You call this a love game?

"No one's going to take it from you, why are you eating so fast?"

Even as she said this, she handed the remaining half of the pancake to Bai Yu, but this time she didn't feed him by hand.

She acted as if nothing had happened that morning, or perhaps she didn't remember it at all. As usual, she naturally tidied up the dishes and prepared for dinner.

Today, Ba Jianyi unusually did not work overtime and went home early to enjoy dinner with his family.

Tonight's menu is simple: tempura, teriyaki chicken, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), cucumber salad, a plate of sashimi, and a bowl of cabbage and tofu miso soup. This is dinner for our family of four tonight.

To cultivate Mami's housewife skills, Baya Dai not only taught her how to make black tea and various desserts, but also had her cook a dish every day. Today's teriyaki chicken was cooked by Mami.

Bai Yu picked up a piece of teriyaki chicken; the surface of the chicken gleamed with an enticing amber luster.

He deliberately sniffed exaggeratedly, "This color...this aroma...could it be the masterpiece of the legendary master chef, Mami Tomoe!?"

Mami's earlobes instantly turned pink, and she gently poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. "S-Stop talking nonsense..."

"It's really delicious." Ba Jian picked up a second piece of chicken, his eyes behind his glasses curving into slits. "Mami's cooking is becoming more and more like your mother's."

"No, not at all..."

Although she said that, she felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey, and she pouted and hummed happily.

Baya scooped up a spoonful of miso soup and suddenly looked at Shiraha, "Speaking of which, Shiraha-kun came back later than usual today."

"Because I had just met a new friend, I was invited to her house to play for a while."

"Her?" Baya's gaze swept over Mami Tomoe, who was eating silently beside her, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "So she's a cute girl?"

"She is indeed quite cute." Bai Yu nodded, then paused and added, "But she's also quite pitiful."

"Oh?" Baya's interest was piqued. "How so?"

"She's only in third grade this year, but her family seems to be in a bad situation. Their family's financial situation seems to be... very average. Her father has been working for several years and hasn't come back. Her mother seems to be hospitalized, but I suspect the marks on her body are from domestic violence."

Bai Yu was speaking when Mami Tomoe suddenly put down her chopsticks with a soft 'snap'. Seeing everyone looking at her, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said shyly in a low voice, "Um...you guys continue..."

“No wonder I smelled an unfamiliar scent on Bai Yu-jun.” Baya Dai changed the subject at the right time.

"Eh? Is there any?"

Bai Yu put down his chopsticks and sniffed his sleeves and collar, but he didn't smell anything else. Instead, the aroma of the freshly baked scones still lingered on him.

"There's no need to worry about that too much," Baya said with a slight smile, easily brushing aside the unimportant topic. "So, what's the child's name? Where does she live?"

“Her name is Bai Jiangzhu, and she lives in an apartment in the suburbs.” Bai Yu picked up his bowl again, took a sip of miso soup, and continued, “I want to visit her mother at the hospital tomorrow.”

“I want to go too!” Mami Tomoe looked up, her eyes sparkling. “I can bring her some snacks.”

"Bringing snacks is fine, but you have to pass my tasting test first." Bai Yu deliberately kept a straight face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Mami puffed out her cheeks. "My desserts are praised by my mother!"

He reached for the raw fish in Bai Yu's bowl, but Bai Yu nimbly dodged him.

"But the weather looks like it's going to rain tomorrow, so remember to bring an umbrella." Bayadai glanced at the weather outside the window with slight concern.

Dark, gloomy clouds began to gather, waiting for the moment when they could no longer hold back the raindrops.

"I understand, I will bring my umbrella."

While Mami was shoveling rice, Shiraha took the last piece of teriyaki chicken from the plate and proudly waved his chopsticks in front of her.

"Thief!" Mami Tomoe reached out to snatch it again, but Shiraha dodged her with a quick sidestep. She turned angrily to her mother, "Mom, look at him!"

Baya coughed, feigning seriousness, "Baiyu-kun, you can't bully your older sister."

"That's it!"

Mami immediately agreed and took the opportunity to retaliate by taking all the cucumber slices from his bowl.

"It's great to be young~"

Watching the two making a ruckus, Ba Jianyi couldn't help but sigh.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Last Meal

the next day.

Bai Yu specifically asked Baya Dai to make an extra lunchbox so that he could further improve his relationship with Bai Jiang Zhu. At the same time, he also noticed that the girl was severely malnourished and very thin. It was obvious that the body under the girl's clothes was extremely emaciated.

Bayadai understood him very well, knowing that this was prepared for that poor little girl, so she specially increased the variety of dishes. In the end, the single-layer lunchbox could not hold the last one, so she had to switch to a three-layer lunchbox to barely fit it in. The portion was enough for three people.

