of cake into his mouth.

“Ah—ooh.”

He took a big bite of the whole pancake and chewed it slowly in his mouth, only to be met with a glare from the girl.