NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7 - "Okay"
“WuYue, if possible, I’d like to take over some of the responsibilities in your daily life.”
“After all, you have to take care of everything when you live alone, like keeping the house clean, doing chores, and paying the bills, doesn’t it?”
“At your age, it’s definitely not easy to balance schoolwork with money worries.”
“Moreover, because of these money problems, you probably spend most of your time working and studying as well. I know that the subsidies from your school aren’t exactly generous.”
“If this keeps up for a long time without any rest or leisure, you’ll eventually snap.”
“Your problem with being “late” could also be caused by these problems.”
“So, I want to help you, whether it’s with household chores or financial matters.”
YouYu gazed at her, his tone earnest as he spoke these words.
After all, he had his own experience with the “high school hellish difficulty” as well. During a period when he was somewhat lost, he had lived through something similar himself, even to the point of nearly burning out.
However, this experience gave him a deeper understanding, making it easier for him to use it to his advantage and address today’s “serious business.”
Maybe because they had been through the same thing, WuYue found it easier to accept what he said…
“… I understand this simple reason, really! I do take some time to relax by looking at flowers occasionally!”
“It’s just… I didn’t have much choice before.”
WuYue blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed as she spoke.
Living alone was not as simple as most people imagined, and after losing her grandmother, she had come to understand this even more clearly.
Without the protection of her elders, she had to learn things she previously had no reason to consider, resulting in many hardships in this regard.
She had to handle everything by herself. With her schedule packed with studying and working, she had very little time to socialize, only enough for brief greetings.
Even with an enthusiasm that others could scarcely imagine, she had no outlet for it.
Alone and without anyone to confide in, she found herself in a state of solitude.
But now…
There was now someone who could offer substantial help.
“So, what do you think?”
“… Hmm, I think it’s fine to leave some things to you!”
“Then—”
“But!”
The conversation took a sudden turn. Before YouYu could react, WuYue pointed at him and said:
“The condition for entrusting these tasks to you is that you also share some information about yourself!”
“You say you want to help me, and I’m grateful for that! I have no issue with letting you handle the household chores!”
“But money? How do you plan to help me with that? I need to understand more about this aspect!”
“And also, your appearance… You don’t look much older than me, do you? I haven’t asked you before… Now I want to know, where was your home before? Did you drop out of school? And how did you end up here?”
“And! The ‘savior’ status or whatever… Just that alone, is it really worth it for you to do all these things for me?”
Hearing WuYue’s questions, YouYu was momentarily stunned.
“… When helping others, you act without reservation, but when receiving help, you become so suspicious? What a contradictory personality…”
YouYu couldn’t help but silently retort her in his mind.
But perhaps this is also one of the reasons she could become a magical girl.
Back to the main point, he initially thought that a child with such a distinct personality as WuYue would easily accept his “good intentions” once she opened up.
But it seems he was too presumptuous…
However, considering that it involves “money” and his background, it’s normal for her to have concerns.
But isn’t it a little late to be enquiring about his background now?
Oh well… It doesn’t matter. After all, he would have to reveal it eventually.
Although the authenticity of it might be uncertain.
“You’re just asking now, huh… Though the timing is a bit off, I’ll explain.”
“After all, I was listening to you talking about yourself yesterday, and you haven’t really gotten to know me.”
Clearing his throat, YouYu looked directly into WuYue’s eyes, not shying away as he said:
“Let’s start with my age.”
“Hmm… As you can see, I do look about the ‘same age’ as you since I’ve just turned 18.”
“As for my home… to be honest, it no longer exists; just think of it as having been ‘demolished.'”
“Really?”
Although what YouYu said sounded truthful, WuYue still felt a bit skeptical and continued to ask:
“… Hmm, it feels like there are still many things unclear. So, how did you end up here?”
“It’s quite obvious.”
Shrugging his shoulders, YouYu extended his left hand, rolled up his sleeve, and pointed to the still-healing scars on his arm.
“Human trafficking. You know, once people step into society, they can be blinded by various things… Well, I am one of the unlucky ones.”
“… Sorry, but didn’t you say before that you suffered from heatstroke? And then you said you fell while parachuting…”
“…”
This question left YouYu speechless.
“Ha~ Asking such questions… Either you’re the one stupid, or I am.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Seeing WuYue’s sudden return to her previous dazed demeanor, YouYu sighed in frustration:
“… I mean, did you really believe such an obvious and fake excuse back then?”
“Did you really not see through such a simple lie while trying to save someone? If I had ulterior motives, what would you have done?”
“Ah! I…”
“… So, that’s why I’m worried about you.”
Seeing WuYue fall back into a state of self-reproach, YouYu felt the timing was right and quickly organized his following words in his mind before speaking:
“You’ve shown me a glimpse of my past self. Back then… I was in a similar state as you.”
“I did ‘good deeds,’ many, many of them, without anyone knowing or acknowledging them, even though I never expected such recognition.”
“But… what was the outcome? The outcome was betrayal, and in the end, I had to bear all the consequences myself…”
“Because of that, I couldn’t even continue my study.”
“…”
“Sorry.”
WuYue whispered.
“And recently, because my ‘kindness’ flared up again…”
“It led to me being manipulated by a terrible person while job hunting and ending up here.”
“…”
“So, that’s my whole story, though it’s a brief version… Hmm? Are you still listening?”
Noticing that WuYue hadn’t responded for a while and was looking down, YouYu sighed and said:
“So, this is one of the reasons I want to help you.”
“But the bigger reason is that I can’t stand seeing you struggle so much… After all, my ‘kindness’ hasn’t completely died out.”
Seeing WuYue still not replying, YouYu thought for a moment and prepared to play his final card:
“… Well, if you choose not to believe me, I understand. After all, my tone might indeed come across as ‘high and mighty.'”
“And… to be honest, I’m doing this partly because I have my own personal feelings involved. After all… my situation with social interactions is quite similar to yours.”
“…”
“… But don’t worry, if you refuse, I won’t push any further.”
“As you said, I’ll just help with household chores.”
“Well, even though… living in your house and leaving all the utility bills and such for you to handle does bother me a bit… you’re my ‘savior,’ and that’s undeniable.”
“So—”
“It’s up to you.”
After saying this, YouYu turned his head away and stopped looking at her.
He had said all he needed to say and could say.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
And—
“……”
Ten minutes passed.
“……”
Twenty minutes passed.
“Okay…”
After thirty minutes, WuYue, in a tearful tone, finally spoke this word.