In contrast, Mami Tomoe's bento box looks rather shabby.

Knowing her appetite, even though she was still developing, the mother didn't put out much food, which made Mami feel dissatisfied and think that her mother didn't love her anymore, so she threw a little tantrum.

Fortunately, she wasn't completely clueless about social etiquette. After throwing a little tantrum, she stole the best-looking piece of grilled eel from Shiraha's lunchbox as punishment, and then happily went to school humming a little tune.

Bai Yu wasn't late today because she slept in her own room last night, and the alarm clock worked perfectly.

Although he really wanted to continue sleeping with Mami Tomoe, given the girl's shy behavior yesterday, it would probably be difficult to do it again in the short term; he would probably be kicked out as soon as he went in.

Yesterday, he also found out about Bai Jiangzhu's class through a gossipy girl in his class. When he went to school, he even went around to her class and peeked at the girl's seat at the back door, only to find that no one was there.

Looking at the time, she realized there were only about ten minutes left before class started, and if nothing unexpected happened, the girl would probably be late again.

Very few people actually arrive at school early, since most of them have their own small groups of friends. Arriving early allows them to chat with each other about what games they played last night, what the latest episodes of their favorite shows are like, and some vain girls even hide in corners, secretly taking lipsticks and powder compacts they stole from their mothers' rooms to share with their best friends, applying makeup to their lips and faces, and then quickly wiping it off with tissues when they realize class is about to start.

Therefore, it's possible that the girl didn't have any friends at school and wouldn't have any expectations about arriving early, so she naturally arrived on time.

The morning passed quickly, and the weather was great at noon today, sunny and bright, and it didn't look like it would rain as Aunt Yadai had said.

To prevent Hyakue Nagisa from running away, he went to the girl's class beforehand during break to tell her that he had arranged to meet him on the rooftop at noon.

Although Bai Jiangzhu was puzzled as to why Bai Yu wanted to see her, she was glad that she didn't need to rush to the cafeteria for lunch, so she simply agreed.

When it was noon, Bai Jiangzhu walked onto the rooftop, where Bai Yu was already waiting in the shadows in a corner.

A camping mat was laid out on the ground, and his lunchbox was placed on it, with all three layers unfolded and it looked quite plentiful.

"Brother Baiyu, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Bai Jiangzhu walked over and looked at Bai Yu sitting on the ground with some confusion.

"Come, sit here." Bai Yu patted the empty seat next to him, gesturing for the girl to sit down.

Looking at the sumptuous and delicious food on the mat, Bai Jiangzhu was still hesitant, but her body was unconsciously drawn to it, and she obediently sat down next to Bai Yu.

Now that things have come to this, she naturally knows why Bai Yu summoned her.

The rice and chopsticks were clearly for two people, and his actions were completely undisguised... Could this be his last meal before his execution?

Okay, she was just trying to make a little joke.

After all, no one had ever invited her to eat lunch together, or even if they had, she had refused in various ways because she didn't have a lunch and didn't want her classmates to discover the scars on her body.

Living alone, she doesn't have enough time to prepare her own lunchbox, and she's not very good at cooking. Being able to cook a bowl of noodles is the best she can do. You can't expect an eight-year-old girl who is less than 1.3 meters tall to do anything.

So usually, she would just buy a piece of bread from the convenience store for lunch, swallow it down with a bottle of mineral water, and then hastily finish the meal.

Whether it tastes good or not, as long as it fills my stomach or even keeps me from getting hungry, that's enough.

This was her first time accepting an invitation to eat with a stranger... well, not quite a stranger, but it was her first time having dinner with someone other than her family, and the other person had even brought her a lunchbox. This made her a little nervous, to the point of being at a loss, not knowing where to put her hands and feet, and acting entirely on muscle memory.

"Don't be nervous." Bai Yu handed the chopsticks to Bai Jiangzhu. "Just make yourself at home."

Before Bai Jiangzhu could even process what was happening, her hand had already reached out and taken the chopsticks.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at the sumptuous bento box in front of her. The three-tiered box was neatly arranged with delicious foods such as tamagoyaki, fried chicken nuggets, and octopus sausages, with the bottom layer piled high with grilled eel.

"So many, so many..." she muttered softly, her eyes lighting up.

To be honest, she hadn't eaten a proper meal in a long time. Since her mother was hospitalized, she had been eating bread or discounted convenience store meals, which barely kept her vital signs up. The food was incredibly unpalatable, but she had to do it to save money. She could only force herself to swallow the unpalatable taste, and over time she got used to it.

Bai Yu placed a piece of eel in her bowl. "Want to try some?"

Although she really wanted to refuse, she felt that refusing such tempting food would make her seem unromantic.

