Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

"All right."

Yanming put down his cup. "Washing your face?"

"...You wash it for me."

Xiangzi closed his eyes beforehand, and his cheeks were already bright red before he even started wiping them.

Yanming had expected this answer. He picked up a towel hanging nearby, wet it with warm water, and squeezed out the excess water.

Then, he used one hand to hold Xiangzi's neck from behind and pressed a wet towel against her face, wiping it gently.

"Um..."

Even through the towel, Xiangzi could still clearly feel the presence of that hand... its shape, its temperature.

Even though I hadn't been drinking, just the steam from the towel made my head feel so dizzy.

So this is what it feels like to shamefully abandon something as basic as washing up, something you've been doing since you can remember, and hand it over to someone else.

...It feels quite comfortable.

"Alright, go to the kitchen and wait. The failed attempt will be our breakfast."

The warm towel was removed from my face, and then two damp fingers gently pinched my cheeks.

Xiangzi opened his eyes, but he still didn't dare to meet his gaze.

...It shouldn't have been discovered, right?

Xiangzi shook his still somewhat dazed mind, then fled the bathroom in a few steps as if running away.

"Shoes! You're not wearing shoes!"

Yanming called out helplessly from behind her.

"Da da da--"

Xiangzi ran out barefoot and trotted back, quickly put on his slippers, and then ran off again.

Throughout the entire process, I didn't dare to look up even once.

Chapter 101 One, Two, Three Mu Heads.

After the little incident, Yanming finally managed to put on his beloved pink apron.

Even though it was just an ordinary little apron, Yanming managed to make it look like he was about to fight, thanks to his powerful aura.

"Assistant Xiaoxiang."

"exist!"

"Washing rice."

"Yes!"

Xiangzi saluted solemnly, then turned and left, as if he had made up his mind.

"The rice bag is on the other side, you idiot, you went the wrong way."

“…Huh?”

When it comes to picnic lunchboxes, rice balls are an indispensable part.

To shape steamed rice into a firm and regular ball using only your palms requires a certain skill, and even some innate conditions.

"Let me do it, Xiao Xiang, your hands are too small, you can't handle this size."

Yanming tried his best to persuade Xiangzi to make rice balls.

"I'll pinch...I'll pinch!"

Xiangzi pressed the rice grains wrapped with meat floss tightly with the tiger's mouth of his hands, but because his palms were too small, the excess rice grains that he couldn't hold kept leaking out from the gaps. In the end, the rice ball he made was more like a creature from another world called "the reasoning" than a normal triangle.

Yanming comforted him, "At least we can eat our fill for breakfast."

"Gurgle—"

Xiangzi, who had never suffered such a great injustice in his life, could not believe his failure and became much more dejected.

Not reconciled!

Xiangzi unwrapped the crumpled rice ball, collected the filling back inside, and said with renewed spirit, "Yanming, lend me your power!"

"?"

Am I Ultraman?

How come I didn’t know about this?

While Yanming was still in a daze, Xiangzi crouched down, crawled between his arms, and grabbed his much wider hands in each hand.

"Hmm, Yanming, your fingers are so hard to use."

Yanming felt the touch from the back of his hand and the back of his fingers, and then said, "I'm not a robot, so of course I can't be controlled."

After saying that, he grabbed the rice from the side and began to work under Xiangzi's control, following Xiangzi's force.

From an outsider's perspective, they must look incredibly mushy at this moment.

But only the two of them knew.

They were really just working.

As the pork floss and seaweed on the counter gradually disappeared, four neatly arranged boxes of various rice ball bento boxes appeared on the table, looking no worse than those sold in convenience stores.

Meanwhile, the crushed, failed products piled up into a small hill on a plate to the side.

"Here you are, Yanming, salad dressing."

Xiangzi handed him the leftover salad dressing.

Yanming grunted in agreement, then used a spoon to scoop an appropriate amount of filling and broken rice into a small bowl, squeezed in salad dressing, mixed it well, and pressed it down firmly.

"*Chew*chew."

"Is it tasty?"

As Yanming chewed, he gave her a thumbs up.

"Then I want to eat too."

An ordinary, uneventful morning.

And so, it passed through the world quietly.

……

"Om-"

The engine roared as always through several streets, but Xiangzi had grown accustomed to and even enjoyed the bumps and thrills of the back seat.