So she simply opened her slightly pale and dry lips, took a small bite, and her cheeks immediately puffed out.

"It's delicious!" she mumbled, accidentally getting some sauce on her lips.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Bai Yu smiled gently and poured her another cup of miso soup.

Bai Jiangzhu swallowed all the food in her mouth, licked the sauce off her lips with lingering satisfaction, took the cup, and suddenly stopped, looking at Bai Yu.

"Why is Brother Baiyu so kind to Xiaozhu...?"

They had only known each other for a day, yet he was so kind to her, taking her home, offering her lollipops, and now inviting her to share a delicious bento box. She couldn't understand why someone would be so kind to her for no reason, so kind that she was afraid it was a dream, afraid she would become so immersed in it that she wouldn't want to wake up.

But she still has her mother to take care of, and she can't stay immersed in it forever.

"Because Nagisa is just too thin."

Bai Yu put down his chopsticks and gestured with his hands, "If a strong wind comes right now, and Xiao Zhu isn't tied to the railing with a rope, she might be blown away immediately."

"That's such an exaggeration!" Bai Jiangzhu protested softly, her face slightly flushed, but she quickly lowered her head under Bai Yu's sharp gaze. "But Xiaozhu hasn't helped Bai Yu-nii at all, and we've only just met..."

She doesn't believe that anyone would be kind to someone for no reason; even the kindest person would have ulterior motives.

Just like the brave warrior in the story who stood up to fight the dragon, he also wanted future wealth and glory and the city lord's beautiful daughter. However, the warrior's ending was not good. He angered the dragon, was easily defeated by the dragon, and then destroyed the entire kingdom along with him. There was no one left alive.

"Because I wanted to help Nagisa, and who said you didn't help me?"

Bai Yu gently poked the girl's puffed-up cheek, their eyes meeting. "Xiao Zhu's eyes are especially beautiful. Just looking at them makes me feel better. So I want to look at Xiao Zhu more. Is that reason enough?"

Bai Jiangzhu blinked her big amber eyes, and unconsciously poked a few small holes in the rice with the tip of her chopsticks.

"This... how can this be considered helping..."

Bai Yu picked up another piece of tamagoyaki and gave it to her, her attitude firm and brooking no refusal. "If I say it's okay, then it's okay. Besides, do you need a reason to invite someone to dinner?"

Bai Jiangzhu stared at the tamagoyaki in the bowl, the golden egg roll garnished with a few black sesame seeds.

She took a small bite, and the sweetness spread across her tongue.

"But..." She wanted to say something, but Bai Yu stuffed a piece of octopus sausage into her mouth.

"Stop talking and keep eating."

"Ugh... Eek... Ugh..."

With her mouth stuffed full, Hyakue Nagisa couldn't ask any more questions and could only start to digest the precious food in her mouth.

"Is it tasty?"

"Hmm...yeah!"

Bai Jiangzhu nodded, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed, her movements just like an adorable little hamster.

I wish I could eat this kind of food for the rest of my life...

"Although I just said that I simply wanted to help Nagisa, I still have a request that I would like to get Nagisa's consent."

After finishing digesting the food in his mouth at Baijiangzhu, Bai Yu then revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Please feel free to speak, Nagisa will definitely consider it seriously!"

Upon hearing that there was indeed a request, Hyakue Nagisa suddenly perked up.

Compared to not seeking anything in return, she felt that this more transactional approach was more reliable. With a contract, people wouldn't easily go back on their word, and with demands, they wouldn't easily give up. This also allowed her to enjoy everything more at ease, since it was a transaction.

Although this was what she wanted, she felt inexplicably disappointed.

"I'd like to go to the hospital with Xiaozhu to see your mother, is that alright?"

"Look at Mom..." Momoe Nagisa suddenly lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes. "No, no, I can't say that..."

"Why? Is there something on Xiaozhu's mind?" Bai Yu pressed.

"Mom..." Baijiang Zhu's voice trailed off, "Mom will scare Baiyu-nii..."

Is it because you look sick?

Bai Jiangzhu shook her head, then nodded. She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Bai Yu's sleeve, her voice trembling, "When Mom is in a bad mood, she makes a mess of the ward..."

"The nurse also said that Mom's emotions are very unstable, and it's best not to let her come into contact with strangers, so... I'm sorry..."

"But I'm very worried about Nagisa."

The smile on Bai Yu's face was replaced by worry, and he frowned slightly.

"Eh? Worried about Xiaozhu?" Baijiang Zhu raised her head slightly, thought for a moment, "But Xiaozhu feels that she is doing very well now, and there is nothing to worry about."

"Is that good? Then where did Xiaozhu's scars come from?" Bai Yu's sharp gaze was fixed on the girl like an arrow, forcing her to lower her head and not dare to look directly at him.