[The unethical map service is continuously navigating for you and planning your route.]

She buried her head in Yanming's back to avoid the wind blowing in her face, while pointing the way with her finger.

Although he didn't need it, Yanming still didn't refuse her kindness. Ignoring the "shortest route" that the system told him to take to the sidewalk, he drove along the road that Xiangzi was pointing to.

……

Yanming searched around but didn't find anyone else from Crychic. He turned to Yanming and said, "Looks like we're the first ones here. I'll go park the car first. Xiaoxiang, you wait for me at the entrance."

Xiangzi nodded and climbed down from the back seat.

After Yanming found a parking space and left, Xiangzi, who had been motionless, seemed to suddenly develop a telepathic ability and turned to look at a hidden corner.

"It's Xiao Mu, right?"

"...It's me, Xiang."

Her camouflage blended seamlessly with the bushes, making it impossible to spot the cucumber sprite hiding there unless you looked closely.

Xiangzi approached and helped her brush the dust off her clothes, asking in confusion, "Why didn't you come out when Yanming was here?"

"Because Xiang said he didn't want me to get too close to him, and... it's okay."

The reason Mu avoided Yanming was because she was a little afraid that she would be picked up by him again if she wasn't careful.

Yanming is too tall, taller than the cucumber trellis...

Xiangzi didn't expect that Mu would actually take her casual remark seriously: "Well, that... I was just saying it in anger. If Mu and Yanming can get along well, I'll be very happy. After all, you are both important friends of mine."

She viewed Mu as if she were looking at her younger sister who had followed her since childhood. Moreover, Mu was so quiet and well-behaved. Xiangzi also hoped that Mu could make some friends other than herself, and Yanming was a very good candidate.

It is both reliable and very gentle.

The things he needs to correct are his tendency to lecture and hit himself on the head.

Mu Wei raised her head slightly: "Xiang, aren't you worried that I'll steal Yanming away from you?"

"Eh?"

Xiangzi was taken aback. "Xiao Mu, what are you talking about?"

Ruo Yemu lowered her gaze, seemingly sighing at her friend's slowness: "Xiang, although you like to act very mature, you are still a child in many ways."

"...I'm not a little kid! I'm the older sister!"

"But I'm clearly the bigger one..."

"Xiao Mu! You should call me 'older sister' now!"

"...As long as Xiang is happy."

From childhood to adulthood, Wakaba Mutsu had always been obedient to Toyokawa Shoko, following in her footsteps whenever she made a decision... just like a loyal knight.

However, no matter how hard the Cucumber Knight tries, her low profile means that those she protects are destined not to focus their attention on her for long.

"Wakaba-kun? You're here."

Yanming, carrying a large hiking backpack, came from not far away.

Mu greeted him casually, "Yanming, good day."

"Gui'an? Oh..."

Yanming understood. Last time they met in a hurry, he didn't have time to greet her. Now it seems that she is also a young lady from a wealthy family.

Yanming smiled and said, "Xiaoxiang often mentions you, his childhood sweetheart, so when we first met, I recognized you as soon as I saw you because you are exactly as Xiaoxiang described you."

"Xiang, what do you mean by me?"

Ruoye Mu was somewhat curious, but her face remained expressionless.

"There are descriptions and portrayals from all angles, which shows that you are really good friends."

Yanming counted on his fingers, “'Cute like a rag doll,' 'Doesn't talk much but has a lively inner world,' and... 'Says whatever comes to mind'? I didn't see that.”

Chapter 102 The Great Assembly of Group C.

"Xiang is right, that's exactly what I am."

Mu nodded blankly, but even the nod was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

Yanming continued, "But that's not a flaw, right? Saying whatever comes to mind is also a sign of a straightforward personality."

Mu shook his head.

Yanming was wrong. She wasn't straightforward at all. On the contrary, she always hid many secrets from everyone that she couldn't say or didn't know how to say.

Mu herself hates this, but doesn't know how to change it.

Just as Yanming was about to say something, a delicate voice rang out not far from them, and Yanming was already very familiar with that voice.

“Mr. Yanming… Xiaoxiang, Xiaomu…”

Yanming turned around and said with a smile, "Xiaodeng, it's been a long time."

"Hmm...long time no see."

The lamp nodded.